Re: geriatric care

Whatever applies to making anyone healthy, also applies to the older generation. Those suffering chronic illnesses often have a severely congested liver and intestinal tract. The elderly respond very well to cleansing of these organs, and regain some or a lot of their lost vigour and vitality. See my books The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush (formerly, The Amazing Liver Cleanse, as well as The Key to Health and Rejuvenation, soon replaced with its new edition, Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation).

Many older people are chronically dehydrated, and suffer from nutritional defficiencies. Their diet often consists of things I would not even call foods. There are other factors, not so well known such as these (excerpted from my new book Timeless Secrtets...:

....A study published in the Lancet in 1997 showed that particularly among the elderly, high total cholesterol levels are associated with longevity. The research suggests that elderly people with elevated cholesterol levels live longer and are less likely to die from cancer or infection. Doctors at Reykjavik Hospital and Heart Preventive Clinic in Iceland noted that the major epidemiological studies on cholesterol had not included the elderly. So when they studied total mortality and blood cholesterol in those over 80, they found that that men with blood cholesterol levels over 6.5 had less than half the mortality of those whose cholesterol level was around the 5.2 we are told is “healthy”. In support of this discovery, scientists working at the Leiden University Medical Centre found that “each 1 mmol/l increase in total cholesterol corresponded to a 15% decrease in mortality.” A study of Maori in New Zealand showed that those with the lowest levels of blood cholesterol had the highest mortality.

.....Research has shown that out of 100 people who consumed large quantities of polyunsaturated fats, 78 showed marked clinical signs of premature aging. They also looked much older than others of the same age did. By contrast, in a recent study on the relationship between dietary fats and the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers were surprized to learn that the natural, healthy fats can actually reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s by up to 80 percent. The study showed that the group with the lowest rate of Alzheimer’s ate approximately 38 grams of these healthy fats every day, while those with the highest incidence of this disease consumed only about half of that amount each day.

.....Also, chewing food properly is actually essential for our wellbeing, especially the elderly. According to fascinating research conducted at the Gifu University in Japan, chewing could actually improve memory by reducing the release of stress hormones. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has demonstrated that the hippocampus, which helps control blood levels of stress hormones, is stimulated by the act of chewing. As a result, the simple act of chewing properly lowers both stress and stress hormones. So chewing your food well can actually reduce anxiety levels.

.....The Japanese researchers also found that when teeth were missing or in a state of disrepair, older people tended to chew less. Subsequently, this led to increased stress hormone levels. The conclusion from this study is that good dental health and the ability to chew properly appear to be important factors in preserving our memory as we age and in protecting ourselves against the harmful effects of stress.

....Elderly people should particularly be cautious when it comes to taking medicines prescribed by their doctors. A new study from Duke University reveals disturbing evidence that more than 20 percent of all seniors who are prescribed drugs are receiving medications that are known to be harmful to older patients.
Drugs can greatly interfere with the absorption of nutrients in everyone, and especially in the elderly. For instance, acid blockers (such as Prilosec and Nexium) have been shown to significantly decrease absorption of vitamin B-12, which is one of the primary vitamins needed to prevent anemia.

There is more such information in the books.


Andreas