Why do we age?

Aging is an inevitable process. Scientific studies prove that on an average our bodies are at our youthful peak at 25 with signs of aging surfacing at 30. However, we all age differently. Genetic make-up, gender, ethnicity, environmental influences, levels of sun exposure and lifestyle choices like smoking, drinking and nutrition are factors that pre-determine aging. It’s not possible to halt aging, but it is possible to slow down the process.

Controlling aging

The process of controlling aging should start right from the time when aging doesn’t even begin to show on you. Retaining youthfulness should, in fact, start right after puberty. It may be difficult to restore youth after the ravages of aging have prominently set in. Prevention is always better than cure.

It’s also best to maintain beauty through natural means and not experiment with too many therapies, especially chemicals. Managing aging well may not just make you look youthful, but it will keep you fit and healthy – in other words, it increases longevity.

Exercise right

Regular exercise will help to keep you in shape, improve energy levels, joints mobile, improve posture, strengthen muscles and increase blood circulation making the skin look healthier. Exercise also helps to feed the brain with more oxygen, enabling you to stay alert as you grow older. It is necessary to choose the exercise which suits you after consulting a doctor. Also – when you are old, it’s better to do an exercise of moderate intensity like walking, jogging, yoga, swimming, or golf, which doesn’t get you out of breath and too sweaty.

Eat right

A healthy diet should have the correct proportion of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals to provide the body the requisite energy and all the nutrients it needs for growth and repair. As we grow older we need fewer calories to sustain us. Nevertheless, we still need as many vitamins and minerals as we’ve always had. Sometimes nutritional supplements may help – vitamin A helps to remove age spots. Biotin, choline and folic acid may prevent the greying of hair. Vitamin C can arrest wrinkles. Most important – drink at least 8-10 glasses of water a day to prevent the skin from looking dull and dry, and to flush out toxins from the body, prevent constipation and keep your bowels healthy. Also, quit smoking and drinking.

Health check-ups

Visit your doctor regularly to check for symptoms of old age-related ailments like heart and circulatory diseases, diabetes, back pain, arthritis, osteoporosis and cancer. Being in the pink of health will make you look your youthful best.

Skin care

The outer covering and the largest organ of the body, the skin, is the very first organ to show signs of aging. The skin loses elasticity, gets thinner and dries up as we grow old. Sun exposure, smoking, alcohol, stress, deficient sleep, illness, pollution and chemicals in diet increase wrinkles. Overuse of soap, excessive steaming and bleaching may further dry up the skin. Face massages with essential oils, acupressure and facial exercises may help to prevent wrinkles.

Hair care

Hard water, harsh chemicals, excessive shampooing, driers and rollers may hasten the greying of hair. Using Indian gooseberry, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and coconut milk will naturally darken your mane. Scalp massages with rosemary oil in a base of almond, olive or jojoba oil, increases blood circulation bringing nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles. Lavender or thyme oil may stimulate hair growth. A diet rich in minerals and vitamins may also help prevent hair loss.

Nail care

Brittle nails are caused by hard water or a deficiency of vitamins and minerals. White spots on nails suggest zinc or vitamin B deficiency. Lack of iron in diet causes pale, flat, thin and dry nails. For healthy and strong nails eat a diet rich in sulphur, iron, zinc, calcium and vitamins. Wear rubber gloves while cleaning, or washing. Do hand and finger exercises regularly.

Dental care

Common dental problems affecting senior citizens include tooth decay, gum disease, fracture and thinning of the enamel. Avoid extraction of natural teeth unless absolutely necessary as they help to anchor your artificial teeth.

Take vitamin D supplements to help absorb calcium and keep your teeth healthy. Adhere to good oral hygiene by regular brushing, flossing, and gum massages.

Eye care

Rest is the best way to prevent strained or tired eyes. When your eyes get weary, close your eyes and press on your eyelids, very gently, with your palms. While reading, choose a relaxing place with soft light. Go for regular eye check-ups for sight problems, macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts.

Being young at heart

The best part. Society may categorise your years numerically, and put you into an age zone which may term you as aged. But, real age, for you, is in your mind.

If you think young, you’ll look young. If you have a happy and peaceful mind, the lines of stress won’t show on you – this makes you look much younger.

The post Young at Heart appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Sunil works in a luxurious air-conditioned office, but he feels lethargic all the time. However, whenever he goes on a nature trek he feels fresh and full of energy despite having to walk for miles everyday, with just five hours of sleep.

