Each of us has the capacity to avoid the diseases of ageing. It just takes a little preventive medicine ... usually in the form of active, mindful living.
Here's your guide
Preventing the diseases of ageing
... high blood pressure ... colds and flu
... balance ... sleep problems
... Joint and muscle pain
When it comes to looking at the reasons why people die, we are entering what some consider to be a 'third page'. It is a fascinating time and a wonderful development.
For most of history, viruses, bacteria or injuries were humankind's main causes of death. This was the 'first age', and it continued well into the 20th century. But with the discovery of vaccines, antibiotics and general medical knowledge regarding how to fix a broken body, we began to control many killer diseases and repair what once would have been fatal injuries. As a result, this 'first age' ended, and average life spans began to rise incredibly quickly in modern countries.
This new-found expertise in combatting disease and injury was a huge leap forward. What was still ignored or misunderstood, however, was the science of good health. Many of us - including doctors - smoked, overindulged in alcohol, ate fatty foods, embraced the emerging comforts of modern life (such as television) and didn't think at all about exercise. The result was the 'second age', spanning much of the past 60 years, in which heart disease and cancer rates grew to epidemic proportions and replaced viruses and bacteria as the leading causes of death in modern nations.
But something amazing has happened to just the past two decades. Researchers have started to understand what makes a heart go wrong, and to figure out some of the ways to fix it.
and to figure out some of the ways to fix it. We have even begun to understand and successfully treat some forms of Cancer. Today, a diagnosis in either area carries with it a greater measure
of hope and recovery than ever before. And, along the way, we discovered how nutrition, exercise, stress and compulsive habits such as smoking and drinking affect our bodies and cause disease.
Welcome then to the 'third age', in which we are living longer and more healthy than ever before. But with this new era has come a fresh crop of health problems that threaten to rob our later years
of vitality and happiness. Generally, these are conditions caused by wear and tear. They are often the outcome of a long life led without health in mind.
For example, arthritis is frequently due to years of abuse to your joints. Diabetes, in many cases, is the result of years of poor eating and the gradual breakdown of the energy-transfer process within the cells in your body. Vision and hearing problems are often due to decades of overuse and abuse. Osteoporosis is a long, gradual decline in bone density; it, too, is a disease far more of the old man the young. And chronic pain, including back pain, is often an unwelcome side effect of a life long lived.
Living a long life
Just because you are likely to live longer doesn't mean that you are destined to suffer from these diseases and conditions of ageing. For one component of the 'third age' of health is an unprecedented understanding of the underlying causes of good health. Fifteen years ago, issues such as chronic inflammation weren't understood. Today, we know that an immune system perpetually on the attack is a major cause of age-related disease. We also didn't know the subtleties of 'good' cholesterol or the complex changes in your body caused by stress and relaxation, or the power of micro-nutrients in our food to fight age-related disease and decline.
The goal to take good enough care of your body that one part doesn't wear out ahead of the others
With all this new understanding, we are on the verge of achieving not just long life, but also long health. However - and this is a major caveat - it is up to you. Doctors and the health-care system cannot deliver long health; it doesn't come in a pill. Only you can make it happen.
Forgive this car analogy, but it makes the point well: what makes one car break down at 75,000 miles for one owner, and the same model last 150,000 miles for different owner? That's easy: regular maintenance, smart usage and constant loving care by the second owner.
It's no different for your body.
This final section of this discussion delves into the cause of ten of the most common diseases and conditions of ageing. More important, it provides the newest methods for preventing their onslaught. Many of these preventive measures are surprising and easily achieved. So take action!
Heart attacks and strokes
Once, doctors believed that the biggest risk factor fro heart attacks and strokes was getting old. Conditions such as high blood pressure, out-of-balance cholesterol levels and large amounts of blood fats called triglycerides were seen as unfortunate, yet normal, parts of the ageing process.
But that was then, and this is now. The evidence today is overwhelming making health lifestyle changes - as simple as an after-dinner stroll, a tropical-fruit dessert, a night out laughing with your best friends, even a glass of fine wine - can powerfully reverse those three threats and others that are the underlying causes of heart attacks and strokes.
That's the happy conclusion of hundreds, even thousands, of medical studies conducted around the world. And it holds true for people of all ages and health levels - whether you have arteries that are in tip-top shape, are taking medication to control somewhat problematic blood pressure or cholesterol levels, or have already had one heart attack or stroke and want to avoid a second.
You've no doubt heard the dire warnings already: heart attacks and strokes kill or alter the lives of more older people than any other sounds so simple; a clot comes loose in your bloodstream, stopping the flow of blood and oxygen to vulnerable heart muscle or brain cells. A clot can change your life in a matter of seconds.
But here's the information you need to know: making small, healthy changes at any age can dramatically lower your risk of a life-altering clot. Just for basic heart and brain-healthy lifestyle habits could make a five-fold difference to your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, according to a major study by the Medical Research Council and the University of Cambridge. Researchers assessed the lifestyle habits of 20,000 people aged between 45 and 79 living in Norfolk and followed them for over 11 years. Each was given a lifestyle score of between 0 and 4, with one point each for not smoking, consuming moderate alcohol (1-14 units a week), eating five portions of fruit and vegetables daily and being active (either 30 minutes of exercise daily or having a non-sedentary occupation, such as a plumber or nurse). Those who had scored zero were five times more likely to have died from cardiovascular disease by the end of the follow-up than those who scored the full four.
