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I'd be really careful about taking vitamins just because a doctor said to. I am vegetarian and only take an occasional flaxseed oil tablet and do some salt tablets and my blood tests are right on. I have some friends who are in their 70's and I have never seen people take so much crap! One of them ended up in the hospital with a vitamin overdose problem! I've been told you can overwork your liver and kidneys taking too many vitamins. It's probably more complicated than we(or your doctors) can imagine. Different drugs affect vitamin/mineral absorption, everyone has slightly different body chemistry/genetics, etc. I'd rather spend my money on cigars and good whiskey!
I've been getting physicals and blood work every other year - I guess it's time to start getting them annually. My cholesterol started to go up several years ago, but I've controlled it, and brought it back down, by watching what I eat.
I've taken the same vitamins for ... maybe the last 25-30 years? One generic multivitamin, one vitamin C (500), and one vitamin E (200). When I turned 45 I started to take a Bayer aspirin a day - several years ago I switched to a low dose aspirin, not for any problem I was experiencing, but because both my parents had heart problems.
No regular use of prescription meds. But I *always* get a flu shot each year.
I read labels and try to watch out for sodium and cholesterol. My wife is a vegetarian, and that means I'm mostly a vegetarian.
I've never smoked, and never will - both my parents smoked, and they died far too young. I used to drink beer, and quit more than 15 years ago. It's been a pleasant surprise to me that I haven't missed it one bit.
I exercise more now in retirement than I did when I was working. My wife and I try to get in a 30-minute walk each day. I also walk our dog just about every day. In warmer weather, we like to kayak. And there's always yard work, and shoveling snow in winter (except - apparently - for this winter).
Now, I don't know whether all of these things, or any combination of these things, is actually making a measurable, medical difference. But it makes me feel better - psychologically - and that's not a bad thing.
I've reached that point in my life where my health is reasonably good, that I'm happy with darn near every aspect of my life, and I want to hang in here just as long as I can ... you know?
Food is medicine. So if you are not "eating nearly as healthy as you should" or not eating healthily, you are not giving your body good medicine, but are instead harming your body almost daily.
AND, we won't go into what those two things can do to an older person's health.........will we?
[quote=LivingDeadGirl;22940872]I'd be really careful about taking vitamins just because a doctor said to. I am vegetarian and only take an occasional flaxseed oil tablet and do some salt tablets and my blood tests are right on. I have some friends who are in their 70's and I have never seen people take so much crap! One of them ended up in the hospital with a vitamin overdose problem! I've been told you can overwork your liver and kidneys taking too many vitamins. It's probably more complicated than we(or your doctors) can imagine. Different drugs affect vitamin/mineral absorption, everyone has slightly different body chemistry/genetics, etc. I'd rather spend my money on cigars and good whiskey![/QUOTE]
All I can say to this is.......hummmmmmmmmm AND about the statement "harming your body almost daily"........naw, I would say that. Just because we are older (60 plus) doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy pizza, prime rib, lobster, a nice baked potato covered in butter/sour cream, an ice cream cone, a margarita/cold beer/wine, popcorn.......shall I go on?
Shoot, LivingDeadGirl enjoys a good cigar and whisky!
Quote:
Originally Posted by matisse12
Food is medicine. So if you are not "eating nearly as healthy as you should" or not eating healthily, you are not giving your body good medicine, but are instead harming your body almost daily.
All I can say to this is.......hummmmmmmmmm AND about the statement "harming your body almost daily"........naw, I would say that. Just because we are older (60 plus) doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy pizza, prime rib, lobster, a nice baked potato covered in butter/sour cream, an ice cream cone, a margarita/cold beer/wine, popcorn.......shall I go on?
Shoot, LivingDeadGirl enjoys a good cigar and whisky!
Hey hey! You make me laugh! I think of it this way: I'm a vegetarian and eat really well. So, it seems that my liver should be in very good condition and I can indulge in my shot of whiskey every day and a nice cigar every now and then. My grandparents ate well and lived into their late 80's. Each day, they each had a shot of moonshine that my grandfather made!
I just stopped taking all supplements since the jury is out as to whether they actually help us or hasten our death. I try and eat right and most days I think I do. Even a little ice cream has value. I think if what you're taking makes you feel better then keep it up. Otherwise, why bother?
I'm stating the age of "60 Plus" b/c I didn't take as much as I do now at almost 63 yrs old! In fact, before I met my wife in 2000, I wasn't taking anything! Now I take a daily high potiency vitamin, fish oil, a suppliment for my bones/cartilage, bp and cholesterol med, a med for Diabetes and a allergy med. Don't know how long the bp and cholesterol med will go since doctor just put me on them early last month (very low dosage). My wife (64), takes the same vitamin and fish oil, but 2 different otc's for older females.
Do you take anything for "age related" health and well being? Was there a time in your life that you didn't take anything? Does you doctor suggest you take something and you say "no" to yourself. Do you say to yourself "I'm taking enough as it is!"
Actually, I was told by a doctor a couple of years ago "that vitamin you're taking is worthless. Just eat right." I looked at him and said "and what if I don't want to necessarily eat right, then the vitamin takes over, right?" He wouldn't answer me and left the office. I didn't pursue an answer.
The doctor I have now compliments me on the vitamin and suppliments I take.
I think the most important issue isn't what one takes - but whether the drugs and/or supplements are appropriate for the particular problems a person has (also - as a corollary - whether some of the supplements are garbage) - and - as important - how those things interact with one another - and with various kinds of foods:
FWIW - there are computer programs that doctors and pharmacists can use to cross-check interactions. And I wouldn't trust any provider to tell me that using A and B and C and D together was ok unless I knew that provider had checked the computer (because no one can remember the millions of combinations off the top of his/her head). This is particularly important if more than one doc is prescribing meds - and/or you're buying OTC stuff on your own.
For example - in your case - certain allergy meds can raise your BP. Certain statin meds don't get along with certain BP meds. Maybe your BP would be normal without the allergy meds?
On my part - I don't take any dietary supplements - and the only new drug I've started in the last 5+ years is a BP med (my BP started to get a little high when I hit my mid-60's). The few things I have problems with have been problems for a very long time. I guess I could discontinue one "optional" drug - Premarin (HRT) - but I think overall that taking it makes me healthier than I might otherwise be.
BTW - not to sound intrusive - but of all the meds you mentioned - the one for diabetes caught my eye. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes - that is the most serious health problem you've indicated. And I would - if I hadn't already done so - get a consult with an endocrinologist to evaluate your diabetes - and to make recommendations about the meds and OTC stuff you should/should not be taking (and how you should otherwise be managing it). For example - various forms of "sugar" are often used as binders in pills/capsules - and - if you're taking enough of them - they might affect your blood sugar levels.
I trust my docs - especially my PCP. And if she says I need something new - I trust her (although I do read up on my own - "trust but verify"). With the BP med - there was no ambiguity in terms of my needing one. But I had a bad reaction to the first BP med (I would call it "allergic" - but it's not a true allergy). Second one didn't work. Third one is fine. Although it makes me a little tired in the middle of the afternoon - it seem to have improved my putting - no yips . Robyn
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AND about the statement "harming your body almost daily"........naw, I would say that. Just because we are older (60 plus) doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy pizza, prime rib, lobster, a nice baked potato covered in butter/sour cream, an ice cream cone, a margarita/cold beer/wine, popcorn.......shall I go on? 
