The Challenge of Aging

Dementia and Challenging the Mind

As we live longer, there are risks to your health if you don’t stay healthy. Dementia is one such risk. Dementia is a loss of cognitive function due to disease or trauma. This affects decision-making, memory, reasoning and communication. The changes can come over you slowly or very quickly. It may be reversible depending on how the changes occur or if you suffer from an incurable disease like Alzheimer’s. While this can be genetic, evidence has shown that a healthy lifestyle is your best defense.

The National Institute for Neurological Studies categorizes different types of Dementia:

"Cortical dementia - dementia where the brain damage primarily affects the brain's cortex, or outer layer. Cortical dementias tend to cause problems with memory, language, thinking, and social behavior.

Subcortical dementia - dementia that affects parts of the brain below the cortex. Subcortical dementia tends to cause changes in emotions and movement in addition to problems with memory.

Progressive dementia - dementia that gets worse over time, gradually interfering with more and more cognitive abilities.

Primary dementia - dementia such as AD that does not result from any other disease.

Secondary dementia - dementia that occurs as a result of a physical disease or injury."

In a study from Group Health Research Institute one doctor is quoted saying:

" 'We considered blood glucose levels far into the normal (nondiabetic) range, and even there found an association between higher glucose levels and dementia risk,' Paul K Crane, MD associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, and affiliate investigator at the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle"

This got me thinking on ways to help prevent Dementia. In an article on webMD they list eight ways to help protect you from dementia. They are as follows:

1.      Stay Physically Active – keep your brain oxygenated.

2.      Challenge Your Mind – keep your brain exercised with reading or puzzles.

3.      Eat a Vegetable and Fruit Diet – antioxidants can be found in many foods and they are beneficial to the brain.

4.      Control Blood Pressure – damage to blood vessels will inhibit oxygen flow to the brain.

5.      Keep Blood Sugar Levels Normal – diabetes has been linked to a decline in mental flexibility.

6.      Keep Cholesterol in Check – high levels can damage brain cells.

7.      Take Depression Seriously – depression can permanently alter the brain by inflammation.

8.      Stay Connected – friends and family are a benefit to your mind body and soul.

At Health Communities I found some excellent exercises to stave off dementia. Some of them are:

·        Reading

·        Brain Teasers

·        Pets

·        Cooking

·        Volunteering

·        Lectures

·        Writing

The causes of Dementia are varied, from Alzheimer’s to Multi-infarct disease, which is a series of strokes that affect cognition. Late stage Syphilis, alcoholism and chronic drug use as well as metabolic disorders like low thyroid levels or high blood sugar levels are also linked to Dementia. All in all, it pays to stay wholly healthy by considering all dimensions of health!

Environmental Health

Garbage Island is not a myth. Opera did a small story on it here.
I found a really informative video done by vice. You should watch it today!

The problem begins at the top of the production chain. Virgin pellets to bottle caps make their way to the ocean and accumulate in the “pacific swirl” called the gyre and is over twice the size of Texas. 

It breaks down into microscopic pieces that invade everywhere. Not only does it block gasses, it gets consumed by sea life.

Bioaccumulation – toxic substance accumulated in various tissues of a living organism. It has become a synthetic environment. 

Industrial chemicals are interrupting the genetics of the ocean life affecting reproduction. A plastic soup that is over 6 to 1 ratio of plastic to life, fish and birds are attracted to the red and orange micro plastics and eat them.

When plastics break down they become a sponge for the persistent organic pollutants or poisonous chemicals like DDT. They become more toxic the smaller they get.

 “Persistent organic pollutants are chemical substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment” United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP)

The island is not a tangible garbage dump, but swirled in the ocean like a plastic soup, a composition of the ocean that is near inescapable. There is no policing the waters, how do we clean it up or enforce pollution laws? 

In 1997 the UNEP approximated 6.4 million tons of marine litter worldwide per year are dumped into the ocean. 

Possible solutions? Control the runoff. Comb it out of the Ocean. Boycott non recyclable plastic. We must change the way we think in order to solve this problem!

