LIFESTYLE PROBLEMS

SENIOR CITIZENS’ LIFESTYLE PROBLEMS
By Dr. (BRIG. RETD)M.L.KATARIA


There was an alarming press report referring to the WHO some time ago that lifestyle ailments were likely to cost India more $2.5 billion in the coming couple of decades. What are these ailments and which age groups are vulnerable to them?

Here are some of the health-related questions often asked by senior citizens:

Question: I am 65 and a diabetic. What is the usual life-span for a diabetic and the recommended lifestyle?
Answer: With controlled blood sugar levels and a regulated lifestyle, I know diabetics at 85, 90 and above.
Q: What are the acceptable blood sugar levels?
A: The fasting blood sugar level should be around 100 mgm% and the post-paradial levels 11/2 to 2 hrs after prescribed meal should not exceed 140 mgs.
Q: How to maintain these blood sugar levels?
A: In a normal person insulin secreted by the pancreas, a massive gland in the abdomen, controls the blood sugar levels. There is an autonomous reciprocity between the quantum of carbohydrate diet ingested and the insulin secretion. A diabetic is an insulinaenic. Therefore, the pancreatic gland has to be flogged by drugs to produce more insulin to cope with the metabolism of carbohydrates to yield energy for the body.
Q: For general knowledge could you please mention some of these drugs?
A: There is a plethora of drugs in the market to control diabetes. Commonly used drugs are Metformis, Glybendamides, Gliclazids and Pyciglitazones prescribed singly or in combination, besides the injectable insulin. As over-dose may lead to fatal hypoglycaemia, these drugs should be used under medical advice.

Q: Can diabetes be controlled without drugs?
A: Yes, mild diabetics can maintain blood sugar levels with in normal limits by diet control and regular exercise. A low carbohydrate diet and exercise can reduce the drug dosage even in an advanced diabetic. Alcohol seems to worsen the blood sugar levels.
Q: In brief, what be a diabetic’s lifestyle?
A: Low carbohydrate diet, preferably vegetarian, with a lot of fibre, regular exercise, with minimum drug dosage and a monthly/quarterly blood sugar monitoring. A diabetic should have his own Glucometer.
Q: I am 70 plus, a case of high blood pressure, on Indral 25 mg. daily for the past 10 years. Many drugs for blood pressure have flooded the market. I am interested in knowing about them. Should I give up Indral and change over to any of the latest drugs?
A: All the drugs for BP belong to the basic groups of beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin, converting enzyme blockers, vasodialators, diuretics, etc. Multinational pharmaceutical companies have given them various names. These are used singly or in combination by doctors to control blood pressure. If Indral has so far kept your BP under control without any side-effect, it should not be changed.
Q: What are the formal limits of BP?
A: Blood Pressure is not the same during 24 hours. There are diurnal variations. As an average, it should be around 120/80 (mm of mercury) preferably 110/70, but not more than 140/90, at any time.
Q: What is the recommended lifestyle for a person with confirmed hypertension?
A: A low salt and fat diet, with regular exercise, normal limits of weight, a bi-annual check on lipidogram, renal function tests, an ECG and above all, a stress-free equanimity of any an easy-going mind.
Q: I am 80 and cannot enjoy dream-free sleep. I often wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. and have to take a half or full tablet of diazopan. What should be my lifestyle to enjoy dream-free sound sleep and no diazopan?
A: Most worldly-wise elderly persons have an anxiety neurosis due to domestic, financial, social and physical problems resulting in insomnia or sleeplessness. Enlarged prostrate, osteoporosis, multi-joint pains, high BP, muscular convulsions and many more must be isolated and treated. A lifestyle of gradual withdrawal and detachment from financial ambitions, social and domestic obligations should ease the mind. Diazopan is too strong a sedative. All sleeping pills, as a rule, should be avoided. They give addiction and have side-effects over the long run. If required, occasionally, Alprazoneles in fractional doses of 0.25 to 0.50 mmm may be taken for insomnia, but not as a regular habit.

RIGHT TIME FOR BRUSHING THE TEETH

TEETHING TROUBLES: THE BEST TIME TO BRUSH
by Dr. H.S. Chawla*
“When should I brush?” is a common query directed at me. Patients, friends and acquaintances want to know whether they should brush in the morning, evening or at night and, secondly, before or after meals.

Generally, one brushes to remove food particles from the teeth. Some of you brush to keep the teeth white and sparkling – which contributes immensely to an overall smart appearance – and others to avoid bad breath. Children brush because their parents tell them to.

The common dental diseases – dental caries and gum diseases – are caused by bacteria in the mouth. Bacteria live in every mouth, on the teeth and the upper surface of the tongue. Bacterial aggregation on teeth is called dental plaque. The difference between a disease-free mouth and one with disease is that the former has lower concentration of bacteria whereas the latter has more.

Bacterial action upon food produces acid. The acid is formed almost immediately upon eating. The acidity of dental plaque increases (in scientific terminology, the pH of dental plaque decreases). Acid erodes tooth enamel (the outer hard layer of the tooth). Many attacks like this on enamel produce cavities in the teeth.

Therefore, the main aim of cleaning your teeth should be to remove dental plaque and reduce bacterial concentration. This keeps teeth free from cavities and gum-disease. When this happens, all other objectives of cleaning the teeth are automatically achieved. Here are various options regarding timing:

Brushing immediately after meals.

There are many nooks and corners in the mouth where bacteria can live and multiply. Because of the tight contact between one tooth and the other, it is practically impossible to get rid of all these bacteria. The acid forms and starts eroding tooth enamel almost immediately upon eating. It takes about 30 minutes for the acidity of the plaque to return to normal.

Thus, brushing right after eating is not at all advised, as the acid produced has already begun the process of eroding enamel. If you brush promptly after a meal, you rub off part of the dissolved minerals of the enamel.

When you brush after meals, you should wait for at least an hour to give time for at least an hour to give time for the acidity of plaque to decrease. It will set the environment for re-mineralisation.

Brushing before meals:

Most people normally brush their teeth in the morning before breakfast. That is beneficial, as you have reduced the number of bacteria before exposing them to food. The amount of acid production is expected to be less, and so would be the damage to the teeth. You get an additional benefit if you use fluoride tooth paste, as the fluoride gets incorporated into the enamel and makes it strong and resistant to the effect of acid. (Fluoride converts the hydroxyl-apatite of enamel to calcium fluor-apatite).

Brushing before dinner

Similarly, based on the above concept, brushing before dinner, indeed, is more beneficial than post-dinner brushing. However, it is essential to get rid of the food particles sticking in the oral cavity after dinner. To achieve this inter dental cleaning along with a little bit of brushing is also needed before retiring to sleep. Otherwise, thanks to the decrease of salivary secretions while we sleep, and the mouth remaining closed for a prolonged period, an ideal environment is created for bacteria to multiply.

Brushing at any time of the day

Thorough brushing at any time of the day is more beneficial than half hearted brushing at selected times. I involves brushing without tooth paste for 5-7 minutes and spitting out each time as the mouth becomes filled with spit, followed by brushing with tooth paste. Inter-dental cleaning with dental floss (or with inter-dental brush) is then carried out. Brush once again with tooth paste.

Thorough brushing whenever you have the time is preferred over half-hearted brushing before or after meals. If you do not spend time on brushing, you are just removing bacteria from one segment of your teeth and re-settling them on another. Brushing before meals is more beneficial than after meals. Brushing immediately after meals should be avoided.

*The writer is Head, Department, The Opollo Clinic, Chandigarh, and Permanent Visiting Professor, The University of Leeds, UK. Email: chawlahs@gmail.com

(Courtesy: The Tribune 4th February, 2009)

QUICK LEARNING BY ME:

Bacterial action upon food produces acid.
The acid is formed immediately after eating.
Acidity of the dental plaque increases.
Acid erodes tooth enamel (the outer layer of the tooth)
Many attacks like this erosion cause cavity in the teeth.
Main aim of brushing should be to remove dental plaque and reduce bacterial concentration.
Brushing right after meals NOT advised.
Brushing before meals IS beneficial.
Brushing before breakfast is beneficial.
Brushing before dinner is beneficial.
Brushing any time of the day without tooth paste for 5-7 minutes is beneficial.
Thorough brushing for 5-7 minutes without paste followed by brushing with paste preferred over half-hearted brushing.

HAPPY LIFE FORMULA

FORMULA FOR A HAPPY LIFE
By Harish Dhillon

WITH the plethora of books published recently, on the art of living and wellbeing, there are many formulas for leading a happy life. A friend, however, has evolved his own formula.

We were both students at Lucknow University and came together during the production of a radio play for an inter-university youth festival- I wrote the script, he read the main part. I was impressed by his quiet dignity and of course, his powerful voice. We became friends and I took to dropping in when he rehearsed for his many theatrical performances. In spite of being the best actor in the group, he was content with whatever role the director gave him and brought to each a passionate dedication. We were all convinced that his great talent would soon come to be widely recognized.


But destiny thought otherwise. He fell in love with a girl from another community and the situation threatened to take an ugly communal turn. The young couple eloped and he found a job with a travel agency. Things were made more difficult by the impending arrival of a baby. But through all the turmoil, he retained his calm and serenity and with his great diligence he rose steadily in the office hierarchy. There was an improvement in his life-style, too, but with two school-going children, the financial situation remained precarious.

Then he set up a travel agency of his own. Here he created innovated opportunities for enlarging his business. A large number of Buddhist pilgrims who visited India from Thailand had language difficulties. He sent his secretary to Thailand to learn the language: practically every Thai tourist now came through his agency.

Contrary to the common perception, not all Americans tourists are huge spenders.
his specifically designed economy packages for young Thai tourists were fully subscribed for the next 10 years, by which time he had become a multi-millionaire.

If he felt any regret at losing out on his acting, he did not show it. Then, suddenly, he sold his travel agency and moved to Bombay to try his luck in films. In four years, he appeared in dozens of films but in very brief roles. He seemed happy and content.

But he did not lose his ability to create opportunities. He invited me to a performance where, on a bare stage, with the spotlights focused on him, he launched into the story of Sohrab and Rustom. He used his powerful voice with mesmerizing effect and a spell bound hush descended on the hall. As he drew to the climax there were not many dry eyes in the audience. The end was greeted with loud and sustained applause.

His formula in a happy life lay in striking a balance between a dignified, serene acceptance of what destiny gave him, on the one hand and a passionate search and pursuit of opportunity on the other.

(Courtesy: The Tribune of 4th February 2009)

GIST:

What I learnt from this article.

Everybody is blessed with a unique Gift called talent, very few identify and dare to open it.
Problems are part of life. They should not bog us down. We should use them as stepping stones for success i.e. what we want in life..
We should balance the life in pain and pleasure.
Dignity builds a better and happy life.
Positive attitude, ability to search and pursue the opportunity brings the improvement and happiness in life.
Every soul will go to the place it belongs to. Means soul is not satisfied till it achieves the goal or what it wants i.e. we should make our passion our profession and surely we will never tire. We should keep trying applying our awareness, knowledge, prayer and consciousness. we will achieve our goal and feel satisfied in life.
We should avoid controlling people and circumstances, the nature will support us in achieving our goal more easily.