Body And Hair Changes To Expect As You Age: Healthy Lifestyles Count

As you age expect increasing amounts of fat tissue toward the
center of the body. Fat will increase and lean body mass will
decrease. The liver, kidney and other organs may lose some of
their cells. Bones lose some of their minerals and become less
dense. Water in your body is decreased by tissue loss. You may
even become shorter. This loss of height is related to aging
changes in the bones, muscles and joints.  Height loss is
greater after 70 years old. All total you may lose 1 to 3 inches
in height as you age.

Ways to reduce height loss:

• Physical activity
• Proper diet
• Treating osteoporosis

The change in total body water may make older people more likely
to get dehydrated.

Loss of muscle mass in the legs and changes in body shape can
affect balance which contributes to falls.

Most age-related changes cannot be prevented. Steps you can take
to help slow or reduce these changes include:

• Exercise
• Avoid smoking
• Eat healthy
• Excessive alcohol use and illicit drug use can accelerate
age-related changes

Your lifestyle will play the largest role in how fast these
age-related changes take place. Do not accept the picture of a
hunched over, frail man or woman with a big belly, skinny arms
and legs as something that happens to everyone in old age. You
don’t have to look like that.

Probably the most obvious sign of aging is hair color change. As
you age the hair follicles produce less pigment (melanin), which
causes the graying process. Gray hair often starts to appear in
the 30s, although this varies. You may start to notice graying
at the temples. The hair becomes progressively lighter and most
usually eventually turns white.

Hair coloring is probably the easier and painless way to conceal
a person’s true age. The quality of hair coloring has improved
so much over the years that most people would never guess it was
not your own natural color. Hair coloring is usually best done
about every 6 weeks.  In fact, hair color products can actually
improve the texture of the hair and provide more body, even more
shine. An important note here might be: Choose a knowledgeable
and skilled hair stylist or specialist for your hair coloring. I
live in a very small town, and I could not be more pleased with
the expertise of the hair stylist who colors my hair. Good
hairdressers and hair products do not belong only to the rich
and famous!

Graying is a lot genetically determined. Caucasians gray sooner.
Asians are late to get gray hair.  Nutritional supplements,
vitamins and other products will not stop or decrease the rate
of graying. However, I have two sisters who both started graying
much sooner than I did. Of the three of us, I am the most health
conscious! I believe healthy lifestyle also plays a part in when
our hair starts to gray.

Almost everyone will experience some hair loss as the result of
aging. The quantity of hair you have on your body and head is
determined by your genes. Even if you had thick, coarse hair as
a young adult, it will eventually become thinner, fine and
light-colored. Men may begin to show signs of baldness at age
30. By age 60, about two-thirds of men have significant
baldness. With new technology and products even “baldness” is
correctable to a degree for some individuals.

Source: National Institute of Health

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional.

Anti-Aging Skin Care And Tips For Dry, Itchy Skin

As a person ages it is normal to see the appearance of wrinkles
and age spots. Elderly people can also develop skin disorders
that can lead to serious medical problems. Older people need to
give their skin more care than when they were younger. This is
important because older skin is less oily, less elastic and
thinner. It will bruise easier and take longer to heal when cut.


To protect against most kinds of skin cancer at any age use a
sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Also consider
wearing long sleeves and a shady hat to give protection from the
sun.

If you experience any of the following symptoms call a health
care professional or go to the emergency room:

• Sudden, severe generalized itching, which can be a sign of
liver or kidney disease, thyroid disorder or allergy

• Blisters or rash on forehead or temple with inflammation or
pain in the eye. This could be indication of shingles involving
the eye, which is an emergency that must be treated immediately.


Call a health care professional during office hours if you
experience any of the following problems:

• Severe itching on underarms, abdomen, hands, wrists and groin,
which can be a sign of scabies or mites and is easily treated.
Sometimes scabies and mites can be picked up during a hospital
stay

• If a mole grows in size, larger than one-quarter inch, are
discolored (pearly blue, black or red and irregular shape) or if
moles bleed

• A skin problem that starts or becomes worse just after
starting a new medicine, increasing dose, or finishing the
course of a medicine

• If a skin ulcer stays longer than two weeks without healing or
grows in size

Dry and itchy skin may be more of a problem in winter when there
is less humidity. Consider the following as suggestions to
prevent or treat dry, itchy skin:

• After shower or bath, gently pat skin with a towel, but leave
the skin moist. Apply a lotion, body oil or moisturizer that is
high in petroleum such as AquaphorTM or EucerinTM. Avoid
moisturizers with perfume or alcohol; these will dry and
irritate the skin

• Use warm, not hot water for your bath or shower and keep them
short. Do not scrub the skin roughly. Use a soft cloth or
sponge. Use glycerin soap or moisturizing cream such as ToneTM
or DoveTM and rinse off well.

