Elderly Health Report 1-159

Among the various versions of "159 Tips for Elderly Health" circulating on the market, 87% of the items have no scientific basis, and only 21 daily health suggestions have been proven to be evidence-based and applicable to the vast majority of the elderly.

In the past two weeks while attending community clinics, I have met no less than 20 old people holding crumpled printouts and asking: "I followed these 159 instructions and took fungus for three months to lower my blood lipids. Why haven't my indicators come down yet?" ”It’s interesting to say that the earliest prototype of 159 was actually an internal work reference compiled by several doctors in our department in 2019. After it leaked out, various health bloggers added a lot of private information about “eating so-and-so spore powder to prevent cancer” and “pressing the tiger’s mouth acupoint to cure diabetes”, which became more and more crooked. This time we spent 8 months reviewing nearly 10 years of domestic and foreign clinical research, and collected tens of thousands of health records of community elderly people for cross-reference, before finalizing the official version. We used the original numbering "1-159" for identification, so that everyone can compare the true and false.

Take the 3rd item that people ask the most about, "Drink light salt water on an empty stomach in the morning to clear the intestines." Our conclusion is not directly right or wrong - many elderly people who have been drinking it for more than ten years do feel that their bowel movements are smoother. We will not ask people to change their habits right away. We only clearly indicate that "elderly people with high blood pressure and renal insufficiency should not use it. People without underlying diseases can choose according to their own feelings. Warm plain water is a more universal and safe option." A few days ago, Aunt Zhang from Yuetan Community took the health book she had memorized for half a year and said that her blood pressure has been fluctuating recently. After asking, she found out that she has hereditary hypertension. She also followed a short video to learn how to make half a cup of salt water every morning. After listening to the video, she put away the salt shaker at the breakfast table in the locker.

Speaking of the most controversial item, it has to be the 127th-ranked item, "Infuse blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing medicine twice a year to prevent cerebral infarction." Our team had been arguing for almost a week when compiling this article. Doctors from the Western Medicine Group reviewed the third and fourth editions of domestic and foreign cerebrovascular disease guidelines and said that there is no recommendation for routine infusion to prevent cerebral infarction, and it may increase blood vessel fragility and increase the risk of bleeding. ； The old director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine also pounded the table and said that the 37 elderly people he was following in recovery from cerebral infarction were given Ginkgo biloba preparations for a week after syndrome differentiation assessment every year, and the three-year recurrence rate was 12% lower than those who did not receive the treatment. In the end, no one convinced anyone, so they gave a compromise conclusion: "It is not recommended to go to a private clinic for infusion on your own. It needs to be evaluated by the neurology department and the traditional Chinese medicine department. After confirming that there are clear signs of blood stasis and no risk of bleeding, it can be performed in a regular medical institution." After all, there is no one-size-fits-all standard for elderly health. Individual differences are much greater than we think. Last year, I met a 72-year-old Uncle Li. He concealed his history of gastric ulcer and went to the clinic to receive salvia infusion. On the third day after the infusion, he suffered from gastric bleeding and was hospitalized. It made everyone feel distressed.

There is also a saying that has been passed down for decades: "Take a hundred steps after a meal and live to be ninety-nine", ranked 96th. In the past, we have received several elderly people who walked quickly after meals, which caused gastroptosis and angina pectoris. In the last comment, we specifically added a sentence: "Rest for 15-30 minutes after meals before moving. Elderly people with gastroptosis and coronary heart disease are recommended to walk slowly, and do not pursue pace and number of steps." Last week, an 80-year-old man came for a review. He said that he had heard from the old man that the faster you walk after a meal, the longer you will live. Every time I finish a meal, I hold on to my pedometer and always feel my stomach drop. Now I rest for half an hour and then slowly walk around the park. It feels much better.

To be honest, after so many years of doing health science popularization for the elderly, what I fear most is that people regard “health advice” as “rules that must be followed.” Some elderly people have good knees and feel refreshed even after walking 10,000 steps a day. Some elderly people have degenerative joints and are in pain even after walking 2,000 steps. How can there be any standard that is universally applicable? We made this 1-159 comparison table not to set rules for everyone, but to help everyone avoid pitfalls. If you are unsure, don’t blindly trust strangers on the Internet. Asking family doctors in the community is better than anything else.

Now this official version of the comparison table can be obtained free of charge at community health service centers in various places, and the electronic version is also posted on the National Elderly Health Service Platform. If you have 159 items from other sources, it is best to compare them and go through them, so as not to be cheated of money or hurt by fake science.