'Would You Like to Live to a 'Ripe Old Age'?'

6 September, 2022

I loved this Commentary, Read it courtesy of MEDSCAPE, even though you may not agree with all the advice:

READ ON- [read in full online: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/979752 ]

--

COMMENTARY

Would You Like to Live to a 'Ripe OldAge'?

George D. Lundberg, MD                                       August 31, 2022

How to live to a ripe old age:

- Choose ancestors that do/did not die of natural causes in young adulthood or middle age (sorry, too late to choose);

- Never, ever inhale tobacco smoke life-long;

- Maintain a body mass index within a "healthy range" using a variety of tools;

- Maintain a blood pressure within a "healthy range" with or without medications; and

- Maintain a low resting heart rate,

and you will likely live to a ripe old age. Those actions alone may suffice.

We all die. Dust to dust. Just a matter of why, when, and how.

As a journalist, husband, father, and grandfather, I probably care most about quality of life. As a physician and forensic pathologist, I care a lot about length of life and quality of death.

We can each control a lot about our quality of life and both our length of life and parameters of dying, by our volitional actions.

Here are some details along the way that could help (on average) us to "ripen" slowly and nicely and may be decisive (with many individuals and situations). [...]

Work

·        Do not retire.

·        If you must retire from working full-time, work part-time or atvolunteer jobs.

·        Be sure you have productive and fulfilling reasons to get out ofbed each morning.

Pain

If you are older and you don't hurt somewhere when you get up in the morning, you may already be dead. Check your pulse.

Caveat: I have not figured out how to not "over-ripen." Biology probably decides.

--

Prof Joseph Ana

Lead Senior Fellow/ medicalconsultant.

Center for Clinical Governance Research &

Patient Safety (ACCGR&PS)

P: +234 (0) 8063600642

E: info@hri-global.org

8 Amaku Street, State Housing &20 Eta Agbor Road,

Calabar,Nigeria.

www.hri-global.org

HIFA profile: Joseph Ana is the Lead Consultant and Trainer at the Africa Centre for Clinical Governance Research and Patient Safety in Calabar, Nigeria, established by HRI Global (former HRIWA). In 2015 he won the NMA Award of Excellence for establishing 12-Pillar Clinical Governance, Quality and Safety initiative in Nigeria. He has been the pioneer Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National Committee on Clinical Governance and Research since 2012. He is also Chairman of the Quality & Performance subcommittee of the Technical Working Group for the implementation of the Nigeria Health Act. He is a pioneer Trustee-Director of the NMF (Nigerian Medical Forum) which took the BMJ to West Africa in 1995. He is particularly interested in strengthening health systems for quality and safety in LMICs. He has written Five books on the 12-Pillar Clinical Governance for LMICs, including a TOOLS for Implementation. He established the Department of Clinical Governance, Servicom & e-health in the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Nigeria in 2007. Website: www.hri-global.org. Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers.

Website: www.hri-global.com Joseph is a member of the HIFA Steering Group and the HIFA working group on Community Health Workers.

http://www.hifa.org/support/members/joseph-0

http://www.hifa.org/people/steering-group

Email: info@hri-global.org and jneana@yahoo.co.uk