Excerpted from 100 Ways to Live to 100
Chapter 1: Preventing and Managing Medical Conditions.
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Save your heart, save your life. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, if all forms of major cardiovascular diseases were eliminated, life expectancy would rise by almost 10 years. Unfortunately, experts have not yet found a way to eliminate heart disease or stroke. They have, however, identified many of the factors that contribute to these diseases...
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Get enough antioxidants. Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, consistently shows up as a factor in lowering the risk of heart disease...
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Reduce blood levels of homocysteine. Homocysteine, an amino acid believed to damage the blood vessels and contribute to fatty plaque buildup in the arteries, is found in high amounts in 40 percent of people with heart disease...
Chapter 2: Nutrition, Hormones and Supplements
Hippocrates was right in counseling, "let food be your medicine." Experts believe that 40 percent of cancers in men and 60 percent of cancers in women are related to diet. Researchers are increasingly finding a strong association between increased dietary fat and cancers of the breast, ovary, endometrium, prostate and colon. A diet high in fat has also been shown to contribute to heart disease and stroke, and insufficient amounts of certain minerals can increase the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis. But while a poor diet increases the risk of disease--and consequently, death--a good diet can reduce the risk of disease and add years to your life. Research on vitamins and minerals is pinpointing many of these nutrients that may play roles in preventing and fighting chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Chapter 5: Between Mind and Body
For thousands of years, people thought the human soul resided in the heart. Then modern medicine brought the knowledge that the heart is a complicated system of muscles and valves that function as a pump. Suddenly, it was out with the soul, in with artificial valves and transplants--not to mention angioplasties, bypass surgeries, and a pharmacopoeia of medications. Yet now, medical science has come to know that the mind and soul are as crucial to health and longevity as the heart and other organs. Overall, research shows that people who are connected--with the outside world, family, friends, community of faith--live longer.
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Understand the effects of stress on your body. Once upon a time, we had to stand up to saber-toothed tigers and flee from other primeval dangers. We developed a protective "fight or flight" reaction. Now however, if we get cut off in traffic or receive bad news, the same mechanism takes hold. Our hearts race, our blood pressures rise and our muscles tighten up. This happens because the brain is releasing the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine(adrenaline) and norepinephrine into our blood...When this reaction is ongoing, the body can be seriously affected...
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