Do not be confused here by my terminology 'healthy aging" being confined to older people.
You began to age from conception!
Thus, my work begins with the new born and gravitates through the life stages to finality.
Those of you born since about 1950 were compromised in health status from day one by numerous factors both biological and societal, including of course a major player known as “Dr. Spock", who in the fifties said of the children "let them do what they like, and they will work it out", or words to that effect.
One wrote a paper in 1982 that the "baby boomers" would eventually break the bank, meaning the Federal government "medibank". Time moves on, we now have the baby boomers children and more than a few of their children.
And believe me, if you will; "they are breaking the bank". Whilst governments, owned mostly by BIG PHARMA ably abetted by the medical profession, both vested interests in keeping you sick, waffle on month in month out, year by year, ad infinitum, about fixing it all. This one calls "bully Poop". And about as effective in health care.
Apologies for the typographical error! It cannot possibly be "health care" can it? Because if you were healthy, you would not need doctors, or medicine. No, this is a "wish" nomenclature and if the nomenclature is wrong you may bet your "sweet bippy" whatever that is, that the action will also be wrong! So I call it "sick care".
Allow now a little digression, I do it all the time, as any one of my past twenty odd thousand patients will attest. In this "lucky country" an irrefutable truism today we have a National Health Summary 2004, which shows more than 70% of the population suffering one or more chronic illness conditions. Our first summary (1947) showed only 42%. End of summaries!
One has conducted epidemiological surveys for the past twenty five years on the 14 to 25 year age group who in 1985 showed 66% for chronic illness and in 2004 70% or more.
Interestingly one recently obtained copy (PDF 132 pages) of a Federal Department of Health & Aging nutrition survey 1983/85 to 1995. Rather enlightening even to a mathematical drop out like me self.
I certainly would appreciate input on some results to be shared soon.
My quandary includes the irrefutable facts that whilst intake of cereal grains, fruit and vegetables increased, whereas intake of fats and cholesterol fell the Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) rose significantly as did according to other data cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and most other disease and chronic illness conditions?
HMG that's a spiritual saying! They knew all of this in 1995 and yet (maybe I am dumb) we achieved that highly prized, at least by BIG PHARMA, award: The Fattest Nation on Earth.
Mind you I knew they could do it!
My BMI? 23.
What's yours?
It's all about the mitochondria!
