Whether single or married, dating, mating, or just having fun, enjoy flirting at every age.

Why 

Flirting adds spice and panache to your life. If you are looking for love, flirting is bait. If you are married, it can help you stay married. Even if you aren’t amorously interested, it’s still fun. Unfortunately, a lot of people over 50 sell themselves short with rationalizations like no one would be interested in a paunchy, balding man; or no one would be interested
in an overweight woman with wrinkles.

True if you try to flirt at 60 or 80 the way you did at 20 or 30 you will look foolish and ridiculous. The rules change in our 50’s and older. While many seniors are quite sexually active it’s less about hot sex and more about companionship, someone who understands and cares, kindness, and someone who makes you feel good.  

I recently interviewed Barbara Bellman, author of Flirting After Fifty. Her emphasis is that flirting is a state of mind that includes confidence and playfulness. Indeed. flirting is a type of adult play. She helps Boomers and seniors overcome the excuses and objections and develop confidence. But even if you have confidence, what do you say? You focus on everyone’s favorite radio station—WIFM—what’s in it for me—i.e., focusing on getting to know the other person rather than talking about yourself.

You can give a compliment, like you have a beautiful smile.
You can make an astute observation, like I noticed you seem to be fascinated with that painting.
You could ask for help, like, I’m new to this neighborhood and don’t know where….
Or perhaps you could self-disclosure something, like I never know what to say at mixers like these, have you figured out the secret?
The more specific, sincere, and insightful your remark, the better.  

For those looking for love, it helps to be in places where you will have the opportunity to meet the kind of people you would truly enjoy having as a friend. The rest is commentary—how to get to the second and third date, how to handle family, and how to handle traditional versus liberated roles.

 If you would like to hear the free podcast of the interview, you can download it or stream it at www.webtalkradio.net or www.AgelessLifestyles.com.

The average man is more interested in a woman who is interested in him than he is in a woman with beautiful legs.  
~George Sand (author)

Sex appeal is 50% what you’ve got and 50% what people think you’ve got.
~Sophia Loren

If you don’t already think of the Internet as a great way to meet people, join the younger generations and adopt the belief.

Why

Whether single and interested in dating or not, there is a lot to be learned from online dating. Plus, chances are you know some single people who might benefit from online dating. It isn’t just young people and the 23½ million single Baby Boomers using online dating, more than five million people over 55 have used online dating as well.

Why date online? Instead of dating being largely limited to coworkers, people in common organizations, bars, and introductions from friends and family, online dating casts a huge net that greatly enhances your ability to find exactly the kind of person you are looking for. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing online dating psychologist Dr. Jim Houran on Ageless Lifestyles Radio. Here is a summary of his advice: Novices probably do best by starting with large free sites like PlentyofFish.com to get a feel for online dating. With that feel, they may want to move on to niche sites. The biggest mistake people make is not investing the time and effort in well thought out postings and engaging photographs.

The other big mistake people often make is not being clear about who they are and what they are looking for. It’s not magic, it’s a process of increasing the odds of success. I especially liked the idea that it isn’t necessarily the most glamorous photo, but often the most friendly and approachable one that gets the click.

On similarity and compatibility, it appears that similarity helps with religion, values, and perhaps politics, and is somewhat important for education and intelligence. When it comes to personality, however, it is hard to predict what works. Finally, Dr. Houran suggested that rather than just matching for similarities, as eharmony.com does, the most sophisticated online dating sites are assessing and coaching. I.e., the assessments give suggestions on where and how to look and how to present yourself. Of course, this runs the risk of the advice being self-serving for paid services as opposed to objective advice that is in your best interest.

Dr. James Houran is a columnist for onlinedatingmagazine.com where he has several dozen articles. Rather than the usual off the cuff advice, Dr. Houran’s columns are solidly based in research and even footnote sources. His “Office Hours with Dr. Jim” column are at www.onlinedatingmagazine.com. If you would like to hear the free MP3 of the 50 minute interview, just go www.AgelessLifestyles.com.

Quotes

Love doesn’t grow on the trees like apples in Eden — it’s something you have to make and you must use your imagination to make it too,just like anything else. It’s all work, work.
~Joyce Carey

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.
~Mother Theresa

Humor

The big thing today is computer dating. If you don’t know how to run a computer, it really dates you.

______

Anti-Aging Psychologist Dr. Michael Brickey is keynote speaker and author of the Oprah-featured book, Defy Aging and 52 baby steps to Grow Young. The books and his Reverse Aging anti-aging hypnosis CDs comprise his anti-aging system. He is also the host of Ageless Lifestyles® radio on www.webtalkradio.net and www.AgelessLifestyles.com.

Consider using fish oil supplements and the Zone diet.

Why

Dr. Barry Sears has been researching nutrition for decades. He introduced his findings in 1995 with his best selling book, Enter the Zone. It emphasized the importance of balancing blood sugar levels by balancing the intake to carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to keep insulin levels in check. The diet is comparable to the Mediterranean diet but with fewer grains and fewer simple carbohydrates because of their high glycemic index.

In his newest book, Toxic Fat, he explains how we have a nutritional “perfect storm.” In the early 1970′s, Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz led a revolution in American farming that emphasized larger farms and greatly increasing production and exports by growing more corn and soy beans. Sears relates that corn oil (which is now ubiquitously used as a sweetner in beverages and processed foods) and soybean oil greatly increase our intake of Omega 6 fatty acids.

