• Everyone wants to find a way to prevent aging.
• Let's face it, we will all grow old … that is unless we die early from a motor vehicle accident, cancer, or an early stroke or heart attack. Of course even if we took every precaution, one of those causes for early death might occur. But now-a-days don't we know how to prevent aging arteries, heart attacks, and strokes?
• Not surprisingly, in a response to the call to prevent early death, there has been an effort to just look or act younger in this country. The pharmaceutical industry has developed estrogen and testosterone replacement, as well as Viagra to help sexual function; Botox and special creams to erase wrinkles; and even steroids and non-steroidals to treat arthritis.
• But what have we done to find ways to protect our aging blood vessels. In the 90s researchers started blaming aging on excessive oxidation and not long after, we heard advertisers talking about antioxidant effects trying to sell this product or that supplement. We've been advised to eat this diet and buy that book each holding the secret to a long, oxidant-free healthy life. Unfortunately we have learned that the main oxidative driver is simply too much food, and there's no pill for that.
• After scientific researchers found high cholesterol as a mild predictor for vascular disease, many have been focusing on cholesterol lowering medicines in an attempt to prevent aging arteries and atherosclerosis. Despite the fact that lowering cholesterol has been disappointing in the prevention of vascular disease, sales for statins, the main cholesterol-lowering group of meds has grown to be a five and a half billion dollar yearly business.
• All in all, these medicinal short cuts to prevent vascular aging have too little effect, and pale in comparison to the most powerful preventative treatment.
• Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that three-quarters of all cardiovascular deaths and disease are connected to lifestyle.  Say it another way: three-quarters of all cardiovascular deaths could be delayed by making lifestyle changes. We're talking: use of tobacco, unhealthy diet habits, psychosocial stress, and most important physical inactivity. Indeed the real fountain of youth comes from lifestyle, and not medicines. There are no short cuts.
• The way to prevent premature aging is not by a pill, but by the way you live.
• Dr. Rick Holm wrote this Prairie Doc Perspective for "On Call®," a weekly program where medical professionals discuss health concerns for the general public.  "On Call®" is produced by the Healing Words Foundation in association with the South Dakota State University Journalism Department. "On Call®" airs Thursdays on South Dakota Public Broadcasting-Television at 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain. Visit us at OnCallTelevision.com.