Lectures on geriatric disease prevention and health care

There is no universal prescription in the world that can prevent all geriatric diseases. The most effective way is "daily small intervention that matches your own physical condition + 1-2 targeted physical examinations every year." Don't believe in the health gimmick of "one trick can open blood vessels and prevent all diseases", and don't wait until you feel pain, faint, and can't bear it before running to the hospital.

I have been doing chronic disease management in the community for almost 12 years. Last week, I met Aunt Zhang upstairs, who came to the clinic with half a bottle of "thrombolytic magic medicine" in her hand. She said that her neighbor said that taking this medicine can prevent cerebral infarction. After taking it for three days, she became very dizzy and her blood pressure soared to 170. We have seen too many similar things. Many people always think that others’ good methods will work if they copy them themselves, but in the end they fall into the trap.

Speaking of taking medicine, I guess at least half of the people here have aspirin at home, right? This matter is indeed controversial now: the mainstream guidelines of Western medicine clearly state that only people who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, or have more than three high-risk factors (such as long-term high blood pressure, poorly controlled hyperlipidemia, family history of cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction, and long-term smoking) can only have preventive significance after being evaluated by a doctor. If there are no high-risk factors, following the trend and eating every day will easily cause stomach bleeding and gum bleeding. There are also many friends who agree with traditional Chinese medicine and think that ingredients such as Panax notoginseng and Salvia miltiorrhiza, which have the same origin as medicine and food, are milder. This is true, but it also depends on the physical constitution - for people with yin deficiency and strong fire, who often have dry mouth and tongue, and dry stools, drinking Panax notoginseng powder every day will easily cause internal heat and aggravate the symptoms, which is not worth the gain.

After talking about taking medicine, let’s talk about the exercise that everyone does every day. When the Ten Thousand Steps Walk was very popular two years ago, the 72-year-old Uncle Wang downstairs joined in the fun for three months, walking 12,000 steps every day without stopping. In the end, fluid accumulated in his knees and he was so swollen that he couldn't even go down the stairs. Later, colleagues in the rehabilitation department adjusted his plan: he would go out for walks three times a day, walking on flat roads in the community for 20 minutes each time, and add 5 minutes of squatting against the wall in the morning and evening to practice thigh muscles. Now that he has been walking for almost two years, his knees no longer hurt, and his blood lipids have dropped by 0.8. It’s true that the more you walk, the healthier you will be. If you have arthritis, don’t climb stairs and climb mountains. If you have high blood pressure, don’t go out too early to do morning exercises to beat the cold air. You have to be aware of your own body.

Oh, by the way, there is one more thing I have to mention. Many people think that as long as they eat light food, they will not suffer from hyperlipidemia. Last month, I met Aunt Liu. She was a vegetarian every day and did not even dare to touch eggs. She ate two large bowls of rice in one meal, but her triglycerides were still twice as high. Why? If you eat too much polished rice and white flour, it will be converted into fat, which will also increase blood lipids. And everyone always asks if I should take protein powder? The two situations are far apart: if you can usually eat 1 egg, 1 bag of pure milk, and 2 taels of lean meat every day, you don’t need to spend that wasted money. Taking too much will increase the burden on the kidneys. ； If you have bad teeth and can't chew meat, just take 10-15g of medical whey protein isolate every day. Don't buy health products that cost hundreds of dollars. Medical products that cost dozens of dollars in drug stores are enough.

Why is there always an emphasis on “orientation”? To put it bluntly, you must first understand the bottom of your body. Don’t just check the basic package for your annual physical examination. If you have been smoking for 20 or 30 years, don’t just take a chest X-ray. Add a low-dose chest CT to screen out early lung cancer. ； If you have a family history of colorectal cancer, don’t be bothered by having a colonoscopy every two years after the age of 45. If the problem is detected, early intervention and late intervention have completely different consequences. Many people don't know that half of the fluctuations in geriatric diseases are related to emotions. Aunt Li, who came to see a doctor last week, has been taking antihypertensive drugs for five or six years and has been stable. She couldn't sleep all night because she was worried about her son changing jobs. Her blood pressure couldn't drop from 160 for three days in a row. Later, her son came over to explain the work to her, and the next day her blood pressure dropped to 130. Do you think the emotional impact is big?

After talking so much today, there is no standard answer. The anti-hypertensive prescription that suits Uncle Zhang downstairs may not be suitable for you. The health tea that works for others may cause you a stomachache after drinking it. If you are unsure about something, first ask a doctor in your community. Don’t just follow the trend and buy physical therapy equipment worth thousands of dollars or take health care products from unknown sources. Give your body more snacks, which are more effective than any panacea. If you have any questions after the show is over, you can stay and I'll show you the physical examination reports one by one.