I recently participated in a health fair different from any other I had previously attended. It wasn’t the usual “getting your blood pressure checked with lines of people waiting to get tested,” but rather more like the LA County Fair Exhibition Halls with booths, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations and educational opportunities. It was quite festive and provided all-day participation.
Like most health fairs, it attracted the over-50 crowd, but I also noticed a few babies and small children in attendance. Most of the 20 to 30-year-olds were volunteers. The event focused on living healthy, with programs devoted to exercise, dancing, movement of all types, eating well and planning your future. I spoke with a man in the retirement living industry who said that his company promotes healthy living to keep people in their own communities longer, since they have maxed out their units and don’t plan on building more. It made me think about when I might need such services, and I started to wonder if there would be a place for me to go. The thought reinforced my intention to plan ahead and do everything I can to stay healthy. We have been told that Social Security will run out before the Baby Boomers can benefit from it, as will Medicare, mostly because there won’t be enough younger people to support the aging population. It follows that there won’t be enough caretakers to help an aging population that outnumbers them. I thought of the 97-year-old physician from Japan who felt our retirement age of 65 was based on statistical data from 50 years ago when the average lifespan was 67. He thought that since we now live well into our 80s, we should revise our retirement age to late 70s or older. I always felt that I would want to work until I die, since I like my work and feel it is my “excuse” to be with others. Plus, I don’t think I can afford to stop working with the economy the way it is. Nevertheless, I want to be one of those fortunate people who can choose whether or not to retire, and not be forced into retirement for health reasons or because of someone else’s decision. Thousands of people attended this event, and I had encounters with friends, past patients and people seeking proactive solutions for themselves and others. My husband commented to an old friend that he looked younger and healthier than the last time they had met. It turned out this friend had given up a 5-pack-per-day cigarette habit and had also quit drinking alcohol. An old high school classmate who made a mid-career change was much happier as a result, and looked young and vibrant. Many retirees looked young and active and were still engaged in community activity as well as physical exercise, but admitted they couldn’t take the stress of their jobs anymore. Many people sought pain relief solutions and numerous booths promoted various products or services. One massage therapist commented to me that a person has a lot of choices if they are willing to change their lifestyle habits, which is also a belief I share and one that the health fair also promoted. I hope this type of event continues so it reaches more people and reinforces the idea of “lifestyle change.” It should also be geared to younger populations, especially school kids and young adults, while they are able to change the course of their lives and can start including healthy habits that delay the onset of degenerative changes. Then people will live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
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Yonemoto Physical Therapy published a newsletter “The Aches and Pains of Aging” that can be found in the newsletter archives. Aging can present itself in different ways and have many different symptoms. There are ways to help prevent the effects of aging by changing how you view life, change your lifestyle, incorporate exercise for the body and mind.
Learn more about aging and solutions by reading “The Aches and Pains of Aging” which covers:
Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, an 97-year-old physician, offers some words to live by. An article in the “Japan Times” written by J. Kawaguchi described a 97-year-old physician, Shigeaki Hinohara, who has a legendary healing touch. Dr. Hinohara started a hospital and nursing school in Tokyo. Some of his sage advice is worth repeating here. Energy comes from feeling good, not necessarily from eating well or sleeping a lot. He reminds us how children often forget to eat or sleep when having fun, and advises adults to adopt this same attitude of living life. A common characteristic of people who live long lives, no matter their nationality, gender, religious beliefs or profession, is that none are overweight. Always plan ahead. He keeps his schedule full and has plans until 2014, with speaking engagements, work projects and appointments. It helps you look forward to the future. Cultivate an attitude of not needing to retire, at least not too soon, preferably much later than age 65. He said the current retirement age in Japan was based upon life expectancy about 50 years ago when people lived on the average to 68 and there were only 125 people who lived to be 100. Now, women live to 86 and men to 80, with 36,000 people living to 100. Share what you know. I would add, it should be useful information that will build the wisdom of the community. Dr. Hinohara still delivers 150 lectures a year, 60-90 minutes in duration, while standing the entire time to stay strong. When doctors recommend tests or surgery, he advises you ask the doctor