Boomer Corner

If not Immortality what about The 120 Club? Planning for the End of Your Life Balancing Hormones Naturally

My good friend Alexander Everett died in 2005 aged 85 on his ranch in Oregon. It wasn’t really a ranch, Who will end up with your books and your tchotskes, your gadgets and your garden tools when you change your cosmic address at the end of your life? We hear so much talk about hormones as we get older and how it affects our health, especially for women. Hormones naturally decline as we get older.

more like an Ark. Alexander just liked to hang out There are 7 types of hormones in the body:

with animals, certainly not eat them. Hewas an It’s probably the easiest and least onerous part of your • Oxytocin (the love hormone) which responds to touch educationalist and an English eccentric much influenced by Rudolf Steiner and Huxley’s Perennial Philosophy, who decamped to Oregon in the 1960s becoming a leading figure in the personal development movement that became popular at that time. As a young man he had been crippled by polio but claimed to have cured himself. He was, he told me a member of the 120 Club, all of whom committed estate planning to make a list of all your possessions and decide who will get the stuff you have accumulated all these years. Will Junior get your porno movie collection? Your daughter might like some jewellery or family heirlooms; maybe your best friend would appreciate your gadgets or garden tools. You have made your Last Will and Testament? Good. That takes care of your estate, your possessions and • Cortisol (the stress hormone) which tells us when to run when we’re in danger • Thyroid, (the metabolism regulator) • Melatonin (the sleep-inducing hormone) • Progesterone, estrogen and testosterone (the sex hormones) needed for a healthy cycle and fertility • Serotonin (mood-boosting hormone) • Leptin (the hunger-quelling hormone) themselves to live to be over 120 years old. Alas, financial accounts and settles your preferences. Or does it? How do you know you’re out of balance? If you’re Alexander didn’t make it. He died 35 years short experiencing any of the following symptoms it’s probably aged 85, which is respectable. Estate Planning time you take action to bring balance back to your body.

Signs of hormone imbalance include:

• Mood swings • PMT or PMS • Low mood or depression • You are snappy, irritable and angry (sometimes all at once) • Your libido is non-existent • Your periods are heavy or irregular • Headaches and migraines • You have a muffin top or excess weight around the belly • Skin breaks out • Vaginal dryness • Cold hands and feet, • Difficulty sleeping or staying asleep • You feel constantly fatigued or have brain fog • You have tummy cramps, bloating or digestive woes • You have excess hair on your face and thinning on your head • You have cravings for carbs, sugars, alcohol or other foods

Somewhere around the age of 18 or 19 our bodies cease Planning for the dissolution and distribution of your estate is developing and from that moment on the various body not that cumbersome but you need to take a few things into clocks that comprise what is us, start their remoseless account, especially if you have property or a foot in two countdown to our eventual demise. How countries. Besides the bequests and provisions your last long we last from that point on depends on will and testament should appoint an executor who will take good luck, our genes, our lifestyle and how care of administrative and financial matters such as much money we have. The process doesn’t liquidating bank and investment accounts, your pension or usually start to manifest visibly until our mid-30s or so and, given good genes, psychologically we don’t usually start to feel old until our early 70s. retirement accounts, ensuring your assets go to the proper beneficiaries, paying any debts or taxes. It could also include selling your home or terminating your lease. And with foreign property rights restricted in Indonesia, be sure Here’s what we’re all up against: you don’t leave behind a can of worms your executor will have to deal with.

Chronic Inflammation

Even if you have little in the way of assets or possessions, Aging people suffer an epidemic of outward you should have a simple will because if you die intestate inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, the legal system in your location will decide who gets your but chronic inflammation also damages assets, no matter how massive or meager. Things are more brain cells, arterial walls, heart valves and complicated if you are the parent or guardian of a minor other structures in the body. Heart attack, child, have an informally adopted or sponsored child and stroke, heart valve failure, and Alzheimer’s there’s no document stating what you want to bequeath have all been linked to the chronic them or who will care for them after your demise. By the inflammatory cascade. same token, are you making some provisions for your faithful staff who may lose their jobs and probably have no Glycosylation retirement or financial cushion to fall back on? Another thing to consider is to make sure that your will does not contradict the account beneficiaries named on your retirement accounts, life insurance policies and the like. The person listed as the beneficiary on each of those policies will get the money even if your will says otherwise. Make sure your beneficiary designations are up to date and sync with any other legal provisions you have made. It pays to review the beneficiaries on all your accounts. You may not be ready to die and in fact may yet have a long bout of life ahead of you but remember that things change, people come and go in your life and situations alter. Be sure these changes are updated in your will. Including your will, make a list of critical documents that the will’s executor will need to settle your estate like your insurance policies, bank and investment account statements, credit and debit cards, pension and tax documents and pertinent information like your Social Security or National Insurance numbers and make sure you tell your family or carers where to find them. This includes passwords so your online accounts can be accessed. Other practical directives should address the paying of any taxes due, utility bills, recurring payments or donations. Any time a major change occurs in your life, make sure your will and last directives reflect it.

