“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is an old adage, but the message has never been more timely.
Modern diagnostic tools, health screening tests and information now known about risk factors, make it possible to detect serious illnesses and nip them in the bud.
“We now have the tools available to detect chronic diseases before they reach the advanced stage and sometimes even before they develop,” said Kay Loughery, program consultant for the American Association of Retired Persons’ Wellness Initiative. “When detected early, many life-threatening illnesses are not only treatable but curable.”
In its most recent study, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reported that preventive services for the early detection of disease have been associated with substantial reductions in mortality and morbidity.
Health screening procedures — and services such as flu shots –that are available free of charge at many local senior centers and some community health centers include a painless glaucoma screening test for the eyes and blood pressure testing.
Diagnostic tests recommended for people over 50 include sigmoidoscopy (to screen for colon cancer), a mammogram every one to two years for women (to detect breast cancer), bone density tests for women (to measure bone loss due to osteoporosis) and a prostate-specific antigen test for men over 50.
Dr. Ron Bangasser, a gerontology specialist, suggests that a physical examination by your doctor should start with a complete medical history and a list of medications you’re currently taking. Routine tests include a urinalysis to detect the presence of sugars or proteins in the urine, a rectal examination, a fecal occult blood test, examination of the feet (especially for diabetics) and a blood panel test to detect cholesterol and other possible problems. The fecal occult blood test is the first measure of the possible presence of colon cancer.
“Blood in the stool could be caused by hemorrhoids or by colon cancer,” he said.
If there is blood in the stool, he may recommend a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy to detect or rule out the presence of colon cancer. When detected early, colon cancer is not only treatable, but may also be curable.
With patients who have a family history of certain ailments or who have symptoms, he suggests specific tests. For those with a family history of diabetes, a fasting blood sugar test is recommended. For those with a family history of heart disease or symptoms, an EKG and a cardiac stress (treadmill) test that records blood pressure and heart rate and measures the functional capacity of the heart might also be recommended.
Bangasser recommends an annual mammogram for women over 50. After age 75, he says, the risk of breast cancer diminishes and therefore annual mammograms are optional. But, he says, breast self-examination is important for women of all ages. He also says women over 65 don’t need an annual Pap smear if their three previous Pap smears were negative.
Just as he educates female patients on breast self-examination, he also educates male patients on testicular self-examination.
Specific tests for liver and kidney function might be called for if there’s a family history of liver or kidney disease, or if symptoms are present.
But there’s more to prevention than health screening tests to rule out or detect the presence of disease, according to Loughery.
“Education and lifestyle modification are the most important prevention tools,” she said. “Getting enough physical activity and proper nutrition are the most important things people can do themselves to prevent illness.”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states that “interventions that address patients’ personal health practices are vitally important.”
That means putting an end to high-risk behaviors such as smoking and the excessive use of alcohol, and adopting a healthy eating program that’s low in fats and simple sugars and high in complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, vegetables, legumes and fruit.
If you’re sedentary, Bangasser advises getting started on a program of regular physical activity, which could be as simple as taking a 30-minute walk every day.
Fall prevention is particularly important for folks 65 and over. Get rid of throw rugs (they’re called “throw rugs” because they’ll throw you) and install grab bars in the bathroom (especially in the bathtub and shower areas).
The task force also urges making sure smoke alarms are functioning properly and using seat belts when in the car.
Dr. James Rippe, a physician who has authored many best-selling books on wellness, suggests creating a personal plan for quality of life in the golden years. The plan should include regular physical activity (cardiovascular activity such as walking, bicycling or swimming and strength-building activity), a healthy eating regimen that’s low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates and a program to relieve stress and achieve inner peace.
Rippe is convinced that stress is a contributing factor in many illnesses, including heart disease. His three principles of stress reduction: Seize the day, get out of your own way (realize it’s your reaction to outside events, not the events themselves that create the most stress) and make a personal play (create a program for relieving stress, whether it’s exercise, meditation or simply discussing concerns with a sympathetic friend).
“Seize the day is my way of saying live in the present,” Rippe says in his book “Fit Over Forty.”
“A major stress that people put themselves through comes from regretting the past and fearing the future.”
Rippe calls physical activity the “modern magic bullet” when it comes to prevention, adding that exercise plays an important role not only in stress reduction but in creating an overall sense of well-being.
“Aerobic exercise lowers anxiety and improves mood, but slow walks work as well as vigorous runs. The stress-reducing benefits are reliable and immediate,” he says.
AARP’s “Staying Heathy at 50 Plus” handbook offers strategies for putting prevention into practice. Free copies of the publication (No. D17081) can be obtained by writing to AARP Fulfillment, 601 E St. NW, Washington, DC 20049, or log on to the AARP Web site at www.aarp.org or call (800) 424-3401.