9 Signs You're Aging Too Fast & How to Reverse Them

26:36Again, this happens as we age. But it shouldn't happen too fast. Okay? Okay. Um, that's a big warning sign. Immune system. If you just, if you get sick all the time, you know, it's like every time there's a cold, you get a cold. Uh, it's different when you're kids, you're, you should be getting sick because you're, you're creating that, that immune memory. Uh, so that's different. But if you're older and you're sick all of the time, anytime you get sick, you get sick, you get, you get injured just with the very littlest thing. And it takes a long time to heal. Um, that's stem cell exhaustion. Okay.

27:07Your body isn't healing. There's a lot of things that can help that, calorie restriction. So just eating mostly meat and vegetables is very good for this and berries. Nutrients like NMN or NAD +, peptides like BPC-157, TB-500, GHKCU, these help rejuvenate stem cell activity and are really powerful. In ancient forms of medicine like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, what they would recommend for stem cell exhaustion would be, they call them Qi and Yang boosting. It's going to be a lot of the adaptogenic herbs. It's going to be ashwagandha in Ayurvedic medicine. It'll be rhodiola rosea. It will be panix ginseng, dong quai.

27:57These adaptogenic herbs, cordyceps mushrooms, are very, very good for supporting stem cell production. And so that's the idea there is you really want to support it. But those are some warning signs. And so those are the nine hallmarks of aging, according to my belief. Now, by the way, the original nine hallmarks of aging, there are a handful different than what I shared. But now that it's been expanded, I think these are the nine that are the most relevant that you can take action about in healing your body. Do you have unexplainable illness, hormone dysfunction, weight loss, resistance, brain fog, and you're tired of being dismissed when you know something isn't right?

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29:18Now, I also want to mention, and so that's the Western functional medicine scientific idea about longevity and those nine things you need to focus on to heal. and address longevity and increasing your health span. However, do you know that longevity and the idea of it was talked about far before this in traditional Chinese medicine? And they had their own philosophy and form of medicine when it came to improving longevity. And it was called the three treasures. They believed that our health is tied to three things. It was called Jing, Qi, and Shen. Then, by the way, this lines up with the Bible, with things like health of body, soul, and spirit.

30:03A very similar thing in Greek medicine, very similar three trinity that you'll find in Ayurveda. It's the three things. So Jing is body, Qi is mind, or actually more it's breath and soul, and then Shen is spirit. And so you want to be healthy, body, mind and spirit, or body, soul and spirit. And so think about it like this. Jing is really tied to your physical body. There are certain things you need to do to support that. There are certain things you need to support your breath, which is really your mindset and your motivation and your will. And then Shen is your spiritual health and your emotional health, really anchored and tied to that.

30:40And that's really tied to your identity. It's tied to your purpose, gratitude, your social bonds and relationships. And they had a much greater and holistic idea of how you can truly be healthy. I'll tell you, one of the biggest fallacies in all of medicine today, when you look at mainstream, especially in the Western world, in America, in Europe, in Australia, is there's not a great enough emphasis on spiritual and mental health and how that impacts our physical health. I mean, I really believe that your mental and spiritual health is even more important than the food you eat. Okay? I think that when somebody has cancer, childhood trauma, and spiritual demons, and that can be used both in the actual spiritual sense and the non-spiritual sense.

31:34But I think that childhood trauma, negative mindsets, all these sort of things, I think that's a greater cause of cancer today than eating a poor diet. Our emotional stress, our childhood trauma, our negative thoughts, I think our lack of faith. I think those things actually cause more sickness and illness than actually poor diet with certain conditions. And cancer probably being the number one. OK, so today, if you go to see a doctor and you've got certain issues, especially issues like depression, anxiety, cancer, some of those types of conditions. If you're not addressing your spiritual and mental health, you're missing out on 50 percent of your healing, at least, at least.

