Changes in Aging
Biologic changes: "Health in the later years is an accumulated product of your life before," says geriatrician Dr Denise Eldemire Shearer. "Most of the illnesses in the later years are lifestyle-related and prevention is very important."
Concurrent with physical ageing - which all woman looked at last week - is biological ageing which, combined with the physical, our heredity and lifestyle habits, governs the functions of the body's organs and systems as we grow older. The biological changes of ageing, Dr Eldemire Shearer continues, include:
. Decrease in total body water: which combined with shrinking of the sweat glands, causes an increase in the dryness and wrinkling of the skin and makes it more susceptible to disease and injury. Drinking several glasses of water daily and caring for the skin with oils and lotions (whole body, not just arms and legs, men as well as women) are good habits to cultivate. Coconut oil works just as well as the expensive ones.
. Thickening and hardening of heart valves and arteries: which means that the heart rate is decreased and the heart pumps less blood with each beat. There is also decreased blood flow to the organs such as the kidneys, so the toxins which they filter stay in the body longer. Good nutrition, regular moderate exercise and a reduction or elimination of the toxins we take in such as cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs, should ensure good organ health.
. Decreased brain weight and reduction in the number of brain cells: resulting in a slower response time for some nervous system functions. A slight lessening of mental sharpness and quickness and short term memory are normal ageing-related changes and do not interfere with normal brain function. Using a diary, writing things down and allowing yourself or the older person time to process information helps in this area. Any noticeable reduction in mental functioning, however, must be checked with your doctor as it is not a normal feature of ageing.
. Reduction in
Concurrent with physical ageing - which all woman looked at last week - is biological ageing which, combined with the physical, our heredity and lifestyle habits, governs the functions of the body's organs and systems as we grow older. The biological changes of ageing, Dr Eldemire Shearer continues, include:
. Decrease in total body water: which combined with shrinking of the sweat glands, causes an increase in the dryness and wrinkling of the skin and makes it more susceptible to disease and injury. Drinking several glasses of water daily and caring for the skin with oils and lotions (whole body, not just arms and legs, men as well as women) are good habits to cultivate. Coconut oil works just as well as the expensive ones.
. Thickening and hardening of heart valves and arteries: which means that the heart rate is decreased and the heart pumps less blood with each beat. There is also decreased blood flow to the organs such as the kidneys, so the toxins which they filter stay in the body longer. Good nutrition, regular moderate exercise and a reduction or elimination of the toxins we take in such as cigarettes, alcohol and other drugs, should ensure good organ health.
. Decreased brain weight and reduction in the number of brain cells: resulting in a slower response time for some nervous system functions. A slight lessening of mental sharpness and quickness and short term memory are normal ageing-related changes and do not interfere with normal brain function. Using a diary, writing things down and allowing yourself or the older person time to process information helps in this area. Any noticeable reduction in mental functioning, however, must be checked with your doctor as it is not a normal feature of ageing.
. Reduction in