Traditional medicine

Psychological aspects of longevity. Medical and social aspects of longevity Aspects of longevity

You obviously remember the words of Dr. Christopherson that a person can live 300, 400 and even 1000 years if he provides his body with all the vital substances.

Biological time, i.e. The lifespan of living organisms ranges from several hours to several centuries. For example, there are ephemeral insects; others live for several months or a year. Some birds and animals live up to 20 years, and there are others who live more than a hundred years.

Even more mysterious is the fact that some individuals of any plant species live 2-3 times longer than they should. So, in Germany there is a rose bush that is several decades older than its “brothers”.

Biologists believe that different life expectancies can be explained by a “limiting factor” inherent in each organism. They believe that individual centenarians are nature's favorites.

Whatever the reasons for the individual achievements on the path to longevity, they prove that significant increases in life expectancy are possible.

It is believed that stress syndrome is a strong factor that kills a person prematurely. Lately they talk about him very often. Excitement, grief, fear - any negative emotions - disrupt the functions of the glands, digestive organs, increase blood pressure, create increased tension in the body, and destroy cellular structures. Psychologists say that people often die because negative thoughts are constantly present in their minds.

Today, scientists pay special attention to the relationship between the state of a person’s psyche and the functioning of his body. English oncologist Sir Ogilvy claims that he has not yet met a single cancer patient without any mental disorders. When a person faces a difficult problem that he cannot solve for a long time, such prolonged mental work affects the entire body: headaches or other physical pain appear, and some kind of illness may even develop. For example, in some cases, experts attribute asthma to either unresolved problems or broken hopes.

This mechanism of disease occurrence in humans is somewhat reminiscent of the process of pearl formation. As you know, a mollusk produces pearls around a foreign body, which it cannot get rid of, since the formation of a pearl brings relief to it to some extent. However, eliminating the main irritant is only a half-measure, and not a solution to the problem.

Scientists have found that a person who unsuccessfully tries to be the center of everyone's attention seriously deteriorates in physical condition. This deterioration in well-being is real, although its cause lies in the psyche. It’s simply amazing how much brain activity affects the state of organs and systems.

The normal functioning of the body, to a greater or lesser extent, depends on the activity of the endocrine glands: if it is disrupted, signs of a particular disease may appear. Each gland produces hormones that control or regulate physical processes in the body, with the pituitary gland playing a crucial role. In turn, the activity of the pituitary gland is regulated by the nerve centers of the cerebral cortex.

As a result of stress syndrome, thoughts and emotions, figuratively speaking, “pull the strings” in the body. Our main task is to ensure that these strings do not get “tightened” if you want to successfully fight against premature aging and death.

Evgenia Timonina

“We should not consider premature old age with its decrepitude, infirmity and humiliation as our lot. At the age of 80, a person should be just approaching his prime.” Scientists spoke about this at the already mentioned medical congress in Switzerland. On this occasion, Dr. Douglas from London, a famous nutritionist and nutrition consultant, expressed the following thought:

“We have research data in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry, nutrition, biology, physiology, psychology and parapsychology, which give a person the opportunity to reach the biological limit of life. A person can live a long time without aging.”

You obviously remember the words of Dr. Christopherson that a person can live 300, 400 and even 1000 years if he provides his body with all the vital substances. Professor Starling believes that the latest discoveries in the field of chemistry of the human body will extend not the period of aging, but the age of youth. Speaking about ways and means of fighting against old age, Dr. George Aldridge states: as a result of discoveries in the field of biochemistry, human life expectancy will be increased, the human race will qualitatively improve and become stronger, as a result of which a person will acquire additional spiritual and material benefits.

"We can make old age wait," says Dr. Tom Spies. Those who succeed in doing this will obviously need to be prepared both mentally and physically; they will form the core of a better and stronger human race.

Biological time, i.e., life expectancy, of living organisms ranges from several hours to several centuries. For example, there are ephemeral insects; others live for several months or a year. Some birds and animals live up to 20 years, and there are others that live more than a hundred.

Variations in lifespan are also observed in the plant kingdom, although the reasons for such fluctuations have not yet been established. Some types of trees (for example, sequoia-dendron, or mammoth tree) in California live up to two thousand years, others (for example, oak) live for several hundred years. True, there is one 1000-year-old oak tree that grew near Hastings (Great Britain).

Biologists believe that different life expectancies can be explained by a “limiting factor” inherent in each organism. They believe that individual centenarians are nature's favorites.

Whatever the reasons for the individual achievements on the path to longevity, they prove that significant increases in life expectancy are possible.

Let's consider another unique creation of nature - the queen bee. Worker bees and drones live from 4 to 5 months, and the queen lives about 8 years. At the same time, the uterus is not from birth some kind of super-perfect individual - it is an ordinary larva. Its phenomenal (for a bee) life expectancy, large size and more perfect appearance are the result of special nutrition.

For the first three days, all larvae in the hive receive the same food. After this, the larvae, which are to become queens, are given special food. After a certain time, they feed on only one substance called royal jelly. It is this food that contributes to the transformation of an ordinary larva into a queen bee.

For people, everything is much more complicated. A person does not have the opportunity to exist in an environment with a constantly controlled temperature, with a special diet, with attendants, and cannot live according to a pre-established pattern. He has to overcome many serious obstacles on the path to longevity.

Biologists are engaged in researching these obstacles, and are also trying to find ways and methods to eliminate them. Obviously, old age is not one of these obstacles: the percentage of people dying from natural old age is negligible.

