So lets note beat around the bush tonight. The subject is life and death…
Yes, it’s 2.39 am (at least on beginning this blog) and I’m being morbid. I watched another episode or two (OK, I watched six) of “Sex in the City” and in one of them ‘Mr Big’ was going in for some heart treatment. On hearing this news, Carrie (ever the epitome of emotional strength) bursts into tears, repeatedly for days. Too often for my liking I have learnt that life is too short and so that’s how I’ve come to be writing this.
I’ve just been reading the World Health Organisations Statistics on the subject and was truly
shocked. Whenever I have pondered my own mortality, I’ve always irrationally imagined that old age would be the most likely way for me to die and there was an unfortunate and unavoidable chance that I may die in advance of old age. Believe me, I wasn’t thinking much past 70’s or 80’s (the life expectancy in both France and the UK is exactly the same for someone of my age, I can expect another 57.4 years of healthy life) so it seemed a reasonable enough an aspiration until I found that there are about 140 significant ways of dying recorded by the WHO and which constitute a serious threat to my number one asset – time remaining on this planet!From the data in the statistics I made the following graph. Two things are immediately obvious (this is not one of them: if you click the graph, it’ll be bigger).
Firstly, there are a few major causes of death that I must try and avoid which would drastically reduce my chance of dying prematurely. Namely: Malignant neoplasms, cardiovascular diseases, and depending on which country either neuropsychiatric conditions (worst in France) or respiratory diseases (worst in the UK)
Secondly, the UK is worse for the major causes, so I’ve inadvertently made a step in the right direction.
So theoretically the most important question that should be on my mind today is how best to significantly increase the chances of a long life? That is, how to avoid cancer, a heart attack, alzheimers and other dementias, or chronic bronchitis, emphysema (etc.).
In 25 steps with highlights from yours truely. Mainly so that I never have to read them again and can still check every now and then to refresh my memory which I thought were practical for me.
- Avoid rigid diets or rigid lifestyles. Variations in a person’s daily habits is desirable, when feasible, to avoid the unconscious continued application of unsuspected carcinogens.
- Limit consumption of highly seasoned food, black pepper, curries etc.
- Limit consumption of herbs and herbal remedies. Some herbs have been found to be carcinogenic. Most herbs have not been tested for carcinogenicity.
- Avoid a high animal fat diet and limit red meat consumption. Eat fish, chicken, turkey.
- Limit consumption of charcoal-broiled or smoked meat or fish.
- Limit consumption of nitrite/nitrate treated food: ham, bacon, sausages. For bottled water check the label for nitrate content; the lower the better. If possible use glass bottled water.
- Avoid iron tablets and food with added iron; low blood iron helps protect you from cancer as well as from bacterial infections.
- Avoid excessive exposure to the sun; some of the ingredients in sun-screen lotions are suspect carinogens.
- Avoid exposure to bleach/chlorine fumes.
- Limit frequent use of hair dyes; they have been associated with bladder cancer.
- Do not smoke and if possible avoid exposure to passive smoke.
- If you have a choice between eating a vegetable, fruit or other food raw or cooked, eat it raw; e.g. carrots, cabbage etc. If possible do not heat and reheat food.
- Eat bran, oat-based cereals, reduced-fat cottage cheese broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, watercress, walnuts, apples. *(I sense a potential future diet coming up…)
- Eat vegetables and fruit rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids such as carrots, apricots, tomatoes, Cantaloupe-type melons, mangoes, paw-paw, pink grapefruit, spinach
- Eat fresh fruit, vegetables and nuts rich in folic acid: blackberries, raspberries, clementines, oranges, asparagus, sunflower seeds. Folic acid has been shown ro protect against the risk of cervical cancer. It may also protect against prostate cancer.
- Eat one or two Brazil-nuts periodically for their high selenium content.
- Drink green tea. Epidemiological and laboratory studies have shown green tea to have cancer-preventive properties.
- Use stainless steel or glass cooking utensils.
- Women to completely avoid the use of talcum powder around the lower abdomen or near their private parts; it has been associated with ovarian cancer.
- If you are pregnant do not keep any pets, especially cats; they have been associated with childhood leukaemia.
- If you are pregnant do not expose yourself to petrol fumes, such as when filling up the petrol tank.
- Maintain a healthy body weight. Numerous studies have shown that obesity appears to increase the risk for some cancers.
- Avoid taking megadoses of vitamins or minerals.
- Avoid consuming very hot drinks or very hot food; this has been associated with cancer of the oesophagus, as has high alcohol consumption.
- Hormones have been associated with breast cancer, hepatitis B or C viruses or alcohol with liver cancer, high salt intake with stomach cancer, asbestos or tobacco smoke with lung cancer, excess animal fat and low calcium with colon cancer.
After offering up so much doom and gloom, the WHO site did have some positive answers for me tonight, on prevention of heart attacks for example:
The good news, however, is that 80% of premature heart attacks and strokes are preventable.
Eat a healthy diet: A balanced diet is crucial to a healthy heart and circulation system. This should include plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish and pulses, and restricted salt and sugar intake.
Take regular physical activity: At least 30 minutes of regular physical activity every day helps to maintain cardiovascular fitness; at least 60 minutes on most days helps to maintain healthy weight.
Avoid tobacco use
How to Avoid Alzheimers and other Dementias:
- Read, do puzzles and continue to stimulate the mind in old age.
- Learn new skills, like painting, quilting, knitting or wood working.
- Eat foods with folic acids and antioxidants.
- Eat pink grapefruit, tomatoes, watermelon or guavas.
How to Avoid Chronic Bronchitis & Emphysema:
- Avoid smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke increases your risk of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
- Get an annual flu vaccine. Many cases of acute bronchitis result from influenza. Getting a yearly flu vaccine can help protect you from getting the flu, which in turn, may reduce your risk of bronchitis.
- Ask your doctor about a pneumonia shot. If you’re older than 65 or you have risk factors such as diabetes, heart disease and emphysema, consider having a pneumonia shot. In addition, a vaccine known as Prevnar can help protect young children against pneumonia. It’s recommended for all children under age 2 and for children 2 to 5 years old who are at particular risk of pneumococcal disease, such as those with an immune system deficiency, asthma, cardiovascular disease or sickle cell anemia. Side effects of the pneumococcal vaccine are generally minor and include mild soreness or swelling at the injection site.
- Use hand sanitizers regularly. To reduce your risk of catching a viral infection, get in the habit of using hand sanitizers, and don’t touch the inside of your nose or rub your eyes.
- When practical, wear a face mask. If you have to spend a lot of time around other people who are coughing and sneezing, it’s a good idea to wear a face mask to reduce your risk of infection.
I hope you found that as interesting as I did. :o)
By the way, nobody in 2002 in the WHO’s data table died of reason “W092”, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so I think I’m safe for the researching of this blog post.