Healthy Aging
Healthy Aging starts when you’re young. The behaviors you establish as you reach adulthood can have a huge effect on how you spend your “Golden Years”.
By 2030, over 70 million Americans will be 65 years or older. That’s 20% of the population. Americans are living longer and much of the increase in life expectancy is due to improved medical care and prevention efforts. These same factors have also shifted the leading causes of death away from infectious and acute illnesses to chronic disease and degenerative conditions.
While the risk of disease and disability increases with age, poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging. Studies continue to show that the way we spend our later years is often up to us. Healthy behaviors can dramatically decrease the risk of developing many chronic diseases.
Regular checkups by a primary care physician are key to good health throughout life. Blood sugar testing along with monitoring of blood pressure and cholesterol factors can provide early warning signs of a body system in need of attention. Diagnostic tools such as electrocardiograms, mammograms, prostate checks, and colonoscopies have proven to be invaluable tools for preventing later problems. Don’t forget the simple things such as getting a yearly flu shot and using sunscreen and sunglass when you’re outdoors.
Nothing takes the place of a healthy lifestyle in setting the stage for a vigorous later life. Eat a nutritious diet, exercise effectively, and stop smoking. Do something you enjoy every day. Remember, it’s never too late to begin a healthy life regimen. If you are tempted by anti-aging pills, diets, and other techniques that claim to postpone or reverse the aging process – Beware. If it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is. There’s no magic pill or quick fix.
Do your own research on aging so you know what to expect; then discuss the future with your Old Hook Medical provider. You’ll find that the OHM team is ready to stand behind you for a lifetime of wellness. www.oldhookmedical.com/our-doctors/
