Osteoporosis and the ageing process
Osteoporosis arthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It is caused by the breakdown of cartilage. Cartilage is the tough elastic material that covers and protects the ends of bones. Bits of cartilage may break off and cause pain and swelling in the joint between bones. This pain and swelling is called inflammation. Over time the cartilage may wear away entirely, and the bones will rub together. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint but usually affects hips, knees, hands and spine. Prevention of this disease is very important because there is no cure. I got this information from
How exercise may/may not help arthritis?
Exercise plays a key role in treating almost all forms of arthritis. Exercises that help to alleviate arthritis are mobilizing exercises and exercises to strengthen muscles. Mobilising exercise will help to keep the joints moving and help to prevent them becoming stiff. When a person takes part in obilising exercises, they increase the production of synovil fluid into the joint, which helps to lubricate the joint.
Mobilising exercises will also increase blood flow to the tissue around the joint, which will help to keep the joint healthy. Muscle strengthening exercises will help to build up the muscles around the joint and so help to protect the joints.
A person suffering with arthritis will usually have good days when they feel less pain, and bad days when they feel more pain. It is better to exercise on good days, although taking part in exercise every day may well help to prevent joints becoming stiff and painful, and keep muscles strong.
If a person has exercised regularly in childhood and adolescence, they are more likely to build strong, dense bones, which will stand them in good stead for later on in life. The best exercise to build bone density is weight-bearing exercise such as walking, jogging, aerobics, racket sports and hiking.
Joints and the ageing process
Normal ageing process and wear and tear are the likely factors for causing lack of elasticity and flexibility of the cartilage in the joints. Over straining the back may cause damage to the ligaments and other vertebral discs. Occupation and lifestyle may also be related to arthritis and other joint problems. For example, a particular kind of posture or strain on a particular joint may cause osteoarthritis of that part of the joint. Excessive weight may also affect the larger weight bearing joints mainly hips, knees and spine.
Hereditary factor - occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis is higher than expected in twins and first-degree relations. Rise in uric acid in blood serum is likely to cause gout (gout is an inflammation of the big toe). Damp and cold weather often causes and aggravates this disease and affects your joints making you more prone to problems.
How exercise may/ may not help your joints?
Regular exercise helps keep joints moving, restores and preserves flexibility and strength, and protects joints against further damage. It improves your coordination, endurance and your ability to perform daily tasks (such as walking or writing).
Exercise also can lead to mood enhancement, an improved sense of self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment. Water resistance exercises would be a superb exercise to help your joints.
This is because the soothing warmth and buoyancy of warm water make it a safe, ideal environment for relieving arthritis pain and stiffness. Immersing in warm water raises your body temperature, causing your blood vessels to dilate and increasing circulation. Water exercise is a gentle way to exercise joints and muscles. Water supports joints to encourage free movement, and may also act as resistance to help build muscle strength.
Metabolism and the ageing process
All life forms from single-celled algae to mammals are totally dependent on many hundreds of immediate and accurately regulated metabolic reactions to support them from the beginning through growth and maturity to the final stages of life.
Inside every living cell of an organism, chemical reactions take place; these chemical activities are described as ‘metabolism’. The chemical activity or metabolism is split into two different categories, anabolism and catabolism as explained later on.
All chemical reactions need ATP (adenosine triphosphate), energy to help
them.
The reactions involve bringing molecules together, or breaking them apart, this does not just happen in the cell, but requires energy to break this apart. You could see it as a builder, without energy in the form of food he would not be able to either build a wall, or knock one down although knocking it down would also produce energy.
Using a specific example from the body would be respiration, the metabolic process that not only requires energy (ATP) but also produces it. In glycolysis of respiration two ATP molecules are used and four are produced, this shows that ATP plays a major role in respiration, which is a very important metabolic reaction within the cell.
As a human gets older their BMR (basal metabolic rate) which is our resting metabolic rate decreases due to old age. The basal metabolic rate refers to the amount of calories we require when just resting. Our level of activity plays a large part in our metabolic rate.
