🩺 Health Encyclopedia

🦉 A word from Dr. Owl

In The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia you meet Dr. Owl all through the book. You will meet Dr. Owl here too.

When Dr. Owl appears, it means: "Be sure to talk with a professional about this."

• The health information here is a friendly guide only. It cannot replace your doctor. Every diagnosis and treatment, and starting or stopping any medicine, must be decided with a professional.
• When a symptom worries you, do not put it off or put up with it alone. Going to the doctor and asking is the wisest health habit.
• Even if you suspect a side effect, do not stop a medicine or change the dose yourself. Bring your medication list and adjust it safely with your doctor and pharmacist.
• In an urgent emergency, do not hesitate - call 911 right away or go to the emergency room.

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia · KoMeRiCa Books

The brain does not have to age - secrets of the super-agers

People in their 70s and 80s who remember and reason as well as people decades younger are called "super-agers." The brain keeps the power to make new connections all its life - neuroplasticity - so it is like a muscle: use it and it grows stronger, leave it and it weakens. Research suggests up to 45% of dementia worldwide is linked to risk factors we can change, such as lack of exercise, hearing loss, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, social contact and smoking. Studies also show that light walking of about 5,000-7,500 steps a day slows brain aging - so today, call one person for a chat, or walk for just 10 minutes.

Loneliness is not only a feeling - it is a health problem

Isolation and loneliness are not just moods. They are serious risk factors that directly affect health. Avoiding people more than usual, together with changes in appetite and sleep, is a warning sign. Making eye contact and talking with one person every day, keeping a hobby that uses your hands, and choosing activities with conversation over TV are the first steps to connection. On days when your heart feels especially heavy, do not carry it alone - telling family, a neighbor or a counseling service is the bravest and wisest choice.

Preventing falls - not falling adds ten years of healthy life

One in four people over 65 falls every year, but most never tell their doctor. About 70% of falls at home happen in three places: the bathroom, the path from the bedroom, and a cluttered living room. Non-slip mats and grab bars in the bathroom, motion-sensor night lights in the bedroom, and clearing rug edges and cords in the living room all work well. Walking on a wood floor in socks is like walking on ice, so wear non-slip slippers indoors too. Grab bars should be mounted 33 to 36 inches (84-91 cm) from the floor and anchored firmly enough to hold at least 250 pounds (113 kg).

Blood sugar control starts at the daily table, not with fear

One in four people over 65 has diabetes, and even more have prediabetes. Repeated sharp rises and falls in blood sugar after meals ("glucose spikes") speed up aging of the blood vessels and brain - feeling sluggish and sleepy after eating can be a sign. Simply eating vegetables and protein before rice or bread ("reverse-order eating") greatly reduces the swings. Remember the one-plate rule - half the plate vegetables, a quarter protein such as fish, tofu or eggs, and a quarter whole grains - and add a light 10-minute walk after meals.

High blood pressure - guarding a silent disease with numbers

High blood pressure is more dangerous because it does not hurt. It can damage blood vessels for years without symptoms, then appear one day as a heart attack or stroke. The three strongest tools are measuring and recording your blood pressure at home at least three times a week, a low-salt habit such as eating only half the soup broth, and walking 30 minutes a day. If your usual reading is under 120/80, keep your current habits; if it goes back and forth over 130/80, tighten up your habits and see a doctor; if it is often over 140/90, book an appointment without delay. If the face suddenly droops, speech slurs or one arm goes weak, it is a stroke sign - call 911 right away.

Eyes and ears are windows to the brain

If you cannot see well, you fall more easily; if you cannot hear well, you tend to become lonely and withdrawn. Untreated hearing loss is one of the biggest risk factors for dementia. Cataracts are usually fixed by surgery, but glaucoma silently takes away side vision first, and lost sight cannot be restored - a yearly eye exam is the only protection. Wearing hearing aids is no more embarrassing than wearing glasses; it is a wise choice. If family often says the TV is too loud, it is time for a hearing test. If one eye suddenly cannot see, or part of your view is blocked like a curtain, go to the doctor that same day.

A moving joint is a living joint - living with arthritis

About half of people over 65 have arthritis, but the real danger is not the pain itself - it is not moving because of it. The stronger the muscles around a joint, the better they absorb shock, so the right movement is itself a treatment, even with some pain. Use heat (15-20 minutes) for stiff, long-lasting pain, and cold for a joint that has suddenly swollen or was just injured. In chest-deep water much of your body weight is supported, so water exercise is especially kind to joints, and research shows tai chi 30-45 minutes three times a week can relieve knee arthritis pain as well as physical therapy.

Sleep is when the brain washes itself

During deep sleep the spaces between brain cells widen by up to 60%, and fluid flows through to wash away the day's waste - including proteins linked to dementia. Sleeping less than 6-7 hours, or sleep broken by sleep apnea or frequent bathroom trips, keeps this cleaning from working well. Getting up at the same time every day and getting at least 15 minutes of morning sunlight are the best ways to set your body clock; leave the TV, phone and worries outside the bedroom. If insomnia lasts more than three weeks, or loud snoring with pauses in breathing comes with heavy daytime sleepiness, ask for a sleep apnea test.

Medicine helps when used well, harms when it piles up - review once a year

With age the number of medicines naturally grows - blood pressure pills, sleeping pills, supplements - and the body clears them more slowly, so the same dose acts longer and stronger. Watch out for the "prescribing cascade": a side effect of one medicine (dizziness, indigestion, swelling) is mistaken for a new illness, and another medicine is added. The surest prevention is a "brown bag review" once a year: put every medicine and supplement in one bag and have your pharmacist or doctor check them all together. Supplements such as ginkgo or ginseng can interact dangerously with blood thinners or diabetes medicine, so always tell your doctor and pharmacist everything you take.

