Aging with Grace: Five Basic Rules to Follow

Paul A. Goldberg MPH, DC, DACBN, DCBCN

Founder and Consultant to The Goldberg Tener Clinic

Getting into our advanced years, the period generally categorized as starting around 60 years of age can be a time of graceful transition or a period of agonizing physical decline and hardships. We age physically at different rates as we are all biochemically/genetically unique but aging occurs with everyone and can result in significant challenges.

The Golden Years are not always so Golden. Aging often brings about new hardships as time moves on relentlessly. Admittedly, we all at some point die and aging is a prelude and progression to that. We can die suddenly due to pathology or accident but for most, there is a gradual descent leading into life’s cessation as our biology presses upon us, accelerating with its effects each passing year. Minor health issues become major ones that are increasingly annoying and with time can become disabling. Physical and mental issues are closely inter-related and cognition problems become more evident as recall and memory weaken. The carefree attitude of youth fades. We look at the mirror with each passing year and question who that is. Our own mortality becomes evident as we see friends, family and acquaintances pass away.

It is not simply the biology of our genetics that begins to talk to us but the long-term accumulation of insults we have heaped upon our bodies for decades from emotional upsets and stress, dietary habits, the toxicity of prescription drugs, poor sleep habits, employment of alcohol and tobacco, excessive or deficient physical activity, environmental exposures... all take a toll.

Inevitably with age our metabolism slows and weakens. We generally produce less body heat and digestive functions become weaker. Less digestive juices and enzymes are produced, and intestinal peristalsis weakens leading to digestive issues in turn leading to other problems. Our cast iron stomachs and intestines we took for granted increasingly complain. Staple foods in the diet become adversaries, flexible joints stiffen and ache. The skin wrinkles and age spots (aka dark spots, sunspots) appear with increasing frequency. The skin sags on the neck, face, abdomen, breasts, arms and buttocks. Clear vision becomes blurry; cataracts appear along with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis as the glycation of tissues takes place and the bones lose mineral content. We find ourselves not recognizing the person we see in the mirror.

These changes result from both genetics, environment and behaviors. Genetic factors we inherit. The manner and rapidity in which they are expressed, however, is in large part controlled by us and can be modified by understanding the biology of aging and what we can do or should not do to support the aging process.

In fifty years of practice, I have frequently seen patients pursue quick fixes to their health issues rather than engaging in the real. They have been disappointed. There is no lack of products and procedures advertised to bring about an anti-aging effect. Supplement and pharmaceutical companies rake in billions of dollars each year with their anti-aging offerings. A myriad of supplement companies selling a plethora of products whether in

health food stores, over the internet, and via “functional” and “anti-aging practitioners” who retail these products with sleek promotional advertising.  Particularly pushed by so called “functional medicine” physicians seeking additional sources of revenue are “bio-identical hormones.” These carry with them the potential for creating significant metabolic disturbances we see commonly in practice. See article "Bio-Identical Hormones and Anti Aging Medicine: Quick Fix or Slippery Slope?"

There are surgeries and procedures aimed at an aging population regarding issues of the joints, skin, hair etc. Some of these procedures have merit in certain circumstances, however…they should be among the last actions we take…rarely the first ones for they neither address causal factors and at best provide transient benefits. They fail to address the etiological (causes) of premature aging and degenerative processes in each person’s case. They fail to give us long term solutions to health issues and fail to put us in charge of our health.

I have taught public health and clinical nutrition at the undergraduate, graduate and professional level and have been in clinical practice for over fifty years. Here is a list of suggestions I have found that most everyone can put to their advantage in maximizing their genetic potential, retarding aging and making their body, as it ages, more efficient and comfortable:

General Suggestions to Age More Slowly and Comfortably

Age Slower Rule Number One: Eat less.

s is not about any specific diet, supplement, drug or therapy. Just eat less. Most of us live on about 70% of what we eat and the doctor lives on the remaining 30%.

Unless you are anorexic, this applies to almost everyone in the U.S. We are a nation of gluttons, eating at every opportunity and eating to excess. In doing so, we wear out the vitality of the gastrointestinal tract and put undue stress on our entire metabolism. It is a common form of self-abuse. We can only be nourished by what we can efficiently digest, absorb, assimilate and excrete the wastes of. Whatever we take in excess causes the body to work harder, lose its digestive and absorptive efficiency over the years and basically just clogs up the works. No matter what the society, no matter who the individual…those who consistently overeat not only suffer with increased rates of obesity, diabetes and cancer but have less energy and age more rapidly. The notion that we must “eat more to keep up our strength” is entirely fallacious. Many people literally dig their graves with their forks and spoons eating far more than their bodies requires. Simply eat less. We are a nation of gluttons… it has become built into our culture. Choosing whole, natural foods and avoiding processed foods is wise but overeating of even the best foods leads to disease. Taking in nutrients is necessary to support life but it should be to fuel and replenish our bodies not for entertainment… and many have simply made entertainment centers of their mouths.

