THE OLDEST QUESTION : Where is The Fountain of Where is The Fountain of Youth?

Everyone has probably known somebody who smoked, ate and drank anything and everything with no regard to whether it was healthy or not and lived to be 90 while relatively free of serious illness. You might say this person had a “strong constitution” or a “high level of resistance.” These descriptive terms imply that this person has an inner strength or personal power. But what is really going on and more importantly how can you get some of this action? This person has a high degree of adaptative capacity. Adaptative capacity is the result of a balanced metabolism and a flexible and integrated nervous system. When the body’s internal rhythms can swing fully through it’s range of function and stay balanced then flexibility and adaptability exists.

From a metabolic perspective this happens in four major areas:

1. Maintaining glycemic control while your blood sugar swings between high and low levels.
2. Maintaining normal oxidative metabolism (oxygen burning) while you swing between anaerobic and aerobic energy production.
3. Maintaining an ideal pH as it swings between acid and alkaline levels.
4. Maintaining ideal colloidal concentrations of electrolytes in your body fluids as levels increase and decrease to accommodate attraction and repulsion requirements.

Can you see the paradoxical position your body’s metabolism is in? It has to maintain balance with strict control while also being flexible enough to allow chaos to coexist? Kind of sounds like life. Effectively accomplish these functions and you will have optimal health. HOW WELL AND HOW LONG WE LIVE DEPENDS UPON HOW WELL WE PERFORM THESE FOUR ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS. The same process of self-organizing systems out of chaos also exists within your nervous system. The Network Spinal Analysis approach used in our office restores spinal-neural integration for the body’s communication essential for optimal living. Next month I will go into more detail regarding this incredible process, lets get back to the discussion on metabolism.

When you get your metabolism evaluated in our office, it is these four areas we are concerned with. When they can swing through their full range and not get “stuck” then they are balanced. But what happens when Father time brings us the aging process?

When we reach approximately 32 years old, the rhythms previously mentioned begin to lose their amplitude. Even though they can be perfectly balanced, when the strength or the amplitude of the swings weaken, we lose our vital reserves. This shows up as someone displaying an over-all generalized decrease in vitality. Like an automobile engine with over 100,000 miles, even though it is tuned up to manufacturers specifications it still has lost some compression and performance. Or an old television set that still gets a picture but is not as sharp and bright as it was when it was new. It’s not really broken, just getting worn out.

This decreased vital reserves happen when exposed to extreme emotional stress, sleep deprivation, nutritional deficiencies….and as we age. When our vital reserves and adaptive capacity decrease, we can get pushed around and overwhelmed by environmental influences. This is a person that catches every illness going around because they have no defensive capacity against any physical, mental, chemical and thermal stress. Like the weakling on the beach who gets sand kicked in his face by the bully and can’t do anything about it. The good news is you can do something about it.

All your various metabolic rhythms can be grouped into two major swings called the catabolic and anabolic phase. Together they are called the diphasic cycle and happen every 24-hour period. The catabolic phase is responsible for mobilizing forces for high-powered energy expenditure needed for productive activity and happens from 6:00AM to 8:00PM. This intensity has a depleting effect, so the anabolic swing mobilizes reserves for rebuilding and recharging your body and happens from 8:00PM to 6:00AM. A full strong diphasic cycle gives you high-powered energy during the day when you need it most and recharging and healing processes in the evening as you rest. The closest we can come to the “Fountain of Youth” is to maintain high amplitude of our diphasic cycle. To maintain a strong diphasic cycle requires a combination of antioxidants and metabolic boosters and most importantly…. to take them in the right combinations and at the time of day that is in sync with the anabolic and catabolic cycle.

I am currently 46 years old, my interest and search for maintaining youth has intensified. I can say that using antioxidants and metabolic boosters to support your diphasic cycle is a solid approach to maintaining optimal health through the years.

Are you feeling the effects of aging and wondering what you can do about it? Call the office and ask about the Diphasic Nutrition Plan and make an appointment to get adjusted so your nervous system can stay cleared of interference.