May is Older Americans Month. Here Are 2 Pro-Aging Methods You May Not Be Using
By Joy Stephenson-Laws, J.D., Founder
Maria Branyas Morera is the world’s oldest living person. She is 117-years-young!
"She has a completely lucid head. She remembers with impressive clarity events from when she was only four years old, and she does not present any cardiovascular disease, common in elderly people," said Manel Esteller, a scientist who was referenced in this report.
Morera even posts content on X (formerly Twitter).
“I'm old, very old, but not an idiot,” her bio reads.
I definitely believe having a sense of humor keeps you youthful. Morera is definitely an inspiration and a reminder that happy and healthy longevity is possible if we are proactive. May is Older Americans Month. It’s the perfect time to assess our lifestyle habits to see what perhaps we could be doing better in order to increase the likelihood of being a healthy centenarian or even supercentenarian (110 years or older). It’s time to squash the common belief that if you are in the 40 and up club, you are old and it’s too late to maintain or improve your health.
I like to use the term “pro-aging” as opposed to “anti-aging.” In my opinion, anti has a negative connotation and implies that we should not age. Growing old is a privilege denied to many. And even for those who grow old, many may not age healthfully. I like to think of pro-aging as getting older but still maintaining some youthfulness. What I mean by this is disease-free, independent, happy, mobile and ultimately the freedom to do what we want. Here are two pro-aging methods you may have not considered before.
Red Light Therapy
In my opinion, red light therapy is one of the best tools for aging healthily.
Red light therapy (RLT) is a form of low-level laser (light) therapy(LLLT) and is offered in many medical office settings. Think of it as like a healthy tanning bed. During a session, the light delivers wavelengths of natural red and near infrared light. It’s like the wavelengths you get from sunlight without the harmful UV rays. RLT is reported to improve the appearance of skin and promote healing. Who wouldn’t want this as they get older?
It is also able to stimulate bone growth and recovery as well as soft tissue repair. This, of course, is extremely important with aging. RLT is so powerful and effective that NASA used it to keep astronauts healthy while in space. As far as red light therapy and sleep are concerned, studies have suggestedthat RLT increases serum melatonin and improves sleep quality. It’s not uncommon for people to have sleep issues as they age, especially when women go through menopause. Sleep is important for stress management, maintaining a healthy weight and more.
There is even evidence showing that red light may improve blog sugar levels by optimizing ATP production.
“Advanced age is a major risk factor for diabetes and prediabetes. Therefore, the elderly has a higher prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes than the young and middle-aged and are more likely to develop complications in the cardiovascular, retinal, and renal systems,” according to an article published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This does not mean that we have to accept getting diabetes as we age. It just means we have to be proactive.
Emsella Chair
Incontinence does become more common with age. It is not, however, a “normal part” of aging. In addition to this, research has shown that urinary incontinence may increase your risk for other health issues and disabilities in the future. But, again, we can be proactive. Implementing the Emsella Chair in your proactive healthcare routine is a great way to prevent and manage incontinence.
The Emsella Chair is a non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment for urinary incontinence. It works by delivering electromagnetic energy that triggers over 11,000 pelvic floor muscle contractions over the course of a 30-minute treatment. This is far more than you would be able to achieve doing kegel exercises on your own. There is no recovery time, so you can return to your daily routine immediately after a treatment session.
Who would have thought that a certain type of light and a special chair could help attain healthy and happy longevity? Of course, it is still important to focus on nutrition, exercise, cognitive health and more. For more blogs on pro-aging, click here.
Enjoy your healthy life!
