Doctor’s tips on living a long and healthy life
Dr Nathan Francis is the Director of Medical Services at Integrated Executive Health and President of the AustralAsian Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine in Australia. He runs his own practice Mount Pleasant Medical Centre for Healthy Ageing.
Modern medicine has changed the way we age in the western world with extended life expectancy, freedom through pain relief and increased quality of life for many Australians. But, what are the real secrets to a healthy mind, body and soul in your golden years?
In Australia, five of the top six leading causes of death are a result of our modern lifestyle, with heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes all impacting on life expectancy.
The management of prescriptions and over the counter medication on a daily basis is a reality for many Australians over 60, treating each pain and condition individually. The secret? Focus on preventing serious illness, rather than focusing on treatments, through an integrative medical approach.
1. Proactive healthy lifestyle
Countless research papers document how lifestyle impacts our life, during all stages, whether we’re young or old, consequently effecting how we feel. Positive lifestyle changes at any age, can materially impact your life expectancy with visible changes in only a matter of weeks – it’s never too late to change your lifestyle habits.
Feet are made for dancing, it’s not a hidden fact that current generations are less active than our predecessors with technology and a fundamental change in pastime activities impacting on our daily activity count. Only one in 10 Australian’s over the age of 50 do enough exercise to gain any cardiovascular benefit. A sedentary lifestyle impacts more than just weight gain, the multitude of physical effects include reduced strength and endurance, impacts on flexibility and mobility, coordination and balance, plus increased blood pressure and a predisposition to mental health disorders such as depression.
The Australian Government recommends at least 30 minutes every day of moderate intensity physical activity that focuses on strength, fitness, balance and flexibility.
The age old saying “you are what you eat” rings true when managing your health. What we put in our mouth nourishes our body. By eating a balanced diet with a variety of food from the different food groups, our body is provided with the essential nutrients required to function and to self-repair.
Walking through grocery stores in the 21st century is the perfect visualisation of modern diets, with on average, less than 1/4 of store floor space stocking fresh and unprocessed food. The impact of excessive sugar, salts and fats on our bodies is placing additional pressure on our body as our life expectancy continues to grow.
Finally, a fact we all know, the simple action of smoking dramatically impacts the health of not only the smoker, but their close friends and family as well. In Australia, there is a smoking related death every 28 minutes, with smokers four times more likely to die of coronary heart disease than non-smokers. Interestingly, the renewed impacts of vitality after quitting smoking can be felt within 20 minutes of your last cigarette with your blood pressure beginning to drop, in 48 hours smell and taste is heightened, after 2 to 3 weeks it becomes easier to breathe during physical exercise.
Why not work with your GP or health professional to develop a personal approach to a healthy lifestyle that works for you.
2. Mind, body and soul
Understanding what nourishes your mind, body and soul separately can help to create a fulfilling life above and beyond exercise and nutrition. Globally, approximately 15 per cent of adults over 60 suffer from a mental health disorder. By working with your GP and trusted medical advisors and understanding what makes you content and happy, mental health disorders can be addressed early. It has been raised that the change in community fabric and networks in recent generations has impacted on the mental welfare of individuals. By proactively engaging yourself in local community groups, whether they are sporting, hobby or ideology related allows you to reconnect with the community to find purpose and support.
3. A holistic approach
If you do have existing conditions that you’re been treated for, it is of the upmost importance that you follow the advice of your GP. However, the way we treat diseases is changing, it’s not just about reacting to ailments and prescribing a pill. It’s about taking control of your own health and working with your GP, who can apply a holistic approach, which includes mainstream medicine, but also considers complementary medicine, such as nutrition, lifestyle and exercise, hormones and supplementation, to enable you to have better overall health and wellbeing, to allow you to lead a full and functioning life for as long as possible.
Dr Nathan Francis will attend AustralAsian Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine’s 10th Annual Conference on Healthy Ageing and Personalised Medicine at Melbourne’s Sofitel on Collins, 6 – 7 August, along with global thought leaders, including the international authority on nutrition and lifestyle medicine, Dr David Katz, from Yale University’s Prevention Research Centre. For more information visit their website.
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