Life Extension
By DR. GARY S. SY
MANILA, Philippines — The key to staying vital and healthy in old age is maintaining healthful behaviors throughout life. As many as half of the losses linked to aging, may be the result not of time’s passage but of disuse. If you don’t use it, you lose it.
Many common beliefs about aging simply aren’t true. In fact, you have a great deal of control over how you age; and by changing your health habits, you may be able to buy yourself extra years of life and health. Here are some guidelines that can extend both your “health span” – your active, healthy years – and your life span:
Don’t Smoke. If you smoke one or more packs of cigarettes a day, you are essentially trading a minute of life for a minute of smoking. You can expect to lose 6-8 years of your life you might have lived as a non-smoker.
* If you drink, don’t overdo it. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, car accidents, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many life-threatening conditions.
* Eat a low-fat, balanced diet. Some believe a bad diet can decrease the average life span six to ten years. Certainly diet may have a lot to do with your risk of heart disease, colon or breast cancer, and other disorders.
* Watch your weight. Whether or not you’re overweight can make a difference in your predisposition to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disorder, diabetes, arthritis, and many other conditions.
* Exercise regularly. Exercise may add six to nine years to your life. The fitter you are the longer you can expect to live.
* Learn to manage stress effectively. Establish a good balance of work and play in your life. Learning to cope up with stress can effectively lessen the toll it takes on well-being.
What is your aging IQ?
Mark each of the following statements TRUE or FALSE:
1. Everyone becomes senile sooner or later, if he or she lives long enough.
2. Filipino families have by and large abandoned their older members.
3. Depression is a serious problem for older people.
4. The numbers of older people are growing.
5. The vast majority of older people are self-sufficient.
6. Mental confusion is an inevitable, incurable consequence of old age.
7. Intelligence declines with age.
8. Sexual urges and activity normally cease between the ages of 55 and 60.
9. If a person has been smoking for 30 or 40 years, it does no good quitting.
10. Older people should stop exercising, and rest.
11. As you grow older, you need more vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.
12. Only children need to be concerned about calcium for strong bones and teeth.
13. Extremes of heat and cold can be particularly dangerous to older people.
14. Many older people are hurt in accidents that could have been prevented.
15. More men than women survive to old age.
16. Deaths from stroke and heart disease are declining.
17. Older people on the average take more medications than younger people.
18. Some people have genes that make them “fast agers.”
19. Personality changes with age, as does hair color, and skin texture.
20. Sight declines with age.
Answers:
1. FALSE. Even among those who live to be 80 years or older, the vast majority do not develop Alzheimer’s disease or forms of brain disease. Senility is a medically meaningless term.
2. FALSE. The Filipino family is still the number-one caretaker of the elderly. Most older people live close to their children and see them often.
3. TRUE. Depression, loss of self-esteem, loneliness, and anxiety can become more common as older people face retirement, the deaths of relatives and friends, and other such crises – often at the same time. Fortunately, depression is treatable.
4. TRUE. By year 2020, one out of every six people will be over 65 years of age.
5. TRUE. Only 5% of the older populations live in nursing homes; the rest are basically sufficient and self-sufficient.
6. FALSE. Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions that can cause incurable damage to the brain can cause mental confusion and serious forgetfulness in old age, but a hundred other problems can cause the same symptoms. A minor head injury, a high fever, poor nutrition, adverse drug reactions, and depression can all be treated, and the confusion will go way.
7. FALSE. Intelligence per se doesn’t decline without a reason. Most people maintain or improve their intellect as they grow older.
8. FALSE. Most older people can lead an active, satisfying sex life.
9. FALSE. Stopping smoking at any age reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease, and lead to healthier lungs.
10. FALSE. Many older people enjoy, and benefit from, exercises such as walking, swimming, and bicycle riding. Exercise at any age can help strengthen the heart and lungs, and lower blood pressure.
11. TRUE. Older people, in particular, should eat nutritious foods and cut down on sweets, salty snack foods, high-calorie drinks, and alcohol. They should take the proper vitamins and minerals to supplement their diet.
12. FALSE. Older people require fewer calories, but adequate intake of calcium for stronger bones can be important as you grow old.
13. TRUE. The body’s thermostat tends to function less efficiently with age, and the older person’s body may be less able to adapt to heat or cold.
14. TRUE. Falls are the most common cause of injury among the elderly. Good safety practices, including proper lighting nonskid mats, can help prevent serious accidents.
15. FALSE. Women tend to outlive men by an average of eight years.
16. TRUE. Fewer men and women are dying of stroke or heart disease. This has been a factor in the increase in life expectancy, thanks to the high technology and advancement in treatment modalities which somewhat help in the early detection and proper management of the disease.
17. TRUE. The elderly consume 25% of all medications and, as a result, have many more problems with adverse drug reactions.
18. FALSE. What you do to stop the genes that speed up aging is less important than what you do to cooperate with the genes that slow it down.
19. FALSE. Personality doesn’t change with age.
20. FALSE. Although changes in vision become more common with age, any dramatic change in vision, regardless of age, may be related to a specific disease.
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