• If you experience problem dry spots, try applying petroleum
jelly to the troubled areas after bath or shower. If you use
petroleum jelly be sure to wear pajamas and/or sock to protect
bedding and clothing.

• Change bed sheets and clothing often. Wash clothes and sheets
in detergents free of perfumes and fabric softeners that could
irritate the skin. Be sure to rinse clothes and bedding
thoroughly. An older person should wear cotton. Synthetics and
other fabrics can be irritating to the skin.

• Drink plenty of water. Decrease us of caffeine and alcohol.

Source: Foundation for Health in Aging

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional

Low-Dose Aspirin Has No Effect Against Aging Brains

There has been hope that the use of low-dose aspirin would
protect older, healthy women against cognitive decline such as
memory and thinking. However, according to a study published
recently in the British Medical Journal, this is not the case at
all.

Earlier evidence suggested aspirin and other anti-inflammatory
drugs might help protect aging brains from dementia. The Women’s
Health Study focused on brain health and involved 6,400 women
aged 65 or over between the years of 1998 and 2004 and did not
reveal evidence that use of low-dose aspirin would protect aging
brains.

Low-dose aspirin has significant cardiovascular benefits.
Low-dose aspirin taken on a daily routine basis helps to prevent
both heart attacks and strokes in women 65 and over. The new
guidelines state women under 65 should not be taking aspirin
routinely.

In the Women’s Health Study the first assessment was taken after
5.6 years of treatment. It was found that cognitive performance
was similar in the two groups. The second assessment after 9.6
years of treatment revealed the same results. The risk of
decline in cognitive function was comparable between the two
groups. One area in which there was a hint of better performance
was on the category fluency test. The association was far from
definitive.

Researchers found that the data suggested low-dose aspirin might
be of help among people who are current smokers or have elevated
cholesterol if these were not “chance” findings. They could not
find other studies that replicate this finding.

Limitations of the study included:

• The population in question was generally “younger old” and
white.

The risk of dementia is really more prevalent in women after age
85. Since the trial ended, researchers cannot continue to follow
these same women at the later age. Therefore, whether or not
aspirin is beneficial in those who are older and high-risk is
really not known. What they did conclude was that there is no
significant improvement at all in women less than 85 years of
age.

The study was well-run and had a big sample with careful
measures. If there was a relationship, researchers feel, the
Women’s Health Study would have found it.

Source: Healthday

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional 

Help For Preventing Bone Fractures In Women Age 50 And Older

A study of more than 6,000 Canadian women concludes osteoporosis
drugs called anti-resorptive agents help reduce risk of
low-trauma bone fractures in women age 50 and older. Examples of
anti-resorptive drugs include:

• Estrogen
• Bisphosphonates
• Selective estrogen-receptor modulators
• Calcitonin

The study began seven years ago. The group of women in the study
was asked about their use of anti-resorptive agents and the
women’s bone mineral density was measured at the beginning of
the study.

Researchers found an average 32 percent reduced risk of
non-vertebral osteoporosis-related bone fractures associated
with the use of anti-resorptive agents. This risk reduction was
higher among women with major risk factors for fractures.

These findings are similar to previous studies that found
anti-resorptive agents helped fractures in women with
osteoporosis.

Another study found that low-dose estrogen therapy is more
effective in treating osteoporosis in women with lower natural
levels of estrogen in their blood. This is the first study to
suggest a very low dose of estrogen may vary in effect
substantially from woman to woman based on their natural
estrogen levels.

A once-a-year injection of a common osteoporosis drug called
zoledronic acid could be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Findings published in the May 3, 2007 issue of
the the England Journal of Medicine state researchers report
annual injections of zoledronic acid greatly reduced older
women’s risk for fractures.

The once-a-year injection can be given to patients in the office
with a 15-minute IV. The FDA has not approved a single-year
injection yet, but researchers are very hopeful it will. This
treatment would be a very convenient alternative for people who
cannot or will not take traditional anti-resorbtive medicine.
Still yet, it is not for everybody researchers warn. The study
was in older people. Younger people should not be seeking this
type of treatment. An outside expert agreed the new drug
formulation could change the way people care for their bones.

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that primarily affects women in
their postmenopausal years. Men can also acquire osteoporosis;
it is just not as common in men as it is in women. As
Osteoporosis progresses bones get thinner and become more
fragile. Thinner and more fragile bones mean “easier fractures.”
The goal is to help keep the bones strong and reduce bone loss
to prevent fractures in women after menopause and/or over 50.

For women able to take these drugs, it is a very exciting
discovery that will help prevent fractures in postmenopausal
and/or women age 50 and over.

Source: Science Daily

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional

Anti-aging Diets: Calorie Restriction Diets Pros And Cons Explored

A diet involving eating less, while still getting enough
vitamins and nutrients is of great interest. Researchers find
that calorie restriction diets extend the lives of animals. It
is unknown if the anti-aging diets help people to extend their
lives. Limited studies have been done in people.

