Is 70years old , too old.

[steve garwood]

Yup, I only know of one person who is an exception to that rule. Generally those things are a recipe for a good solid foundation. I do think however, once you’ve started to break they can take a long while to actually work. If you’ve spent years nailing junk food, playing computer games all night (or replying on the window cleaning forum at 4am ) then you’re likely to need time for your body to recover. Similarly people believe they like that sort of lifestyle, particularly the partying and drinking/eating aspect. When you break it down even the actual actions at the time aren’t sometimes enjoyable. Maybe the first bite of junk food but not the feeling of being bloated by the end of the meal. The initial few beers are great but you lose control relatively quickly. I believe it’s 80% diet.

The only other thing I would add is keep yourself on as few medications as possible. I’m forced to be on blood thinning medication because I had a blood clot in my lung with no obvious cause. I imagined however to get the dosage taken from 20 to 10mg and with the reductions I got off the generic medication they gave to protect my stomach.

Not everyone ‘loses control pretty quickly’ regarding the drinking.
If you are a regular session drinker, it’s quite easy to spend the whole evening drinking pints and be totally fine into the early hours of the morning.
Up not being macho here, it’s something my mates and I do most weekends.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with lymphoma (nothing to do with the drinking), and fortunately I have private health insurance.
I’ve been in guys hospital where I had 4 scans and a biopsy. I’ve had my first round of chemotherapy and after getting my results back, the professor, yes professor! told me that I’m in really good health and I’m going to be totally fine.

Proof, drinking is good for you

 

[Part Timer]

Not everyone ‘loses control pretty quickly’ regarding the drinking.
If you are a regular session drinker, it’s quite easy to spend the whole evening drinking pints and be totally fine into the early hours of the morning.
Up not being macho here, it’s something my mates and I do most weekends.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with lymphoma (nothing to do with the drinking), and fortunately I have private health insurance.
I’ve been in guys hospital where I had 4 scans and a biopsy. I’ve had my first round of chemotherapy and after getting my results back, the professor, yes professor! told me that I’m in really good health and I’m going to be totally fine.

Proof, drinking is good for you

Sorry to hear about the cancer mate, but glad you've had a positive response to the treatment. As you and I know, you have to go out and actually live a life to enjoy it and everyone's idea of enjoyment is different.

 

[P4dstar]

Not everyone ‘loses control pretty quickly’ regarding the drinking.
If you are a regular session drinker, it’s quite easy to spend the whole evening drinking pints and be totally fine into the early hours of the morning.
Up not being macho here, it’s something my mates and I do most weekends.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with lymphoma (nothing to do with the drinking), and fortunately I have private health insurance.
I’ve been in guys hospital where I had 4 scans and a biopsy. I’ve had my first round of chemotherapy and after getting my results back, the professor, yes professor! told me that I’m in really good health and I’m going to be totally fine.

Proof, drinking is good for you

Sorry to hear about your cancer mate

I agree with you. You are an exception to the rule though, most couldn’t handle it that way. Maybe it’s like going to the gym. It I go in and try and bench press 100 kilos it will do me some damage, if someone seasoned does it they’ll be sound. If someone goes and tries to binge drink now and again they’ll do damage, if they are seasoned drinkers they’re fine. People often forget that it used to be a source of food and sustenance until relatively recently

 

[Crystalalan]

Glad everything is ok Steve. What I find scary is cancer seems so common these days. One thing that hasn`t been mentioned yet is the amount of conveniance/microwave meals people are consuming. The amount of preservatives, chemicals, salt and sugars that go into these processed meals is unbelivable and I get why they are so popular. A lot of families just don`t have the time to make healthy meals from scratch.

I`m quite fortunate as I like cooking and have more time on my hands as I don`t have any children and don`t work particulary long hours.

 

[steve garwood]

Glad everything is ok Steve. What I find scary is cancer seems so common these days. One thing that hasn`t been mentioned yet is the amount of conveniance/microwave meals people are consuming. The amount of preservatives, chemicals, salt and sugars that go into these processed meals is unbelivable and I get why they are so popular. A lot of families just don`t have the time to make healthy meals from scratch.

I`m quite fortunate as I like cooking and have more time on my hands as I don`t have any children and don`t work particulary long hours.

My wife and I are both good cooks and do eat healthy food.
I think my job keeps me reasonably fit and I think these 2 reasons are why I’m reacting well to the treatment.
No proper sessions for me for a couple of months though because of the pills I have to take with the chemotherapy

 

[dazmond]

No amount of alcohol is good for you. We ve all been lied to for too long. If it was discovered today it would be banned but if you want to knock yourself out every weekend go for it(it's good for the government coffers)

I find heavy drinkers really boring and do my best to stay away from them. Unfortunately I can't sometimes esp when gigging in sweaty pubs and clubs.

