Another factor in the aging process is oxidative stress. Oxidation is a process that you can easily see. Cut an apple in half and leave it on a plate. The apple soon turns brown. This is oxidation.
Although this process is crucial for life, it can also be very damaging.
Oxidation produces free radicals, which damage our cells and affect their ability to renew. Free radicals are also present in the environment, so we face a constant bombardment and our body’s ability to fight back can become easily overburdened.
Plants, animals and people utilise many different types of antioxidants to help offset this damage, which is why your fruit and vegetable intake is so important.
Stress and how we handle it also affects our ability to fight off the signs of aging, including defences against oxidative stress and free radical damage.
Free radical damage affects your skin, hair, eyes, ears, teeth and bones!
Hypnotherapy not only helps you handle stress more effectively, but also boosts your immune system functioning.
“If oxidative stress and the ability to respond appropriately to it is important in ageing, then it follows that factors that increase resistance to stress should have anti-aging benefits and lead to enhanced life span.” (Finkel & Holbrook, Oxidants, Oxidative Stress and the Biology of Aging, Nature, Vol 8, 2000).