We live longer and longer, but not always healthy. The average Pole lives for almost 73 years, while a Polish woman – 81. However, many people at this age are ill and therefore require the care of their family or guardians. Can this be avoided?
The examples of the hundred-year-old Maria Olszewska, one of the oldest Polish women, or the ninety-one-year-old Antoni Huczyński, Dziarski Dziarski, who won the hearts of Internet users – show that it is possible. They both have a similar recipe for longevity and health: they do not smoke, do not abuse alcohol, are physically active, eat healthy, and maintain contacts with family and friends. How to age in health – wondered the participants of the debate organized by Bayer and Newsweek.
A healthy heart
Thanks to the development of medicine, patients with diseases that lead to heart failure live longer. – We treat heart attacks better and better, but you have to remember that 20 percent. patients die before help arrives. So it’s better to prevent a heart attack – says cardiologist prof. Artur Mamcarz. He emphasizes that in order to keep organs functioning properly, they need to be exercised. – Of course, we all receive a certain package of genetic material and we have no influence on it. But to a greater extent our health is determined by the lifestyle, which depends entirely on us – she adds. In his opinion, physical activity is the key to health. – Patients often lie to the doctor, but above all to themselves, that they cannot play any sports because they do not have time, money and are too old. Meanwhile, Nordic walking is a good physical activity at any age, and sticks for this discipline are not expensive at all. It is better to walk with sticks than to watch another program on TV – argues the cardiologist. He also adds that preventive examinations should not be forgotten. – Hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia do not hurt. Therefore, remember to measure your blood pressure after the age of 45 and check your blood cholesterol level. Such tests should be repeated every three years, and every year if there is a history of heart disease in the closest family – he explains.
Diabetes epidemic
The number of people with diabetes is growing at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, as emphasized by the diabetologist prof. Leszek Czupryniak, lifestyle modification would allow avoiding the development of diabetes mellitus II. – During the wars, no one suffered from this disease because there was hunger. Our problem is that the brain is still afraid of times of hunger and we overeat. In addition, in order to eat, we do not have to hunt or hunt this food. They will bring us on the phone – he says. Therefore, in his opinion, it is necessary to get rid of excess weight at all costs. To avoid the complications of diabetes – blindness, kidney dialysis or leg amputation – we need to treat it. Meanwhile, diabetes can produce no symptoms. Prof. Czupryniak recommends that after the age of 45, blood sugar level tests should be performed every three years, and if there is diabetes in the family, once a year.
Control your eyesight
Most of the eye diseases that lead to blindness are age-related. These are cataracts, glaucoma, AMD, and diabetic retinopathy. – The risk factors for these diseases include smoking and obesity – warns the ophthalmologist prof. Jerzy Szaflik. In his opinion, everyone should have their eyesight checked after the age of 45 because early detection of these diseases may stop their development. – Since the disease can affect only one eye, the patient does not immediately notice any deterioration in the quality of vision – he explains. He adds that poor eyesight increases the risk of falling twice and the risk of fracture of the femur by 4 to 8 times. Meanwhile, thanks to innovative drugs, it is possible to stop the progress of eye-destroying diseases. However, it is necessary to make a diagnosis and start treatment.