According to the CDC, people in the U.S. are living longer than ever before. There are many things you can do to stay healthy and active as you age.
Listen in as Karen Muchowski, MD, board certified Family Physician and member of the Medical Staff at Temecula Valley Hospital, discusses the importance of keeping active and maintaining a healthy diet as you age.
Things You Can Do to Stay Healthy as You Age
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Dr. Karen E. Muchowski
Karen E. Muchowski, MD
Dr. Karen E. Muchowski is a board certified Family Physician with a special interest in Women’s Health, Pediatrics, and Chronic Pain issues. She is a member of the medical staff at Temecula Valley Hospital.Learn more about Dr. Karen E. Muchowski
Transcription:
Things You Can Do to Stay Healthy as You Age
Melanie Cole (Host): According to the Center of Disease Control people in the United States are living longer than ever before, and there are things you can do to stay healthy and active as you age. My guest today is Dr. Karen Muchowski, she's a Board Certified Family Physician and a member of the medical staff of Temecula Valley Hospital. Welcome to the show Dr. Muchowski! Tell me what do you see as the state of aging today? Are you seeing that our older population is healthier than they used to be?
Dr. Karen Muchowski (Guest): So that's a hard question to answer. We know that the population of the United States is living longer than before and there are certain populations that can be healthier into their old age. So, yes there are some patients that are definitely living longer than they were previously.
Melanie: And what do you recommend as important prevention and risk factors that you like people to be aware of?
Dr. Muchowski: So when we look at what people die from in the United States, they die from heart disease, strokes and cancer. So if we want to help people live longer then we need to help them prevent those diseases. And many things that we can do to help prevent those include some of the basics. Regular physical exercise, healthy diet, avoiding excess alcohol.
Melanie: And what about screenings? What screenings do you feel are important as we get into our fifties, sixties and seventies?
Dr. Muchowski: Like I said, one of the main reasons that people pass away in the United States is from cancer. So we do want to look at certain cancer screening that we know are helpful in decreasing deaths from those cancers. So for women we want to recommend pap smears up to the age of 65 and also mammography up to the age of 70, from the age of 50 to 70. And then after that, after the age of 70 you can discuss with your doctor and individualize whether you want to have mammograms after that time. For those men and women we know that screening for colon cancer between the ages of 50 and 75 does help to decrease death from colon cancer.
Melanie: And how important do you feel the dietary intake and exercise, as they play a role in our aging?
Dr. Muchowski: So both are very important and may both have very strong effects on improving your health as you age and also decreasing your mortality, meaning that you possibly could live longer if you do these things. So if we talk about diet we know that there are a couple of diets that have been studied very well, that if you follow these diets you have decreased risk of developing heart disease, strokes and in some cases it also helps decrease your mortality. So the diets that have been studied in the United States are the DASH diet or Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension, the Mediterranean diet has been studied a lot in Europe and is being studied more in the United States. And that also helps to decrease heart disease and decreases death rates. Most of these diets are healthy diets that if people follow, could increase their lifespan. If we look at physical activity, physical activity in general is going to help your overall health and also clearly decreases risk of death. We can talk specifically about what types of exercise, but what I tell people is stay active any way you can and that's going to be helpful.
Melanie: People see a lot in the media about the use of supplements and vitamins. What do you tell your patients when they ask you should they be taking vitamin supplements?
Dr. Muchowski: So that's always an interesting question. What I can tell you is that when we look at people who age more healthfully, they in general tend to have higher levels of the vitamins that we see in fruits and vegetables. But when we study whether or not the same effect happens if they take and get these vitamins in supplements we don't seem to see as much of an effect. So most of the data is saying that people really should be getting their vitamins from their diet. If patients have dietary restrictions or there are other reasons why they can't get a good healthy diet then we would recommend a multivitamin for them. But for most people getting your vitamins through your diet is better.
Melanie: And you we could talk about specific types of physical activity. So what do you recommend? Because people are not sure really what to do.
Dr. Muchowski: Right. So the current recommendations, one of the current recommendations is to get 200 minutes of moderate intensity over the week. So when we're talking about moderate intensity activity, a brisk walk would be considered moderate activity. So you want to try to get 200 minutes over the week. If you do more intense exercise, so if you do running or swimming or biking, then you can actually decrease that number down to about 100 minutes a week.
Melanie: What role do you feel that stress plays in our aging?
Dr. Muchowski: So that is less well studied and it is harder to study stress effects; but some studies show that people who have less stress in their life tend to live longer. And what's interesting about these studies is it's not necessarily the amount of stressful events they have in their life, but a lot has to do with how they respond to them. So, meaning some people can have very stressful events in their life but they respond better to them and they still seem to have longer lifespans. Whereas some other people might have just one stressful event and they have a hard time coping with it and they see some decrease in their health because of it. So in general what we can tell people is a less stressful life is helpful.
Melanie: As people age they tend to get less sleep because they feel that they don't need it or for some reason their body doesn't let them sleep through the night. And what do you tell them about the importance of good quality sleep?
