Life is a grind: bone on cartilage; bone on bursa; bone on bone. The biogrind.

We begin life with fluid motion, supple joints. Near the end, all too often, the cartilage becomes worn, the bursa become compressed, and it virtually is bone on bone.

This way of looking at aging is encompassed by the Wear and Tear Theory of Aging put forth by Dr. August Weismann in 1982. The theory not only applies to bones and joints, but to the entire body. According to this theory, daily use, and most particularly, abuse and overuse, wears the body out.

We add to the wear and tear each time we jump, bend, reach, move; each time we breathe a molecule of pollution into the lungs; each time we ingest a helping of carcinogens as part of the processed foods we eat. These, and all other bodily processes, take their toll. In essence, as postulated by the Wear and Tear Theory, life is grinding us down. The biogrind.

In general this wear and tear - the biogrind - can be countered to some extent with common sense principles of good health: wholesome food, sufficient sleep, proper (not extreme) exercise. In addition, nutritional supplements can also be effective in staving off the wear and tear conferred on us by the years, and the biogrind.