6 Tips For A Joyful Retirement

Retirement blesses us with time to do what we truly desire. We’re free to follow our hearts true desire and find joy while doing so. However, finding joy in retirement goes beyond finding a beach house to recline or having more free time than you know what to do with it. Here are 6 important tips for a joyful retirement.

 

1. Cut Spending By Budgeting

 

A lot has been said concerning money and happiness. While money doesn’t equate to happiness, its one vital component for a joyful retirement. A study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College on what makes retirees happy reaffirms the importance of money. 

 

Most people go on a spending spree the minute they get their retirement money and then end up without a penny few months later. You need to budget your money and spend wisely as there wouldn’t be any monthly pay checks anymore. 

 

2. Maintain a Daily Routine

 

Indeed, one of retirement’s most enticing benefits is the freedom to do whatever you desire. However, it’s easy to fall into an unhealthy pattern which might be detrimental to your health. To prevent this, doctors recommend following a healthy daily routine. 

 

Incorporate all the activities you love into the routine as well as other healthy activities recommended by your doctor. Doing this would help you avoid the feeling of purposelessness most retirees admit to feeling few months into retirement.

 

3. Stay in Touch

 

A study by the University of Chicago showed that extreme loneliness increases a retiree’s chances of early death by as much as 14%. Being retired takes you out of the majority of your social networks and cuts down on the amount of human connection we make daily. 

 

Extra effort should be put into staying in touch with a thriving social community as the effects of extreme loneliness can be deadly. This can be your family, former colleagues, Faith groups, group affiliations, or by community volunteering.

 

4. Stay Active

 

Very different from staying in touch, staying active entails playing a role. It can be in the family, your house of faith or the community. Staying active offers a twofold benefit as it helps you socialize and gives you a sense of purpose. Doctors say both are vital to the happiness and well-being of a retiree.

 

5. Stay Fit By Exercising 

 

While exercise is important at all periods in our lives, it’s even more necessary when you’re retired. Exercising the body is important to both your physical and mental well-being. Research has shown that frequent exercise helps wards off several health issues and boosts your energy levels. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) recommends four types of exercise for retirees.

 

6. Train Your Brain

 

Most people go into retirement thankful for the endless hours of free time they’ll have and anticipating just how they’ll spend those hours. Most might decide to pursue an abandoned hobby, read books, or learn new things. 

 

These lofty aspirations most times get abandoned a few months into retirement. However, researchers at the Harvard Medical School have proven several times that tasking your brain has unending benefits. It keeps your memory strong and keeps your brain functioning at high levels.

 

This can be reading a book, painting, doing puzzles, or learning a new skill. Asides the apparent benefit of tasking your brain, the joy and sense of progress when you chase these pursuits has its own benefits. 

 

You could join a community or group that shares similar passions and enjoy create new social connections. A group has the added advantage of pushing you past your comfort zone which is great for stimulating the brain.

 

It’s possible to have a joyful retirement. All it requires is some effort to continually do the right thing. When you make these correct lifestyle choices, you’ll be set to enjoy a joyful retirement filled with happiness and purpose.

 

Building Better Bones

“It is a bone-deep change you are going into, my beloved," counsels Grandmother Growth. "You must open to your very marrow for this transformation. No cell is to remain untouched. You are to open more than you ever dreamed you could open, more than you have opened in birth or in passion. You open now to the breath of mortality as it plays the bone flute of your being. What can you do but dance to the haunting melody, develop a passion for an elegant posture and a long stride?

 

"Ah, yes," Grandmother Growth smiles rather wantonly. "It would do you well to develop a taste for dark greens tarted with vinegar and mated with garlic. These things will build strong flexible bones to support you as you become Crone."

 

Did you know that your bones are always changing? Every day of your life, some bone cells die and some new bone cells are created. From birth until your early 30s, you can easily make lots of bone cells. So long as your diet supplies the necessary nutrients, you not only replace bone cells that die, you have extras left over to lengthen and strengthen your bones.

 

Past the age of 35, new bone cells are more difficult to make. Sometimes there is a shortfall: more bone cells die than you can replace. In the orthodox view, this is the beginning of osteoporosis, the disease of low bone mass. By the age of forty, many American women have begun to lose bone mass; by the age of fifty, most are told they must take hormones or drugs to prevent further loss and avoid osteoporosis, hip fracture, and death. 

 

Women who exercise regularly and eat calcium-rich foods enter their menopausal years with better bone mass than women who sit a lot and consume calcium-leaching foods (including soy "milk," tofu, coffee, soda pop, alcohol, white flour products, processed meats, nutritional yeast, and bran). But no matter how good your lifestyle choices, bone mass usually decreases during the menopausal years. 