Dr. Muchowski: We do know that as we all get older our sleep cycle don't work as well as they did when we were younger. However, we still as older adults need to have at least 8 hours of sleep a night. So some of the basics for sleep are to try keep a regular schedule to go to bed at the same time, to wake up at the same time, to avoid caffeine products for about 6 to 8 hours prior to sleep, regular exercise helps a lot if you're having problems falling asleep. So regular exercise should always be part of a good sleep regimen and then getting your body ready for sleep. So for about 30 to 60 minutes before you go to sleep, you want to turn off the electronics and no TV and no computer. Get your body ready to go to sleep.
Melanie: And what red flags do you like to mention to your patients to let them know that they need to be their own best health advocate and keep track of their own health care needs? What do you like them to make sure that they keep track of or that they notice in their own body?
Dr. Muchowski: Some of the red flags that I would talk to my patients about would be unintentional weight loss, so if your weight is fluctuating down and you're not trying to lose weight that would be something you would want to see me, if you have unexplained fatigue or having issues with balance that would be also something I'd like to see them. Any elderly patient that has a fall should visit their physician to evaluate why they had that fall and how we can further prevent it. And then if people have risks for heart disease then I would go over with them the signs and symptoms of having a heart attack, which in general can be crushing chest pain that goes into your arm or your jaw, shortness of breath, so those would be signs that I would review with someone had issues with their heart.
Melanie: And how important do you think monitoring blood pressure, as we get older and keeping track of those numbers?
Dr. Muchowski: So it is good. So what I would say about blood pressure, is in general you should visit your physician about once a year, because there are a lot of things that we can check for you just to keep track. But blood pressure does tend to get higher as we all get older, so at least visiting your physician once a year, having your blood pressure checked once a year. If it's elevated then you're going to need to check more often and you can get guidance from the physician on that.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes Dr. Muchowski, what do you like people to think about as they age to keep healthy and be their own best health advocate?
Dr. Muchowski: So the idea of balance is very important and we need to do a little bit of exercise and we need to eat healthy, we need to get enough sleep and decrease stress as much as possible. So really kind of the basics. Your body needs sleep, your body needs good food, your body needs to be exercised. So trying to keep a balance of those as much as possible is going to help you have a healthier life.
Melanie: And why should they come to Temecula Valley Hospital for their care?
Dr. Muchowski: Temecula Valley Hospital is a wonderful community hospital that has a lot of good physicians if they need any of their health care issues addressed they can come here and we can make sure to take good care of them.
Melanie: Thank you so much being with us. You're listening to TBH.talk with Temecula Valley Hospital. For more information you can go to www.tameculavalleyhospital.com. That's www.tameculavalleyhospital.com. Physicians or independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Temecula Valley Hospital; the hospital shall not be liable for actions provided by physicians. This is Melanie Cole, thanks so much for listening.
Things You Can Do to Stay Healthy as You Age
Melanie Cole (Host): According to the Center of Disease Control people in the United States are living longer than ever before, and there are things you can do to stay healthy and active as you age. My guest today is Dr. Karen Muchowski, she's a Board Certified Family Physician and a member of the medical staff of Temecula Valley Hospital. Welcome to the show Dr. Muchowski! Tell me what do you see as the state of aging today? Are you seeing that our older population is healthier than they used to be?
Dr. Karen Muchowski (Guest): So that's a hard question to answer. We know that the population of the United States is living longer than before and there are certain populations that can be healthier into their old age. So, yes there are some patients that are definitely living longer than they were previously.
Melanie: And what do you recommend as important prevention and risk factors that you like people to be aware of?
Dr. Muchowski: So when we look at what people die from in the United States, they die from heart disease, strokes and cancer. So if we want to help people live longer then we need to help them prevent those diseases. And many things that we can do to help prevent those include some of the basics. Regular physical exercise, healthy diet, avoiding excess alcohol.
Melanie: And what about screenings? What screenings do you feel are important as we get into our fifties, sixties and seventies?
Dr. Muchowski: Like I said, one of the main reasons that people pass away in the United States is from cancer. So we do want to look at certain cancer screening that we know are helpful in decreasing deaths from those cancers. So for women we want to recommend pap smears up to the age of 65 and also mammography up to the age of 70, from the age of 50 to 70. And then after that, after the age of 70 you can discuss with your doctor and individualize whether you want to have mammograms after that time. For those men and women we know that screening for colon cancer between the ages of 50 and 75 does help to decrease death from colon cancer.
Melanie: And how important do you feel the dietary intake and exercise, as they play a role in our aging?
Dr. Muchowski: So both are very important and may both have very strong effects on improving your health as you age and also decreasing your mortality, meaning that you possibly could live longer if you do these things. So if we talk about diet we know that there are a couple of diets that have been studied very well, that if you follow these diets you have decreased risk of developing heart disease, strokes and in some cases it also helps decrease your mortality. So the diets that have been studied in the United States are the DASH diet or Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension, the Mediterranean diet has been studied a lot in Europe and is being studied more in the United States. And that also helps to decrease heart disease and decreases death rates. Most of these diets are healthy diets that if people follow, could increase their lifespan. If we look at physical activity, physical activity in general is going to help your overall health and also clearly decreases risk of death. We can talk specifically about what types of exercise, but what I tell people is stay active any way you can and that's going to be helpful.
