A human being desires happiness, wealth, well-being and celebration from life. But there remains a quest, an obsession from time immemorial of mankind, which is longevity and beauty. History has recorded kings, queens and ascetics who have chased the dream, that is a long and healthy life. The ancient texts have records of people who have lived for 200-300 years or even longer. The yogis have developed a whole science which is dedicated to age reversal called kayakalpa. ‘Kaya’ means body and ‘kalpa’ is redefining, redoing, reengineering, reprocessing, or rejuvenating.
Age reversal is a possibility even in today’s time. If one can understand the process of ageing and the factors that influence ageing, one can see that it is possible to look and feel younger by 10-12 years. This can be achieved through a systematic regime that follows the principles of kayakalpa. In the coming weeks, I will be revealing secrets of age reversal along with an understanding of the scientific research that is currently being done to fight diseases and alter the human patterns to achieve longevity. The west has gone a step further and has preserved dead bodies and brains of nearly 150 people using cryonics in the hope that future medicine can revive them. This is the passion and pursuit for immortality in today’s time.
What is ageing?
Slow metabolism, sleep decline, wrinkles, greying, disease and depression are things that come to mind when we think of ageing. Ageing and quality of life are inter-related. But ageing has to be understood at the cellular level before we address other factors.
Jack Szostak has won the Nobel Prize for Science for discovering the telomerase enzyme as the anti-ageing agent, but I differ because no substantial human research has been done on its effects yet. Yes, the mice which were researched upon did show reversal of age but there is no way to claim the same for humans. In my opinion, any external inducing of any kind to create better health — unless treating an ailment or condition — should be totally avoided. One cannot forget a proliferation of cells can also cause cancer.
Let’s understand cellular ageing. Human body is made up of trillions of cells. Cells form tissues; tissues form organs, organs for the organ system and thus the human body. Each cell has a biological clock. Cells divide an average of 50-60 times before they go into senescence (cellular ageing) and, eventually, die. Cells have DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which contains the genetic instruction for development and function.
This concept is very well explained by one of the leading scientists of our times, Dr Michio Kaku. He compares DNA to a shoe lace which has plastic tips at the end. Every time a cell reproduces, the plastic tips get shorter and shorter until they fray, after which they become useless. However, telomerase can eliminate this contraction as the cells age and the chromosomes can maintain their length. But the catch is cancer cells also thrive on telomerase and they are immortal. That is why when cancer grows in the body, one must die. Though telomerase is a significant breakthrough in the field of anti ageing it comes with stark consequences. This is where science stands on the research in age-reversal. There is another perspective on genes and ageing which we will understand next week.
Tip of the week
Take the first step towards anti-ageing and drink plenty of water every day as nearly 70 per cent of your body is water.
Practise marjariasana (cat pose) 10-15 times every day.
Next week: Kayakalpa – the secret to age reversal part 2