 

For unknown reasons, menopausal bones slow down production of new cells and seem to ignore the presence of calcium. This "bone-pause" is generally short-lived, occurring off and on for five to seven years. I noticed it in scattered episodes of falling hair, breaking fingernails, and the same "growing pains" I experienced during puberty.

 

I did not see it in a bone scan, because I didn't have one. 

 

The idea behind bone scans is a good one: find women who are at risk of broken bones, alert them to the danger, and help them engage in preventative strategies. There's only one problem: bone scans don't find women who are at risk of broken bones, they find women who have low bone density. 

 

I would like to help you let go of the idea that osteoporosis is important. In the Wise Woman Tradition, we focus on the patient, not the problem. In the Wise Woman tradition, there are no diseases and no cures for diseases. When we focus on a disease, like osteoporosis, we cannot see the whole woman. The more we focus on one disease, even its prevention, the less likely we are to nourish wholeness and health. 

 

Focusing on osteoporosis, defining it as a disease, using drugs to counter it, we lose sight of the fact that postmenopausal bone mass is a better indicator of breast cancer risk than broken bone risk. The twenty-five percent of postmenopausal women with the highest bone mass are two-and-a-half to four times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those with the lowest bone mass. And that hormones which maintain bone mass also adversely affect breast cancer risk. Women who take estrogen replacement (often given to prevent osteoporosis), even for as little as five years, increase their risk of breast cancer by twenty percent; if they take hormone replacement, the risk increases by forty percent.

 

Focusing on bone mass, we lose sight of the fact that a strong correlation between bone density and bone breakage has not been established, according to Susan Brown, director of the Osteoporosis Information Clearing House, and many others. We lose sight of the fact that women who faithfully take estrogen or hormone replacement still experience bone changes and suffer spinal crush fractures.

 

Bone-pause passes and the bones do rebuild themselves, especially when supported by nourishing herbs, which are exceptional sources of bone-building minerals and better at preventing bone breaks than supplements. The minerals in green plants seem to be ideal for keeping bones healthy. Dr. Campbell, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, has done extensive research in rural China where the lowest known fracture rates for midlife and older women were found. He says, "The closer people get to a diet based on plant foods and leafy vegetables, the lower the rates of many diseases, including osteoporosis." Women who consume lots of calcium-rich plants and exercise moderately build strong flexible bones. Women who rely on hormones build bones that are massive, but rigid.

 

Hormone replacement regimes do not increase bone cell creation; they slow (or suppress) bone cell killers (osteoclasts). There is a rebound effect; bone loss jumps when the hormones are stopped. Women who take hormones for five years or more are as much as four times more likely to break a bone in the year after they stop than a woman of the same age who never took hormones. Women who build better bones with green allies and exercise nourish the bone cell creator cells (osteoblasts).

 

Hormone or estrogen replacement, taken as menopause begins and continued for the rest of your life, is said to reduce post-menopausal fracture rates by 40-60 percent. Frequent walks (you don't even need to sweat) and a diet high in calcium-rich green allies (at least 1500 mg daily) have been shown to reduce post-menopausal fractures by 50 percent. The first is expensive and dangerous. The second, inexpensive and health promoting. It's easy to see why more than eighty percent of American women just "say no" to hormones. It is never too late to build better bones, and it is never too soon. Your best insurance for a fracture-free, strong-boned cronehood is to build better bones before menopause. The more exercise and calcium-rich green allies you get in your younger years, the less you'll have to worry about as you age.

 

"A woman has lost half of all the spongy bone (spine, wrist) she'll ever lose by the age of 50, but very little of the dense (hip, hand, forearm) bone. Attention to bone formation at every stage of life is vital; there is no time when you are too old to create healthy new bone." - American MD

 

Calcium

 

"Osteoporosis is much less common in countries that consume the least calcium. That is an undisputed fact." - T. C. Campbell, PhD. Nutritional Biochemistry

 

Step 1: Collect Information

 

Calcium is, without a doubt, the most important mineral in your body. In fact, calcium makes up more than half of the total mineral content of your body. Calcium is crucial to the regular beating of your heart, your metabolism, the functioning of your muscles, the flow of impulses along your nerves, the regulation of your cellular membranes, the strength of your bones, the health of your teeth and gums, and your vital blood-clotting mechanisms. Calcium is so critical to your life that you have a gland (the parathyroid) that does little else than monitor blood levels of calcium and secrete hormones to ensure optimum levels of calcium at all times.

 

When you consume more calcium than you use, you are in a positive calcium balance: extra usable calcium is stored in the bones and you gain bone mass (insoluble or unusable calcium may be excreted, or stored in soft tissue, or deposited in the joints). When you consume less calcium than you use, you are in a negative calcium balance: the parathyroid produces a hormone that releases calcium stores from the bones, and you lose bone mass.