Here is some more information from National Geographic.  

A New Way of Life

Cancer survives on Sugar so Avoid it if you can!

Here is the video AntiCancer

Health Care

Inexpensive Care Facilities can be found in North County at: 

Fallbrook Family Health Center (Medical & Dental)

593 Elder St Ste B Fallbrook

760-451-2912

Free Clinic Project of San Diego (Medical)

UCSD Dep Fam & Prev Med La Jolla

858-534-6110

North county Health Services (Medical & Dental)

217 E Earlham Ramona

760-789-1223

San Marcos Community Health Center (Medical & Dental)

150 Valpreda Rd San Marcos

760-736-6794

Planned Parenthood (Medical)

347 W Mission Ave Escondido

1820 Marron Rd Ste 110 Carlsbad

Toll Free 888-743-7526

Vista Community Clinic (Medical & Dental)

1000 Vale Terrace ste 202 Vista

760-631-5000

Neighborhood Healthcare (Dental)

425 N Date St Ste 129 Escondido

760-737-2018

The Immune System

How does psychological wellness affect the immune system?

In the Psychological Journal, The Immune System as a Sensory System: Implications for Psychology, they state that the brain and immune system are connected. They both function with each other. This means that the immune system can be influenced by and on psychological processes. In the journal they state, “Recent work shows that the products of immune cells released in response to infection and tissue injury potently alter neural activity, thereby regulating behavior, mood, and cognition.” This network illuminates psychological effects. Within hours these processes affect each other. They also state, “It is important to understand that these changes are adaptive responses that promote recovery from infection, and not reflections of weaknesses produced by illness”.  There is a direct link to the immune system and psychological wellness through proteins called Cytokines. They transmit information to the brain, and it responds accordingly. It has been found that the immune system and stressors behave in similar fashions. They both activate the sympathetic nervous system, and behave in similar ways such as eliciting restraint.

Since our fight or flight responses need certain systems to properly function, some need to be shut down to deal with the stressor that triggers it. In the journal, Current Directions in Psychological Science, they take a look at how stress affects the immune system. Depending on the circumstance, these two systems work together to respond to the threat. It is a balancing act of sorts. In the journal they state “Exposure to stressful experiences can diminish a variety of immune functions”. The lymphocytes are affected and thereby cause a reduction in immune responses. It has also been found that stress can induce a psychological state. Among laboratory animals, depressive behaviors were cataloged after stress was introduced. The system can become damaged with too much stress. They say, “For example, evidence suggests that chronic exposure to stressors or distress can cause atrophy in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, resulting in memory loss. Chronic exposure to stressful circumstances has also been shown to increases vulnerability to upper respiratory infections in individuals exposed to a virus”.

Psychological wellness has an effect on the immune system. In fact, they are linked together and work with each other to deal with life. When we are under psychological stress, many immune functions can be weakened. It pays to stay psychologically healthy! 

Life's Greatest Miracle Reflection

     This film was about the difficult journey that humans must traverse to further their genetic future. It is a close up look inside the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, and uterus documenting the difficulties of conception. It details the entire journey of the birth of a child.

It begins with an egg being released, ovulation normally occurs 14 days prior to menstruation.



Sperm can live up to 7 days in the uterus. 

The journey continues with conception: The egg is released form the ovary and has just 24 hours to become fertilized. This happens in the Fallopian tube.

 Once the egg and sperm meet, they begin forming cells that will keep dividing.

They journey down the Fallopian tube and end up in the uterus, where they embed in the wall of the uterus to continue forming the new child.

Through the three stages of pregnancy both the mother and child go through many changes.

Most of the building steps take place in the first two trimesters leaving the third to let the baby grow.    

 I find the whole process of cells splitting and forming a complex life form interesting.