Melanie: People see a lot in the media about the use of supplements and vitamins. What do you tell your patients when they ask you should they be taking vitamin supplements?
Dr. Muchowski: So that's always an interesting question. What I can tell you is that when we look at people who age more healthfully, they in general tend to have higher levels of the vitamins that we see in fruits and vegetables. But when we study whether or not the same effect happens if they take and get these vitamins in supplements we don't seem to see as much of an effect. So most of the data is saying that people really should be getting their vitamins from their diet. If patients have dietary restrictions or there are other reasons why they can't get a good healthy diet then we would recommend a multivitamin for them. But for most people getting your vitamins through your diet is better.
Melanie: And you we could talk about specific types of physical activity. So what do you recommend? Because people are not sure really what to do.
Dr. Muchowski: Right. So the current recommendations, one of the current recommendations is to get 200 minutes of moderate intensity over the week. So when we're talking about moderate intensity activity, a brisk walk would be considered moderate activity. So you want to try to get 200 minutes over the week. If you do more intense exercise, so if you do running or swimming or biking, then you can actually decrease that number down to about 100 minutes a week.
Melanie: What role do you feel that stress plays in our aging?
Dr. Muchowski: So that is less well studied and it is harder to study stress effects; but some studies show that people who have less stress in their life tend to live longer. And what's interesting about these studies is it's not necessarily the amount of stressful events they have in their life, but a lot has to do with how they respond to them. So, meaning some people can have very stressful events in their life but they respond better to them and they still seem to have longer lifespans. Whereas some other people might have just one stressful event and they have a hard time coping with it and they see some decrease in their health because of it. So in general what we can tell people is a less stressful life is helpful.
Melanie: As people age they tend to get less sleep because they feel that they don't need it or for some reason their body doesn't let them sleep through the night. And what do you tell them about the importance of good quality sleep?
Dr. Muchowski: We do know that as we all get older our sleep cycle don't work as well as they did when we were younger. However, we still as older adults need to have at least 8 hours of sleep a night. So some of the basics for sleep are to try keep a regular schedule to go to bed at the same time, to wake up at the same time, to avoid caffeine products for about 6 to 8 hours prior to sleep, regular exercise helps a lot if you're having problems falling asleep. So regular exercise should always be part of a good sleep regimen and then getting your body ready for sleep. So for about 30 to 60 minutes before you go to sleep, you want to turn off the electronics and no TV and no computer. Get your body ready to go to sleep.
Melanie: And what red flags do you like to mention to your patients to let them know that they need to be their own best health advocate and keep track of their own health care needs? What do you like them to make sure that they keep track of or that they notice in their own body?
Dr. Muchowski: Some of the red flags that I would talk to my patients about would be unintentional weight loss, so if your weight is fluctuating down and you're not trying to lose weight that would be something you would want to see me, if you have unexplained fatigue or having issues with balance that would be also something I'd like to see them. Any elderly patient that has a fall should visit their physician to evaluate why they had that fall and how we can further prevent it. And then if people have risks for heart disease then I would go over with them the signs and symptoms of having a heart attack, which in general can be crushing chest pain that goes into your arm or your jaw, shortness of breath, so those would be signs that I would review with someone had issues with their heart.
Melanie: And how important do you think monitoring blood pressure, as we get older and keeping track of those numbers?
Dr. Muchowski: So it is good. So what I would say about blood pressure, is in general you should visit your physician about once a year, because there are a lot of things that we can check for you just to keep track. But blood pressure does tend to get higher as we all get older, so at least visiting your physician once a year, having your blood pressure checked once a year. If it's elevated then you're going to need to check more often and you can get guidance from the physician on that.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes Dr. Muchowski, what do you like people to think about as they age to keep healthy and be their own best health advocate?
Dr. Muchowski: So the idea of balance is very important and we need to do a little bit of exercise and we need to eat healthy, we need to get enough sleep and decrease stress as much as possible. So really kind of the basics. Your body needs sleep, your body needs good food, your body needs to be exercised. So trying to keep a balance of those as much as possible is going to help you have a healthier life.
Melanie: And why should they come to Temecula Valley Hospital for their care?
Dr. Muchowski: Temecula Valley Hospital is a wonderful community hospital that has a lot of good physicians if they need any of their health care issues addressed they can come here and we can make sure to take good care of them.
Melanie: Thank you so much being with us. You're listening to TBH.talk with Temecula Valley Hospital. For more information you can go to www.tameculavalleyhospital.com. That's www.tameculavalleyhospital.com. Physicians or independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Temecula Valley Hospital; the hospital shall not be liable for actions provided by physicians. This is Melanie Cole, thanks so much for listening.