The Best and Worst Things for Aging

Interviewer:  Doctor, when it comes to anti-aging you're kind of a how-to guy.  Where does one start, and maybe more importantly, when does one start an anti-aging program?

Dr. Kugler:  Well, think about it as a definition of aging.  What is aging?  The simplest definition is probably, that we can all agree on, aging is a constant decrease in the capacity to do things physically and mentally.  Physically and mentally;  Physically, muscle wise, Mentally, performance wise.  Guess what.  A lot of the basic health practices already enter the picture here, but a little bit more precise, years ago there was Professor Emanuel Teraskin, Alabama University School of Medicine, "The Genius".  I mean we all looked at him as the god of this alternative medicine.  Right?  And he was my mentor for several years.  Professor Teraskin defined lifelong health as a state of homeostasis achieved by doing so and so many variables correctly.  We worked together for quite some time, and the many variables that he had to find, they were actually all part of health practices.

So now a redefinition of life long health, optimum health, best possible health, is a state of of homeostasis achieved by doing these several different health practices correctly.  People use to then say, "Well it's just health practices, it has really nothing to do with aging", but in the mean time, everybody heard about telomerase.  Right? With telomerase  we confirmed health practices as true aging modalities.  Right?  Its very interesting, telomerace, It goes into the Intelligent Design thinking. Right? Because every species has telomerase.

At the end of your DNA there's extentions.  They have a different number of subdivisions.  For example, for humans we have 54 subdivisions, and every time a cell divides it chops up one of those subdivisions, and if we wouldn't kill ourselves with other things, you know, smoking or drugs or any of the other stupid things that we do, by the time all 54 are used up that would be the maximum lifespan of about 110 to 120.  Dogs have only 15 so it's about 22-25.  The Galapagos turtle is at 75, about... corresponding around 250.  Alright?  And then they've demonstrated that clearly that good health practices are truly maintaining telomere lengths.  That means, exercise is the strongest factor to maintain telomere lengths.  Stress is the strongest telomere shortening factor.  And then there are several nutrients.  The more and more factors we examine, the more and more factors we find that actually either maintain telomere lengths or slow down the shortening of telomerase.  Right?

Or in some areas of stress we learn how to control the stress.  Like the general, they ask the general, "Do you [Inaudible]... Do you got any ulcers?"  The general says, "I don't get ulcers, I give ulcers!"  Right?  I mean, that is utilizing the stress for your advantage. Okay?  So, back to the beginning.  Lifelong health, optimum health, the state of homeostasis achieved by doing these variable health practices correctly.  Okay?  That is the most important part. Right?  From there on we then take it into different areas, evaluate how strong they are. For example, What is the strongest factor in preventing cognitive losses... Is what?... it is muscle exercise.  What is the strongest factor in possibly counteracting the negative effects of genetically modified foods? Exercise.  Muscle exercises, right?

Then I am working with Professor Teraskin, we actually went a step forward and found or determined that life long health is synonymous with [pause] best immune system, slowest rate of aging, best recovery from disease, sexuality, fitness, and so on and so on.  So we have no more excuses for not practicing those health practices correctly.  And that's the foundation of a building. Right?  I mean, you want to build a building?  This is the foundation, and everything goes on top of that. Right?  I mean, you can adjust certain health practices to make up for others, but in some specific areas, there's no way of adjusting health practices to make up for exercise for example.