Posts Tagged ‘aging’

Can Medication interfere with your cognitive abilities?  

It has been proven that medication causes cognitive impairment. Drugs taken for common medical conditions such as insomnia, allergies, or incontinence negatively affect the brain, and causes long term cognitive impairment. These drugs, called anticholinergics, block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, and are widely-used medications. They are sold over the counter. The offending drugs are Benadryl®. Dramamine®, Excedrin PM®k Nytol ®, Sominex®, Tylenol PM®, and Unisom®, there are others that are available by prescription.

Findings

This isn’t another bombshell; it is just another finding than adds to the pile of profit generating prescriptions that have terrible side effects.

Aging Expert Speaks out:

“Simply put, we have confirmed that anticholinergics, something as seemingly benign as a medication for inability to get a good night’s sleep or for motion sickness, can cause or worsen cognitive impairment, specifically long-term mild cognitive impairment which involves gradual memory loss. As a geriatrician I tell my Wishard Healthy Aging Brain Center patients not to take these drugs and I encourage all older adults to talk with their physicians about each and every one of the medications they take,” said Malaz Boustani, M.D., IU School of Medicine associate professor of medicine, Regenstrief Institute investigator and IU Center for Aging Research center scientist.

Seniors

Senior citizens are especially vulnerable to the side effects of anticholinergic medication. These medications cause acute confusion, poor attention, disorientation, and short-term memory problems. Any medicine that has a sedating effect can impair memory.

Many of the drugs typically taken by people over 50 can cause subtle thinking problems by themselves, but when several are taken at once, significant Alzheimer’s-like problems can appear. These problems may include memory loss, absentmindedness, confusion, disorientation, and emotional outbursts.

Pharmaceuticals

The customer-centric focus of pharmaceutical companies centers around consumer spending not health. The drug industry is not looking for a safe or environmental friendly dynamic advancement in medicine, they want to maintain value for their portfolio.

The mass appeal is to the millions of people who need it now, and want instant help. The consumer preference for quick fixes is what gives continuing relevance to this brand of medicine.

Marketing Matters

The major pharmaceutical houses know how to create sustainable campaigns. The audience for most products they produce is huge, and full of opportunities. Each chronic condition represents areas of untapped growth for the company.

A thinking consumer is the drug companies biggest fear.

What Accelerates Aging?

Phosphates

The newest research published in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal (FASEB) shows that high levels of phosphates in soda accelerates the signs of aging. High phosphate levels can increase the severity of chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular calcification, and induce severe muscle and skin atrophy.

“Humans need a healthy diet and keeping the balance of phosphate in the diet may be important for healthy life and longevity,” stated M. Shawkat  Razzaque, M.D,, Ph.D. from the Department of Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. “Avoid Phosphate toxicity and enjoy a healthy life.”

Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-chief of the FASEB Journal said “This research suggests that our phosphorous balance influences the aging process, don’t tip it.”

We are a world in motion trying to innovate through technology to empower people. The only ones becoming empowered are the food manufactures, pharmaceutical companies, and medical industry. We wind up with the diet sodas to help keeps us slim, processed food devoid of life giving properties, chemical solutions, and medical procedures in the beauty business that do little to support our overall health.

Sugar

Sugar triggers a natural process called glycation, which is the same chemical reaction that turns meat brown when you cook it. The sugar bind with tissues to form harmful molecules, called advanced gycation end products (AGEs) good abbreviation for what it does. It damages the elastin and collagen, the two things your skin needs to stay supple and elastic. At the same time AGEs also damage the kidneys, brain and other essential organs.

A 2007 study in the British Journal of Dermatology found that sugar’s effects on the skin begin to show at about age 35 and become more pronounced as you get older. No wonder that cosmetic procedures are being used at younger and younger ages.

The obvious culprits like soda, pastry, cake, and candy cause damage, but so do foods with high glycemic index, like white bread, pasta, potatoes, and highly processed foods. These foods are quickly converted to sugar. AGEs make the skin more susceptible to sun damage, which then in turn accelerates the gycation process. Chips and french fries have been chemical damaged in the processing and will supply you with AGEs which will compound the problem.

Natural Anti-Aging

All natural anti-aging strategies will protect you from visible signs of aging, while keeping you healthy. There is overwhelming evidence that these methods protect you inside and outside.

The pros are that what is outlined here works; the cons are that it requires change. We have a beauty business in America that relies on solutions that are pharmaceutical, and medical. What that really says we are using technology for what we neglected to do naturally.

The ideal lift comes from inside and out, and it will do more than the visible face contour lifting. which is a sort after procedure. Back to basics means firming and remodeling the skin from within. That is a both a way to rejuvenate your outward appearance while energizing your body.

To achieve both health and a youthful appearance, it is essential to avoid certain substances, and add others. The ones you need are the foods that supple abundant vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. These counteract the damaging effects on tissues, and retard aging.

Plenty of vegetables, fruits, protein, and the right fats will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes while keeping you looking young. You reflect what you consume, in other words today’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner could be tomorrows look.

Aging is disuse in disguise, what that means is that most signs of advancing age are connected to a decline in function. The adage use it or loss it fits, with a growing body of evidence that shows you are not only what you do, but you are what you don’t do.

 Aging Process

What the aging process is associated with is a decline in physical and mental abilities. It can show in both appearance and function. It can also be seen in awkward and limited movement. The crunching, grinding, and squeaking sounds heard as seniors move about makes the younger generation think the aging crowd is from the Jurassic period.

As you dig into the history of people that are aging beyond their years, you will find that you are dealing with an inactive crowd. Active living would produce different results.

Ideologically we can reverse the aging process by 15 to 25 years,” says Mariam Nelson, Ph.D., a Tufts University scientist and specialist in aging. We can do that by becoming stronger. At age 35, says Nelson, we begin to lose one quarter to one third of a pound of muscle each year. Yet, Nelson’s studies of weight training in women over 45 shows that even into their 90s, people can add muscle mass and bone density, reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, and lead more useful, independent lives.

In other words, the problem isn’t aging but disuse. “People who don’t exercise regularly suffer a 1 percent loss in aerobic fitness every year starting at age 20,” says Barry Franklin, Ph.D. president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “But that loss can be restored years later,” he adds, “through just three months of steady exercise.”

Anti-Aging

Anti-aging strategies are nothing more than increasing your activity and decreasing your caloric intake. Sounds easy enough but the challenge is to get people to do it. The benefits would outweigh the effort. When American’s demand healthy options they may mean public or private insurance, low fat or smaller portions.

The road to fitness is the route to youth. It is within reach, everyone can turn back the clock. People who are fit have less body fat, have better cardiovascular function and may look decades younger than the sedentary crowd.