ABSTRACT

Anti-aging has different definitions for different communities. Anti-aging medicine aims at slowing or reversing aging so as to extend the lifespan using various therapeutic interventions. On the other hand, functional medicine is a science-based approach for treating the underlying causes of disease rather than treatment of symptoms. It implies a systems-oriented approach and engages both practitioner and patient in a therapeutic partnership. Functional medicine considers the complex interaction between genes and environment and offers individualized therapies designed to restore balance, health, and improve function. The modern theories of biological aging in humans as well as others have been classified into two categories. They are programmed theories and damage theories. Programmed theories imply that reproduction, aging, and death of an organism are all genetically programmed and follow a preset biological timetable. Damage or error theories contend that environmental assaults to living organisms that induce cumulative damage at various levels are the cause of aging.