Life quality encompasses a whole raft of considerations from the physical, psychological to the social and cultural and there may be difficulty fostering change dealing with thoughts and physical conditions that have been part of life from early childhood.
Stress is possibly the major cause of early aging. The stress response becomes problematic when the body becomes over-stressed and impacts on the capacity to cope with day to day stuff. Body response to stress is to activate the nervous system and trigger the hypothalamus to initiate greater production from the adrenal glands of two hormones adrenaline and cortisol for release into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. The physical changes prepare you to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.

Failure to control stress levels over an extended period can have dire consequences on health generally and if sustained will cause premature aging. The cardiovascular system becomes constricted, the immune system less efficient and the body’s capacity for carrying out normal and vital functions is hindered.

Stress management techniques are well known but require discipline to implement. Stress circuit breakers can be simple things such as taking a periodic 5 minute break or set aside one possibly two 15 – 20 minute periods each day and just sit with a still mind.
 
If really time restrained just step away from whatever is demanding your attention and take 2 or 3 deep breaths exhaling slowly through pursed lips. Breathing releases nitric oxide into the circulatory system causing blood vessel relaxation, improved circulation and stress reduction.

More time intensive stress control measures may be learning a yoga technique, Tai Chi, boating, golfing or just getting out into nature. A good night’s sleep in conjunction with reduced alcohol intake can have wonderful rejuvenating qualities.

Malnutrition is a major cause of aging. Perhaps a little surprising when most people reading this live in a “land of plenty”. Plenty in this context could be read as plenty of junk, junk food. For the first time in decades average life expectancy in many developed countries is forecast to decline over the next 20 to 30 years, the reason is poor diet. Obesity is now a major epidemic and is rapidly becoming a leading cause of serious health problems and premature death.

There is absolutely no better option to home prepared meals using fresh ingredients, eaten slowly whilst sitting down either by yourself or with the family or friends. Ingredients should be fresh and preferably organic as their nutrient value will be higher than conventionally farmed produce and free of chemical residues.

Exercise is the third plank in a healthy body strategy Observation of older persons suggests weakening muscle strength is an inevitable part of aging. Age related hormonal changes will result in loss of muscle mass although the rate of loss can be substantially reduced with an appropriate exercise programme. Three to four times per week of varied activity (aerobic and resistance exercise) lasting a minimum of 30 minutes per session will see dramatic improvements in fitness levels, general health and feelings of well being.

A desire to live a long and healthy is not wishful thinking. In the early twentieth century the academic community became aware of populations of people living in various locations on different continents whose life expectancy was well beyond one hundred years, the Abkhasia people in Russian Georgia, Okinawans in Japan, people living in Vilcabamba in South America and the Hunzas of Pakistan. Research defined a common thread with the centenarians in each society, they enjoyed community respect, were amazingly active each day and consumed low calorie highly nutritious diets. Investigation showed that as a group they were remarkably free from illness and diseases common in developed countries. Diabetes was unknown, cardiovascular health was remarkable, cancer almost unknown and without exception they had a bright, optimistic and reverential outlook on life.

Mental fitness for those not suffering an illness is largely the control of stress. The mind body connection is an intimate one with total interdependence Feelings of contentment and wellbeing reflect on body health in the same way physical conditions affect the mental world.
 
The aim of living to 100 is worthy only if those older years are with good health. For most people the years we live and the quality of those years have a lot to do with lifestyle choices made earlier in life. Why not make the decision to bring about change in a measured and determined fashion, you might be surprised how good it feels.

Good Health
John Munson 

   
Alzheimer’s Disease

 This issue takes a look at that sad and debilitating disease Alzheimer’s. As we get older the risks of developing the condition increases to the extent that 1 in 4 will be afflicted at age 85. The outlook is grim when it is considered that comparatively little is known about the condition and there is no effective cure once diagnosed. However, there are some positives in the story, research into the condition and potential drug therapies that will manage it proceeds at a furious pace and secondly it is now thought that preventative measures initiated early in life will have tremendous benefits in later life not only for Alzheimer’s disease but a whole range of health issues.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been known by other descriptors for centuries. Shakespeare in “As You Like It” describes an individuals life stages beginning with infancy and ending with a description of a dependant second childhood. German psychiatrist Alois Alzheimer began treating a fifty year old woman with symptoms of dementia 1901. Although various dementias had already been differentiated and described at the time, his patient showed symptoms apparently different to other previously described dementias.

Examination of his patient’s brain on her death revealed large sections differing from healthy tissue and characterised by “plaques”. In subsequent years what was previously known as “senile dementia” became known as Alzheimer’s disease characterised by the presence in the brain of plaques.

AD is a progressive, degenerative disease and is the most common form, about 70%, of dementias. Plaques are the defining feature of an AD brain producing damaged brain regions where the complex circuitry of the brain has broken down. Until recently it was believed the disease was caused by one, possibly two proteins found in the plaques. Both amyloid plaque (amyloid beta) and tangled neuronal fibres (tau) disrupt the normal organisation and function of the brain with initial onset of the disease in the brain’s temporal lobe, the area responsible for memory and language.

Progression of AD varies with the individual and is marked by three stages, mild cognitive impairment, through moderate to severe, ultimately culminating in death caused by an unrelated medical condition such as pneumonia. There is no effective treatment for AD, current prescriptive drugs attempt to deal with one aspect of the disease, lose their effectiveness after an average of nine months, come with side effects and do not work at all with some sufferers.

Forensic examination of the brain after death is the only certain diagnosis and a brain biopsy is not really a viable alternative. Clinical diagnosis is made on the results of many psychological and physical tests which are about 90% accurate. Test procedures involve subjective elements meaning the interpretation of a set of results may vary from physician to physician.

