Aging

As you age, negative consequences occur to your cells and their DNA, which can result in an increased likelihood of experiencing diseases (such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, among others). However, much of this is preventable. Before describing how to prevent and/or reverse this, it’s helpful to understand what is happening as you age and why.

What Happens as You Age

All cells function due to their DNA, and how well and how long they function depends on the health and integrity of that DNA. As we age, inflammation accumulates and damages the cells and their DNA. Eventually, tissues begin to function improperly due to this systemic inflammation, and the likelihood of experiencing health issues increases. In fact, increased inflammation has been implicated in a variety of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and neurologic diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

How to Reverse these Changes

Aging is a disease in its own right, it leads to poor health and eventual death. Thankfully this process can be slowed and even reversed. At Re-Gen Fitness and Recovery, our slogan is “Re-generate your younger self” and it is due to the cellular age-reversing ability of our services that we derive this saying. By reversing the biological age of your cells, we can physiologically re-generate your body to a younger “chronological age”. Although treatments like stem cell therapy and transfusion of young plasma can help to achieve this, these are costly and invasive, with often limited results. Of course, regular exercise, a healthy diet, and enough sleep, among other lifestyle changes, can improve your health, but these can be hard to achieve, and alone are often not sufficient to produce definitive changes in genetic aging. At Re-Gen, we utilize several therapies known to successfully reduce and reverse the cellular and genetic effects of aging, including:

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been shown to be widely successful in reversing cellular aging. Research shows it has the ability to reduce inflammation, while also improving antioxidant gene activity in the body. It has shown the ability to delay cellular death and increase DNA telomere length, leading to longer living cells. In one study, 20 HBOT sessions were able to decrease inflammation enough to significantly improve mitochondrial function. In another study, 30 sessions reversed the aging of cells and reduced the rate of cellular death. This research has also translated to age-related diseases, as hyperbaric oxygen has been shown to increase cognition and memory in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular health in individuals with heart disease. In fact, one study showed HBOT could improve brain blood flow by 50%. 

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF) has been shown to have vast and diverse positive effects on aging. For instance, PEMF can improve the formation, survival, and activity of mitochondria, which is directly correlated with aging and disease. PEMF has also been shown to improve stem cell activation and enhance the production of cartilage and new bone formation, which can have positive effects in combating arthritis and osteoporosis, two common age-related morbidities. In one study, 6-9 hours of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy was able to increase DNA synthesis, while in another, 12 hours reduced the rate of cellular death, demonstrating the potential of PEMF to reduce and/or reverse the physiological process of aging. This has also translated to age-related diseases, as pulsed electromagnetic field therapy has been shown to increase protective proteins in the brain and improve the ability of the cells to combat inflammation. 

Cryotherapy and Infrared Heat Therapy

Cryotherapy and Infrared Heat Therapy are effective methods in reducing inflammation and increasing your body’s antioxidant defense system, resulting in greater tissue function and health. Both these therapies have protective effects on neurological health, as cryotherapy increases the production of “cold shock proteins” which suppress damage to healthy brain cells and remove dead brain cells, which prevents them from collecting in the brain and interfering with healthy brain function. Infrared heat therapy increases the production of “heat shock proteins” which provide a line of defense against the misfolding of proteins and help them to fold properly. Together, these two therapies are believed to help fortify against the development of age-related neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and ALS. They have also been shown to improve collagen and bone formation, while reducing swelling and inflammation, revealing therapeutic potential for arthritis and osteoporosis. 

Targeted Nutritional Supplementation

To target inflammation, and thereby reduce the negative effects of aging, our “Antioxidant Blend” contains important antioxidants and plant phytochemicals, like Vitamin C, E, Glutathione, and Alpha Lipoic Acid, which have been shown to improve cell, DNA, and mitochondrial health. In addition to this, our “Healthy Aging” blend was designed to combat the most common age-related morbidities, with flaxseed oil and CoQ10 to improve cardiovascular health, beta-carotene to improve vision and vitamin D to improve immune function, as well as bone, joint and skin health.

Guided Fitness and Flexibility Training

Fitness and flexibility are crucial to health and physical function as you age. In fact, exercise can reverse many age-related changes to tissue health and DNA, while proper flexibility can reduce much of the joint tightness and pain that accompanies age. However, this can be difficult, and even dangerous, when aging has already affected health and physical abilities. At Re-Gen, our fitness and flexibility training are custom to each client, designed by a physiologist, and constantly supervised by our trained fitness specialists, leading to less pain, improved health, and increased physical abilities with little to no risk of injury.