Wellness

[hckynut]

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@Vnoodleann wrote:

This kind of pseudo-science is vexing.

The article makes clear that the investigators couldn't account for why certain seniors lost brain volume at a slower rate than others. No accounting for it. None. Nada. Zilch.

It did say that "While there's currently no proven method to preserve cortex volume, research has shown specific lifestyle changes that seniors can perform to help keep themselves sharp as they age, Kornel and Wright said...."

Keeping yourself "sharp" as you age is not the same as preserving brain volume. The article certainly does not suggest a causal link, that if you embrace the lifestyle guidelines listed, you'll wind up with a better-preserved brain. Instead, it uses the old passive voice weasel phrase, "research has shown..." to endorse general healty lifestyle modifications that have no proven correlation to brain volume.

That and a buck will buy you something off the dollar board at McDonald's.

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@noodleann

Other than pessimism, what's your point? Your very last sentence assured me which one of the half full/half empty side you subscribe. 

I have met and have some friends that believe "life will be what it will be, regardless of how you choose to live it". That and their very favorite: "when your time's up, it's up". I just love hearing that one, especially when I have heard it in the hospital on the Heart Floor. If they so strongly believe that theory, why are you here?

hckynut(john)

[Trinity11]

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

My parents stayed "sharp and alert" well into their 90s.  I'm in my 70s and expect to do the same.   Our family's "secret" is to avoid doctors unless absolutely necessary.

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Waiting could mean a Stage 4 cancer or a heart attack you never live to talk about. Preventative care is paramount to a longer life.

[hckynut]

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

My parents stayed "sharp and alert" well into their 90s.  I'm in my 70s and expect to do the same.   Our family's "secret" is to avoid doctors unless absolutely necessary.

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@ALRATIBA

While genetics can play a role in longevity, and maybe even being healthy and fit, most of those years. You seem to be ignoring other facts of ones mortality. Hey, if because your parents stayed "sharp and alert", you somehow you think your genetics is somehow going to override so many other Major Risk Factors?It's your life and your choices not mine.

Here are my "genetics" facts. My mother/her mother and her father/all 6 of her brothers, died of heart disease. None of the 6 brothers lived to be 60, all died of heart related diseases. While I have had 2 heart attacks(1 at 64 the other at 68), way older than the male genetics predicted.

Here at am pushing 78 in a couple months, and in better physical and mental shape as many others much younger than myself. Did genetics get me? YES IT DID, BUT! Because of how I chose to live my life, none of the 8 life threatening issues I've experienced,  I have still alive and well.

Had I not heeded and eliminated all the Major Risks of Heart Disease possible? 

hckynut(john)

[151949]

I think more than anything the key to healthy aging is in your genes.

[Mmsfoxxie]

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@qvcaddition wrote:

@Mmsfoxxie

You don,t need a lot of people around, you just need to be present in the today with you.  Be your own best friend.  I wish I were turning 70, yet at the time, I got sad for about a week, then told myself make everyday count for me.  Try to keep the negative talkers out.  Only you can make yourself happy.  I also, though not religious, read passages from the bible every morning before I start my day.  The book of psalms my favorite.  This is not for everyone, just helps me.  A little secret, I have a very big family, but rarely see or hear from anyone, just one son and half sister.  So it is up to me to live happy a nd be my own best friend.  Try to volunteer if you are able, but make sure something you enjoy, not just for the sake of volunteering.  It is rewarding, but in a lot of cases, I,'ve tried many, thankless.  You need to find your niche.  If staying home and enjoying that is your niche, that,s OK.  Whatever makes YOU HAPPY AND CONTENT.Good luck, enjoy life.

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@qvcaddition, thank you so much for your words of wisdom!

[ALRATIBA]

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@hckynut wrote:

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

My parents stayed "sharp and alert" well into their 90s.  I'm in my 70s and expect to do the same.   Our family's "secret" is to avoid doctors unless absolutely necessary.

