If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that as your Ventura chiropractor I believe that exercise, at any age, is one of the main keys to good health and longevity. You’ve heard me say that “motion is life,” and it becomes all the more critical as people age. Movement slows down degenerative changes and often prevents many of them from occurring at all. In addition, movement enhances blood flow, respiration, and elimination, and keeps every organ stronger and healthier. So, you can imagine my excitement when I read about a “senior’s playground” that opened in London’s Hyde Park recently. The playground was the result of senior residents campaigning for more facilities to help older people to get fit. Brilliant! Talk about an idea whose time has come!

Organizers said that a large group of older people began lining up early in the morning to try the six low-impact fitness machines that included a cross-trainer, a stationary bicycle, and a sit-up bench.

The playground is aimed at people over 60, but the gentle exercise would also be beneficial for patients recovering from operations or injury. Similar play areas for the elderly are already availabe in other European countries. So, why not here in the U.S.? Older people need a “free” friendly outside exercise area where they not only won’t feel intimidated by younger people, but will be able to socialize as they improve their health.

So, got a pen and paper handy? How about a laptop? Even your cell phone will work! Start a campaign in your area for a “playground for seniors.” If you don’t personally need one today…you will sometime in the future!

Technorati Tags: age-related health issues, exercise, Where:Ventura-CA

Recently I found an article on sciencedaily.com regarding a study done on aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the benefits of caffeine in reversing memory loss. The article lead with the angle that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.” It went on to report on coterminous studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that proved that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease.

But, before you make a decision to add an extra cuppa to your daily routine, let me warn you that under “Related Stories” on the website were a couple of articles reporting on studies that professed to prove the negative effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

Almost every angle of thought, from my experience, particularly when it has to do with age-related health issues, can be confirmed, or at least bolstered, by a number of specific studies. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine naturally aren’t, of course, the only ones. Even so, it did get me to thinking about the probability that there will never be any “one thing” that will absolutely aid we, humans, in living longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological beings. We are free to participate in life. We’re not confined to a cage! And, moreover, though Alzheimer’s disease apparently is on the rise, obviously none of us has been “artificially induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t absolutely the “one thing” that will prevent or reverse it.

Our body is an exquisite, intricate system that is designed to function homeostasis or balance. Consequently good health has more to do with a healthy, balanced way of living, as opposed to our jumping on the bandwagon of the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other immoderate and unwholesome things we do to our bodies.

I believe, as a doctor of chiropractic, that every single day we have an opportunity to make decisions that will assist us to live longer, healthier lives, healthy choices for our body and mind. We know what genuinely “feels” right and what doesn’t when it comes to what is good for our body. So, I just wanted to offer some thoughts for you to keep in mind the next time you reach for that extra cup of coffee or second glass of red wine. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

Technorati Tags: age-related health issues, caffeine, Chiropractor, health, longevity, red wine