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SHA Magazine Health & Beauty
It’s a fact that we all age. The scientific explanation lies in immunosenescence, the deterioration of our immune system that makes us more susceptible to infections, autoimmune diseases and even cancer as we get older.
“But the health and proper functioning of our system can be maintained and even improved,” says Oscar Mayorga, our head of the Regenerative Medicine Unit. Cell regeneration should be the basis of any anti-ageing program.
The immune system changes as we age in ways that weaken its ability to respond to infections. Immunosenescence, defined as the changes in the immune system associated with age, was not a problem when the average human life span was around 40 years. However, in the past 150 years, advances in medical science and nutrition have doubled life expectancy to 80 years in many places. This is unprecedented.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the top three causes of death were infectious diseases. At the beginning of the 21st century, the so-called chronic non-communicable diseases are all related to ageing. In short: an immune system that was designed to function for about 40 years must now remain effective for another 40 years.
The immune system response can be divided into two components that are interactive and complementary. The first is innate immunity, which has to do with the natural barriers of tissues such as skin, mucous membranes and different cells. We are born with it and it is the way our body detects and defends itself against bacteria and aggressors. The second type is acquired immunity, which learns over time the best way to attack each antigen and begins to develop a memory of the aggressors.
The central point of our existence is no longer only to live longer, a goal that science has achieved for many people, but to live better. That is to say: to be healthy, to fend off aggressors to our body. Understanding and combating ageing also helps against cancer and other common diseases in the developed world.
Regenerative medicine has the potential to heal or replace tissues and organs damaged by age, disease, or trauma, as well as to repair birth defects. Scientific evidence supports the possibility of treating both chronic diseases and acute injuries. The body’s innate healing response can also be harnessed to promote regeneration.
“The health and proper functioning of this entire system can be maintained and improved,” says Mayorga. “First, we need a thorough diagnosis. At SHA we have specialised analyses of telomeres, lymphocyte profiles and senescence. The latter, in addition to showing us the level of native cells, also called stem cells, detects senescent cells that can no longer divide. They are found in ageing and in response to cancerous processes.”
Once the diagnosis is made, therapy begins. “We can carry out regenerating and anti-ageing treatments such as detoxification therapies and cell regeneration treatments complemented with our antioxidant and immunostimulant diet,” adds Mayorga.
The future is already here. To age better means, among other things, rejuvenation at the cellular level based on a healthier lifestyle. This has great value in the treatment of multiple age-related ailments related such as hair loss, wrinkles, dehydrated skin, physical and intellectual exhaustion, immunosenescence, cellular inflammation and others.
A good anti-ageing program allows enormous improvements in the appearance and well-being of our body. Age-related disease is a combination of genetics and our relationship with the environment. Most often, the combination of several not very potent causal factors causes harm.
So, your anti-ageing plan must be comprehensive: nutrition, exercise, sleep and, in general, improvement of your lifestyle in combination with the latest scientific advances.
Our programme’s objective is to optimise health and delay the effects of ageing. To achieve that, we diagnose our guests’ biological age and adapt a multidisciplinary approach that includes genetics, hormonal management, nutrition and fitness.
This includes consultations with medical specialists from different areas: genetic and preventive medicine, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), regenerative medicine, revitalising medicine, cognitive development, sleep treatment, healthy nutrition, re-education of lifestyle habits and aesthetic medicine and hair health.
The goal is no longer just to live longer. Live healthier with SHA.
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