Thought for the month, “The littlest deed is better than a big intention”.

Hi Everyone

Welcome to The ABC of Healthy Living!

 

As time progresses we hope to fill these pages with great advice on how to live healthy. We will do this with up to date relevant articles and sometimes from guest bloggers as well as other sources on nutrition and exercise

Subscribe to our page and your comments and advice will always be welcome.

Dr Will Chiropractor,natural practitioner and Author of the book”How to take care of your back” (available on Amazon) as well as other publications

 

 

 

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INTRODUCTION

Our latest blog posts below deal with  the various aspects of health which can affect any of us from time to time. Also, check out our other pages by  accessing the menu above, particularly  the Latest Health News  snippets.

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Life  Without a Gallbladder

Anyone who has experienced gallbladder problems will tell you about the immense pain involved.

This pain has been described by some as like a severe heart attack but in the upper right side of the chest.

Mostly, though it presents as a deep dull pain which is also often felt in the upper right back, often mimicking spinal pain.

In the illustrations above,pain from gallbladder disease may be felt in the top right fron abdomen or top right back. But pain in these areas might also be symptoms of other problems.

But symptoms of Gallbladder disease generally present as the following list demonstrates.

  • Abdominal pain
  • Jaundice
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Itching skin (called puritis)
  • Bloating

Usually the pain results from the growth of gall stones within the gall bladder which become lodged in the bile duct. That is the tube that leads from the gall bladder and liver and enters the small intestine (the duodenum).

 

 

 

 has been taking a magnesium Notice the correlation of the gallbladder to the liver, pancrease and the small intestine Duodenum).

But, gallbladder disease can have a number of causes ranging from chronic liver disease (called sclerosing cholangitis) which inflames the bile ducts.

Another uncommon cause is abnormal muscular contractions (called dyskinesia) in the biliary tract and occasionally where the tract enders the duodenum.

However, these are not as common as the lodgement of a gall stone in the bile duct itself.

Most times, but not always, surgery is required to remove the diseased gallbladder.

In fact, according to the New York Times archive wheyback in 1995,

 “More than 600,000 cholecystectomies are being done each year, 90 percent of them with the new laparoscopic technique. Gallbladder surgery is now about as common as hysterectomy, which is second only to Caesarean sections.”

 

Gallbladder removal is mostly accomplished by straightforward “keyhole” surgery (called laparoscopy) as against a few years ago when gall bladder surgery was akin to open heart surgery and a ten-day hospital stay.

Life after Gallbladder Removal

Unfortunately, many who have had their gallbladders removed experience an array of digestive problems.

For some it is abdominal pain and discomfort. For others it is vomiting or diarrhoea.

Each sufferer learns to examine food labels on processed foods and avoid certain foods and eliminate food additives from their diets that aggravate their sensitivity.

This can be psychologically debilitating for them and their family as it often limits eating out and can eliminate foods once considered favourites.

In fact, I know one young mother, who when inviting friends to go to a restaurant, phones the restaurant ahead to see what oils their food is cooked in and explains her problem. To their credit some restaurants cook a meal especially for her so that she can enjoy the ambience of her friends and to keep their customers happy.

How to relieve gallbladder pain.

Using a warm water compress over the area can relieve gallbladder pain. some suggest drinking peppermint tea helps relieve the pain, as well taking a magnesium supplement which aids emptying the gall bladder

Now, let’s consider the effect upon the human body after the gallbladder has been removed.

The very nature of the gallbladder is that it’s a storage receptacle.

It stores a quantity of bile until we have a meal (mostly a fatty meal) at which time the bladder ejects bile into the small intestine mixing with the enzymes from the pancreas.

The bile is mostly a phospholipid which emulsifies the fats meals (similar principle as emulsifiers sprayed on oil spills) to break down the fat globules into miniscule particles to enable them to pass through the walls of the small intestines and enter the blood stream.

Without this storage facility (the gallbladder) the bile is no longer held in large quantities to emulsify the sudden onslaught of a heavy fatty meal.

Instead, bile constantly drips into the intestine,probably in inadequate quantities to handle heavy meals (and particularly fatty meals) and emulsifies the fats for them to be digested.

This results in numerous digestive reactions for those who have been the subject of gallbladder removal.