Self-poisoning (autointoxication) is one of the main reasons that shortens human life.

Negative factors also include unfavorable living conditions, lack of vitamins, etc. One of the scientists came to the following conclusion: “ Death most often occurs from an insufficiently balanced intake of iron, copper, magnesium and potassium into the body, i.e. essential minerals».

It is believed that stress syndrome is a strong factor that kills a person prematurely.

Lately they talk about him very often. Excitement, grief, fear - any negative emotions disrupt the functions of the glands, digestive organs, increase blood pressure, create increased tension in the body, and destroy cellular structures. Psychologists say that people often die because negative thoughts are constantly present in their minds.

Today, scientists pay special attention to the relationship between the state of a person’s psyche and the functioning of his body. English oncologist Sir Genege Ogilvy claims that he has not yet met a single cancer patient without any mental disorders. When a person faces a difficult problem that he cannot solve for a long time, such prolonged mental work affects the entire body: a headache or other physical pain appears, and some kind of illness may even develop. For example, in some cases, experts attributed asthma to either unresolved problems or broken hopes.

This mechanism of disease occurrence in humans is somewhat reminiscent of the process of pearl formation. As you know, the mollusk produces pearls around a foreign body, which it cannot get rid of, since the formation of a pearl brings it relief to some extent. However, eliminating the main irritant is only a half-measure, and not a solution to the problem.

It’s simply amazing how much brain activity affects the state of organs and systems.

As a result of stress syndrome, thoughts and emotions, figuratively speaking, “pull the strings” in the body. Your main task is to ensure that these strings do not get “tightened” if you want to successfully fight against premature aging and death. And now I will try to give a brief description of those tools and methods that will help you.

Rational nutrition

Some nutritionists believe that it is possible to increase life expectancy to 150–200 years only through balanced nutrition. The term “rational nutrition” refers to a balanced intake of all necessary substances into the body with food. Rational nutrition is not just about saturating the body.

(The stomach is easy to deceive - it will say “thank you” for a dish of an old shoe, stewed until soft and seasoned with some sauce). This is food that contains all the substances the body needs.

If the foods you consume daily are unsatisfactory in terms of nutritional value (if you mainly prefer flour, sweets, fried foods), this will negatively affect your well-being.

Proper nutrition can do wonders. In the practice of Dr. Tom Spies, there are known cases of “resurrection” of chronically ill people. They were in such poor condition that they had not worked for years. Most of these patients were referred to the nutrition clinic after being rejected by other physicians. As a treatment method, a balanced diet containing large doses of vitamins and mineral salts was prescribed. Thanks to him, they were able to regain their health and return to work. Among the patients were people of various professions associated with heavy physical labor (shipbuilders, miners, farmers), as well as office workers and housewives.

In England, some doctors consider the disease a sign of a lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. One of them, through a balanced diet, cured many of his patients, including cancer patients. He recently consulted with a woman who had been suffering from diarrhea (severe stomach upset) for about three months. Her doctor was unable to help and referred her to a specialist using traditional methods. But he also turned out to be powerless. The woman was losing weight and weakening. Three days after starting the diet, she felt better. After a few weeks she recovered and there were no new relapses.

Let me give you a few cases from my own practice. One of my patients suffered from rheumatism, her knees resembled basketballs, the pain did not stop for a minute. In addition, she had a chronic skin disease: periodic swelling of the face, weeping eczema on the fingers. Doctors could not do anything because they did not know the cause of the diseases. The diet I prescribed with nutritional supplements helped within a few months. When she walked into the hospital recently for a check-up, she was told: “You are healthy. It's just a miracle."

Another patient suffered from severe hemorrhoids.

Doctors said that only surgery could help, but she did not want to have surgery. I suggested a diet with nutritional supplements and she agreed to try it.

In less than two months, the hemorrhoids disappeared.

Proper nutrition often cures migraines - I know of several similar cases.

Dietary treatment also helps dogs. Paralysis, skin diseases - these diseases are the result of poor nutrition. I treated a dachshund with peripheral paralysis with a diet with mineral and vitamin supplements. After some time, she was able to run again, although she was sentenced to death by a veterinarian who could not help her.

These “miracles” of nutrition give us an idea of the possibilities and prospects of the new science. As Professor Sherman says, with the help of food you can give your body everything it needs to prolong youth and health.

To take the first step towards increasing your life expectancy, you must determine for yourself the optimal way to quench the “thirst and hunger of the cells.”

The cells of different organs require different nutrition, but the task of feeding all the cells is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

After reading the chapter on nutrition, as well as familiarizing yourself with the table in the appendix, you can easily create a menu that will meet all the requirements for the concept of “rational nutrition”. The products I offer you are the most common ones. Eating right means choosing those foods that will nourish the body, excluding those that are useless or harmful to it.

The right diet can produce amazing results.

Movement and muscles

Rational nutrition is the main, but not the only factor in the fight to prolong life. Movement and muscle fitness are the source of youth and health. Dr. Edward Burtz believes that premature aging may be caused by muscle deterioration.

Some try to do everything possible to prevent this process.

Muscle flaccidity is the first signal of the onset of aging.

To maintain their tone, regular and even exercise is necessary. Remember that inactivity is just as harmful to muscles as overexertion.

Correct use of muscles is of great importance. Very often you automatically perform movements with your arms and legs, using muscle groups inappropriately. For example, you use your arms to get up from a sitting position, although this work should be done by the muscles of the thighs, abdominals and diaphragm.