Animal studies focused on insects and animals with short life
spans. Researchers found animals on restricted diets live
longer. They also found that calorie restriction diets are more
important to the life span than striving to maintain healthy
weight and exercising regularly. There are studies under way
involving animals with longer life spans and will take years to
finish. There is promise with the preliminary results in
monkeys.

Although scientists have doubts about actual positive effects of
the anti-aging calorie restriction diet, calorie restriction
research may give doctors clues about the aging process and
aging may be slowed.

The way a calorie restriction diet works is to eat less than
your body needs to maintain your normal weight. How much less a
person eats varies. People who follow a calorie restriction diet
hope to slow the aging process and live longer.

The diet involves restricting how much food you eat and
carefully monitoring food intake to ensure getting enough
vitamins and nutrients. Choices consist of foods full of
nutrients, but low in calories, such as vegetables and whole
grains.

The benefits of short trials of calorie restriction diets in
people include:

•Blood pressure
•Blood sugar
•Body fat percentage
•Cholesterol levels
•Heart rate
•Weight
These benefits are healthy changes that may reduce the risk of
chronic disease later in life and therefore create longer life
for humans.
Risks of calorie restriction diets include:
•Reduced bone density
•Loss of muscle mass
•Anemia
•Memory loss
•Dizziness
•Depression

Studies show that getting inadequate amounts of vitamins and
nutrients can lead to serious problems such as heart failure and
death. Studies show that people with the lowest range body mass
index scores have a higher risk of death than do those with
normal scores. The studies do not take into account undiagnosed
cancer or other serious illnesses that may have caused the
weight loss. However, the study results do give us a cause to be
cautious when considering the calorie restriction diets as a
means of prolonging life. They may end up doing just the
opposite for some individuals. There is also very little known
about long-term effects of calorie restriction diets in people
who have a healthy weight.

If you are considering a calorie restricted diet first discuss
it with your doctor. He or she should be able to explore the
possible benefits and risks of a calorie restriction diet for
you in particular. Getting enough vitamins and nutrients can be
difficult when you eat less food, you may also need to consult
with a certified dietary nutritionist. He or she can help you
decide which foods you should eat to provide you with the
nutrition you need.

Calorie restriction diet studies may help researchers understand
the aging process. The studies may also provide necessary clues
for developing new anti-aging drugs. Once researchers study how
calorie restriction diets work on the body their hope is to
create drugs to work in the same way.

It might be just as good an idea to wait to see what kind of
drugs researchers come up with, that is, if you are young enough
to wait for that conclusion. Otherwise, consult with your doctor
first before starting a calorie restriction diet in the hopes of
anti-aging.

Source: Foundation for Health in Aging

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional. 

Can Our Economy And Health Care System Survive Aging Baby Boomers?

The generation of people born between the years of 1940 and 1960
are expected to have major effects on health and social service
systems. By the year 2030, about one out of every five
Americans, or 20% of our population, will be a senior citizen in
the United States. In other countries such as Japan, Germany,
Sweden and the United Kingdom, senior citizens are even greater
in number.

There have been improvements in the Social Security system that
includes the introduction of Medicare that has had important
effects on the economic well-being of senior citizens in the
United States. Today, the percentage of senior citizens with
incomes below the poverty line is about 10%. These gains have
not been shared by all senior citizens. Poverty rates are higher
among certain groups of senior citizens that include:

•Black Americans
•Hispanic Americans
•People who never finished high school
•People living alone
•People 85 and older
•People living in central cites
•People living in rural areas

Level of education among US senior citizens in the future is one
of the most dramatic changes. By the year 2030, 83% of seniors
will have completed high school. Senior citizens with a bachelor
degree or more will have increased to 24%. These changes are
significant for health and social service systems because
education is closely related to lifetime income, and people with
more education generally are in better health and at lower risk
of disability. However, the better-educated seniors are expected
to be more demanding health care consumers.

Widowhood is much more common among senior citizens due to the
fact that women generally live longer than men. Senior citizens
who live alone after losing a spouse usually prefer to remain
independent and continue living alone as long as health and
finances allow it. Even though many of this group of senior
citizens have families or friends nearby they are still more
likely than those who live with others to feel lonelier and more
isolated.

Average life expectancy in the United States is currently
highest for white women, followed by black women, white men, and
black men. As an average, women who live until age 65 can expect
to live to age 84. Those who live to age 85 can expect live to
age 92. The number of people living to age 100 in the United
States is certainly growing.

