HOW TO STAY OUT OF A NURSING HOME . Not all nursing homes are disasters. I know many senior citizens who ended up much happier in a home. But for the most part, most seniors wish to stay at home. In order to avoid a nursing home you need to achieve and maintain a few goals. You need to move about freely. You need to maintain your ability to use your mind and memory. And you need to maintain a reasonable degree of good health. Of these, your bones and your mind represent the two major factors sending most seniors to a home.
Maintaining Healthy Bones
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Good bones and joints can be achieved and maintained at any age. Healthy bones and joints can be summed up in three words: diet, exercise, and supplements. Your diet must contain mostly healthy foods, with a third eaten raw. This will provide the raw nutrients and enzymes your body needs to build, replace, and maintain strong bones.
You must exercise, both to maintain your bones, but also to maintain strength, flexibility, and stability. And exercising means resistance exercise or weight-bearing exercise. The very best is the Slow Burn technique. You can accomplish all your strength exercising with this technique in one 30- to 45-minute exercise session per week! aerobics can be a brisk walk several times per week.
And what are the benefits? The most significant of any form of therapy known to man. Weight lifting will put more calcium into your bones than all the drugs, calcium, boron, magnesium, and vitamin D combined~four times more. And if you take raw bone supplements while exercising, your results will be even greater. The raw bone supplements of choice for those with thinning bones are from Standard Process the only company I know that can make these products and maintain their life force. They are Biost at a dose of one taken three times daily, and CalciFood Wafers at a dose of two to three chewed up three times daily with meals. Once your bones are stronger and stable you can reduce your dose to a maintenance level of one Biost and four Calcifood Wafers daily.
You must exercise, both to maintain your bones, but also to maintain strength, flexibility, and stability. And exercising means resistance exercise or weight-bearing exercise. The very best is the Slow Burn technique. You can accomplish all your strength exercising with this technique in one 30- to 45-minute exercise session per week! aerobics can be a brisk walk several times per week.
And what are the benefits? The most significant of any form of therapy known to man. Weight lifting will put more calcium into your bones than all the drugs, calcium, boron, magnesium, and vitamin D combined~four times more. And if you take raw bone supplements while exercising, your results will be even greater. The raw bone supplements of choice for those with thinning bones are from Standard Process the only company I know that can make these products and maintain their life force. They are Biost at a dose of one taken three times daily, and CalciFood Wafers at a dose of two to three chewed up three times daily with meals. Once your bones are stronger and stable you can reduce your dose to a maintenance level of one Biost and four Calcifood Wafers daily.
Muscles and Connective Tissues
Joints are not made only of bone. You have muscles and connective tissues like ligaments, tendons, and cartilage to keep healthy too. Exercise will do this automatically. The proper diet along the lines of a low~carbohydrate Mediterranean diet will supply plenty of the raw materials needed to maintain healthy muscles and connective tissues.
For those of you who do not get adequate amounts of quality protein (meat, eggs, fish, poultry etc. ) you would do well to add a supplement called Protefood from Standard Process. Take one with breakfast and one with dinner (or whichever meals provide protein). This amino acid supplement will complete the amino acid profile of the foods you consume. |
This will allow you to utilize protein to build muscles and connective tissues for healthy joints; a strong, stable stride; and good maneuverability to help you avoid the nursing home. Keep in mind that your body requires adequate digestive acids to utilize nutrients and minerals to maintain strong bones. So if you are chronically using antacids, you will have to correct your digestion and quit these acid soppers. You can easily normalize digestion with the correct procedures.
Your Mind, Fats, and Vitamin B
No matter how strong you are, if you lose your mind and memory, you will not be able to avoid a nursing home. Without some mental capacity, even in a nursing home you will be relegated to daily doses of mind–numbing, zombie-producing drugs. When it comes to your mind,-the major factors are blood flow to the brain and the proper nutrients in your diet–especially proper fats.
Today there are more mental and memory problems than ever. And why not? Americans are on a low-fat craze, and have been for years. The fats that most people eat are abominations of chemical compositions, having no resemblance to the normal dietary fats the body and brain need and crave. Babies are perfect examples. It's funny how we all start out as babies in diapers, and often end up pretty much the same.