 

To ensure a positive calcium balance and create strong, flexible bones for your menopausal journey, take care to:

 

• Eat three or more calcium-rich foods daily.

• Avoid calcium antagonists. 

• Use synergistic foods to magnify the effectiveness of calcium. 

• Avoid calcium supplements.

 

Step 2: Engage the Energy

 

The homeopathic tissue salt Silica is said to improve bone health.

 

What does it mean to you to support yourself? To be supported? To stand on your own? To have a backbone in your life?

 

Step 3: Nourish & Tonify

 

What do we need to make strong flexible bones? Like all tissues, bones need protein. They need minerals (not just calcium, but also potassium, manganese, magnesium, silica, iron, zinc, selenium, boron, phosphorus, sulphur, chromium, and dozens of others). And in order to use those minerals, high-quality fats, including oil-soluble vitamin D.

 

Many menopausal women I meet believe that protein is bad for their bones. Not so. Researchers at Utah State University, looking at the diets of 32,000 postmenopausal women, found that women who ate the least protein were the most likely to fracture a hip; and that eating extra protein sped the healing of hip fractures. 

 

Acids created by protein digestion are buffered by calcium. Traditional diets combine calcium- and protein-rich foods (e.g. seaweed with tofu, tortillas made from corn ground on limestone with beans, and melted cheese on a hamburger). Herbs such as seaweed, stinging nettle, oat straw, red clover, dandelion, and comfrey leaf are rich in protein and provide plenty of calcium too. Foods such as tahini, sardines, canned salmon, yogurt, cheese, oatmeal, and goats' milk offer us protein, generous amounts of calcium, and the healthy fats our bones need. If you crave more protein during menopause, follow that craving.

 

CAUTION: Unfermented soy (e.g., tofu) is especially detrimental to bone health being protein-rich, naturally deficient in calcium, and a calcium antagonist to boot.

 

Bones need lots of minerals not just calcium, which is brittle and inflexible. (Think of chalk, calcium carbonate, and how easily it breaks.) Avoid calcium supplements. Focus on getting generous amounts of calcium from herbs and foods and you will automatically get the multitude of minerals you need for flexible bones.

 

Because minerals are bulky, and do not compact, we must consume generous amounts to make a difference in our health. Taking mineral-rich herbs in capsule or tincture form won't do much for your bones. (One cup of nettle tincture contains the same amount of calcium - 300 mg - as one cup of nettle infusion. Many women drink two or more cups of infusion a day; no one consumes a cup of tincture a day!) Neither will eating raw foods. I frequently come across the idea that cooking robs food of nutrition. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cooking maximizes the minerals available to your bones. Kale cooked for an hour delivers far more calcium than lightly steamed kale. Minerals are rock-like, and to extract them, we need heat, time, and generous quantities of plant material. 

 

Green sources of calcium are the best. Nourishing herbs and garden weeds are far richer in minerals than ordinary greens, which are already exceptional sources of nutrients. 

 

But calcium from green sources alone is not enough. We need calcium from white sources as well. Add a quart of yogurt a week to your diet if you want really healthy bones. Because the milk has been changed by Lactobacillus organisms, its calcium, other minerals, proteins, and sugars (no lactose) are more easily digested. This carries over, enhancing calcium and mineral absorption from other foods, too. (I have known several vegans who increased their very low bone density by as much as 6 percent in one year by eating yogurt.) Organic raw milk cheeses are another superb white source.

 

Horsetail herb (Equisetum arvense) works like a charm for those premenopausal women who have periodontal bone loss or difficulty with fracture healing. Taken as tea, once or twice a day, young spring-gathered horsetail dramatically strengthens bones and promotes rapid mending of breaks.

CAUTION: Mature horsetail contains substances which may irritate the kidneys.

 

Step 4: Stimulate/Sedate

 

Beware of calcium antagonists. Certain foods interfere with calcium utilization. For better bones avoid consistent use of:

 

• Greens rich in oxalic acid, including chard (silver beet), beet greens, spinach, rhubarb.

• Unfermented soy products, including tofu, soy beverages, soy burgers.

• Phosphorus-rich foods, including carbonated drinks, white flour products, and many processed foods. (Teenagers who drink sodas instead of milk are four times more likely to break a bone.)

• Foods that produce acids requiring a calcium buffer when excreted in the urine, including coffee, white sugar, tobacco, alcohol, nutritional yeast, salt.

• Fluoride in water or toothpaste.

• Fibre pills, bran taken alone, bulk-producing laxatives.

