“Old “age” starts at 22: Keep life rolling with healthy telomeres.
Valerie Harper is hoping for the best”
~ Cynthia G. Creel
The back story:
I could hardly wait the Mary Tyler Moore Show was on and I was ready to laugh, Mary (Mary Tyler Moore) and her best friend Rhoda (Valerie Harper) had great writer and skills to make me and millions of Americans to smile and laugh out loud.
Today it is a very different story Valerie Harper is tell, it is not about creating laughter it is about creating thoughts of life that go beyond death. On CBS’s Sunday Morning (3) interview Harper had one thought I believe too many Americans have either not considered or dismiss it that “But don't go to the funeral before the day of the funeral." Harper is receiving an experimental treatment (4) in hopes of a full recover. That would be my hope also for such a young woman with so much to live for. I wonder if she knows anything about telomere length, more on that later in this article.
My story:
I could relate to this statement of not going to the furneral. When I was younger than 22 I didn‘t think of death much except when I lost a turtle after I had accidentally left it in the sun too long with out shade to save it. I cried a bucket of tears for that mistake and life went on. Most everyone that I would care about died before I was born, I didn’t know them that well or they lived beyond their 80’s and for the most part were doing fine. What did I have to worry about? Nothing more than ever day life.
In a short time that would all change, when my grandmother lost her memory and people started dying around me. At 23 I had been told the fact that I had 70% chance of dying from cancer because my mother had just passed away. That left me with a thought of hope, but a nagging thought of death and leaving my future children and husband alone at an early age.
I had to push away thoughts of an early death many times in my life. Looking for answers that were not there, until I found answers in the last 3 years with the medical professionals coming up a dollar short and a day late. The price I paid was I almost died because that thought of my funeral haunted me no matter how much I tried to push it away I was being slowly weighted down by it. I had little hope to hang on to the thought of a long healthy life. Hope is like life, if there is some left than it is possible to change for the better.
Over the last three years the door has opened and I no longer think of my funeral, I think of brightness of the possibility of living past 100. Some I have talked to think, I don’t want to live past 100, I would not be able to do anything. Yuck! I only consider living long with a image of being able to do, what I want, what I need too and what is possible.
The facts:
What’s your picture of “old”? Your answer would tell me if you have hope of being an “old” person that feels young. I believe most think old is to unable change for the better, spiraling out of control until death. When I think of old I think of unhealthy and without hope. The only time I can think that there is no hope is when a person is dead or the cells in the body can no longer duplicate and death would be near.
In an earlier article (1) I wrote I have found hope from the knowledge if I have the power to control the telomere which is the tip of the DNA allowing the cell to reproduce could help the level of health maintained for a life time until the time the telomere has been used up. If what we do shortens the cells ability to reproduce then life is shortened if it is increase then we simply live better and longer. This idea was suggested two years ago in January 2011 by a study (2) that found creating a change in telomeres were able to reverse the aging process in a mouse. Now a new study (3) showed the tight connection between being healthy and feeling good and telomere length. This new study shows the length of the telomere is related to the bodies ability to ward off a cold at any age older than 22. Researchers exposed subjects to a simple cold virus between the ages of 18 to 55 year olds. The results showed if over 22 the person were better able to be unaffected by the cold virus. Being young, between 18 - 22, it seems there is a “free ticket to ride” not dependent upon the length of the telomere length due to the fact the younger participants had fewer short telomeres or the immune system was able to compensate well. The study concluded that the telomeres may be a good indicator of susceptibility of disease can even predict disease with adults passing beyond their early 20’s could be the start of being a higher risk of disease.
Final thoughts:
It is not that I expect to live forever, I expect to live well and then die with a side effect of living longer with less pain and the ability to have True Success of happiness and peace within. Baring any unforeseen events that are out of my control. We all have a choice to be on the path of True Health or to wander off and do our own thing not caring just doing. It as usual is up to you, no matter the age to try to feel better or just let it go wild. The younger a person steps onto the Path of True Health, in my opinion, the better chance of True Success. The best part is no matter what age or health the Path of True Health gives us a change to do better and it seems to me I have never seen it not give more to each person once they step on to it.
Make a difference vote with your dollars to redistribute wealth in America. Each dollar spent moves the wealth to some one who will hold on to the money or create a better world by reinvesting in America. Just ask yourself this: Does soda extend your life?
(1) http://lifeisgoodbydesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/tie-me-once-tie-me-1001-times-telomere.html the mince study and telemers
(2) http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/cmu-cri021413.php
(3) http://www.cbsnews.com/sunday-morning/
(4) http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142575n
(5) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_m-K0wNzMY&feature=youtu.be
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