 

Relief for those suffering Gallbladder Removal

However, there is good news for some who have had their gallbladders removed.

I would suggest that whenever you have a heavy meal and particularly if it’s a fat laden meal (say at a restaurant) that you take two 1,000 mg lecithin tablets during the meal (spaced a little) before finishing.

The reason for this is that lecithin is a phospholipid (like bile), and enables food to be emulsified as was intended by nature for those with gallbladders.

And Lecithin has a lot of beneficial features besides the actions quoted above, so that taken in the reasonable amounts it is not harmful, as the table below illustrates.

 

Lecithin Benefits

  • Helps improve digestion
  • Lowers cholesterol.
  • Improves heart health.
  • Aids breastfeeding mothers.
  • May fight dementia symptoms.
  • Soothes and moisturizes skin.

Additional Helps for People with Gallbladder removal

 

Unfortunately, for many people, gallbladder removal has caused added complications to their lives that requires constant surveillance.

Here are further suggestions to avoid abdominal pain or other digestive complications.

Remove all unnatural oils from your diet.

Margarine for example is a non-natural product not suitable for human digestion and should be avoided. Eat butter as it’s much safer and healthier.

The following chart illustrates the industrial manufacturing process required to make margarine.

 

 

 

 

Another manufactured product to avoid for those who live after gall bladder removal is canola oil.

Like margarine, canola oil is a recent invention of industry.

See this extract:

This new oil was first developed in Canada, and the name Canola comes from the term, Canadian oil.

In nature, there is actually no such thing as a “Canola plant” that produces “Canola oil. ”

Canola oil” is simply a trade name for low-erucic acid rapeseed oil

https://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/the-inconvenient-truth-about-canola-oil

Olive oil, coconut oil and lard and even avocado oil are better alternatives in the appropriate dishes.

 

 

 The illustration above shows the high grade olive oil to be used in cooking. The light flavored version is also good for having a spoonful or two a day as a supplement. 

Also, have you noticed all the chemical additives, preservatives and colorings included in manufactured foods? Things that you would never add to your own home-made meals!

In conclusion, life is liveable after gallbladder removal but it means you have to be a little more diligent than the average person to avoid all of those things that that irritate your digestive system.

Here’s to your health.

 

 

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Vitamin C – The Wonder Vitamin

 

 

Linus Pauling, according to Dr. Hilary Roberts (USA), was the leading chemist of the last century and, arguably, the greatest ever American scientist. He remains the only person to have won two unshared Nobel Prizes, the first for Chemistry (1954) and the second for peace (1962). In addition to being one of the greatest scientists ever, he was a renowned humanitarian”.

Today he is mostly remembered for his research into vitamin C.

He concluded that vitamin C may be the answer to many diseases including heart and cancer.

For this he was ridiculed.

Nevertheless, continuous research into this vitamin has revealed that it certainly is a wonder vitamin.

Consider this news item

Recently a local Rupert Murdoch newspaper carried a news article proclaiming, “Vitamin C may become the new diabetes treatment.” (Adelaide Advertiser, Monday 11th.Feb.2019).

 

The article, quoted Professor Glenn Wadley.

He is “from Deakin’s Institute for Physical activity and Nutrition.”

Wadley went on to say that the “Humble vitamin C supplement may hold the key to tackling one of Australia’s biggest health scourges, type 2 diabetes.

The reseach suggested that “taking 500mg of vitamin C twice daily could lower blood insulin spikes after meals”.

 

Benefits of Vitamin C

 

 

 

Illustating the layers of human skin

 The illustation above, reveals  the complex structure of human skin. It has been proven that Vitamin C is necessary for optimum skin health. 

 Everyone knows that many sailors in the 1800’s (and probably before) suffered from scurvy, a form of a skin disease, after long periods at sea.

 Symptoms of Scurvy are:

 

  • swollen, spongy and purplish gums that are prone to bleeding.
  •  loose teeth.
  •  bulging eyes 
  •  bleeding into the skin (severe and easy bruising)
  • scaly, dry and brownish skin
  • very dry hair that curls and breaks off close to the skin.

 After a while it was discovered that if they ate limes, scurvy did not appear.

And still later it was discovered that vitamin C was the main ingredient that had been lacking in their diets.