• Steroid medications, including corticosteroids such as prednisone and asthma inhalers. (Daily use reduces spinal bone mass by as much as ten percent a year.)

• Restricted calorie diets. Women who weigh the least have the greatest loss of bone during menopause and "neither calcium supplements, vitamin D supplements, nor oestrogen" slow the loss. Among 236 premenopausal women, all of whom consumed similar amounts of calcium, those who lost weight by reducing calories lost twice as much bone mass as women who maintained their weight.

 

Although chocolate contains oxalic acid, the levels are so low as to have only a negligible effect on calcium metabolism. An ounce/3000 mg of chocolate binds 15-20 mg of calcium; an ounce of cooked spinach, 100-125 mg calcium. Bittersweet (dark) chocolate is a source of iron. Recent research has found chocolate to be very heart healthy. As with any stimulant, daily use is not advised. Chocolate is an important and helpful ally for women. Guilt about eating it and belief that it is damaging to your health interferes with your ability to hear and respond to your body wisdom. If you want to eat chocolate - do it; and get the best. But if you're doing it every day - eat more weeds.

 

Excess phosphorus accelerates bone loss and demineralization. Phosphorus compounds are second only to salt as food additives. They are found in carbonated beverages, soda pop; white flour products, especially if "enriched" (bagels, cookies, cakes, donuts, pasta, bread); preserved meats (bacon, ham, sausage, lunch meat, and hot dogs); supermarket breakfast cereals; canned fruit; processed potato products such as frozen fries and instant mashed potatoes; processed cheeses; instant soups and puddings.

 

To avoid phosphorus overload and improve calcium absorption:

 

• Drink spring water and herbal infusions; avoid soda pop and carbonated water.

• Eat only whole grain breads, noodles, cookies, and crackers.

• Buy only unpreserved meats, cheeses, potatoes.

• Avoid buying foods with ingredients; they are highly processed.

 

Excess salt leaches calcium. Women eating 3900 mg of sodium a day excrete 30 percent more calcium than those eating 1600 mg. The main sources of dietary sodium are processed and canned foods. Seaweed is an excellent calcium-rich source of salt. Sea salt may be used freely as it contains trace amounts of calcium. Salt is critical for health; do not eliminate it from your diet.

 

Increase hydrochloric acid production (in your stomach) and you'll make better use of the calcium you consume. Lower stomach acid (with antacids, for example) and you will receive little bone benefit from the calcium you ingest. Some ways to acidify:

 

• Drink lemon juice in water with or after your meal.

• Take 10-25 drops dandelion root tincture in a little water before you eat.

• Use calcium-rich herbal vinegars in your salad dressing; put some on cooked greens and beans, too.

 

Step 5a: Use Supplements

 

I really wish you wouldn't use calcium supplements. They expose you to dangers and don't prevent fractures. A study in Australia that followed 10,000 white women over the age of 65 for six and a half years found "Use of calcium supplements was associated with increased risk of hip and vertebral fracture; use of Tums antacid tablets was associated with increased risk of fractures of the proximal humerus."

 

If you insist on supplements, go for calcium-fortified orange juice or crumbly tablets of calcium citrate. Chewable calcium gluconate, calcium lactate, and calcium carbonate are acceptable sources. Dolomite, bone meal, and oyster shell are best avoided as they usually contain lead and other undesirable minerals.

 

For better bones, take 500 mg magnesium (not citrate) with your calcium. Better yet, wash your calcium pill down with a glass of herbal infusion; that will provide not only magnesium but lots of other bone-strengthening minerals, too.

 

Calcium supplements are more effective in divided doses. Two doses of 250 mg, taken morning and night, actually provide more usable calcium than a 1000 mg tablet.

 

Step 5b: Use Drugs

 

Even if you take hormone therapy (ERT or HRT) you must get adequate calcium to maintain bone mass, according to researchers at Columbia University. That's 1200-1500 mg a day (a cup of plain yogurt, two cups of nettle infusion, a splash of mineral-rich vinegar, plus three figs is about that). As you increase your intake of calcium-rich foods/herbs, gradually cut back on your hormone dose if you wish.

 

Step 6: Break & Enter

 

Bone density tests are frequently used to push women into taking hormones or drugs. If your bone density is low, use the remedies in this section and schedule another test (for at least six months later) before agreeing to such therapies.

 

Susun Weed

PO Box 64

Woodstock, NY 12498

Fax: 1-845-246-8081

Baby Boom Icon Sally Field Takes On Osteoporosis

If you're nearing 60, you have some pretty good company. Actress Sally Field, the seemingly ageless icon of a Baby Boom generation that starts turning 60 this year, has revealed that she has osteoporosis and is leading a public action campaign to inspire women to fight the fragile bone disease. 

