Deepak Kumar VasudevanMany illnesses are not illnesses, but normal aging. A hospital director gave these tips to older people: You are not sick, you are aging. Many conditions you consider illnesses are not. They are signs that your body is aging.
1. Poor memory is not Alzheimer's; it is a self-protective mechanism of the aging brain. It is brain aging, not a disease. If you forget where you put your keys, but you can find them yourself, it is NOT dementia.
2. Walking slowly and having unsteady legs and feet is not paralysis, but muscle degeneration. The solution is NOT to take medication, but to move constantly.
3. Insomnia is not an illness; it is the brain adjusting its rhythm. It is a change in the sleep pattern.
Do not take sleeping pills. Long-term dependence on sleeping pills and other sleep aids increases the risk of falls and cognitive decline. The best medicine for older adults to get restful sleep is to get more sun during the day and maintain a regular sleep schedule.
4. Body aches and pains are not rheumatism, but a normal reaction to the aging of the nervous system. Many older adults say, "My arms and legs hurt all over. Is it rheumatism or bone hyperplasia?"
Bones do loosen and thin, but 99% of "body aches and pains" are not a disease, but rather slow nerve conduction that amplifies the pain. This is called central sensitization, a common physiological change in older adults. Exercise is the cure, not medication.
5. High cholesterol. Older adults have slightly higher cholesterol levels because they have lived longer. Cholesterol is the raw material for synthesizing hormones and cell membranes. Too low a cholesterol level can easily reduce immunity.
The guidelines for lowering blood pressure in older adults are <150/90 mmHg, not the <140/90 standard for younger people. Don't treat aging as a disease.
6. Aging is not a disease; it's an inevitable journey that we should enjoy while we still can.
A few words for older adults and their children:
1. Remember that NOT all comforts are illnesses.
2. Many older adults are afraid of being scared. Don't be intimidated by the physical exam report or misled by advertising.
3. The most important thing for children is not to take their parents alone to the hospital, but to accompany them for walks, to get some sun, to eat, to talk, and to connect.
Aging is not the enemy. It's another way of saying, "I want to live a little longer." But stagnation is! Stay Healthy.
An oncologist said:
1. Middle age begins at 50 and ends at 70.
2. Golden age begins at 70 and ends at 80.
3. Old age begins at 80 and ends at 90.
4. Longevity begins at 90 and ends with death.
5. The main problem for an older person is loneliness. Spouses usually don't die together; one of them goes first. At some point, a widow or widower becomes a burden on their family.
That's why it's so important not to lose touch with friends, to get together and communicate frequently, so as not to be a burden on your children and grandchildren, who will probably never tell you.
My personal recommendation is not to lose control of your life. This means deciding when and with whom to go out, what to eat, how to dress, who to call, what time to go to bed, what to read, how to have fun, what to buy, where to live, etc.