A FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH?
I cannot recommend the tv series, 30 Days, enough. What better way to test your opinions than experiencing, first hand, the other side. The second episode of season one is about the fight against aging. I'll be honest, I foolishly believed that growing old is just a part of life. Imagine my surprise in learning that there are a significant amount of doctors (yes, trained professional doctors) who treat aging as a disease that can be cured. Huh?
Well, this episode introduces a 34-year old man who has decided that he wants to get back the 8-pack (not six, he says eight) abs he had when he was in high school and college. With the blessing of his wife, he goes to one of these doctors and begins a regimen of weekly testosterone shots, daily hgh (growth hormone) shots, and enough micro-nutrients to make him rattle when he walks-a total of almost 40 pills a day! Along with all this, he begins a strict diet, and both cardio excercises and weight training.
He and his wife decide to go to the sperm bank and 'make a deposit' before things begin because they want to have another child and are told that sterilization may be a side-effect of the treatment-along with high blood pressure, heart problems, abnormal bone growth, mood swings, diabetes, etc.
Not even two weeks into the program, he is contacted by his anti-aging doctor who informs him that his liver is not functioning properly. The decision is made to suspend the program and run further tests. In the quest for answers, he and his wife show his weight trainer (who is a professional body builder) everything else he is doing/taking in the program. The body builder tells him that the amount of micro-nutrients he is taking could be very dangerous and probably what is causing the liver problems. The decision is made to stop the pills and continue the shots. As the days progress, his mood becomes more unpredictable which begins to cause a strain on his marriage. I can't remember why, but nearly 3 weeks after starting they decide to go back to the fertility clinic to see if there is any change there. After the initial 'deposit', he was told that his sperm was very healthy-over 60 million and mostly alive. This time, they find somewhere around 1 million and all are dead. Incredible! After such a short period, the effects are that damaging. At the end of 22 days, he and his wife decide that this program is too dangerous to continue and stop. Luckily, everything done to his body was temporary.
So what's the lesson in all of this? We are ALL going to die some day. If you spend your time focusing what was and not embracing what is, you will have wasted the time you have. I speak this as if I practice it every day. I don't. I try to, but I frequently need to be reminded of it. Do I wish that I could look better/younger? Not really. To be honest, most people don't believe that I'm as old as I am. O.k. I do color my hair to hide all the grays, but I'm still not ready to let that go. I think I look much better than I did 10 years ago.
Next question: would I take a 'cure' for aging if it were proven to be a disease? No to that one, too. Death is a part of life. It's all just one big journey. So strap in, keep your arms and feet in the car at all times, and get ready for the wildest ride you can make of it!
Well, this episode introduces a 34-year old man who has decided that he wants to get back the 8-pack (not six, he says eight) abs he had when he was in high school and college. With the blessing of his wife, he goes to one of these doctors and begins a regimen of weekly testosterone shots, daily hgh (growth hormone) shots, and enough micro-nutrients to make him rattle when he walks-a total of almost 40 pills a day! Along with all this, he begins a strict diet, and both cardio excercises and weight training.
He and his wife decide to go to the sperm bank and 'make a deposit' before things begin because they want to have another child and are told that sterilization may be a side-effect of the treatment-along with high blood pressure, heart problems, abnormal bone growth, mood swings, diabetes, etc.
Not even two weeks into the program, he is contacted by his anti-aging doctor who informs him that his liver is not functioning properly. The decision is made to suspend the program and run further tests. In the quest for answers, he and his wife show his weight trainer (who is a professional body builder) everything else he is doing/taking in the program. The body builder tells him that the amount of micro-nutrients he is taking could be very dangerous and probably what is causing the liver problems. The decision is made to stop the pills and continue the shots. As the days progress, his mood becomes more unpredictable which begins to cause a strain on his marriage. I can't remember why, but nearly 3 weeks after starting they decide to go back to the fertility clinic to see if there is any change there. After the initial 'deposit', he was told that his sperm was very healthy-over 60 million and mostly alive. This time, they find somewhere around 1 million and all are dead. Incredible! After such a short period, the effects are that damaging. At the end of 22 days, he and his wife decide that this program is too dangerous to continue and stop. Luckily, everything done to his body was temporary.
So what's the lesson in all of this? We are ALL going to die some day. If you spend your time focusing what was and not embracing what is, you will have wasted the time you have. I speak this as if I practice it every day. I don't. I try to, but I frequently need to be reminded of it. Do I wish that I could look better/younger? Not really. To be honest, most people don't believe that I'm as old as I am. O.k. I do color my hair to hide all the grays, but I'm still not ready to let that go. I think I look much better than I did 10 years ago.
Next question: would I take a 'cure' for aging if it were proven to be a disease? No to that one, too. Death is a part of life. It's all just one big journey. So strap in, keep your arms and feet in the car at all times, and get ready for the wildest ride you can make of it!
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