| "Virtually
everything we have been taught about getting older is completely
wrong," according to Lipschitz, director of the Donald W.
Reynolds Center on Aging at UAMS and host of the award-winning PBS
series, Aging Successfully with Dr. David. "In truth,
it's my patients who have convinced me that our assumptions about
old age - namely illness, fragility, senility - are complete
hogwash."
In Breaking the Rules of Aging
(LifeLine Press, $24.95), Lipschitz shatters the medical
misconceptions that most people - including many physicians - have
about the aging process. Here is a sampling of these myths:
* Myth: Older adults should not
be overweight.
Despite studies showing that a thin physique increases longevity,
Lipschitz says that older adults should be a little heavy after
retirement.
* Myth: Heart tests and
treatments will save the lives of senior citizens.
According to Lipschitz, most stress tests and procedures for
coronary artery disease are performed on people who do not need
them, and these procedures can be more dangerous than the disease
itself. He also notes that 50 percent of heart attacks are caused
by blocked blood vessels that appear normal on angiograms.
* Myth: Sex drive decreases with
age.
Disease, not age, causes a decline in sex drive, Lipschitz says. A
disease can be treated, thereby making sex drive stronger than
ever.
* Myth: Walking is the perfect
exercise for older adults.
While Lipschitz admits that there is nothing wrong with walking,
he says that older people also need to perform some type of
"tough exercise," such as lifting weights.
* Myth: People become weaker and
more frail with age.
Although older adults do have less muscle mass than younger folks,
Lipschitz says that people who stay physically active throughout
life will always be strong enough to pursue their interests.
* Myth: Memory worsens with age.
According to Lipschitz, "benign forgetfulness" - such as
forgetting where the car keys are - happens to everyone over 40.
However, significant memory loss is not an inevitable consequence
of aging. It is caused by disease, specific medications,
depression and other disorders. With the right program, most
people can stay mentally sharp into their 80s, 90s and beyond.
* Myth: Physicians know the
proper dosages of medicines for their older patients.
Most physicians do not realize that older adults respond to
drugs in dramatically different ways than younger people,
Lipschitz says. Older patients metabolize drugs much more slowly
and are likely to have unsafe concentrations of active drugs in
their bodies.
* Myth: After menopause, there
is no reason to worry about condom use or safe sex.
Studies show that 93 percent of adults never use condoms. At the
same time, sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise among
older adults; 10 percent of people over 50 are at high risk of
contracting such diseases.
Lipschitz - a native of
Johannesburg, South Africa - joined UAMS in 1978 and began
conducting research into the effects of aging on nutrition and on
the blood and bone marrow. He has received long-standing grant
support from the National Institute on Aging and is recognized as
one of the premier experts in this field.
Lipschitz became director of the
UAMS aging center in 1995. He played a central role in UAMS
acquiring a gift of $30.2 million from the Donald W. Reynolds
Foundation to establish the center and the Donald W. Reynolds
Department of Geriatrics in the UAMS College of Medicine and to
build a facility to house the program. He is chairman of this
department, which is only the second of its kind in the country.
Under his leadership, the
geriatrics department has a faculty of 45 scientists who have
developed an array of outstanding clinical, education and research
programs. The total federal grant support for these programs
exceeds $50 million. U.S. News & World Report magazine
currently ranks the department in the top 10 in the nation.
His peers have consistently
recognized Lipschitz by voting him into the Best Doctors in
America directory. In addition to Aging Successfully with
Dr. David on PBS, he has appeared on The Today Show on
NBC and has given numerous lectures nationally and
internationally. His unique ability to explain health issues to
the general public in a warm, humorous and upbeat manner makes him
a much-sought-after speaker.
# # #
Contact:
Leslie W. Taylor, 501-686-8998
Wireless phone: 501-951-7260
leslie@uams.edu
Marsha Hines, 501-526-6553
hinesmarsham@uams.edu
|