 

 

 

 “Scurvy is a condition characterised by general weakness, anaemia, gingivitis (gum disease), and skin haemorrhages caused by a prolonged deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in the diet. Vitamin Cplays a crucial role in the formation of collagen, a major component of connective tissue.” https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/scurvy/

 Vitamin C plays a “crucial role in the formation of collagen, a major component of connective tissue”.

 It is therefor used widely in many facial cosmetics and skin treatments.

 Collagen is the main structural protein in the extracellular space in the various connective tissues in the body. As the main component of connective tissue, it is the most abundant protein in mammals, making 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content.

 Here is an example of a cosmetic skin product utilising vitamin C, made here in Australia. Other companies, such as Estee Lauder, make similar products as well.

 

 

Plunkett's vitamin C skin care product

 Is Vitamin C Neccesary Today?

The simple answer is, yes!

The human body cannot produce vitamin C itself so it needs to be  outsourced by including fruits and some vegetables in our diets. In some areas of the world these food sources are scarce and vitamin deficiences occur.

Vitamin C is also a powerful anti-oxidant. Oxidation is a chemical reaction (like the occurence of rust in metals) that produces free radicals in the body These cause chain reactions damaging the cells of  the body, such as our arteries.  Antioxidants, (anti-rust chemicals, if you will), like thiols or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) largely prevent this oxidation. 

 And as the article in the newspaper quoted above, a daily dose of vitamin C is beneficial for preventing and controlling a range of diseases and conditions.

What daily dose of vitamin C should we take?

 There has been a bit of controversy about the dose of vitamin C that people should take daily.

 Linus Pauling advocated taking high doses (himself taking 18,000 mgs – 8grams – a day) whereas the the medical establishment suggest doses no bigger than 2,000mg.

 The fact is that many people who take more than a 2,000mg of vitamin C daily will suffer from diarrhea. For those who already have trouble with loose bowels, this may not be the best of idea. Whereas for those that constantly suffer from constipation this may even be a help!

 Various trials it have shown that body can take larger doses of vitamin C if  given by intravenous injection.

 And because of this, experiments have taken place with positive results in people who have suffered from some major diseases.

 However a new form of vitamin C delivery has been discovered that works much similar to the intravenous method but without having injections and without medical involvement.

 It’s called Liposomal Vitamin C

 Liposomal vitamin C is a recent development that contains the same active ingredient as regular vitamin C supplements, but with asuperior delivery system. In fact, one of the problems with regular vitamin C is that very small amounts get taken up by the body. With higher doses, the majority of vitamin C stays in the gut and is eventually eliminated (and as we noted above can cause diarrhea).

 

Check out this article for further information.

 The good news is that Liposomal vitamin C can now be purchased from many specialised online distibutors and is available for those not getting enough fruits and vegetables or living in intense industrial or severe winter climates.

 

 

 

 

SLEEP APNOEA

We welcome Eric Chrenowski, B.Sc.(Hons.Biotech.), B.Pharm, MBA, Sleep Apnoea Specialist writing our guest post

“Working as a professional services pharmacist and sleep apnoea expert, I thought I would share some of my personal experiences that I have seen in various parts of Australia. These experiences range from diagnosis, treatment and inadequate training of providers of CPAP resulting in poor standards of CPAP therapy patient outcomes.

The condition that I am referring to is hugely undiagnosed in our communities today.

This condition is called Sleep Apnoea.

“Sleep apnoea occurs when someone stops breathing for 10 seconds or longer in their sleep. This can happen as often as 30 times an hour during sleep, and in severe cases even more.”

Sleep apnoea occurs when someone stops breathing for 10 seconds or longer in their sleep. This can happen as often as 30 times an hour during sleep, and in severe cases even more. Anatomically, as the airways begin to close off and the lungs are deprived of oxygen, the heart rate increases; sleep is disturbed, and the body goes into a panic mode. Sleep is eventually disturbed and the body takes a gasp as the airways are forced open again.

The condition of Sleep Apnoea affects both men and women, but it is more prevalent in men. Statistically, the condition affects about 25 % of men and 9 % of women but the true number remains a mystery as the Sleep Apnoea Condition goes very undiagnosed. The number can in fact be much larger than this.

