Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
-
Upload
sheltoninteractive -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
1/8
3
c h a p t e r
1
How our
Bodies Age
Many more surprises concerning the aging processare likely to be forthcoming. . . . The questions never end,
they just get more complex. ReubinAndres,MD AparticipantinTheBaltimore LongitudinalStudyofAging
Myth:Ourphysical andmental capacities stay at the same
level throughout ourwhole livesuntilwe become seniorcitizens.Fact:Thechangesourbodiesgothrougharedynamic;thereisnosetagewhenwemightnoticeanachewhenwewalk,aneedtoturnthevolumeup.Myth:Turn65andforgetaboutit.ItsalldownhillwithacapitalDforDependency.Fact:Eighty-sevenpercentofuswhoturn65arenotonly
abletoworkanddealwitheverydaystress,butcontinuetolivefullandhealthylives.
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
2/8
4 C H A P T E R 1
Myth:Physicalagingdoesnthavetotakeplaceifwecon-tinuetostayactive.Fact:Startlingasitseems,ourphysicalabilitiesreachtheirpeakbefore we turn 21!Throughoutouradultlives,ourabili-tieschangebutsosubtlythatonlygymnastsorprofessionalathleteswillnoticethedifferencesearlyon.Whydontweseethedecline?Because as a body ages, the mind gets ner-tuned; itcompensates for any physical decline.
Mentionthewordagingandeveryonewithinearshotwillhaveanopinion.And,astheabovemythsshow,manyoftheseopinionswillbemisguidedandjustplainnegative.Thetruthisthataging,as
witheverythinginlife,hasitsgoodandbadelements.
THE GOOD STUFFWecanallmakeourownpersonallistsofthebadthingsaboutaging,thingswehavetoacceptinordertofeelcomfortableastheyearspass.Tohelpwithhandlingtheinevitable,wellmakejokes
aboutourgrayinghair,ourseniormomentmemorylapses,oursagging breasts and chins.They become material for birthdaycards,standupcomicroutines,andsitcoms.
Butwhat about thegood?Thequalitiesof aging that, likenewine,improveinthegoldenyears?Believeitornot,therearequiteafew:
Experience counts for a lot.Theolderwe get, thewiserwebecomeisnotjustaclichitsthetruth.Themoreweknow,
themoreinformationwecanusetobetterunderstandandper-form.Ourexecutivefunctions,thoseskillsthathelpusfocus,stayorganized,andplan,becomemoresharplydeveloped.
Maturity is a good thing.Theres nothingmore embarrassingthan people not acting their age. Like the gray-haired, formercheerleadertryingtokeepherschooldaysalivebynaggingtheyoung uns atevery localgame.Thewomanofacertainagewho wears mini-skirts and blue nailpolish.The gum-popping,
pot-belliedgrandmatryingtorecaptureDirtyDancingonthedanceoor.Wefeelembarrassedforthesepeople.Farbettertoactourage,poisedandgraceful.Andwiththismaturity,comesmorethana classact persona.Wellbe less impulsiveand exhibitbetter judgment.Well be able to solve problems that used topanicus. Well be more exible. Well have self-control, self-discipline,andahealthyperspectiveinotherwords:maturity.
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
3/8
H o w O u r B o d i e s A g e 5
Steady routines make for stress-free living.Asweagetheroutineswe follow become ne tuned; they are in place. Reading thepaperinthemorningisnotonlymoreenjoyable,butwebrowsethroughitmoreefciently.Drivingacarbecomessecondnature;
wearebetterdriversinour40sthaninourroaring20s.Goingforawalkafterdinnerbecomesapeacefuljoy,notachorewehavetodotostayt.Goingforawalkafterdinnerbecomesapeace-fuljoy,notachorewehavetodotostayt.
Stopping to smell the roses. Themorewelivelife,themoreweappreciateit.Wecountourblessings.Weknowhowimportantourhealthis.Thebodyhasagreatcapacitytohealitself;wecanlivewithonlyasinglelungorkidney.Butwecannotsurvivewithoutour
brainandourheart.Asweage,welearntoappreciateourminds,ourabilitytomove,ourlives.And,asweexercise,asweeatright,aswekeepapositiveattitude,weknowweredoingitforourselves,fortheme, forourphysicalandmentalhealth.Anditfeelsgreat!
