Acupuncture Aging Center

Introduction
Cardiovascular system
Bones, muscles and joints
Common kinds of Arthritis
Cancer
Kidneys, bladder and urinary tract
Brain and nervous system
Stroke
Sexuality
Other

Introduction

2000 years ago reveals a fable in China, the Emperor Qin ShiHuang sent 500 boys and girls led by a Taoist priest boated toward the sun rise palace to look for the immortal herbal medicine for the emperor. Unfortunately the emperor didn't live long enough for them to come back. Even now some people still believe that the progenies of that 500 boys and girls still walk on earth.

1990s, when I was PhD student in the Department of Senescence Biology, Kyoto University, Japan, I heard some private conversations after conferences, "are you trying to get people to live a longer life of 100 or 200 years?", the answer is "No, our goal is to understanding the aging, to hope we live a healthier and high quality of senor life." In my opinion the concept of anti-aging is not the power of immortality, but that of betterment to our aging process.

The Chinese have a history of pursuing anti-aging, wellness, or long for all the region and group of people. We practiced the concept of Qigong, Taiji, herbal medicine treatments, acupuncture, and the harmony of warm and cold property of food to fit different body types. Modern science discovered the specific genes like aging -1 in worms and the theory of calorie restriction diet for anti-aging. However, I have always thought about "what is the process of aging?" and "what is the cross point for both Traditional Chinese Medicine and modern science to understand the aging process?" It is important to realize for the second question that the target and goal is the same, the human body. Now we understand the fundamentals of aging including genetics, environments and life styles, it is important for us to realize all these elements make up the process of aging.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a principle theory to understanding the human body and aging. To my understandings, the keyword of the theory is Qi energy. Negative factors such as stresses, diseases, aging will harm the Qi energy when we get sick, become stressed out and deteriorate from aging. Through the negative factors the Qi energy will be weakened, and finally all the Qi energy will be lost and the life will come to an end. The acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and traditional exercises training such as Qigong, Taiji, Bagua, or Xinyi, all are treatments of Qi energy. These practices will cultivate, smoothen the flow of Qi energy. This way the Qi energy will flow stronger through the channel of our bodies. The body "channel" is a TCM conception that is similar to that of a highway network connection that links each parts of our body. This way we will provide maintenance to our health, and a brake to the process of aging. If the Qi energy is sufficient in the whole body and local organ system, all the symptoms are possible for improvement, such as chronic fatigue, pain management, memory loss, sexual problem, constipation and loss of bladder control.

We say that mostly aging health problems are the result of insufficient and weakness of the Qi energy. Memory loss, chronic fatigue, and various pain problems are the common symptoms that can occur to the elderly. Thus the acupuncture treatments or Chinese herbal medicines have to concentrate on the whole body to supplement the Qi energy. When the entire body's condition has improved, the specific problem will be improved too. For example, in case of foot pain, treatments involve combination of inserting acupuncture needles into foot and additional needle and herbal treatment for some other body organs. This way the treatments will not only solve the problem of foot pain, but also the Qi energy will receive more effective results. Additionally, the traditional therapy or exercises combining medication may be helpful for individuals to manage their health.

Risk of diseases is increase through the aging process, and various diseases are more common to target the elder people (senior). The diseases include cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease. The following are some typical changes we can expect when we get older.

Cardiovascular system

Elder people's heart muscle will be less efficient pump, and the blood vessels become less elastic. Hardened fatty deposits may form on the walls of your arteries (atherosclerosis), narrowing the passageway through the vessels. This can lead to high blood pressure (hypertension).

Now few theories try to explain the relationship of aging process of cardiovascular: oxidative stress appears to be the primary explanation for aging in the cardiovascular system. Hypertension, diabetes and insulin resistance, which are associated with aging, contribute to vascular malfunction, altering the aging mechanisms of blood vessels.

Bones, muscles and joints

The bones reach maximum mass between ages 25 and 35, when increase of age, bone density will gradual loss, bone become weakens and more susceptible to fracture (osteoporosis). Muscles, tendons and joints generally lose some strength and flexibility too.

Common kinds of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis in older people, other name known as degenerative arthritis, degenerative joint disease, hypertrophic arthritis, because the cartilages become ragged and wears away. Cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement of joints. OA symptoms can range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes with activities like walking, bending, may have joint soreness, morning stiffness, Grating or catching when moving the knee, weakened large thigh muscles.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) - RA is an autoimmune disease that leads to inflammation in joints and tissue around the joints. This inflammation causes pain, swelling, and stiffness that lasts for hours. People of any age can develop RA, and it is more common in women. RA can attack almost any joint in the body, including the joints in the fingers, wrists, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles, feet, and neck. RA not only destroys joints. It can also attack organs such as the heart, muscles, blood vessels, nervous system, and eyes.

Cancer

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells, also call malignancy because the cell tends to growth in an uncontrolled way, to metastasize (spread).

Cancer is primarily a disease of aging, about ten times more likely than younger persons to develop cancer, because of their longer exposure to carcinogens: pollution, radiation, tobacco, sun, alcohol, wrong diet, chemical or physical irritation and stress.

Other hands, because the body DNA repair function less effective as we grow older. I would like to believe the life style and aging are more important factors in cancer development.

For cancer prevention, take care the health life style and avoid risk factors, cancer-causing agents in the environment and the workplace. Have good health maintain, righter diet, stress management and exercises, and get help to treatment illness or uncomfortable in early. Because mostly cancers are a result of many years development, so to prevention of cancer, we need do some things for our body start from now.

Kidneys, bladder and urinary tract

With increase of age, kidneys become less efficient in removing waste from bloodstream. Some conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and some medications may damage kidneys more.

About 30 percent of people age 65 and older experience a loss of bladder control (urinary incontinence). Incontinence also more common happens people have a number of health problems, such as obesity, frequent constipation and chronic cough.

Women are more likely than men to have incontinence, because the menopause might experience stress incontinence. In men, incontinence may caused by an enlarged prostate (BPH, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia), which can block the urethra.

Brain and nervous system

Memory loss is common condition in elder people, because the number of brain cells (neurons) decreases with age. Other as reflexes becomes slower, and less of coordinate.

Stroke

There are two major types of strokes. The most common kind (ischemic) is caused by blood clots or the narrowing of a blood vessel (artery) leading to the brain. The clot keeps blood from flowing into other regions of the brain and prevents needed oxygen and nutrients from reaching brain cells in these regions. The second major kind of stroke (hemorrhagic) happens when a broken blood vessel (artery) causes bleeding in the brain. This break also stops oxygen and nutrients from reaching brain cells. Acupuncture therapy is more common treatment for stroke recovery in China, for improve balance, coordination, pain, and speech.

Sexuality

With age, sexual needs and performance may decrease. Vaginal dryness problem and painful sexual may common in women, because the less elastic of vaginas walls. Impotence or electric dysfunction (ED) becomes more common in men as age over 65.

Other

Cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration are the most common problems of aging eyes.

Tea loss, mouth feels drier and gums have pulled back (receded).

Hearing loss, Constipation.

Skin thins and becomes less elastic and more fragile. Less of natural oils may make skin drier and more wrinkled. Age spots can occur, and skin tags are more common

By age 75, some people find that themselves waking up several times each night.

Because metabolism generally slows, body burns fewer calories, and decreased activity, resulting in unwanted weight gain in some older peoples.