Frailty In Older Adults Associated With Special Health Concerns

I have a few over - age - 50 patients who are on the “ frail” side. Though frailty is typically cerebration of as a mark that affects much older ( over - age 70 ) adults, oftentimes women, it isn’ t always strictly associated with someone’ s age. If you, or someone you know, are frail, let me tell you about the unique health concerns that this character can pose.

Frailty Poses Special Health Concerns

In medical terms, frailty ofttimes means that you’ re of slighter build without a lot of muscle mass – most regularly from unexpected weight loss. This weight loss can be a upshot of several things, scarcity of adequate food, excessive smoking, alcohol drinking, chronic or acute health conditions, like COPD, intestinal disorders, cancer, ailment treatments, even depression.

Being frail with less muscle mass, you likely shift slower, have less endurance for physical motion and ofttimes weariness more easily. You may even crave assistance with activities of daily living in condiment, scrubbing, or just getting around. The extent of health care services, or system in a nursing home depends upon the degree of declining fitness and physical endurance a person develops, as they get older.

As a frail person, you are at higher risk for certain health conditions such as:

Infections – the immune system of frail adults is much weaker than healthy adults. Simple infections can become very intent in frail people.

Malnutrition – from not eating enough, and / or becoming deficient in crucial vitamins, minerals, and protein. Low vitamin D levels have recently been found in research out of Oregon State University to be associated with an increased risk of passing in frail persons. Many frail people do not get enough sun exposure and are deficient in vitamin D.

Low blood pressure – privation of food and fluids intake can fruit in low blood pressure, which puts frail people at much higher risk of extinction. Recent studies out of the University of Oregon fair higher than regular blood pressures in frail people may just be more doubting to their overall health and survival.

Can Frailty Be Treated?

Even so, of course! It’ s never too dilatory to try and turn around nutritional deficiencies and muscle mass loss that has lead to a makeshift, frail factor. If you have a chronic health mark that has lead to your frailty, keeping good strength and nutritional position will likely be an maturity point for you. Working to maintain good nutrition and physical endurance, though, will help you feel better and govern your particular health issue better. It will also keep you excitability stronger and help you stay more independent – especially as you get older.

Here are some things I boost to my frail patients:

Optimize nutrition.

Make use of vitamin / mineral fortified supplement shakes to boost any nutritional deficits you may have. Try to prepare high nutrition meals. One of the most common causes of frailty in adults is poor food preparation. Repeatedly, older adults living alone end for eating a can of collection instead of taking the time to prepare a higher calorie, balanced nutritious meal. If you need help preparing meals, perhaps a crony, family cut, or even a neighbor can help you with this. There are also nationality outreach programs that cooperation with meal preparation and / or mutter of specious meals.

Aerobic Exercise.

Though you may not feel strong enough to exercise, next to building your nutrition, it is one of the most important things you can do to shortcoming frailty. It not only helps your muscles get stronger, it helps your breathing capacity, blood flow throughout your body, and brightens your mood. Start by ambulatory 10 minutes a day; get a cousin or family side to go with you if necessary. Live on the length of your legwork every date to build up your endurance. If you have passage to a bodies pool, moving in the shallow pole, or paddling on a board, can also help build strength and endurance.

Resistance Exercise.

You don’ t have to go to a gym to do resistance exercise. Fill a few pliable milk jugs partly with water at first. Standing or sitting, practice lifting them off the ground to shoulder height. Then extend them slowly over your head. As you get stronger, fill the jugs a little fuller. Vary with squatting to pick up the jugs, straightening to a standing position several times a day. When you get stronger, doing resistance exercise with gym machines can help build muscle and strength even faster.

Stop smoking, excessive alcohol drinking.

Heavy smokers and / or alcohol drinkers are frequently malnourished and / or frail. They also have lower lung capacities and impaired blood / oxygen flow throughout their body. Ask your doctor about the many programs available to help you discontinue smoking and / or drinking.

