Consultation on geriatric disease prevention knowledge

There is no universal "one-size-fits-all" solution for the prevention of geriatric diseases. The core logic is "age stratification + dynamic adjustment to adapt to one's own basic diseases", which is 10 times more effective than following the trend of buying health care products or copying the regimen of Internet celebrities.

I have been doing health education for the elderly in the community for almost 7 years, and I have seen too many elderly people who have fallen into trouble. In the past two months, I met 63-year-old Aunt Zhang. She was diagnosed with high blood pressure for half a year. She followed the health group in the community and walked 15,000 steps a day. I also drank anti-hypertensive health tea spread online every day. Within three weeks, my knees hurt so much that I couldn’t walk. She went to check that it was effusion in the knee joint, but her blood pressure was half a head higher than before. What she didn't know was that the health tea contained diuretic ingredients, and her blood potassium was low. Drinking it would affect the effect of antihypertensive medicine. In addition, excessive exercise put a burden on the joints and cardiovascular system. It would be strange if there was no problem.

There are actually many different opinions on the prevention of geriatric diseases. Take exercise as an example. Some researchers insist that those over 60 years old must ensure 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week to effectively prevent and control cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.； However, many clinicians in the geriatric department will suggest that elderly people over 65 years old who lose muscle mass quickly should give priority to strength training to preserve muscles, and do not blindly pursue step count, especially if they have degenerative arthritis. Walking too much will wear out their joints, which is not worth the gain. In fact, both statements are correct, but they are suitable for different groups of people. If you are usually in good health and have no joint problems, it is perfectly fine to walk 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day and dance square dance. ； If your knees already hurt, or your blood pressure usually fluctuates greatly, then switch to gentle walking or Tai Chi. It is better to practice arm strength at home by lifting two bottles of mineral water than to walk violently.

There are even more controversies about diet. In the past few years, everyone was urging the elderly to eat less salt and sugar and eat whole grains. In the past two years, many clinical cases have come out, saying that elderly people with hyponatremia ate salt-free meals every day, and finally fainted and went to the emergency room.； There are also elderly people with severe atrophic gastritis and weak digestive function who eat brown rice and oats every day, which makes their stomachs even worse and they can't even eat. To be honest, there is really no need to go overboard in adjusting your diet, unless the doctor specifically tells you to strictly control salt and sugar, use less food when cooking, and eat enough vegetables, eggs, and milk every day. This is better than anything else. Don’t end up losing the fun of eating for the sake of a so-called “healthy diet,” and instead have a bad mood that affects your body.

By the way, there is another point that many people overlook, that is, the more expensive and comprehensive the physical examination, the better. I met an 82-year-old man before. He didn't have any serious health problems, but he was a bit hypertensive and diabetic. His son Xiaoshun signed him up for a high-end physical examination worth more than RMB 20,000. He even arranged a PET-CT and had to undergo a painless gastroenteroscopy. As a result, he failed the anesthesia evaluation. The old man struggled for a long time, and his blood pressure soared to 180 when he got home. It took him three days to recover. Nowadays, there are actually different opinions on the scale of physical examination for the elderly. Oncology departments emphasize early screening and early treatment, and all examinations must be carried out no matter how old you are. ； However, the geriatric department prefers comprehensive evaluation. If you are over 80 years old and have many underlying diseases and are weak, you may not need to do some invasive and radiation-intensive examinations. After all, even if some early minor problems are detected, the harm caused by treatment may be greater than the disease itself, which will affect the quality of life.

When I usually consult with the elderly, I don't just give you a bunch of rules. I usually ask three questions first: How old are you this year? Do you usually take any chronic disease medicine? Are you out of breath after climbing three flights of stairs? By basically clarifying these three questions, you can eliminate most of the health regimens that are not suitable for him. Another trigger that is easily overlooked is emotion. I have met several elderly people who originally had good blood pressure and blood sugar control. Either they were exhausted from taking care of their grandchildren day and night, or they had a few quarrels with their children and their blood pressure could not be lowered for half a month. This is more serious than eating ten wrong meals.

Anyway, to put it bluntly, the prevention of geriatric diseases means don’t compete with yourself, and don’t compare with others. If someone takes an effective health supplement, it may not be suitable for you. If someone can walk 10,000 steps, you may be able to walk 5,000 steps. If you are really not sure what is suitable for you, don’t blindly search for folk remedies on the Internet. Find a family doctor in the community, or go to the geriatric department of the hospital to ask a doctor. Spending more than ten yuan in registration fees is much more reliable than spending thousands of yuan on useless health care products.