According to Iran Rahman, a professor of Environmental
Medicine, the toxins in cigarette smoke can decrease production of a gene called
SIRT1. This gene protects against premature aging and is one of a group that
regulates chronic inflammation, cancer and aging.
Professor Rahman and his team of researchers at Helsinki University Hospital in
Finland have been studying the levels of SIRT1 in the lungs of non-smokers and
smokers with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His study
confirmed that SIRT1 was significantly lower in smokers who had the disease,
compared with non-smokers.
Knowing the ill effects of smoking, why do so many find such challenge in
quitting?
Knowing the addictive nature of certain substances, but also of certain
emotions, habits, or ways of thinking, why is it so often considered almost
impossible to break these chains of suffering?
We also need to recognize the transformative power in each of us. True power
does not rest in things external to the human being. True power rests in the
strength of our will. This force of will to bring about changes may be dormant
in us, but it doesn’t mean it’s absent. In life, our challenges as well as our
powers are our own. It is upon us to navigate this vast territory that is us!
Life is a wonderful opportunity to discover our human
potential and experience the joy of doing that which we truly want rather than
submitting to external circumstance. Inner freedom gives us a taste of eternity,
which the Ancient Greeks called the Golden Aphrodite. This could be a good
antidote to aging!
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Albert Einstein
