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In recent years it has become clearer that Melatonin, the sleep-inducing hormone, has many other tremendously beneficial effects. In humans, it is produced in the pineal gland. When the sun goes down and darkness naturally occurs, the hypothalamus sends a regulating signal to the pineal gland, to make Melatonin -- if it is able to do so. Too much exposure to light at nighttime or staying up late -- this all decreases the natural production of Melatonin and makes it difficult for the pineal gland to produce enough of it for whole body support. Also, the pineal gland itself can become calcified or damaged by modern living so it is not as able to produce Melatonin. Walter Pierpaoli. M.D. spent years researching this subject using animal studies and thorough this work he recognized that melatonin is a master hormone that has across the board beneficial effects on basic human functioning. Melatonin has been found to extend lifespan in animals and also has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer effects in humans.

Telomeres are protective caps that cover the tips of the body�s chromosomes, similar to the plastic tips that are at the end of a shoelace. The telomeres tend to become shorter as people age, so testing the telomeres is a way to look at cellular aging. The shortness of the telomeres points to the patient�s biological age and is actually measured using the patient�s white blood cells taken with a blood sample for this specially designed test. After many cell divisions in a person�s life, once the telomeres shorten to a critical point the cell is no longer able to divide and thusly, dies.