Good health is among
the greatest boons a person can have in old age. But among
the main problems besetting the old, physical decline or ill
health closely follows financial security. Usually aging is
associated with fragility, dysfunction, and illness.
Generally we find that the probability of diseases increases
with age. It is less likely that an individual will be free
from a disease with the increase in age. A disease free
person beyond the age of 80 is very unusual.
The nature of disease in a person changes with age. Most
common diseases among younger people are of acute type,
while elderly people suffer from chronic diseases.
As a matter of fact, we are in a large part responsible for
our own old age. If it is good, preserve it. If it is
unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve,
get help. See your physician and have a regular check up.
Good health is the key to “active aging” and is dependent
upon the right life style. Sometimes if one changes his\her
life style in relation to exercise, stress management,
nutrition or social support systems it may be possible to
prevent or postpone certain diseases.
Exercise
One of the life’s richest, most attainable miracles occurs
when you realize the degree to which you can control your
health and body through regular exercise.
Many older people think they are too old, or too frail to
exercise. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Physical
activity of any kind is good for you. Walking upstairs
making the bed, cleaning, gardening, shopping, vacuuming, or
minor household chores, all are good exercises, and increase
your overall health.
The best way to keep your muscles active and to build and
maintain the strength of the bones, is to do regular
exercise like jogging, aerobics, weight lifting, walking,
bike riding, stair climbing, swimming, and water aerobics.
Long leisurely strolls are also good for health, your heart,
your mind, and your soul. Walking alone offers solitude, but
walking in company deepens relationships.
Immune System & Stress
One factor which is very essential to ward off infections
and diseases in our body is our immune system. This system
is the first line of defense against diseases.
Unfortunately, the immune system is impaired by stress and
anxiety, both of which are the greatest enemies and biggest
killers.
Stress has been found to come in two forms and each has its
own biochemistry. The first is “Acute Stress” which is a
response to imminent danger and it turbocharges the system
with powerful hormones which can damage the cardiovascular
system.
The second is “Chronic Stress” which is caused by emotional
pressure and which any individual victim can control. This
stress produces hormones which weaken the immune system and
damage bones.
Your body responds to your thoughts, emotions and actions.
You change your attitude from negative to positive, you can
relieve your stress irrespective of change in circumstances.
Instead of being merely a critic, see good in others and
appreciate your fellow beings. Develop an attitude of
gratitude and when your heart is brimming with thanks, it is
difficult to be stressful.
Stress & Social Interaction
A sure path to reduce stress in old age is to build a strong
support system of cheerful friends and family members and
stay connected with people who have been part of your life.
Emotional support of family and friends helps our mental
health by reducing stress and acts as a balm to restore our
body. Positive social interactions and satisfying
relationships involving family and friends lower the level
of stress hormones in the blood and help prevent depression.
Stress & Volunteering
To volunteer is to help others and helping others helps you
help yourself. You feel happy and contented when you do
something for someone else and it is a great stress
reliever. People who volunteer feel that their daily life
and work has some meaning and they are able to cope with
stress more easily.
Stress & Meditation
Meditation is a method of calming the mind and body. It is a
use of the mind in which you contemplate deeply and
continuously and use your thoughts correctly. Psychologists
and neurologists now agree that mind and body are not
different. Not only is the mind like the rest of the body,
but the well being of one is intimately twined with the
other.
In ancient Indian scriptures it is stated that if the mind
is irritated, the body will also get so and become diseased.
In Western society meditation is now emerging as one of the
means to treat stress related conditions and as an
alternative medicine.
Meditation has been shown to reduce chronic pain, lower
blood pressure, lower levels of cortisone and increase
cognitive functions.
It has also been seen to notably lower secretion of stress
hormones and to increase immune factors including blood
leucocytes production and calm brain activity.
Dr. Mehmat Oz of the Columbia Presbyterian Heart Institute
in New York has also pointed out some of the above benefits.
Stress & Breathwork (Pranaayaam)
Breath work is the control of the speed and sequence of
inhalation and exhalation (i.e. breathing deeply, slowly and
quietly). It gives a tremendous power of concentration,
patience and perseverance.
People doing breathing sessions are able to become free of
confusing, static attachment to the past and are able to let
go of negative feeling, thus releasing their tension and
anxiety.
Stress & Spirituality
If you believe in a higher power, be in touch with your
deepest beliefs. Prayer, faith and spiritual beliefs can
play an important role in staying healthy and recovering
from illness.
During the period of prayer all the cares of the world are
set aside. Prayer fixes the wandering mind and the person is
able to control his thoughts. It helps the person to become
detached enough to view pain and pleasure equanimously.
Power of prayer is inexpressible. During this personal
connection with God, you draw energy and power from Him.
In some medical centers in The US like the Psychosocial
Treatment Laboratory at Stanford and the Columbia
Presbyterian Medical Center in New York, programs of yoga
and prayer have helped patients in managing pain and
reducing anxiety. It has also been found that sometimes it
is not the prayer by the self that helps, but patients who
are prayed for by community volunteers also have speedy
recovery. This has been reported from Mid America Heart
Institute in Kansas City.
Next issue: Importance of nutrition in good health.
|