What Can We Do or Not Do to Better Our Odds in Old Age?

Marie Miller said:
Ok, Biotin for my waist long mane. Otherwise little processed food and plenty of red wine. There is nothing wrong with the occasional nacho platter or cinnamon bun. Just keep it occasional.
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I would like to have a glass of wine or a beer now and then, but Tylenol is the only thing that eases pain, so that privilege is gone too.
 
Ken Anderson said:
If you drink enough beer or wine, wouldn't that serve the same purpose? For anyone who might be unaware, that's a joke, not a suggestion. No hate, please.
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Unfortunately not necessarily. I will make it to the 11th with two full bottles of painkillers on the counter. Could have seen orthopedic Thursday but that did not fit into my schedule. So I will suffer by my own doing.

I honestly do not understand the Tylenol issue. Help.
 
Marie Miller said:
Unfortunately not necessarily. I will make it to the 11th with two full bottles of painkillers on the counter. Could have seen orthopedic Thursday but that did not fit into my schedule. So I will suffer by my own doing.

I honestly do not understand the Tylenol issue. Help.
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Marie, I don't understand it either, but it is the only thing that stops or eases the pain. Opioids don't work unless Hydrocodone with 325mg of tylenol.
 
Ken Anderson said:
I understand that these discussions invariably go to supplements and drugs since it’s a lot easier to take a pill than to do some of the other things that can be done to extend our lives, health, and mobility. Still, I strongly believe we’d be better off with the less-advertised alternatives, such as diet and exercise.

Diet doesn’t have to mean following a plan that someone published in a book, and exercise shouldn’t have to require a gym membership or buying a bunch of expensive exercise equipment, or even lifting weights, although it can.

Mostly, though, it’s a matter of eating healthy portions of healthy foods and not spending so much of our time in bed or in a chair. It means exercising to whatever level we can and then extending that as we are able.
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Now that the weather is warmer, I have to do more physical stuff and it seems to be working. Yesterday I took down venetian blinds to wash them and put them back up with the help of a ladder and standing in my kitchen sink. :rolleyes: There have been times i didn't have the strength to put my dishes on the second shelf.
 
Marie Miller said:
Unfortunately not necessarily. I will make it to the 11th with two full bottles of painkillers on the counter. Could have seen orthopedic Thursday but that did not fit into my schedule. So I will suffer by my own doing.

I honestly do not understand the Tylenol issue. Help.
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The point that I tried to make on Tylenol, either here or in another thread, was that it shouldn't be considered harmless. It affects the liver, kidneys, and brain. Overdose is particularly damaging to the liver, where it creates a toxic byproduct that can cause cellular death and acute liver failure. The kidneys and brain can also be affected, leading to acute kidney injury and hepatic encephalopathy. These risks are heightened by alcohol use and pre-existing liver conditions. Even a small amount of Tylenol is converted into a toxic substance, but this is usually neutralized in the liver. An already damaged liver or one that is having to deal with processing alcohol, as well, may not be able to do this efficiently. My concern is that too many people view common, over-the-counter drugs as being harmless, and this is not necessarily the case.

If you take Tylenol for a headache and you have a healthy liver, the toxicity will almost certainly be neutralized. This won't necessarily be without damage, but the liver can heal itself, so there won't be any lasting damage. We shouldn't disregard the potential problems, however.

So, if the pain that I am experiencing is tolerable, however uncomfortable it may be, I wouldn't take Tylenol because, in my opinion, if 16 of them will kill, and 8 of them would harm my liver and kidneys, then 1-2 of them probably aren't good for me. They won't kill me, and my liver will recover from whatever damage might be done, but if I can avoid it, I will.

On the other hand, if I am suffering excruciating pain and nothing safer will work, then I might take Tylenol anyhow, particularly since I am probably dealing with other even more life-threatening problems to be in such pain. But this is my opinion, not a suggestion for anyone else.
 
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Ken Anderson said:
The point that I tried to make on Tylenol, either here or in another thread, was that it shouldn't be considered harmless. It affects the liver, kidneys, and brain. Overdose is particularly damaging to the liver, where it creates a toxic byproduct that can cause cellular death and acute liver failure. The kidneys and brain can also be affected, leading to acute kidney injury and hepatic encephalopathy. These risks are heightened by alcohol use and pre-existing liver conditions. Even a small amount of Tylenol is converted into a toxic substance, but this is usually neutralized in the liver. An already damaged liver or one that is having to deal with processing alcohol, as well, may not be able to do this efficiently. My concern is that too many people view common, over-the-counter drugs as being harmless, and this is not necessarily the case.

