Effects of Age on Individuals Health - Essay Example

You're 12 May 2006 How Age Effect's Individuals Health Age affects individuals in various ways, it isn't something that determines who is going to get what illness or have what disability because from a historical and social perspective, people handle growing older in multiple ways. Some people are still able to run marathons when they are 67 while others have to get around with the use of a cane. There are a lot of misassumptions about age and health in society. One very good example of how specific diseases are relative to age is in the idea of dementia. Dementia is a disease that is known to affect the cognitive functions of an individual. Now this is not a mental illness that is actually categorized by age because those with vascular disorders can begin developing tell-tale signs of this disorder at an age as young as 54. Furthermore, it also is not a disease that all elderly people are vulnerable too. Health research studies have shown that older people who regularly engage in an exercise program at least three times a week are less likely to get this disorder than those who have never been interactive in exercise regimens (Consumer Affairs 2006). Also, certain addictions to consumer products such as "tobacco" or even "alcohol" have been shown to make a person age faster than their actual years. For example someone who is 45 years old and who has smoked since they were 13 can show signs of cognitive break down faster than a person who is 55 years of age (Cross Currents 2004). The point is that some addictions are very bad for your health and can bring on serious illnesses before you even get old. Smoking is just one of these addictions and it is known that by engaging in smoking cigarettes or even cigars, the rate of cognitive decline can be five times higher than for those who have never smoked (Cross Currents 2004). Some perceive smoking to be one of the main causes of age related illnesses before their time. Studies have found that smoking creates so many adversities for people and their health, defining that by middle age people can have many respiratory ailments that are so severe it makes them appear to be older than what they actually are (Edelson 2006). There is no doubt that the majority of people in society are aware that smoking kills but the problem here is that they believe that it takes longer than what it actually does. Many people think that they won't have any repercussions until they are in their latter fifties or mid-sixties but this simply is not true. Again this shows the idea that people view age as the key window to defining what health problems a person will have, it is totally wrong (Edelson 2006). Nevertheless, there is a good point to this adversity. By quitting smoking, at any time, a person has the ability of increasing their percentage of turning their health around. Their age will start to improve in an outwardly way as they continue to include more healthy habits into their lifestyle to replace smoking. The point that is being made is the fact that from a social perspective people have a good amount of control in how they age and how their health is affected. They have the power to prevent or slow the progression of a number of serious or fatal illnesses simply by changing their behavior patterns and also by focusing on what they eat and drink. There are many alternatives to prevent illnesses from occurring as well as many social factors present that encourage or promote diseases (Cross Currents 2004). So this is pointing out that just because you are at 67 years of age or older doesn't necessarily imply that you have to worry about getting the diseases that are labeled for the older generation. Young people aren't invulnerable to them either. There are things that people can do to prevent ever having to worry about illnesses such as dementia, heart disease, osteoporosis, and many other so called "age related" illnesses. In order to validate the point about dementia, one specific study that was carried out by a group of researchers emphasized the facts that out of the older people involved in the study; all were tested to have normal cognitive function when they entered into the observational program. During the time they were in this study they were shown to have performed exercises like biking, cycling, walking, hiking, aerobics, and even weight training among other activities. What was found was that after a few months of this type of exercise routine their cognitive abilities were far improved from what they were before they entered the study (Consumer Affairs 2006). This validates the fact that by taking control over your body you can gain an upper hand in how your health will be affected later in life or even during your elderly years. Furthermore, to prevent or protect against certain diseases does not require an individual to have to push their physical abilities to the limit. Simply walking two miles a day is sufficient to build up the bodies natural immunities to ward off illness (Harder 2004). On a negative note, studies have shown that those who have not engaged in regular exercise throughout their lives are more prone to acquiring a disease that affects their cognitive functions such as "Alzheimer's" (Harder 2004). Nevertheless, now that it is known what steps can be implemented to slow this disease down or to prevent it altogether there are obvious signs that it isn't only focused on the elder population so it can't necessarily be stated to be an illness related to age, just as many other diseases can't be either. To extend this idea further, it proves that exercise can prevent certain diseases, especially dementia. So again, as has been repeatedly stated, simply because an individual is a certain age does not necessarily mean they are going to get those diseases that are known to affect the older population, not if they take care of their bodies appropriately. Other issues that have an affect on age and health have to do with what gender an individual is. For example, women are less likely to develop illnesses of cardiovascular disorders compared to males that might be in the same age categories. So regardless of a person's age, gender plays an important role as well (Billingsley 2006). Furthermore, a person can be of a young age yet be prone to various medical ailments. Take for an example a person who has diabetes. A person with this medical problem might only be in their 20's but due to the various complications of the illness they can develop diseases such as vascular problems, kidney malfunction, colon cancer, and even vision problems before they reach their mid sixties (Doheny 2005). Also, those who have diabetes can develop the disease of cancer far quicker than even the elderly who have no history of diabetes yet are prone to this type of illness. This shows that again, age does not discriminate against health disorders and a persons age does not determine what type of medical ailment they might develop at all times. The reason