Once you passed certain age, the question keeps appearing in you mind. When you look at your graying hair, saggy eye-bag, you would hope in some way, some how, you can turn the clock back.
This clock is called "aging".
"Aging" was traditionally defined as a process where the biological condition of living being continues to decline that eventually leads to death. However, lately, "aging" is being increasingly described as "disease" that could be "cured". So is aging a natural process or a pathological process? In fact, "aging" is both.
The natural process of aging covers the entire life span. The clock ("aging") starts ticking as soon as one is born. But, in daily conversation, it is often narrowly defined as the process after the peak of growth and maturation of a living being. The natural "aging" process is generally considered as an "unavoidable" and "irreversible" process that can not be stopped or turned back. Theoretically, the natural aging reflects a process where an organized system eventually becomes chaos, which can be seen not only in biological beings but almost in anything exists in the universe, including the birth and death of a star.
However, having said that, it is also clear that each individual's aging process is undoubtedly affected by his or her pathological conditions. Since we don't know what a natural aging process and the life-span of human should be, it is safe to assume that every human being, including those lived longest in human history, was or is under an "accelerated" aging process. These pathological conditions should be curable. If we do so, individual "clock" could be slowed down and even be tuned back. A convincing example was the discovery of antibiotics in early 20 century that has resulted significant increase of human life-expectancy.
Dividing the aging process into two components: the natural aging process and the accelerated aging process has important implication in "treating" aging. While any attempt to reverse the natural aging process, such as using hormone replacement treatment, will unlikely success, treatment of aging related diseases, such as hypertension, diabetics and cancer, will slow down the speed of aging and eventually help individuals to reach his or her maximum life-span.
For example, one is diagnosed as having high blood pressure at age of 50 and his life expectancy is then estimated to be 80 years old by statistics. However, if in the next 5 years, he received many treatments, including changing life style, diet and medication, and brought his blood pressure down to normal level, his life expectancy will then be re-estimated to be 95 years old by statistics. In that case, by treating aging related disease, he has successfully turned his biological clock "back" by 15 years.
If the hypothetical number does not mean a lot, he will definitely feel much more energetic and healthier. His friends will likely find he is now "much more younger looking". These will be the concrete evidence showing that the clock has been turned back!
Aging is as much as a personal issue as a social issue, as much as a medical issue as an economic issue. So, it is not only the aging individual wants to turn the clock back, people from government to insurance company all want to know how too.
We, who work at healthcare industry, are the people whom all the people put their hope for a longer and healthier life to.
Original source: http://sfjohnwang.wordpress.com/?p=104