It is ironic how much we can learn about fatty nutrition from babies. Depriving infants of the fats they need results in a baby that is unhappy, frantic, chronically crying, and unable to have any mental relaxation and normal behavior. The medical profession calls this colic. Yet within 48 hours of restoring adequate fats and nutrition to the baby's diet, his or her mind settles and calmness and normalcy return. This is a powerful lesson because the same response happens for adults and seniors.
Today there are more mental and memory problems than ever. And why not? Americans are on a low-fat craze, and have been for years. The fats that most people eat are abominations of chemical compositions, having no resemblance to the normal dietary fats the body and brain need and crave. Babies are perfect examples. It's funny how we all start out as babies in diapers, and often end up pretty much the same.
It is ironic how much we can learn about fatty nutrition from babies. Depriving infants of the fats they need results in a baby that is unhappy, frantic, chronically crying, and unable to have any mental relaxation and normal behavior. The medical profession calls this colic. Yet within 48 hours of restoring adequate fats and nutrition to the baby's diet, his or her mind settles and calmness and normalcy return. This is a powerful lesson because the same response happens for adults and seniors.
The fats you need are the ones doctors tell you should be avoided–meats and stews, dairy, butter, eggs, and real oils. These are olive oil, cod liver or flax oil, and even coconut oil. So stop all this low, fat junk and eat whole, healthy foods. They will contain the nutrients your brain so dramatically demands. Without these fats your body and brain will take up all the artificial and chemical concoctions in their place. And this can spell disaster.
All the membranes in your body and brain have their nutritional basis in fat and cholesterol. When you deprive yourself of these foods you are adding insult to injury. First you are depriving your body of the membrane-building materials needed to transmit signals throughout the brain. And second you are replacing these nutrients with chemicals that are producing reactions we don't even understand. |
Get off this low-fat, fake-fat bandwagon and eat whole foods with a third raw. Take a tablespoon of flax or cod liver oil daily as a supplement. And tell your doctor you don't want cholesterol-lowering drugs just because your cholesterol reading is over 200. Real cholesterol scientists and experts realize that a reading of 200 to 275 is normal as long as your HDL and LDL fractions are good.
In addition to proper fats, be sure to get your B vitamins. Again these will be tough to get if you are taking antacids. It is my opinion that every person over age 65 with mental problems should take two supplements from Standard Process to help maintain a healthy heart and proper B vitamin nutrition. They are Cardio-Plus and Cataplex B. For normal seniors three of each daily (one each per meal) will suffice. If you have any kind of heart problem, increase this dose to six of each daily.
If your brain is already faltering be sure to get adequate vitamin B12. There is already a lot of research indicating that low levels of folic acid and vitamin B12 can contribute to Alzheimer's. In fact double-blind studies are now being conducted on this concept in the UK. One tip here is a high homocysteine level. Homocysteine is an enzyme by-product that is converted back to useful form by folic acid and B12.
Without these nutrients, homocysteine builds up in the blood. It is a strong indicator of heart disease. and also a tip-off of potential brain problems and Alzheimer's down the road. So keep your brain and heart healthy by making sure you get adequate B12 in your diet.
And remember that this vitamin is best utilized in combination with folic acid and intrinsic factor, which is found in the stomach of healthy individuals. Standard Process makes the premier B12 supplement called Folic Acid B12. It is B12 combined with folic acid and intrinsic factor. Three daily (one per meal) is a good dose. All this B vitamin nutrition will also go a long way to ensuring proper circulation to your brain.
In addition to proper fats, be sure to get your B vitamins. Again these will be tough to get if you are taking antacids. It is my opinion that every person over age 65 with mental problems should take two supplements from Standard Process to help maintain a healthy heart and proper B vitamin nutrition. They are Cardio-Plus and Cataplex B. For normal seniors three of each daily (one each per meal) will suffice. If you have any kind of heart problem, increase this dose to six of each daily.
If your brain is already faltering be sure to get adequate vitamin B12. There is already a lot of research indicating that low levels of folic acid and vitamin B12 can contribute to Alzheimer's. In fact double-blind studies are now being conducted on this concept in the UK. One tip here is a high homocysteine level. Homocysteine is an enzyme by-product that is converted back to useful form by folic acid and B12.
