Advancing health benefits are a reason for us to give thanks 11/26/2008 1:17 AM By Clark Gillespie Let's just look at some of the health benefits that have accrued in recent years and for which we should all be giving grateful thanks - thanks now at this celebratory time and thanks always.
Although these advances and benefits profit all generations, they are vastly important to us seniors - not only by increasing our lifespan but, as well, by providing us an increasingly healthy body while we are up there.
We are not just seniors existing, we are more likely to be seniors living and enjoying .
First, our food understanding. We are aware now that our massive food resources are there to be used and shared - but with some significant reservations. We have learned to avoid trans-fats and most saturated fats, and to very significantly lower our caloric intake - even of excellent foods.
Federal regulations have forced producers and providers to disclose the presence in their offerings of calories, fats, and sodium, and further to list dietary needs that they do not provide. So, we have plenty of foods and we are truly learning how to eat them judiciously.
Incidentally, greatly lowering our caloric intake not only keeps our weight in a normal BMI range, but a growing volume of important research papers reveal the healthy life-extending miracle thus provided. Centenarians from our ranks will soon become as common as earmarks on federal legislation. Well, that may be stretching it a bit - but your family may soon boast one! (A centenarian, not an earmark.) Finally, our food supply is the world's safest - even with it's rare glitches.
Now, exercise. We have learned that there hardly exists a human disorder that will not better respond to care when some form of exercise is included - and followed. True, it must be clearly understood by the potential exercisee that the type and the level of physical activity to be undertaken must match the capabilities and needs of that attempter. As the benefits of physical activity become more widely appreciated so do the facilities get a push.
Even without any formal programming, we are regularly advised and encouraged to use facilities at home, inside and outside, in order to achieve our physical goals - goals and limits established by our health care professionals. As a heartening new work reveals, gardening is a superb way for us to achieve such goals. Not window gardening - the real outside thing! Finally, before leaving exercise behind, our medical studies show that this kind of physical activity is a substantial resource in reducing stress.
Other current medical therapies also play a valuable role in stress suppression. It is clear that stress has been a major contributor to our health problems, and our lifestyles along with a predatory environment only help embed stressors more deeply into our lives. Many of our senior health problems flourish under the stress banner.
Fortunately, our health care professionals have brought out a number of stress-reducing programs and tactics that we can all use. Medications are available but should be reserved for short-term use (unless significant depression accompanies the stress) and carefully integrated with other necessary medications.
Minimally, exercise, massage, avoidance of tobacco and most alcohol, along with modest counseling is enough. More serious involvement with stress requires cognitive therapy and professional stress management programs - along with medication as noted.
We are making real progress with this crippling disorder which haunts so many of us, and which complicates so many of our other senior illnesses.
We have by no means conquered cancer yet but we are at its throat and getting ready. Our incredible researchers have learned so much about its genesis and weaponry that we will eventually be able to strangle it. Meanwhile we have learned significant ways to suppress its induction - a simple example is banishing tobacco use and ending the massive lung cancer toll that followed its addictive scourge. Another important example is the prevention of most all cancer of the female cervix by using our new vaccine which eliminates the irritant HPVirus inhabitation of the cervix. Certain other major cancers still elude our preventive search but are at least responding to our advancing treatment methods. Thus, as an example, breast cancer continues to flourish but its death toll continues to shrivel. Thus we now joyously and thankfully see several million breast cancer survivors and their ranks grow rapidly. There is much more to our cancer story but suffice to say here, we are gradually choking this tyrant into submission.
Now to our incredible vaccines. These little medical jewels have contributed in an enormous proportion to our disease-free life extension, bringing vast numbers of us safely into a healthier seniority. We still can benefit very significantly from regular influenza vaccination (regardless of some experts opinions) and most definitely from the one-time pneumonia vaccine. Get it! Certain new incredible senior vaccines are sure to come.
There are a host of other medical miracles that have secured for us a safer passage into and through senior life - some of which we are not even aware - until or unless we need them. For example, new surgical techniques and procedures are in use that can perform corrective operations once considered impossible. Further, statin medications have put cholesterol back where it belongs while the bisphosphonates have done the same for osteoporotic bones. True, there are times when we abuse such advances and there are times when they abuse us - but who would want to go back to the good old days? Moreover, as our ten major health threats are decimated, new ones are waiting for their trip to the top. Thus Alzheimer disease is rising, but it too will succumb to our attacks.
Truly, giving our thanks this week is the least that we can do.
Clark Gillespie is a retired physician who resides in Aiken.
Notice about comments:
AikenStandard.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. AikenStandard.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not AikenStandard.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
0