The thermic effect of food also effects metabolism. This refers to the amount of calories that are required to digest and process the food we eat. The final and smallest contributor to our metabolism is something, which is the heat-producing effect of things like fidgeting, or our reaction to cold and stress.
Smoking, exercise, hereditary, pregnancy, alcohol and chronic diseases can all determine your metabolic rate.
Overall the metabolic rate varies from one person to another and is affected by sex, age, and amount of lean body mass (muscle). Many vitamins and minerals are involved in the metabolic processes in the body, however, once the required amount is obtained, the excess is either eliminated or stored in body tissues.
How exercise may/may not help metabolism?
During exercise, metabolism and heat production processes in the body increase significantly. Yet, body core temperature remains almost unchanged. The body balances the amount of heat produced during the exercise by losing the same amount of heat, to it’s surroundings. More than 80% of the heat is lost through the skin's surface while less than 20 % is actually used to drive your muscles.
Blood vessels near the surface of the skin dissipate heat. Therefore heat loss is effectively achieved by an increase in blood flow in the skin, where sweat is evaporated to cool your body. This process is called vasodilation/evaporation cooling.
Sweating is controlled by the temperature of the blood flowing to the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. When your temperature rises, you sweat more. During exercise, your heart beats rapidly to pump blood to bring oxygen to muscles and hot blood from muscles to the skin where heat can be dissipated.
When you stop exercising, your heart immediately slows down, so less blood is pumped to your skin, and your temperature rises higher and you sweat more. If you are already overheated, this extra heat can cause you to pass out.
This is particularly likely to happen when you exercise, particularly in hot weather, because food is converted to energy by a series of chemical reactions, each of which release heat.
That means that the harder you exercise, the higher your temperature can rise, and your body has to work very hard to keep your body from overheating.
During exercise, not only must your heart work extra to pump oxygen from blood in your lungs to your muscles, it must also pump heat in blood from your muscles to your skin.
When your temperature rises above 102°F, your muscles often start to burn, when your temperature is over 104°F you will usually become short of breath and when your temperature rises above 105°F, you will often have signs of brain distress, such as a headache, blurred vision, ringing in your ears, dizziness, nausea and passing out.
How a quality diet may help prevent these physiological ageing processes?
A balanced diet is a diet that contains adequate amounts of all the necessary nutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals - required for healthy growth and activity. A diet is balanced when food intake is equal to the body’s needs. These needs vary according to age, gender, level of activity, pregnancy and size – the average adult male requires 11000 KJ of energy per day while the average adult female requires 9000 KJ per day.
Malnutrition results from an unbalanced diet, this can be due to an excess of some dietary components and lack of other components, not just a complete lack of food. Too much of one component can be as much harm to the body as too little. Deficiency diseases occur when there is a lack of a specific nutrient, although some diet related disorders are a result of eating an excess.
Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy, and are a large part of most people’s diets. They are also building blocks for larger molecules. Carbohydrates can be obtained by eating cereals, wheat, bread, pasta and potatoes.
Proteins are used in growth and repair and in rare cases as energy. The main sources of proteins are meats, eggs, lentils and beans.
Fats help in shock absorption and warmth, their main function being long-term energy storage. Fats are found in oils, butter, peanuts, milk and processed foods.
Vitamins are organic compounds required in small amounts by the body. They are essential in all food, with the exception of Vitamin D, which can be produced by our bodies when exposed to enough sunlight. Vitamins act as co~enzymes, and are a component of active chemicals (like Vitamin A in retinal). Vitamins are also needed for vitamin absorption. Minerals do quite the same as vitamins except they are inorganic.