How to balance your hormones naturally

Diabetics age prematurely, but even non-diabetics suffer from this chemical reaction, where protein molecules bind to glucose molecules forming non-functioning structures. Glycosylation is most evident in senile dementia, stiffening of the arteries, and degenerative diseases of the eye.

Methylation Deficit

Our cellular DNA requires constant enzymatic action for maintenance and repair. Aging cripples methylation metabolism causing DNA damage that can manifest as cancer, liver damage and brain cell degeneration.

Mitochondrial Energy Depletion

The cellular energy powerhouse, the mitochondria, requires a complex series of chemicals to maintain critical functions such as transporting nutrients through the cell membrane and purging the cell of toxic debris. Mitochondrial depletion lead to congestive heart failure, muscle weakness, fatigue and neurological disease.

1. Nourishment for your body – Food is the building blocks for hormones by eating healthy fats and protein. Reduce processed foods and refined sugar and refined carbs. Eat an adequate amount of protein for each meal. 2. Eat More Greens – Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and chard help to cleanse the body and support the liver, which is very important in hormonal balance. 3. Reduce coffee consumption – A good cup of coffee is a joy, however, many people over indulge which increases PMS symptoms. Try drinking green tea which is lower in caffeine and high in antioxidants. 4. Reduce your stress – A busy lifestyle and running around makes our body produce too much cortisol (the stress hormone). This puts a strain on your body and can put your hormones out of balance. Try mediation, yoga, deep breathing and massage to manage your stress levels. 5. Exercise regularly – It doesn’t matter what form of exercise you choose – gym, running, yoga, kick boxing, walking on the beach or jumping on a trampoline. Just get your body moving for good cardiovascular health and keep it stretched. You’ll look and feel younger and healthier. 6. Consume healthy fats – This has been shown to reduce insulin resistance in overweight people and those with diabetes. Dairy fats and monounsaturated fat in olive oil and nuts increase insulin sensitivity. Avoid unhealthy trans-fat which promotes fat belly. 7. Avoid over or undereating. - Consuming too many or too few calories can lead to hormonal imbalances. Aim to eat at least 1,200 calories per day for optimal health. 8. Eat fatty fish - Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may help lower cortisol and epinephrine, increase insulin sensitivity and decrease insulin levels in obese and insulinresistant individuals. 9. Get high quality sleep consistently - Poor sleep has been linked to imbalances of many hormones, including insulin, cortisol, leptin and growth hormone 10. Consume a high fiber diet - High fiber intake has been linked to improvements in insulin sensitivity and the hormones that control hunger, fullness and food intake. 11. Eat more eggs - Eggs are extremely nutritious and may help reduce insulin resistance, suppress your appetite and make you feel full.

Hormone Imbalance

Trillions of cells in the human body are synchronised to function by chemical signals called hormones. Aging creates hormonal imbalance that can lead to depression, End-of-life preferences osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and loss of libido.

Now that the estate portion of your bounty is settled, have Excess Calcification you given a thought to the other end-of-life decisions you need to make while still, as they say, of sound and competent Calcium ions are transported into and out of cells through mind? What about drawing up a Living Will that will instruct calcium channels into the membrane. Aging disrupts this your nearest and dearest how you want to be cared for process and the result is excess calcium in the cells of the when you are no longer in a position to verbalise coherent brain, heart valves and arterial walls that can lead to thoughts? Remember there are very important instructions arteriosclerosis and Alzheimer’s. in regards to your end of life preferences that simply do not belong in a Last Will and Testament since that document will not be read until after your death.

The western way to do that is to draw up an Advance

Directive, a legal and binding document that outlines your wishes if you become incapacitated due to illness or injury.

It sets forth the specific life- supporting or prolonging measures you would like applied -or not- like resuscitation or CPR, or whether to end all life-saving measures. Your wishes should be written down and the document given to the people most likely to be close at the time of your demise.

You should not leave these agonizing decisions to others.

These instructions should include the type of care you wish to have, the medical team and the hospital you want to end up in. If you wish to be an organ donor here in Indonesia you can register with Komite Transplantasi National (the

National Transplant Committee) or the Eye Bank (Bank

Mata Indonesia) ahead of time and stipulate that in your directive.

WOMEN

Fatty Acid Imbalance

The body requires essential fatty acids to maintain cell energy output. Aging causes alterations in the enzymes required to convert dietary fats into specific fatty acids the body requires. The effect of fatty acid imbalance manifests as irregular heartbeat, joint degeneration, low energy, hyper-coagulation, dry skin and a host of other conditions.

DNA Mutation

Numerous synthetic and natural compounds mutate cellular DNA and cause cancer cells to form. Aging cells lose their DNA gene repair mechanisms and the result is DNA genetic damage causes cells to proliferate out of control, i.e., turn into cancer cells.

Immune Dysfunction

For a variety of reasons, the aging immune system loses its ability to attack bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. In aging humans, excessive levels of dangerous cytokines are produced that cause the immune system to turn on its host and create auto-immune diseases,, such as allergies, lupus, anemia, rheumatoid heart disease and arthritis.