The less you load your muscles, the faster they become decrepit and age. As a result, every movement requires more and more effort.

In youth, a person experiences the joy of movement. In old age, every movement turns into flour. To prevent this from happening, constantly monitor your body, strengthen your muscles, and don’t let them sit idle. And one day you will feel good again and you will become young again.

Muscle training technique is an important aspect of a longevity program.

Correct breathing

Everyone knows: if we don't breathe, we don't live.

But not everyone probably understands that proper breathing significantly improves well-being. The frequency of breathing, the depth of inhalations and exhalations affects all functions of the body, including brain activity.

They say that frequent and shallow breathing shortens life. So, a dog breathes much more often than a person, and the average life expectancy is 4 times less.

Therefore, our longevity program should include the technique of proper breathing - longer and deeper.

Brain activity

The brain is the coordinating center of the human body and has both positive and negative effects on it. For example, on the one hand, the ability to create mental images, which can accelerate the achievement of desired results in a particular area of activity. On the other hand - stress syndrome and its negative consequences.

How to avoid overstrain, contradictions, disappointments that await us on the path of life?

An entire book would not be enough to answer this question. In general terms, I can say the following: you must learn to control your consciousness, manage your emotions in order to create a reliable “line of defense” in your body against the destructive power of stress.

Do not forget that everything in the body is interconnected: good health ensures mental balance, and vice versa - a healthy psyche is the key to good physical condition and mood.

So now you have an overview of our longevity program. I chose the words of Dr. Tom Spies as its motto: “We can make old age wait.”

Before you begin implementing this program, I would like to remind you once again that it includes very simple but vitally important aspects:

Rational nutrition;

Movement and muscle fitness;

Correct breathing;

The relationship between mental and physical states.

They will be discussed in the following chapters.

A – acupressure

AG – arterial hypertension

BP - blood pressure

AT – auto-training

Dietary supplements – biologically active additives

WHO – World Health Organization

DBP – diastolic blood pressure

IHD – coronary heart disease

BMI – body mass index

DF – dietary fiber

RA – rheumatoid arthritis

SBP - systolic blood pressure

ESR – erythrocyte sedimentation rate

HR – heart rate

Introduction

Word " psychosomatics" unites in its meaning soul and body (from Greek. psyche– soul and some- body).

Psychosomatics studies the influence of a person’s thoughts on his body, the role of mental factors in the etiology and pathogenesis of functional and organic disorders of human organs. Unremovable conflict and insoluble problems cause psychosomatic diseases - peptic ulcers, arterial hypertension, bronchial asthma, neurodermatitis, diabetes mellitus, etc. By eliminating emotional conflict, somatic disease is cured, as the great Russian clinicians M. Ya. Mudrov, G. A. pointed out. Zakharyin, S.P. Botkin.

However, almost all diseases, except those whose occurrence is associated with infectious or toxic effects, are psychosomatic, since the psyche largely determines their course and outcome. When painful problems appear, their echoes are exacerbations of chronic diseases - allergies, focal infections in the nasopharynx, gastrointestinal system.

Our body only adapts to our mood and thoughts; if necessary, it begins to signal the occurrence of pain and discomfort. Health and “garbage in the head” in the form of grievances are not compatible.

It is the positive impact on the psyche that helps you live, maintaining interest in life, and actively participate in it, helping those who are having a hard time. Using all the possibilities of a positive influence on the psyche, we can slow down aging and avoid diseases caused by mental disorders.

Alzheimer's disease, with progressive memory decay and focal cortical disorders, is caused by the inability to face life and accept the world as it is. This in turn causes hopelessness and helplessness.

The English mathematician Benjamin Gompertz theoretically determined that a person should live up to 100–110 years. Meanwhile, the highest average life expectancy is now in Sweden - 74.2 years, and the lowest in Guinea - 27 years.

Life expectancy is greatly influenced by our environment, our habits and inclinations. It all depends on the person himself - what lifestyle he leads, how he eats, how he takes care of himself. The lifespan of animals is 5 times longer than their maturation period. Since a person is formed by the age of 20–25, he should live up to 100–125 years.

The number of people on the globe is increasing. By 2025 there will be 5 times more of them than there were in 1950. In 2025 there will be significantly more people over 60 years of age! And a person must not only live, but also be socially active, needed by others, not be deprived of attention and care, and this is only possible when he loves people and does a lot for them. After all, the world is a mirror. As Honore de Balzac wrote: “You smile at the mirror, and it will smile at you!”

“The most important discovery of modern man is the ability to rejuvenate himself physically, mentally and spiritually,” wrote Paul Bragg. A person’s mental state actively influences his health. Hans Selye wrote: “The body responds to influences of all kinds - cold, fatigue, fast running, fear, pain - with stress, a similar physiological process, stimulating the release of hormones from the adrenal cortex. By this, he mobilizes himself entirely for self-defense, for adapting to a new situation, for adapting to it. Stress is a difficult test for the body. But without stress, life is dead; the body would not be able to adapt to it.”

There are negative and positive stress. The occurrence of negative stress is caused by fear, rude words, impolite treatment, and unfair remarks. Adaptive forces are great, and minor deviations that occur under the influence of stress are reversible. However, if nervous tension is prolonged, so-called adaptation diseases develop - hypertension, stomach ulcers, bronchial asthma, etc.

The best way to relieve nervous tension is to exercise and create a good mood.