Meanwhile Americans’ consumption of fish declined and mothers no longer give their children cod liver oil. The result is a severe imbalance in the ratio of Omega 3 fatty acids (as in fish oil) to Omega 6 fatty acids. This along with the general decline in our diet (more processed foods, fast foods, and junk foods), results in a build up of toxins in our fat cells (including our brains, which have a lot of fat).

His solution is healthier eating (the Zone diet) and fish oil supplements (as fish oil blocks the damage from excess Omega 6 fatty acids). Unlike most diet advocates, he has lots of well designed research to support his recommendations. I highly recommend his newest New York Times best seller, Toxic Fat. If you don’t have time to read it or want hear Dr. Sears explain it, listen to my (free) podcast on on www.webtalkradio.net, which also is archived on my site, www.AgelessLifestyles.com.

Quotes

Catch slogans, such as “eat less and exercise more,” quite simply, are not working because they don’t address the fundamental cause of obesity.
~Barry Sears

Humor

You know you are on a diet when cat food commercials make you hungry.
~Andy Bumatai

I have a great diet. You’re allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked fat people.
~Ed Bluestone
 

When you sit, even if it is just small movements, move your muscles at least every ten minutes.

Why

Gini Maddocks went into a lot more depth when I interviewed her  on www.webtalkradio.net, (which is archived on my site, 
http://agelesslifestyles.com/2008/10/easy-ways-to-relieve-stress-aches-and-pains/). The free podcast gives very useful tips on how you can make simple, sweatless adjustments in how you move to avoid aches and pain.

Quotes

Rub your sore and stiff spots. It’s the nature of muscles to shrink into the position we assume for extended periods of time. Acids accumulate as slight inflammation, such as when you feel tight behind your knees. 
Tissue becomes cold and less flexible and joints are sore from the compression of the position. What can you do?  Rub those areas to warm them and then stretch to elongate what has shortened. 
~Gini Maddocks

Humor

One  the reasons I look forward to the future is having a computer like HAL in the movie 2001. I can hear HAL now, “Mike your trapezius muscles are getting tight, let me massage them.”
~Michael Brickey

Imagine a beauty and talent pageant with lovely, talented women
sharing their wisdom and philosophy of life—and imagine the
contestants are all over 100 years old.

Why

In 1954, the Miss America contest was broadcast live on television,
capturing 39% of American viewers (27 million people).
It spawned many imitators, Miss USA, Miss Teen America,
Miss Junior Teen America, Miss Universe, Mrs. America, etc.
I found there also is a Ms. Senior America contest that has a
minimum age of 60.

While the contestants are very attractive, judging is 30% talent,
30% interview, 20% philosophy of life, and only 20% evening gown
competition. How appropriate that weight is given to sharing
what one has learned. The contest seeks contestants who have
contributed to their communities. It emphasizes inner beauty as well
as outer beauty.

The contest got me thinking. Can a Ms Centenarian contest be far off?
I for one would love to see it. It will probably have an even stronger
emphasis on wisdom and philosophy of life. In 2000 the US had
72,000 centenarians (Americans 100 years or older). The US
Census Bureau predicts we will have 1.2 million centenarians by 2050.
A contest seems inevitable. Now that centenarians are becoming common,
we are hearing about super centenarians—people 110+ years old.
Perhaps a Ms Super Centenarian Contest will come as well.

Why care? Imagining a Ms Centenarian or Ms Super Centenarian
pageant pushes and stretches your thinking about aging
and how vital people can be at 100+ years. That pushing
and stretching helps you believe it is possible for you to be vital
and doing exciting things in your hundreds. Once you believe
such a pageant is possible, you pay more attention to
what it takes to do it live well into your hundreds
—because it sure beats the alternative.

Quotes

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature,
but beautiful old people are works of art.
~Eleanor Roosevelt

Beauty is as beauty does.
~(source unknown)

Humor

If I had known I would live so long,
I would have taken better care of myself.
~Mark Twain (and many others)

Consider what you would do you if you did not have health insurance
or if you had a Health Savings Account.

Why

I remember when there was no dental insurance. You went to the dentist
and you wrote a check for the bill. Now many people have dental insurance
and have to check whether the dentist is on the plan, what is covered, etc.
The dentist in turn has to enroll in and track dozens of insurance plans.
The result is a bureaucratic morass that adds to the cost of the system overall.
Dental insurance is appealing to employees who receive the coverage
as an employee benefit. To them it seems like a free benefit.

By its nature, insurance restricts choice, rewarding some providers and penalizing others.
Traditional insurance rewards traditional medicine and traditional pharmaceuticals.
As health savings accounts become more common, consumers will have more choice.
Depending on how HSA plans are written, HSAs may enable consumers to choose
to spend healthcare dollars on alternative medicine treatments such as massage,
acupuncture, and Pilates classes. They may enable reimbursement of supplements
such as herbs, vitamins, and hormone therapies. They may even cover spas, health clubs,
and weight loss programs. Psychotherapy, which is often only covered at 50% and then
only with managed care authorization, would no longer be capped or micromanaged.
Personal coaching might even be covered.

There is an terrible inequity in the current system in that those who pay cash
(relieving the healthcare practitioners of large, cumbersome billing expenses) end up
paying more as they don’t get the discounts insurance companies demand.
As HSAs become more common, consumers will insist on not paying more than doctors
charge insurance companies. They may (and should) even insist on cash discounts.

