Aging is the process of growing older and showing a progressive deterioration of bodily function over a period of time. It is the result of a series of chemical activities in our bodies failing or malfunctioning.

Aging is known as ‘senescence’ - the state of aging. The word itself comes from the Latin word ‘senex’, meaning "old man" or "old age."

Senescence is the process of cellular aging. It is the process of growing older and showing a progressive deterioration of bodily function over a period of time. It is the result of a series of chemical activities in our bodies failing or malfunctioning.

Premature aging occurs when your organs cease proper function before a reasonable lifespan has been achieved, what we normally refer to simply as ‘aging’.

You normally think about aging when you see wrinkly, thick skin, grey hair or baldness, or if you see deterioration in movement, general physical debility and decreased brain function. Chronological age and biological age are not the same however.  Your chronological age is not so important.

Premature aging manifests itself in numerous ways and can involve any/all your essential organs.

The function of your central nervous system, brain, immune system, endocrine system and cardiovascular system are all affected.
Your connective and muscular tissues are also affected.

Conditions that suggest you are aging prematurely or are affected by the signs of aging include:

• Cataracts
• Atherosclerosis
• Low hormone levels (DHEA, Testosterone, Estrogens)
• Chronic inflammation
• Osteoporosis
• Greying of hair
• amongst many other factors...

By 2030 the number of elderly people is expected to double… This rise will make up 5% of the population by 2050 (as compared with 1.4% today) These figures are drawn from the Bureau of the Census' middle series of projections.

Without treatment for age-related diseases, the number of people requiring formal care will continue to rise. With no preventative measures in place large increases will continue to occur in people with poor health and disabilities like Alzheimer's disease.

But I already take a supplement, so I have nothing to worry about... right?

Over 60% of Americans regularly ingest a general dietary supplement or take other steps to help prevent degenerative disease and symptoms of aging. However, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that up to 30% of the over 65s are unable to absorb vitamins and minerals sufficiently because their digestive systems are malfunctioning due to years of imbalance.

Most suffer overgrowth of bacteria in the intestinal tract. This fact reinforces the real need for people of all ages to:

a) instigate and maintain an overall healthy lifestyle and,
b) follow a supplement regime with more specifically combined and complementary nutrients.

Premature aging of your brain, circulation, heart, joints, skin, digestive tract and immune system can begin at any time of life. Various factors may cause your body to deteriorate faster including injuries, allergies, toxins, heavy metals, smoking, poor nutrition, stress and inactivity.

Bad lifestyle and nutritional, chemical and hormonal imbalances (e.g. low hormone levels, impaired functioning of hormone receptors and auto-immune reactions) are the top reasons for physical and mental degeneration leading to chronic disease and rapid aging. 
Long-term lack of essential nutrients is more specifically the most common cause of age-related conditions:

• Chronic inflammation – putting strain on major organs and potentially causing heart attacks, strokes or senility.

• Mitochondrial Energy Depletion – meaning a lack of specific chemicals needed by the mitochondria to maintain the critical functions of transporting nutrients through the cell membrane. This can result in congestive heart failure, muscle weakness, fatigue and neurological disease.

• Hormone Imbalance – commonly causing depression, osteoporosis, coronary artery disease and loss of libido.Fatty Acid Imbalance – causing an irregular heartbeat, joint degeneration, low energy, hyper coagulation and dry skin.

• Immune Dysfunction – resulting in a loss of your ability to attack bacteria, viruses and cancer cells and potentially leading to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid syndrome.

• Circulatory Deficit – a reduction of blood to the brain, eyes and skin, resulting in disorders such as cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma.

• Free Radical Damage – involving the destruction of your body’s cells leading to general debility and degeneration (see below).

Free radical theory

Free radical theory tells us that premature aging is merely the accumulation of bodily changes caused by the presence of oxygen-based scavengers in your body. Free radicals are groups of unstable and reactive atoms.  In excess they attack your body’s cells, stealing electrons from your body's delicate membranes and genetic structure, causing cell damage and malfunction. 

They come from your food, water, air, smoking, chemical exposure and even exercise.  They cannot be avoided, so it is important to provide nutrients to combat them.  You can do this by using antioxidants… 

An antioxidant is a substance that inhibits the above free radical damage. As free radicals continue to scavenge for electrons from your body, antioxidants intercept by offering their own electrons to the free radicals in order to stop them scavenging yours.  This converts the free radicals into simple harmless molecules. By doing this antioxidants protect your cells from the oxidative damage that leads to premature aging and disease.

A large amount of nutrient research validates the effect diet and supplements can have on your body in the battle against free radical damage. Lifestyle changes of course make a big difference too.