 

Surprised by her recent diagnosis of osteoporosis, Field chose to go public with her personal health and is launching Rally With Sally For Bone HealthSM, sponsored by Roche and GlaxoSmithKline. The campaign encourages women with osteoporosis to protect themselves against fractures so they can remain active and reduce their risk of a debilitating injury.

 

Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weaker, more brittle and susceptible to fractures. One in two women over age 50 will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime, which can result in significant pain and loss of height and may possibly cause some women to lose their ability to dress themselves, stand up and even walk. It can also lead to possible institutionalization and even death. 

 

"My generation has pushed for so much change to improve the lives of women, and today the biggest hurdle many of us face is our health," said the two-time Academy Award winner who has fought for women and workers' rights both on and off screen. "We've never been willing to sit back and take it-and that includes osteoporosis, too. I'm asking women to take action by talking to their doctors and joining me at www.BoneHealth.com." 

 

"Today, women in their 50s and 60s are leading more active lives than past generations, and it's essential for them to take care of their bones to continue their energetic lifestyles," said Dr. Robin Dore, a rheumatologist and associate professor of medicine at UCLA. 

 

After being diagnosed with osteoporosis in early 2005, Field attempted lifestyle changes, including calcium and vitamin D, to slow the progression of her disease but supplements alone were insufficient. Her doctor then recommended that she begin taking medicine and prescribed Boniva^TM (ibandronate sodium), a once-monthly tablet for postmenopausal osteoporosis. 

 

Although 44 million Americans are affected by or at risk for osteoporosis, it often goes undiagnosed until a fracture occurs. 

 

A major new campaign is under way to help protect women maintain their bone health.

 

Important Safety Information: Boniva is a prescription medicine for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. You should not take Boniva if you have low blood calcium, cannot sit or stand for at least 60 minutes, have severe kidney disease or are allergic to Boniva. Stop taking Boniva and tell your doctor if you experience difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain, or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. Follow the once-monthly Boniva 150 mg dosing instructions carefully to lower the chances of these events occurring. Side effects are generally mild or moderate and may include diarrhoea, pain in the arms or legs or upset stomach. If you develop severe bone, joint, and or muscle pain, contact your healthcare provider. Your doctor may also recommend a calcium and vitamin D supplement.

Ashton & Demi: A Giant Step For Older Women?

So, Ashton Kucher, 27, and Demi Moore, 43, got married with her kids and ex-husband in attendance.

 

It’s great! It’s Bizarre! She’s a cradle robber! It’s a giant step for older women!

 

Which one is it?

 

How about ‘A giant step for older women.’

 

Well, almost.

 

It’s not unusual for older female celebrities to hook up with much younger men. Fame and fortune are powerful magnets. But men are visual creatures. What happens after her beauty fades? Not to worry. Loss of a youthful appearance is no longer an issue. With the variety of cosmetic procedures now available women with ample financial resources can look younger than springtime until the day they die.

 

To a shrewd, future-oriented man, an older woman with money promises long-term benefits. If her age is really ‘up there’ he can look forward to a bundle upon her demise. If the relationship or marriage doesn’t last, he’s likely to win a hefty settlement. So, what does a younger guy have to lose?

 

What’s significant about the Moore-Kucher union is that it has driven one more nail in the coffin of the ‘older woman younger man’ taboo that ‘common folk’ - older women seeking younger men but not endowed with fame or money - have to deal with in their quest for a suitable partner.

 

Sometime ago I gave a talk to a group of older women. After my presentation, a woman I’ll call Betty, came rushing up to share that she was 84, single, dating, and never tells her age. Furthermore, she had no use for men older than 60, and prefers them younger than that. ‘I can’t stand old geezers. They’re all dead. They are living but they are dead, if you know what I mean’ she explained in a confidential tone of voice.

 

I could understand why Betty preferred younger men. She looked fabulous -- a trim figure, she was intelligent, her eyes lit up when she spoke, and she had beautiful smooth skin. Clearly, she had it goin’ on. She could easily pass for 60. Why would she want to put up with a cranky old codger her age?

 

Here’s the problem: When Betty finds someone with potential, and age comes up, Mr. Potential is gone. I suspect that if Betty had money and celebrity, it would be a different story.

 

Let me relate a personal experience: At the pharmacy where I work, a customer I’ll call Mr. Smooth, in his mid-fifties, made it clear that he found me interesting, even though he knew I was married. One day the local paper ran a story about my new book and mentioned that I was 76. Before that, my age was mostly unknown because I never talked about it. The public disclosure of my age raised eyebrows, and whispers began at work. ‘She’s HOW old?’ Formerly friendly male co-workers began looking the other way. Sheesh! Be seen talking to an old woman? The guys will think there’s something wrong with me.