HSAs save money by greatly reducing (but not eliminating) the bureaucratieaucratic overhead.
They give the consumer more choice. They will ultimately separate employment from healthcare,
making it easier to change jobs. The primary downside is that employees often see HSAs
as an attempt by management to cut costs by reducing benefits (as is sometimes the case).
Paul Zane Pilzer says 90% of people can purchase healthcare insurance for half of what
it cost employers and once purchased it cannot be cancelled or raised beyond normal
cost increases. This can be a wonderful solution to many individuals, especially
those who currently do not have healthcare insurance. At a macro level, however, it is a shell
game as costs for the 10% with serious health problems are shifted to government funding.

As you have probably gathered, my libertarian penchant likes HSAs while my ultimate
preference would be insurance for catastrophic events and out of pocket payment for everything else.
The question is: If you had an HSA instead of your current insurance, would you spend
healthcare funds differently? If so, what has been your personal cost of not pursuing the healthcare
choices that you consider optimal? What choices would you make if you had the money your employer
currently spends on insurance and you had to pay for all of your medical expenses out of pocket?

Quotes

Most Americans receive health insurance from their employers and lose their health
insurance when they lose their jobs, but that’s about to change….Employer sponsored
healthcare will be mostly eliminated in the next twenty years.
~Paul Zane Pilzer, author of The New Healthcare Insurance Solution

 Discussion on a blog: “Government today restricts our medical choices in countless ways,
direct and indirect, which has led many to call for a Canadian style, single-payer system.
Sorta homeopathic, isn’t it? A LARGER dose of the poison that’s killing us will actually
be the cure.” Another reader astutely commented, “Actually that’s allopathy.”
[Homeopathic medicine uses minute quantities of toxins to produce cures;
allopathy is traditional medicine.]
~from DB’s Medical Rants, www.medrants.com

Humor

A man awakened after emergency heart bypass surgery to find himself
at a Catholic Hospital. A nun asked him how he was going to pay.
He explained that he did not have any health insurance or savings.
“Do you have any relatives who could help?” asked the nun.
“I only have a spinster sister, who is a nun,” He replied.
Angrily, the nun protested, “Nuns are not spinsters! Nuns are married to God.”
The patient replied, “Then send the bill to my brother-in-law.”

Action to take

Keep a healthy perspective on the future. Despite the media’s drumbeat
of problems, Americans are becoming healthier.

Why

On March 9th the National Institute on Aging released it study,
65+ in the United States: 2005. It found that for Americans over 65:
~Disability rates dropped from 26.2% in 1982 to 19.7% in 1999 despite
the group including a higher proportion of seniors over 80. (Note that a
chronic health condition, e.g., arthritis is not considered a disability unless
it causes functional limitations in activities of daily living.)
~Poverty rates dropped from 35% in 1959 to 10% in 2003 (much of the
improvement is due to Social Security).
~Between 1950 and 2003 high school graduate rates rose from
17% to 67% and college graduate rates rose from 3.4% in 1950 to 17.4%.
(Education enhances adaptability and is correlated with better health.)
~Even at ages 85 and older, only 18.1% lived in nursing homes.
~Death rates from heart disease declined dramatically.
~Cigarette smoking rates declined.
With improving health and a greater emphasis on quality of life, the
World Health Organization has developed a new statistic–
Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE). In the US the HALE for men is
67.2 years and for women 71.3 years.
Yes, obesity rates are increasing. On the whole, however, the data
suggest a healthier, more resourceful senior population–and the trends
are likely to continue. If you would like to see or download the free
254 page study, it is at http://www.census.gov/prod/2006pubs/p23-209.pdf .

Quotes

Many people have an image of aging that may be 20 years out of date.
The very current portrait presented here shows how much has changed
and where trends may be headed in the future.
~Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D., Director of the 65+ in the United States: 2005

Humor

The census worker asked an older timer, “How many people live in this town?”
“About 4,000. Been that way for 25 years,” he replied.
“Haven’t any people move in–any babies been born here?” asked the census worker.
The old timer replied, “Sure we’ve had babies; but every time one’s born someone leaves town.”

Include downsizing skills in your repertoire.

Why

“I’ve lost everything,” the nursing home patient told me. She had not achieved
the vocational success she had hoped for. Her home was her refuge and full of
treasured antiques. Now in her eighties, she would have to sell her home and possessions
to pay for medical expenses. Eventually she would probably have to go on Medicaid
to support living in a nursing home. Multiple health problems compromised her
physical health but not her mind. Her commitment to Judaism helped foster a
reverence for traditions, antiques, and books. Her dilemma reminded me of one of my
favorite book titles, Women Who Married Houses, (a 1983 book about agoraphobic women).

By contrast, some nursing home residents are happy people, with an
“any place I hang my hat is home” outlook on life. Spiritual people who think of
world goods as just “on loan” have an easier time with downsizing.

While some seniors downsize to condos, independent living, or assisted living facilities,
most seniors love their homes and try to live there until they die. Home based services
and hospice services have greatly helped seniors with health problems continue to live at home.
In some families, children home share. (Unfortunately, non-family home sharing has been slow
to develop.) We all know some people who have prized collections filling many rooms of their homes.

So should we all adopt that “worldly goods are just on loan philosophy?” After pondering the issue,
I concluded that one size doesn’t fit all and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In some ways
downsizing is like grieving. Some people handle grief well and get on with their lives. Some people
never get over a loss. It is inevitable that people we love will die. Downsizing may or may not be inevitable.
We need to know how to deal with grieving before the need arises. Likewise, being able to shift into
a healthy outlook on downsizing is a good skill to have in our repertoire. You might think of
vacation stays in hotels as motels at downsizing practice.