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@ALRATIBA

While genetics can play a role in longevity, and maybe even being healthy and fit, most of those years. You seem to be ignoring other facts of ones mortality. Hey, if because your parents stayed "sharp and alert", you somehow you think your genetics is somehow going to override so many other Major Risk Factors?It's your life and your choices not mine.

 ......

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@hckynut 

I'll be 75 in two months.  I last saw my doctor four years ago for a back pain issue.  She sent me to a physical therapist.   Even she tells me to avoid doctors ... that I'm "young for my age" and healthy.)

[panda1234]

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@qvcaddition wrote:

@Mmsfoxxie

You don,t need a lot of people around, you just need to be present in the today with you.  Be your own best friend.  I wish I were turning 70, yet at the time, I got sad for about a week, then told myself make everyday count for me.  Try to keep the negative talkers out.  Only you can make yourself happy.  I also, though not religious, read passages from the bible every morning before I start my day.  The book of psalms my favorite.  This is not for everyone, just helps me.  A little secret, I have a very big family, but rarely see or hear from anyone, just one son and half sister.  So it is up to me to live happy a nd be my own best friend.  Try to volunteer if you are able, but make sure something you enjoy, not just for the sake of volunteering.  It is rewarding, but in a lot of cases, I,'ve tried many, thankless.  You need to find your niche.  If staying home and enjoying that is your niche, that,s OK.  Whatever makes YOU HAPPY AND CONTENT.Good luck, enjoy life.

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Well said

[hckynut]

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

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@hckynut wrote:

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

My parents stayed "sharp and alert" well into their 90s.  I'm in my 70s and expect to do the same.   Our family's "secret" is to avoid doctors unless absolutely necessary.

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@ALRATIBA

While genetics can play a role in longevity, and maybe even being healthy and fit, most of those years. You seem to be ignoring other facts of ones mortality. Hey, if because your parents stayed "sharp and alert", you somehow you think your genetics is somehow going to override so many other Major Risk Factors?It's your life and your choices not mine.

 ......

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@hckynut 

She sent me to a physical therapist.   Even she tells me to avoid doctors ... that I'm "young for my age" and healthy.)

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@ALRATIBA

Whatever you are comfortable with is fine with me. As I said in my other post, it's your life and choices.

hckynut(john)

[noodleann]

I have intimate experience with brain volume loss because I suffer from it thanks to a neurological disease. It's irreversible, and just knowing it's happening is depressing as all get-out, so I don't think about it.

A fake news story like this that intimates some "solution" to the problem of mental acuity in the aging brain and specifically mentions, repeatedly, brain volume loss, is like a cruel joke when what it delivers is yet more "we don't know nuthin" and the usual lifestyle sop.

If you haven't seen the dark spaces in your brain on MRIs, don't judge my reaction, because you don't know what it's like. This story is more a taunt than anything constructive. I know it was not the OP's intention, but then, you never know what the people who are reading are dealing with. That's why the diabetes and other medical threads get so heated. Shared experiences specific to the problem, not some other body part or disease, and not globalized nostrums, are most helpful in the absence of meaningful medical information.

[ROMARY]

Knowing and meeting many other folks' (in their late nineties) doctors throughout the years, all of them (so far) (surprisingly to me) said 'genes'.   Not 'this', not 'that', but 'genes'.  So, genes must have at least something to do with it, I guess.  ................................Also, this must be why I have confidence that the future will bring good news regarding the study of genes, and possibly re-arranging those genes, and whatever else can be done with and to them ahead of time.   The possibilities are endless, in my mind.    EDITED to say that I'm talking about folks in their late nineties who really didn't pay much attention (more or less) to 'healthy lifestyle' 'this and that'.  Loved their treats/sweets.  Loved their chocolates.  Love their bakery goodies.  Loved to bake 'this and that'.  Although most had fairly balanced meals, but included their various daily treats.  In other words, these folks (who I knew/know) never refused cookies or desserts.   Well, it's just my observations throughout the years.  I'm inquisitive, and always seem ask seniors about what they like and don't like.   What their daily lifestyle was; what they enjoyed doing during their long lives.  Very interesting, to say the least.  I've always loved seniors and have learned a lot from them throughout the years. .