 

Back to Mr. Smooth. He must have seen the story in the newspaper because soon after, he appeared at my prescription counter. Glaring at me with disdain and disgust, he blurted out, ‘I can’t believe you are as old as you are. I just CAN’T believe it!’ He turned around and strode away never to be seen again.

 

A woman’s age matters to most men. Except when she’s 18 and he’s 81. Then it’s a different story. Society accepts it with a knowing look and a wink. If the relationship produces progeny, that’s really, really cool --until the kids lose their father before their sixth birthday.

 

Betty has it right. She knows what she wants. She knows what she has to offer. She’s not allowing antediluvian age taboos to stand in her way of finding happiness. Withholding the number of years she has lived, and maintaining a youthful demeanor and attitude, she refuses to bear the stigma of ‘invisible older woman.’

 

Joan Collins, Susan Sarandon, Tina Turner, Carol Burnett, Mary Tyler Moore, Victoria Principal, and now, Demi Moore, have defied convention and chosen younger men.

 

Eventually it will become chic for a fabulous older woman who doesn’t have a bank account or celebrity status to have a relationship with a fabulous younger man.

 

How can I predict that? Think about this. We are living longer, healthier lives. Yesterday’s 60 is today’s 40 for many women. Dr. Helen Harkness, in her book, Don’t Stop the Career Clock reinforces that reality with her perception of aging chronology that makes sense for today:

 

• Young adulthood: 20-40
• First midlife 40-60
• Second midlife: 60-80
• Young-old: 80-90
• Elderly: 90 and above
• Old-old: 2-3 years to live

 

Dr. Harkness’s vision of the stages of aging may take a while to catch on with mainstream thinking, but it will happen. In the meantime, fabulous older women looking for a guy who is still alive and kicking should not tell their age. Happy hunting!

 

Sponsored Article

Can Alzheimer's Be Prevented?

Alzheimer’s disease is a condition affecting up to 4.5 million Americans. While there is no known cure, studies have been conducted that indicate there may be ways of preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. 

 

The disease is characterized by symptoms such as forgetfulness, memory loss, and reduced ability to concentrate, and in later stages the sufferer may display anxiety and delusions, loss of speech and inability to sit up or walk. It is a slow disease with symptoms manifesting and worsening over the period of many years. 

 

The now famous, ground-breaking “nun study” went a long way toward identifying characteristics that would indicate the likelihood of Alzheimer’s onset later in life. 100 nuns have been studied over a period of fifteen years, beginning in 1991. Over the course of those years, their genes have been tested and analysed, physical balance and strength charted, and cognitive tests run to determine how many words the women could remember several minutes after reading them, how many animals they could name in a minute, and if they could correctly count coins. The research shows that people who scored lower on cognitive ability tests when young were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s later in life. Early cognitive ability was measured based on writings done by the nuns while in their early 20’s. Those showing more “idea density” - the number of ideas expressed in the fewest number of words - and better linguistic and grammar skills had a much lower incidence of Alzheimer’s later in life. Scientists are of the opinion that good cognitive skills early on creates a sort of “neurocognitive reserve” which will be drawn on later, effectively preventing Alzheimer’s. Exercising and improving cognitive skills via writing, reading and learning - anything that stimulates the brain - may go a long way toward active, clearheaded and graceful aging.

 

There are a number of other things, as well, that you can do to help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s. Many of these prevention techniques involve limbering the mind and working on memory skills long before Alzheimer’s onset is a danger. Just having a mentally stimulating job that involves creative thinking or manipulation of data is shown to have a connection to lower incidence of Alzheimer’s later in life. Doing crossword puzzles and playing card games were found to have a significant positive impact on later mental dexterity. Employ memorization techniques used by actors. Actors don’t merely memorize a series of words. They also combine appropriate movements, and evaluate the intent behind the words to be delivered. This “active-experiencing” method of memorization was shown to also improve the memory and cognitive skills in older people who were taught the technique. Limbering your mind now may promote a limber mind in your latter years. 

 

Proper diet and exercise promote good health in general and may ward off countless problems including Alzheimer’s onset. The addition of fish oils, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C to the diet have all shown to contribute to a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s. Keeping cholesterol at a healthy level prevents build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain - a characteristic in Alzheimer’s. Finally, physical activity has been shown to prevent deposits in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Exercise your mind and body, and make good lifestyle choices, as the only “cure” for Alzheimer’s as yet, is prevention. While there is believed to be a genetic component which would predispose someone to the risk of Alzheimer’s, awareness, early planning and mental exercise, and smart dietary choices may aid to reduce your likelihood of developing this mysterious and debilitating disease. A healthy mind and a healthy body now will make for a healthy mind and body later.

