Living Longer & Laughing Louder
Living Longer & Laughing Louder
An article in the May/June issue of AARP 2007 addresses quick ways to improve your health. Sid Kircheimer also wrote about this in the January/February 2007 issue. I find many of these recommendations remarkable and very much in agreement with much of the research I have done on "Eating Healthy."
While many of the suggestions are often made, and often ignored, they are consistent with the habits of many of the octogenarians I have known—don’t smoke, exercise regularly, manage weight, eat right–evidence is mounting that additional secrets to staying healthy may lie in simple strategies that play a big role in preventing disease, especially after the age of 50. At the top of the list is avoiding stress. Additional insights from the latest research detail six simple habits that can boost your immunity and safeguard your precious health.
1. Smile when you say that! Bob Hope made it to his 100th birthday and so did George Burns. Is that just by coincidence? Maybe not. Laughter releases endorphins,(endorphin >noun-- any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and causing an analgesic effect), those "feel good" hormones suspected of boosting immunity, and that may make you more resistant to disease, says Michael Irwin, M.D. of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and a former adviser for the federally funded National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine." "At the very least, laughter reduces stress hormones which we know have a bad effect on immunity," Irwin adds. The late cardiologist Lawrence Golden, M.D. believed in a "Walk and Talk" approach to stress–relief. Reader’s Digest Books, 2005 included an article by David Katz, M.D.,M.P.H. a preventive–medicine specialist at the Yale School of Public Health and co-author of Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying Disease-Fighting Habits Into Your Life Without Really Trying. The article was important because doctors used to think that hard-charging Type A’s were at a heightened risk for heart disease, but they have moved on from that position. "We now know that it’s having a so-called Type D personality–someone who bottles up emotions–that really causes an increased risk of heart disease and possibly cancer," Katz says.
A good belly laugh may be as important as a more intense form of exercise like jogging, notes Michael Miller, M.D. of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. As little as 15 minutes of laughter daily may help prevent a heart attack by expanding the lining of blood vessels to improve blood flow, Miller’s research suggests.
2. Pet Your Dog. Dog owners 50 and older see their doctors less often, have fewer illnesses and recover more quickly when they are sick than is the case with their critter-less counterparts. And the benefits go beyond the added exercise of regular walking your dog. "The simple act of petting an animal has been shown to lower blood pressure by inducing an instant relaxation response," says Alan Beck, ScD, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, Indiana. "and animal owners have a higher one-year survival rate following a heart attack, and have lower cholesterol levels, than those without pets–even when they have the same levels of exercise. Even watching fish has been found to help slow Alzheimer’s deterioration in some patients." So don’t sweat those vet bills; consider them an investment in you own good health.
3. Snooze instead of booze for longevity. A 20-year study found that older people who tossed and turned for 30 minutes or more at night were twice as likely to die during the study as those who fell asleep soon after hitting the pillow. "Sleep is a marker of a person’s overall well-being." notes study lead Mary Amanda Dew, PhD., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Poor sleep also increases hunger and impairs metabolism, which by themselves increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.
Some recommendations by the National Sleep Foundation reports: "Try sprinkling your just-washed pillowcases and bedding sheets with lavender water," suggests Katz. "It’s one of several aromas that might promote sleep." Other sleep-inducing scents include vanilla and green apple. Another option says Alan R. Hirsch, M.D. director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, is a pre-bedtime snack of walnuts, milk, or yogurt (watch the sugar content) which are rich in the amino acid tryptophan, a natural sleep inducer. Choose vanilla-flavored yogurt and you get the added advantage of its scent. My own study of food products has revealed vast differences in the nutrition contents of yogurt. I look for 6 ounce containers with less than 10 grams of sugar. Many of the yogurt brands have as much as 20 - 39 grams of sugar. Sugar at that range can cause acid-reflux and is not known as an ingredient that induces rest. All yogurt is not the same. I prefer to have tea and a English muffin for relaxation and steer clear of milk. However, I have found yogurt to be an effective relaxant in low-sugar brands (usually below 9 grams of sugar). Maximize your sleep by going to bed 30 minutes later than usual. "If you make yourself stay up a little longer, it increases your body’s need for sleep and you could fall asleep easier, Dew says.