Water is essential to our bodies – it is an excellent transporting medium, solvent, and coolant. Lastly, dietary fiber is needed for proper functioning of the digestive tract.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Source: Dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, cabbage, kale, leeks, broccoli, parsley, watercress, turnip greens, fresh or dried apricots, red peppers, fish and dairy products
Function: Helps fight infection, maintains respiratory tract, keeps glands, skin and gums healthy.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Source: Cereals, legumes, nuts, pork
Function: Promotes proper nerve functioning, helps with digestion of carbohydrates
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
Source: All citrus fruits, green vegetables, kale, leeks, turnip greens, broccoli, watercress, brussel sprouts, tomatoes and cabbage
Function: Prevents gingivitis and gum-bleeding. Keeps blood vessels strong and helps in the healing of cuts and bruises
Vitamin D
Source: Fish, cod liver oil, butter, egg yolks and fortified milk
Function: Needed in maintenance of teeth and bones. Necessary to let body absorb calcium
Calcium
Source: Green leafy vegetables, milk, buttermilk, cheese, yogurt, dairy products, sardines.
Function: Strengthens heart muscle, builds strong bones, required in clotting of blood. Necessary for activating enzymes used to convert food to energy
Chromium
Source: White potatoes, whole grain cereals and seafood
Function: Along with insulin, maintains blood glucose levels
Magnesium
Source: Green leafy vegetables, fortified whole grain cereal, bread, oysters, scallops, most nuts.
Function: Regulates proper heart function, releases enzymes that promote body energy, needed for proper bone growth, manufactures cells and genetic material
Potassium
Source: Bananas, citrus fruits, dried fruits, deep yellow vegetables, potatoes, avocados, legumes, milk
Function: Works with sodium to regulate body fluids. Important in regulating heartbeat, needed for proper nerve conduction. Important in muscle contraction
Without all of the nutrients listed above your body will always be lacking in a nutrient. This means your body is more prone to problems such diseases and illnesses. A varied diet means you have less chance of the four physiological ageing affects I mentioned.
Deficiency fact
In Indonesia, a large problem in the diets of many children is CALCIUM DEFICIENCY. Since calcium aids in building strong bones, calcium deficiency can lead to bone-related illnesses such as osteoporosis and rickets. The main reason calcium deficiency is such a large problem in the diets of Indonesian children is the economic crisis of the late 90s. The cost of milk (a large source of calcium) doubled and even tripled in some parts of Indonesia. This made it harder for the average-income Indonesian to buy enough milk to prevent calcium deficiency for his family.
Work practices
Pool attendant
The role of pool attendant involves keeping a close eye on the users of its facilities. If there is a need to rescue a person in difficulty, the attendant will also provide first aid. Some attendants also have responsibility for the safe and hygienic operation of the pool, including monitoring the levels of chemicals, heating and filtration.
A pool attendant may in the future get arthritis because of the pressure on their joints and the cold water which doesn’t help.
Adult nurses
Adult nurses provide medical care, support the recovery of and promote good health amongst patients suffering from acute and long-term illnesses, diseases like diabetes or arthritis, or those requiring surgery. Nurses plan and carry out care within a multidisciplinary team but are the main point of contact for patients.
They work mainly in hospitals on general medical and surgical wards as well as in intensive care, theatre and recovery, accident and emergency or in specialist clinics. In the community, nurses are playing an increasingly prominent role attached to a health centre or general practice and in residential homes, specialist units, schools and hospices.
Adult nurses may suffer from metabolism dysfunction because they are on different sifts all the time and constantly snack due to this. This means they don’t get a valued nutritional meal. This can cause their ‘body clock’ to suffer, and they will crave on carbohydrates.
Farm managers
Farm managers have a wide-ranging remit. They tend animals, sow and reap crops, plan strategies for maximum yield, organise farm administration, keep the books, work farm equipment, organise associated businesses, and manage staff.
Farms are generally arable, dairy or livestock. They can be run by farm management companies or single-owner farmers. Crops can include anything from wheat, barley and rye, to sugar beet and linseed. Livestock are usually pigs, cows or sheep. Opportunities in organic farming are growing.
Farm managers may suffer from the following:
Vision
As a person ages, there is a gradual decline in the ability of the eye to detect normal environmental stimuli. Because visual stimuli create awareness and guide information processing and reactions, impaired eyesight increases risk for senior farmers.