The consequences of untreated sleep apnoea are many and vary from sleepiness throughout the day, preventing daytime functioning, to an increased incidence of cardiovascular conditions such as hypertension, heart attack, stroke, among other medical conditions.

So what is the solution to this?

Well, the gold standard and most effective treatment which is not a cure is CPAP therapy.  CPAP treatment involves using a small machine to pump air at a continuous pressure through a mask worn over your mouth, nose or both. This pressure acts as a pneumatic splint to the airway – holding it open and preventing it from closing during sleep – while still allowing for normal breathing.

The benefits of CPAP therapy include decreased daytime sleepiness, improved memory and cognitive function, treating hypertension, reducing risk of Myocardial infarction, reducing risk for diabetes, controlling GERD, and can improve depressive symptoms.

Sleeping comfortably with a sleep apnoea machine

As I have consulted patients in various parts of Australia on this condition, I was able to observe how some community pharmacies are providing the CPAP service for these Sleep Apnoea patients. What I found was something very disappointing. Instead of providing a service that included data downloads and changing the settings on the machine such as pressure and humidity, machines were simply being sold by these providers of CPAP without any consults and service. This resulted in poor patient compliance, patients ending up with incorrect machines, incorrect masks which led to lots of leaks coming out of the mask thereby making the CPAP therapy less effective and in certain cases didn’t even help the patient.

There was one situation where a man was given a choice to have a white or black machine from that CPAP provider without the proper explanation that the white machine is used for females as the pressure algorithm is tailored to female sleep apnoea, not male. There was a lack of training and resources provided to staff at these locations and owners simply just wanted to push CPAP machines and equipment. Where is the professional service and patient care?

However, there are providers out there that are doing this correctly with the proper patient care and service support. My goal here is to educate the public on how to access these services so that CPAP therapy can be treated correctly to allow for optimal patient care.

Respirico is a company that has been around for about 12  years that provides exceptional support and service for people with Sleep Apnoea. As a dedicated CPAP provider, Respirico can provide the full service and support that customers should expect, and can also provide an effective link between the patient and the referring Doctor. 

To achieve the best outcome in any medical situation it is important to assemble a competent team.  In the case of sleep apnea, the team should include the GP, the Sleep Specialist, the diagnostic service, the treatment provider, and of course the patient.  Each of these team members is a specialist in their own field, and should not be expected to do the work of other team members.  Some organisations purport to be able to do the lot, but this always results in a less than satisfactory outcome for the patient. 

So where does the Pharmacist fit into all of this? 

Many Pharmacies have dabbled in sleep diagnostics and CPAP treatment only to find out that it is not compatible with Pharmacy and  most have failed miserably.  They just don’t have the time and infrastructure for the extensive training and patient support that is required.  Diagnostics and treatment are complex areas that should be left to the experts.  Nevertheless, Pharmacists can play an important role in this field, by leveraging their relationship with Doctors and their patients.

Respirico has recently pioneered a new model that includes the local pharmacy in the team.  The model is aimed at full service pharmacies that pride themselves in providing professional services.  A participating Pharmacy would host a Sleep Awareness Day at their pharmacy once or twice a year, while the other team members would provide the staff, the equipment and the expertise.  The Pharmacist would utilise his or her relationships with the local Doctors, to promote the event.  The Pharmacy benefits by enhancing its professional reputation with doctors and patients alike, and by attracting new customers to its door.  On the Sleep Awareness day, team members will offer screening for sleep disorders, information leaflets, CPAP product displays and CPAP downloads and assessments, all free of charge.  Customers identified as being at risk, would be encouraged to undergo a sleep study, while existing CPAP users would have the opportunity to upgrade their equipment.

Respirico has outlets throughout South Australia, in Western Victoria, and in Sydney, and works in collaboration with many Sleep Physicians, Diagnostic services and General Practitioners. 

Repirico’s Premises

Eric Chrenowski, B.Sc.(Hons.Biotech.), B.Pharm, MBA,

You would think that “Ketogenic” is one of the new words of the twenty first century, but it was in fact coined way back in 1924! It referred to a diet that a doctor Russel Wilder of the Mayo Clinic in the USA invented to help reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in children.

“The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet that in medicine is used primarily to treat difficult-to-control (refractory) epilepsy in children. The diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates.”

