John Whyte - Is This Normal?

To my mother, may we all age
as gracefully as you.

A patient once told me, Growing old is a bitch! But it doesnt have to be.

The latest research reveals that our bodies are much more dynamic than once thought. Because of this, were learning that diseases and conditions that used to be viewed as a normal part of aging can often be prevented and sometimes even reversed by making comprehensive lifestyle changes. These findings are giving many people new hope and new choices.

If youre from the baby boom generation, youre probably already inundated with books about how to care for your aging parents, how to marshal your financial resources for retirement, and what to do with all that spare time youll supposedly have on your hands.

Taking care of your aging parents can certainly be a challenge, but learning to cope with the changes going on in your own body and mind can be even more disconcerting. If youre one of the 78 million baby boomers in the US anxiously awaiting the start of physical and mental changes, you may be wishing for a guidebook to see you through, and here it is.

Many people are embarrassed to bring concerns about everyday health challenges to their doctors or even to ask for advice from family and friends. What will happen to your skin, your joints, your metabolism, your eyes, your memory? What about relationships and sex (not to mention your bowels)?

Many accept health problems as just part of aging, because they do not realize that these problems are often preventable or treatable. They may live with pain, depression, failing eyesight, urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and other difficulties that affect quality of life, because they believe these problems are normal. They may think its inevitable that they will get heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, or cancer of the breast or prostate.

Is This Normal? is the guidebook middle-aged and older adults need. It explains what happens as you age, including how and why your body changes and what differences you can expect to your memory, emotions, physical functions, and relationships. It will alert you to changes that are definitely not normal, helping you know when you should seek medical care. And it will make clear that, whatever changes you are experiencing, you are not alone.

This book addresses your interest in looking and feeling younger. Thanks to medical research, we now know that some of the changes we used to take for grantedlike weight gain, joint decay, and weakening musclescan be reduced or prevented by a program of healthy eating and exercise. By explaining the science behind common age-related changes, Is This Normal? will help you make smart decisions about which antiaging treatments are likely to work and which ones are expensive snake oil.

Because about 4 out of 10 adults in the US now use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), this guidebook discusses the most reliable, scientifically proven treatments. CAM includes a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicinefrom acupuncture and chiropractic to meditation, massage, and deep-breathing techniques. Many of these therapies and remedies are less costly than mainstream medical treatments as well, and you will learn how to make them a part of your system of self-care. This book offers an integrative approach, combining the best of conventional and complementary medicine.

Is This Normal? lets readers know not only whether the changes they are experiencing are normal, but also whether they need to see a physician or can treat minor ailments themselves. By offering crucial guidance for this stage of life, Is This Normal? addresses a widespread, unmet need. It offers information to help you navigate the changes of aging and arms you to face your fifties, sixties, seventies, and beyond with energy, health, and joy.

Dr. John Whyte, the Discovery Channels chief medical expert, brings a unique perspective and state-of-the-art information. How well we live is as important as how long we live. Dr. Whyte shows us how we can do both.

Dean Ornish, MD
founder and president,
Preventive Medicine Research Institute, www.pmri.org;
clinical professor of medicine,
University of California, San Francisco;
and author of The Spectrum and
Dr. Dean Ornishs Program for Reversing Heart Disease

What do you know about your skin? I bet you didnt know it is the bodys largest organ! (Ill let you in on a secret: Medical school professors always ask medical students, Whats the bodys largest organ? Theres always a lot of giggling and even some blushing until they hear the answer.) On one level, the role of skin is pretty simple: It helps protect your internal organs from the outside environment. It also allows you to handle many things that are dirty or dangerouslike a babys soiled diaper or that scary container in the back of the fridgewithout worrying that germs will get into your bloodstream.

Theres a lot more to your skin, though, than just keeping the germs out. For instance, skin helps you maintain your body temperature. It contains your sweat glands, which cool you down in the summer and keep heat in on a chilly winter day. Your skin plays a big part in maintaining fluid balance, too. You might have heard that burn victims need huge amounts of fluid to keep them alive; thats because their skin has become so damaged that it cant keep enough water inside their bodies to maintain organ function.

Skin also alerts us to whats going on in the outside world. You might not have eyes in the back of your head, but I bet you know when someone is standing behind you and literally breathing down your neck. The nerve endings in your skin also warn you when the stove is hot, let you know that your drink needs ice even before you taste it, and tell you when it has just started to rain.

As you age, your skin undergoes a lot of changes. Some of these changes are inevitable, but others are preventable or can at least be delayed for a while. When it comes to age-related skin changes, wrinkles are the first issue that comes to mind for most people. But wrinkles are only one effect of our skins aging process; as we approach middle age and beyond, our skin will undergo changes in texture, strength, and resilience. Youre going to see some new spots and bumps. Some of these are more bothersome than dangerous, while others should send you right to the doctor. In other words, some changes are a normal part of aging, and some are not.

Dont panic. While wrinkles may be inevitable, getting older doesnt have to be a disaster for your skin. Knowing what to expect can help you take steps to protect your skin and keep it healthy as it ages with you.

Your skin is made up of three layers:

• Epidermis
• Dermis
• Hypodermis