Practical Practitioner
By: Pamela Egan, FNP-C CDE
Anti-Aging as Preventive Medicine
November 29, 2009 - I had a patient in the clinic today who said that she was convinced that bio-identical hormones were the way to go as she has never felt better in her life, but her friends were putting pressure on her to age naturally. She asked, why do we want to keep our bodies functioning optimally with bio-identical hormones and nutrients rather than just let it age?
My response was that as the body ages and becomes depleted of necessary hormones & nutrients, this is when degenerative disease sets in. I asked, would you prefer to replete the body with natural bio-identical hormones and nutrients or be on synthetic drugs for heart disease, osteoporosis, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, sleeping pills, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, etc. Estrogen is the main hormone important for memory, skin, and to prevent atrophic vaginitis. Progesterone is a natural anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, sleeping pill, lower risk of breast cancer and builds bone.
To understand the concept of anti-aging medicine, realize that, with the exception of infection and some childhood disorders, the vast majority of degenerative disease shares but one common characteristic: aging itself. Alzheimer’s disease, most cancers, heart disease, non-insulin dependent diabetes, osteoporosis, autoimmune disorders, stroke, death by pneumonia and influenza, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and the myriad of maladies linked to advancing age commonly afflict only those over age forty.
Contrary to a commonly held misconception, the purpose of medicine is not to extend life in order to live a longer period of time as an “older” person, but rather to delay the onset of the aging process and give everyone a greater number of those middle, health years. Who wouldn’t want to be as fit and vital at age seventy-five as he or she was at forty-five?
If we really want to make an impact on health care in this country and throughout the world, we must focus on preventing the degenerative disease of aging. Indeed, if we are to save public programs for seniors, an integral focus must be on adoption of anti-aging medicine in the preventive healthcare setting.
The anti-aging medical model seeks to find solutions to eliminate or, at least, to alleviate the disorders that lead to chronic dependence and disability.
Practical immortality is where we live vital life spans of 120 years or more, is based on the notion that the exponential expansion of medical knowledge, will yield biotechnological discoveries that will permit scientists to alter the course and concept of aging. We predict that, by the year of 2029, advancements in stem cell research, therapeutic cloning, and nanotechnology will be harnessed into applications that improve and extend the human life span. In this manner, anti-aging medicine is anticipated to have a profound and permanent impact on the future of preventive health care.
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Pamela Egan, NP, CDE, ABAAHP Diplomat
1116 W. 21'st Avenue
Covington, LA 70433
Office Phone: 985-892-3031
Pamela Egan, MN, NP, CDE, ABAAHP Diplomat is a board certified Adult & Family Nurse Practitioner, Certified Diabetes Educator, and has completed a Fellowship in Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine. She can be reached at 985-892-3031 or www.pamelaegan.com.
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