Bigger is better: Aquatic exercise benefits people with Parkinson's disease

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, aging is an important risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. The good news is that people with Parkinson’s disease who exercise regularly are able to move and maintain balance better than those who do not. And water is a wonderful environment for exercise. Water boasts unique properties that enable it to be used for both therapy and fitness. When someone with Parkinson’s is able to float and move in a pool, it is similar to a water lily opening at dawn. Participants can stand up tall and move more freely. (Intl. Council on Active Aging, 2/27/13)

ARTFUL AGING

Artful Aging by Dr. Suzanne Groah

As a physician and scientist, I have seen remarkable aging. The patients whom I care for, often with severe physical disabilities, experience a process termed “accelerated aging.” This means that some of the “normal” declines in body organ function that we see associated with age occur earlier than anticipated. Unfortunately, the result is a shorter lifespan for these individuals.

I have seen a number of people, though, who have outlived expectations — some by years and a few by decades. I want to learn from these people so that I can discover the Art of Aging, live it myself, and share it with others.

The example that is most striking is a patient and friend who was involved in a car accident 50 years ago at age 20. The accident left him paralyzed at the waist due to a broken back. If this happened today, we would anticipate he would live a productive life using a wheelchair and have about 45 years to live. Fifty years ago this number would have been much lower. For the first few years after his injury he worked hard to achieve his goal of walking. He accomplished this without regaining even a muscle twitch in his legs. He has walked using leg braces, crutches, and Hulk-like upper body strength. More incredible is that he has done it for the past 50 years — a feat well beyond anything I have ever observed.

To me, Ed exemplifies the Art of Aging. I am convinced that his commitment to physical activity — to stand when most would have sat and to continue to be physically active even when faced with life’s greatest challenges — is the key to his artful aging. As stated by Chinese microbiologist, Zhao Liping, “EAT RIGHT, KEEP FIT, LIVE LONG, DIE QUICK”.

Dr. Suzanne Groah is a physician and researcher in Washington, DC. www.SCI-Health.org

NASAL SPRAY FOR STROKE AND ALZHEIMER'S

Researchers from Tel Aviv University are working on a nasal two-in-one vaccine that could protect against both Alzheimer's disease and stroke. The proposed vaccine appears to repair vascular damage in the brain by rounding up "troops" from the body's own immune system.

According to an article soon to appear in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, the vaccine not only has a preventative function but could also help fight Alzheimer's symptoms that are already present.

This breakthrough is of extraordinary interest to American pharmaceutical makers, given that one in eight Americans will develop Alzheimer's disease - and its related devastating memory loss -- at some point in life. And because Alzheimer's is often associated with vascular damage in the brain, many patients are also at great risk of a potentially fatal stroke.

(March 3.2011, Israel 21C)

10 Longevity Tips

According to Dr. Smith of the Jewish Home for the Aging in a recent article, living to 90 and beyond is pretty straightforward. He says, "the overall lesson is a simple one: Get out of bed in the morning and get active."

Apparently the Jewish Home has the highest number of residents living beyond 90. Based on their collective wisdom, here are Dr. Smith's top ten tips to increase your chances of reaching the century mark:

"1. Decide what is most important to you and focus on it. A lot of life's little annoyances don't seem so great if you keep your priorities straight.

2. Participate in some kind of physical exercise, depending on what your body will allow you to do.

3. Keep your mind sharp through mental exercise. The mind is a muscle. It must be used.

4. Have a balanced diet and pay attention to what you eat. In short, eat right.

5. Avoid isolation. Find someone to love and something to keep you engaged.

6. Relax. Don't let stress eat you up. The older people get, the more they seem to understand that it doesn't pay to sweat the small stuff.

7. Don't smoke at all and don't drink too much.

8. Remain spiritual. Believe in something.

9. Laugh every day. Happiness breeds contentment and laughter remains one of the best medicines.

10. Keep 'spice' in your life. Either in your food, your reading or your love life."

Makes a lot of sense!