What are the prevention methods for geriatric diseases?

In fact, there has never been a universal standard answer to the prevention of geriatric diseases. The core principles are early intervention, heavy adaptation, and not following the trend. Compared with various health-preserving secrets spread online, daily adjustments that suit your own situation are the most effective.

When I helped with health follow-up for the elderly at a community health service center in the past two years, I saw too many examples of detours. There was a 72-year-old Aunt Wang. She heard in a health class that she needed to eat more deep-sea fish oil and nattokinase to "clean blood vessels." She spent more than 20,000 yuan on supplements. However, her blood lipids during the physical examination at the end of the year were still above the standard line. When I asked her, I found out that she usually eats braised pork every meal. No matter how much supplements she takes, she can't stand up to her high-oil, high-salt diet.

Many people think that to prevent geriatric diseases, they need to "supplement". In fact, the first thing to "adjust" is daily habits. It doesn’t mean that you can’t eat your favorite food as you get older. For example, Aunt Wang loves braised pork. Later, we discussed with her that she should eat it at most twice a week, and cut it into two or three pieces each time to satisfy her cravings. We should add half a spoonful less salt when cooking, and add more mushrooms and fungus for freshness. It was only half a year later when we checked again, and the blood lipids returned to the normal range.

When it comes to exercise, some people must be confused about whether it is better to "rest" or "be active". There are indeed different clinical opinions on this point. If you have severe knee joint degeneration and cardiac insufficiency, excessive walking and climbing stairs will increase the burden on your body. Previously, an uncle followed suit and walked 20,000 steps a day. Finally, Meniscus wear requires minimally invasive surgery, but the gain outweighs the gain. If your physical foundation is still good, you can walk slowly for 30 to 40 minutes every day, or do Tai Chi or Simplified Ba Duan Jin, which is good for your heart, lungs, and bones. If your knees are not good, it is perfectly fine to switch to seated joint exercises or swimming. You don't have to compare your steps with others.

Another point that is most easily overlooked is not to stop chronic disease medicine randomly. I met a 69-year-old man before who felt that taking antihypertensive medicine for a long time would damage his liver, so he secretly stopped the medicine. As a result, he was admitted to the hospital due to cerebral infarction in less than three months. Half of his body was paralyzed and he still has to rely on others to take care of him. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you have to take medicine for chronic diseases for the rest of your life. Last year, I had an uncle who developed high blood pressure for the first time. He adjusted his diet and exercised regularly for more than three months in strict accordance with the doctor’s instructions. His blood pressure has been stable below 130/80. After the doctor’s assessment, he asked him to stop taking the medicine for observation. So far, the indicators are stable. The key is that you must listen to the doctor when adjusting medicine, and don’t make blind decisions on your own.

There are still many people who ignore the impact of emotions. In the past, there was an Aunt Li in the community. After she retired, her children were not around and she was bored at home every day. She always complained about chest tightness and difficulty sleeping. After several examinations, no organic problems were found. Later, we persuaded her to enroll in a Yue Opera class at a community university for the elderly. , singing and arranging shows with her old friends every day. Within two months, she said that her chest was no longer congested, she slept better, and her blood pressure, which had been rising from time to time, had stabilized. In fact, emotions have a great impact on endocrine and blood pressure. Don’t always think that "feeling uncomfortable is not a disease."

To put it bluntly, there are no fancy tricks to prevent geriatric diseases. It’s just about paying more attention to your body’s signals. Don’t follow the trend and don’t take it too seriously. It’s comfortable and more effective than any tonic.