Frailty is a nature I upgrade my patients avoid at any age – especially as they get older. It can be one of the most important reasons for your loss of independence. If you have specific medical conditions that have lead to your frailty, work with your doctor to create a limitless plan to help your frail character return to strength and health.

Stay well,

Mark Rosenberg, M. D.

Natural Health Data - http: / / www. healthyanswers. com

Qi Gong: Activating The Kidneys, Water Element

This qi gong can help to relieve lower back pain, strengthen the kidneys and reproductive organs, and help to release the reaction of fear and build will.

Start this qi gong affair in either a sitting or standing position.

Place hands on the lower back with palms facing the lower back.

Step One: Gently massage the hands side to side over the lower back, warming the back.

If you cannot distance your lower back, rub the belly about 1 - 2 inches below the belly button. In this way, you massage a critical acupressure point for activating the lower dan tien in the lower innards, which stimulates the kidneys.

Step Two: As you massage, avow yourself to visualize a soothing ocean gesticulate flowing over your hands as you perform this self massage.

Visualize that flow of water washing away any fears, tensions, pain or uneasiness in mind and body.

Acquiesce arms to relax at your sides.

Step Three: Gently inclination your body to the bummed out side. Eject as you disposition. Inhale as you return to center. Gently proclivity your body to the right side. Excrete as you routine. Inhale as you return to core. Do this four more times on each side.

Term with inhaling intensely and raising hand up to the ceiling as if scooping a large ball or balloon extensive your head. Emit as you descend the arms until they are resting naturally at your sides. Repeat two more times.

Place palm over palm facing inpouring about an inch or two below your belly button. Visualize storing energy in the lower paunch and flooding and filler the desolate and right kidneys.

Facts you should know – Fibromyalgia or Chronic Vitamin D Deficiency?

Today I want to explain something that is so solemn to everyone’ s health and when I say everyone, I tight Men, Women, and Children. A Health Contention that even Doctors infrequently test for. In truth it is so well undetected, that no one thinks about it.

I was recently diagnosed with this resolute health nut much to my shock and horror, but in one way was very glad, as it means a diagnosis liable some months ago, could be out.

As usual - I have put the band before the horse, let me resolve further –

About 2 second childhood ago, I liable something they call here in Australia Ross River Fever in USA they call it – Rocky Mountain Fever ( one of a bundle of viruses called arboviruses or arthropod - borne viruses ), which are spread mainly by blood - sucking insects – Mosquitoes )

I was very sick with this for about 9 months with the following symptoms –

Flu - like symptoms that inject fever, chills, headache and aches and pains in the muscles and joints plus dizziness.

Joints that become swollen with joint stiffness particularly noticeable in the morning – especially the knees.

A rash occurring on the body, arms, or legs, oftentimes disappearing after seven to 10 days mine lasted for well over 6 weeks.

A general perceiving of being ailing fed up and weak which affected my work performance in truth it was all I could do to get out of bed in the morning. – LUCKILY I work from home and am my own boss! It certainly slowed me down to less than a snails walk!

Anyway… … to cut a long story short, for 9 months I was so sick with this virus, I was practically housebound. Throughout this time I had sundry blood tests to behold how things were, in gospel this is the only way they can detect something like this.

Eventually I clawed my way back to something like semi - human. However the pains and joint stiffness and muscle weakness still persisted. After a few more tests to rule out the big nasties the Doctors diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia, as the pain, joint stiffness and muscle weakness all corresponded with 11 trigger points that people with Fibromyalgia suffer.

Caused by? Well unknown - however, they ( the Doctors ) uttered 99 % due to the Ross River.

As I am not one to sit and linger and feel sorry for myself, after I was told, I would have this for life - I decided to go to a naturopath for treatment. So I am under a naturopath but also go for regular check ups with my Doctor. They are working hand in hand to get me back to 100 %. I refuse to accept the “ Life” sentence!

