Breaking the Mold, Part 2

The Baby Boomers are just starting to retire or at least qualify for senior discounts. But their own parents are more than likely moving into assisted living facilities or nursing homes. That means savings accounts are being drained. Inheritances are drying up. And health problems are becoming overwhelmingly complicated. To make matters worse, resources are few and far between. Our parents need our help, but who is helping us?

As middle-aged children of the elderly, it’s hard not to feel the pinch of being in these “parent traps.” How do we get out? After Katrina, who expects much help from the federal government? Long-term care insurance is one answer, but the Los Angeles Times just ran a major piece focusing on the difficulties some people are having collecting on their policies. (You can read it here.)

To paraphrase Sir Francis Bacon, knowledge is powerful. We need to share information and experiences, and become aware of the perils, pitfalls and possibilities we’re all facing. Maintaining our own health as we grow older has to be one of our highest priorities. In order to break the mold for growing old, we’ll have to work at it. Fortunately, we’ve got science on our side. Anti-aging research is a hot topic in the medical world. So what can you do to slow the aging process? A lot, actually.

Here’s one suggestion. Get moving. Medical experts seldom agree on anything, but when it comes to exercise, the majority of anti-aging specialists put physical activity at the top of the list. Forget about extreme sports, marathons or Iron Man events. Just go for a walk. Do it every day. Take the dog. (And if you don’t have a dog, get one – people who live with pets are way healthier than those who don’t. More on this later.) Just remember – being active is important. Really important. One recent study noted that sedentary lifestyles are now overtaking smoking as a cause of death, claiming something like 300,000 lives each year.

Aging well also requires some knowledge about eating well. That’s something else you’ll find here – short, easy-to-read reports on food, supplements and lifestyle research, and interviews with medical experts whenever possible. For now, all you need to remember is this: The Standard American Diet, with the apt acronym SAD, is literally killing people. Billions of dollars are spent each year treating chronic health conditions that are clearly linked to junk and processed foods, not to mention the excess pounds this kind of daily diet creates. And once you understand which foods promote good health and which ones don’t, eating well becomes much easier.

Here’s one quick way to age-proof your diet – curry up! A number of studies have shown that curry dishes, made with the spice turmeric, reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Curry is a popular ingredient in Indian cooking, and it’s worth noting that India has the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world.

Curcuminoids, compounds extracted from turmeric, are hugely popular in medical research right now, but unlike some promising substances, they are easily obtained, both from food and supplements. Example: Curcumin C3 Complex®, from Sabinsa Corp., was used in a recent UCLA study on curcuminoids and Alzheimer’s. (In the interests of full disclosure, I am not endorsing the product, nor do I receive anything at all for mentioning them. I’m simply relaying the information from the study, which was published in the October 9, 2006, issue of Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.)

Stay tuned…there’s much more to come!