To begin the process of treatment your healthcare practitioner needs to determine your health status. He/she may carry out tests for antioxidant status, digestive analysis, immune system function, hormone status and circulatory condition. Your lifestyle will also be discussed for any contributory factors that may require attention. An electrocardiogram (testing heart function), electroencephalogram (testing the brain) or electroretinography (testing vision) may be employed. X-rays and ultrasound may also be used. Prevention, or at least early diagnosis and treatment of disease, is the key to successful health. However, general practitioners are ‘interventionists’ not ‘protectionists’, i.e. they are taught how to intervene with disease and stop the furthering of symptoms, but not in how to prevent the body from reaching that state in the first place. With practitioners being generally untrained in this area, prevention is therefore difficult in a conventional medical society. The responsibility for prevention, or at least recognising and monitoring age-related changes when they do occur, remains with you. Your body gives you continuous signals of its state of health. It is up to you to learn about these changes and recognise what your body is telling you. You can then act accordingly to get your body back to optimum health and maintain a regime to keep it there.

Generally your body sends you some kind of message to let you know it is malfunctioning. These messages can take the form of pain, inflammation, joint instability, insufficient blood supply, high blood pressure, muscle weakness.

Premature aging occurs initially without any actual symptomatic signs. Over time, without much warning you may begin to notice symptoms. More often than not it takes a serious condition to develop, such as a heart attack or stroke, before you realise what is happening and what your body has been trying to tell you all these years.

Generally your body sends you some kind of message to let you know it is malfunctioning. These messages can take the form of pain, inflammation, joint instability, insufficient blood supply, high blood pressure, muscle weakness.

More serious signs can include diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, thyroid malfunction, sexual hormone deficiency, other glandular deterioration, decreased hormone levels, or brain atrophy (such as in Alzheimer's disease).

Aside from disease, general signs can also include deterioration in previously acceptable areas, such as:

• Poor balance
• Reduced skin elasticity
• Increased focal length
• Reduced muscle mass
• Slower reaction time
• Loose joints
• Joint pain, swelling or stiffness, and
• Age spots.

There is no need for you to just accept signs of aging.

Do not believe people who claim these are signs of "getting older", or who feel that you "will have to learn to live with it".

The signs and diseases mentioned here are all preventable and/or treatable and are by no means a ‘normal’ part of growing old. Premature aging is not a requirement of life.

Millions of prescriptive medicines are provided each year to patients suffering from age-related diseases and symptoms. These medications will sometimes be successful in suppressing your symptoms, but hardly ever rectify your underlying condition. It is a sad fact that thousands of people die each year from using over-the-counter drugs in an attempt to mask some of these symptoms (suggested by the US Center for Disease Control). In addition, more than 100,000 people die from drugs ‘correctly’ prescribed by their doctor. (These estimates have been taken from information obtained over the last 20 years.) Virtually all these deaths are preventable. The reality is that most prescriptive medicines are no more than ‘band aids’ and only delay an inevitable and serious deterioration in your quality of life. There are really no prescriptive medicines that can prevent premature aging because, as mentioned earlier, premature aging is caused by the wearing out of your organs, through poor lifestyle and nutrient deficiencies. *Some of the most commonly used drugs are as follows: +Eldepryl, Selegiline and Deprenyl+* These work to help prevent premature brain cell death by inhibiting an enzyme that breaks down dopamine, thereby elevating dopamine levels in the brain and central nervous system. Possible side effects of these medications include abdominal or stomach pain, dizziness or feeling faint, dryness of mouth, nausea, trouble in sleeping and vomiting. *Centrophenoxine* This is used widely to increase brain energy through glucose uptake. It is used in the treatment of brain damage, injury caused by chemicals and drugs, and excess alcohol. Possible side effects include headaches, nausea and muscle stiffness. Isoprinosine (Imunovir) An immunomodulator and synthetic derivative with antiviral properties used in chemotherapy. It is used to restore immune responses for the treatment or management of secondary viral infections. Side effects include dizziness, problems with digestion (for example, slight stomach pain and feeling full after you ate only a small amount of food) and itching. *KH3* KH3 contains the world famous "youth" drug procaine, along with a compound called hematoporphyrin to enhance the activity of procaine. It slows down some aspects of aging and is used to improve alertness, concentration, memory, physical coordination, and blood circulation in the brain. Possible side effects of KH3 include dizziness, restlessness (delirium/confusion), disorders of stomach and bowels (nausea, gastric distress, vomiting and diarrhea. Allergic reactions and occasional menstruation during menopause can occur. *Nimodipine* This is a calcium channel blocker specific to the central nervous system. It prevents movement of calcium into the cells of blood vessels, thereby relaxing the vessels and increasing the supply of blood and oxygen. Potential side effects include breathing difficulty, coughing, or wheezing; irregular or fast, pounding heartbeat; skin rash; swelling of ankles, feet, or lower legs *Ribavirin* Ribavirin has antiviral activity against both RNA and DNA viruses. It exerts its antiviral effect by acting as an analogue of Inosine Monophosphate (IMP) or Guanosine Monophosphate (GMP). Adverse Reactions symptoms of anemia, headache, drowsiness and cramp.