4. Read a book. The more education you have, the healthier you are likely to be, studies show. My own experience with the Senior Tennis League is that the vast majority of elderly tennis players (80 - 90) are highly intelligent and led very successful lives while working. It’s not just because those with college degrees tend to have more money, which means more access to doctors and medicine, higher education is also linked to an ability to delay gratification which means a reduced involvement with smoking, anxiety, alcohol and other risky behaviors. "Read more. Follow current events and do other things to keep your mind as sharp as possible, says Michael Grossman, Ph.D. of the City University of New York. Networking with others and having an interest in people and having an inquisitive mind appear to be a hallmark of those who remain active in sports after 75. The love, affection, mutual caring and sharing that is so evident amongst the Senior Tennis League appears to help them deal with serious events in their lives in a manner that puts everything in its proper perspective. They also have the benefit of wisdom imparted to them from those who have been through similar crisis in their lives. Knowing that others have survived with such strength and good humor helps those about to experience a serious event to have hope and optimism.
5. Read a label. To manage your weight–and avoid scores of diseases caused by or worsened by obesity–pay attention to the ingredients in the prepared foods you eat. The fewer ingredients, experts say, the better. "Many processed foods actually use salt to conceal sugar and artificial flavors, and use sugar to conceal salt and other artificial flavors," says Katz, who also wrote The Flavor Point Diet: The Delicious, Breakthrough Plan to Turn Off Your Hunger and Lose the Weight for Good (Rodale, 2005). This explains why many popular pasta sauces found in any supermarket contain more sugar, calorie-for-calorie than ice-cream and why many cereals have more salt than potato chips.
Filling your belly with "whole foods such as unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains instead of overly processed foods, tricks appetite-controlling brain cells into feeling fuller faster on less food, Katz says.
6. Prayer, meditation, yoga and "soft style" tai chi, are excellent ways to improve flexibility and mood. Those who practice these are more resistant (than their peers who don’t) to shingles, a painful reactivation of the chicken pox virus, according to a recent study. Other studies found that practicing meditation can improve immunity against influenza and pneumonia (the eighth-leading cause of death). Researchers are exploring yoga, too, as a way to prevent fatigue and specific diseases.
The reason: These practices strengthen memory T cells, the white blood cells that fight recurrences of previously experienced infection, including some that can lie dormant for decades. You lose memory T cells as you age, but boosting their function can spare you a nasty return visit from an old foe. We can do better as a society if we address wellness and lifestyle from a healthy, common sense view than merely looking for the "Magic Pill."
An article in the May/June issue of AARP 2007 addresses quick ways to improve your health. Sid Kircheimer also wrote about this in the January/February 2007 issue. I find many of these recommendations remarkable and very much in agreement with much of the research I have done on "Eating Healthy."
While many of the suggestions are often made, and often ignored, they are consistent with the habits of many of the octogenarians I have known—don’t smoke, exercise regularly, manage weight, eat right–evidence is mounting that additional secrets to staying healthy may lie in simple strategies that play a big role in preventing disease, especially after the age of 50. At the top of the list is avoiding stress. Additional insights from the latest research detail six simple habits that can boost your immunity and safeguard your precious health.
1. Smile when you say that! Bob Hope made it to his 100th birthday and so did George Burns. Is that just by coincidence? Maybe not. Laughter releases endorphins,(endorphin >noun-- any of a group of hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and causing an analgesic effect), those "feel good" hormones suspected of boosting immunity, and that may make you more resistant to disease, says Michael Irwin, M.D. of UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine and a former adviser for the federally funded National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine." "At the very least, laughter reduces stress hormones which we know have a bad effect on immunity," Irwin adds. The late cardiologist Lawrence Golden, M.D. believed in a "Walk and Talk" approach to stress–relief. Reader’s Digest Books, 2005 included an article by David Katz, M.D.,M.P.H. a preventive–medicine specialist at the Yale School of Public Health and co-author of Stealth Health: How to Sneak Age-Defying Disease-Fighting Habits Into Your Life Without Really Trying. The article was important because doctors used to think that hard-charging Type A’s were at a heightened risk for heart disease, but they have moved on from that position. "We now know that it’s having a so-called Type D personality–someone who bottles up emotions–that really causes an increased risk of heart disease and possibly cancer," Katz says.
A good belly laugh may be as important as a more intense form of exercise like jogging, notes Michael Miller, M.D. of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. As little as 15 minutes of laughter daily may help prevent a heart attack by expanding the lining of blood vessels to improve blood flow, Miller’s research suggests.
