PREVENTING SOCIAL PROBLEMS: EXERCISES
• Physical exercise also has beneficial effects on the skin. In one study, twenty older women who exercised regularly on a trampoline were compared with twenty who did not take exercise. The exercisers looked younger, and had fewer wrinkles and better skin colour than the sedentary group. They also had less pronounced bags under the eyes.
Blood pressure creeps up with age in almost all westernized societies. The fact that this is not inevitable is shown by its absence in many traditional-living countries. Reducing salt intake and using relaxation exercises have been found to halt the gradual increase in blood pressure and even to reverse it. Taking plenty of calcium has also been found to help reduce blood pressure.
As we age (after the age of 25) we lose 3-5 per cent of our muscles, glands, connective tissue and internal organs every ten years. The breakdown products are passed out in the urine, and fat takes the place of the once active tissues. So unless you lose this 3-5 percent of your body weight each ten years you will get fattier and less muscular. But this is not an irreversible part of ageing. A study of two champion runners aged 70 and 71 found that they had the same amount of body fat as university students. Just dieting, however, is not enough-you have to exercise to build up lean muscle and other tissues.
• Exercise can also be an excellent treatment for varicose veins in old age. The author of a leading book on the subject claims that old people with the condition should run, jump, jog and ‘do anything but sit still’. The pumping action of the calf muscles helps improve leg circulation, and it also helps to keep your legs elevated when rested (above heart level if possible).
• Many elderly people have lost a lot or even all of their teeth and see this as inevitable. It isn’t. Tooth loss in middle and old age is mainly the result of gum disease. This can be totally prevented by regular brushing (from gum to tooth), the use of dental floss and regular visits to the dentist. Vitamins A and Ñ are vital too. Calcium and vitamin D are now known to help prevent the loss of bone from tooth sockets. One researcher supplemented, for a year, the diet of women with very low bone density with 750 mg calcium daily plus vitamins D and C. Within a year he found the rate of bone growth around their teeth roots had roughly doubled.
• The brain also lives by the principle ‘Use it or lose it’. There is no doubt that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Experiments with rats have shown that those raised in ‘enriched environments’-roomy cages, with other rats and a variety of playthings had heavier, more chemically active brains than did rats raised alone in ‘impoverished’ environments.
Physical exercise can also help. In one study reaction times, short-term memory and reasoning power were all improved in a group of elderly, out-of-shape people when they were put on a four-month walking programme. The walking group improved in six out of eight areas of mental functioning; a group who did weight lifting and push-ups in one; and an idle group in none.
There are various ‘cures’ and ‘preventives’ for old age for which claims have been made over the years but none has yet withstood scientific scrutiny-even ginseng with its well-known pharmacology and the vast scientific literature on its success in other areas. At the moment all such rejuvenation and old age-preventing techniques should be regarded with suspicion.
*89/72/5*
No Responses so far »
Comment RSS · TrackBack URI
Say your words
You must be logged in to post a comment.