Tell me about...Anti-Aging With science finding ways to increase human longevity, ever-greater numbers of older people will be trying to cope with age-related complaints and enjoy not just a longer life, but a healthier one. As we age, our bodies naturally change and become more prone to certain health problems. From middle age on, most of us may experience unpleasant alterations in our skin, eyesight and hearing, teeth and digestion, which we associate with old age. Loss of hair, memory and sex drive are expected, and feared, signs of aging. Worse, older people are far more likely than younger individuals to develop such serious disorders as arthritis, osteoporosis, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), high blood pressure, hernias, thyroid and kidney problems, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and various forms of cancer. Why should I be concerned about aging? Everyone should be concerned about how the aging process affects them and their loved ones, including their older friends and relatives and even their children – whose longevity and wellness when they are older may depend to a great degree on how their health is protected while they are young. Your vulnerability to the various ailments associated with aging is a product of the interplay between your individual characteristics (your physical condition, genetic heritage, age, gender, marital status and sexual preferences, even your occupation) and the environment in which your body functions. That environment includes your diet and lifestyle, what stresses your body is exposed to – including smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, drug usage, overexposure to sunlight and pollution, insufficient exercise, emotional stress and untreated health problems. That's why it is so important to take preventive measures to arrest or even reverse the most devitalizing aspects of aging. Anti-Aging is really about taking steps to protect the quality of your life by not allowing the aging process to take the life out of you – slowly or, worse, suddenly. And chiropractic can help you protect yourself and the people you care about. What can chiropractic do? Chiropractic philosophy and practice are ideally suited to helping older people live longer and healthier lives. Because chiropractors are committed to health maintenance, preventing disease, and promoting lifelong wellness, they can give members of the aging population the health care they need for continued longevity and an enhanced quality of life. You probably know of men and women in their seventies or older who look, feel and act years, even decades, younger than they are. That's how we all want to be: as active and vital as we've been in our thirties and forties. Research has shown that chiropractic treatment and guidance in nutrition and lifestyles helps reduce your vulnerability to the damaging and debilitating aspects of growing older. Chiropractic enables you to remain active, permits your joints, muscles, and nerves to function appropriately, free of pain that could prevent you from remaining active, feeling fully alive and more youthful, even as your age increases. More linksReferences • Lavsky-Shulan M, Wallace RB, Kohout FJ, et al.
Prevalence and functional correlates of low back pain in the elderly:
The Iowa 65+ rural health study. Journal of American Geriatrics Society,
1985; vol. 33, pp23-8. |