Sep. 25--Getting old does not have to mean living with disease, frailty and lots of medications.
Mind-body connection is often the key, says Dr. Andrew Weil, alternative medicine expert, author and Tucson resident.
Weil, who has studied elderly populations in communities around the globe, will be the keynote speaker Monday at a Tucson event that focuses on healthy aging.
He will highlight evidence-based ways that older adults can stay healthy.
But the Pima Council on Aging event is not geared just to seniors -- younger adults can develop good habits to take them into a graceful and healthy old age, council spokeswoman Adina Wingate said.
As a population we are staying healthier longer, which is a testament to better medicine and knowledge about being healthy.
But there's room for improvement, says Weil, who has developed his own food pyramid that focuses on what he calls an anti-inflammatory diet.
Weil says age-related diseases have a common factor: They begin as unchecked inflammations in the body. Diet can be a powerful influence on whether chronic low-level inflammations persist, escalate or go away, he says.
He maintains it is possible through preventive care to age and not develop age-related diseases such as cardiovascular problems, Alzheimer's and cancer.
"Aging and age-related diseases are separable," said Weil, who is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.
"There's a strong argument for lifestyle versus genetic factors," he added.
Seniors in some of the countries Weil has visited look and act differently than older people he has observed in the United States.
"In Okinawa (Japan) they value aging. Their culture does not view it as a disaster, but as something with rewards that are great," he said. "In some rural areas of India, and in Inuit and Eskimo culture, old people are revered. ... They are wrinkled but there is a glow. They are radiant and happier. In Okinawa they have lower rates of chronic diseases."
He also found that maintaining social and intellectual connections is an elixir for aging well.
Weil is finishing a yet-to-be titled book about the future of health care in America -- a topic he expects to address Monday.
One of the bigger factors in the country's health care in years to come is the growing number of seniors who will be placing additional burdens on our health-care system, he said.
"A lot of prescription drugs may be unnecessary," he said. "They may be prescribed by different doctors who are not communicating with one another. And there may be other, non-drug methods out there. ... It's a real challenge we're facing in our culture. If everyone could make an effort we could change the way we perceive aging in our culture. It's doable."
Weil's anti-inflammatory diet includes a heavy emphasis on vegetables and fruit, and also advocates "healthy fats" including walnuts, avocados and seeds. It also recommends two to three cups per day of white, green or oolong teas, and unlimited amounts of cooked Asian mushrooms, such as shiitake, enokidake and maitake.
Other speakers at Monday's event include Janice Campos of the Pima County Health Department, exercise physiologist Shelley Whitlatch, and nutrition expert and UA professor Linda Houtkooper.
Wingate said that as people live longer, it's especially important to focus on quality of life.
For example, the number of centenarians in the U.S. -- people who live to 100 and beyond -- has steadily increased. About 95,000 Americans are now 100 years of age or older and their ranks are expected to quadruple by 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
"My hope," Wingate said, "is that people will have some personal insight into ways they can both take responsibility and enjoy improving their lifestyles by focusing on core elements, like the best possible way to eat properly, the role of exercise, and attitude."
DID YOU KNOW
Dr. Andrew Weil has lived here more than 30 years -- since a wheel bearing on his car broke in Tucson when he was on his way to Mexico to deliver a baby. It took six weeks to fix -- long enough for him to see the Sonoran Desert bloom after a warm, wet winter, and to fall in love with it.
Source: Star archives
IF YOU GO
--What: "Taking Responsibility for Your Health -- Food, Exercise and Attitude for Healthier Aging," featuring Dr. Andrew Weil and other speakers.
--When: 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday.
--Where: YWCA of Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave.
--Registration: Open to adults of all ages; cost is $25 per person, which includes breakfast and lunch. Registration is limited to 250 and the deadline to register is noon today. Go to www.pcoa.org or call 258-5066.
--Contact reporter Stephanie Innes at 573-4134 or at sinnes@azstarnet.com.
-----
To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.