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Cell Damage
Cell damage has many etiologies, including:
- Toxic elements (e.g. lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, PCB)
- Free radicals and oxidative stress
- Changes in acid-base balance
- Nutrient imbalance - including an excess or deficiency of nutrients (such as water, oxygen), essential fats, amino acids, vitamins and minerals (such as copper, iron, or manganese). Iron, for example, is known to be essential for normal cell functioning. An excess of iron, however, is damaging (leading to possible heart disease, hemochromatosis, and the activation of free radicals).
- Hormonal imbalance- a lack or excess of hormones
- Fluid imbalance- a lack or excess of fluid
- Infection
- Inflammation
A nutrient deficiency is not good for cells. At the same time, too much of a good thing is not always beneficial either, and can even have adverse effects on health. An analogy can be made to watering plants- too much will cause the plant to die, but the right amount will allow the plant to grow and be healthy.
As a result of cell damage:
- More cells will die than are newly formed, causing us to age faster
- Some cells will degenerate, resulting in the degenerative diseases of aging such as heart disease, Alzheimer's, osteoporosis, arthritis, and cataracts
- Other cells will try to survive and fight the difficult conditions, and may transform into cancer cells. Cancer cells are able to produce hormones and other products independently, thus taking away the "food" and resources needed by normal cells. Our body does not recognize the cancer cells as foreign and allows them to grow out of control.
In conclusion, one should remember that there is no magic bullet for healthy aging. The goal of healthy aging is to prevent and protect ourselves from cellular damage and disease. Maintaining cell balance requires a complex approach which addresses the different components in the Theory of Cell Damage, Balance, and Transportation.
References:
Finley JW, Davis CD. Manganese deficiency and toxicity: are high or low dietary amounts of manganese cause for concern? Biofactors 1999;10(1):15-24.
Pal PK, Samii A, Calne DB. Manganese neurotoxicity: a review of clinical features, imaging and pathology. Neurotoxicology 1999 Apr-Jun;20(2-3):227-38.
Ercal N, Gurer-Orhan H, Aykin-Burns N. Toxic metals and oxidative stress part I: mechanisms involved in metal-induced oxidative damage. Curr Top Med Chem 2001 Dec;1(6):529-39.
Kang JO. Chronic iron overload and toxicity: clinical chemistry perspective. Clin Lab Sci 2001 Summer;14(3):209-19; quiz 222.
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 Toxic elements and an excess of essential elements may be detrimental to our health. Testing for toxic and essential elements as well as measurements of the effectiveness of your detoxification program are available at Longevity Healthy Aging™ Research Group (LHA™). For an appointment, call 416-652-9862 or 1-866-YOUNG-86.
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Are you using detoxification products? Are they effective? Do you know exactly what elements they are detoxifying? Assess the effectiveness of your current detoxification program at Longevity Healthy Aging™ Research Group (LHA™). Call us at 416-652-9862 or 1-866-YOUNG-86.
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