His strained eyes from prolonged computer use are soothed by the greenery surrounding him. He watches the sunrise and sunset from various breathtaking natural landscapes everyday. Sunil finds medicines of little use to alleviate his city-related ailments – he is convinced that nature is his real therapist.

Nature nurtures

The word nature originates from the Latin, natura, meaning “the course of things, natural character.” Natura is a translation of the Greek word, physis, which refers to the way plants and animals grow on their own accord. Nature refers to a general realm of different types of plants and animals as well as the processes of weather, geology and cosmology like wind, rain, sunlight, mountains, rivers and the stars. A natural environment may, therefore, include biotic [living] and abiotic [non-living] components.

Nature helps to nurture the human body, mind and spirit.

Physical health benefits of nature. Psychologist Chrisann Almeida says, “Exercise and increased physical fitness associated with most kinds of nature-based activities leads to better health. Research also shows that outdoor exercise has a more beneficial effect than indoor exercise [e.g. running on an outdoor track compared to an indoor track].” Nature boosts immunity and cardiovascular function. Views of nature from hospitals help to reduce recovery time and the number of days spent in hospital, including the quantity of medications required to treat patients. Naturopathy medicines and treatment are believed to cure ailments with minimal or no side-effects

Psychological benefits of nature. Staying in proximity with nature helps to reduce stress, alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and psychosomatic illness [including irritability, restlessness, insomnia, tension, headaches, and indigestion]

Spiritual benefits of nature. William Wordsworth believed that “nature was mankind’s best moral teacher.” Walt Whitman echoed Wordworth’s views on nature when he said, “A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.” Nature teaches without preaching, through subtle nuances. For example, Rose Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy political family, pointed out, “Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?” Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience”. Albert Einstein said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” In Thomas Hardy’s novels rural folk have a sense of sweet simplicity in them as they blend well with nature which is primitive and pure.

Taking into consideration the bountiful benefits of nature, it’s not surprising that over the centuries a plethora of natural phenomena have been deified and worshipped.

Alienation from nature

Helen Keller said, “To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.” Leo Buscaglia said, “I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.” Contemporary urban folk, however, often prefer the indoor world of gizmos and gadgets than the outdoor natural world.

A shift from the pastoral to the urban landscape, work and academic pressure and the attractions of the digital age have alienated us from nature. Children prefer to watch TV and surf the ‘Net instead of climbing trees, bird watching, star gazing, or splashing in a pond.

As Almeida cautions us about the harmful consequences of alienating ourselves from nature: “Renowned psychiatrist Carl Jung’s theory postulates that since we humans have evolved from nature we share a common ancestry with all things natural. Earth is the flow of natural systems. Wherever that flow stops, life as we know it, deteriorates or dies. We are a part of the natural scheme of things and, therefore, the same holds true for us. Biologically speaking, nature is designed such that, natural systems are self-correcting and purifying.

Balance and restorative powers flow through all forms of life. This includes human life of our body, mind and spirit, as well as our thoughts, feelings and perceptions. Our body too has the capacity to renew itself when rested, however these days we cut ourselves off from nature, lost as we are in this concrete jungle. We tend to prefer instant non-natural substitutes ignoring the harm that they cause… [These] artificial substitutes exclude the organic energies resulting in deterioration, sooner or later.” Cutting off from nature cripples us in body, mind and soul.

Nature deficit disorder

The phrase, “nature deficit disorder,” was coined by author and child-advocacy expert Richard Louv, who in his extensive research discovered that today’s kids are more likely to know about global environmental perils than about the ecosystems within a 10-mile radius of their homes, and more likely to understand complicated video games than to be familiar with creatures they might find crawling around under an actual rock.

Louv’s bestseller Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder is his exploration of how contemporary society has become estranged from the natural world. In an interview Louv described “nature deficit disorder” as ‘The cumulative effect of withdrawing nature from children’s experiences, but not just individual children.’ Families too can show the symptoms – increased feelings of stress, trouble paying attention, feelings of not being rooted in the world. So can communities, so can whole cities. Really, what I’m talking about is a disorder of society – and, children [are] victimised by it.”

