Age and Illness
You’re young at heart, but that doesn’t mean you’re immune to illness. Many diseases we associate with older age can develop during our 40s and 50s.
Arthritis
Risk factors: Age is one of the biggest risk factors, as joints wear and tear over time. If you’ve ever had a joint injury, you may experience arthritis pain sooner in life.
Treatment: Exercise is the best long-term strategy. Regular exercise increases joint flexibility and strengthens the muscles that support the joint. Balance your activity every day with periods of rest. Anti-inflammatory pain relievers can help exercise feel more comfortable. Stick with water exercises and resistance bands, which are easier on joints.
Prevention: Change your exercise routine to include more joint-friendly activities such as swimming or biking. Focus your workouts on the muscles around joints that have a history of pain or injury. A study published in the Arthritis & Rheumatism journal found that strengthening the quadriceps above the knees was the most effective exercise to reduce pain in patients with knee arthritis.
Shingles
Risk factors: Shingles can develop at any age, but especially after 50. Anyone who has had chickenpox has the virus that causes shingles, and one in three people with the virus will develop shingles.
Treatment: If you develop shingles, your primary care provider may prescribe an antiviral medicine to shorten the duration and intensity of the illness. This medicine should be taken as soon as possible after symptoms appear, which include a tingling or itching sensation on the back or chest followed by a painful, blistering rash.
Prevention: Vaccination is the only proven method for preventing shingles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the vaccine for adults beginning at age 60, but it is approved for use as young as 50. Ask your primary care doctor about the benefits of getting vaccinated.
Stroke
Risk factors: If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, you’re at risk for stroke. These conditions largely begin with lifestyle factors, especially the “big three” of poor diet, low physical activity and smoking.
Treatment: Stroke is a life-threatening condition that requires emergency treatment. If you experience a sudden drooping in the face, weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech or difficulty understanding others, loss of coordination, or severe headache, call 911 immediately.
Prevention: To get started, commit to one change for each of the “big three” lifestyle factors. For example, replace red meat with baked fish for one meal each week. Bike to a nearby park three days a week during your lunch break. Remove lighters from your office and car to prevent stress smoking at work.
Diverticulitis
Risk factors: Diverticulitis begins as diverticulosis — a condition in which small pouches bulge out through the large intestine. Diverticulitis occurs when the pouches become inflamed or infected. Risk factors include a low-fiber diet, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
Treatment: Stomach pain, especially on the left side, is the primary symptom. Most cases can be treated with antibiotics and a liquid diet.
Prevention: The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you take in. On average, that’s 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women. Women can hit their target by eating a banana (3.1 grams) at breakfast, an apple (4.4 grams) at lunch, a handful of almonds (4.3 grams) in the afternoon, and half a cup of black beans (14 grams) at dinner.
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