The ability to interact safely with the farm environment is highly dependent on the ability to see objects clearly at different distances, distinguish colors, quickly adapt to changing light conditions, and focus both eyes on an object.
Generally, to see objects as clearly as they did when they were age 20, many 45-year-olds need four times as much light. By age 60, the amount of light required to see clearly is double that needed by 45-year-olds.
Older individuals routinely work in situations with inadequate lighting.
They may operate farm machinery on overcast days and at dusk or at night. They may work inside darkened hay mows and grain storage, and climb and descend stairs in dimly lit buildings.
Hearing
Another change associated with aging is hearing loss. All people eventually suffer some hearing loss as a result of aging, ear disease, and exposure to loud noises.
In addition to normal hearing loss, studies suggest that farm workers of all ages have higher levels of noise-induced hearing loss than the general population.
Such losses result from excessive exposure to loud noise from tractors, field and farmstead machinery, animals, and other sources.
Senior farmers who have difficulty hearing words or sounds may not be able to detect warning signals, such as the sounding of an automobile horn, the approach of a fast-moving animal, or the warning yell of a coworker. Hearing loss in each of these instances may lead directly to a fatality.
Sense of Balance
An individual's sense of balance is controlled by specialized structures (the vestibular system) located in the inner ear.
The structures provide information about the position of the head and also sense the speed and direction of body movements. With aging, the vestibular system becomes less effective in sensing body position and movement, thereby increasing the potential risk of falls for older persons.
A vestibular system whose function has been impaired may also result in the sensation of dizziness in some individuals, again putting senior persons at risk for falls.
Some situations in which the loss of balance and a feeling of dizziness increase the risk of injury for senior farmers include:
- Driving and other tasks where a feeling of dizziness may affect concentration.
- Walking across an uneven surface such as hay in a haymow, or moving about in a small fishing boat.
- Dizziness or a loss of balance around tractors and farm machinery poses a particularly serious safety risk of seniors falling into moving or unguarded parts of the equipment.
Muscular capability, impairment.
Flexibility in the joints of the shoulders, arms and legs; adequate muscle strength; and good posture also are important functional criteria for senior farm worker's safety.
The process of aging causes collagen, the main supportive protein in the skin, tendons, joint cartilage, and connective tissues, to become irregular in shape.
The irregularly shaped collagen may reduce spine flexibility and create pain and discomfort in many working situations, such as:
- The manipulation of tractor and machinery controls.
- Lifting, carrying, and loading objects.
- Mounting and dismounting machinery; and climbing up and down stairs. Another cause of limited joint movement in senior farmers is arthritis in the joints of the knees, hips, and fingers.
- Reduced capability to move any of these joints may limit a tractor operator's ability to reach and manipulate controls.
- It also may reduce an operator's ability to turn his or her head or neck far enough to monitor pulled machinery or check for traffic on the highway before making a turn or changing lanes.
- Reduced muscle strength often compounds joint impairments like arthritis, rheumatism, bursitis, and frozen shoulder.
- Any one of these impairments, or a combination of them, may significantly increase the risk of injury to senior farmers by decreasing and delaying their responses to hazardous situations.
Professional footballer
Thomas 'Tommy' Smith (born ) was a long-serving footballer with , known for his uncompromising defensive style.
Tommy Smith was a hard-man on the pitch and always got a tackle in when needed.
In his later years, Smith had a operation (both knees and an elbow are made of plastic as well) and also began to suffer from to the extent that he couldn't work and often needed a or walking stick and had to claim .
Plumbers
A plumber is a who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) , sewage, , venting, , or industrial piping.
Plumbers may suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and knee problems because the pressure they are putting on their joints.
Culture and modern life
Goths
Gothic kids are a very unique group. There are many types of Gothic groups. Most groups dress in all black. In fact most Gothic kids only own black clothing. A lot of these kids wear chains, leather bracelets and studs. Some of them paint their faces all white and wear lots of black eyeliner and other dark colors. Some dress almost clown like and others keep it on a much darker side. One group of Goths will be extremely religious and some are Wiccan. Another type are in to drugs, death metal, vampires and some devil worship.
