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It Does NOT Suck to Get Old: How To Age with Power

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aging can be rewardingHow many times have I heard a client say, “It sucks getting old!”? Usually, the statement follows a patient’s full account of his or her many physical ailments, apparently as a way to rationalize the perception of being physically “a mess”. But life should get better as we get older, not worse. We have more experience, more wisdom, and more gratitude.  Life only sucks as we get older under one condition: when our health deteriorates.

The first thing most aging people notice is a breakdown in their aesthetics – that is, the way they look. As we age, the wear-and-tear of living can lead to wrinkles, crooked teeth, graying hair, and sagging skin. Many people increase in size, and they get soft, literally. Of course, this is distressing to many, and as a result, the anti-aging industry has flourished. Creams, lotions, and Botox for wrinkles. Invisalign to straighten teeth. Coloring and hair transplants to battle graying and balding. And plastic surgery for everything from sagging skin to fat removal to bigger boobs to fuller lips. Nothing wrong with any of these treatments to combat the diminishing aesthetics of aging. Obviously, the more one does, the more noticeable it will be to others. On some it looks good, and on others it’s debatable, but nonetheless, we are fortunate to have such a vast number of products and procedures to help us maintain our looks.

Aesthetics: How You Look

Just understand that there are many things you can do, naturally, to maintain your aesthetic appearance. Drinking ample water is essential to skin health (along with many other internal environment benefits). Eating whole, natural foods and avoiding processed foods, fast foods, and foods laden with sugar is absolutely vital in maintaining your looks over time. Supplementing with high quality vitamins will also go a long way in keeping you looking vibrant – vitamins B, C, D and essential fatty acids, among others, for your best aesthetic enhancers. And regular exercise is a must for maintaining your overall appearance. Your body from the neck down goes a long way as an attractive factor. While some become obsessed with their facial appearance, your body shape and size are noticed by most people immediately; and frankly, your face will always look more attractive when slim and healthy from exercise. And finally, you simply cannot ignore getting sufficient rest. Sleep is essential to so many aspects of health including your brain, immune function, and wound healing. Skimp on the sleep and it shows in your face first, then over time, the rest of your body and mind. Sleep, exercise, good food, high quality vitamin supplements, and plentiful water are the keys to natural anti-aging.

Aches and Pains: How You Feel

exercise to stay youngThe next thing that happens to people as they age is that many develop conditions which lead to aches and pains. Some of these conditions are simply excesses and deficiencies of actions and behaviors. For example, not exercising is a deficiency that commonly leads to pain. I am surprised at how many people are unaware of this. Not moving regularly, in a challenging manner (that is, not simply grocery shopping, window shopping, or walking around the mall), is one of the biggest sources of spontaneously emerging aches and pain in people. Back pain, neck pain, arm and leg pain, and joint pain like in the elbows, knees and hips often have no specific injury but are simply due to lack of movement. Conversely, excessive activity can also cause pain – something my athletic clients often ignore. Obviously, overuse injuries exist; however, I am not talking about those here. I am talking about overworked muscles, joints, and limbs. Exercising excessively, or not being mindful of form while working out, or even playing sports on only a few days rest can all lead to overuse aches and pains.

Aches and pains are probably the most common reason people feel old. While wrinkles and graying hair may make one look older, pain is what actually makes people feel old. And it is this element which truly makes people feel that it sucks to get old. However, if you can alleviate your pain, naturally, without a reliance on drugs or surgery, then you can most certainly retain a feeling of youth and vibrancy in your day-to-day living. Adding drug reliance to painful conditions really can cause you to feel old and worn down. Drugs have side effects, like making you feel tired, clouded thinking, forgetfulness, and many others. This combination of pain and drugs is the great ager. Fortunately, there are natural solutions to pain relief, but you will have to be committed and patient. Depending on how chronic your pain condition, it could take time and a lot of work initially. But stay with it. I promise if you keep working at ridding yourself of pain (with professional help where needed), you will succeed.

But I can tell you that in twenty-two years in the natural health business, I have observed that patience is the hardest thing for people to follow. This is somewhat understandable, as few people enjoy being in pain. While drugs and surgery offer quick fixes, but I can tell you, again from over two decades experience, there is no reality in a quick fix. My clients who have opted for surgery, at best, feel better for a short time and then are back in pain again later. Sometimes it is the same pain, sometimes a different but related pain due to the added invasive nature of surgery. You do not have to believe me although I hope you will. You can test what I have just said but unfortunately, I tell you, there is no turning back once you go under the knife. Some folks need the surgery, no doubt, I support those situations. But many people do indeed seek a quick fix, and it just does not exist. In the end, it’s the pain that makes the sufferer feel old; and with enough pain, some added drugs, and a surgery or two, anybody will look and feel old.

