Tips for good health

[Richard]

As we have all been largely house bound for the past couple of weeks or so I just wanted to remind you of a few basic tips to remain healthy and keep your immune system in good shape .
We know that the immune system like the rest of our body gets weaker as we age - which is a key reason why those of us over age 70 are most at risk- however, some 60 yr olds have an immune "age" of 40 and some are more like 80 ! The immune system is second only in complexity to the Brain. People who smoke or are obese as well as being sedentary are more likely to have an immune system that is older than their chronological age!
It is vitally important to exercise regularly, older people who exercise regularly e.g manage to walk a mile or two a day, have immune systems as good as young adults! Cyclists aged 55-79 often have immune systems decades younger than their chronological age. Exercise and maintaining healthy and strong skeletal muscles has profound anti-inflammatory effects. It is also important to keep moving to help blood flow and to remain sufficiently hydrated so that the blood does not become too "sticky" and cause a stroke.

It is important to maintain a varied and healthy diet rich in fibre and plant matter and fermented food such as Kimchi and sauerkraut, as it is becoming increasingly clear that the "gut microbiome" plays a vital role in inflammation and ageing, A probiotic yoghurt may be a good idea, in this regard, one that has particularly 'helpful' bacteria is 'Activia' yoghurt, which is also good for controlling the symptoms of IBS, and has medical endorsement and costs less than over-the-counter meds such as 'symprove'.

[seahermit]

It takes time to build up a strong immune system. Yes, exercise is a key factor but people who are spending a lot of money in a gym are to some extent kidding themselves - you may in a short time build up fitness and muscle strength but there are no quick, sharp routes to getting healthy overall. You need to get outside and expose your skin (for a while) to sunlight, also to walk a fair distance because that exercises a lot of the muscles in your body as well as pumping fresh air into your lungs. Moderate running is ok but there is a pay-back - it may be too strenuous for some older people and do more harm than good, also the repeated hammering of joints onto hard surfaces can cause a lot of issues and my cousin developed problems with fluid in his knees (he also played squash).

Diet is equally important. Again, you need to eat healthily as a a whole life-style, not just make yourself feel good by occasionally leaving aside the junk food in favour of a nutritious salad or seafood dish. In my house, one of the flat-occupants is a physiotherapist - but she is enormously fat and today had two huge pizzas delivered to her door! She appears to be of course the worst advertisement for healthy living - but then they are all mad in Hastings!

The third prerequisite for health living, I would say,is rest/sleep. One of the worst aspects of modern life is that it is very fast, people fill their lives with all sorts of activities and stimulations, punctuated by obsessive use of technology - but they rarely slow down and rest properly, they go to bed late and they don't get enough sleep. Switch off, walk, meditate, listen to a piano concerto. If I go onto the beach of an evening, at the end of a stressful day, how many people have had the same idea? You might see five or six if you are lucky. The rest are all watching TV or the computer - you can tell by the flashing blue lights!

All this has to be done over a period of time. I have a friend who has continuous colds and flu throughout every winter - he is obviously doing something wrong and his immune system is weak, but firstly he won't go near a doctor and secondly his house is (apart from the kitchen and bathroom) absolutely covered in dust. Is that coincidence? He is breathing in that dust and touching it all the time, that cannot be helping his resistance to germs.

[seahermit]

I don't really go along with all the magic foods, yogurts with "helpful bacteria" for IBS or Gwyneth Paltrow's cranky diet fads. Different studies have come up with completely different conclusions and, if you are eating and living healthily, then you probably wouldn't have IBS in the first place.

Having said that, gluten intolerance is an exception. Nobody understands quite why it is happening or why it is so prevalent, but after I was diagnosed with a gluten problem and switched to non-wheat cereals, my life was transformed in just a few weeks. After a LOT of illness over the years, I very soon became much fitter and stronger, a completely different person.

[cbe]

seahermit - I feel your pain - I too am a coeliac sufferer.

