Is There an Old-Age or an Age-Old Way to Achieve Healthy Bones and Joints? Just Ask Grandma!

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We have heard it way too many times, sometimes to the point where many folks probably just tune it all out. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and maintaining a healthy weight can help you to reduce your risk of developing osteoarthritis, most notably in the hips and knees. Exercise contributes to bone density, improves the strength of the muscles, and enhances balance. Through regular walking, strength training, swimming, dancing, gardening and other low-impact activities, you can be well on your way to healthy bones and joints.

My soon-to-be 106-year-old grandma is a good case study for this. I spoke with her the other day about her health and why she thinks the Good Lord has kept her alive for so long.

“You know,” she began, “even the doctors are stumped. I go for check-ups, they do tests, they draw blood, they take my pulse – and then they say there is not a dang thing wrong with me. Nothing.”

Even after experiencing a few falls in the past couple of years, Grandma has never broken a bone or even sustained the slightest fracture. I swear she is a medical anomaly. She swears it is just all of the exercise she has done her whole life, and she is quick to point out that everyone should be working out.

She recently moved from her small town in Kansas to Houston, Texas, to be near her youngest son, a medical doctor at Baylor. She is not in a nursing home (and if she was, she would be the one pushing those “seniors” around in their wheel chairs!), but she does live in a complex of apartments in an assisted living environment. Part of her daily routine is to have someone come in and help her to exercise. She just laughs.

“They call that exercise?” she mocks. “All they do is have me roll my arms around this way and that and then roll my legs this way and that. I can get more exercise walking to the kitchen and back.”

Of course, a healthy diet is necessary, as well. Grandma confirms that she can “eat anything, anywhere, at any time, prepared any way, any how, and under any circumstances, provided there is lots of bacon grease and salt.” Okay – so not necessarily the healthiest diet, but at least she is well-preserved, substantiating my theory as to her longevity.

Kicking Grandma’s diet out of the equation, it is important to enjoy a bone-healthy diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. Make sure your favorite foods are fortified and even consider taking a daily vitamin or mineral supplement. (I did ask Grandma if she drank lots of milk in her younger days, and she scoffed, “Are you kidding me? I hate milk. I cannot even stand to look at it!” Again--medical anomaly, or, at this point in my thinking--alien life force?)

If you are a candidate for rheumatic disease or arthritis, certain symptoms might tip you off. You might notice swelling, warmth, or redness around the affected joint. There may be recurring pain or tenderness at that joint. You may feel stiffness in that area or experience a crunching feeling or hear a sound of bone rubbing on bone.

There is not one single test that can diagnose osteoarthritis. More than likely, your physician will ask you to describe your symptoms and then review your medical history, examining any joints that are bothering you. There are several tests that can lead to an accurate diagnosis, such as X-rays, MRIs, blood tests, and joint aspirations, which involve drawing fluid from the joint for examination.

The only type of arthritis that can be cured is the type caused by an infection. All other types can merely be managed with a combination of rest, regular exercise, vitamin and mineral supplements, and medication. Be sure to consult with your doctor as to the best treatment options for you. Common treatments include acetaminophen for pain without inflammation, aspirin or ibuprofen for pain with inflammation, topical analgesic products, or prednisone or cortisone to reduce the inflammation.

At least Grandma has taken to heart the exercise aspects of healthy bones and joints. Not too long ago, she was at a college football game, and one of her companions, more than 30 years her junior, was attempting to help Grandma walk up the stands to her seat. After a few minutes, Grandma apparently had enough of this “assistance” and told her companion, “Honey, I’m sorry, but you are really slowing me down here!” God love her!

(Information for this article was found at www.nlm.hig.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring09/articles/spring09pg14.html)

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