You Are Going To Die, but...

                My last post was titled, You Are Going To Die.  The intention behind it being that many of us live as though we have all the time in the world and we tend to sacrifice things that make us happy or could add value to our lives for things that do not actually matter.  This post is similar in nature, but with a slightly different slant. 

                About a month ago I was having a conversation with an acquaintance.  She knew I am a chiropractor and I knew she was a patient with another DC, whom she was happy with.  She asked me a few questions regarding my philosophy on health and wellness, and I shared that I had lost about 40 pounds over the previous 8 months or so.  She asked me which diet I used and I said I didn’t use a diet.  I then related how my journey into this healthier lifestyle started back in 2011 when I quit smoking cigarettes. 

                She replied that she smokes and eats what she wants and doesn’t exercise because she’s going to die anyway.  She recounted that her grandmother, and mother both suffered for years with illness and physical handicaps.  Her grandmother died in her 90s and her mother was still alive and was in her late 80s.  I could actually hear the emotion in her voice saying that she didn’t want to be a prisoner in a nursing home, hospital or her own body for 20 to 30 years.  She was going to smoke and drink and eat what she wants because she figures that will make it more likely that she won’t live as long.

My grandfather (92 years old at the time) and my 3^rd oldest daughter (1 year old, or so)

                I asked her what if she develops diabetes, or emphysema or has a stroke in the next few years, but through medical advancement, she’s able to be kept alive that long anyway.  It was clear she had never thought of it that way.  I explained what complications of diabetes might include; I explained the physiology of emphysema; and I explained how her lifestyle may make her more likely for cardiovascular disease, but if she has a stroke, it is very possible she could be paralyzed, unable to communicate and still have her mental faculties-making her the proverbial prisoner in her own body. 

                The reason I told her these things and the reason I’m re-telling the story here is because we as a society have our priorities misplaced.  We figure we’ll do what we want, and medicine will cure us, or we will just die young and not have to worry about living to have these health issues we see in the elderly population.  There are studies that suggest that this generation may be the first generation in the industrialized age, with a shorter life-expectancy than their parents.  That means the diseases of the elderly, like osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s may not be as big an issue, but heart attacks, stroke and complications from diabetes will affect younger populations.  Another quick point of issue:  Google popcorn lung.  They are finding a correlation between the increase in e-cigs and the incidence of this lung disease, leading some researchers to assign causality. 

                I, personally, want to live to 117.  It is also my hope to be of sound mind and relatively sound body at said milestone.  That being said, regardless of when I die (because we all will), I want to be able to enjoy as much of life as I can.  I understand that I have done damage to my own body due to my previous lifestyle choices, but I also recognize that one doesn’t have to make a poor choice, just because they have spent a long time making it.  Positive choices, such as quitting tobacco, eating healthier, getting exercise, and minimizing alcohol consumption are all better made young, but it’s better to make good choices late than never.