32:23And so it's really, really important. This is something the ancients knew. This is why the Bible talks about it. right? These ancient forms of medicine that Abraham might have even have passed on the initiation of them. These are things we're not even looking at or thinking about today in often cases. Okay. And I'm telling you, they're very important. And so let's jump into these three treasures or what you might call the trinity of longevity and ways you can improve your longevity. Number one is jing or body. And this is tied to, if we go even deeper there, your self-structure. What actually makes up your physical body?

32:58It's cells. And so we're looking at your cell membrane and all these different areas of your cells. And if you're going to heal your physical structure, of course, you need to take care of it physically, right? There's a very specific diet. You need to be exercising regularly, just doing the right things physically. That's one. Number two, cellular energy. Okay, so cell structures, one. Number two, cellular energy. This is tied to our breath. This is tied to some of the way that you think, healthy habits, movement, anything you need to fuel your mitochondria. It's going to be tied to that. And a lot of that is positive thinking, right?

33:37But then it goes beyond that and even deeper. And that's tied to what I call cellular intelligence. This is really tied to, again, your spiritual health. It's prayer. It's meditation. It's reading a scripture like the Bible. And then it's doing things to serve others, live out your life purpose, know who you are, your true identity. For me, it's my identity in Christ and God. And so it's knowing who you are. If you don't know your identity, if you don't know, or if you're not living out to a degree, your purpose, if you don't have a deep, intimate relationship with God and with other people, and you do that by serving them and making their life better, not focused on you, focused on them.

34:18when you do that and you have that reciprocal, somebody is concerned about you in that way and adding value to you. When you do that, you are spiritually healthy. And that floods into healing your entire body, into cellular longevity, into making you truly healthy. But we're missing this today. And I want to say something about these ancient physicians, like the Hippocrates and Maimonides and these physicians that founded Chinese medicine and Ayurveda and Greek medicine, they knew and understood something. The form of medicine we practice today is only like 150 years old. It's not that old. Chinese medicine and Ayurveda are 3 ,000 years old.

35:03And they looked at essentially millions of individual case studies in terms of forming these. So there's so much efficacy around why they work and how they work. And they're proven over time. You know how unproven mainstream medicine is? You know, I mean, here's the thing. Most people live a long time today, not because of mainstream medicine. I would say, I don't want to say in spite of Foley, we were living much longer because of proper sanitation. Okay. Better sanitation. That's, I mean, you know, and just generally we have more access to food and to a degree, some quality food at that being a more rounded diet.

35:43But overall, the medical model of us, like, let me just say this, all these different medications for different conditions. I don't think that's really, truly increased our lifespan much, if at all. I would say if we're an emergency, our emergency medicine system is the best in the world. and it's incredible, absolutely incredible. But our mainstream medicine, if somebody comes in with high cholesterol and you give them a statin drug, I mean, it's, or you're depressed, you're giving the antidepressant. Hey, you have nothing going on, but you're a 16-year-old girl, so we just automatically give you birth control.

36:21That's harming people. That's taking years off their life. And so the biggest reason we're living longer today is sanitation. I mean, for the most part, it's a big, big thing. So all that being said, is that these ancient forms of medicine are much, much more proven than our current medical model we're living in of drugs and surgeries and chemo and radiation. And I'm not saying that there aren't good parts of it, okay? Antibiotics, if somebody has a life-threatening infection, incredible. Surgery to repair a damaged ACL, that's amazing, right? So we have some amazing things there, but a lot of it's not, it's actually doing more harm than good.

37:01When we look at one of the most important aspects of longevity, diet is always included in lifestyle. You know, in blue zone areas like Okinawa, Sardinia, Loma Linda, people are up to 10 times more likely to live past 100. And their diets are mostly consistent of whole foods, wild caught fish, vegetables, herbs, certain types of fruits, whether it's pomegranate or avocado or lemons. Right. But unprocessed whole foods tends to be part of their culture. You know what else does walking and moving regularly? OK, so just not not not for oftentimes is a mode of transportation, riding a bike somewhere, walking up and down hills.

