Sorry for the somewhat morose entry today, but as I am turning the ripe old age of over 60th in several weeks, I cannot help my mind wandering tom the subject of eventual death. I have seen many movies when a character makes an admission of dying due to some life-altering disease and another character will something to the effect: “We are ALL dying every day”. There is a truth to that statement, as we all, eventually die at some point in our lives whether that date be before insurance company prediction statistical predictions or after.
So, given the fact that we cannot completely avoid the eventual outcome, the question comes as to whether we can delay finality of our lives. The answer to that question is an absolute “YES”.
We are all born with a given genetic makeup subjecting us to varying potential of eventually dying from the most common causes of death:
- Heart Disease: Responsible for about 13% of deaths globally and over 20% in the US.
- Cancer: Lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers are leading killers.
- Stroke: Frequently caused by high blood pressure and blood vessel blockage.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): Chronic lung disease.
- Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Causes of death that increase with aging.
- Accidents/Unintentional Injuries
- Suicide
- Drug overdoses
The fact that we may have genetic tendencies to develop physical/mental illness as above, we still can intervene with lifestyle choices that dramatically impact the development/progression of these life-ending illnesses. Tobacco, alcohol, drug usage and other body-harming things we put into our systems certainly will enhance the chances of eventual death coming sooner rather than later. Weight control is very important to lessen the chances of dying from the obesity-related co-morbidities such as heart disease and cancer.
Personally, I am not scared of death. What I am terrified of is developing a disease that robs me of my independence and stops me from spending quality of time with my loved ones. And yeah, I still love being doctor and trying to impact positively on my patients’ lives.
So, once again, sorry for the downer of a post but this is my plea for all of you to try as est you can to live the type of lifestyle that will delay the eventual outcome. You have worked so hard and deserve the many positive memories to still be made in the future.
Neil Sedaka passed away recently and here is one of his songs that sure brings back memories to us Baby Boomers.
