Aging

Is aging caused by genetics, lifestyle, or both?
As scientific studies have proven, aging is a continuous process that all animals as well as us, humans, have dealt with. 

No matter what their individual lifestyles were, all of the people who were living over their life expectancy, had large amounts of High Density Lipoprotein. When the word ‘cholesterol’ is thrown at us, we think of it as a harmful substance that clogs our arteries and causes all sorts of problems in our bodies. While that may be true to some extent, there are also ‘good cholesterols’ present. The ‘bad cholesterol’ as we know it, is called Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL).  However, the ‘good cholesterols’ help the body by pushing LDL and fatty substances towards the liver, where they are broken down.  

A specific gene that is directly related to the longevity of an organism had not yet been discovered. However, the discovery of sirtuin proteins proved that we weren’t too far from extending the lives of people by a couple of years. Throughout Dr. Sinclair’s experimentations, Sirtuin proteins had a significant role in the longevity of numerous organisms. Sirtuin proved to be the gene that is very closely related to energy utilization, recombination, and control of gene expression, heavily influencing the lifespan of the organism.

Aging is caused by genetics because although it has been proven through animals, scientist haven’t yet discovered a gene in human bodies that allows them to

"Cholesterol"  World Encyclopedia. Philip's, 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  Deerfield High School.  31 March  2011  <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t142.e2396>

Campisi, Judith. "Genetics: Gene Expression." Encyclopedia of Aging. Ed. David J. Ekerdt. Vol. 2. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 545-549. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.

Exercise Physiology

Exercise Physiologist is a health care professional that has completed a degree in exercise physiology, and has been certified by the American Society of Exercise Physiologists. As their occupation, exercise physiologist analyses the improvement and the maintenance of health and fitness. They also oversee the rehabilitation of heart disease and other chronic diseases, and the professionally guide athletes and others in sports training.  The exercise physiologist helps athletes to improve their performance level by guiding them in a specific way fit for the individual sport. Through testing, he/she is able to find the VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight.  The level of lactic acid is determined by taking a sample of the athlete’s blood which shows how much the athlete has pushed his/her body beyond its natural limit, which is called the anaerobic threshold. When an athlete pushes his/her body to maintain and produce energy in a level of exercise that exceed the aerobic capacity, can only be met through anaerobically.

Energy comes in many different pathways, including adenosine triphosphate, CP and glycolysis. Depending on what area the athlete needs attention in, the exercise physiologist can help train the athletes specifically. If an athlete needs attention in short term energy release, the exercise physiologist would focus on exercises that would improve the breaking down and replenishment of ATP and CP, and if an athlete needs to improve on long term exercises, glycolysis would be focused more extensively than other areas.

Depending on what condition the athlete is in, the exercise physiologist can also recommend the athlete to consume a certain percentage of his/her diet in carbohydrates, fats, or proteins. Ideally, 55% of carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 15% proteins should be included in his/her diet.

Heart Surgeries

Name: Mr. Ronny Evans

Age: 58

Weight: 289 lbs.

Family History: Weakened heart conditions caused by high blood cholesterol have been present for three generations.

Symptoms: For a couple of months now, Mr. Evans feels pain and pressure near the chest area, as well as nausea, indigestion, and heart burn occurring more frequently than before. For a healthier lifestyle, Mr. Evans attempted to exercise regularly but was unable to do so due to shortness of breath and fatigue.

History:  Mr. Evans is not married. Without a wife to cook for him at home, he likes to dine at a fast food restaurant. With the new opening of a fast food chain in the vicinity of his office, all of his meals have been in a form of unhealthy food for the last couple of weeks. Although he is fully aware of his family history, Mr. Evans does little to control his consumption of cholesterol. He also likes to snack on chips and cookies throughout his work time. While Mr. Evans does not smoke, he works with heavy smokers.

Test: When Mr. Evans decided to get his heart checked for any irregularities, his EKG found his heart rhythm detrimentally irregular. On top of the irregularities of his heart, he also had a fast heartbeat compared to men his age. He was asked by the doctor to wear a Holter monitor for a couple of days to see the heart’s continuous electrical activity. To see if there were any other abnormalities with his heart, chest X-ray was also taken. The X-ray showed an enlarged mass of the heart.

Mr. Evans was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy because of his heart’s inability to pump blood effectively, which led to changes in his heart muscle. His heart could not produce enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Just like any other muscle, his heart enlarged itself to hold more blood, and started to beat faster to pump out what his body needed.

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Treatment: In order to relieve his heart muscle from straining work, a surgery was performed through cardiac resynchronization therapy (more commonly known as the pacemaker). The pacemaker was implanted in the upper chest to help Mr. Evans’s heart pump blood more effectively. Because it allows both of the ventricles to pump blood at the same time, the heart can gradually decrease its size and obtain its regular heartbeat.

Stress

When we hear the term ‘stress’, we immediately jump to the conclusion that it has a negative effect that causes harm to our bodies. However, stress not necessarily damaging. It is a general term for physical or emotional reaction caused changes in life. Stress can either positive or negative. Stress, as long as it is temporary, can provide the extra energy that the body might need. It increases our concentrations and other bodily functions. However, it becomes detrimental to one’s body when the body never gets the chance to recover to its normal state.

Chronic stress can lead to so many malfunctions of the body. Stress ultimately weakens the immune system. Some of the long term diseases that stress can lead to includes high blood pressure, which can lead to heart problems, migraine, back pain, and ulcers.


Stressor: situation that causes stress
Stressed people can feel nervous, fearful, confused, worried, irritable, hostile, and unable to concentrate.

Stressors:

1.      Accidental hassles

2.      Major life changes

3.      Ongoing problems

Avoid preventable stressors
Plan major lifestyle changes
Realize your limitations
Prioritize
Improve communication
Share your thoughts
Develop a positive attitude
Reward yourself
Exercise
Eat and sleep well

Managing stress
Plan by visualizing expected events
Think positively
Imagine potential negative big events
Relax with deep breathing
Relax by clearing your mind
Relax your muscles
Ask for help

Some of the stresses in my life are:

1.      Overwhelming school work (classwork, AP tests, ACT/SAT, GPA) - I barely have time for myself. One of the possibilities to avoid this stress is to realize my limitations and plan wisely. I can also reward myself each time I accomplish school work without procrastinating in order to incentivize myself in a positive way.

2.      My future: I get stressed from worrying about what colleges I would be accepted to and my future career. I can develop a positive attitude towards my future so that I would prevent such stress to negatively affect my life in the long term.