Here's your guide
Preventing the diseases of ageing
... high blood pressure ... colds and flu
... balance ... sleep problems
... Joint and muscle pain
When it comes to looking at the reasons why people die, we are entering what some consider to be a 'third page'. It is a fascinating time and a wonderful development.
For most of history, viruses, bacteria or injuries were humankind's main causes of death. This was the 'first age', and it continued well into the 20th century. But with the discovery of vaccines, antibiotics and general medical knowledge regarding how to fix a broken body, we began to control many killer diseases and repair what once would have been fatal injuries. As a result, this 'first age' ended, and average life spans began to rise incredibly quickly in modern countries.
This new-found expertise in combatting disease and injury was a huge leap forward. What was still ignored or misunderstood, however, was the science of good health. Many of us - including doctors - smoked, overindulged in alcohol, ate fatty foods, embraced the emerging comforts of modern life (such as television) and didn't think at all about exercise. The result was the 'second age', spanning much of the past 60 years, in which heart disease and cancer rates grew to epidemic proportions and replaced viruses and bacteria as the leading causes of death in modern nations.
But something amazing has happened to just the past two decades. Researchers have started to understand what makes a heart go wrong, and to figure out some of the ways to fix it.
and to figure out some of the ways to fix it. We have even begun to understand and successfully treat some forms of Cancer. Today, a diagnosis in either area carries with it a greater measure
of hope and recovery than ever before. And, along the way, we discovered how nutrition, exercise, stress and compulsive habits such as smoking and drinking affect our bodies and cause disease.
Welcome then to the 'third age', in which we are living longer and more healthy than ever before. But with this new era has come a fresh crop of health problems that threaten to rob our later years
of vitality and happiness. Generally, these are conditions caused by wear and tear. They are often the outcome of a long life led without health in mind.
For example, arthritis is frequently due to years of abuse to your joints. Diabetes, in many cases, is the result of years of poor eating and the gradual breakdown of the energy-transfer process within the cells in your body. Vision and hearing problems are often due to decades of overuse and abuse. Osteoporosis is a long, gradual decline in bone density; it, too, is a disease far more of the old man the young. And chronic pain, including back pain, is often an unwelcome side effect of a life long lived.
Living a long life
Just because you are likely to live longer doesn't mean that you are destined to suffer from these diseases and conditions of ageing. For one component of the 'third age' of health is an unprecedented understanding of the underlying causes of good health. Fifteen years ago, issues such as chronic inflammation weren't understood. Today, we know that an immune system perpetually on the attack is a major cause of age-related disease. We also didn't know the subtleties of 'good' cholesterol or the complex changes in your body caused by stress and relaxation, or the power of micro-nutrients in our food to fight age-related disease and decline.
The goal to take good enough care of your body that one part doesn't wear out ahead of the others
With all this new understanding, we are on the verge of achieving not just long life, but also long health. However - and this is a major caveat - it is up to you. Doctors and the health-care system cannot deliver long health; it doesn't come in a pill. Only you can make it happen.
Forgive this car analogy, but it makes the point well: what makes one car break down at 75,000 miles for one owner, and the same model last 150,000 miles for different owner? That's easy: regular maintenance, smart usage and constant loving care by the second owner.
It's no different for your body.
This final section of this discussion delves into the cause of ten of the most common diseases and conditions of ageing. More important, it provides the newest methods for preventing their onslaught. Many of these preventive measures are surprising and easily achieved. So take action!
Heart attacks and strokes
Once, doctors believed that the biggest risk factor fro heart attacks and strokes was getting old. Conditions such as high blood pressure, out-of-balance cholesterol levels and large amounts of blood fats called triglycerides were seen as unfortunate, yet normal, parts of the ageing process.
But that was then, and this is now. The evidence today is overwhelming making health lifestyle changes - as simple as an after-dinner stroll, a tropical-fruit dessert, a night out laughing with your best friends, even a glass of fine wine - can powerfully reverse those three threats and others that are the underlying causes of heart attacks and strokes.
That's the happy conclusion of hundreds, even thousands, of medical studies conducted around the world. And it holds true for people of all ages and health levels - whether you have arteries that are in tip-top shape, are taking medication to control somewhat problematic blood pressure or cholesterol levels, or have already had one heart attack or stroke and want to avoid a second.
You've no doubt heard the dire warnings already: heart attacks and strokes kill or alter the lives of more older people than any other sounds so simple; a clot comes loose in your bloodstream, stopping the flow of blood and oxygen to vulnerable heart muscle or brain cells. A clot can change your life in a matter of seconds.
But here's the information you need to know: making small, healthy changes at any age can dramatically lower your risk of a life-altering clot. Just for basic heart and brain-healthy lifestyle habits could make a five-fold difference to your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, according to a major study by the Medical Research Council and the University of Cambridge. Researchers assessed the lifestyle habits of 20,000 people aged between 45 and 79 living in Norfolk and followed them for over 11 years. Each was given a lifestyle score of between 0 and 4, with one point each for not smoking, consuming moderate alcohol (1-14 units a week), eating five portions of fruit and vegetables daily and being active (either 30 minutes of exercise daily or having a non-sedentary occupation, such as a plumber or nurse). Those who had scored zero were five times more likely to have died from cardiovascular disease by the end of the follow-up than those who scored the full four.
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