WHY AGE?Itsonethingtoappreciateyourage,togrowoldwithgrace,buttheres still the ironyofwhy.Yes,yourexecutive functionsaregettingnetuned.Yourexperience ispayingoff.Youremoreatpeacewithyourlifethaneverbefore.But,letsfaceit,itwouldbenicetohaveall theseplussesandthebodyandfaceofaviva-cious20-year-oldwoman!
ONCE UPON A TIME
Were not the rst people to ponder the process ofaging. As long ago as ancient Greece, the physicianGalen believed that aging was caused by such internalfactors as bile and water which, over time, made usmore susceptible to dryness and cold. In the MiddleAges scientist Roger Bacon felt that good hygienecould stop the wear and tear of the body. A centurylater, Charles Darwin applied aging to his survival ofthe ttest theory. He believed that we aged because
our nervous system and muscles became apathetic;they responded to stimuli less and less.
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
4/8
6 C H A P T E R 1
Aging,liketaxes,isafactoflife.Herearesomecurrentthe-oriesthatexplainwhy:
Oh, My Aging Genes or the GeneticCellular Theory
As you learnedway back in biology, DNA is the stuff of life.Basically,itisproteinthatissetupinspeciccodesresemblingakindoftwistingladderwithineachandeveryoneofyourcells;thesecodesdeterminethecolorofyoureyes,yourbonestructure,theamountofhairyoullhaveonyourheadat20,30,and60.Inotherwords,everybitofyoufromthedeepestrecessesofyour
braintothesolesofyourfeetisformed,developed,andsustainedbythewaytheDNAinyourcellsisstackedup,orencoded.
AscientistinNewOrleanshasrecentlybeenabletoisolate14genes thatdetermine life span.Other studieshaveisolatedadeathgenethatcanshortenlife.Stillotherstudieshavefoundaclockmechanismwithinourcellsthatdetermineshowlongacellwillfunctionandreplicate(i.e.reproduce)beforeitdies.Alltotal,thecurrentresearchsuggeststhattherearepossiblyhundreds
ofgeneswithinourbodiesthatpredeterminehowlongwewillliveinthesamewaythatothergenescontrolourhaircolorandheight.Thegoodnews?Asscientistscontinuetoisolateaginggenes,theycanlearnhowtoactuallyaddproteinstoourcells;theycanchangethecodeofaDNAstrand.Insteadofadeathgene,wemayhavelife!
Blue Genes or the DNA Toxic-Shock Theory
Cells are efcient entities.They cangrow, divide, and replicate;buildingourbodies,hearts,andminds,fromtheinsideout.Whenwereact tostress,ourcellsreverberatewithinus. Itiscellsthatsendmessagestoandfromthebrainregardingatraumawearefeelingorperceiving.Itiscellsthatcreateasharppain,atearinthe eye. And, located within each of our billions of cells, isDNAwhichcanalsoreacttotheshockofstress.Infact,there
isoneparticularstrandofDNAproteinthatexistsspecicallytohelpthecellrespondandcopewithstress.Itscalledheated shockprotein (HSP).ScientistsattheGerontologyResearchCenterinBaltimore,Maryland,havefoundthatcellsproducelessandlessHSPasweage.Whatdoes thismean?Aswe growolder, it is
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
5/8
H o w O u r B o d i e s A g e 7
possible that we can cope less with stress, especially physicalstress.And,becausestressitselfcanmakeusfeelold,lowerHSPlevelsinourcellsbecomesatrueparadox:thedifcultieswehaveindealingwithstressgeneratesevenmorestress.Thebestadvice:Learnhowtocopewithstressinyoureverydaylife.Maintainahealthy lifestyle. Itwillkeepthe emotional andphysicalshocksandstressesthatageusatbay.(See Chapter Five, Keeping Depressionat Bay, as well as Part III of this book.)
Throw the Garbage Out Now!or the Accumulation Damage Theory
Overtime,wastebeginstobuildupinacell.Dark,globby,andseemingly invincible, this substance, called lipofuscin, eventuallytakesupsomuchroomthatcellfunctionisimpaired.Thecellcangetsluggishandeventuallydie.
Othertoxicwasteincludesfreeradicalsoxygen-deprivedmoleculesthatareabyproductofnormalmetabolism.Thankstotheir craving for oxygen, these greedy free radicals combinequicklyandeasilywithothermoreenrichedmoleculesinthecell.
ThenewchemicalcombinationsthatresultfromthisunioncandamagecellsandtheirDNA.Agingisaccelerated.