If you take Tylenol for a headache and you have a healthy liver, the toxicity will almost certainly be neutralized. This won't necessarily be without damage, but the liver can heal itself, so there won't be any lasting damage. We shouldn't disregard the potential problems, however.
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Ken, I really appreciate your response. My pain threshold is very high. Probably based on experience.
Would a glass of wine once in a while harm Marie?
 
Traditional suggestions for staying well in old age are to stay as active as you are able (increasing that as you can), eat reasonable portions of healthy foods, limit use of alcoholic beverages, get enough sleep, and be involved in health care decisions.

If you are unable to exercise in the way in which the term is generally used, any movement is better than none. Food portions should be tailored to the number of calories you can burn. When conditions allow, burning calories is better than limiting them. That last bit is my opinion, but I think it's valid.

I try to do all of these, but I'm not very good at the sleeping part. Instead, I go from sleeping less than two hours one day to twelve the next.
 
All the suggestion on health, food, exercise, drink in these posts are good.

You also have to be your own advocate if you should wind up in the hospital. Hospital workers are human, therefore they can and will make mistakes. A few years back while my wife was hospitalized, she was giving the wrong medication. She didn't take it because she questioned what it was. It was listed on her chart that she was allergic to it.

longevity how does it work? I don't know, my father died at age 60, my uncles from both sides of the family there were 10 of which six died at age 62 or less. Out of the six four died age 55 or less.

I am 82 years old, I don't eat vegetables, I will eat salads as long as they don't have cucumbers or onions.

I am a big snack or junk food eater. I love Devil Dogs and Hostess Cupcakes. I generally have a personal supply of candy (Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Butterfingers, Milky Ways) hidden in one of the closets. I usually have a box of the 1 oz bags of potato chips, and a bag of sourdough pretzels, to snack on while I watch TV.

I drink too much soda, even though I have lately been drinking more water.

I do drink 16 oz or more of orange juice with my breakfast everyday, as well as a cup of coffee. About 50% of my breakfast is not healthy. They are some form of bread (some toasted) with butter. the rest of my breakfasts are comprised of cereals or eggs.

My lunches are generally leftovers from the previous nights supper, or cold cut sandwiches. Supper is generally a decent meal, except maybe for hot dogs.

My wife keeps preaching to me that I have to be careful of eating too much junk food because I'm not as active with my bad back. She's right of course and to be honest I don't know how I made it to 82? Could it be the vitamins? I've been taking supplements as long as I can remember, every morning I take things like psyllium husk, turmeric, multi omegas, B complex, vitamin D3, Prostate Essentials, and on and on.

So why am I still here? I've asked my wife that question and she always responds "you have a strong heart." I think that's a possibility.

At my age to increase my odds to live longer would be to eat a lot healthier, however I probably die from depression.Haha
 
Tony Page said:
All the suggestion on health, food, exercise, drink in these posts are good.

You also have to be your own advocate if you should wind up in the hospital. Hospital workers are human, therefore they can and will make mistakes. A few years back while my wife was hospitalized, she was giving the wrong medication. She didn't take it because she questioned what it was. It was listed on her chart that she was allergic to it.

longevity how does it work? I don't know, my father died at age 60, my uncles from both sides of the family there were 10 of which six died at age 62 or less. Out of the six four died age 55 or less.

I am 82 years old, I don't eat vegetables, I will eat salads as long as they don't have cucumbers or onions.

I am a big snack or junk food eater. I love Devil Dogs and Hostess Cupcakes. I generally have a personal supply of candy (Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Butterfingers, Milky Ways) hidden in one of the closets. I usually have a box of the 1 oz bags of potato chips, and a bag of sourdough pretzels, to snack on while I watch TV.

I drink too much soda, even though I have lately been drinking more water.

I do drink 16 oz or more of orange juice with my breakfast everyday, as well as a cup of coffee. About 50% of my breakfast is not healthy. They are some form of bread (some toasted) with butter. the rest of my breakfasts are comprised of cereals or eggs.

My lunches are generally leftovers from the previous nights supper, or cold cut sandwiches. Supper is generally a decent meal, except maybe for hot dogs.

My wife keeps preaching to me that I have to be careful of eating too much junk food because I'm not as active with my bad back. She's right of course and to be honest I don't know how I made it to 82? Could it be the vitamins? I've been taking supplements as long as I can remember, every morning I take things like psyllium husk, turmeric, multi omegas, B complex, vitamin D3, Prostate Essentials, and on and on.

So why am I still here? I've asked my wife that question and she always responds "you have a strong heart." I think that's a possibility.

At my age to increase my odds to live longer would be to eat a lot healthier, however I probably die from depression.Haha
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You sound like the oldest living veteran in video below.
I fast forwarded it to his diet.

 
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