Things about aging I haven’t thought about until now, that make me aware I’m aging……
I have prided myself on not being on any medications. My list of drugs doctors ask for is a multivitamin for women over 50. That’s it. As I talked to more and more women my age, I started to wonder if I was fooling myself. I hadn’t been to a doctor in years, though I was having trouble breathing (not covid), which probably contributed to my tiredness and lack of interest in life. I was depressed and stressed. So, I went to my doctor, a nurse practitioner now, because there must be a doctor shortage. I like her. I just want to see a doctor.
She has sent me to every possible test and specialist. My boring life has been ambushed with appointments and paperwork to find out I am in amazing health. Not one problem except concern for my colon health.
I have self-diagnosed my breathing problem to be an intolerance of sugar. Since I have cut back on sugar, I can breathe deeply and freely. I am also losing weight, an added bonus.
I have started noticing other intolerances, such as a burning in my stomach when I eat gluten, headaches after eating pecans, and of course, fried foods don’t sit as well as they used to in my stomach. Understanding these intolerances due to age, no doubt, has eased my depression and given me a desire to live.
I discovered these intolerances by listening to my body and eliminating any foods I found caused discomfort. I did talk to my nurse practitioner about what I saw and asked her opinion. She agreed that sugar is an inflammatory substance and could very well be the problem of constant phlegm in my lungs. She suggested cutting some of the items from my diet for a couple of weeks to see if I was relieved of headaches or burning in my stomach. There was a relief!
So good news! I don’t need any particular medications, not even an inhaler. My health is good! My question is, how many of the drugs people are taking are unnecessary? What if we listened to the beautiful body God has given us and did what it says? What if we stopped trying to be so intelligent and started being wise?
Another thing I have done that has helped me have more energy and desire to be active is intermittent fasting. I don’t have diabetes, so I didn’t ask my NP about starting it. I stop eating at 7:00 PM and don’t eat again until 11:00 AM. There is no day I go without food altogether, but I am limited in the amount I eat. It takes some getting used to, but it is pleasant. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out, so that is a problem, but usually, I can plan by stopping eating earlier in the evening the day before. For instance, if my breakfast date is at 8:30, I will stop eating by 4:30 the day before. Ask your doctor or NP before you start, of course, and decide what works best for you under their care.
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