The developed world is anticipating increases in numbers of AD sufferers of 300%. With the already substantial costs associated with medical and support care expected to balloon, extensive research is underway world wide to

1.      develop a comparatively simple and reliable diagnostic test for the condition, preferably one capable of identifying AD onset at the earliest stages well before clinical symptoms appear.

2.      develop efficient management therapies and preferably treatments capable of reversing symptoms.

Research is uncovering a number of apparent linkages between AD and other conditions previously thought unrelated. In general the underlying mechanisms for these linkages is not known and further complicated by the diversity of the associations. There may be linkages to hormonal changes later in life, diabetes, head injury, limited education, and even just being female. It has been established in a very small percentage of cases that genetic influences play a part. One particularly exciting potential linkage is to diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Poor vascular health may contribute to AD development through the mechanism of sub clinical stroke. It is possible that numerous brain bleeds (stroke) through the breakdown of cerebral capillaries may be the foundation for plaque development. Each breakdown is a micro stroke, too small to cause symptoms which would explain there being no clinical history of stroke and why the very early stages of AD remain undetected.

Whilst management and possibly curative therapies are still some way off healthy lifestyle changes incorporating a good nutritious diet, an exercise regime and cultivation of a healthy psychological state can have enormous benefits in not only preventing or delaying the onset of Alzheimers but for life quality generally.

Good Health

John Munson 

For a more detailed overview on Alzheimer’s disease

 The Healthy Aging Series

 A 10 Minute Guide To Understanding Alzheimers Disease 

And What You Can Do About It  

Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational purposes only. The information provided in this newsletter should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this newsletter. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities on any matter contained in this newsletter assume the risk of any injuries that may result. Based on the best judgment available to the author he believes the information and opinions provided here are accurate and sound and does not assume any responsibility for errors, inaccuracies or omissions.

The Healthy Aging Newsletter

High bloodpressure – some don’t care, some don’t want to know, most take it seriously and others say “what the hell ” if i get it I am sure there is a pill that will sort it out. Hypertension or excessive blood pressure can lead to a whole range of health issues, some potentially deadly. Most of us will experience elevated blood pressure sometime in our lives and if it is to be managed well it is important to have a basic understanding of the condition when talking to medical professionals.

Hypertension

Someone once said that the secret to a fit healthy old age is a fit healthy cardiovascular system. Seems logical when you think about it, the circulatory system is a miracle of bio engineering, transporting all manner of goods throughout the entire body non-stop, 24/7 for a lifetime, a loss in efficiency or worse a malfunction is going to have dire consequences.  

The average body (if there is such a thing) has 5 litres (1.2 gallons) of blood circulating continuously through a network of arteries, veins and capillaries. The heart is the miracle machine that maintains circulation, contracting and relaxing on average 70 to 80 times per minute pushing blood through 4 chambers that either receive from or discharge to a network of blood vessels.

Blood pressure readings are taken with a sfig (sphygmomanometer) and record two pressures, the higher pressure following the heart contraction called the systolic pressure and the low or relaxed pressure called the diastolic. The measure is in millimetres of mercury and is recorded as systolic/diastolic for example 120/80. A healthy circulatory system has very elastic artery walls that accommodate pressure fluctuations by flexing or expanding with each high pressure pulse.

A pressure reading of 120/80 is considered normal whereas you are classed as pre hypertensive in the range up to 139/89 and hypertensive with readings above that. Interesting thing is that you don’t know whether you have a problem with high blood pressure without being tested, there are no obvious symptoms and no strange feelings that something is not quite right. If diagnosed with hypertension chances are the cause will be unknown, called essential or primary hypertension, alternately the condition may be linked to a pre existing condition and is termed secondary hypertension. Essential hypertension is related to underlying factors such as genetics, lifestyle and simply getting older, whereas secondary hypertension can result from disorders across a range of functions, example kidneys and adrenal glands.

There are long term consequences for ignoring or not dealing with elevated  blood pressure readings appropriately, a loss of body functions or even premature death.

Congestive Heart Failure– heart attack caused by lack of oxygen supply to cardiac muscle.

Heart Disease – continual pumping at high pressures simply overworks the heart causing severe cardiac damage.

Stroke – two thirds of people having first time strokes suffer from high blood pressure.

Artery and Coronary-Artery Disease -arteriosclerosis

Kidney – impaired function and possible total failure. 

A diagnosis of hypertension is going to require implementation of a management routine, in most cases there will not be a cure however, a combination of lifestyle changes and/or a tailored drug regime will provide control at acceptable levels.

It may be possible, depending on the severity of diagnosis to gain control and reduce pressure levels utilising lifestyle changes without the need for drugs. Some conditions will require a combination of various drug types perhaps as many as three, each working in different ways to reduce levels. Unfortunately drugs will have side effects, the extent and severity will vary in each case with untenable outcomes requiring trials of different combinations and dosage rates to arrive at an acceptable formula. Any determined approach to controlling the condition will integrate lifestyle changes into the routine. For many this change alone will be sufficient but if drugs are required lifestyle changes will enhance their effectiveness and likely lead to a less hard hitting regime.

Faced with a diagnosis of high blood pressure it is essential to maintain your power in the decision making process. It is too easy when feeling pressured to assume your health professional has the skill, knowledge and the will to make decisions on your behalf that will produce the best outcome for you. Your approach to the issue armed with a good working knowledge will enable you and your advisor to be an effective team for making sound decisions affecting your health.

If your intention is to live a long, healthy and fit life then looking after your cardiovascular system must be a core strategy.

That’s it for this issue.

Next issue: Alzheimers

Good Health - John Munson

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