medical researchers assume that diabetics are more prone to cancer has a lot to do with how their insulin levels are being regulated in the body (Doheny 2005). Various scientists assume that because of the elevated insulin in the body of a diabetic it adversely impacts the mucous lining of the colon and promotes the early start of colon cancer, a disease that normally only affects those in their mid 60's and up (Doheny 2005). Of course, diabetes is just one idea of how the body can be adversely affected at any age and you don't have to be old to have this illness. This is where a lot of misassumptions come in because the majority of people in society perceive age as a protectant against serious illnesses when it is not. Medical diseases do not discriminate, as this research is pointing out. What does matter is how a persons immune system is, what hereditary illnesses run in the family, their ethnicity, gender, etc; these are all more apse to give an idea as to how health is going to be in the long run, not simply focusing on a persons age. Men and the elements of their age and health have often been researched in society due to the fact that they are often found to die way ahead of the female gender. Society feels that men age far faster mentally and emotionally than women do and this could be the very reason that their health is affected the way it is (Marano-Estroff 2003). Scientific research has shown that the effects of stress can age a person far ahead of their years and in this regard their body faces many adversities because of it. Men are prone to stress and health related illnesses more so than women are because it is perceived that they have a lot of the life burdens on their shoulders. The societal factors that prove this point are men have to fight many battles throughout life, political ones, financial ones, family related ones, and at the same time they have to ensure the survival of the family by providing the necessary sustenance. When they can not do this their bodies face many negativities that can lead to early diseases such as hypertension, myocardial malfunction, cancer, cognitive instability, cancer related illnesses, and a myriad of other severe medical ailments. This is all due to the stresses of their everyday life though and it defines how a man can be as young as 28 yet still develop a disease that normally is attributed to the elderly population (Marano-Estroff 2003). Studies that have been carried out show that this is not situated in just one country alone but transcends to countries all across the globe. Furthermore, many in society assume that because women get more social support during periods of stressful times than men do, this could be one of the reasons that reduces their life expectancy because they are dealing with the stress of life pretty much in a solitary fashion. Also, from a medical standpoint, there are more women who go to a medical practitioner for issues of stress and are prescribed medications to help them cope. There are few men who voice their problems that are related to stress to a doctor so again, these various worries continue to escalate among the male gender, increasing the rate of suicide in the male population, as well as increasing the probability of drug or alcohol abuse which ultimately leads to serious health problems (Marano-Estroff 2003). Because of these various complications in life for men they develop diseases 10 or 20 years before they normally would which raises the statistics for them to die at a younger age than normal. Because society is aware of these issues there have been programs developed to assist men such as group counseling programs. However, men often do not feel comfortable going to counseling so more often than not the programs that have been implemented to help men cope with life issues are barely used. This is a stark difference between men and women because women are more apse to enter into a social network of support to alleviate their stress than a man is. It has also been found to be one of the life sustaining reasons for women, and the reason that they have far more longevity in life than their male counterpart does. Furthermore, due to the effects of stress men are more likely to turn to smoking as a way of alleviating the pressures that they are under. This only contributes to more of the adversities in their life, even though they are not focused on this at the time they are engaging in their various negative behaviors (Edelson 2006). Also, it has been stated that they tend to drink heavily as well; though not all do a certain percentage does engage in this activity as a way of detaching themselves from the various problems of their life. By smoking and drinking, a 30 year old man affects his age and health in a variety of ways but the point is he is doing it to himself. Some of the more adverse problems he will more than likely suffer are related to early skin aging, respiratory illness, liver dysfunction, kidney problems, high probability of developing different cancers at an early age, as well as the percentage of depression among men growing dramatically due to these various behaviors (Marano-Estroff 2003). Therefore the problem of health and age related issues are bound to continue in the male gender. In conclusion this research has given the facts that age and health are closely intertwined. However, there correlated in a way that the public has not realized before. Where once people believed that they were protected from certain illnesses due to being younger than others, they are now realizing that age is not a sure defense against illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and other illnesses. Nevertheless, this research proved that those in society have control over their age and how it changes in regard to medical diseases. By actively participating in exercise, eating right, getting adequate water and quitting behaviors that are negative such as smoking, drinking, and not getting adequate sleep people can look younger beyond their years and their body and mind will be younger as well. Age and health is all in how you take care of your body. This is the main point that this research has thoroughly pointed out; taking care of yourself in your younger years is the key to having a good health outlook and a young appearance in your elder years. Works Cited Billingsely, Janice. "Women, Minorities Less Likely to Get Best Heart Attack Care." Health Day 13 Mar. 2006: 1. Consumer Affairs. "Exercise May Reduce Risk of Dementia in Older People." Consumer Affairs Magazine 16 Jan. 2006: 1. Cross Currents. "Smoking Accelerates Mental Decline." Cross Currents Magazine 22 June. 2004: 1. Doheny, Kathleen. "Diabetes Raises Colon Cancer Risks." Health Day 1 Nov. 2005: 1. Edelson, Ed. "Smoking can kill in Middle Age." Health Day 24 Mar. 2006: 1. Harder, B. "Walking Away from Dementia: Moderate Exercise Protects Aging Minds." Science News 25 Sept. 2004: 1. Marano-Estroff, Hara. "Why Men Die Young." Psychology Today 28 Apr. 2003: 1. Read More