The real doctor visit is the checkup when you feel fine

High blood pressure, diabetes, glaucoma and osteoporosis - the main illnesses of later life - show up on tests long before symptoms appear. Once symptoms start, treatment is harder: going when you are sick is treatment; going when you are well is prevention. Check blood pressure often at home and blood sugar / A1C every year. A bone density (DEXA) test matters especially for women, since bone loss often shows up first as a fracture. Colonoscopy is the test people put off most, yet it prevents a great deal. At your next visit, also check your schedule for flu, pneumonia, shingles and tetanus vaccines.

Forgetfulness or a sign of dementia?

If something you forgot comes back to you later, or a hint brings it back, that is ordinary forgetfulness. But if you do not realize you forgot at all, that is a sign to get checked.

Signs to watch

• Repeating the same question or story within a short time
• Clearly more trouble handling money or medications
• Getting lost on routes you have always used

Dementia is an illness, not just age. The earlier it is found, the sooner you can get treatment to slow it and plan for safety. A memory test is a painless 10-15 minute set of questions - if you are worried, do not hide it; ask for one at your regular checkup.

Seven shield habits that lower the risk
Walking · learning new things · seeing people · 7 hours of sleep · managing blood pressure and blood sugar · correcting hearing loss · not smoking

🦉 Confusion or nonsense talk that gets suddenly worse within a day or two may not be dementia but an emergency (delirium) caused by infection, dehydration or medication. Get medical care right away.

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia, Chapter 3

Waking often at night? Managing nighttime urination

Waking often to urinate makes sleep shallow and raises the risk of falling in a dark room.

• Drink most of your water during the day, and less after dinner
• Between 3 and 5 p.m., sit on the sofa with your legs raised above your heart for 30 minutes. Fluid that collected in your legs during the day drains early, so you wake less at night
• Do pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises regularly
• Keep motion-sensor lights on the way to the bathroom

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia, Chapter 9

Drink water on a schedule - before you feel thirsty

With age the sense of thirst grows weaker. If you wait until you are thirsty, your body is already short of water.

• Start the morning with a glass of warm water
• Drink at set times through the day, thirsty or not
• Add fiber and fermented foods (yogurt, kimchi, miso and the like)
• A 10-minute walk after meals wakes up your digestion

When your gut is comfortable, your mind is clearer too (the gut-brain axis).

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia, Chapter 10

When to take supplements so they absorb well

Morning, empty stomach

• Probiotics - with a glass of lukewarm water
• Iron + vitamin C - vitamin C helps iron absorb

After breakfast or lunch

• B vitamins - energy for the day
• Vitamin D3, multivitamin, lutein, omega-3 - these dissolve in fat, so take them with a meal that has some fat

After dinner

• Calcium, zinc - bone and cell repair overnight

One hour before bed

• Magnesium - relaxes muscles for deeper sleep
• Collagen - joint and tissue repair at night

⚠ Keep these at least 2 hours apart
Iron ↔ calcium · magnesium · zinc · milk · coffee · tea (they block each other's absorption)

✓ Good pairs
Iron + vitamin C / vitamin D + calcium / omega-3 + lutein

The basic nine after 65
Vitamin D3, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12, omega-3, protein, lutein, vitamin C, probiotics

🦉 Supplements can clash with medicines you take. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting a new one.

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia, Appendix G

Twenty protein foods that protect your muscles

After 50, the protein you eat is not turned into muscle as easily (anabolic resistance). So spreading protein across every meal, rather than eating it all at once, matters for preventing muscle loss (sarcopenia) and for blood sugar control.

Eggs and dairy

Eggs (steamed egg) · Greek yogurt · milk · cheese

Beans and plant protein

Tofu and soft tofu · black beans · fermented soybean paste · chickpeas and lentils · natto

Fish and seafood

Mackerel and saury · salmon · flounder and cod · squid and octopus · shrimp and crab

Lean meat

Chicken breast · lean beef cuts · pork tenderloin and loin · duck

Nuts and seeds

Almonds · pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Three golden rules
1. Eat within 2 hours after a walk or exercise - that switches on muscle building
2. Fill a quarter of every plate with protein
3. If chewing is hard, choose soft foods such as steamed egg, soft tofu and tender fish

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia, Chapter 5 and Appendix H-4

Doctor visit checklist - make 5 minutes count like 30

Appointments are short. If you prepare, that short time goes much further.

Before the visit - put in your bag

• Your medication card, or all your medicines in one bag (brown bag review)
• Your blood pressure and blood sugar records
• Three questions written down ahead of time

During the visit - remember to ask

• "I have a new symptom. Could it be from a medicine I take?"
• "Are there vaccines I still need?" (flu, pneumonia, shingles)
• "Do any of these medicines make me dizzy or sleepy, or more likely to fall?"
• If you cannot hear well, do not let it pass - say "Could you say that again, please?" It is even better to bring a family member.

After the visit - at home

• Write down three lines of what you remember
• If a medicine changed, write a new medication card
• Put the next appointment on your calendar

💡 Ask this one question at the end
"Doctor, if you could pick just one most important thing for today, what would it be?"
A long, complicated explanation comes back as one sentence.

📖 The Illustrated Senior Health Encyclopedia, Appendix C