Without these nutrients, homocysteine builds up in the blood. It is a strong indicator of heart disease. and also a tip-off of potential brain problems and Alzheimer's down the road. So keep your brain and heart healthy by making sure you get adequate B12 in your diet.
And remember that this vitamin is best utilized in combination with folic acid and intrinsic factor, which is found in the stomach of healthy individuals. Standard Process makes the premier B12 supplement called Folic Acid B12. It is B12 combined with folic acid and intrinsic factor. Three daily (one per meal) is a good dose. All this B vitamin nutrition will also go a long way to ensuring proper circulation to your brain.
Avoid Unnecessary Medical Risks
My grandfather was a healthy.guy. He practiced all kinds of natural dietary habits. He ended up in a nursing home when he was old because he lived far away from family and needed someone to tend to his needs. He was happy there and got along fine until a doctor talked him into having an old hernia repaired. The surgery was a success, but the patient died.
Remember what I have said about achieving and maintaining good digestion while avoiding antacids and worse-yet–”digestive surgeries”. The latest is for the treatment of severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Of those people having this surgery more than a third suffer relatively severe side effects-mostly in the bowel. If the surgery is successful, you will be trading heartburn for diarrhea, bloating, fecal incontinence, and more. GERD is a symptom, not a disease. It is easily corrected with our protocols. |
Doctors, drugs, and surgeries can be a Godsend when needed. Or they can kill you for no reason, like my grandfather. As you get older, avoid elective surgeries. Stay away from prescription drugs except for minimal use. Be especially wary of gallbladder surgery. This is another "digestive surgery" that is only necessary on rare occasions, but it is for the most part symptom surgery that can have profound and detrimental effects on seniors.
I have dozens of letters in my file where the patient went straight downhill following gallbladder surgery. No one is able to explain this, but perhaps it is the permanent alteration in fat metabolism that follows this procedure. Simply keep in mind that this often-elective procedure–-while seemingly innocuous and most often explained to you as harmless-can kill you. If it happens to you, no one will be the wiser, and no one will be chided or reprimanded for having started you on a downward course to debilitation and death.
Rather than surgery for nausea and vomiting, use our protocols to correct the underlying condition. This is often as easy as a three-week liver gallbladder cleanse and a digestive supplement called AF BefaFood by Standard Process taken two to three per meal. A more advanced case may also require a liver flush which will purge stale bile, gravel, and even gallstones from your system.
I have dozens of letters in my file where the patient went straight downhill following gallbladder surgery. No one is able to explain this, but perhaps it is the permanent alteration in fat metabolism that follows this procedure. Simply keep in mind that this often-elective procedure–-while seemingly innocuous and most often explained to you as harmless-can kill you. If it happens to you, no one will be the wiser, and no one will be chided or reprimanded for having started you on a downward course to debilitation and death.
Rather than surgery for nausea and vomiting, use our protocols to correct the underlying condition. This is often as easy as a three-week liver gallbladder cleanse and a digestive supplement called AF BefaFood by Standard Process taken two to three per meal. A more advanced case may also require a liver flush which will purge stale bile, gravel, and even gallstones from your system.
You probably know someone who never ate a vegetable, drank a quart of whiskey daily, smoked three packs a day, and lived to be 100. I do. Just understand that these are the exception. It just makes sense to do everything you can to stay stable and independent to the end. This also requires a good attitude.
When you start consuming proper fats, your attitude will change automatically. Most grouchy old men or women are just suffering from fat starvation and "brain pain." In addition, keep your mind active and your attitude good with companionship, games, reading, and volunteer work. Nothing works better to ease your problems than to help another human being. |
Use these basics to enjoy a healthy senior life. If you want to avoid a nursing home these are the keys. And they are actually fun, provide excellent social contact, and will make you healthier, younger, stronger, and more stable. That sounds like a recipe for avoiding a nursing home to me.
Health Alert Dr Bruce West MD Vol 20 issue 8
Health Alert Dr Bruce West MD Vol 20 issue 8