What causes us to age? What causes disease? What makes us more susceptible to sickness in our elder years? The health care industry would go out of business if we knew the answers to those questions (and took action). Yet, the information is available today (and we don’t seek it).
Two primary causes of aging are loss of human growth hormone and decreasing telomere length. Yes, smoking, obesity, and many other things are factors, but not causes. Factors accelerate the rate of aging.
Our medical industry treats symptoms, not causes. Doctors ought to treat causes, but that’s not the way our system works. Why? Medical training and education are not provided for cause assessment. A headache or high blood pressure might have several causes. Prescription bills are provided to treat the symptoms. The underlying cause(s) remain.
Low-level chronic cellular inflammation causes nearly every disease. The condition is too small to detect. There are no symptoms. There is no reason to be looking for any illness.
A CRP (c-reactive protein) blood test could reveal the incremental increase in the body’s inflammation. Homocysteine levels increase before cardiovascular disease biomarkers become measurable. The medical industry has the people, tools, and tests to detect future maladies. But it doesn’t.
I had 31 annual flight physicals while I was in the military. I have had an annual physical every year since I retired. I add the CRP, homocysteine level, and vitamin D3 level tests to my blood profile testing because they are not part of the normal blood testing.
Harvard Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the National Institute for Health report that an increase in CRP might also indicate an increase in heart disease. CRP is a byproduct of inflammation. It is not relegated to one organ in the body.
The National Institute for Health warns us that increased homocysteine levels are typically a warning for potential cardiac problems. Additionally, the National Institute for Health tells us that vitamin D3 is a crucial nutrient for health. Most Americans are deficient in vitamin D3.
A good ‘take-away’ from this article is to ask your physician to include the c-reactive protein, homocysteine level, and vitamin D3 level tests for your next physical. There might be some increased costs associated with these tests depending on your doctor and your insurance plan, but generally not very much. It gives your doctor a baseline of where you stand and provides insight for treatment, is needed.
What other options do we have outside the world of physicians and medical testing? Quality sleep should be in your top ten things to monitor and improve, if necessary. Exercise should include cardio, stretching, balance, and strength training. Stress management should be done daily, employing more than a couple of different methods to reduce daily stress.
Awareness and education of nutrition is always a must. We don’t know what we don’t know. Start with daily nutritional balance if you want to reduce inflammation in your body. Fasting is one of the most important things you can do to live a long and healthy life. Always check with your physician before making any changes to your current health program.