Endocrine Abstracts

Old people will have to take care of themselves as long as possible. The challenge for the future is therefore not to extend human age at all costs, but to extend human self-sufficiency. Two years ago, we showed that patients with anxiety and affective disorders (‘depression’) felt great after a month’s stay at the spa, improved in a number of endocrinologic parameters. In this work we try to explain the physiological changes of stay in a spa without pharmaceuticals or medicinal waters, without peloids (peat) ‘only’ climatotherapy and kinesiotherapy (movement). To some extent, the characteristics of aging are common to depression. In old age, the production of hormones such as serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) and melatonin (5-methoxy-N-acetyltryptamine) decreased. Important is the oxygenation of the body movement especially in healthy air, a varied diet rich in amino acids. Aging is often accompanied by loss of muscle mass – sarcopenia. No pharmacological or behavioral intervention targeting sarcopenia has been shown to be as effective as exercise. The state of mind and the emotional (limbic) system also have an impact. High blood pressure and thus cardiovascular disorders may also be caused by the formation of autonomous aldosterone-producing clusters, which were recently proven. Aerobic exercise: preferably a quick walk leads to the maintenance of baroreflex, muscle mass adjustment and thus to the strength of an aging individual. The explanation lies in function of the limbic system: control of anxiety and fear, control of social and emotional; behaviour; participation in short-term memory processes; cardiac and respiratory control (connection to the hypothalamus); secretion of endocrine glands. The hypothalamus through the limbic system (of which it is an integral part) affects movement and backwards. It connects the olfactory stimulus, eye perception, auditory perception, skin perception during movement, all information from the equilibrium and basal ganglia and movement planning (cortex, prefrontal and frontal cortex). In conclusion, it can be said that for aging people, matters the same as to patients who have undergone spa treatment. Persons who often and even moderately move in healthy air and who follow regime measures i.e.: sleep and diet rich in vitamins – hope that the positive changes that have occurred in his organism could persist for many weeks or months, long-term stabilizing and anti-progressively in terms of healthy aging.

Supported by MZ CR – RVO (Institute of Endocrinology – EU, 00023761).