Wikipedia

And this is probably easier to understand with the following article on ketones and ketosis 

“Ketosis is a normal metabolic process. When the body does not have enough glucose for energy, it burns stored fatsinstead; this results in a build-up of acids called ketones within the body. Some people encourage ketosis by following a diet called the ketogenic or low-carb diet.” 

Medical News Today

However, the Ketogenic Diet today has largely been seized by the weight loss community and gurus especially by some “A listed” movie stars and the like to reduce weight and help tone their bodies.

what is Ketosis

Reducing weight with a Ketogenic Diet ( copyright image).

Ketogenic Diet In Reality

Some dietry “experts” caution people adapting a ketogenic diet as it may not be sustainable over a life time.

Here is an excerpt from an “expert”

Very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKDs) have been around for hundreds of years and were the standard form of treatment for diabetes prior to the discovery of insulin in 1922. William Banting, a British undertaker, deserves credit for developing the first VLCKD for weight loss in the mid 1800s. Cardiologist Dr. Atkins popularized it again in the early 1970s after reviewing decades-old nutrition research in his attempt to discover a plan that would allow people to lose weight without going hungry – his own Achilles’ heel when it came to sticking to a diet. Over the years, the very-low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet has been criticized for being too restrictive, difficult to maintain long term, and unhealthy. However, many people find that this way of eating is the only one that allows them to lose weight and effectively control diabetes.

Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE
Registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and creator of LowCarbDietitian.com

From the information above it stands to reason that people who are obese or diabetic would be foolish not to go on a ketogenic diet. Especially as it requires participants to eliminate sugar and all processed carbohydrates from their diets. 

What Foods Should You Eat On a  Ketogenic Diet?

As the quote from Wikipedia (above) says the Ketogenic diet involves the intake of fats, adequate protein and low intake of carbohydrate. The list might look something like this.

  • Fats – this includes oils. Butter, coconut oil, olive oil and remember  fish oils as in sardines and other fatty fishes – and yes, cook in lard! And peanut butter.
  • Proteins – beef, lamb, poultry, pork, fish and seafood, eggs (of course some of these are fatty in themselves.
  • Dairy – full cream milk, cheese and butter. No “skim” or “low fat” milk or cheese.
  • Nuts/seeds – almonds, macadamias, walnuts. Limit to a few each a day, especially if combined. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
  • Vegeatables – most underground vegeatables are heavy carbohydrates, such as potatoes so mostly use the above ground varieties such as  celery, cabbages, broccoli, rocket, lettuce and spring (green) onions occasionally.
  • Fruits -lemons, limes  and advocados. Use other sweet fruits sparingly because even natural sugars are carbohydrates.
  • Drinks – coffee, tea, water (can be infused with medicinal type leaves such as mint). Absolutely no sugar! Even use artificial sweetners sparingly (Stevia being amongs the best) as studies are showing that the body reacts to them as much as it does to sugar. 
  • Seasonings/herbs/spices – Himalayan salt, black pepper, coriander, basil, tumeric etc. 

Herb and spice selection

Who Would Benefit From the Diet?

It goes to say that the overweight and diabetics need a ketogenic diet. 

What I would suggest is that the rigid ketogenic diet be adhered to for say a month to reduce the excess weight, then go on a normal diet but one that eliminates all of the processed carbs such as the following:

  • Sugar (all colours)
  • Honey
  • Soft drinks
  • Confectionaries (lollies, sweets)
  • Ice cream and milk drinks, especially the “iced coffee” varieties.
  • Bread – none on a full ketogenic diet but one or two slices a day on a “normal” carb reduced diet.
  • Most below the ground vegeatables, especially potatoes, even sweet potatoes.
  • Alcohol of any sort
  • Fruit juices – even the “natural” fruit juices! all of them contain as much sugar as soft drinks and in some cases more.
  • Breakfast cereals, even oats (porridge)  – especially the sugar loaded varieties.
  • Rice – white or brown.

Deadly sugar

The Insidious Ways Sugar is Introduced to our Diets

But What About Obese Children?

A ketogenic diet would certainly be beneficial but I would advise consulting a physician knowledgeable in this area first. It would be certainly safe to stop any child from eating any of the carbohydrates listed above and consuming adequate protein (about 2 grams for each kilogram of body weight) and plenty of green leafy vegeatables. 

