Thursday, June 18, 2009

Live Long and Prosper



***EDITED: Ack. I don't think the toe-nail one was meant to be high up on the list. At some point, I just started typing items because I remembered them, not because I remembered then in any particular order. So, sorry, sorry, sorry, if I've sent you all off on a quest for zinc lotion.


Actually, I think the doctor started by just giving me five items, and then I pushed for more. So, probably toe nails was way way down there. At the level of when she was done with answering and ready to shoo me out of the office.

I do, finally, remember the item that escaped me when I originally posted: Make regular visits to the dentist.***

I recently switched primary physicians. We had a meet-and-greet-your-doctor appointment. I live a life filled with lists. It's my survival strategy. (Thank goodness for real estate agents who drop long pads of paper by my front door.) I trundled off to meet Dr. K., armed with a list of questions. I thought I'd share Dr. K's medical words of wisdom concerning longevity and general health.

Me: What is the age of your oldest patient?
Dr. K: She's in her 90s.

Me: What kind of shape is she in?
Dr. K: Good. She's still living alone.

Me: What are your ten top pieces of advice for people who'd like to reach this age and beyond, while maintaining good health?

Dr. K:

1. Don't smoke.

2. Don't be over weight.

3. Exercise regularly. Three of four times a week.

4. Drink alcohol in moderation.

5. Wear sunscreen every day. Pay particular attention to your face and your left arm.

6. If your toe nails thicken and yellow, treat twice a day with zinc lotion.

7. Take your vitamins daily. (And she told me what amounts of various vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, to take.)

8. Check that your multi-vitamin dissolves easily by dropping it in a cup of water. It should dissolve within an hour.

9. Get enough sleep, seven or eight hours nightly.

10. I've forgotten #10. Hopefully, it wasn't the most important suggestion! The golden key to longevity, as it were.

Do you have anything to add to the list?


You can click here for a yahoo article with solid suggestions for staying healthy.

We can all get healthy together!


And totally off topic....sorry, but there is no way to segue into this....does anyone have knowledge of SAT prep courses? I'd love to hear of any experiences with University of San Diego's program. And, well, just any program at all. Child #2 is interested in starting to study for his SATs.

I'm headed back to the dentist early tomorrow morning with Child #4. I swear that girl doesn't have any enamel.

And...congratulations to Child #3 and Child #4! You made it all the way through grade 7 and grade 3, respectively. Friday is the first day of summer vacations. (I don't want to spoil the moment, but there will be to-do lists this summer.)

A few people have asked me detail my summer plans. I will. I'm not quite done, scrambling to work out last-minute details. I realized today that I had seriously overbooked Child #4. I'll have to slow life down a little for her. And, consequently, for me!


21 comments:

  1. And then there was Sir Winston Churchill. His lifestyle would have induced apoplexy in any modern doctor but he lived to 90.

    When asked how he managed to reach such an age, he replied, by going to the funerals of friends who had exercised.

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  2. I think #10 is be positive--people who are happy and positive live longer;)

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  3. Don't sweat the small stuff. Stress will age you physically and wear you down mentally. It's just not worth it.

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  4. It cracks me up that you forgot # 10. It was probably something about keeping the brain/memory active and challenged!
    I'd add to the list - reduce stress - if possible!

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  5. #10: laugh regularly

    i would also add that my experience with sat prep courses are of minimal use. better to study a bit everyday with an sat prep book and use the sat question of the day.

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  6. I like the list of questions for the doctor. I hadn't thought of that. SAT prep courses, regardless of where taken, can truly help prepare a student for the test. Mine took the PSAT prep and felt more confident going into the test. I suppose it simply gave them a taste of what was to come. Just my two bits!

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  7. Thanks for the tips! I didn't know that about zinc lotion (not that my toenails are ugly or anything...really...).

    My health suggestion would be to drink lots of water. And I read somewhere that we should drink a big glass of water every morning after getting up; that it keeps your skin healthy and other good things. Of course I don't always do that, but it does make sense, since you might be dehydrated after many hours of sleep.

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  8. I wonder why the left arm? I'm right handed so my left arm probably gets more suntan lotion than the right.

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  9. I always forget about my left arm!

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  10. I'm sure that number 10 was a daily dose of dark chocolate! My kids used the book 10 Real SATs from Amazon. Two out of three of them scored really well. The third never tests well on standardized tests; she's too artistic. It was cheaper to buy the books than do the prep courses. They all got into good colleges and will be all graduated by next June...

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  11. I was totally expecting something trekkie . . . I hope you live long and prosper, and enjoy the summer.

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  12. Oh and to Sarakastic--my husband regularly visits the dermatologist. It's the left arm because that's the arm constantly exposed to sunlight as we drive in our cars. The left side of the face also tends to get more skin cancers.

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  13. Sounds like a great list. The toenail one seems pretty high up there. #6. Really? Is it that important? Wow!

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  14. of course with such frivolous answers she was rejected as your new doc, right? :O lol

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  15. I agree with Green Girl in Wisconsin. Positive people live longer. :)

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  16. Great and do-able longevity tips
    AND last-day-of-school glories!!!
    Glad I came here today!
    YAY
    !
    Aloha

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  17. Whoo! Congrats to Child #3 & 4!!!

    I know how child #4 feels about dentists. It seems like every time I go to the dentist they find something else wrong -- and I do everything they tell me!

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  18. I'd recommend adding "drink plenty of fluids, and that means clear, unadulterated water, not juice, soda or coffee." Also, "avoid artificial sweeteners and sugar as much as possible."

    Factoid. Did you know that if you ate nothing but sugar, you'd die? Sugar provides calories, sure, but no nutritional value, and the breakdown of sugar produces toxins. You'd apparently live longer with only water than if you ate sugar and drank water.

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  19. Writtenwyrdd: I think there was something about 64 oz of water a day. I'd totally forgotten about that. And, wow, interesting about the sugar. Thx.

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  20. every time i try to make that hand gesture it never works. my pinky keeps wanting to fly out to the left. :)

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Comments are always welcome!