Punks
Punk fashion is the styles of , , , , and of the . Punk fashion varies widely from styles to styles modeled on bands like . The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including , , , students, , and have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of .
Hip-hop
A B-boy/break-boy (male) or B-girl/break-girl (female) is a term for a person who is devoted to culture. The term has come to refer more specifically to a male who practices what the media refers to as breakdance. A B-boy is an individual who has the ability to express their feelings through rhythmic dance which combines a variety of other dance forms with gymnastics and original b-boy body movements. These stylized movements are commonly known as breaking or . B-boys are often known as breakdancers.
Chav
Chav or Charv/Charver (in only) is a mainly derogatory term in some parts of the for a fixated on such as gold (often cheap) and 'designer' clothing. They are generally considered to have no respect for society, as well as being considered ignorant or unintelligent. The term appeared in mainstream dictionaries in 2005. The defining features of the stereotype include clothing in the pattern (notably a now-discontinued ) and from a variety of other and brands. , , and baseball caps are particularly associated with this stereotype. Response to the term has ranged from amusement to criticism that it is a new manifestation of . The term has also been associated with , the " Generation", and " culture".
Gansta
Gangsta rap is a subgenre of hip hop, which developed during the late . With the popularity of 's in , gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative subgenre of hip-hop. Since then some former gangsta rap artists have moved towards a more pop-friendly mainstream sound.
Nerd
Nerd, as a or designation, refers to somebody who passionately pursues or knowledge or pastimes, rather than engaging in a , participating in organized sports, or other mainstream activities. The definition is an "unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits."
veganism
Veganism (also known as strict or pure vegetarianism), as defined by the , is "a and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." A vegan (one who practices veganism) does not consume or use , notably , , , and . People become vegans for a variety of reasons, including ethical concerns for animal rights or the environment, as well as more personal reasons such as perceived health benefits and spiritual or religious concerns.
Hippie
the , refers to a subgroup of the and early that began in the , becoming an established by before declining during the mid-1970s. Hippies, along with the and the , are considered the three dissenting groups of the .
Hippies were originally part of a composed mostly (but not necessarily) of white teenagers and young adults between the ages of 15 and 25 years-old. Inheriting a tradition of cultural dissent from the and the , hippies rebelled against established institutions, criticized values, opposed the , embraced aspects of non- religions, promoted , and created , leading some to describe hippies as a .
Modern life
For Roman Catholics sex is only right before marriage.
In the Christian church sex before marriage is a sin. This is firstly because the act of marriage is a special link between two people and brings the people closer together, then they must consummate the marriage, this is because sex is the only way of being closer to your partner than marriage, so it can only be shared in marriage because this is an important joining of two people. Also the fact that sex is supposed to be something special between two people to show their love for each other, so if someone wants to show their love for someone, they should be married before they can take the next step. Also if two people have sex then they might lead each other into a false sense of contentment, if this happens then they might marry for the wrong reason which will probably end up in a divorce or something to similar effect which will just end up in emotional damage.
Also it can lead to pregnancy’s which cannot be carried through because neither one of the people has the stability to care for a child, this can often happen because no contraception is 100% reliable. Also sex before marriage can increase the risk of a person getting aids, because if neither person has sex before marriage then it cannot have been sexually transmitted, but if it is a stranger then you have no idea of their sexual history, so there is a much greater risk of catching aids through sex and there is a risk of other sexually transmitted diseases.
I think sex before marriage is acceptable because marriage is only a document with legal rights.
I personally think that sex before marriage is ok but only if it is for the right reasons, because if there is no love behind it then it means nothing to anyone. But if the two people truly love each other but do not want to get married then they should not be sinners for expressing their love.
Nowadays you are getting people from different cultures getting married which years ago was simply not exceptable. For example sikh and christians.
