Geriatric disease prevention and precautions

The core logic of geriatric disease prevention has never been to rely on a "standardized template" of taking health supplements and adding in exercise steps, but a combination of "early screening + daily light intervention + individualized adjustment". There is no universal standard answer. All measures must match one's basic disease status, living habits and even personality characteristics to be effective.

To be honest, in the past few years that I have been doing free clinics in the community, I have seen too many elderly people fall into the same trap: saving up their retirement funds to stock up on a bunch of "health-preserving products" with fancy packaging, which are said to be able to cure diabetes and eliminate vascular plaques. However, after half a year of taking these products, their blood sugar levels were not stable, and they suffered drug-induced liver damage. Just like an old machine that has been used for decades, you have to fill it with lubricating oil from unknown sources. It does not play a role in maintenance but blocks the pipes, and the gain outweighs the loss.

Let’s talk about early screening first. Different medical systems do have different ideas. No one is right or wrong, just whatever suits you. The Western medicine system also recommends targeted "extra meal physical examinations." In addition to routine hematuria and liver and kidney function tests, elderly people over 60 years old are best to have a carotid artery ultrasound every year to see if there are atherosclerotic plaques, a bone density check to see the degree of osteoporosis, and a gastrointestinal endoscopy every 3-5 years to check for digestive tract tumors. Those with a family history should also have targeted additional items such as tumor markers and lung CT. The idea of ​​​​TCM is more focused on catching small signs of "not sick". For example, if you always wake up at 3-5 am in the morning for one or two months, it is best to check your lung function. If you often have inexplicable dry mouth, bitter taste, and irritable temper, you should pay more attention to the status of your liver, gallbladder, and blood pressure. The two ideas can be mutually referenced. There is no need to compete.

Speaking of this, I have to mention the issue of exercise that many elderly people are struggling with. Nowadays, the Internet is also very noisy. Some people say that you must walk 10,000 steps a day to be healthy. Some people say that walking too much will hurt your knees. Sports medicine experts I have contacted said that if you have degenerative knee disease or even arthritis, there is really no need to cram in the number of steps. Walk slowly 3,000-5,000 steps a day. Wear suitable soft-soled shoes when walking. Don't climb steep slopes and don't walk with pain. If you are physically strong and like to go out for a walk, it is perfectly fine to walk 10,000 steps. The key is to be comfortable, not to stare at the step card indicator on your phone. Uncle Zhang, who used to live in our community, walked around the community three times a day in order to get 10,000 steps. His knees hurt and he still had to carry it. In the end, the pain made him unable to go downstairs. Instead, he wore out his meniscus, which was not worth the gain.

When it comes to diet, don’t listen to what the Internet says about completely giving up oil and salt. There is no need to change your tastes that you have lived for most of your life to extremes all at once, as this can lead to depression. There was an old couple before. They used to eat pickled radish with white porridge, and their blood pressure was always at 150/90. Later, they did not completely stop eating pickled vegetables. They changed to eating only twice a week at most, and each time they had the bottom of a small plate. They added half of corn and pumpkin to their staple food. Occasionally, if they wanted to eat braised pork, they would stew it until it was soft and eat two pieces. After three months, the blood pressure has steadily dropped to 130/80. I feel much better than before when I ate boiled vegetables every day. Of course, if you have underlying diseases such as gout or diabetes, you should avoid foods high in purine and sugar. Just don’t make fun of your body.

Another point that is easily overlooked is mood and sleep. Many people think that it is normal for the elderly to sleep less, or that it is okay if they don't like to go out when they are older. We have done community statistics before and found that the incidence rates of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease among the elderly who are bored at home all year round and rarely interact with others are about 30% higher than those who often go out to play chess and square dance. If you have been sleeping less than 5 hours a day for half a month and are still feeling flustered and irritable for no reason, don’t hold on. Seeing a doctor to adjust your sleep is better than anything else. Long-term poor sleep is one of the main causes of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Oh, by the way, remember to clean out the medicine cabinet at home every three months. Don’t keep leftover antibiotics, antipyretics and analgesics from your last illness, and don’t take them blindly based on “experience”. I met Uncle Li at the outpatient clinic before. He had half a box of cephalosporin left over from his last cold. This time he took it out and ate it when he had a sore throat. As a result, he developed a rash all over his body due to allergies and almost went into shock. Also, don’t listen to your neighbors who say that you should change your anti-hypertensive and anti-diabetic medicines if they are effective. Everyone’s basic situation is different. Someone else’s good medicine may have serious side effects for you. You must see a doctor when adjusting medicines. Don’t mess around on your own.

There is a lot of controversy about calcium supplementation. Some nutrition experts say that drinking 300 ml of milk a day and taking an ordinary calcium tablet is enough. Some orthopedic doctors say that if the bone density T value is lower than -2.5, calcium supplementation alone is useless. Vitamin D supplementation, sun exposure, and, in severe cases, medications to inhibit bone loss are also required according to doctor's instructions. Don't blindly follow the trend of taking high-dose calcium supplements. If you supplement too much, you may easily develop kidney stones.

In fact, to put it bluntly, the prevention of geriatric diseases never requires you to completely overthrow the habits you have lived for decades. There is no need to shrink your life for the so-called "health standards." Pay more attention to your body's little signals at ordinary times, don't force yourself to take supplements, and don't take supplements blindly. The one that suits you is the best. If you have nothing to do, chat with old friends and go to the vegetable market. Your life will be more comfortable, and it will be more effective than any expensive health care products.