37:44But a lot of time outdoors, a lot of time doing things like walking and cycling and eating whole foods. I mean, these are key. I want to mention in terms of a diet, a Mediterranean style diet, which is more plant forward and high in fish and omega-3s and extra virgin olive oil, is linked to a 30 % lower risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's, according to large observational studies. So we see this. And again, the diet is that we've talked about. It's fruit. Sometimes it's beans, by the way. I wouldn't mention that. That's getting you more fiber. Certain types of nuts like walnuts and almonds and macadamias, green leafy vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, fermented foods, oily fish with omega-3 fats.

38:27These are the most commonly eaten foods on these longevity diets. And when you study the blue zones, they found that there are nine commonalities. They're actually called the power nine that allow people to live longer and have the longest lifespans. This was published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. So here's what they found, that everyone that lives a long time for the most part, what they share. Regular low intensity physical activity is built into daily life, like walking, gardening, and household chores. Okay. But walking is the single biggest one. They walk a lot. Okay. And, and so that's, that's number one.

39:06Number two is purpose. A strong sense of purpose adds up to seven years of extra life expectancy. Okay. You know, you, you, you know, you've got some sort of gift or something and you're contributing to the society in some way. You have a purpose. The next one is downshift. There are daily routines to reduce stress like naps, prayer, socializing, tea time. You know, this is what I see in a lot of patients that become chronically ill. From the moment they wake up to the time they go to bed, they are doing something to try and get ahead. Constantly, every moment of their schedule is with something.

39:48Now, it's not to say, some of those people are even purpose-driven, but even if they're purpose-driven, it's in a way that's maybe self-serving or it's so, it's taking up, I mean, they're just doing stuff every moment. You need to be purpose-driven and have things you're doing that are contributing and making the world a better place. In addition, you should be working hard, but also playing hard and also resting. And so being able to downshift, that was another big part of living a long time. Here's another one, the 80 % rule. They stop eating when 80 % full to avoid overeating. They don't overeat.

40:21That's huge. By the way, that's huge in Chinese medicine. It's one of the biggest principles that you want to follow. Here's another one. Wine at five, moderate regular alcohol consumption, especially wine with friends or food in common. Now, here's what I'll say is really different about this. One, drinking wine does not improve longevity, okay, according to some studies. When you go to a place like Italy or France where you're seeing this a lot, what they're doing is at 6 o 'clock for the rest of the evening, they're having a glass of wine. They're eating a Mediterranean diet. And then they're sitting there with friends and family and laughing and relaxing and just living in a state of joy.

41:06Okay? Now, you could do that with alcohol or without alcohol. I think the more is not as good. Now, do I think, listen, what I believe based off the studies I've read is, listen, I don't think if you have one or two glasses of red wine a week, it's going to take years off your life or even add years to your life. Okay. I think that's fine. I think drinking alcohol constantly all the time, it's not good for you. Okay. But I do think if your liver is pretty robust and healthy, you can have a glass of wine a day or two a week and it's not going to be a detriment to your health. Okay. But all that being said, I think that what's really happening here, when you look at this correlation, it's a lot more of this sort of, it's really connected to more of that downshift, right?

41:48You get it. Here, let me tell you that what made me physically, after a few years in practice, is I was that person before I would wake up. And from the moment I woke up, I was doing something. Now, some of it was good stuff. I was, you know, doing a gratitude walk or doing something. But then it was like, even after dinner, I'd go home and eat dinner. Okay. It was at night. I'd get off at 6.30. That's late already. Dinner at 7. But then when I was there, I would sit there and work on my computer and watch TV at the same time the rest of the night. And I think that made me sick versus if I, and I started getting leaky gut.

42:27And I think if instead, if I would have been done with work and I would have just ate with a good friend or family and done that for two hours, I would have been so much healthier. So I don't think it's the wine or not the wine. I think it's what's happening as part of the way you eat and having a family meal and having deep relational connection. Here's another one that one of the power nine that causes people to live longer. Belonging. Most belong to a faith-based or spiritual community. which is linked to longer life. You're finding purpose there. You're finding community there, the best things together.

