Doctor debunks myths of aging for Schaumburg group
Fighting the myths of aging — particularly the ones we've chosen to believe ourselves — is one of the keys to remaining healthy and fit through the whole of one's life, according to one expert.
Dr. Thomas Sattler, director of education for the SeniorFITness division of Alliance Rehab, addressed the Schaumburg Business Association at its monthly breakfast meeting Tuesday on staying well late into life.
“Everyone wants to live a long life, but not to grow old,” Sattler said at Chandler's Banquets in Schaumburg. “So the plan is to die young at a very old age.”
Over the past century, leading causes of death have changed from such acquired diseases as pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis and smallpox to more internal conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Sattler says this emphasizes the need for preventive medicine and proactive efforts toward maintaining health. He believes in doing away with what he calls “Humpty Dumpty medicine” — putting people back together only after they're already broken.
“Why did Humpty fall in the first place?” Sattler asked.
He's developed five rules for living for those who want to live long and well. He tells people to develop a love and zest for life; to combine their instincts for independence and dependence to achieve interdependence with others; to obey the rules of life, but avoid the “trivia”; to not seek pity from others; and to develop one's energy to its maximum potential.
A basic practice of everyone who wants to age well is to not give up the things one did while younger — including being physically active, intellectually curious, flexible, well balanced and prone to laughter.
“Laughter is important because it affects your immune system,” Sattler said.
Among the biggest challenges people face as the move through life are fears of failure, aging and death — which one can come to learn are nothing to be feared at all, he said.
Not maintaining one's youthful practices as one grows older can lead to loss of smell, taste, hearing and vision; bone density; the ability to metabolize drugs; reaction time; and liver and kidney function.
One of the things people sometimes don't want to hear is that they need to drink a lot of water — even if it gets them up in the middle of the night.
“If you don't have enough water, your cells can't replenish themselves,” Sattler said.
When addressing the challenges of aging, he likes to quote Winston Churchill who said, “It's no good doing your best, you have to do what's necessary.”
Aging people must find a balance of physical, spiritual, intellectual and emotional wellness, to go beyond living for survival and strive for significance in their achievements, he said.
“If you perceive yourself as being well, I guarantee you will be well into the future,” Sattler said.