But the body has a built-in defense against free radicals:antioxidants. In the best science ction fashion, antioxidantenzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), and antioxidantvitamins,suchasCandE,attackthefreeradicalsoatingaroundinacellandneutralizethem.Someoftheseenzymeseatthecelldamagecausedbyfreeradicalsandothertoxins.Stillothersrepairdamaged protein.We dont even have to wait for the bodysantioxidantstokickin.WecanaddourowntroopsbyroutinelytakingvitaminA,C,andEsupplementsantioxidantsall.
ITS NEVER TOO LATE
At the age of 67, a woman named Emma Gatewooddecided to take a hike. She ended up walking theentire length of the Appalachian Trail, from Maine toGeorgia. She had such a good time that in herseventies she hiked the trail againtwice.
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
6/8
I Have Seen the Enemy and It is Usor the Immune System Decline Theory
Ourimmunesystemliterallysavesourlives,tirelesslyseekingout
alienviruses,bacteria,germs,andbacteriathathaveinvadedourbodies. Once an alien is recognized, specialized cells called B-lymphocytesproduceantibodiesthatwardoffthealiensandren-der them harmless. Other cells calledT-lymphocytes (T-cells)aggressivelyattacktheforeigners,destroyingthemonimpact.Aswegrowolder,T-cellsandantibodieslosesomeoftheirefcien-cy.Theybecomesluggish;theycannotalwaysrecognizeanalienfromafriend.Normal,healthy cells aredestroyedbymistake;
alien germs and viruses are able to permeate cells andmutatethemandtheirDNA.Somescientistscallthisthediseaseofaging.Anditistrue
thatthedeclineoftheimmunesystemcanmakeusmoresuscep-tible to cancers, pneumonia, and other diseases. But there hasbeen promising researchdonewithDHEA (dehydroepiandros-terone) in Salt Lake City, Utah.A hormone produced by thebody, DHEA, has been linked to the immune system and theagingprocess.WebegintoproducelessandlessDHEAfromage
30on;whenlaboratoryratsweregivenDHEAasasupplementtheirimmunesystemsreceivedadramaticboost.However,dontrunoutandstarttakingDHEAjustyet.Manymorestudiesmustbeperformed.Butitsapromisingbeginning!
My Biological Clock is Ticking or the HormonalBalance Theory
Thenervoussystem(especiallythehypothalamusinyourbrain)andtheendocrinesystem(includingthepancreasandthepitu-itary,thyroid,andadrenalglands)workintandemtoefcientlyproducechemicalscalledhormones.Thesehormones,orchemi-cals, in turn, regulate ourmetabolism,ourbloodglucose levels,ourbodytemperature,andourabilitytocopewithchangesintheenvironment.And,aseverywomanknows,theyalsoregulateourmenstrualcycle and theonsetofmenopause. (Remember how
yourheartbeatwildly,yourfaceushed,andyourwholebodyrevvedupthelasttimeyourcarskidded,yourchildleanedbackinherchair,oryouthoughtyouweregoingtohaveahotashin front of the whole conference room? Thats your neuro-endocrinesystemasitsbest,gettingyoureadyforaction.)
8 C H A P T E R 1
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
7/8
H o w O u r B o d i e s A g e 9
Unfortunately,theendocrinesystembeginstodeclinewithage. Studies have found that the pancreas in older people, forexample,doesnotreleaseenoughofthehormoneinsulinwhenamealhasbeeneaten. Insufcientamountsofinsulinmeansthatblood-sugarlevelswillriseandadult-onsetdiabetescanoccur.
Anotherexample:Asweknow,estrogenproductionstopsatmenopause.Whenestrogenproduction stops,womenagemorerapidlyandmaybecomemoresusceptibletoheartattacks;theymayalsoexperiencesexualdysfunction.HormonalReplacementTherapy(HRT)mayprotectagainstseveralproblemsrelatedtoaging.(See Chapter Six.)Butwhatmightnotbecommonknowl-edgeisthatalinkexistsbetweenestrogenandthehypothalamus.
Thehypothalamus,deepwithinthebrain,tellsthepituitaryglandtoproduceestrogen;itmustalsotelltheglandtostop.Whatdoesthismean?That a biological clock must reside in the hypothalamus, aclock that regulates aging.Identifythistimepieceandwhoknows?Likeanygoodwatch,itmaybeabletoberepairedandrestoredformanyyears.
Welcome to theworld of aging. Yes, there are someharsh
andcomplicatedtruths,buttheyarecounteredbyendlesspossi-bilities.Thefutureisnotyethere.
-
8/9/2019 Baby Boomers Guide: Chapter 1
8/8