Health advice from the doctor
Differences between "premature ageing" and "anti-ageing".
What is premature ageing?
Hello everyone. I'm Midori Meshitsuka, Director of the M Regenerative Clinic. In our clinic, we consult our patients every day with sincerity, under the motto "FROM THE HEART TO THE HEART", eager to help them not only to overcome illness, but also to live a happy and satisfying life.Today's society is sometimes stressful, but average life expectancy has continued to rise thanks to medical progress. Developed countries will eventually enter the age of 100 years. In these circumstances, medical science is expected not just to treat illness or disease, but also to help people live happier, healthier lives. Healthy human life expectancy can be extended by slowing down physiological ageing. This means that we can enjoy a healthy life more positively than remaining in a passive state of simply 'being alive'. Ageing affects everyone in the same way, and time can never be reversed. The few things you can't buy with money are happiness and health. So how do you maintain good health as you age? The answer is optimal ageing. Many of you may have heard the term "anti-ageing". What's the difference between anti-ageing and optimal ageing?
The term "anti-aging" literally means "resisting ageing". The definition of anti-ageing is "the theoretical and practical science of enjoying a long and healthy life", and its aim is to stay beautiful, young and healthy thanks to the latest advances in science. Of course, that's a great idea. However, the speed of physiological ageing accelerates with age in nature. As a result, even the most advanced anti-ageing technologies cannot keep up with the growing demands for rejuvenation. These situations sometimes lead to disorders involving excessive anti-ageing treatments. Some Hollywood actresses have tried to maintain their good looks by such means as continually adding hyaluronic acid to wrinkles, but the end result is an artificial face that is difficult to identify. This is in fact the result of excessive anti-ageing treatments.
On the contrary, the aim of prime ageing is to age in optimum health. Of course, prime ageing is not the way to stay healthy without applying the technology of modern science at all. Advanced science is very useful, particularly in terms of saving time, allowing busy people to benefit from well-balanced food supplements, pharmaceutical products with few side effects and less invasive treatments. My interpretation is that optimal ageing is not a way of relying solely on the power of science, but a method of enjoying life by naturally enhancing our own innate power through an ideal balance between body and mind.
So how can we practise optimal ageing? The key is to "appreciate the changes happening around you" and "respect yourself as you are". We all age in the same way, day after day. Up until the age of 20 or so, the changes that occur within us can be positive on the whole, making us feel our own progress. However, after the age of 20, we sometimes experience the opposite changes. We find it difficult to do something that used to be easy and we realise that we are actually getting older. In these circumstances, we must not become discouraged, but rather try to take advantage of the accumulation of experience we have gained over the years. These attitudes encourage us to accept our ageing as "positive changes", and ultimately to live a satisfying life.
For example, I work as a surgeon. As surgeons, we of course gradually suffer from sight problems or hand disabilities as we get older. These situations can discourage us from continuing to work as surgeons. However, we can always perform a safer and more effective operation by reflecting on what went well and what could have gone better in years gone by. What's more, we can pass on this knowledge and these skills to younger generations. If we accept positively our own ageing, we can appreciate our work more and promote self-compassion and self-esteem. Our taste in music and food changes with age, and our bodies and minds change too. We can be happier if we are satisfied with who we are at all times. In addition, it goes without saying that it is important to eat a balanced diet, take moderate exercise, avoid oxidative stress such as smoking and ultraviolet rays, find our own way to relax and get enough sleep. What's more, whatever our age, we can lead fruitful and satisfying lives by having a sense of purpose and spending valuable time with our friends and loved ones.
From the point of view of brain science, the alpha wave increases when we are relaxed. This wave is known to be effective not only in relieving stress and improving concentration, but also in boosting immunity and self-healing capacity. The aim of active ageing is to enrich our lives by making small changes to the way we think, because these efforts help us to stay healthy and happy by enhancing our self-healing powers. In this series of essays, I'd like to talk about how to achieve 'optimal ageing', particularly from the point of view of nutrition, immunity and anti-inflammatories.
Midori Meshitsuka M.D., M Director of the regenerative clinic
2008 Graduated from the Centre for Health Sciences at Peking University (China)
2009 Obtained Chinese medical licence
2014 Japanese medical degree2019 M Director of the Regenerative ClinicDr Midori completed her internship at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital. She then worked at Tokyo University Hospital, Tokyo Women's Medical University.
In 2019, she joined her family practice and set up the M Regenerative Clinic as its director.