CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



Time Isn’t The Enemy

Mar 19, 2015
by Caroline Miller
exercise and the elderly, genes for Alzheimer's aren't destiny, MS, Parkinson's, stroke victims, Wall Street Journ on brain plasticisty
6 Comments

In February, my mother turned 99.  We celebrated, of course.  There was cake for lunch and cake for dinner, any flavor but it had to include a lemon filling.  The nurses and doctors who care for my mother are amazed at her vitality and wit, not only taking her age into account, but taking any age into account.  But I do notice a slow down.  She suffers from a dementia that hasn’t robbed her of her personality or large chunks of her memory.  I never see a glazed expression when she looks at me.  Her eyes always crinkle with joy.  Still, I watch as she sometimes struggles for ordinary words.  I know she’s is aware of her problem so the best I can do is smile and press her hand to let her know I understand. .

Losing myself to the dark matter of the brain as I age is a fearful thought.  Still, the situation isn’t hopeless.  The brain can surprise us.  One of the latest discoveries about the brain is its  plasticity, a quality that makes it adaptable and capable of working around damage.  Genes, apparently, are not destiny.  A recent  article in the Wall Street Journal http://on.wsj.com/1Ik8ryF,  reports a person can carry several markers for Alzheimer’s yet never develop the disease.  What makes the difference in brain health is food and exercise.  Exercise is particularly important because it triggers the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus where short term memory resides.  The release of “neurotrophic growth factors” serves as a “fertilizer, helping the brain to grow, maintain new connections and stay healthy.”  What we eat and how we conduct lives matters.

The treatment of other diseases, like Parkinson’s, MS and stroke victims  may also respond well to increased exercise.  “Non-use” of the body, even injured parts, may be the worst formula for maintenance and improvement.  If true, there’s much the elderly can do to help themselves.  Time may not be the enemy.  Sloth is.

exercise of the elderly

courtesy of www.prweb.com

Social Share
6 Comments
  1. ALC March 19, 2015 at 9:51 am Reply
    Why does the answer to everything have to be EXERCISE?! Why couldn't the prescription for preventing dementia, diabetes, heart disease, etc. be "Curl up on the sofa with an afghan, a good book, and a cup of tea"????
    • Caroline Miller March 19, 2015 at 11:15 am Reply
      To quote the poet Omar Khayyam: "Could you and I with Fate conspire to grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire, would not we shatter it to bits.. and then re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire."
  2. Pamela March 19, 2015 at 10:49 am Reply
    The deterioration of my mental facilities is my greatest fear in life. My mother called me the other day to tell me a story, and then called me the next day to tell it to me all over again. I try to do daily "brain games" to help stave off the effects of wear and tear, but I should work on the exercise element as well. Thank you for the reminder, Caroline.
    • Caroline Miller March 19, 2015 at 11:16 am Reply
      Sadly, what motivates us best if fear. If I jolted you into a few push-ups. then I have done my good damage for the day.
  3. Judy Farrell March 19, 2015 at 11:58 pm Reply
    A friend and I are participating in an exercise research program for those over 65 to determine which type of exercise has a positive effect on improving balance and thus preventing falls. Our instructor informed us that despite any particular exercise routine one does, it is of no value if the rest of the day is mostly sedentary. Every half hour one must rise out of the chair and significantly move about. She states that frequent and proper movement is just as, and possibly more important than diet. I am impressed with the exercise program she teaches, so have been following her instructions at home, and at 79 yeas of age, it is quite a change in my life style. However, there is no question that I definitely have more energy and also my emotional status is much more positive.
    • Caroline Miller March 20, 2015 at 7:52 am Reply
      Yes, getting out of the chair every half hour is the new recommendation. But what about sleeping? Are we, like horses, to learn to sleep standing up?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

Subscribe to Caroline’s Blog


 

Archives

Categories

YouTube-logo-inline2 To access and subscribe to my videos on YouTube, Click Here and click the Subscribe button.

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller