Pill-free centenarians

[TheShadow]

I am always stunned by the disclaimer list of possible complications at the end of all these pharmaceutical ads. "May cause lymphoma or sudden cardiac failure". WHAAAAT! Why would I take a weird medication that just might kill me or give me cancer for something like psoriasis or some such malady ? If I had the worst psoriasis in the world, I would live with it before I took a drug that might give me lymphoma. Or I would just take the older less effective, but safe, treatment. They always say something like "but that's only 1 in 2,000 patients". Great, unless you're that "one".

I saw one the other day that claims to allow stage 4 cancer patients, of some particular cancer, to live longer. The fine print states that it allows something like 30% of them to live 2 months longer. And it costs a FORTUNE. Great, bankrupt the spouse so the patient can cling to painful misery for 2 months longer. And what about the other 70%? They spend all that money and what did they get?

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by borninsac

A couple years ago I had a golden opportunity to interview a 100-year old man for an article I wrote. What a delightful experience it was. He actually ended up living to 101 years and some spare change before eventually passing. Of the many things I retained from this experience was that he didn't take any prescription medicine.

Today I bumped into an old church acquaintance who I had not seen in a long time. He no longer goes to church but a couple years ago attended daily Mass. He was having dinner with his wife at a restaurant. I asked him how old he was, knowing that he was every bit of 100 years and he told me he would be 101 years this upcoming April 20th. I then asked him many questions, one of which if he took any "pills". He said no he didn't. I then asked him how about baby aspirin and he fessed up that he took one a day.

So it's two for two in my encounters the past couple of years with centenarians being prescription medicine free.

Give me something to shoot for in about 39 years from now if I'm blessed to still be ticking like they are (were).

I have a general impression, though not scientific-based at all, that taking prescription meds messes with the body too much and causes even more problems down the road.

All pills have side effects. All of them. In fact, the reason one takes a pill to begin with is merely ONE of the side effects.

So I avoid taking all prescription meds. There will no doubt come a day when I have to, in order to have comfort and health for that particular time. But I will try to avoid that.

I did take hormones for years....I tried not to, but found that I was on the brink of losing my job because of my out of control emotions and feelings, so I felt I needed to try that. It helped a lot. (I had tried OTC things and herbs; they helped for a while, but that didn't last.)

[kjg1963]

My grandmother was 95 when she passed away. She didn't take any meds, didn't use a cane or walker, lived by herself, and took care of her home herself. Unfortunately, for how well she was doing, she had a stroke that ended her life.

[Larry Caldwell]

I won the genetic lottery. At 69 years old I have low cholesterol, perfect blood pressure, and all my organs are still working like they should. One grandfather lived to be 97, the other died in an industrial accident at 67. My mother lived to be 94, my dad died at 80 from lung cancer, brought on by 65 years of Camel straights, and I don't smoke. My only problem is bad hearing brought on by noise exposure. My knees and hips still work fine with no pain. I lead an active life.

I just switched primary care doctors because my old one is 20 years older than I am. The new doc said, "There's nothing wrong with you!" I explained that he had a specialty in geriatric medicine, and eventually I would need that. If he prescribes medication, I will take it religiously. I'm not so arrogant as to think nothing will ever go wrong, but if I can go another 30 years without medication I will be very happy.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by markg91359

People don't live longer because they are "pill free" Being "pill-free" is simply an indication of having a superior body and superior genetics that make you a statistical abnormality. The vast majority of us need medication for something long before we are even seventy years old. I think an argument can be made that some medications are over prescribed. For the most part though, they are proven to prevent major diseases and health problems that would otherwise shorten our longevity. High blood pressure medicine and anti-cholesterol drugs are two important advances that are saving thousands of lives.

I remember some differences from my childhood that stand out. You used to hear far more often of deaths from heart attacks and strokes (particularly men in the 50-70 year range) than you do today. I used to see far more people hobbling around on canes than I do today. This is largely a function of the ability to do total hip and knee surgery on older people.

The reality is that we can control some of our destiny by eating properly, exercising, not smoking, and taking certain medications. There are always going to be a few people though who break most of the rules and still manage to live to be very old. Winston Churchill broke every rule in the book and still lived past ninety years of age. He smoked, he drank, he was overweight, and he had a high stress job as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A few people just seem to have genetics that allow them to survive what most others cannot. That is what accounts for the existence of centenarians.

Couldn't agree more. Robyn