At my last talk to the Doctor, I requested in addition set of full bloods, as well as my other yearly check - ups. As she was picture the blood, I asked her to tell me out clamorous all the things she can check for in blood. As she frantic them off, one thing became very clear; I had not been checked for VITAMIN D deficiency. This I requested with the other things my Doctor wanted to test for.

Guess what it came back I had an ACUTE Vitamin D deficiency! This surprised both of us! At first I was dismayed, and then I gave thanks as this could be an answer to the many symptoms I have been suffering from.

My doctor, spent a whole mass of time with me explaining exactly what this deficiency means, how it comes about, the symptoms and problems deprivation of it can cause, who can suffer from this, plus I got an grief that she had not tested sooner!

I feel strongly that people need to learn about this deficiency, thanks to it can affect EVERYONE!

So I present to you – the Vitamin D story – as liable to me by my Doctor.

Vitamin D is perhaps the single most underrated nutrient in the world of nutrition. You can have supplements; however, it comes from sunlight your body makes it when sunlight touches your skin it cannot penetrate glass - So you don ' t generate vitamin D when sitting in your car or home.

Vitamin D prevents osteoporosis, depression, prostate cancer, breast, ovarian and colon cancer and surprisingly can even reaction diabetes and obesity ( Drug companies can ' t sell you sunlight, so there ' s no promotion of its health benefits – my addition here not my Doc’ s )

It is midpoint impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet and you would have to drink liters of fortified milk daily to get enough.

Useful levels of vitamin D are transcendent for calcium leisure activity in your abdomen, rendering calcium supplements fruitless unless correct levels of D are present.

Severe and chronic “ D” deficiency cannot be reversed seafaring: it takes months of vitamin D supplementation and sunlight to rebuild the body ' s bones and nervous system

Suncreens help cause this deficiency whereas they block point up to 95 % of the suns rays ( On this note, spend 20 minutes in the sun BEFORE adding sunscreen, this will give the body what it needs ) also, It is laughable to go ahead too much vitamin D in your body from sunlight pretentiousness: your body will self - tap and only trigger what it needs.

If it hurts to press firmly on your sternum, you may be resentful from chronic vitamin D deficiency right now - ( My sternum is so painful to touch, it hurts even to cuddle my 10 month old grandson – I put up with the pain though – he needs Nanna cuddles! )

Also one very important reality - People with darkened skin pigmentation may need 20 times more exposure to sunlight as unprejudiced - skinned people to generate the same amount of vitamin D.

I also wrote down a catalogue of diseases a vitamin D deficiency can cause ( thanks Dr Sue for allowing me to take notes, when you had a roomful of patients waiting to be observed )

Osteoporosis ( Gaze calcium diversion superior )

The CORRECT amount of vitamin D prevents prostate cancer, ovarian, breast and colon cancer, depression, and other related depressive diseases,

" Rickets” ( this is apparently being empirical more and more )

Vitamin D deficiency may worsen type 2 diabetes by impairing insulin production which is done by the pancreas.

Obesity impairs vitamin D utilization in the body, meaning we rotund people need twice as much vitamin D.

Vitamin D is used around the world to treat Psoriasis.

Now here is a adventure and a inducement why I got tumultuous - Chronic vitamin D deficiency is usually misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia being its symptoms are so uniform: muscle weakness, aches and pains ( memorialize I have been diagnosed as having this )

There is a lot more apparently to learn about vitamin D Deficiency - I am no medical expert, but I know one thing, this information needs to be talked about and brought to people’ s attention.

The treatment for me is this, 20 minutes per day sunlight, with as much body exposed as I can, plus I have to take a Vitamin D Gel Capsule daily recommended by my Doctor. Apparently it will take months to undo the bruised caused by this deficiency.

I wonder how many people worldwide have this deficiency and do not know it – let’ s spread the word, as one simple blood test can perhaps help one to stay healthy!

I would love to hear from you on this subject, so please comment!