The ancient Tajik doctor Avicenna said: “There are three of us: you, me and the disease. If you enter into an alliance with me, the two of us will overcome the disease. If you team up with the disease, I won’t be able to defeat you both.”

The role of the psyche in good health, in the possibility of getting rid of diseases, confirms the placebo effect (pacifiers). Placebos taken under the guise of drugs sometimes cause recovery faster and more completely than real drugs, but on condition that patients must be sure that they are taking real medicine. Recovery depends 85% on the patient himself, and 15% on the doctor. The placebo effect is also due to self-hypnosis, which triggers the necessary reactions of the body. The placebo effect and suggestion can also explain the work of traditional healers (psychics, sorcerers, healers), when “diplomas” from unprecedented universities hung on the wall and recommendations from friends play a decisive role in the patient’s recovery.

Chapter 1

Life program

Each organism contains a program for the development of life, recovery in case of damage, as well as a program for the curtailment of life and dying. Deep confidence in one’s premature death turns off the “life program.” Conversely, a deep conviction in the possibility of recovery supports the “life program.” When the patient has firm confidence that he feels better, the disease recedes, the patient (suffering) is freed from fear and despair. There comes relief, and after a while there is a period of subsidence of pain processes. Self-healing mechanisms inherent to every living creature are activated. We know many examples that even incurable diseases recede.

Life is shortened by fear, sadness, despondency, melancholy, cowardice, envy, and hatred. Academician V.N. Shabalin provides data that in most cases, evil people live shorter lives. The intensity of all metabolic processes is higher in them, and they “burn out” faster.

I. P. Pavlov advised: “Don’t let pride take over you. Because of it, you will persist where you need to agree. Because of it, you will refuse useful advice and friendly assistance. Because of it, you will lose a measure of objectivity.” Self-confidence and arrogance are very dangerous for a person, because a person can never know everything. One is better at writing books, another at driving ships, the third at covering the roof.

L.N. Tolstoy wrote: “The essence of a person is equal to a fraction. The numerator is what he is, and the denominator is what he thinks about himself. The larger the denominator, the less important the person is.”

Elbert Hubbard aptly said, “Three habits that will give you any thing in the world you want. This is a habit of work, a habit of being healthy, a habit of learning.”

Voltaire wrote: “Work relieves us of three great evils: boredom, vice, want.” Paul Bragg also emphasized the importance of labor and work: “To enjoy endless health, you must work.”

To become lucky, we must form our own positions. No matter what happens to us, the reason is always in ourselves.

You need to choose one of all desires and achieve it. It is important to do something that you are good at and give up something that is unusual for you. Don't try to be a musician if you don't have hearing. Trust your intuition more. If intuition tells you to turn left, but logic says that there is nothing to do there, then it is better to listen to your intuition. The main thing is not to wait, but to act, then higher powers will connect and help you achieve your goal.

(Download work)

The "read" function is used to familiarize yourself with the work. The markup, tables and pictures of the document may be displayed incorrectly or not in full!

/ Federal Agency for Education

Moscow Institute of Public and Corporate Management Test work in the discipline: Valeology on the topic:

Medical and social aspects of longevity Dubna 2009

1. At what age can a person be called a centenarian?

2. The most famous centenarians

3.What influences life extension

4.Medical aspects of longevity

5.Brain activity

6.Social aspects of longevity

Conclusion

References Introduction How long can a person live? Seventy, eighty years? According to the calculations of biologists, the lifespan of any organism can range from 7 to 14 periods of maturity. A person reaches maturity at 20-25 years old, therefore, his life could last up to 280 years.

Some gerontologists believe that a person can live longer. For example, Dr. Christopherson from London expressed the following idea: “A person can live 300, 400 or even 1000 years if his body is provided with all the substances necessary for life.”

To live a long life and remain vigorous and healthy is the dream of every person. Our ancestors have been searching for the elixir of youth and longevity for hundreds of years. The recipe was never found, but the average human life expectancy did increase. If in the Stone Age homo sapiens lived on average 20 years, and during the Roman Empire life expectancy was calculated at 35 years, now it reaches 70-75 years.

In terms of lifestyle and habitat, centenarians are a “close to ideal” model of a person, to which all people should strive. This is especially important for modern society, where family, traditional forms of education have weakened, and each person, as if anew, practically forgetting the experience of humanity in accumulating health, rushes into the maelstrom of life, mainly consisting of violent passions, selfishness, selfishness, etc.

Many people mistakenly believe that a person will not be able to live long without getting sick or aging unless he returns back “closer to nature.” But what should this step back be? Swinging from trees? Or live in a cave and wear skins? Or maybe a step back is just a log cabin with no electricity or running water?

But the fact is that the conditions in which we grew up and live are natural for us, and we enjoy the benefits of civilization. However, this does not mean that we should put up with its shortcomings, and if we wish, we can do something to correct them.

Federal Agency for Education

Moscow Institute of State and Corporate Management

Test in the discipline: Valeology on the topic:

Medical and social aspects of longevity

Dubna 2009

Introduction

1. At what age can a person be called a centenarian?

2. The most famous centenarians

3.What influences life extension

4.Medical aspects of longevity

5.Brain activity

6.Social aspects of longevity

Conclusion

References

Introduction

How long can a person live? Seventy, eighty years? According to the calculations of biologists, the lifespan of any organism can range from 7 to 14 periods of maturity. A person reaches maturity at 20-25 years old, therefore, his life could last up to 280 years.