2. Pet Your Dog. Dog owners 50 and older see their doctors less often, have fewer illnesses and recover more quickly when they are sick than is the case with their critter-less counterparts. And the benefits go beyond the added exercise of regular walking your dog. "The simple act of petting an animal has been shown to lower blood pressure by inducing an instant relaxation response," says Alan Beck, ScD, director of the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, Indiana. "and animal owners have a higher one-year survival rate following a heart attack, and have lower cholesterol levels, than those without pets–even when they have the same levels of exercise. Even watching fish has been found to help slow Alzheimer’s deterioration in some patients." So don’t sweat those vet bills; consider them an investment in you own good health.
3. Snooze instead of booze for longevity. A 20-year study found that older people who tossed and turned for 30 minutes or more at night were twice as likely to die during the study as those who fell asleep soon after hitting the pillow. "Sleep is a marker of a person’s overall well-being." notes study lead Mary Amanda Dew, PhD., a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Poor sleep also increases hunger and impairs metabolism, which by themselves increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.
Some recommendations by the National Sleep Foundation reports: "Try sprinkling your just-washed pillowcases and bedding sheets with lavender water," suggests Katz. "It’s one of several aromas that might promote sleep." Other sleep-inducing scents include vanilla and green apple. Another option says Alan R. Hirsch, M.D. director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, is a pre-bedtime snack of walnuts, milk, or yogurt (watch the sugar content) which are rich in the amino acid tryptophan, a natural sleep inducer. Choose vanilla-flavored yogurt and you get the added advantage of its scent. My own study of food products has revealed vast differences in the nutrition contents of yogurt. I look for 6 ounce containers with less than 10 grams of sugar. Many of the yogurt brands have as much as 20 - 39 grams of sugar. Sugar at that range can cause acid-reflux and is not known as an ingredient that induces rest. All yogurt is not the same. I prefer to have tea and a English muffin for relaxation and steer clear of milk. However, I have found yogurt to be an effective relaxant in low-sugar brands (usually below 9 grams of sugar). Maximize your sleep by going to bed 30 minutes later than usual. "If you make yourself stay up a little longer, it increases your body’s need for sleep and you could fall asleep easier, Dew says.
4. Read a book. The more education you have, the healthier you are likely to be, studies show. My own experience with the Senior Tennis League is that the vast majority of elderly tennis players (80 - 90) are highly intelligent and led very successful lives while working. It’s not just because those with college degrees tend to have more money, which means more access to doctors and medicine, higher education is also linked to an ability to delay gratification which means a reduced involvement with smoking, anxiety, alcohol and other risky behaviors. "Read more. Follow current events and do other things to keep your mind as sharp as possible, says Michael Grossman, Ph.D. of the City University of New York. Networking with others and having an interest in people and having an inquisitive mind appear to be a hallmark of those who remain active in sports after 75. The love, affection, mutual caring and sharing that is so evident amongst the Senior Tennis League appears to help them deal with serious events in their lives in a manner that puts everything in its proper perspective. They also have the benefit of wisdom imparted to them from those who have been through similar crisis in their lives. Knowing that others have survived with such strength and good humor helps those about to experience a serious event to have hope and optimism.
5. Read a label. To manage your weight–and avoid scores of diseases caused by or worsened by obesity–pay attention to the ingredients in the prepared foods you eat. The fewer ingredients, experts say, the better. "Many processed foods actually use salt to conceal sugar and artificial flavors, and use sugar to conceal salt and other artificial flavors," says Katz, who also wrote The Flavor Point Diet: The Delicious, Breakthrough Plan to Turn Off Your Hunger and Lose the Weight for Good (Rodale, 2005). This explains why many popular pasta sauces found in any supermarket contain more sugar, calorie-for-calorie than ice-cream and why many cereals have more salt than potato chips.
Filling your belly with "whole foods such as unprocessed fruits, vegetables and grains instead of overly processed foods, tricks appetite-controlling brain cells into feeling fuller faster on less food, Katz says.
6. Prayer, meditation, yoga and "soft style" tai chi, are excellent ways to improve flexibility and mood. Those who practice these are more resistant (than their peers who don’t) to shingles, a painful reactivation of the chicken pox virus, according to a recent study. Other studies found that practicing meditation can improve immunity against influenza and pneumonia (the eighth-leading cause of death). Researchers are exploring yoga, too, as a way to prevent fatigue and specific diseases.
The reason: These practices strengthen memory T cells, the white blood cells that fight recurrences of previously experienced infection, including some that can lie dormant for decades. You lose memory T cells as you age, but boosting their function can spare you a nasty return visit from an old foe. We can do better as a society if we address wellness and lifestyle from a healthy, common sense view than merely looking for the "Magic Pill."
posted by Stan Kent at
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