More Information and Help

Have a look at the information that Christine Cronau gives on her Facebook page here

How To Live A Hundred Years Or More

A recent article in the Adelaide Advertiser noted that there were over 2,700 people in Australia one hundred years or older. The article also suggested that by the year 2055 this number will swell to 78,000!

 

Obviously we are doing things differently today than say, fifty years ago.

However, even though these figures are heartening,  to be sensible, the figures need to be compared to the millions who die prematurely due to preventable causes.

 The most common of these would be smoking, drugs and obesity. And perhaps the worst would be obesity because it affects young and old and all areas of society.

In fact the BBC News reported that “the World Health Organization predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese.”

That’s one third of the earth’s population!

More than likely not many of these will be amongst the 78,000.

 With obesity comes diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and circulatory conditions, and arthritis, to name a few. In fact an article in the Adelaide Advertiser for Tuesday 19th.August suggested that research is also “showing that obesity can be attributed to 39 per cent of cancers of the uterus, 37 per cent of cancers of the oesophagus, 25 per cent of kidney cancers, 11 per cent of colorectal cancers and 9 per cent of post-menopausal cancer.”

The Wellness International Network gives a startling glimpse of the problem with the following list of the figures for the USA. Pro-rata, they would be equivalent for Australia.

  • 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese
  • Eight out of 10 over 25’s Overweight
  • 78% of American’s not meeting basic activity level recommendations
  • 25% completely Sedentary
  • 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 yrs old since 1990

  • 80% of type II diabetes related to obesity
  • 70% of Cardiovascular disease related to obesity
  • 42% breast and colon cancer diagnosed among obese individuals
  • 30% of gall bladder surgery related to obesity
  • 26% of obese people having high blood pressure

Childhood Obesity Running Out of Control

  • 4% overweight 1982 | 16% overweight 1994
  • 25% of all white children overweight 2001
  • 33% African American and Hispanic children overweight 2001
  • Hospital costs associated with childhood obesity rising from $35 Million (1979) to $127 Million (1999)
  • New study suggests one in four overweight children is already showing early signs of type II diabetes (impaired glucose intolerance)
  • 60% already have one risk factor for heart disease

Surge in Childhood Diabetes

  • Between 8% – 45% of newly diagnosed cases of childhood diabetes are type II, associated with obesity.
  • Whereas 4% of Childhood diabetes was type II in 1990, that number has risen to approximately 20%
  • Depending on the age group (Type II most frequent 10-19 group) and the racial/ethnic mix of group stated
  • Of Children diagnosed with Type II diabetes, 85% are obese

Again, what does childhood obesity say for the chance of being amongst 78,000 centenarians in 2055? Unfortunately they will be the few survivors because millions die prematurely.

Sadly, obesity is having an impact on all facets of society.

Seating manufacturers, theatres and airline companies (not to mention clothing manufacturers) are discovering that the average person is becoming wider. Who hasn’t had to accommodate the overflow of an obese fellow passenger sitting alongside on an aeroplane, forcing you to eat like a praying mantis?

But probably not so well known or appreciated is the effect that obesity has on the human spine and other skeletal joints. The increased weight causes the spine to assume abnormal and extreme curves, compromising spinal discs and facet joints. As the accompanying diagram illustrates, obesity causes a forward motion of the centre of gravity. This affects the neck causing the head to tilt forward and upward, often straining neck muscles. The same goes for the lower back due to the corresponding backward movement of the body.

Obesity and low back stress

Obesity and other stresses cause spinal damage

Now that we have been warned, what do we do about it?

[expander_maker id=”5″ more=”Read more” less=”Read less”]Read more hidden text[/expander_maker]Well, it is never too late to tackle the problem. One of the first things to do is to see if or how much we are overweight and the best ways to do this is to calculate your Body Mass (weight)  which takes into consideration your height. The Herbalife Company supplies an easy to use and understandable calculator on their website: www.feelterrific.com.au/BMI.htm or you can purchase calipers from chemists, some sports stores, to measure body fat.

It’s not hard.

Implement a personal health program.

Once you have determined your situation you need to implement a health program including exercise and nutrition.