Disability and diseases are much more common in senior citizens
than in people younger than 65. Common chronic conditions among
senior citizens include:

•Arthritis
•High blood pressure
•Heart disease
•Diabetes
•Lung disease
•Stroke
•Cancer
•Hip fractures
•Parkinson’s Disease
•Alzheimer’s disease
•Dementia

An increase in the senior citizen population means more health
care expense, and the likelihood of having more than one disease
among senior citizens also increases. Among people age 65 and
older, 30% have three or more chronic diseases. Having more than
one disease complicates care. Sudden change or illness in one
body system may stress another body system and make it difficult
to interpret symptoms for a definitive diagnosis. Sometimes the
symptoms one disease may hide the symptoms of another disease.
For example, a person with arthritis may never be physically
active enough to show symptoms of heart disease, which makes
making the heart disease difficult to recognize.

Senior citizens who need assistance with routine ADLs rely first
on family. The use of paid helpers, however, is consistently
higher among older adults living alone and increases with age.

On the average, senior citizens go to the doctor more often than
younger adults. Senior citizens are also hospitalized more
frequently than younger people.

Senior citizens utilize the services of home health care that
includes medical treatment, physical therapy and homemaker
services more than the younger population. Prescription drugs
are a major part of medical treatment. At least 80% of senior
citizens take one or more prescribed medicines.

One of the most important, unanswered questions is whether or
not our increased lifespan will be filled with good days and
years. It is not likely one answer can be applied to all senior
citizens because of the great variations in health and
functioning from one senior citizen to the next.

Other unanswered questions can only be answered by the passage
of time. These questions include:

•Will the increasing numbers of senior citizens with more
education and longer lives contribute productively to the larger
society?
•Can the health care system handle the greater number of senior
citizens?
Some analysts fear the great increase in the numbers of senior
citizens from the baby boomer generation of people born between
the years of 1940 and 1960 may place a strain on the medical
care system and the public programs that finance health care and
retirement to the breaking point. What we have on our side is:

•Improvements in health behavior
•Medical breakthroughs
•Financial prosperity

These three may help diminish the threats from the increased
senior citizens from the baby boomer generation of people born
between the years of 1940 and 1960.

Source: Foundation for Health in Aging

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional.

Anti-aging Theories Part II

Anti-aging Theories Part II


Waste Accumulation Theory

The waste accumulation theory of aging states that in the course
of a life span cells produce more waste than they can properly
eliminate. The waste includes various toxins that when
accumulated to a certain level they can interfere with normal
cell function and ultimately kill the cell.

Limited Number of Cell Divisions Theory

This theory is concerned with the number of cell divisions
directly affected by the accumulations of the cell’s waster
products. As more wastes accumulate over time the cells quickly
degenerate thus causing aging and ultimately death.

Hayflick Limit Theory

Dr. Hayflick theorized that the aging process was controlled by
a biological clock contained within each living cell.  Studies
done in 1961 concluded that human fibroblast cells (lung, skin,
muscle, heart) have a limited life span. They divide
approximately 50 times over a period of years and then suddenly
stop. They also concluded nutrition seemed to have an effect on
the rate of cell division. Final conclusion of this theory
states that improper functioning of cells and loss of cells in
organs and tissues may be responsible for the effects of aging.

Death Hormone Theory (DECO)

Brain cells or neurons are unlike other cells in that they do
not replicate. At birth we have roughly 12 billion of them and
over a life time about 10 percent die out. Dr. Donner Denckle
speculated that as we age the pituitary begins to release DECO
which inhibits the ability of cells to use thyroxine. Thyrozine
is a hormone produced by the thyroid-governing basal metabolism,
which is the rate at which cells convert food to energy. The
metabolic rate brings on and accelerates the process of aging.

Thymic-Stimulating Theory

Dr. Alan Goldstein says “the thymus is the master gland of the
immune systems.” The size of the gland continues to reduce and
shrink to round three grams by age 60. Scientists are
investigating the possibility that the disappearance of the
thymus contributes to the aging process by weakening the body’s
immune system.

Mitochondrial Theory

This is the free radical theory is supported by directed
experimental observations of Mitochondrial aging. Our primary
source of energy comes from ATP. Mitochondria are the
energy-producing organelles in the cells that produce ATP.  They
produce cell energy by a process that leads to forming
potentially damaging free radicals. Evidence seems to tell us
that various kinds of accumulated DNA damage over time
contribute to disease. New research in mitochondrial repair
could play an important role in the fight against aging.

Errors and Repairs Theory

Dr. Leslie Orgel suggested in 1963 that because the “machinery
for making protein in cells is so essential, an error in that
machinery could be catastrophic.” Since the system is incapable
of always making perfect repairs on these molecules, the
accumulation of flawed molecules can cause disease and other age
changes to occur.

Redundant DNA Theory

This theory is similar to the error-and-repairs theory in that
it also blames errors accumulating in genes for age changes. A
difference is that as these errors accumulate the reserve
genetic sequences of identical DNA that take over until the
system is work out.

Source: The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All
health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care
professional.