Age Slower Rule Number Two: Obtain adequate sleep.

Obtaining sufficient hours of sleep is important in avoiding premature aging. Babies need more sleep but as we age, we also need more sleep. The hours slept before midnight are particularly valuable. Many people cheat themselves by obtaining too few hours each night. If your cells literally do not have the opportunity to re-charge their electrical potentials, each and every cell will suffer. Yes, that includes your thyroid that physicians heap thyroid replacement drugs upon when they start to fail, your adrenals that alternative and functional medicine physicians heap adrenal supplements on, your aching joints, your failing liver, your chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, etc.….sleep is vital to all these and other functions and a lack of it can contribute to many so called “diseases”… A lack of sleep will increase your chances for developing a myriad of autoimmune disorders including diabetes as well as aging prematurely.

Age Slower Rule Number Three: Have purpose. Don’t retire from life.

Avoid retiring unless you have something concrete to retire to. Voluntarily retiring from work you enjoy and that gives you purpose is a mistake. Too often I have seen men and women retire from work engaged in for decades without a clear alternative path to follow. Boredom, illness and premature aging and death often follow. As part of being engaged, interact with other people through work, play, service or religious activities. If you don’t have a dog, consider going to the local animal rescue center and adopting your next best friend. This will also help keep you active which brings us to rule number four…

Age Slower Rule Number Four: Stay Physically Active.

Getting older does not mean becoming dormant. Life is motion and your well-being relies upon it. My first car was a ten-year-old 1960 Rambler American in poor condition inherited from my Grandfather. I took it to a mechanic and asked him how I could keep it running. His answer was “don’t turn off the engine!”

Activity is critical. We need it to retard bone loss/osteoporosis, avoid depression, keep our weight stable, promote circulation and help prevent a myriad of degenerative diseases including diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. It is also critical to avoid muscle loss that occurs with aging referred to as sarcopenia, a progressive, age-related condition involving loss of muscle mass, strength and function leading to frailty, increased risk of falls and loss of independence. Choose an activity you like and engage in it regularly. Don’t overdo but plan some physical activity on a regular basis incorporating resistance training and some form of cardiovascular exercise. I swim or lift weights four days per week and walk my four rescue dogs every day. We are all the better for it.

See article: Osteoporosis Reversal and Prevention.

Age Slower Rule Number Five: Avoid toxic exposures

Our environment including the food we eat, water we drink, air we breathe, drugs we take, the soil, some medical tests, occupational exposures, etc. are heavily loaded with toxins that can result in accelerated aging, cancer and contribute to a wide assortment of other disorders. At the Goldberg Tener Clinic ,we have a long history of taking steps to identify the role toxic exposures play in the well-being of our patients. We identify toxins through a thorough history, appropriate lab testing and then counseling our patients on eliminating exposure and eliminating them from their bodies. Our experience and training in public health epidemiology and toxicology have helped us in working with patients in this regard leading them to improved health, reduced aging and reduced risk of environmentally induced illnesses.

See article: Environmental Toxins and their Role in Chronic Disease

Other factors to consider are our relationship with nature such as obtaining adequate sunlight exposure / time spent in the outdoors.

These are some general measures to help ourselves make aging a more gradual and comfortable process. Let’s avoid having to say to ourselves as we enter our later years “I got old too soon and smart too late.”

For Those Already Experiencing Degenerative Disease / Premature Aging

If you are currently afflicted with premature aging and chronic health issues, we invite you to undergo a thorough evaluation at the Goldberg Tener Clinic for Chronic Disease Reversal and undergo an individualized Bio-Hygienic Re-creation Program. This can identify specific causal factors involved with your health issues and address them directly, allowing your body an enhanced opportunity for repair and rejuvenation.

This is not through a myriad of supplements, “bio-identical hormones”, medical “treatments” or alternative anti-aging programs aimed at symptoms alone. The Bio-Hygienic System, developed over the past fifty years, identifies and addresses causal factors and provides the right conditions to encourage rejuvenation. This allows each person the opportunity to push back the clock and restore themselves to a more youthful state.

This necessitates effort on the part of the patient… but to obtain greater freedom from pain, enjoy increased energy, engage in greater levels of physical activity and lower the risks of developing advanced degenerative diseases, our patients, as illustrated by the examples below, know it is well worth the effort.