Naturalistic intelligence

All of us need to work upon our naturalistic intelligence. Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard University, US, added an eighth intelligence, naturalistic intelligence or nature smart to his Multiple Intelligence Theory. He described naturalistic intelligence as “The human ability to discriminate among living things [plants, animals] as well as sensitivity to other features of the natural world [clouds, rock configurations]. This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers; it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef. I also speculate that much of our consumer society exploits the natural intelligences, which can be mobilised in the discrimination among cars, sneakers, kinds of make-up, and the like.” Gardener identified Charles Darwin as a prime example of having naturalistic intelligence.

Moral: try to be your own Darwin!

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Faced with cut-throat competition and office politics, she couldn’t count on any colleague as a friend. Also, her few “friends” outside office hardly ever had the time for her.

Shalini would dread being left alone and, unfortunately, she got into a hasty relationship with an abusive guy who soon betrayed her. A broken-hearted Shalini was crying hysterically and contemplating suicide, late one night, when she heard a puppy’s agonised howl muffling with her sobs.

She soon discovered the injured stray puppy at her doorstep. She rescued the puppy, took him to the vet, nursed him back to health and adopted him. In the process, the puppy brought a new dimension to Shalini’s life. He became her best friend and companion, dispelled her loneliness and made her a lot happier.

“Having my puppy by my side is calming and reassuring. Petting her makes me feel connected to something. The animosity of humans is what drove me to depression, whereas the “humanimality” [humane love, care, and kindness bestowed by an animal] is what helped me to get better. I am now completely off anti-depressants. My puppy was my miracle therapy.”

Miracle therapy

Human-animal bonds may be uniquely therapeutic. Though pets may not serve a completely utilitarian purpose they’ve been part of many a household since prehistoric times, simply because of the affection and understanding they evoke.

The phrase “pet therapy” was coined in 1964, by Boris Levinson, an American child psychiatrist who discovered that severely withdrawn children opened up when he began to use his dog in his sessions. Though Levinson wasn’t the first to use animals in treating psychological disorders he is, however, credited with spreading awareness and in-depth research into pet therapy. Minal Lonkar Kavishwar, a clinical psychologist and Founder-President of Animal Angels Foundation, says, that, “Mentally-ill patients long for acceptance. Whereas humans may be judgemental, animals will always accept a human being.” Kavishwar is a firm believer in animal-assisted therapy that facilitates healing and rehabilitation of patients with acute and chronic diseases.

Therapy pets

Though dogs are generally the favourite among all kinds of therapy pets because of their gregarious nature, a wide array of animals may be used for therapy – cats, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, fish, dolphins and horses. Do creepy crawly animals work, too? It all depends on one’s perception of the animal. Says investment banker Pranav Sharma: “I had a pet spider as a child which hung in its webbed glory for about a year, right above my study table. Watching it strategising and building/redesigning the web all the time brought nice breaks to revitalise my mind, when I got bogged down with the monotony of memorising facts and figures.”

Not all animals are, however, legalised to be kept as household pets, especially exotic animals. Moreover, acquiring a pet should never be done in haste. A mis-match between the pet and the owner will provide no therapeutic benefit and may result in the neglect, or abandonment of the pet.

As Kavishwar explains the process of animal-assisted therapy: “The case-history of the patient is first taken. I access which problem should be dealt with first and the target goal to be achieved. We see how comfortable the person is with the animal. Young children may be attracted to the animal, but not know how to handle it; there’s never a therapy session with the animal directly coming to the patient. The animal gets acquainted with the client s/he is going to work with.”

All animals used for therapy by Kavishwar have been certified perfectly healthy by vets, and trained by her, especially for therapy purposes. Her mode of therapy also gives those who can’t afford to keep a pet at home the therapeutic benefit of animals at her clinic. The good doctor takes therapy pets for sessions to institutes of the mentally retarded, autistic, lonely, physically disabled, hearing and speech impaired, terminally-ill cancer patients too.

Renowned lawyer Gerry Spence once observed, “Wisdom usually does not fall from high places. The mighty and the splendid have taught me little. I have learned more from my dog than from all the great books I have read. The wisdom of my dog is the product of his inability to conceal his wants. When he yearns to be loved, there is no pouting in the corner. There are no games entitled ‘Guess What is the Matter with Me.’ He puts his head on my lap, wags his tail and looks up at me with kind eyes, waiting to be petted. No professor or sage ever told me I might live a more successful life if I simply asked for love when I needed it.”

Just let an animal befriend you and discover the difference it’ll make in your life. No wonder classical novelist George Eliot eulogised: “Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions; they pass no criticisms.”

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