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Which future? That future is certainly not going to happen within the next century, so it is unlikely that anyone here will see it. There hasn't been a particularly impressive improvement in survival even for a lot of cancers, let alone general longevity.
In addition to genes, there is one more thing that limits survival. Breathing is likely driven by a fairly small group of cells in the brainstem, which show evidence of degeneration and cell death with aging. An awake person can take a breath on purpose, but while you sleep, you rely on this rhythmical breathing generator. One of the theories why very old people frequently die in their sleep is that this breathing generator in the brainstem is gradually gone.
I once helped a 95-year-old woman smoke a cigarette in her hospital bed after gall bladder surgery (it was 1980). She said she'd never been in the hospital before and I asked her what was her secret.
"Whenever I saw a man, I ran like hell."
Never figured out if it was the manless life or the running but it worked for her.
That's hilarious. I think I told this once before, but my grandmother's roommate in her LTC facility was Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle, who in 1926 was the first woman to swim the English Channel and part of the 1924 Olympic Gold Medal U.S. Relay Team. A male aide came to help her undress and she started yelling that no man had ever seen her naked and she wasn't about to let that happen now! She died at 97 a few years later, so she was 94 or 95 at the time.
That happened near our Sherriff's small outpost too last summer. But, the person I was responding to said something about going out gracefully and I don't think anyone has an example of that (yet). I don't think blowing your head off at the police station is graceful
You were given a “graceful exit†advice earlier: you stop drinking and eating- a gentle death follows.
They say it is painless, maybe not that fast- it may take a week or longer.
The plus, however, that you could do it in any settings and with any degree of disability- just make sure to request no feeding and liquids in your final directives.
If you do a search - you will be provided many examples how people did it- very simple.
It is a “it†exit now
I don't disagree. We have what we are born with, but what we do with it matters more.
One of my sisters inherited our mother's/grandmother's/etc. genetic kidney disease, but she watches what she eats, doesn't smoke or drink and exercises to stave off possible future dialysis, and just keeps living her life in spite of it.
The following link provides some hope for those who may be worried about kidney disease.
She has the right idea to eat a healthy diet, not putting a heavy burden on the kidneys allows them to regenerate or stay healthy. The biggest burden in the U.S. comes from eating excessive amounts of animal protein and processed foods.
That's hilarious. I think I told this once before, but my grandmother's roommate in her LTC facility was Gertrude "Trudy" Ederle, who in 1926 was the first woman to swim the English Channel and part of the 1924 Olympic Gold Medal U.S. Relay Team. A male aide came to help her undress and she started yelling that no man had ever seen her naked and she wasn't about to let that happen now! She died at 97 a few years later, so she was 94 or 95 at the time.
In addition to shooing away men, swimming is good for you too!
PS- an online search for Gertrude Ederle also reveals some practical info re swiming for any New Yorker here interested in living to 98 (she actually died about a month after she turned 98): there is Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center on W 60th St between West End Av & Amsterdam Av, which - of course - has a swimming pool. The annual senior (61+) membership is only $25.
She has the right idea to eat a healthy diet, not putting a heavy burden on the kidneys allows them to regenerate or stay healthy. The biggest burden in the U.S. comes from eating excessive amounts of animal protein and processed foods.
The disease in our family is polycystic kidney disease, which means that those affected are born with microscopic cysts all over their kidneys. In our version, the cysts begin to grow around the 40s, and where the cysts are, there is no kidney function. The telltale sign is high blood pressure, which sets of a long round of finding the right meds that control the BP and don't further damage the kidneys, and usually the BP meds have to be changed every few years. The kidneys usually fail, eventually, though not always. My grandmother lived to 94 with it and never went on dialysis. My mother was on dialysis at 86. Her brother had a kidney transplant in his 60s that last about ten years, then he went on dialysis and died in his 70s.
The only famous person to die of this particular kidney disease was Erma Bomback, the humor writer, who died after a failed kidney transplant.
The idea is to keep as healthy as possible in order to delay the kidney failure as much as possible. The only way to get PKD is to have a parent who has it, and then you have a 50-50 chance. It missed me.
No, I'd do that only if the future realistically starts looking shorter than 24 hours (among other reasons, because otherwise one needs the bathtub for showering).
I'd kind of disagree with that (that the media wants us to think everything is determined by genes.) But certainly some things are. And I know a lot of people that have taken cautionary measures based on nothing more than perceived genetic predisposition and benefited from it.
I was told by a reliable source that many of them in the media, if not all, have to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to get hired. And part of it pertains to what they can and cannot say so as not to offend current or prospective sponsors, and that includes food sponsors. So it's not likely you will read or hear a story about all the many foods that are bad for your health. Conversely, it may be very likely to read or hear stories about the important role that genes play in everything from disease to longevity.
Here's something to think about: Identical twins have identical genes, yet they often die ten or more years apart from different diseases.
Although, you may have noticed that if a set of twins were raised some distance apart by different parents and had a lot of things in common, the media plays it up big. It becomes a big story! As if to say that genes may even control many psychological traits. But do they ever say how many sets of twins under similar circumstances have very little in common?
The disease in our family is polycystic kidney disease, which means that those affected are born with microscopic cysts all over their kidneys. In our version, the cysts begin to grow around the 40s, and where the cysts are, there is no kidney function. The telltale sign is high blood pressure, which sets of a long round of finding the right meds that control the BP and don't further damage the kidneys, and usually the BP meds have to be changed every few years. The kidneys usually fail, eventually, though not always. My grandmother lived to 94 with it and never went on dialysis. My mother was on dialysis at 86. Her brother had a kidney transplant in his 60s that last about ten years, then he went on dialysis and died in his 70s.
The only famous person to die of this particular kidney disease was Erma Bomback, the humor writer, who died after a failed kidney transplant.
The idea is to keep as healthy as possible in order to delay the kidney failure as much as possible. The only way to get PKD is to have a parent who has it, and then you have a 50-50 chance. It missed me.
I did read a little about some people being born with poorly functioning kidneys but I don't think I ever heard of "polycystic" kidney disease. Thanks for letting know about it. BTW, I had a cousin and an aunt die from kidney disease and that's how I know how bad it can be for someone with kidney issues.
I read that the average person by around age 80 is at stage two kidney disease. So that's just one more reason that motivates me to eat the healthiest diet that I can. I'm 80.
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In addition to shooing away men, swimming is good for you too!