To live a long life and stay vigorous and healthy is the dream of every person. Our ancestors have been searching for the elixir of youth and longevity for hundreds of years. The recipe was never found, but the average human life expectancy did increase. If in the Stone Age homo sapiens lived on average 20 years, and during the Roman Empire life expectancy was calculated at 35 years, now it reaches 70-75 years.

Longevity, when a person reaches the age of 80 years or older, is one of the important indicators of the age characteristics of the population. It is closely related to the state of people’s health and depends on a number of socio-economic factors, primarily on the conditions and nature of work, the level of material security and related nutrition and housing conditions, cultural level and lifestyle in a broad sense, as well as the degree of medical care .

1. At what age can a person be called a centenarian?

Since my work is devoted to life expectancy, I need to decide who exactly is classified as old people, who is centenarians, and who is middle-aged.

Age group classification:

· young people - up to 44 years old;

· middle-aged people - up to 59 years old;

· aging citizens - up to 74 years old;

· “young” centenarians - up to 89 years old;

· “old” centenarians - over 90 years old.

Dr. Martin Gumpert, a famous American gerontologist, is confident that it is quite possible to delay the onset of old age. Many scientists also believe that old age is a disease and it is curable. It is not at all necessary that a person at 70 years old should either die or suffer from decrepitude.

2. The most famous centenarians

· The monk Methuselah lived 969 years.

· Adam lived 930 years.

· Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu lived 200 years.

· A man named Kitahi from Iran lived 185 years.

· Jenkins lived for 169 years in the County of York in England. His last activity was fishing. At the age of 100, he was so strong that he could swim against the strongest currents.

· Caucasian Shirali Muslimov lived 168 years. Born in 1805, he left behind five generations, a 120-year-old widow, with whom he lived for 102 years, cultivated an orchard until his death, died in 1973.

· The merry fellow Pereira from Colombia lived 167 years. When government officials came to congratulate him on his birthday and asked the hero of the day’s consent to issue a commemorative stamp with his image, the hero of the day agreed, but set one condition: at the bottom, in the corner of the stamp, it should be written: “I drink and I smoke.”

· Englishman Thomas Par from the county of Shron lived 152 years and 9 months. He was poor and lived solely by his labor. In the 120th year he married a second time. Until he was 130 years old, he did everything around the house, even threshed the bread himself. He retained his hearing and sanity. When the king found out about him, he invited him to the court in London. But the trip and the luxurious dinner shortened Thomas' life. He died in 1625, having outlived nine kings. At autopsy, all his internal organs turned out to be healthy, and the cartilage was not ossified, which usually happens in old people. Great-granddaughter of Thomas Para died at the age of 103.

· Nasir Al-Najri- a long-liver, lives in a city in . In 2008, he turned 135 years old.

· - long-lived Azerbaijani. Lived in . She was born in and lived in three centuries. When the revolution happened, she was 42 years old. The long-liver was discovered while replacing passports after the collapse of the USSR. The officials who changed her passport did not believe it at first, but after investigating, they discovered that her date of birth was genuine. She died in 2007 at the age of 132.

· Elizabeth Israel lived to be 127 years old. She was born on January 27, 1875 in the Dominican Republic (Haiti) into a slave family. In 2001, she received a visit from the President and Prime Minister of the Republic. She lived in a shack where there was no running water, sewerage, or kitchen. When asked about the secret to longevity, Elizabeth replied: “I went to church very often and ate only natural products.” She died in January 2002.

· Lives 122 years Anna Martine da Silva. Born in 1880 in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Blind and deaf from birth, she lives in a suburb of the state capital of Cuiaba with her seventy-year-old daughter. He has 70 grandchildren, 60 great-grandchildren and 10 great-great-grandchildren.

· - long-liver, the oldest inhabitant of the planet. Born in 1887. Lives in Bet Lida (West Bank).

· Lives for 120 years Nino Sturua- with eight children, 24 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren in Samtredia in western Georgia. Born in 1882. She sees perfectly without glasses and hears well.

· 116 years old Komato Khonso, who was born on September 16, 1887 on the Japanese island of Kyushu, has seven children, two dozen grandchildren and a great passion for Japanese vodka (sake), pork, green tea and black salt.

· Mary Bremont lived to be 115 years old. She was born in France on April 25, 1886, died on June 6, 2001. Mary worked in a factory, then in a sewing workshop and as a nanny for many families. She was married twice, loved Bordeaux wine and chocolate.

· Eva Morius lived 115 years, born on November 8, 1885 in Newcastle-under-Lyme in England. She died on November 2, 2000 in Staffordshire. Eva Morius never parted with a cigarette, loved to ride a bicycle, and never got sick. She believed that she lived long because she drank a glass of whiskey every day and ate a boiled onion.

During the time of Vespasian, in the year 76 of our calendar, Pliny presents a census of the population of the Roman Empire, according to which it turned out that there were long-livers: three people 140 years old, one person 139 years old, four people 137 years old, four people 130 years old, two people 125 years old , fifty-seven people 110 years old and fifty-four people 100 years old. From the above data it is clear that in Italy two thousand years ago there were more centenarians than now - and this despite the modern level of medical care, achievements of science and technology, which made it possible to create comfortable and safe living conditions for people. What is the reason why over the past twenty centuries life expectancy has not increased, but, on the contrary, even decreased?

3.What influences life extension

You can first try to answer this question yourself, without resorting to special literature, etc. Maybe climate, physique, temperament, occupation, intelligence, lifestyle?

