Aging -disease and treament

AGING

 You may be surprised to find aging included in our list of diseases. Doctors really do not know whether or not aging is a disease or a natural phenomenon. The scientific study of aging (gerontology) and of diseases of the aged (geriatrics) is still in its infancy. It may be many years before scientists learn enough about aging mechanisms to answer the question of whether aging is normal or abnormal. In the meantime, most of us assume that aging is part of the divine or natural scheme of life. In our country, when a person is not afflicted with a grave disease, he still rarely lives be- yond age 100, and usually 110 seems to be the limit, although there are reports from India and Siberia of some people living as long as 150 years. So-called normal aging brings changes in many parts of the body.

The skin becomes less firm and elastic and develops wrinkles; vital organs such as heart, kidneys, and brain lose some of their cells so they have less reserve capacity; bones tend to thin out and lose strength and resilience; the endocrine (including the sex) glands tend to become less active. In women, the ovaries stop functioning, the uterus decreases in size, and the vagina tends to lose its softness and elasticity. In the male, the prostate gland enlarges. Fortunately, the muscles hold up rather well throughout life if exercised adequately. 

Despite the many changes, there still is adequate function left to sustain a good life in almost all aged people. However, the man of 85 should recognize that his heart cannot respond as quickly to sudden demands and the brain is not quite as finely tuned an instrument as it was in younger years. Older people learn to adapt by cutting down physical demands, reading more carefully, paying closer attention to names when being introduced. Few people live to 100 or 110. Atherosclerosis (especially its effect on the heart) and cancer are the deadly enemies of the aged. High blood pres- sure, diabetes, kidney diseases, tuberculosis, emphysema, pneumonia, accidents, and liver disease also claim too many victims. Many of these diseases are preventable or curable, and it is a pity that so many older persons succumb unnecessarily.

This book has been written in the hope that the information it provides, especially the stress on prevention of disease and disability, will bring many more people into the older years free of illness and able to enjoy living. We suggest that everyone read the sections on the ill- nesses just mentioned. There seems little point to living to advanced age if one is chronically disabled or handicapped. Every effort should be made to keep the eyes in good condition, hearing at its best, and to avoid the unpleasantness of hernia, backache, find other nonfatal but annoying and sometimes disabling conditions. 

The skin should be kept in good shape and the hair as lustrous as possible (see our chapter on skin and hair). Some older men feel happier with a hairpiece, some when they dye their hair; many women tint hair, one use wigs to make their hair seem more abundant. If these supplements 10 nature add to happiness, why not use them? There are some medical conditions that make a person age prematurely. Among these are hypothyroidism (low function of the thyroid gland), pernicious anemia, and a vitamin deficiency called pellagra. At your regular medical checkups, your doctor can watch for onset of any of these and correct them if they occur.