Body Rehabilitation: How You Function

injuryAlong with pain is disability. If a person suffers pain, not a spontaneous emerging pain, but one due to injury, it is not uncommon for that situation to lead to a loss of normal function. Sprained ankles, torn ligaments, hip degeneration, labral tears, tendon ruptures, and spinal conditions like herniated discs can all cause long term disability. It is probably not hard to imagine how limping around, difficulty bending forward, the inability to lift moderately heavy objects, difficulty raising one’s arms above one’s head, and numbness and tingling in the hands and fingers could make somebody feel very old. Unfortunately, injuries can be difficult to treat, may take long to heal completely, may have many exacerbations and recurrences, and may prevent you from exercising, leading to further pain and disability. However, the good news is: All injuries are treatable. Again, you just need dedication, commitment, and patience. A good doctor (physical health practitioner) can help minimize setbacks and increase successful healing. But still, it may take time and effort. These are situations which can easily lead one to seek a quick remedy (drugs, surgery). And, of course, surgery may especially be necessary in these situations. Torn ligaments, rupture tendons, and severe disc herniations all need the help of a good surgeon. But many injuries are treatable conservatively; and in my opinion, conservative treatment is always best when an option. Disability, without a doubt, is an aging increaser, but getting your injury treated and rehabilitating yourself will return a pep in your step and bring back some youth and vigor. Heck, you might even be able to run around like kid if you do take care of yourself the right way.

Getting older definitely does not suck. You have enough growth and evolution behind you to truly understand what is meaningful in life. You have more confidence, and less worries about what others think of you. Hopefully, you have enough humility to resolve conflicts with your closest loved ones. Things only get (and stay) bad when you feel bad physically – THIS is what makes you feel older: It makes you feel broken down. The more you can offset this breakdown, the more you will be able to enjoy your golden years. This requires work on your part. It won’t come without your commitment, and it won’t come without action. But if you invest in yourself by doing the right things, you will have the greatest probability of looking your best and feeling your best. That should be worth the effort and I know you will see it that way, too, in the end.

**If you want the definitive guide to healthy life-enhancing behaviors, pick up a copy of The Six Keys to Optimal Health today.

When Your Doctor Knows You

By On · Add Comment · In Body

It’s nice to have a doctor who really knows you.  I always say, there’s a big difference between healers and technicians.  Technicians know the ins-and-outs of their discipline, but they often lack the interpersonal skills necessary to make their patients feel comfortable.

Knowing one’s patients–their lives, family details, what drives them, their values–helps a doctor effectively communicate recommendations, and increases the likelihood that the patient will either follow through with the plan, or at least that the two can work together to find an alternative course of treatment.  Without having this type of interaction, the doctor-patient relationship runs the risk of becoming one of authority-subordinate, nag-nagged or money grubber-chump.

Take my doctor, Dr. W, for example: he knows me.  He knows my family, my work, my job, my beliefs, and so on.  But best of all, he knows my health habits.  He knows that I work out regularly; he knows that I take vitamins, and he knows that I don’t do drugs or alcohol.  To top it all off, he knows that I am probably not going to take his statins.  Yes, that’s right–I don’t care if my LDLs are one-bleepity-bleep–no statins for me, thank you very much.

I love that he knows this about me.  When giving me my annual physical exam results, he leaves a nice voicemail message, finishing it off with, “And your cholesterol is high.  I’m recommending statins, so I’ll call the pharmacy and leave the prescription because I know you’ll probably tell me that you’re not going to take them.”

Ah, good ol’ Dr. W.  He knows me in and out.  He knows what I’ll do and what I won’t.  He genuinely cares about me, my work, and my family; and that’s why I keep going back to see him.  Dr. W is a healer because he knows how to listen, is observant and doesn’t try to overpower me with his health-authority bull$&*!  Good health care, Dr. W, and I appreciate it.  But I’m still not taking any statins.

Vitamins Do the Trick?

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When it comes to preventing cancer, are nutritional supplements effective?  Some say yes, some say no.  There is, however, a superior way to prevent cancer nutritionally–by eating healthy foods.  You don’t say?  Yes, nothing beats whole natural foods when it comes to dietary health.

Recent studies have shown that neither vitamins C nor E did the trick in preventing cancer or heart disease when taken as supplements.  However, we know how important these vitamins are for proper function.  So what’s the deal?  Well, as I point out in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, there is no substitute for real food.  C’mon folks, we haven’t found the magic pill yet that can replace food in providing either energy or nutrients (necessary as co-factors in metabolic processes).

