Longevity Secrets
As we grow older, life seems to go faster and the dreams of our youth can fade. As I look back over my life, I've been able to do many things, yet there still is much more that I would like to accomplish with my life. The tools and knowledge of health and long life can, by God's grace, add years to our lives.
Recently I just finished the book, The Agebeaters and their Universal Currency for Immortality, by Dr. Joel Wallach and Dr. Ma Lan. This book is one of the most thorough studies on 100 year olds throughout the world. It goes through many different theories, researches, and studies to compile what actually does help us have long healthy lives. This month, I will be sharing these "secrets."
Our Potential
Theoretically, our body has the ability to live forever. Dr. Alexis Carrel won the Nobel prize for developing the original technique for "end to end anastomosis (joining) of blood vessels with fine suture". He later began to grow undifferentiated fibroblasts from chicken hearts, which was a study to see how long cells could live. This work let to the theory that, "Cells are inherently immortal if fed a perfect diet and kept in a perfect environment." Surprisingly, these cells actually outlived Dr. Carrel. (1)
What really is the human potential for longevity with health? According to the Bible, there were many who lived way past 400, in fact, the oldest man, Methuselah, lived to 969. Before Noah's Flood, the average life span was around 700. According to the Canopy Theory, the earth was totally different at this time, and both man and animals lived longer and grew larger. After the flood, everything changed, and the average life-span began to decline. For a while, 120 was the normal life span, then it declined to around 70.
In modern times, the longest lived person that has been recorded is Li-Ching-Yun, who reportedly lived to the age of 256 years, outliving 23 wives and had 180 descendents. There were records found of his birth, and on Li's 150th birthday (1827), he was congratulated by the Chinese Imperial Government. Fifty years later, in 1877, Li was sent a second official birthday congratulations, for his 200th birthday. Again, fifty years later, at the age of 250, he lectured to 1,000 medical students in Beijin on the art of living a long and healthy life. I guess, he had he knew! Then he died in 1933. (2)
In his book, The Agebeaters and their Universal Currency for Immortality, by Dr. Joel Wallach goes into much detail about longevity. He extensively studied different people groups throughout the world who have a high percentage of 100 year olds. This included the Sardinians, the Georgians, Hunza's, Symi, Okinawans, and others. All aspects of their diet, lifestyle, soil, and how they prepared their food, were considered.
Dr. Wallach states: "While the percentage of hundred year olds currently varies from country to country, all humans can easily reach 100 years of age by simply following certain known and predictable physiological laws. These laws for longevity are as unforgiving and predictable as gravity. . . . If you are unaware of, or simply ignore the physiological requirements to live to be 100, you will surely not make it to 100, even if you have "good genes." On the other hand, if everyone in your family died at 35 years of age and you accurately fulfill your physiological requirements for longevity and avoid the land mines, you can easily make it healthfully to 100." (3)
The 4 Common Threads of Anti-Aging are as follows:
- You must consume large amounts of anti-oxidants
- Eat a calorie restricted diet
- Supplement with all known essential nutrients
- Avoid landmines
We will go into detail of all of these in subsequent newsletters.