Quotes

When all is said and done, you are not taking any of this stuff with you when you leave this world.
…When is last time you ever saw a U-Haul behind the hearse?
~Sue Ronnenkamp

Humor

News Article
….In an effort to reduce the NASA budget, a resolution was passed today to downsize the solar system. According to an unnamed congressional staffer, House Republicans felt there has been “too much
redundancy in the solar system” and that streamlining the 4.5 billion year old planetary system is long overdue. Such action would give NASA fewer places to go and this would allow the agency to carry out its space exploration goals within the funding profile that the House proposed earlier this summer.
“Look, we have three terrestrial planets” said Congressman Rip U. Apart (R, Del.), “and only one of them
really works! So why not get rid of the other two and clean up the neighborhood?”
~excerpt from fake news article by Donald Simanek at http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/solarsys.htm
God announces plan to cut non-essential humans
Citing a burgeoning, unruly populace and dwindling natural resources, God today unveiled a plan to streamline the operations of Planet Earth Inc. by eliminating an estimated 30 million positions. A PR spokesman for the Lord said He is “sick and tired” of humans abusing His bountiful creation and
breaking all Ten Commandments as if they weren’t even etched in stone.
~Excerpt from a fake news article by John Breneman at http://www.humorgazette.com/blog/item/224

Action to take

Be sure you are making deposits in your mental savings account. Then be of good cheer that your mental savings account helps buffer you from dementia and Alzheimer’s–and even helps improve your cognitive functioning.

Why

Penn State researchers, Sherry Willis and K. Warner Schaie, report that between ages 46 and 60, 10-15% of people show cognitive declines, and 10-15% of people show cognitive gains. The biggest factors in improving minds are mental stimulation, education, and exercise. Your brain is like a muscle, use it and it grows stronger, don’t use it and it atrophies. Apparently, any kind of mental stimulation helps–taking a course, reading, artistic pursuits, music, and even playing games. (But please don’t tell my video-game-addict teenaged son I said games.)

Another validation for the dementia preventative effects of using your mind comes from David Snowdon’s study of nuns. A convent provides an ideal research environment as the nuns have the same environment, schedule, food, and even prayers–year after year for decades. In his book, Aging With Grace, Snowden reports that nuns with better education and nuns who had intellectual pursuits were less likely to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s. Results were verified by psychological testing, genetic testing, and brain autopsies.

Willis and Schaie found that the one common denominator in who lost cognitive functioning was hypertension. Thus, successful management of hypertension is vital important to future cognitive functioning. 

Another twist comes from Brandeis researcher Margie Lachman, who found a wide variation in cognitive change over time, and that decline is often reversible. She found that people who feel in control of their lives were likely to be happier,  have better health, and be sharper mentally. She speculates that not feeling in control leads to anxiety, distress, and not looking for solutions.

Envisioning a mental savings account encourages you to make sure you are making deposits and gives a more hopeful outlook that decline is not inevitable–rather your mind can get better with age.

Quotes

The life you are leading is simply a reflection of your thinking.
~Doug Firebaugh

Few minds wear out; more rust out.
~Christian Vovee

We should not only use the brains we have, but all that we can borrow.
~Woodrow Wilson

Humor

Men forget everything; women remember everything.
That’s why men need instant replays in sports.
They’ve already forgotten what happened.
~Rita Rudner

He has a first-rate mind until he makes it up.
~Lady Violet Bonham Carter

Action to take

When you have your annual physical, include blood testing for fibrinogen,
homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and possibly C-reactive protein.

Why

I normally focus on what I know best—what it takes mentally to grow young
and live with purpose. Sometimes, news about physical health issues is so noteworthy
that I address it as well. The research source that I have grown to trust the most
for health news is the nonprofit organization, the Life Extension Foundation.
It has a history of championing causes ten years before mainstream medicine
and federal agencies acknowledge the problem or remedy.

Everyone agrees that exercise and good nutrition are vital to cardiovascular health.
For the past decade, cardiologists have focused on cholesterol in the battle against
heart disease—initially on total cholesterol and later on keeping HDL high and LDL low.
 
The Life Extension Foundation’s research indicates several factors foster cardiovascular
problems and cholesterol probably isn’t the most important factor–certainly not the
preeminent factor. One factor that causes a lot of problems is homocystine.
Homocystine is an amino acid found primarily in meat. Some people’s bodies
are more effective than other’s in breaking down homocystine. When homocystine
accumulates, it causes arteriosclerosis, even when cholesterol levels are normal.

A few decades ago homocystine testing was very expensive and could only be
performed in a few dozen research labs. Now it is a routine test but most
physicians haven’t added it to annual checkups. As the research on homocystine
damage accumulates, physicians have lowered recommended levels from
less than 11 to less than 7umol/L. When compared with <7, the risk of stoke
increases 26% at 7-9, 31% 9-11, and 74% above 11. Homocystine also
appears to contribute to developing Alzheimer’s disease. Fortunately, homocystine
levels usually abate with reduced meat consumption and/or with a combination of
Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, folic acid, and trimethylglycine (TMG or betaine).

Increasingly researchers are finding the two processes that contribute the most
to cardiovascular problems are inflammation and erratic blood sugar levels.
The C-reactive protein test is emerging as an effective marker for early stage
cardiovascular problems in people who have not shown symptoms.
A fasting blood sugar level gives a snapshot of blood sugar levels on a given day.
The A1C test, however, is the best measure of blood sugar level stability over a several
week time period. Thus it is an excellent test for early stages of diabetes.
Testing fibrinogen, homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and possibly C-reactive protein
levels in an annual physical may catch a problem early and help prevent serious disability.

Quotes

The best doctors in the world are Dr. Diet, Dr. Quiet, and Dr. Merryman.
~Swift

Humor

After talking with the intern, the woman started screaming hysterically and
ran down the hall. An older doctor stopped and asked her what the problem was.
She explained and he marched down the hall and grilled the young doctor,
“What’s the matter with you? Mrs. Terry is 63 years old and you told her she’s pregnant?”
The new doctor smiled smugly and said, “Cured her hiccups though, didn’t it?”

Action to take

When you have your annual physical, include blood testing for fibrinogen,
homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and possibly C-reactive protein.

Why

I normally focus on what I know best—what it takes mentally to grow young
and live with purpose. Sometimes, news about physical health issues is so noteworthy
that I address it as well. The research source that I have grown to trust the most
for health news is the nonprofit organization, the Life Extension Foundation.
It has a history of championing causes ten years before mainstream medicine
and federal agencies acknowledge the problem or remedy.

Everyone agrees that exercise and good nutrition are vital to cardiovascular health.
For the past decade, cardiologists have focused on cholesterol in the battle against
heart disease—initially on total cholesterol and later on keeping HDL high and LDL low.  
The Life Extension Foundation’s research indicates several factors foster cardiovascular
problems and cholesterol probably isn’t the most important factor–certainly not the
preeminent factor. Fibrinogen is one of those overlooked independent risk factors
that has a substantial body of animal and human research indicating that higher levels
of fibrinogen bring higher risk of heart attacks and stroke. In a 2006 study, for example,
fibrinogen was the only independent risk factor to predict who was most likely to die
within 42 months of a heart attack. It also is a risk factor for cancer.

The liver produces the protein fibrinogen to make fibrin for the “mesh” that forms
to enable clotting to heal a wound or stop bleeding. Fibrin also helps in gathering platelets.
We need some fibrin. Americans’ sedentary lifestyles and fat rich diets, however,
often result in levels that are too high. A simple blood test can check fibrinogen levels.
The optimal range is 200-300 mg/dL. Factors that appear to reduce fibrinogen levels include:
• fish oil (e.g., fish such as salmon or from supplements)
• olive oil
• niacin (vitamin B3)
• Vitamin A
• keeping homocystine levels down (which usually can be reduced with vitamins B6, B12,
and folic acid and lowering saturated fats)
• foods and supplements that thin the blood, e.g., aspirin, garlic, green tea, Ginkgo, and Vitamin E

If you do nothing else, when you have your annual physical, include blood testing for fibrinogen,
homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and possibly C-reactive protein. Elevations of any of these is a
red flag for high risk of cardiovascular disease. I’ll discuss homocystine, Hemoglobin A1C, and
C-reactive protein in the next issues.

Quotes

very disease is a physician.
~Irish proverb

Humor

A new arrival, about to enter hospital, saw two white coated doctors searching through the flower beds.
“Excuse me,” he said, “have you lost something?”
“No,” replied one of the doctors. “We’re doing a heart transplant for an income-tax inspector
and want to find a suitable stone.”

Action to take

Let centenarian role models inspire a no limits outlook on aging.

Why

What does every golfer want? A hole in one.
102-year-old Elsie McLean got one on a 96 yard par three.
See article and video of interview with her. 

At 99, retired brick layer Richard Hubbard loved bowling but found his game
was deteriorating. That prompted him to see a doctor who diagnosed
calcified heart valves. He had heart surgery at 100 and is eager to get back to bowling.

At 104 Phillip Rabinowitz set a new seniors 100 yard dash record
at 30.86 seconds. While this is far short of the any age world record at 9.74seconds,
I doubt if many teenagers could keep up with him. A few months later
Mr. Rabinowitz died from a stroke in February 2008. He is a great example
of what I call an “Energizer Bunny and alkaline batteries.” While regular batteries
gradually wear out, alkaline batteries give a steady energy level, last a lot longer, 
and die quickly.

The Pekin Times reports that a Havana, Illinois church now has a centenarian club
for member 100+ years old. It currently has two members and another due to join in July 2008.

With elections in the news, articles on centenarians keep popping up.
For example, 106-year-old Anna French couldn’t vote when she was 18.
She had to wait for the 19th Constitutional amendment to give American women the
right to vote in 1920. Regarding Hillary Clinton she said, “If a woman is
smart enough to put herself in that position, she’s smart enough to gt my vote.”

Just for fun, there is the story of how Girl Scout cookies saved a centenarian’s life.
Ten years ago, Rebecca Preston’s daughter bought a box of Thin Mints cookies for
her mother but kept forgetting to deliver them. So they sat in the freezer for ten
years. She asked a friend to deliver them and when Mrs. Preston did not answer
the door, he investigated and found her so ill she could not even get to the phone.
He called an ambulance and now 104-year-old Mrs. Preston is healthy again–and
credits a box of Thin Mints cookies.

Quotes

It gives me great pleasure to converse with the aged.
They have been over the road that all of us must travel
and know where it is rough and difficult and where it is level and easy.
~Plato

Humor

Reporter to centenarian, “Of what are you most proud?”
Centenarian: I’ve lived 100 years and haven’t an enemy in the world.”
Reporter: “Truly inspirational!”
Centenarian: “Yep, I’ve outlived every last one of them!”