Stop smoking

Smoking is dangerous .

Here is a list of things to do:

  1. Educate  yourself. Ignorance is bliss but it can be deadly. Read books and articles, check the internet, but only implement what appears sound and don’t get carried away with anything too esoteric.
  2. Have a medical check up with your GP and ascertain your condition (especially before commencing an exercise regime).
  3. Exercise Daily. Start with a little and build up. Walk around the back yard or down the street until you can venture further afield. If your middle aged (45+) maybe get a CT scan of the arteries in your heart to determine if there are blockages before you start running.
  4. Implement a Nutrition Program. Get help from a professional by consulting a Naturopath or a holistic Chiropractor to help your program. But commonsense alerts most of us to the right and wrong things we eat.
  5. Stop Smoking  (or taking non prescription drugs and excessive drinking). As if we didn’t know these would be on the list.

Now, before I close let me say that we all recognize that life is not fair. All of us know of instances of the few that defy the statistics and despite their lifestyles, reach old age. On the other hand, a friend of mine who was as fit as the proverbial bull died of a heart attack whilst playing squash at 56 years of age. Maybe he should have taken cognizance of the fact that both his parents also died in their fifties due to heart problems.

So what’s the point?

Just this.

We need to do our best at keeping fit but have to be comfortable with the variables of life. Accidents, natural disasters, and our genetical background all have an impact on how long we will eventually live.

Maybe you and I will be among the 78,000 – if so I will be 109![/expander_maker]

Picture of the author at his desk.

Author Will Mcallister

Scientists are discovering that regular gym work for those over fifty can slow down the aging process and rejuvenate health.

Dr.Simon Melov of the Buck Institute for Age Research north of San Francisco believes that people are becoming unnecessarily feeble before their time. This is probably because most of the ageing population become inactive and refrain from muscular activity.

 Melov and other researchers suggest that resistance training (weight lifting) rejuvenates muscles and strengthens bones.

In fact recent research demonstrates that resistance exercise stimulates “gene activity” in muscle cells (BBC News) and not only makes muscles stronger but younger as well.

In one Canadian study a mixture of  65years+ and 20-35 year olds were given twice weekly resistance training workouts of an hour long over six months. Before the study the 65+ group were about 60% weaker than their younger participants but by the end of the period the 65+ group had significant gains in strength.

Avtive senior working out at the gym

 

Active Senior Adult Man Working Out in the Gym.

Lifting weights also have a positive effect upon bones as well. The resistance puts pressure on bone tissue causing it to draw upon more nutrients in order to become stronger to handle the new tasks.

Astronaut

 

Astronaut in outer space against the backdrop of the planet earth. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

Remember the old adage, ‘what you don’t use, you lose?’ This was one of the problems encountered in space travel because the consequent weightlessness and lack of muscular resistance, caused a loss in the bone mass of the astronauts. Now astronauts who are in space for any length of time undergo a regime of exercise to prevent too great a loss of their bone tissue.

Incidentally, this may explain why women live longer than men.

House wife doing cleaning duties

 

Young smiling housewife cleaner.

Generally, they never retire or become couch potatoes but continue their normal lifestyle after their husband’s retirement. They have a daily regime of resistance training. What they did before their husbands retirement, they continue afterward. For instance, they hang out the washing, carry the shopping, clean the house, as well as a host of other things (come on fellas, give them a hand, you might live longer).

But anyone in the 50s+ can and should participate in resistance training.

 “Strengthening muscles keep individuals active and maintain their independent lifestyles much longer,” said one personal trainer. Anytime Fitness franchises are springing up everywhere and are open 24/7 so there are no excuses. An initial assessment is applied to every individual (for example if you have had a hip replacement or bypass surgery, your program will be assessed appropriately).

But even if you can’t get to a gym you and don’t have  equipment at home you can improvise. First grab a weight lifting booklet from a library or a health food shop.

From there use a little initiative and in place of dumbbells use cans of food or bottled water. Improvisation is the name of the game! Follow the regime as outlined in the booklet and gradually increase the frequency and weights used as you feel comfortable. And always leave a day or two between sessions to allow for muscle recovery. On these days do aerobic activity, such as walking or even bicycling.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain and hey, you might even make new friends.

 It’s never too late.