Take care of your body

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. This is a day to think about all of the wonderful people you have in your life and it is a time to reflect on what is important to you and to yours. As you celebrate this special day, make sure that you take care of yourself.

"If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?" My friend Jim asked that question after our weekly golf game. We were sitting on the patio, watching the other golfers finishing the 18th and waiting for our lunch to be served.

We had been talking about our game as well as some of the health problems others we knew were having. The question is interesting to me because I do a number of workshops for COSCO Health and Wellness Institute, to seniors on healthy ageing, and the next day I was giving two workshops one on Healthy Eating and one on Medication misuse among seniors. I had been looking for a hook for my workshop on Healthy Eating and I decided to use Jim’s question to get the audience involved and thinking about the topic. It worked and the audience became more involved in the discussion faster, thanks, Jim.

As we age, we know that there are some normal stress and strain the comes with ageing, but our generation is one of the least informed about what is normal ageing.  I have had two friends die as a result of complications arising from Alzheimer’s, but I know that Alzheimer’s and Dementia are not part of normal aging or all of us would get Dementia and Alzheimer’s but we don’t. Yet at the workshop we give on Dementia, the fear raised is that as I age will I get Dementia. The quick answer is no, but individual and family circumstances can affect your potential to get the disease.

Another issue we face as we age is the fear of falling, with good reason, each year in Canada 1/3 of seniors fall at least once and are then 3 times more likely to fall again. Why – because of decreased strength, stability and confidence. But falls can be prevented by taking care of your surroundings and by taking care of your body. Not everyone falls, but many do because they don’t consider the risks and take steps to alleviate them.

As we age, arthritis attacks us Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and a leading cause of long-term disability. It Affects 1 in 10 Canadians and by age 65, almost everyone will have symptoms in at least one joint.

There is no cure for OA but you can take an active role in managing this chronic disease. As a result, you can be healthier, happier and better able to live more independently. 

The secret is to take care of your body as my friend Jim suggest or you will have nowhere to live.

Family get togethers need not be expensive

Wondering how to get everyone together for the holidays, Marty knows how this can be done without huge expenses. (an oldie but still funny)

A man named Marty called his son. "Harry I have news to tell you, I know it's going to upset you but I have made up my mind and their is nothing you can do about it. I have decided to divorce your mother." 

"But dad how can that be "the son asked "you have been married for 40 years, and you always seemed to get along? What happened suddenly?" 

"Son, I have made up my mind, and I don't want you to try to convince me out of it." 

"OK" the son responded "but promise me you won't do anything until I come and talk to you in person, and I am going to ask all of the siblings to fly in also. 

"Alright" said the father hanging up "you have my word." 

"Well" said Marty, turning to his wife "I got them all to come in and I didn't even have to pay for the tickets." 

What is funny about that?

A famous heart specialist doctor died and everyone was gathered at his funeral. A regular coffin was displayed in front of a huge heart. When the minister finished with the sermon and after everyone said their good-byes, the heart was opened, the coffin rolled inside, and the heart closed. Just at that moment one of the mourners started laughing. 

The guy next to him asked: "Why are you laughing?" 

"I was thinking about my own funeral" the man replied.

"What's so funny about that?" "I'm a gynecologist."

Helping Yourself with Depression

If you're currently feeling so out of it, totally out of your normal system and just basically hating and ignoring almost, always everything and anyone that comes along, try to get yourself checked by a psychiatrist because you those little mood swings and erratic Ally McBeal-ish behavior that you're trying to ignore for some long may actually be symptoms of depression. Act fast because if you do, it'll certainly be a lot harder for you to be able to have yourself cured especially once self-delusion starts to kick in.

Actually start by hauling your depressed ass into the hospital and get yourself diagnosed by a reputable psychiatrist, one that'll actually help you with your depression concerns, answer all the possible questions that you may have when it comes to depression as well as provide you with the best available to depression treatment that'll make you give yourself some good-old, yet extremely effective depression help. All it needs is the right attitude.

After actually being honest with yourself when it comes to actually being a patient who is suffering from depression, quit turning yourself into a victim and find out from these various types of depression the actual one that you're suffering from Manic or Bipolar depression - characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one's mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell.

Postpartum depression - characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mothers go through this.

Dysthimia - characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it's been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course, with any case, should be treated immediately.

Cyclothemia - characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one's moods.

Seasonal Affective Disorder - characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies, however, prove that more people actually fall into a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons.

Mood swings, wherein a person's mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time. But in spite of how scary or how daunting a task is the road towards a sound mental health is, depression help abounds and is just up to you if you’re willing to take in some of that depression help, may it be from your family, friends, support group and mainly starting from yourself, there really is a lot of depression help to go around.  

The old adage, slowly but surely greatly applies in trying to treat depression, as the patient continues taking the prescribed medicines for his/her depression treatment, as well as the corresponding therapy sessions with the cognitive behavior therapist, a patient being treated for depression needs all the support and depression help that he or she can get. 

While being treated for depression, the patient as well as his or her family, and other loved ones are advised to make realistic goals concerning depression wherein, to not assume that their depression can be easily treated in a snap.

Depression help begins with trying to understand the patient’s situation and continue on being patient as well as always extending your help because depression help is never easy nor is the depression treatment itself, which is why both patients and loved ones need to help each other out through every step of the way. Never set goals that are high above your reach, give yourself some depression help by not being too hard on yourself, believe that you are good and strong enough to achieve your goals but only one step at a time.