[Richard]

Funny seahermit that you consider your condition as real but are dismissive of IBS as a result of not eating healthily.
Gluten issues are dealt with by cutting out gluten, which also helps many IBS sufferers.
Many people with IBS are also gluten intolerant. In fact the two are often misdiagnosed and of that you should be mindful.
Some studies have shown that gluten sensitivity may be involved in the development of IBS symptoms for some people, and gluten-free diets may improve these symptoms. However, everyone is different and some 'healthy' foods are triggers for IBS.
IBS is a condition that mainly affects the large intestine (colon), while celiac disease mainly affects the small intestine. A probiotic supplement or 'live' yoghurt is recommended by consultants for those with IBS.
I suspect that unless you are allergic to gluten small amounts are tolerable, but once you eat more than a certain amount you will experience stomach pains.
Coeliac disease is not an allergy or food intolerance, the only treatment is a gluten free diet.
I suspect seahermit, you may be non-coeliac gluten sensitive, but would need tests to confirm.

[seahermit]

Richard, I am not being dismissive of IBS, it is a very real condition. But it is not a precise diagnosis - the point is that IBS is an umbrella term, which tended for years to be used for a variety of complaints which doctors and dieticians did not understand. Knowledge of dietary problems has improved vastly in the last few years - when I was starting to suffer problems, "gluten" and "gluten intolerance" would have been meaningless terms to most people.

The point I was making was that in many cases IBS problems may be the result of sheer bad eating habits, living habits, stress etc. I have seen it happen. Friends who regularly eat piles of junk food, eat late at night, overeat - certain people always seem to have stomach problems!

That is not dismissing cases where there really is a dietary disorder or disease going on. I am fortunate, it is not a food allergy but a gluten "sensitivity". So, not dangerous but still very disabling. You don't just "experience stomach pains"! You feel really ill as if flu is coming on, lack energy, your stomach does not extract nutrition from the food you are eating and so you lose weight.

Most of the time I am fine now, but I have to check the ingredients of everything I buy. An excess of heavily refined and processed food is the worst diet for anyone anyway, but wheat products are a major source of gluten - the last time I ate an ordinary ham sandwich was about twelve years ago!

[Richard]

I am not generally bothered about gluten in my diet but have noticed that if I have a light supper of soup and a sandwich then the ordinary bread type weighs rather heavily on my stomach, but the gluten-free type is altogether lighter and easier to digest, at that time of day. In the mornings gluten does not seem to bother me at all.

I have had 'reflux' nightmare for some twenty years and recently 'IBS' has joined the band.
IBS is helped greatly by improving microbial flora in the gut - hence 'symprove' or 'Activa yoghurt' is usually beneficial.
My first cousin has IBS and was told by her consultant to take Activia yoghurt every day, she replied that she did not like yoghurt, the consultant said 'do you want to keep having the IBS?'
A problem with IBS is that you can suddenly need to go to the toilet but don't have time!
Stress can make both IBS and Reflux much worse.
Reflux is helped by drinking milk if I wake with chest/stomach pains in the night; watching what you eat has benefits as stuff like starch overloading and tomato sauce in large amounts can be triggers, but it's generally like playing 'Russian Roulette' as one day a food type can be fine but the next time it can be a trigger, so no easy answer really.

At least you have a range of bottled gluten-free beers to drink!
Stella' seems to be the cheapest at £4.50 for a 4-pack...

[PaulPaul]

Sorry if off subject:
Are you Richard the Scaffolder?
If yes, please send me your phone number.
Thanks.

[Richard]

Hi, No I am not that person!

[seahermit]

Funny, I thought you WERE a scaffolder, Richard, don't know why ... I had this image in my mind of you in a pair of shorts, tattoos all up your arms, an array of weird-looking tools hanging from your belt, running around like a monkey forty feet up!

That would certainly give me stomach problems, or more likely total paralysis. Even standing on a chair makes me feel like James Stewart ..