While the beauty industry is selling “anti-aging” products, scientists are studying healthy aging and working to lessen the health problems of getting older. Various fad diets assure us that we will become younger and healthier with one simple fix. Beauty product after beauty product tells us that it will take twenty years off our bodies. The fads and products are frequently making baseless claims. Moreover, what works for one person will not universally work for everyone. It’s because of this that we always advise you to speak to your doctor about any changes you want to make to your routine, diet or habits.

The fact is, nothing on the market can reverse or stop aging. And getting older isn’t a bad thing! We learn so much; our self-acceptance grows; we watch our families grow! Of course, we want to age gracefully and with our health intact. That’s why we’re excited when we hear about new research into Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other age-related medical problems.

More and more money is flowing into research on aging as baby boomers are getting older. This has allowed a relatively fringe research topic to go mainstream with broader testing and more attention. We all get older every day, and any research that will help us enjoy our lives as older people is excellent in our books! With these record high budgets, some are growing concerned about the morality of extending life as well as the worry that we might inadvertently harm our health. The fact is, most scientists agree that we are years away from that sort of a breakthrough, right now the focus is on better health throughout our lives.

Great finds are coming out every day. Treatments for things like macular degeneration were once thought to be untreatable. Now, there are medical interventions that are helping people keep their sight. The exciting research coming out mostly focuses on finding the root causes of aging and improving already available treatments. We still don’t know as much about aging as we could. As we learn more, doctors will continue to work toward goals for healthy aging. Until then, keep talking to your healthcare giver before jumping into something that claims to reverse time.