| Health
Matters
Aging gracefully—yeah, right!
As I approach that certain age, some thoughts have begun to dominate. What do I really want to be or do when I grow up? Is it possible to stave off high blood pressure, diabetes, achy joints, dementia, wrinkles, age spots and other age-related health challenges? Is it possible to age gracefully and in a healthy manner?
Well, I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be or do when I grow up, and it may take another fifty years to figure out that one…then there is the prospect of healthy aging with grace. Depending on which research data you ascribe to, approximately thirty percent of your aging health is dependent upon your genetics. The remaining seventy percent is up to the numerous individual choices we each make every day of our lives.
“The face you have at twenty, you were born with…the face you have at fifty you earned.” I am offering a change to that quote: “The body you have at twenty you were born with…the body you have at fifty you earned.”
Information on healthy aging is plentiful—some more scientific than others. It does not take long to find numerous sources that “claim” they have discovered the means to remove your wrinkles, saggy skin and achy joints and reverse or prevent dementia, etc.
Can it all be true, or is it all false? Is our culture so enamored with youthfulness we will grasp at anything to create the illusion of youth? I would venture that although narcissism does play some role, the current aging generation is living longer than previous generations; medical advances have made it possible to manage certain medical conditions that previously were a death sentence.
One pervading fear of the current aging generation is developing some form of Alzheimer’s disease, or a physically debilitating disease that would severely limit independence. What lifestyle choices tend to reduce or limit the onslaught of the aging process?
One life lesson I have learned is this: You can do everything “right,” and “bad” things still can happen. One key to successful aging is accepting changes and finding meaningful activity. What does it mean to engage in meaningful activity? Find something that has meaning for you and the rest will take care of itself.
The answer will be different for everyone. An example of this can be found in our own community through my friend Herb Grenke, retired NMU professor and former football coach. He loves fly fishing and the activity has helped him weather a number of life’s challenges. Through his involvement with the Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited, he’s turned his passion into a service to the community through the Project Healing Waters program, which teaches vets to make fly ties and cast a fly rod. The culmination of these lessons takes the students into the woods and onto the rivers and streams.
Although the activity itself is beneficial, it is also the environment. Grenke is no stranger to difficult life passages; he is a shining example of an individual who has persevered and has tackled both age and life events gracefully.
It is also important to remain physically active as long as possible. If joint pain is keeping a person inactive, there are physical activities that reap the benefit without joint stress.
Swimming is an excellent cardiovascular activity with low joint impact. Yoga, although generally not considered a cardiovascular activity, is an excellent activity for improving balance and increasing flexibility . . .
—Jill Fries
Editor’s Note: Information for this article came from WebMD, Dr. Weil and The Journal of The North American Menopause Society.
Examining medical marihuana
That is not a misprint in the title. According to the State of Michigan Medical Marihuana Act, the word marihuana is spelled with a “h” and not the more commonly recognized “j”.
What else is particular to this act, which became law in November 2008, and how is the Upper Peninsula responding to its implementation? A snapshot answer includes: an individual must have a qualifying medical condition, acquire certification from a physician and obtain a registration card. Individuals will not receive a prescription or be given resources on where to obtain medical marihuana. Residents of the Upper Peninsula can be assisted in the processes outlined in the rules and regulations of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act (MMMA) by the Marquette Medical Marihuana Registration Center.
A detailed view begins with the Michigan Medical Marihuana Program (MMMP). That is the title given to the state registry program within the Bureau of Health Professions at the Michigan Department of Community Health. The purpose of MMMP is to administer the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act.
A person must first qualify for the registry before obtaining medical marihuana. The key word is “qualify.” The initial action is taken by people who believe they suffer from a qualifying condition. Examples include: cancer, glaucoma or positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis C.
The paperwork now begins, along with the search for the important physician certification component. Enter the Marquette Medical Marihuana Registration Center (MMMRC) and the quest for “qualifying patient” status becomes more obtainable.
MMMRC has been in operation since April. Its mission is “to provide patients in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with access to state of Michigan licensed physicians who believe in the therapeutic benefits of medical marihuana.”
Patients believing they suffer from a qualified condition bring copies of their medical records to MMMRC for their initial appointment. Following completion of an assessment of the patient’s medical condition, qualified patients will receive a signed physician certification form that will allow the patient to apply for a registration card with the MMMP . . .
—Leslie Bek
Editor’s Note: The Marquette Medical Marihuana Registration Center is located at 710 Chippewa Square, Suite 102 in Marquette. For details, call 228-2999 or visit www.marquettemedicalmarijuana.com
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