Silent Strokes

This news is a bit scary if you are over 65.

Routine brain scans in a group of middle-aged people showed that 10 percent of them had suffered a stroke without knowing it, raising their risk for further strokes and memory loss, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

People with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of irregular heart beat in people over 65, had more than twice the rate of these silent strokes, they said.

Silent cerebral infarctions or SCIs are brain injuries caused by a blood clot that interrupts blood flow to the brain....

The researchers based their findings on routine magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scans from about 2,000 people with an average age of 62.

Full news article HERE

This is yet another finding coming from the Framingham study - a very long study that now includes the children of the original particpants. This finding is from those offspring and the researchers found that 10% had a stroke but HAD NO STROKE SYMPTOMS.

So how do you protect yourself? The study suggests "the need for early detection and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors in midlife."

There are many factors over which we have control in our lives and which can help us avoid or lessen the impact of those risk factors. The report does not go into this - but it is fairly well established that healthy eating and exercise are among those factors.

This is one good reason I tend to post about obesity, healthy eating, exercise and taking nutritional supplements.

More on exercising

Last week after I wrote what I did - my son suggested that maybe it was a need for a different assortment of exercises.

I went "duh!" of course....bodies, mine, adapt to doing the same exercise on a regular basis...and I was doing the cycling twice a week for more than two years....and even tho the instructor varies the workout each class, I think I was having sameness burnout....but maybe that's also a part of aging. The instructors and many of the users of the club do the same classes over and over and seem not to burn out.

The Silver Sneaker classes are too "tame" for me right now but several people I have come to know go to them daily and do not talk of workout burnout - but most of them were never into sports or strenuous exercise when they were younger. So maybe it's just me or maybe it's something to do with one category of "people-who-are-aging." Who knows? - it's something that I will continue to think about.

But for now - I have not been to the club to do cycling...instead I have been doing an hour of yoga a day at home [with videos] and taking my dog for long walks. And for the yoga [it's Iyengar], I am doing a different set of poses each day and spreading them out throughout the day so this too does not fall into a pattern.

No surprise - I feel more energized and less wrung out by the exercise. Next week I will return to one cycling class for the cardio workout it provides...and I'll see if I have the same recovery issues...and maybe I'll take my squash racket and get back to practicing that sport.

Stay tuned..as I said - we are all learning about aging....

Exercise and Age

I've had the same conversation with several friends of late - about age and exercise. It seems we all have the same ideas.

Not sure why each of us is thinking of this now as we are slightly different ages [but over 60], live in different parts of the country and some do not know each other - and I did not start all the conversations. It must be zeitgeist or "something in the air."

Each of us had been thinking that as we are aging, we feel the need to not do such strenuous activities as we had been doing, or doing them fewer days per week, or taking time off from exercising and just not doing anything strenuous. It's not that we can't do the strenuous activities - we can. We also know they are probably very good for our health. But most of us still work and find that after the strenuous workouts, we can't just go to work but instead need a recovery period that is longer than we used to need.

Most of us said that this made us sad and a bit angry - we still like to think we can keep on going like we did in our 20's or 30's - but our bodies say NO! There is no way to turn back the clock - we are aging.....but we are trying to figure this out as we go.

When I was in graduate school, or soon after, a psychologist I knew said that psychology would not get into really studying aging until we psychologists ourselves got older - and that is what seems to have happened.

I am wondering if the interplay of aging and exercise is also something that we aging used-to-be-more-strenuous-athletic types are/will be the models for?

In chatting with my son about this - he suggested a few things - really vary what I am doing for exercise and starting a "club" for those of us who are older - can't keep up with the "kids" but are able to do lots more than the programs for "older" people.

Any thoughts?

They get "points" for creativity : - )

This came today...and I am still laughing....but I hope no one is taken in by this scam.

For one, if the FBI were really interested in me and what I am doing vis-a-vis some banking - don't you think they would send someone to my door or send me a letter? With all the listening in to phone calls and monitorin interent useage - I think the FBI already has access to ALL our info....

Please beware...some people might be concerned getting an email from the FBI or the IRS - but these are agencies that do not email you - so be careful....Laugh but then delete!

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 17:10:39 +0200
From: "FEDERAL BUREAU INVESTIGATION"
Subject: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI Honolulu)
Federal Bureau of Investigation
ROOM 4-230, KALANIANAOLE FOB
300 ALA MOANA BOULEVARD HONOLULU, HAWAII 96850-0053
EMAIL federalbureauinvestigation93@yahoo.com
http://www.fbi.gov


Attn: Honorable Beneficiary.

We the Federal Bureau Of Investigation (FBI Honolulu) United States Of America have discovered through our intelligent monitoring network that you have a transaction going on as either inheritance payment,Lottery or contract payment of $1.5 Millions of United States Dollars which have been approved but have not been settled.

This is to officially inform you that we have verified your contract / inheritance file ater close monitoring and found out why you have not received your payment,both on your part and on the part of your debtors.

Secondly we have been informed that you are still dealing with the non officials in the bank who are attempting to secure the release of your fund to you. We wish to advise you that this is illegal and you should stop further communication with them forthwith because such an illegal act like this can lead to cancellation of your fund.

We have been having so many complains from people who have been scammed arround the world hence,after concluding in a meeting with members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we came to a conclusion that every payment will be made through the Oceanic Bank in the Republic Of Benin . We also concluded on the use of ELECTRONIC ATM PAYMENT SYSTEM as the only direct means to pay all beneficiaries.

By this method,your funds will be loaded in two batches into an ATM card, and sent to you, from this card you can withdraw a maximum of us$15,000 per day from any ATM machine worldwide,BUT from the financial houses there is no limit.

So if you would like to receive your funds in this way please send your following information to the paying bank.

1. Full name..........................
2. Full address ..........................(P.O box not acceptable)
3. Phone and fax #...................................
4.Your balance payment............................
4. Your age, sex and current occupation..................

Below are the contact details of the PAYING BANK(Oceanic Bank) in the Republic Of Benin to whom you will send your information for the processing of the ATM card as soon as possible:

CONTACT PERSON REV DR MATHEW OBI
HEAD OF OPERATIONS,ATM CARD PAYMENT SYSTEM
DEBT SETTLEMENT COMMISSION,WEST AFRICAN OCEANIC BANK
370 CHURCH STREET,PRETORIA,
E144QJ REPUBLIC OF BENIN
EMAIL: atm_payment_department101@yahoo.fr,
DIRECT TELEPHONE NUMBER: +22993565633 .

The DEBT SETTLEMENT COMMISSION has been mandated to issue out your payments for this fiscal year 2008. Also for your information, you have to stop any further communication with any other person(s) or office(s) who claim that to be established agents using it to defraud innocent people worldwide.This is to avoid any hitches in receiving your payment.

THANKS FOR LISTENING TO OUR ADVISE

Faithfully Yours,
MR .ROBERT S. MUELLER, III
FOR COROPORATE AFFAIRS
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI Honolulu))
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA