Total Health Breakthroughs: Free Natural Health Newsletter and Alternative Health Articles

A day doesn’t go by that I don’t see Valerie Bertinelli or Sally Fields on TV advertising Boniva® or some other treatment for osteoporosis. This condition is a major health problem in older people, especially women, who often sustain fractures as a result of falls. There are over 1.5 million fractures a year attributed to osteoporosis in the US each year.¹

Normally, the bony skeleton is maintained by continual renewal called remodeling, removing old bone and replacing it with new bone.¹ The entire skeleton is replaced every seven years. To do this, our cells require calcium, and to absorb calcium from our diet, we also require vitamin D, which our bodies can manufacture in the skin, with exposure to sunlight.

In osteoporosis which means “porous bone,” bones are peppered with millions of microscopic holes, or pores, the result of continual bone resorption over time. (Resorption is the process in which bone is broken down and calcium is released into the blood.) The normal balance between bone resorption and new bone creation is lost, with bone loss overwhelming the formation of new bone.¹ This results in a net loss of bone volume and strength and bones that are brittle.

The bone that remains is normal bone; there’s just less of it. Think of Swiss cheese: the cheese itself is normal, but it’s shot throughout with lots of holes. Really advanced osteoporosis would be analogous to lacy Swiss cheese.

According to American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF), there are approximately200,000 new cases of macular degeneration in the U.S. each year and more than 10 million sufferers.1 Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the name given to that group of diseases that cause sight-sensing cells in the macular zone of the retina to malfunction or lose function.

AMD occurs primarily in two forms: dry and wet.

Dry AMD affects about 90 percent of those with the disease.¹ Its cause is unknown. Slowly, the light-sensitive cells in the macula break down. With less of the macula working, you may start to lose central vision in the affected eye as the years go by. Dry AMD often occurs in just one eye at first. You may get the disease later in the other eye. Doctors have no way of knowing if or when both eyes may be affected.

Wet AMD accounts for 90 percent of all severe vision loss from the disease, but only about 10 to 15 percent of all people with AMD have this type.¹ It occurs when new blood vessels behind the retina start to grow toward the macula. Because these new blood vessels tend to be very fragile, they will often leak blood and fluid under the macula. This causes rapid damage to the macula that can lead to the loss of central vision in a short period of time.

It’s been said that our personalities show our real beauty to the world, but looking the best we can on the outside can certainly add to the overall package. As we age, noticeable changes take place on the face, neck, chest and hands, and we’re at the mercy of many factors such as sun, diet, genetics, lifestyle, harsh weather, and our own bad habits.

A lot of people think you’ve got to hit the weight room to really build muscle. It’s understandable, but they’re mistaken. You can skip the weights entirely. Think about it: real strength isn’t about isolating a muscle group and working it to death. The kind of muscle power you really need should give you functional strength.

Functional strength means you have ability to get yourself up a flight of stairs. It means you can lift your groceries and load stuff into your car. Functional strength is the power to live your daily life. But as you age, that power starts to fade.

I want you to remember this quote for the rest of your life:

“Don’t put an age limit on your DREAMS.”

Dara Torres, Olympic Champion

I don’t weigh what I did in high school and I’ll bet you don’t either. Along with the occasional senior moment and the inability to read the Moviefone listing without a magnifying glass, gaining weight seems to be an inevitable consequence of getting older — and those who are able to avoid it have to [...]

Advanced Glycosylated end-products is a mouthful. It’s a lot easier to remember the initials: AGE. Those initials are especially fitting since these compounds accelerate aging.

It’s bad enough to decline physically. Mental decline is even worse. The idea of losing cognitive ability frightens everyone. It’s especially frightening if you’ve witnessed anyone descend into the abyss of Alzheimer’s. Our ability to think makes us human. Our memories are the record of our life. When dementia robs a person of these, they’ve lost something truly precious.

Take the case of Edith, one of my elderly patients. She had a shuffling gait and a vacant gaze. Because of her live-in caregiver, she was neatly dressed and groomed. As she sat, she looked at the woman next to her, her daughter, and asked: “Where’s Kate? Do you know where Kate is?” “I’m here Mom. I’m Kate.” “No you’re not, my Kate is a little girl. Where’s Kate?”

Sadly, I’ve seen too many people like Edith. But it doesn’t have to happen. You can stay mentally clear and crisp well into old age. You know this to be true — you’ve seen it. I’m sure at some point you’ve met a person with plenty of years under his or her belt who was still sharp as anything. Aren’t those people a delight? Don’t they exude life?