If you maintain a balance of nutrition, chemical and hormonal wellness, you should be able to get older without experiencing premature pains, discomforts and disabilities associated with age-related diseases.

A quality broad-spectrum natural supplement will help you fill in your nutrient 'gaps'. (You must of course include good lifestyle changes, a sensible diet and reasonable exercise.)

The ingredients...

Many ingredients are widely recognised by experts for their anti-aging benefits. However, your body needs ingredients that will also target the vital health of your main organs, and do so synergistically. Your body can then produce the chemicals your cells need to stay healthy.

These ingredients consist of a wide range of amino acids, antioxidants, bioflavanoids, neuronutrients, herbal extracts, enzymes and specialized trace elements. They must be combined in specific dosages to enable them to enhance one another’s effectiveness.

Many such ingredients continue to gain recognition for their anti-aging value through continued studies...

DMAE (Dimethyl Amino Ethanol Bitartrate) minimizes the build up of lipofuscin (age spots) in the brain and has been shown in studies to help with age-related cognitive decline and increase attention span deficits of young and old.

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) is another such ingredient, a micro-molecule transmitting genetic information from DNA that in clinical trials (Dr. S.J. Jellinek) has shown to cause a visible lifting and tightening of the skin, an acceptable alternative to more invasive and synthetic medications.

Some of the most important ingredients are not particularly common however due to their expense. L-Carnosine and L-Glutathione are typical examples, with L-Glutathione being around 30 times more expensive than Vitamin C.

Also, some ingredients require specific delivery methods to avoid them being destroyed by stomach acid ‘en-route’. L-Glutathione needs to be released in the upper intestine for this very reason and so cannot be effective in an ‘ordinary’ tablet or capsule. It must be enteric coated.

As our bodies differ in requirement depending on whether we are male or female, some ingredients, from specific enzymes to various herbal extracts, are also needed to accommodate gender-specific problems – such as for testosterone loss in men (Chrysin) and of course for menopausal and post-menopausal problems in women (Wild Yam, Dong Quai).

The formula…

The nutrients your organs need are required in the correct proportions, professionally formulated and combined to synergize and produce the best protection and disease-fighting ability.

Exact combination and dosage is extremely important as if these ingredients were formulated ‘out of balance’ it is possible they could produce unwanted compounds and do your body harm. It is because of these potential dangers that you should never buy a variety of supplements ‘off-the-shelf’ to cover everything and just take them all!

The most advanced and comprehensive formula available today to help you build a good ‘anti-aging’ foundation and achieve optimum health is Xtend-Life’s Total Balance.

Total Balance is one of the few supplements that does target all your essential organs, releasing ingredients in such a way as to ensure you receive the full benefits of each one, in an enhanced and synergistic manner, to help build a solid health foundation.

This includes not only the above ingredients, but also the release of many others:

The importance of using the above ingredients in specific combination cannot be overemphasized. Their correct and synergistic combination has been shown to increase their efficacy and action by 15 times or more!

Xtend-Life Total Balance formula, with the addition of Omega 3/DHA, should be the cornerstone of your anti-aging and overall health regime.

Should your budget allow, it is desirable to give your brain and nervous system an added boost by also including Xtend-Life Neuro-Natural General into your protocol.

Here you will find 3 recommended protocols for addressing premature aging.

Protocol 1 – Maintenance program

For assistance with overall health and longevity, reducing premature aging risks, improving your immunity and your resistance against degenerative diseases:

Protocol 2 – Intensive program

For maximum effectiveness against premature aging and the most reliable overall health benefits:

HGH Results for Warren Matthews, Chairman of Xtend-Life



The above is a reproduction of a results graph produced following a blood plasma test carried out on Warren Matthews, Chairman of Xtend-Life in October 2002 (after 2 years on Total Balance). This test measures IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor - 1) and is considered the only reliable method of assessing levels of HGH (human growth hormone).

The top line of the graph represents the highest expected levels of IGF-1 for an individual’s age. The normal peak is at the age of 15 with a steep decline thereafter.

The middle dotted line is considered to be a normal average healthy level for that relative age, whereas the lowest line is considered to be a minimum level for that age.

You can note from the graph that at the age of 54 Warren's level is 171, the same as that expected for an average healthy 25 year old.

Testosterone Screening



PSA and Arthritis Screening




Additionally, the above result excerpts confirm Warren’s testosterone levels, prostate-specific antigen levels and C-Reactive protein levels have remained at the most healthy end of each individual result range.