I
"All kinds of evidence supports the
idea that staying physically active
also helps with memory and staves
off dementia," Dr. Wortz says.
the past 10 years, about the same
time the number of people living
longer started to rise. One is obesity.
Roughly two-thirds of Americans
are overweight, which can raise the
risk of many health problems: joints
wearing out, a boost in cholesterol
and blood pressure, and diabetes.
"Fifteen years ago we didn't have
drugs to extend the sexual activity
of men," Dr. Wortz says. "We never
get rid of our need for intimacy, even
well into our `70s. Many older adults
don't use protection because they're
not worrying about pregnancy and
don't think about their partners
having multiple liaisons. It's a new
trend, and I caution people about this
when I give talks to senior groups
about sexuality."
mindset that there's a pill for every-
thing is more a reflection of our
culture than on reality. When people
start taking pills for real or supposed
problems, some of these drugs contra-
indicate (don't interact well), and that
can actually cause more problems in
the long run.
health, cognitive disorders, such
as Alzheimer's and dementia, have
risen. But exciting events regarding
neurophysiology are occurring. "We
are able to better diagnose cognitive
disorders with PET scanners," Dr.
Wortz says. "In the near future, we'll
have the ability for clinicians to scan
the brain and actually pinpoint the
neurochemical that's missing and
that's causing the problem. Instead of
just giving someone a pill because we
we'll be able to say exactly what's
wrong and prescribe medicine that
targets that missing chemical in the
brain."
disease and cancer, it's not surprising
that we're seeing life expectancies
continue to rise. And it shouldn't be a
surprise to anyone that if we're going
to live longer, we need to maintain
healthy lifestyles so as we age, we can
enjoy our lives in the process.