Yes, a little of everything, everything in moderation and everything within reasonable limits. The right combination of all the above social and medical factors makes our lives longer and leaves us in good health even in old age.

The study of the features and characteristics of centenarians gives grounds to assert that such parameters as play an important role in prolonging life:

work that brings satisfaction; having a life goal; motor activity; maintaining a daily routine and rest hygiene; rational nutrition; normal sleep; household hygiene; the ability to manage emotions and maintain optimism; happy marriage; giving up bad habits; hardening; self-regulation.

4.Medical aspects of longevity

Modern man wants to live long and enjoy all the benefits of civilization. How to do this? How to eat and what lifestyle to lead to live longer? People have been trying to find answers to these most pressing questions for many, many centuries.

The air we breathe, or the long-livers of Abkhazia.

Abkhazia is a unique natural zone of intensive healing. One of the reasons for the intensive recovery is the composition of the Abkhaz air near the coast and the body’s reaction to the absorbed components of the air. Another treasure of Abkhazia is air. It is rich in negatively charged ions, sea salts, oxygen (41%), (for comparison, the oxygen content in Moscow is only 8%!). The air in residential premises is greatly oversaturated with positive ions, but there is a catastrophic lack of healing negative ions. So, if in the mountains of Abkhazia the number of negative ions is about 20,000 per 1 cubic meter. cm of air, in our forests there are 3000, but indoors there are only 10-20. But air devoid of ions is like food without minerals and therefore leads to dystrophic changes in many internal organs - the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, blood vessels. This active influence of the external environment largely explains the phenomenon of longevity in Abkhazia. If in the Soviet Union as a whole there are 100 people per million inhabitants who live long enough (over 100 years), then in Abkhazia with a population of 215,000 people (2003 census) there are about 250 of them. In general, 42% of all inhabitants of the planet who have reached the age of 10 live in the Caucasus. a hundred years or more.

Correct breathing

Proper breathing improves your well-being. The frequency of breathing, the depth of inhalations and exhalations affects all functions of the body, including brain activity. It is believed that frequent and shallow breathing shortens life.

Nutrition for centenarians

a) Balanced nutrition

Some nutritionists believe that it is possible to increase life expectancy to 150-200 only through balanced nutrition. The term “rational nutrition” refers to a balanced intake of all necessary substances into the body with food. Balanced nutrition is not just about saturating the body. (The stomach is easy to deceive - it will say “thank you” for a dish of an old shoe, stewed until soft and seasoned with some sauce). This is food that contains all the substances the body needs.

If the foods that a person consumes daily are unsatisfactory in terms of nutritional value (especially if they are floury, sweet, spicy and fried), this will negatively affect the person’s well-being.

The food of centenarians should contain little cholesterol, all vitamins in high concentrations, and be enriched with natural antioxidants. This can be achieved through a relatively low fat intake, an optimal ratio of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids, and a high intake of vitamins and minerals.

b) Minerals

Human health and the existence of all living organisms depend on various minerals. They participate in all processes occurring in organs and tissues.

Microelements are mainly catalysts for biochemical reactions. As experts jokingly put it, catalysts act on the body like tips on a waiter.

Lack of microelements in some vitamins and hormones causes serious disruption of the nervous and endocrine systems.

The minerals that make up the body are constantly consumed. One of the sources of their replenishment is soil, since they enter the human body with products of plant and animal origin and with water.

To achieve longevity, 17 essential minerals are needed: calcium, phosphorus, iron, cobalt, zinc, copper, arsenic, vanadium, table salt, potassium, iodine, silica, boron, magnesium, aluminum, fluorine and sulfur.

c) The magical power of vitamins

Vitamins are necessary to prolong youth. Nutritionists believe that premature aging occurs due to the lack of foods in the diet that contain the vitamins the body needs. With regular use of vitamins, the aging process can be slowed down and even reversed.

Like minerals, vitamins are faithful companions of a long-liver. And although some vitamins play a leading role here, while others play a more modest role, it is clear that all of them are necessary to maintain youth and health.

Physical activity, work

Rational nutrition is the main, but not the only factor in the fight to prolong life. Labor, movement and muscle training are the source of youth and health. Premature aging can be caused by muscle deterioration.

Academician A.A. Mikulin (1895-1985) wrote: “Most of our ailments are the cause of laziness, lack of will, and low physical activity.”

The statement that vigorous activity supposedly accelerates aging is fundamentally incorrect; it has no basis. On the contrary, practice has established that for people who do not want to grow old, that is, who work intensively into old age, life expectancy does not decrease, but increases. Unlike inanimate nature, all structures of a living body are not only gradually destroyed, but also continuously restored. For normal self-renewal of these structures, they need to function intensively. Therefore, everything that is excluded from action is doomed to degeneration and death. Atrophy comes from inactivity. “Not a single lazy person has reached a ripe old age: all those who have reached it have led a very active lifestyle,” emphasized H. Hufeland.

There is a well-known general biological law: aging affects the organ that works the most and lasts the least.

Studies of the lifestyle, characteristics and characteristics of some centenarians give grounds to assert that centenarians come from rural areas and have been engaged in physical labor throughout their long lives.

Muscle flaccidity is the first signal of the onset of aging. To maintain tone, regular and even exercise is necessary. But it is important to consider that inactivity is just as harmful to muscles as overexertion.

Additional factors

The complex complex of social and biological factors that influence human longevity also includes the geographic environment, heredity, past diseases, relationships in the family and in society, and a number of others. The individual factors of this complex are closely connected and interdependent, but their nature and significance in different countries or regions of the globe may be different.