Saying that, though, I am not yet convinced that nutritional supplements are useless.  In the big Women’s Health Study and the Physicians’ Health Study II, which provided the most damning case against supplements, one must admit the doses for vitamin C, at least, were very low (500 mg).  I personally take 2000 mg per day.  I will contend that 500 mg, while not useless, is probably too low to show such dramatic effects as preventing cancer or heart disease.

Remove vitamin C from the diet, though, and watch your health deteriorate.  Hmm, so what then?  Vitamin C is necessary but only valuable when coming from real food?  I don’t think so.  We must remember that supplements are just that–supplementing the diet.  Like exercise alone not guaranteeing good health, when combined with diet, rest, chiropractic care, sufficient water intake, and so on, you better believe it will increase your chances of experiencing optimal health.

So preventing cancer, I am certain, requires more than just supplementing.  True, studying each individual vitamin and minerals’ individual effects on the body is valuable.  But I think before we throw the baby out with the bath water, we might need to design more rigorous studies to learn the whole truth.

I am a firm believer in the healing and preventative power whole natural foods.  But I know that we need vital nutrients.  It can’t be possible that supplementing with compounds containing the same molecules as natural foods is folly.  Unless there are synergistic reactions that occur with other, as of yet, undiscovered agents…well, it just doesn’t make sense.  We know certain things about antioxidants in general, and the vitamins that fill that role specifically, so I’m thinking better studies are needed.

But forget not the principle–without healthy, whole natural foods as a staple in your diet, you won’t be preventing cancer or general malnutrition by simply swallowing a pill.

Tough Being a Parent

By On · Add Comment · In Body, Mind

Wow! Being a parent is tough. So much to think about–so much to know. My daughter has been sick for two weeks now with a cold, and it has turned into a pretty nasty ear infection. It’s been rough. Check out this months article titled, Putting a New Light on Illness, to see how I believe we need to approach such matters.But again, being a parent is tough. Take, for example, childhood learning. As parents we want to do the right things for our tykes. So we buy them Baby Einstein products, enroll them in music classes, and read them Goethe. But is it really doing anything or are we just fools for marketing? According to new research, one of the best things you can do to enhance your child’s language development is give them a set of blocks. Blocks? Wooden or plastic geometrically cuboid shapes? Not computer programs, DVDs, language tapes, or Graciela, the Guatemalan Spanish tutor? Just plain old blocks?

Yup! So says a study out of the University of Washington. Unstructured play with blocks stimulates thinking, memory and physical mastery of objects at a time when a child’s brain is growing rapidly, says Dimitri Christakis, the author of the study. Apparently blocks “are the precursors of thought and language,” he wrote in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, “Older children begin to make up stories or scripts for these objects …” And even better, such play may substitute for less stimulating activity like watching television.

Speaking of T.V., you must know how I feel about watching too much of this junk. Just call it brain Twinkies. It isn’t great for adults, but it’s particularly problematic for children. At a time when their delicate nervous system and brain are developing rapidly, children should really be engaging in stimulating activities like playing with toys, imitating Mom and Dad doing household chores, reading (if they are old enough), and listening to wholesome music (it doesn’t have to be Beethoven, but you probably want to lay off the Tupac for a while). Watching T.V. should really be minimal, if at all.

According to a recent study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, children younger than 2-years-old shouldn’t watch any T.V. at all, while children older than 2 should limit their viewing to less than two hours a day. These conclusions are the result of multiple studies showing high levels of television viewing in children leading to social and behavioral problems–like ADHD–later in life. This current study, though, is the first to point out that, even if television viewing is high in toddlers, parents can prevent problems by curbing the bad habit by age 5 1/2. That’s good news for parents who have been unaware. But now you know folks, so pull that Dummy Tube out of Junior’s bedroom tonight.

On a final note, yet another recent study shows that less than one third of all U.S. children are recieving nutritional supplements. Now c’mon people–getting adequate nutrients is essential to good health (it’s one of the key points in my upcoming book), and let’s face it, today’s American diet is severely lacking in nutritional value. So you’ve got to supplement, as do the kids. Saying that–supplements should never substitute for a nutritious and wholesome diet. They supplement. But to ensure both you and your child good health, you probably want to get a good vitamin and mineral supplement today. According to the study, “children using supplements were more likely to be thinner, from a higher-income family without smokers, and spend less time with television and video games.” What do you know? Sounds like these families know what’s up. You can too–just start today. As I said before, being a parent is tough, but keeping up with the latest information helps significantly. I hope this info has made your job just a little bit easier.

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