 

[spruce]

The bit that always troubles me is the need to throw medication in. Metformin is such a generic tablet. My wife used to work in a pharmacy, it was one of the highest stocked drugs. Until someone says it you assume that the doctor is so clever in choosing a particular type of medication, as if he or she opens up a book with thousands of options and finds the specific treatment for your exact symptoms. In truth they have a handful of staple drugs which the pharmacy refer to as “generic old people medication” and everyone gets a mix of those, often chopped and changed until they hopefully find the right balance. It’s not actually based on the persons need. They got my mum to take a statin. She was dead less than 30 days later. I’m not suggesting the statin killed her but it certainly didn’t help. While she sat dying in her hospital bed I did the research and read the studies (which in truth I didn’t understand as much as a doctor would) to see if the known side effects in any way mirrored her symptoms. They did not but there was evidence to suggest it intersected with her other medication and kick started problems. She died of “heart failure” but had other ailments that had occurred in the time she was in hospital including a blood clot in her stomach which does also lead me to question the impact the 5 vaccines she took had on her.

The problem is doctors don’t have the time to sit and read the thousands of studies that come out and get to know the drugs they’re prescribing so they rely on the soundbites about it. Often a pharmaceutical rep will come in and tell them about a new wonder drug and they will prescribe it in place of an existing one. This than throws a patient out of balance as it interacts with other drugs. That is a large part of why you see the golden oldies always in the surgery.

Apologies, I’ve gone on a rant there. I’m actually really impressed with your diabetic nurse for also bringing dietary changes into it. And I’m impressed with you for trying it. So many people are told about these types of things but don’t actually make the change!

With regards to granola try this stuff from Holland & Barret. They’ve got it in a few different flavours. Mix it with some natural yoghurt and it makes a lovely breakfast. I have found that dark chocolate (70% stuff) has become much more appealing now I can’t have normal chocolate.

You keep fighting the good fight Spruce. We all need you round here mate!

I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother.

Statins.
My old now retired doctor told me that, as doctors, they work for the NHS, and they have to abide by NHS treatment policies, whether they agree with them or not.

I refused statins many years ago, and it's now listed in red on my health report that the patient refused statin medication. It was at the time when the NHS believed that 25% of stroke and heart attack deaths would be avoided if everyone took a statin. In fact, the surgeries were paid a bonus for achieving a target for putting as many on statins as they could. Our surgery had one nurse practitioner whose job was to only deal with 'selling' statins. So the way she did it was to inflate cholesterol test figures. She told me I was in a high risk category as my cholesterol reading was 5.3. I made an appointment with my then doctor a week later, who told me my reading was 4.9 which was below the NHS statin requirement level. This nurse practitioner was being paid a bonus on achieving NHS targets.

Metformin.
This seems to be prescribed as a cheap drug for weight lose. In fact, there apparently was concern recently that the drug was in short supply due to its being over prescribed to weight loss patients as well. I also use Berberine, which is a natural product according to my Google wife. Whatever the case, Metformin and a Keto diet dropped my A1C reading from 97 to 48 in 3 months. If I can stay at that level, then I will stop taking Metforim and see if diet alone will keep my sugar levels down. Diabetes ran in my mother's family. She didn't have it, but my grandmother did, as did my Uncle and I expect another Aunt. Unfortunately, I have inherited much of my mother's family issues, which are now coming home to roost. My dad was so healthy. As strong as an ox. He only went downhill when Alzheimer started. He died at 91 and his father at 92.

The trouble with Metforim is that it also zaps necessary minerals from your body. But no one has informed me of what supplements I need to take to supplement these. The wife has done this for me.

Once you get over 70 the NHS treats us older ones differently. As far as prostate cancer is concerned they are now just monitoring its progress as I'm told I will probably die of natural causes before they have to intervene. We have a customer where his prostate cancer has spread. We have cleaned his windows for 20 years. He is in his 80's and still keeps an allotment going. They have only just started chemo, expecting he would die before this. A few years ago they could have just removed his prostate, but they let it progress to this state, just monitoring it. His death by natural causes will be prostate cancer.

None of our customers who have had chemo have faired well.

When I had my first prostate TURP procedure for BPH, I was 58. They operated quickly and sorted it. A TURP op is generally regarded as a 15 year op which needs to be done again. Now, I don't fit the NHS criteria at 73. I can go private, but that op will cost £12 grand.

I had a lung scan last year. My lungs are fine, but they found calcium build up around an Aortic valve stopping it sealing properly. Another problem my mother had.

I'm starting to feel like an old car going in for its annual MOT. When the MOT inspector finds too many things wrong, then the majority of cars in this condition are scrapped rather than fixed.

At 73 I have extended my Biblical 3 score and ten life expectancy by 3 years. I'm referred to as having extra mightiness.

 

[Part Timer]

I find heavy drinkers really boring and do my best to stay away from them. Unfortunately I can't sometimes esp when gigging in sweaty pubs and clubs.

I find hypocritical preachers boring as well