     If you want to take an in depth look on the process of a baby forming within the mother, this is a great place to start --> Life's Greatest Miracle 

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Reflection on “Bully” the movie

     This film evokes many emotions. It is a documentary on the effects of Bullying on children in schools. It details the lives of several children, and the results they and their families endured due to bullying on school grounds, and elsewhere. I recommend everyone to watch this film as it opens eyes to an everyday fact and can direct you to better educate yourself and your kids to resist bullying.

Here is the link: The Bully Projcet

     While watching this film I have to say, I shed a few tears. I have felt the effects of bullying from classmates and siblings, even bosses and so felt empathic to their situation. I am thankful that I was not a shy person, or suffering from low self-esteem, even though I was labeled geek, dork and other derogatory terms while suffering through grade and high school. The way I personally dealt with this unfortunate side effect of being different was to confront the bully. This confrontational attitude detered them from feelings of superiority and control and gave them the message that it would be difficult to continue that behavior.
     I wondered how the parents could be so oblivious to the plight of their child, given his demeanor and attitude. Unfortunately, the death of their child woke them up to action, and I am glad they are seeking to educate other kids and parents of the dangers of bullying. The one story about the child who acquiesced to the abuse of others under the idea that bad friends were better than no friends really saddened me. No one should have to choose this, and even though it is human nature to avoid that which is different, if parents educated their children better this would likely happen less. Tolerance is the key factor in suppressing this form of abusive behavior.

 

    This is definitely a public health concern as it attacks all ages with detrimental effects. There are long term effects on the psychological health of those being bullied.  

Harvard health states in regard to children:

 ” Victims of chronic childhood bullying are more likely to develop depression or think about suicide as adults compared with those who weren't bullied, while former bullies are more likely to be convicted of criminal charges.” - See more at Harvard Health

The Psychiatric times states:

“Bullying is recognized as a major public health problem in the Western world, and it appears to have devastating consequences. Cyber bullying has become an increasing public concern in light of recent cases associated with youth suicides that have been reported in the mass media. Most of the studies that have examined the association between bullying and suicidality have been cross-sectional. Those studies show that bullying behavior in youth is associated with depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts. These associations have been found in elementary school, middle school, and high school students. Moreover, victims of bullying consistently exhibit more depressive symptoms than non-victims; they have high levels of suicidal ideation and are more likely to attempt suicide than non-victims”. - See more at: Psychiatric Times

It goes beyond bullying at school, and dives into the adult realm of work. The Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Norway has this to say:

“Several studies based on interviews with victims have stressed the serious negative impact bullying may have on both health and wellbeing. Although negative effects of bullying and harassment at work may also be observed on an organizational level, most of our research on effects has been on the individual victims of workplace bullying. However, in our study among Norwegian union members, 27% claimed that harassment had influenced negatively on the productivity of their organization”- See more at Univerity of Bergen

I feel that we can work as a society to combat bullying in the following ways.

First, we must teach our children to stand up to a bully. This may include not only reporting the abuse to teachers, parents and other authority figures, but literally informing the bully that they are not having an effect on the victim. If this does not work, and the bully is abusively persistent, the first step should be to have a meeting in a neutral zone between parents and children of both sides. If a solution can not be reached, then it should be up to the parents of the abused child to seek legal action against the perpetrator in the form of a restraining order or formal legal charges.

Secondly, we should teach all children to be tolerant to the differences of others. Each individual has abilities that others may also have even if there are vast differences as well. There is usually some kind of common ground to begin open communication with. Teaching children to be cooperative will have positive effects on their lives.  

 

Lastly, we should look into the causes that make people bully in the first place. Often times it is because they are bullied or oppressed in some way. If we implement programs for those individuals that have urges to behave this way, we might stave off the effects on other unsuspecting innocents.

Aha Moments

Taking Charge of your Health

There are 6 dimensions of wellness: Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Interpersonal, Spiritual, and Environmental. I once thought wellness was merely physical, mental and emotional. I like that this horizon has broadened!

Vital Statistics: for a lifespan of 77.9 years, 66.2 years of living healthy, and 11.7 years of living impaired. Wow, that is a lot of impaired years! Quality is much more important than quantity.