if this would be his recommendation to his/her family/friends. Dr. Hinohara feels there are limits to medicine, and suggests surgery may cause unnecessary pain. He also feels there is great therapeutic benefit with animals and music which could be used instead. To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. He has received great inspiration from Robert Browning, the poet, who encourages us to make big art, not scribbles. Draw a big circle so huge there is no way we can finish it while we are alive and all we can see is an arch, with the rest beyond our vision, but still there in the distance. Use fun to forget about pain. Don’t be crazy about amassing material things, because you can’t take it with you. Be prepared for disasters and plan ahead. Science alone can’t cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique and diseases are connected to the heart. To know illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones. Life is filled with incidents, so expect them and deal with them as best you can. He related a hijacking experience on a domestic flight where he was handcuffed to his seat for 4 days in high heat. He viewed the whole experience as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis. Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could. When you encounter a problem you can’t easily solve, ask the question, what would they do? After age 65 (I ask why not earlier?), strive to contribute to society. I was encouraged by a recent article in the LA Times about millionaires who amassed their fortunes in the high tech industry and are in their twenties and thirties. Many of them are living modestly and using their newfound wealth to fund projects to help schools and communities and creating new jobs. It gives me great hope for the future. These are good words to live by. I hope I am as lucky as Dr. Hinohara and live a long, productive and useful life. Read the original article on the Japan Times Online: Author/physician Shigeaki Hinohara August 6, 2011 9AM-1PM at the Alhambra First Baptist Church 101 S Atlantic Blvd. Yonemoto Physical Therapy will be participating in the City of Alhambra Health Fair. We hope to see you there! The Alhambra Hospital Medical Center will be offering screenings and information about the following: – Blood pressure – Diabetes – Cholesterol – Osteoporosis – Stroke The USC School of Pharmacy will offer Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services. So bring your medications or list! – Improve your understanding – Learn how to increase your safety – Reach your therapy goals The Alhambra Police Dept, Alhambra Firefighters, 3M Miracle Marrow Match, and Allied Physicians of California will also be participating. Event Details: Alhambra First Baptist Church 101 S Atlantic Blvd. Alhambra, CA 91801 You can call Mayor Gary Yamauchi at (626) 524-4516 for additional information. Providing a healthy environment before and after birth will help give your baby the best start in life. Many moons ago while studying jaw problems and skull development, I learned breast feeding is very different than bottle feeding. The mechanics of breast feeding, for the child, requires more lower jaw movement, like a drawer going out and in, which provides active strengthening of muscles in the face. The mother’s nipple also flattens and gets reshaped so the baby can express milk out of the breast. It has a broader, flatter appearance than what we see with the typical bottle nipple, which is round and bulbous. The nipple fills the baby’s upper palate and the sucking action provides an upward pressure to help shape the face. This affects the formation of the bite, possibly the eye socket, and pressures in the head, face and mouth. I recalled this information while attending a recent lecture by Dr. Richard Gorris, DDS. He also gave additional information concerning the development of a baby’s skull. He said the skull develops in 3 areas: upper third, middle third and lower third of the head. Refined sugar can alter the rate of growth of these different segments, particularly the upper and middle thirds, so they don’t grow evenly. This can affect vision, as the 6 muscles controlling eyeball movement attach on both segments. He also stated lauric acid, an amino acid essential for growth and development of the brain, is highest in human milk. The next closest milk to human is goat’s milk, followed by coconut milk. We have all heard how drugs the mother ingests during pregnancy affects the developing fetus. These include alcohol, prescription medications, caffeine and over-the-counter drugs. Dr. Gorris said combining certain foods can also produce narcotic-like drugs in the body, which can equally damage the fetus. One example was ingesting gluten, a non-soluble protein found in grains, with casein, another non-soluble protein found in dairy. He was describing pizza, which is made with a high-gluten wheat flour and cheese! Providing a healthy environment before and after birth will help give the baby the best start in life. Perhaps it could even maximize brain development, create an appetite for healthy foods, optimize healthy vision, prevent jaw problems, improve digestive tract function, and maintain a healthy immune system. So consider eating fresh fruits and vegetables, drinking adequate amounts of water, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly for good circulation, strength and flexibility, and engaging in happy, social activity for a lifelong habit leading to good health. |
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