Action to take

Enjoy the good news that the incidence rates of cancer are declining
and five year survival rates have passed 50%.

Why

In the 1940′s, only one of four cancer patients survived five years.
In the 1960′s, survival was one in three. Now it has reached one in two.
Meanwhile, incidence rates have been dropped by .5% per year from
1991 to 2001.

Surgeries are often less radical and chemotherapy is often more targeted.
This brings a better quality of life for survivors. A few decades ago,
the public knew little about cancer beyond it being a “death sentence.”
In 1979, Norman Cousins’ book described how he used humor to
help overcome cancer, alerting people to the role of psychological
factors. Now there are thousands of support groups, hundreds of
books, and lots of media attention. A decade ago it would have
been hard to imagine millions of Today Show viewers watching
Katie Couric’s colonoscopy on live television. Inspired by her example,
the number of colonoscopy exams in the US increased 20% the following month.
A recent American Cancer Society report says that half of all cancers
are preventable. Cigarette smoking is the biggest cause of lung cancer, which
comprises about a third of cancers in America. Lung cancer has a very poor
survival rate. US smoking rates are declining and more businesses are now
smoke free. Smoking also contributes to several other types of cancer.
Other priority prevention measures include losing weight and testing for
breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostrate cancer.

Cancer research shows great promise. The future will soon have
genetic testing indicating what medications and treatments are
likely to be the most effective. For those who want alternative approaches
to treating cancer, the Moss Reports and the Life Extension Foundation
offer scientific perspectives on alternative medicine approaches
to cancer treatment.

Our nation’s two biggest causes of death are cardiovascular diseases
and cancer. For both, survival rates are showing substantial improvement.

Quotes

Show me a patient who is able to laugh and play, who enjoys living,
and I’ll show you someone who is going to live longer. Laughter makes
the unbearable bearable.
~Dr. Bernie Siegel

Humor

My apologies to not catching the source.
Interviews with cancer survivors included one
who described how his oncologist told him and
and his parents that he might want to smoke
marijuana to help with the nausea and pain from
the treatments. This was a dream come true–
a doctor telling his parents that he should smoke pot.

Action to take

When thinking and speaking, be accurate
about what you need vs. what you want.

Why

My wife asked if there was anything I needed from the grocery store
and I said some beer. Then I thought, I don’t need beer, I want beer.
The distinction is subtle, but offers several benefits. Saying I want
rather than need:
~ makes me more consciousness that this isn’t something my body needs
~ prompts me to consider whether I am making a healthy choice
~ prompts me to be more likely to make a healthy choice
~ raises my consciousness as to physiological effects
~ prompts gratitude as I realize I have many choices
~ prompts gratitude as I realize I can choose many things beyond my needs
That’s a lot of benefits from just being more conscious of one word choice.
Why fuss about semantics? Painlessly making healthier lifestyle choices fosters
living longer, healthier and living with purpose. So does having more gratitude.
I’m always looking for easy ways to foster growing young and living with purpose.
The distinction can have a lot of nuances. I may want a beer to help me relax
and unwind. If the outcome I want is to relax and unwind, being clear that it is
a want and not a need makes me more aware that I have several choices
for how to relax and unwind.

Sometimes wants are complicated by physiological needs. Wanting coffee
in the morning might be to prevent a headache from caffeine withdrawal
and to counter the lack of sleep from coffee the night before.
Physiological need distinctions can be controversial and confusing.
Research indicates that caffeine stimulates estrogen (estradiol) production.
This can increase the risk of cancer, especially for women at risk for
endometriosis and breast cancers. Some research suggests that pregnant
women metabolize caffeine at only a fourth of their normal rate.
The livers of fetuses cannot metabolize caffeine so the caffeine stays
in their systems for days.

Some research indicates caffeine increases menstrual muscle cramps.
Many women, however, report it relieves cramps and is calming
(partially from its diuretic effect). Then there is research indicating
that coffee has health benefits. What to make of the contradictions?
We need to pay attention to how caffeine affects us (and possibly
experiment with reducing or eliminating consumption to see the difference).
At the very least, moderation is needed, and extra moderation is
needed during pregnancy and breast feeding.

I have just been addressing what we eat and drink. Whether we need or just
want a new car and whether it is a Saturn or a luxury car has its nuances as well.

Quotes

Daddy, I don’t need your help.
I’ve been very intelligent since I was two years old.
~Sharon Brickey (last year when she was 4)

The road to success is a toll road. Pay that small, daily fee,
and you’ll be able to go most anywhere you want.
Leave some time for fun, and you’ll enjoy the ride.
~Steve Goodier (writer)

A rich person is not one who has the most,
but is one who needs the least.
~(source unknown)

Humor

If we are to believe the HBO series, Big Love,
a man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.
~Michael Brickey

Action to take

When you imagine living well into your hundreds,
imagine living at home or in a home like setting.

Why

Only a third of Americans say they want to live to a hundred.
Why? They imagine living to a hundred means being disabled
and living in a nursing home with its depersonalization, lack of privacy,
and institutional food. Nursing homes often are a necessary evil
for step-down nursing care after hospitalization, but they are a
terrible place to call home.

The marketplace caught on and now offers a cornucopia of
home-based services including housekeeping, nursing care,
and physical therapy. There are often tax breaks, utility subsidies,
and meals on wheels programs to help low-income seniors stay at home.
Independent living facilities and assisted living facilities are popping up
everywhere. Some are homelike. Some are very luxurious and like
a resort. (Some, unfortunately, look institutional and have a medical
feel with nursing stations and medical carts.) Americans whose
finances give them a choice are increasingly choosing to live at home
or in homelike communities. Baby Boomers in particular are likely
to insist on a homelike or resort-like atmosphere.