Professor G.D. Berdyshev believes that the ability to live longevity is inherited. According to his calculations, 60 percent of life expectancy is predetermined at birth, and the remaining 40 percent depends on circumstances and living conditions, but, what is very important, a well-chosen lifestyle compensates for the shortcomings of the genetic program.

There is an opinion that a favorable climate is an indispensable condition for longevity. Proponents of this point of view argue that long-livers are found only among mountain residents and their lives continue for a long time due to the mountain climate (excess oxygen, ultraviolet rays). To some extent this is true. The mountain climate favors longevity, but if it depended only on climatic conditions, then everyone living in the mountains would be long-livers.

5.Brain activity

The role of brain activity in achieving longevity can be attributed to two factors at once - biological and social.

The brain is the coordinating center of the human body and has both positive and negative effects on it. For example, on the one hand, the brain is capable of creating mental images, which can accelerate the achievement of desired results in a particular area of activity. On the other hand, stress syndrome and its negative consequences for human health.

Can we force the brain to work more in order to delay, “delay” its aging?

Yes, we can. Any work that requires the participation of the brain improves and strengthens its functions. As a result, his activity intensifies. Recent studies convincingly show that older people, whose brains are in an active state, do not decline in mental abilities, which are crucial for human life. And that slight deterioration, which sometimes still has to be observed, is insignificant; it does not interfere with normal functioning. The results of recent studies give reason to believe that in physically and emotionally healthy people, the development of intelligence (certain most important aspects) can continue even after 80 years. All this allows us to come to the conclusion that in some cases, a decrease in intelligence is reversible and the once put forward hypothesis about cell loss occurring with age is erroneous.

Some experts argue that the still prevailing old ideas about age and intelligence sometimes have tragic consequences: a large number of intellectually developed people have discovered a decrease in their capabilities in old age due to incorrect judgments that supposedly old age brings an inevitable weakening of intelligence.

“A decline in mental abilities is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says English psychologist W. Chey, who studies the aging process. Anyone who feels able to act as well in old age as at other times of his life does not become intellectually helpless.”

Numerous studies have proven that long-livers are active people. They are characterized by a high vitality, which is achieved by any creative work. And the more active a person’s nervous system is, the longer he lives. This is confirmed by historical examples. So, Sophocles lived to be 90 years old. He created the brilliant work “Oedipus the King” at the age of 75, and “Oedipus at Colonus” several years later. Bernard Shaw retained his intelligence and ability to work into old age. At the age of 94, he wrote: “Live your life to the full, give yourself completely to your fellow men, and then you will die, saying loudly: “I have done my work on earth, I have done more than that.” it was supposed to." His reward was in the knowledge that he had generously and completely given his life and his genius for the good of humanity.

The famous German thinker and poet Goethe finished Faust at the age of 83. The whole world knows the paintings of the great Repin, but few know that his last masterpieces were created by him at the age of 86! And Titian, Pavlov, Leo Tolstoy! The list of names of outstanding people who lived long lives full of creative work could be continued endlessly.

6.Social aspects of longevity

It is obvious that the problem of life extension is not only biological, medical, but also social. This is fully confirmed by numerous scientific observations, as well as the results of studies of centenarians in our country and abroad.

As Professor K. Platonov noted, “...a person as an individual and as an integral structure has two basic and interconnected substructures, necessary and sufficient to cover all his properties and individual characteristics: the substructure of the organism and the substructure of the personality.

It is a mistake to consider any human activity either only as biologically determined, or as only socially determined.” There is not a single social manifestation of a person’s life that is not inextricably linked with his biological properties. K. Platonov gives an example of human acceleration - his accelerated development in the present era. This is a biological manifestation of his body, but it is due to social influences affecting life expectancy, improving the health and physical condition of the population, its settlement in cities and villages, etc.

The greater a person’s culture, that is, the more influence of social relations is felt in him, the more opportunities he has to influence his biology, his health.

The determining factor in longevity is psychological.

Longevity is not a phenomenon, but a consequence of human harmony with the natural environment of existence. The most important thing in this harmony is psychological comfort in communication and pleasure from life. The main character traits of a long-liver are calmness, cordiality, a mood full of optimism and plans for the future, good nature, and peacefulness.

They remain optimistic until old age. In addition, they know how to manage their emotions. One of the Abkhaz centenarians explained her longevity by the ability to be tolerant. Under no circumstances did she allow herself to become irritated or worry about minor troubles, and she tried to treat major ones philosophically. “If something bothers me, I don’t get completely upset right away. I start to worry “gradually”, stretching out my anxiety, so to speak, over a long period of time, while at the same time maintaining control over myself, calmness and a philosophical approach. Thus, I I protect myself from excessive suffering and stress. I learned this from my parents.” It should be noted that Abkhaz centenarians are proud of their restraint - minor quarrels and abuse are considered as unnecessary irritation and a waste of time.

American scientists have concluded that long-livers, as a rule, are satisfied with their jobs and really want to live. Most of them lead a calm, measured life. The centenarians examined by gerontologists were distinguished by their calm nature, balance, and lack of fussiness. Many of the centenarians led a hard working life, experienced serious hardships, but at the same time remained calm and steadfastly endured all adversities.