43:04So a sense of belonging to a sense of community. There are so many people that are just lonely or they're part of a dysfunctional community or family that's tearing them down. So there's a big, big difference there. Here's another one. Loved ones. They prioritize family, keep aging parents nearby and invest in their children. Family, family, family, family, family. Okay. It's another big one that they saw in these, the lifespans here, increase your lifespan. And then the right tribe, they're surrounded by social circles that support healthy behaviors and positive choices. It's not just family, family, it's family that is really positively supporting one another regularly.

43:43Now I want to talk about exercise for a minute, because the type of exercise you do can cause you to age more quickly or more slowly. I mentioned earlier, marathon running, doing long distance triathlons, CrossFit, for the most part. If you're doing weights for time in that way, especially after the age of 29 or 30, you're aging your body. That's the reality. Okay. There's almost no way around it. What they found is certain sports really caused you, were better at de-aging you or slowing the aging process. Now, the first one is this. Racket sports, tennis and pickleball and badminton. The Copenhagen City Heart Study, which followed over 8 ,500 people for up to 25 years, found that adults who played tennis regularly lived 9.7 years longer.

44:40That's almost 10 years longer than the sedentary adults. Okay, think about that. Playing tennis can extend your lifespan by like 10 years. It's amazing. And badminton was 6.2 years. Okay. Now they didn't have pickleball then, but there's evidence that pickleball would be very similar. There's a study on over 80 ,000 people in British Journal of Sports Medicine. They found that racket sports, swimming, and doing some form of aerobics were linked to the greatest reductions in death. So here's the thing. And by the way, the racket sports reduced death by 47%. The next closest was swimming, lowered it by 25%, and aerobics, 27%.

45:23Cycling, 22%. Cut mortality. Weight training, 27%. HIIT training was good as well for mitochondrial function. Even walking, though, can add up to 11 extra years to your life. Let me say this, though. So I had on multiple studies there. Generally speaking, in ranking order, the number one thing you can do to improve your longevity, that's racket sports. And when I read one of the people that analyzed this, the scientists, they said, we believe it was multifold. One is when you're playing pickleball, you're doing it with friends. It's like a fun community way of bonding. It's competition. So there's a benefit there.

46:01Another one was it was good for hand-eye coordination. Very good for the brain. And three, it was a form of cardiovascular fitness, but you're having to get low a lot with your legs and actually working a larger muscle group. So there are all of these different benefits in working your core. So there are a lot of using your breath. You're getting a release actually emotionally when you hit a ball, when you hit something. So there are all of these different benefits of playing racket sports. So that's number one. Number two is swimming. It's a form of exercise that's low impact where you're working large muscle groups.

46:36You're working your lungs. Loads and loads of benefits there. Those are the top two that you can do. Then cycling, just going out and riding a bike was number three on the list as well, I believe. And then you had weight training and walking were also good in terms of things you can do. All right, now I want to walk you through the top herbs and supplements for longevity. Some of these have been used thousands of years for adding years to people's lives. The first one here is turmeric. Turmeric is high in a compound called curcumin, which is highly anti-inflammatory. It's going to help inflammation.

47:05aging. It's going to help oxidative stress. There was a study that found that consuming 1 ,000 milligrams a day of curcumin for 12 weeks significantly reduced the markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. So that's a great one. And you could do that as a supplement. You could do it as a tumor, golden milk or tea. It's important to take it with a warming herb like ginger or black pepper to increase absorption. Ashwagandha is another one. This is probably the most prized adaptogenic herb for longevity in all of Ayurvedic medicine. One study or review found that taking doses of around 300 to 600 milligrams daily significantly lowered cortisol levels, morning cortisol, and improved stress, anxiety, and fatigue.