Bone Breaking Disease - Osteoporosis

It is normal for the bones to erode as we age. But for some people, the bones become so fragile that they break down under the body’s own weight. This causes hip, spine and forearm fractures. This disease is known as osteoporosis. This disease is more common amongst women than men. This is due to the fact that the women have lighter bones and after menopause, they experience rapid bone loss due to decrease in oestrogen. Also women opt for heavy dieting in order to lose weight, where they skip highly nutritious food items. This results in weaker bones in the body. Men too can suffer from this disease if they smoke, drink or take steroids.

 

But there is no need to worry. It is possible for you to slow, stop or reverse this bone loss. Though women have used ERT or Estrogen Replacement Therapy to overcome this problem, you can follow the tips below to overcome or prevent this problem.

 

Build up your bones: It is highly recommended that you do aerobic exercises for about 20 minutes a day at least three days a week. Exercise has been shown to stimulate bones to lay down new tissues. It is advisable to do the exercise that you can continue doing over long periods of time. Walking is the best form of exercise but you can also choose biking, swimming or aerobics.

 

Walk in water: If you have suffered from fracture, walking in water is the best form of exercise. You can do this exercise three times a week for up to 30 minutes a day. The water will support body weight and ease the stress off the bones and joints.

 

Use a chair and the floor for exercise: Complement water walking by doing some muscle strengthening exercises like abdominal curls, shoulder blade squeezes and back extensions. You can do these exercises on a chair or on the floor.

 

Eat calcium: Doctors recommend that you get about 1000 milligrams of calcium a day, even though you have not yet reached menopause. If you are not getting an ERT treatment, increase your calcium intake by another 200 to 500 milligrams a day. This means that you can drink a quart of skim milk a day or have two cups of low-fat yogurt or four cups of low-fat cottage cheese to get 1000 milligrams. You can take the remaining requirements from supplements.

 

Go for maximum absorption: Spread out your calcium supplements throughout the day rather than take all at one go. Food supplements should be taken with a meal. Doctors recommend you to take calcium carbonate which is relatively inexpensive and is easily absorbed when taken in divided dosages at mealtimes.

 

Increase your Vitamin D: Get the maximum protection by consuming 400 international units of Vitamin D each day, especially if you do not get enough sunlight. Milk contains about 100 international units of Vitamin D, hence it is recommended that you take four cups a day. But other dairy products like cheese, yogurt etc cannot be taken into account since they are not fortified with Vitamin D. But do not exceed the recommended dosage of 400 international units since this vitamin is highly toxic in excess.

 

Eat different types of food products: Bones do not contain calcium alone but contain an amalgam of boron, zinc and copper along with other minerals. You can get these trace elements by eating variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other unprocessed foods.

 

Stop smoking: Smoking has been shown to accelerate bone loss. It accelerates the rate at which the body metabolizes oestrogen and thus cancelling the benefits of ERT. It has been shown to cause bone loss in men and postmenopausal women too.

 

Control your medicines: Some drugs have been shown to hasten bone loss. The most common types of drugs are corticosteroids taken for variety of conditions like rheumatic, allergic and respiratory disorders, L-thyroxine a thyroid medicine and furosemide which is a diuretic used against fluid retention associated with high blood pressure and kidney problems.

 

Avoid fizzy drinks: Cola and other carbonated soft drinks contain phosphoric acid, which contains phosphorus which is a mineral, when taken in excess, causes your body to excrete calcium.

 

Ease salt intake: Excess intake of salt throws the calcium out of the body. Hence do not include salt more than necessary. Avoid processed and junk foods.

Arthritis and Chronic Joint Symptoms

Are you female, Caucasian, have a lesser education, and overweight? Then you run the greatest risk of either arthritis or chronic joint symptoms. Check out the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

 

These statistics left me stunned. Just for openers: 

 

Arthritis and chronic joint symptoms affect nearly 70 million Americans, or about one of every three adults, making it one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States. As the population ages, this number will increase dramatically.

 

Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Double that of heart trouble. Triple that of respiratory trouble. Five times that of diabetes. Over six times more than that of stroke!

 

Nationally, medical care for arthritis cost nearly $22 billion in 1995 (latest figures).

 

Total costs, including medical care and loss of productivity, exceeded $82 billion in 1995.

 

Who has arthritis?

 

As the CDC reports: "The prevalence of arthritis is high for all demographic groups, but especially higher among women, older persons, and those with less education."

 

What's being done?

 

The CDC reports that in 1998, the "first ever" plan to address arthritis using a public health approach was released. This plan was developed by the CDC, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, with input from over 90 organizations. The plan recommended actions in 'Three major areas for individuals and groups interested in reducing the impact of arthritis'.