Magdalena Wszelaki, an integrative hormone and nutrition expert, is the founder of Hormones Balance, a practice that teaches women how to rebalance hormones with her book called Cooking for Hormone Balance. Going on the premise of food being medicine she has developed the concept of using seeds to correct hormonal imbalances with a 30 day lunar cycle to support the menstrual cycle. This works for women who are premenopausal as well as post-menopausal. The technique is called “seed rotation,” and can be used to boost estrogen levels in the first part of our cycle and progesterone levels in the second part. This system can be used by anyone who is experiencing irregular periods, heavy flows, substantial PMS, signs of hormone imbalance and even women going through perimenopause and menopause.

Which seeds should be used in the cycle?

Peri-menopausal and menopausal women can start any day and rotate the seeds every two weeks. Pre-menopausal women who are still menstruating have different needs: From Day 1 to Day 15 (or the middle of the cycle), we need more estrogen in order to build up our endometrium (uterine lining). This is called the follicular phase. Seeds such as flaxseed and pumpkin seeds, one tablespoon each per day, can naturally increase your estrogen levels. From Day 15 to Day 30, or the second part of the cycle (also known as the luteal phase), the corpus luteum begins to release progesterone. This sex hormone will help thicken the uterine lining and prepare it for implantation. The high content of zinc in sesame seeds and vitamin E in sunflower seeds have been shown to stimulate progesterone production. By adding one tablespoon of sesame seeds and one tablespoon of sunflower seeds per day in the luteal phase, they can naturally support the body to produce more progesterone.

Who are menopausal and post menopausal?

If you do not have a cycle either because you are not menstruating or because you have entered perimenopause, menopause and you are in post menopause, seed rotation can still help.

Your instructions should also indicate your wishes for preferred last rites, burial, cremation or repatriation preferences, appoint a funeral service and a trusted relative or friend who agrees to take care of all that. Also don’t forget to leave behind a list of family and friends you want notified. ‘Next of kin’ may not be near if you have Non-Digestive Enzyme Imbalance family in another country. Indonesian Immigration and Internal cellular functions depend on multiple enzymatic your consulate also need to be informed. reactions occurring with precise timing. Aging causes enzyme disturbances in the brain and liver, which result in And now for the big caveat: Remember that every country severe neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or has its own norms and regulations when it comes to persistent memory loss. Impaired liver function results in durable health care and appointing a health care proxy. If toxic damage to every cell in the body. you plan to die in Indonesia you are well advised to inform yourself of the practices here. In fact, a quick survey Digestive Enzyme Deficit among a few Bali lawyers reveals that unfortunately, the

Indonesian law system does not recognise a Living Will. The aging pancreas often fails to secrete enough digestive However, you can draw up a private statement letter enzymes, while the aging liver does not secrete enough regarding your medical directives and wishes on how bile acids. The results are the chronic digestive problems medical personnel should treat you in case of a lethal many face as they age. condition. This statement letter only indicates your wishes and does not have the strong enforcement capacity like a

Excitotoxicity will. It behoves you to discuss these matters with your private physician now and see where you stand. The aging brain loses control of its release of neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dopamine, and this results In the end it doesn’t really matter - or does it to you? in devastating brain cell damage and destruction. Statistics claim that nearly half of people age 55 and older don’t have a will. I bet the percentage is even higher for

Circulatory Deficit not having a Living Will. Yet it is important to document your end-of-life preferences and communicate those to

Microcapillary flow of blood to the brain, your family and/or the people that are likely to be near you eye and skin is impaired as a part of at that crucial time. Putting a plan in place for things like normal aging. The result is that disorders medical care and funeral arrangements helps ensure that MEN of the eye (such as cataract, macular upon your death, your wishes are carried out and that degeneration, glaucoma) are the No.1 family squabbles are avoided over your dead body. In Testosterone levels in men dip by about 1 percent every age-related degenerative disease. Major terms of funeral arrangements, you can leave the year after age 30. and mini-strokes are common problems associated with circulatory deficit to the brain. arrangements to a competent service like Antara Bangsa Funeral Services. Expats in Bali concur they are very good and take care of the details. Eat pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are high in antioxidants and other nutrients that can contribute to healthy testosterone levels and improve overall health. • Full of Valuable Nutrients Oxidative Stress Don’t wait to put your affairs in order. Now, while you are • High in Antioxidants Free radicals are unstable molecules that have been implicated in most diseases associated with aging. Antioxidants have become popular supplements to still hale and healthy and still have control of your belongings and the execution of your last wishes, is the best time to put some order in your end of life preferences. • Linked to a Reduced Risk of Certain Cancers • Improve Prostate and Bladder Health • Very High in Magnesium • May Improve Heart Health protect against free-radical-induced cell damage, but few people take the proper combination of antioxidant supplements needed to do any good. Don’t wait until life’s inevitable loops throw you a curve and beat you to it. • Can Lower Blood Sugar Levels • High in Fibre • Improves sleep. For example, lack of sleep can lower your testosterone level. Men who get less sleep for even just 2 weeks can see their testosterone level decrease by 15 percent.

By Adrian By Shari By Ines Wynn By Shari By Shari

The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2020 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz

Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz