While there are some benefits to exposure to natural sunlight – like improving mood, increasing vitamin D levels, enhancing sleep, and slowing the aging process down – it is wise to be cautious in the sun to avoid the detrimental effects of its ultraviolet rays.

Ultraviolet light causes skin to lose elastin, which is a primary factor in the formation of wrinkles. Elastin fibers are what help skin maintain elasticity. Without it, time and gravity will take its toll on the skin, stretching it and creating a rough and wrinkly surface, giving a premature appearance of aging.

Prolonged exposure to the sun can also lead to precancerous lesions known as actinic keratoses. They occur frequently in lighter-skinned people with blond or red hair and blue eyes. These lesions can be worrisome, as, unlike the benign sebhoorric keratoses, they very often lead to malignant carcinomas.

Skin cancer is another major pitfall of exposure to the sun’s reckless ultrviolet rays. In areas where sunlight is prevalent, and people receive extensive exposure, especially as children and teens, squamas cell and basal cell carcinomas are more common. The risk of malignant melanomas is also quite high.

In rarer cases, there may be an adverse allergic reaction to sunlight which can produce blotchiness, rashes, or blemishes on skin. These types of reactions can be brought on or intensified by the use of certain prescriptions, including antidepressants, antibiotics and blood pressure medication.

Take precautions when going out into the sun, especially for prolonged periods of time. When choosing a sun screen, look at the Ultraviolet Protection Factor, or UPF. The higher the number, the better the UV protection. Wearing hats with a brim at least three inches wide can help protect your head, ears and neck from burning, as well as protecting your eyes.

Wearing sunglasses all of the time when you are outside can be harmful to your health, but it is important to use them. Confused? Well, your eyes have receptors in them that trigger Vitamin D absorption when they detect sunlight. If you block the UV rays from reaching your eyes, then it is likely that you will not absorb your daily need of Vitamin D from the sun. However, wearing sunglasses can help to protect your eyes so that they can stay healthier for a longer period of time.  There are many health benefits to wearing sunglasses because eyes that are regularly exposed to too much sun can develop serious and sometimes permanent damage.

First of all, when picking out glasses, you must make sure that you are not just picking out the ”cool” glasses that do not block the UV rays.  There are plenty of sunglasses out there that look snazzy that also do their job as eye-protection. Cheap glasses can actually do you more harm than good. For instance, if you have sunglasses that do not have any UV ray protection, then you would, obviously, increase your disclosure to UV rays. Because the sunglasses will keep some of the light out, you won’t realize that you are still exposing yourself to these rays and the UV light could cause damage to the retina. Another risk is that because there is less light, your iris opens to permit more light in, but when you wear cheap glasses, you allow the UV rays in along with the light.

You should wear the glasses if you think that you are outside long enough to get a sunburn or tan. Wearing them will greatly decrease the chance of  age related eye diseases. Some of these diseases include cataracts (cloudy formations on the lens inside the eye), yellowing of the white part of your eye, and photokeratitis (sunburn of the surface of the eyeball– the cornea).

Sunglasses also provide protection from glares. Good sunglasses could releave you from glare using polarization.

Have fun out in the sun, but make sure to protect your eyes from any UV damage!

Elder care facilities nationwide, from nursing homes to assisted living residences, are designed to provide assistance for elderly clients who need partial to total personal care. Well-enforced guidelines are in place for the physical care and treatment of elders in such facilities, and many of these homes are dedicated to providing a place for their residents to live out their lives as independently as possible, with dignity and respect.

But despite their best intentions, many elder care workers may not be providing the level of respect they think they are. It is quite common for nursing facility staff to address residents as “sweetie” and “dear”, which, while they may be meant as terms of endearment, often are seen by the recipient as being demeaning or derogatory, relegating the resident to a childlike position. When this happens, it can have the opposite effect of what is intended. Instead of promoting strength and independence, this “endearment” may instill a sense of helplessness or vulnerability in the elders addressed in such a manner.

True respect can be demonstrated in so many ways, even in a care facility. By simply ensuring total privacy during personal care, or calling a resident by his or her name, elder care workers can increase the self-perception of their residents significantly. This, in turn, can encourage elders to participate actively in their own care. Treating the resident with the respect he or she deserves and encouraging independent activity can make a huge difference in the recovery time for individuals recuperating from injury or surgery. Basically, if you treat a person like a helpless child, you will receive the response of a helpless child.

Whether you work in an elder care industry, volunteer with elders, or simply take care of an aging loved one at home, fostering an atmosphere of true respect will go a long way toward improving the quality of life for all involved.

We all know that exercise is good for the body; we know that those who practice a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to get sick than those who exercise. We know that exercise can help prevent heart disease, cancer, and other life-threatening diseases.  But not everyone knows that long-term exercise has a very good effect on the body, an effect that all of us wants–it slows the onset of aging.

A group of German scientists  learned through research that the secret to staying young longer is linked to physical activity. According to a report that was recently published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, it was discovered by the group led by Dr. Ulrich Laufs, a professor of clinical and experimental medicine in the department of internal medicine at Saarland University in Homburg, Germany, that the telomeres of the white blood cells of endurance athletes are longer than than that of healthy non-smoking and non-drinking adults who do not exercise regularly. A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome, it protects the end of the chromosome from damage and deterioration. Longer telomeres means longer time for cells to continue dividing during the life span of a human being.

Emmanuel Skordalakes, an assistant professor of gene expression and regulation at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia explains that telomeres work like the way “shoelace tips prevent fraying of the laces.” According to him telomeres become shorter every time cells divide. Over the life span, human cells divide continuously, and they only stop dividing when the telomeres are too short to allow division. Once the cells stop dividing, aging sets in, and all the signs of it are felt like loss of skin elasticity, deterioration of muscle strength, and the decline of the ability to hear, see, and think clearly.

Having longer telomeres in the white blood cells is linked to long-term exercise. If you want to live younger longer, why not start exercising regularly  now while you are still young and do it for as long as you can?

When most women think of milk, they think of those small cartons served with school lunches or the milk they may pour over their morning cereal. Too often considered a beverage for children, milk can be vital for women’s health and the prevention of osteoporosis, the most common metabolic bone disease in the United States. What osteoporosis means is that with age, bones can become more fragile and easier to break. Twenty-eight million adults have osteoporosis in the US today, and women are four times more likely to suffer from osteoporosis than men are.

After osteoporosis is diagnosed, little can be done to reverse the damaging effects of the disease so prevention is the key to protection against osteoporosis. When our mothers told us to drink our milk to build strong bones, they were right. Drinking 3-4 cups of Vitamin D fortified skim milk daily is one of the best natural defenses against osteoporosis. Calcium can also be found in green leafy vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts. Although calcium supplements can be another option, experts advise consulting with a doctor before taking the supplements.

Other ways to fight against osteoporosis are daily weight bearing exercise (walking, running, dancing, tennis, bicycling, or aerobics), maintaining a healthy weight, not using tobacco, limiting alcohol to no more than two drinks per day, and eating a balanced diet.

After menopause, when osteoporosis is most likely to occur, women also are urged to avoid accidents. Make sure that all stairs have railings, remove hazards such as throw rugs and wires to prevent tripping, and make sure all areas of the home are well lit.

Loss of bone mass normally begins as early as age 35, so it is never too early to drink your milk and limit the risk of osteoporosis.

One of the hottest theories in the world of health these days is calorie restriction. Simply put, there is a growing body of research to suggest that the best way to live a long and healthy life is to simply to eat less. No need for special diet foods or fancy exercise equipment (though a Needak folding rebounder is great for exercising)–just say no to food.

In numerous animal studies, cutting calorie intake by 20-30% has dramatically extended lifespans. Whether you’re a worm, a mouse, or a monkey, eating less can extend your lifespan by 50% and keep you physiologically younger during most of your life. While there have been no longitudinal studies in humans (there hasn’t been enough time yet), there is an active community of calorie restriction (CR) devotees, and medical examinations show that their cardiovascular health is vastly better than that of those eating a typical American diet.

Of course, there are downsides. CR practitioners live a spartan existence, tend to be skinnier than supermodels, and may lose both their sex drive (HIV test London) and their ability to reproduce. The way CR works is that it tricks the body into believing that it is facing a famine. Under those circumstances, the body goes into emergency mode, shutting down non-essential functions (like sex and reproduction) and activating processes that help battle free radicals and other carcinogens.

CR isn’t for everyone, but if you want a scientifically promising fountain of youth, it may be for you. Here’s a good introductory article, and here’s what Wikipedia has to say.

Adding massages with Thumper and G5 Professional massagers can also add years to your life.

Foods that stop oxidation and preserve brain function are Anti aging Foods that one needs. Heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, fatigue, cataracts, vision, can be prevented or lessened with certain foods.

The antioxidant anthocyanin which is thought to be important for preserving brain function is found in blueberries, pomegranates ,and cranberries.

Consumption of vitamin E makes one less likely to develop Alzheimer’s . Wheat germ can be used as a topping and is loaded with vitamin E.

A diet rich in assorted fruits and vegetables also helps prevent the development of Alzheimer’s.

Fatigue and headaches may be attributed to iron deficiency. Meat, fish, and poultry contain the form of iron that’s the most easily absorbed in the body.

One can ward off stress and increase the amount of iron absorbed in a meal by eating kiwis, strawberries, oranges, and tangerines, Tangerines and other citrus fruits are also an important protector against cataracts.

Heart disease risk can be cut almost in half with folate and B6 which is currently found in fortified cereals.

Several large studies have shown a 30 to 50% lower risk of sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular disease associated with eating nuts several times a week.

Erratic heart rhythms and prevention of blood clots can be accomplished by eating salmon.

A high intake of monosaturated fats such as found in avocados lowers heart disease risk.

It’s true that carrots to protect ones night vision with its high amount of vitamin A

Macular degeneration may be delayed in those that consume a glass of red wine every day.

In conclusion vegetables, fruits and nuts have properties that stop oxidation and preserve brain function.

Throw in a good massage with a Thumper Massager or a Thumper Mini Pro Massager every once in a while and you can slow that aging process.

Sir Francis Bacon might have been right when he said that life span was determined by how quickly one used up one’s personal store of “vital spirits” One of those “vital spirits” that gets used up is the telomeres. Telomeres get shorter with each cell division. It is believed by some researchers that they become so short that the cell can’t divide anymore. The cell then becomes vulnerable to damage and decay. In scientific terms, the “vital spirits” might be a biological program that runs to only a certain length of time. To prove this cells taken from long lived species when put in a petri dish divide longer than cells of short lived species. It is like there is a clock in that cell tick, tick, ticking only so many times until that cells dies.

Although at present there isn’t anything we can do about this biological clock, the next theory of free radical damage is one which we can have some control of. The theory that is now widely believed is that oxygen molecules become electrically charged. They then can melt part of the cell membranes and damages genetic material. Free radical damage it is believed can be controlled with certain vitamins namely vitamin C and vitamin E are effective when used together. Studies in November 2004 suggest that vitamin E should not be at 400 mg. strength, but instead should be at 200 mg.

Restricted calorie intake by 60% in laboratory mice has caused them to live 50% longer. These mice though show extreme agitation at feeding time because their bodies are requiring more food. This option although viable is not one that is unrealistic because people will be hungry all of the time.

In one study of a hundred nursing-home residents 72 to 98, just ten weeks of weight training more than doubled the participants muscle strength and increased their walking speed and their ability to climb stairs. It seems that exercising seems to induce many of the effects scientists have been trying to deduce using other experiments.

Another theory on reducing aging is to increase oxygen intake which can be done with the Sequal Eclipse .

As we grow older, we start to lose calcium and bone and under the skin are fat pads which lessen. Two protein strands elastin anc collagen are produced at lesser quantity. Those wrinkles come about because without enough of these two proteins the skin is not as smoot h and elastic as it once was and therefore sags. A product named AHA causes stimulation of mucin, which is a substance that fills in between collagen fibers. Over the counter creams with AHA help remove the outer layer of skin which has become dried and has damaged cells

Botox when injected prevents the muscles from moving and therefore wrinkles are stopped. Wrinkles disappear for about four months. Not enough studies have been done to determine the long term effects of this treatment.

90% of all skin changes associated with ageing are really the result of sun exposure. Smokers are five times more likely to have wrinkles. Smoking reduces the blood supply and oxygen to the skin and it may affect collagen and elastin. Fast weight loss will be very noticeable as sagging skin in the face. Exercise works because it relieves stress and increases blood supply. Moisturizers will keep the skin from dehydrating although they will not lessen wrinkles.