Now federal and state governments are doing the math and finding
that housing seniors in nursing homes often wastes money. In Pennsylvania,
for example, nursing homes bill Medicaid $144 a day per resident.
Home based care only costs $56 a day. Certainly a sizeable number
of nursing home residents are bedridden or in fragile health and are better
served in a nursing home. Many, however, are in nursing homes because they
have health problems, only have Social Security income, and can’t
afford to live on their own. They need some assistance but don’t
need the intensity of a nursing home.

Often indigent and low income seniors with health problems have
to choose between trying to make it in the community vs. giving up
their privacy and independence to share a tiny room in a nursing home.
It is probably just a matter of time before the government catches on
that the middle ground of assisted living is more humane, more
dignified, and more cost effective. Perhaps the fear is that people
who would otherwise live at home will flock to more comfortable
assisted living facilities. I doubt it. In most assisted living facilities
most residents pine for living at home.

To conclude, more and more seniors are living at home or in
homelike facilities. While you may spend a few weeks in a nursing
home for a knee replacement, you are not likely to have to live out
your later years in a nursing home.

Quotes

Oh, Auntie Em – there’s no place like home!
~Dorothy’s last line in the Wizard of Oz

Humor

Human beings are the only creatures
that allow their children to come back home.
~Bill Cosby

Action to take

If you are a Baby Boomer, adopt a new designation for your generation.

Why

Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964. Boomers’ claim to fame is that
they are so big they can’t be ignored. But Boomers need a new public relations firm.
Is size all the generation stands for? The previous generation knew PR and called
themselves “The Greatest Generation.” Now that’s great marketing.

Baby Boomers need to drop the Baby. Boomers are well out of diapers and
have changed quite a few diapers themselves. Eighteen years is really more than one
generation and earlier and later Boomers had quite different defining events.
What most distinguishes the Boomer generation? They have redefined aging.
Boomers made 50 the new 30, etc. It wasn’t rhetoric. Though often overweight,
Boomers tend to look and act twenty years younger than people used to act at their age.
The change has come from their spirit and determination. It affected a paradigm shift in
how people age. To give proper credit, however, they also had a lot of help from medicine,
science, and cosmetics.

So let’s give Boomers the credit they deserve for helping all of us to look and feel younger.
Let’s change their name from Baby Boomers to Age Busters.

Quotes

I hope to die young, as late as possible.
~actors Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy

Humor

Radio talk show caller: I’m 75, Flo. I used to want to live fast and die young!
Flo: And now?
Caller: Well…now I just want to die young at a very old age.
~Flo & Friends cartoon by Campbell Bigel

We could certainly slow aging process down if it had to work its
way through Congress.
~Unknown

Action to take

The anti-aging cavalry is on the way.
Take care of yourself now so you can
benefit from coming scientific advances.

Why

Last post addressed how a family of enzymes called sirtuins
hold promise for slowing aging and helping remediate diseases such as
diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Today I would like to discuss another
research endeavor that holds promise of improving health and slowing aging.

Human Growth Hormone prompts our bodies to grow new tissue.
HGH levels decline after puberty and continue to decline with age. Physicians began
using Human Growth Hormones (HGH) in the 1980′s to help very short children
grow to a more normal height. That use is still common.

In 1990, Dr. Daniel Rudman gave HGH injections to elderly nursing home residents
and got dramatic results–the residents developed bigger muscles, thicker skin,
denser bones, more energy, lower blood pressure, fewer wrinkles, better
vision, thicker hair, improved mood and memory and improved sexual functioning.
Since then, thousands of athletes, actors, and celebrities have been taking
HGH injections at about $10,000 a year. My take is that if you are already elderly
or have certain unique health issues, it might be worth trying. At younger ages,
however, it is risky because not enough is known about the effects of long-term use.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get our bodies to naturally produce more HGH?
You can. Exercising, especially strength exercising, helps increase your HGH levels.
On the Internet you can find hundreds of sites selling secretagogues–over-the-counter
supplements that are supposed to prompt your body to increase HGH production.
Do any work? There is no good way to tell. I would expect results in a third of
users just from the placebo effects. That alone can account for the testimonials.
Needless to say it is a buyer beware market. (I, for one, have not purchased any.)

Researchers at the University of Washington and the VA have been testing
capromorelin, an experimental drug from Pfizer. 395 men and women ages 65-84
used the drug for six months. They gained an average of three pounds in lean muscle mass
and were better able to walk a straight line (a test of coordination, balance and strength).
A year later they showed improvement in stair climbing. Merck reportedly is working on
a similar drug.

While the pharmaceutical companies have often had questionable practices
in reporting research and promoting medications, I certainly have more faith
in their products than a secretagogue found on the Internet. The FDA does
not regard aging as a disease and sets higher approval standards for medications
that just improve functioning as opposed to cure or manage diseases. Thus
medications such as capromorelin will receive extra scrutiny for the FDA.

Quotes

Basic research is what I am doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.
~Rocket scientist, Wernher von Braun

Humor

Finagle’s First Law: If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.

Finagle’s Second Law: No matter what the anticipated result, there will always be
someone eager to (a) misinterpret it, (b) fake it, or (c) believe it happened according
to his own pet theory.

