On What Processes Cause Aging

     I find this reading to be wonderfully educational and interesting.  I am thankful that we have started here with a biological approach to what aging truly is. I never thought about the evolutionary aging effects and the ideas such as birds having exceptionally healthy aging.  This idea comparing the aging rates of humans to other organisms strikes my interests in my biological studies, but I will continue to hold out until plants and non-animal organisms are discussed. 

     Thinking about how aging is caused by a natural progression of the body is one thing, but connecting it to the processes that keep us alive and thus release chemicals which more or less pollute our bodies and lead to the degeneration of our bodies.  This shows how living really does lead to aging in a scientifically explained manner.  What if humans found a way to extract these excess chemicals from the body or discover a way to put them to a different use? Could we then end the effects of aging and craft a world where people can live forever? Could these cure diseases caused my aging such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases?  And an additional question side topic, what are doctors doing now in preventative measures of aging effects? Are there any preventative measures taken for Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases?
     It is intriguing, the idea that aging cannot be escaped. No matter how healthily you live your life you body will still naturally age bit by bit.  So instead of thinking of healthy activity of healthy living one could consider a healthy lifestyle a process of healthy aging, which brings me to look at this course differently for we may not be looking at healthy patterns of aging but rather living healthy lifestyles in attempts to age in a healthier process.  However, the course title could also still refer to any topic involved in healthy aging, and I personally still would love to explore the idea of healthy psychological aging.  Not knowing the true definition still brings me to see how much I still have to learn and even though I have heard so many definitions of healthy aging I encounter more everyday.  The next step is to find one that I believe fits the concept best and define healthy aging for myself, but I want to be more knowledgeable first. 
     The reading discusses in detail the effect of cellular respiration on aging and this is shocking to me that our natural processes which are essential to keep us alive are ultimately pulling us closer to death.  Then into the factor that leads mitochondria to fail and cause oxidation in the body shows even more how serious this process of the mitochondria and its output is. I find this to be highly interesting and even more understandable why society strives to be healthier and reduce oxidants and why antioxidants are so important.  But if aging occurs naturally why should we try to reverse the effects? Why don't we just work to maintain them at a healthy level? Or is that what we are doing?

And with this my mind is racing with all the possibilities behind this idea of "healthy aging" what a semester it will be. (:

     Then on a complete tangent I would like to compliment the writer of this book.  He writes in way which draws the reader to fully understand the information but also provides some relief from the straight facts.  I enjoy his anecdotes and little additives (such as that about catalase and glutathione being good scrabble words) and just the use of specific case stories to allow for a full understanding of all that goes into what he is writing about.  This often is not accomplished in these sorts of texts. It’s refreshing to read a scientific book that is entertaining as well as educational.