Long-livers develop a psychological defense against the awareness of the fact of aging and the inevitability of death, which is determined by character traits, low levels of anxiety, contact, and flexibility of mental reactions. In connection with these psychological characteristics of long-livers, one should recall the statement of Gufelaid, who wrote in 1653 that “among the influences that shorten life, fear, sadness, despondency, envy, and hatred occupy a predominant place.” Based on an analysis of the lifestyle of centenarians over a long period, scientists identify traditional ways to prolong life: psychological stability, healthy eating and the absence of any bad habits, choice of external habitat. Both scientists who study life extension in theory and centenarians themselves agree on one thing: the main guarantee of a long life is good spirits. It has long been proven that people who are optimistic live longer than pessimists. Maintaining sociability and not allowing your usual circle of interests to narrow over the years is the key to an optimistic outlook on life. And it, in turn, ensures mental health, which in old age is no less important than physical health.

In his travel notes about the Caucasus, Karl May clearly writes that every second person here is long-lived. He began to look for a solution and found it. It's amazingly simple. Caucasians live so long because they like it!

Attitudes towards centenarians in the past

Let's consider how it was customary to treat old people in different eras and in different countries.

In the Stone Age, the attitude towards the weak and old was cruel. Old people were expelled to the mountains and deserts. The life of one individual was of little value; the survival of an entire species was what mattered. For example, pastures and hunting grounds have become depleted and new ones must be found. People could not expect the natural death of old people who were unable to withstand the difficult road; when they moved, they left the old people in the old place. But time passed, and attitudes towards old people changed. In ancient Egypt, they found a papyrus on which a congratulation to the teacher was written:

You gave 110 years of your life to this country,

and your limbs are as healthy as the body of a gazelle.

You drove death from your doors,

and no disease has power over you,

above you, who will never be old.

The sacred book of ancient Christians - the Old Testament - obliges children to honor their parents and take care of them.

In China, they have always treated older people with respect, showing warmth and cordiality. If a parent died, the son wore mourning for three years and had no right to travel (and this despite the fact that the Chinese are passionate travelers). And today old people in China live surrounded by care and love.

In Africa they also respected and respect their ancestors. African philosophy views life as an eternal circle (birth, death, birth). Old age is a transitional state between life, death and rebirth. An elderly person is a storehouse of wisdom. No wonder they say in Mali: “When an old man dies, a whole library dies.”

Unfortunately, the attitude towards older people was not favorable everywhere. In Sparta, elderly and sick people were thrown into the abyss. In ancient Rome, an old man was dragged to a river to be thrown there. The sentenced old men had the inscription on their foreheads: “The one who must be thrown off the bridge.”

And yet, despite the cruelty legalized by the state, there were people who were not afraid to express a different opinion about the elderly. Sophocles insisted that older people should hold high positions because they were wise.

In today's world, older people also lack respect from young people. But is this only the fault of young people? Rudolf Steiner, when asked why our youth do not respect their elders, answered: “We do not know how to grow old. As we grow older, we do not become wiser. We simply degrade and fall apart mentally and physically. And only with some there is a breakthrough and they become wise.”

Social environment

Demand in family and society is what is necessary to maintain health and well-being in old age.

Many centenarians were married, and more than once; they got married in old age. Thus, the Frenchman Longueville lived until he was 110 years old, married 10 times, and the last time at ninety years old, his wife gave birth to a son when he was 101 years old. So, marriage prolongs life.

In Abkhazian culture, there are many forms of behavior developed over centuries that help overcome the effects of stress factors. Participation in the rituals of life's journey and in general in events that are significant for a person by a significant number of people - relatives, neighbors, acquaintances - is of great importance. Similar forms of behavior exist among other peoples of the Caucasus. But in Abkhazia, the scale of moral and material support, mutual assistance of relatives and neighbors in situations of vital changes - weddings or funerals - attracts attention.

The main conclusion drawn from this study was that residents of the Caucasus almost completely lack feelings of uncertainty and anxiety associated with the expectation of undesirable changes in the social status of an old, long-lived person as his age increases. Aging and possible negative physical changes associated with it do not lead to depressive mental states in centenarians, which, apparently, has a direct connection with the phenomenon of longevity.

Conclusion

Who among us doesn’t want to always be young! Today, scientists around the world have united to fight what destroys the human body - aging and premature death. Middle-aged and elderly people are sad about their irretrievably lost youth, and young people dream that this wonderful time will never end.

It is not surprising that many people say: “Why do you need to live more than 100 years?” - believing that prolonging life means prolonging the period of aging and old age with all the negative consequences. But the main idea of longevity is precisely to prolong youth and vitality, restore energy and improve health.

Bernard Shaw, writing Back to Methuselah, saw longevity as the ideal state of humanity, much like heaven. People make a lot of mistakes, but if they live long, they will become wiser, and therefore happier.

I firmly believe that every person has the opportunity to live a happy, fulfilling life. Only a person can help himself regain youth or lost health. It is important to remember that there is no limit to life expectancy - each person must set it for himself.

It depends only on our inner strength whether we show purposefulness and determination, whether we are able to direct our energy at our own discretion, or whether we feel like a victim of external circumstances. Ideally, each of us should feel like the creator of our own destiny. Success depends on our attitude towards life.

centenarian age life medical

References

1. J. Glass “Live up to 180 years”, Moscow: “Physical Education and Sports”, 1991.

2. A. Rubakin “Praise of old age”, Moscow: “Soviet Russia”, 1979

3. Kanungo M. “Biochemistry of aging”, trans. from English: “World”, 1982

4. Valeria Hristolyubova “Long life without old age”, Moscow: Astrel Publishing House, 2003.