 

• Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Prevention Research
• Communication and Education
• Programs, Policies, and Systems

 

For some reason, this evokes a scene in my mind from the TV show "Star Trek Voyager" where the holographic Doctor is helping one of his patients recover from a leg joint injury. The crewman is in great pain, while the Doctor dispassionately tells the patient to "live with the pain and do the exercises". The crewman, exasperated at this attitude, complains to the Doctor that he was programmed not to hurt his patients. The holographic Doctor quickly replied, "I was programmed to do no harm. However, I can inflict as much pain as I wish."

 

In the daily media, we are bombarded with stories about AIDS, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), Heart Disease, and even the latest outbreak of the West Nile Virus. Yet, you hardly ever hear anything about the greatest threat to our quality of life... Arthritis!

 

Let me repeat the findings of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control).

 

"Arthritis and chronic joint symptoms affect nearly 70 million Americans, or about one of every three adults, making it one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States. As the population ages, this number will increase dramatically."

 

One in Three

 

God forbid you are a Caucasian woman, with little education, and are 30 lbs or more overweight (obese).

 

What can be done?

 

The CDC recommends: "We can do the effective things that are not being done enough. Research shows that physical activity decreases pain, improves function and delays disability. In addition, research studies suggest that maintaining an ideal body weight and avoiding joint injuries reduces the risk of developing arthritis and may decrease disease progression. Obtaining an early diagnosis so that appropriate management, including self-management, can be initiated may improve the quality of life for persons with arthritis. Early diagnosis and appropriate management of arthritis, including... self-help courses, weight control, and physical activity can help people with arthritis function better, stay productive, and lower health care costs."

 

Has your Doctor ever told you to just keep doing your exercises, keep dieting and keep your weight down, and keep taking your medications and just try to live with the pain?

 

What else is your Doctor going to say? Are we crazy? Could it be that if your Doctor said anything else it would mean committing financial suicide?

 

I know most doctors are hard-working and doing their best and in many cases are achieving astonishing things.

 

However, the pressure to use drugs and more drugs is overwhelming. It is not their fault! It is ours! We go to them for a magic bullet and expect them to heal us... and with not having to make any lifestyle changes. Is this fair to the doctors? Of course not!

 

"I Cured My Arthritis You Can Too!"

 

Margie Garrison

www.cureyourarthritis.com

Arthritis - The Inflammatory Disease

Symptoms such as general pain or swelling around the joints, an increased stiffness in the joints in the morning, a cracking sound in the knees when standing, and joints with a red appearance that feel warm to the touch are all signs of arthritis.

 

One of the most common conditions in the United States today is a debilitating inflammatory disease that affects our joints. It is estimated that there are over 100 different forms of this disease and over 40 million people suffer from one form or another.

 

Though typically thought to be an affliction of the aging, arthritis can affect anyone at any time, and with all of the different forms, each with their own symptoms, it could be hard to determine just what type of arthritis an individual is suffering from.

 

The signs and symptoms of arthritis are varied, though some of the first symptoms are familiar and easy to recognize. Symptoms such as general pain or swelling around the joints, an increased stiffness in the joints in the morning, a cracking sound in the knees when standing, and joints with a red appearance that feel warm to the touch are all signs of arthritis. 

 

However, before you rush to purchase an over-the-counter arthritis treatment, you should talk to your doctor. Your doctor is the only one who will be able to tell you what form of arthritis you may have and how to treat it.

 

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis that plagues sufferers. It affects the joints and is a systemic disease that can affect other organs.  Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms tend to disappear after sometime, but the problem is still there. The true cause of rheumatoid arthritis is presently unknown, though many suggest that things such as infections, fungi, or bacteria are the culprits. However, there are also those that believe that rheumatoid arthritis is hereditary. Painful and swollen joints are a common warning sign of rheumatoid arthritis, followed by muscle pain, extreme fatigue, redness and warmth at the joints, even a low grade fever and appetite loss.

 

Next to rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is a common affliction, caused by breaking down of joint cartilage. Osteoarthritis commonly begins in one joint and typically only affects the one joint. It does not move to internal organs. Osteoarthritis commonly affects the knees, hips, hands, and spine. By the time the pain starts setting in for an osteoarthritis sufferer, the damage to the affected joint cartilage could be considerable.

 

Relieving pain from a form of arthritis can be as simple as over-the-counter or prescription medication. However, in the most severe cases, surgery may be necessary. Being overweight can also play a role in arthritis. Some physicians believe that a change in diet can also ease the pain of arthritis, though there is a lot of debate on the topic. Regardless, you should speak to your doctor who can tell you just what form of arthritis you may have, and what treatment options may work best for you.