Finagle’s Third Law: In any collection of data, the figure most obviously correct,
beyond all need of checking, is the mistake.

Finagle’s Fourth Law: Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it only makes it worse.

Finagle’s Creed: Science is true. Don’t be misled by facts.

Corollaries on mistakes:
1. Nobody whom you ask for help will see it.
2. The first person who stops by, whose advice you really don’t want to hear, will see it immediately.

Action to take

The anti-aging cavalry is on the way.
Take care of yourself now so you can
benefit from coming scientific advances.

Why

Satchel Paige said, “If I had known I would live so long
I would have taken better care of myself.” I don’t want
you someday saying, “If I had known how much help science
would offer, I would have taken better care of myself.”
Wellness (prevention) and healthcare (treatment) advances
are coming at an exponential pace. The healthier you keep
your body now, the more you can benefit from the advances.

In June, 2006 University of Wisconsin researchers reported on how
sirtuins, a family of enzymes, orchestrate many enzymes involved
in metabolic processes and can play a major role is slowing the
aging process. The report in the June Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences discussed how sirtuins may also
help treat metabolic disorders such as diabetes and neurological disorders
such as Alzheimer’s disease. Elevated levels of sirtuins slow degeneration
in damaged nerve cells and impact aspects of metabolism responsible
for insulin secretion. One substance that activates sirtuins is reservatrol,
the anti-oxidant found in red grapes and red wine.

Rare diseases often muster little interest from pharmaceutical companies
as there is not much profit in them. With effects on aging, diabetes, Alzheimer’s,
and many other diseases, the pharmaceutical companies are very interested in sirtuins.

Research on sirtuins is just one of many exciting research developments.

Quotes

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?
~Albert Einstein

Humor

Enough research will tend to support your theory.
~Murphy’s Law of Research

Anyone who makes a significant contribution to any field of endeavor,
and stays in that field long enough, becomes an obstruction to its progress–-
in direct proportion to the importance of their original contribution.
~Jones’s First Law of Research

Action to take

Take a tip from Madison Avenue ad firms and pitch your lifestyle to the
age you choose to perceive yourself to be.

Why

Advertisers call it psychographics–using demographics in marketing to
determine the attitudes and tastes of a market segment. For Baby Boomers
psychographic studies prompted marketing to the Baby Boomers’
perceptions of their age and lifestyle. Boomers perceive themselves as a lot
younger than we used to associate with their chronological ages. Hence
50 is the new 30, etc. Some may see it as denial. I see it as supremely realistic.

Our perceptions and stereotypes for what people are supposed to be like at
40, 50, 60, etc. are typically based on how our parents’ generation aged.
We have to have some reference and our parents have been our role models.
But Boomers have a vision of being much younger than those stereotypes and
refuse to go along with expectations. Eventually, advertisers caught on and
marketed to their perceived ages. The ads in turn reinforced the Boomer beliefs
that they are forever young.

You can perceive of yourself as younger, older, or about the same as
stereotypes for your age. Thinking of yourself and your lifestyle as younger
fosters being more active, resilient, hopeful, and healthy. You’ve got to like choices
that give you everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Quotes

I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty.
~George Burns

Humor

The perfume industry missed one important Boomer psychographic.
Yes there are perfumes that make you smell sweet. But if
Boomer women really want to attract Boomer men, they need
a perfume that subtly, imperceptibly smells like pizza.
~Mike Brickey

Action to take

Avoid the “memory quicksand” of self-limiting beliefs about your memory.
Reject negative stereotypes and beliefs about aging. Rather see yourself as
nourishing your memory with healthy beliefs, good nutrition, and exercise.

Why

If you were taking a memory test, would it make a difference if you thought you
were competing against younger people? Against older people? Researchers at
Tulane and the University of Kansas gave 85 men and women between 48 and 62
standard word recall task—study 30 words for two minutes and then write down
as many as you can recall.

Researchers told one third of the subjects that they were testing their memory
against adults over 70. They told another third they were testing the memory
against adults in their twenties. Another third just took the test. Those competing
against younger adults and those in the control group scored the same.
Those competing against seniors did not remember as many words. Why?
Apparently the pairing suggested memory deteriorates with age and
compromised their performance.

The effect is a common one. After reading that men do better on math tests,
women did not perform as well as controls who were not exposed to the article.
Likewise men who think they are competing against Asian students on math tests
do not perform at their potential.

I’m not suggesting a Pollyannaish denial that memory doesn’t deteriorate some
with age. For many the deterioration comes from the effects of disabilities and medications.
Even with good health there is some decline. If you stay healthy, there is no reason
your memory can’t be quite sharp in your hundreds in areas that you use it. I.e.,
Don’t expect to easily learn a foreign language at 90 if you only know English.
But if you are a crossword buff, you still can be a crossword maven in your hundreds.
The same holds for skills like play bridge.

Often people don’t remember a name because they don’t pay attention when they
hear the name, don’t rehearse the name, or don’t even believe they are capable
of remembering a name. A good memory requires interest, effort (rehearsal and
making it memorable), and belief that you can remember. Our expectations and
actions have far more influence on our memory than most people realize.

Quotes

I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty.
~George Burns

Humor

A woman slapped her husband in the back of the head, and yelled,
“I found a piece of paper in your pants with Marylou written on it.”
“Calm down honey,” he said, “Remember last week when I went to the dog races?
That was the dog I bet on.”
The next morning, his wife smacked him again.
“What was that for?” he complained.
“Your dog called last night.”