WE continue exploring on how to cooperate with ageing as introduced from last week
The Body
IF we start form outside going in, then we can think of the skin, the muscle the bone, the joints and the internal organs.
The skin begins to lose its elastic nature and with age, it wrinkles. So, as you get older, you then begin to see increase in wrinkles around the eyes the forehead and the mouth.
This is due to the loss of the stretch fibres called collagen fibres. The fat under the skin which gives the baby soft stretchable skin to babies begins to reduce with age.
The skin also generally discolours and many people begin to develop white spots of their skin a condition called vitiligo.
In addition, there is loss of hair volume and colour, so hair becomes thin and white. The skin appears to sit directly on bone or muscle.
This gives the dried up appearance skin in the elderly like a dry fruit such as prunes or dates. This loss of subcutaneous fat is inevitable with age.
It also gives the appearance of someone having shrunk. Have you ever wondered how come your school headmaster used to look so big and intimidating when you were in school, and now looks so small and harmless? It’s called ageing.
Ageing also causes for similar reasons a loss in height because the cushions between the bones of the spin shrink as does the bone mass itself.
With age the weight of the body frame cannot be carried by the thinned out bone and people begin to stoop or bend with age.
The muscle bulk reduces and the muscles stiffen, therefore with age people have greater difficulty with tasks that involve bending.
The joints which are like the bearings in a car begin to loss their lubrication. So the joints begin to squeak and the bone rubs against each other directly.
This means that the movement of joints becomes painful. This is worse in the weight bearing joints of the hip knee and ankle.
With age, therefore, people are more reluctant to walk, because this is painful. The deterioration in bones and joints is more marked in women, especially with the onset of menopause. Menopause is when the body stops producing the female hormone oestrogen. This hormone tends to preserve the bone density and size.
With this period the bones become softer the joints become less well lubricated and pain in the bone and joints is common.
The internal organs do not fare any better the immune system decline with age the number of defence cells in the body falls with age and there efficiency in their work declines.
So elder patients are more prone to the common cold,TB infection and cancers. In the digestive system the teeth became loose as the jaw reduces in size and they begin to fall out.
The wall of the digestive system thins and there are less able to digest food. So, they don’t eat as well as they used to.
In general teeth of African fare better, they are stronger and last longer, because of usage in eating food that is harder to chew.
The lungs suffer the effects of ageing and get smaller. They are less efficient at extracting oxygen and become stiffer. Therefore, the elderly get breathless and tired easily.
It is always true that if you are buying a house and you want to see how good the house is, just check the back.
This is the water systems and the sewer lines. This is true of people too. When people age, the almost like regress, meaning the kind of go back to childhood. They may start to loss their hair, speech, sight and also lose control of their urine and stool, just as a child does.
The doors or sphincters that control urine and stool have muscles which weaken with age. So the may begin to start bed wetting and soiling themselves in bed.
How does one preserve these functions with aging? Stretch these systems when they are still functioning well.
When you are in your late 40 embark on a vigour programme to build your muscle bulk. This will serve you well when this decline comes when you are in your 50s.
Make sure you stretch your body. Literally the stretching exercises of your body will force the body to produce the all important protein called collagen.
This fibre is important to preserve the elasticity of your skin, joints and muscles. It will help your skin not to get wrinkled and have that dried up appearance.
The diet here comes in handy. Make sure you eat lots of fruits which contain Vitamin C and Zinc. You can take these also as suppliments. These promote the maturation of collagen which is so important in maintain elasticity.
Conclusion
Ageing is inevitable for everyone, the best that we can do is prepare for it. Those who age well are those who have prepared well for ageing.
What is the secret of remaining young or health as you get older. The secret is stretching. This secret applies to every area of your life.
That is your mind, soul and body. When you stretch your mind and continue to learn you will preserve you ability to think well and your memory.
These are the most important faculties that are easily lost with age. Keep your friendships and relationships alive, this will keep you well motivated to live.
Stretch your soul or heart, through regular exercises, such as walking swimming and playing sport.
Make your blood vessels stretchable by taking a diet rich in omega 3 fats (fish and chicken), Zinc,Vitamin C ,Selenium(fruits and fresh vegetables) and take daily tablets of low dose aspirin. Do stretch execises every day for at least 15minutes.
This helps the body produce collagen fibres that reduce the stiffness of the skin, joints and muscles.
Do not fall into the trap of being too busy holding on to your job to prepare for the inevitable future of the aged.
Sooner or later it will come to all of us. The question is how much stretching are you doing now to prepare to age youthfully.- kbowa@yahoo.com
(READ HOW YOU CAN MANAGE STRESS, IN NEXT WEEK’S COLUMN – LOOK OUT!)
The author is Professor of Urology at the Copperbelt University; he is Dean of the Copperbelt University School of Medicine. He is author of the popular motivational book “Making the Cut”