How do we stretch the boundaries of our knowledge on aging? Bring together revolutionary figures in longevity research with renowned Tibetan scholars and stir with the Dalai Lama until novel insights bubble to the surface.

Columbia University's Integrative Medicine Program and Tibet House (United States), led by Professor Robert Thurman, recently sponsored a conference, resulting in vibrant dialogue that explored recent advancements in aging research through the prism of Indo-Tibetan medical and spiritual traditions.

Brilliant western scientists presented the latest research on four promising topics, which were compared to Buddhist observations based on their elaborate training in meditation and use of a medical system that fosters a state of overall balance through herbal treatment and lifestyle modification.

Key Research Findings
Calorie Restriction: Restriction in caloric intake of about 30 percent extends both lifespan and "healthspan" in animal models and may do so in humans as well. Caloric restriction approximates the monastic diet adopted by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. An ancient protein called SIRT1 found in almost all species is stimulated by the practice and is the ringleader in a series of metabolic shifts that allow longer life.

Healing and Regeneration: The discovery of radical healing capabilities in certain strains of mice, as well as the discovery that stem cells in our bone mar row have a previously unknown ability to develop into mature cells of many body tissues, suggests the potential for new therapies aimed at enhancing the body's ability to regenerate damaged tissue. As a practical point, wound healing is enhanced in the absence of stress, and meditation has demonstrated profound stress-reducing effects, providing a safe tool to stimulate faster healing.

The "Inflammatory Reflex": The body's immune and inflammatory responses to injury and infection are controlled in part by specific areas of the nervous system, especially the vagus nerve. Indo-Tibetan practices, such as meditation, affect these same areas of the nervous system and, therefore, may be capable of modulating the body's immune and inflammatory responses.

Optimal Functioning: Realizing that good health is not simply the absence of disease but also the attainment of optimal physical and mental function, researchers presented work on strategies and techniques that allow world class athletes and musicians to excel in their fields. A central feature of the Tibetan tradition of menial training is the attainment of exceptional cognitive abilities through meditation: recent research has shown that meditation actually increases the size of brain regions associated with attention and sensory processing.

What About Stress?
Renowned biologist Dr, Elizabeth Blackburn, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at University of California, San Francisco, discussed connections between the experience of stress and basic markers of cellular aging--telomeres. Telomeres are caps at the ends of chromosomes that protect genetic information throughout life, much in the way that plastic tips (called aglets for Scrabble enthusiasts) protect shoelaces. Once the aglet falls off, the shoelace frays, just like our DNA falls apart when we lose our telomeres, Recently, Dr. Blackburn and colleagues found that both telomere length and level of telomerase--an enzyme that protects and rebuilds the telomeres--are reduced in people experiencing high stress. This shortening of telomeres translates into a reduced cellular lifespan.

In one study by Dr. Blackburn and colleagues, the telomeres of women with the highest levels of perceived stress--in this case the result of caring for a chronically ill child--had undergone the equivalent of at least one decade of additional aging compared to women experiencing low stress. While recognized that stress isn't good for your health, this work provides one possible explanation of how higher stress translates into poorer health.

When asked about the apparent unfairness of mothers being "penalized" with shorter life spans, the Dalai Lama commented that the understandable attachment to the well-being of the child might lead to additional biologic harm to our DNA. Selfless love, however, could offer the needed compassion and preserve the health of the caregiver. In other words, if a caregiver acts with a sense of attachment or "grasping" to the object of their care, as from fear of personal loss or pain, the actions will actually re inforce a sense of self-centeredness and produce negative personal effects. However, if actions are undertaken with selfless compassion, the caregiver should not suffer ill effects.

East Meets West
The Dalai Lama commended the effort to forge ongoing dialogue between Tibetan and Western medical science, slating that Tibetan medicine with its largely preventive focus and Western medicine with its expertise at treating acute problems complement each other well in fostering better health. On specific practices that encourage positive aging or increased longevity, the Dalai Lama stressed the importance of fostering a calm state of mind. He also probed the motivation underlying the desire for longevity, emphasizing the idea that longevity should be desired not for its own sake, but as a means to live a good life characterized by compassionate action toward others.

The purpose of the conference was to broaden people's views about health and aging. Looking outside our immediate cultural environment, we can encounter ideas and practices that offer new ways of dealing with the challenges we face--a beautiful way to age gracefully.