Stress The Constant Challenge

General Adaptation Syndrome: Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion. I find it amazing that the body can cope with stress in the Resistance phase and develop more resistance to disease and injury than usual.

Managing Stress: Support, Communication, Exercise, Nutrition, Sleep, Cognitive, and Relaxation. It is amazing that we have so many methods of coping with stress!

Psychological Health

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Physical Needs, Safety and Security, Love and Belonging, Self-Esteem, and Self-Actualization. I find it awesome that to be self-actualized encompasses realism, self-acceptance, autonomy, authenticity, intimacy capacity and creativity. What a wonderful goal!

Defense Mechanisms: Projection, Repression, Denial, Displacement, Dissociation, Rationalization, Reaction, Substitution, Passive Aggressive and Humor. What can sometimes work in the now, really does you no good in the long run. We all have one or more of these and it is nice to have an alternative to these behaviors!

The Use and Abuse of Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive Drugs: Potential for Dependence. It is interesting that these drugs can have physical and psychological effects on the body.

Use to Abuse: 20 million Americans used benzodiazepines for non-medical purposes. Wow, it is hard to imagine why someone would affect their body this way for recreation!

Alcohol and Tobacco

Possible Health Benefits of Alcohol: Numerous studies showed that moderate drinkers live longer than heavy drinkers or even those who abstain. For people 50+ it can thin the blood and raise healthy cholesterol levels. I would have never guessed!

Who Uses Tobacco: 2.8 Million Americans between 12 and 17 are currently using tobacco. How do they get them? I am amazed that the laws in place do not work better!

Nutrition Basics

USDA’s MyPyramid: Grains, Veggies, Fruits, Milk, and Meat and Beans. The key messages are Personalization, Physical Activity, Moderation, Proportionality, Variety and Gradual Improvement. I like how they have changed the pyramid to reflect the representation of each of these ideas.

Dietary Supplements: 150 Million Americans take dietary supplements. I have taken “vitamins” a few times in my life, but real food tastes better. I am somewhat surprised that so many people will trade a pill for the real McCoy!

Exercise for Health and Fitness

Improved Body Composition: Only 32% of Americans are at a healthy weight. I suppose living in southern California I take exercise for granted. There seem to be many healthy weighted individuals around me, yet overall this statistic is shocking! More people need to become allergic to the couch and get out and moving!

Physical Activity Pyramid: Sedentary, Strength Training, Cardio, Moderate Intensity. I thought it was cool that you can go from an entirely sedentary state to a state of health at your own comfortable pace. By increasing your amount of activity, you can make positive healthy changes in your life!

Weight Management

Body Mass Index: to classify health risks of body weight. I was happy to see I fall within acceptable ranges! I have been underweight for a long time and only recently have I been able to gain weight to a desired level.

Body Fat Distribution and Health: Abdominal obesity is a forewarning of diabetes and heart disease. Curious to find this fact about how your body can tell you when something is wrong. It is beneficial to your health to pay attention to your body!

Personal Safety

Unintentional Injuries: Whether disabling injuries or death, this number is way too high. For death, 118000 people suffer from injuries leading to death. A staggering 25 Million suffer from disabling injuries. It is wise to check your attitude or behavior to avoid this unnecessary fact of modern life!

Elder Abuse: Every year up to 2 Million elders are abused by those responsible for their care. Not only is this shocking, but unacceptable. I think more people should speak out and report any abuse they may witness to help stave these numbers ideally down to zero!

Psychological Health

   It is amazing how we get stuck in the same rut without thinking through all of the choices available to us. The video “Broken Escalator” is a perfect example of this.

 

   They both appear to suffer from a state of cognitive distortion. They cannot believe that they are stuck on the escalator, a major snag in the day to be trapped with no escape. No one is in sight to appeal to for help. They must wait until they are saved. They let go of optimism when the repair guy also gets stuck on a different escalator. 

   This is not a psychologically healthy attitude. They could find an alternate solution, yet they are trapped within their own psyche. It is much better to search for alternative solutions than to give up!