47:48So this is a really good one for longevity. Rhodiol rosea, this is one of my favorites for improving mitochondrial health and energy levels. This is good for stress, for mood, for concentration. Taking just 200 milligrams daily is beneficial. Coenzyme Q10, this is also good for ATP function. Now, I do want to say this, resveratrol has been one of the most popular longevity supplements for the past 20 years, ever since David Sinclair and some others at Harvard did some studies on, I think it was just done on worms, and said, oh, it increases your lifespan by a long time. However, since then, there's been a lot of research debunking his studies.

48:27And there's even a lot of people saying that he was getting paid sort of indirectly for the studies. And so there was, the studies should just be thrown out. So listen, resveratrol is the antioxidant found in blueberries and grapes. I think that you should eat blueberries to increase your longevity. I think taking a little resveratrol, maybe it's fine, but I really don't think it's going to do as much for adding yours to your life as actually just eating blueberries. Okay. Probably a better option. NAD plus, we mentioned that NAD plus, it can also be found in, it's found in different forms. It's NMN is another kind of name for it.

49:11NADH is another name for it, but these are mitochondrial boosters that are amazing for longevity. This was one of my tops in terms of compounds. And then getting more probiotics and prebiotics to support nutrient absorption and get microbiome health. I think those are good options. And listen, there are so many other supplements. I think a lot of the antioxidant-rich berries, Shisandra would be very, very high on my list. Great for longevity. Triphala, which is an Ayurvedic berry blend, also good for gut and constipation. Really amazing. That would be a great one. Green tea, like matcha, amazing, amazing for longevity as well.

49:47So there are numerous, but I would say generally just try and get more herbs, try and get more spices, drink more herbal tea on a regular basis. I mean, when you look at Japan, who has the longest lifespan, they drink loads of green tea over there. So much herbal tea. Here we're doing like coffee and adding butter to it, okay? That's okay, doing some coffee. And listen, genetically that might be good for some people, but I will tell you I do think green tea or drinking oolong and white tea, You just, drinking a lot more herbal teas even throughout the day would be better for us. Another big longevity habit is sleeping, okay?

50:21Studies link poor sleep to a 25 to 30 % higher risk of early death in age-related diseases, okay? So all these things are really important. And then of course, as we mentioned, you really wanna focus on keeping stress low. You wanna focus on building better social bonds. In fact, the longest study on longevity, It's 90 years now, almost at Harvard found the number one factor for longevity was strong social bonds. Having having and I want you to think about who are those people that are taking you down in life? Spend. Now, listen, if there's family, we have have negative people in our family. Right.

51:00But but also think about who are people you could go and spend time with and pursue a relationship with who are willing to with you return that favor and be able to build a relationship with them. You want to think about that as well. We know spending more time in nature. In fact, there's a study done in Japan. It's on forest bathing, showed a 40 % drop in cortisol and improved natural killer cell activity. That's huge as well. Sunlight, just there's the other one. Just be outdoors more in nature. Super helpful for increasing your lifespan. So again, the keys to living longer are this. Number one, have strong social bonds and great relationships.

51:41Number two, remember that longevity is not just about your physical health. It's about your spiritual health and your mental health and how that also impacts your physical body and longevity. So pray and meditate. Be part of a faith-based community and serve others. Live out that purpose and find your identity, right? And you're going to find it there, probably. Not, you know, backpacking through, I don't know, the Himalayas or something. And then listen, exercise for longevity. Play pickleball in tennis, swim, ride your bike and go on lots of walks and do a little bit of weight training, you know, weight training, add muscle.

52:19That's a longevity muscle as well. So you want to lift weights and add some muscle there too. That's longevity exercise. And then add some of these herbs and things in your diet. If you do that, it's going to not only add years to your life, but life to your years. Thanks for tuning in here to the Dr. Josh Axe Show. Remember each and every week we're diving deep into the science and principles of how you can heal physically, mentally, and spiritually. Make sure to subscribe, like, and share, and I'll see you on the next episode.

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