GERONTOLOGY 101

It probably isn't a common occurrence to put the words "awesome" or "cool" with "gerontologist" but I recently met the world's absolutely most amazing member of the species.

Dr. Susan Wehry, M.D. is a professor at UVM Medical School and consults to the State of Vermont. She is approachable and no-nonsense and tells it like it is. I live in a place where we don't have real gerontologists so it was a privilege to hear her recently and get some basic information on what happens to our bodies when we age and what kinds of things we need to be focusing on.

The main focus of the conference was mental health, so the gist of her remarks were directed toward behaviors and practices that can enhance or undermine our aging experience. For example, did you know that as we get older, we get "fatter" and "drier." The % of our fat cells increase and the % of muscle cells decrease. That's just a fact. So when physicians prescribe medications to us "over 60" types, drugs that are "fat-loving" (her term, not mine -- the technical term is "lipophilic!") can cause adverse reactions because they mate for life with all those wonderful new fat cells and it's hard to get them to leave! (Kind of like those guests at a party when even a yawn isn't enough of a hint....)

One of the lipophilic drugs is one of my best friends, alcohol, and I don't mean the rubbing variety. So when an older person has an alcoholic beverage, it clings to the fat cells and takes longer to leave the body. And it stays even longer in women's bodies than in men's bodies.

So what's a person to do? First of all, drink a glass of water in between alcoholic drinks. Better yet, limit alcoholic drinks to one a day for women and two a day for men. (Hey, that's difficult which is why I'm pushing the water!) But trust me, we need to pay attention to this stuff. When confirmed alcoholic elders go to dry out, it can take weeks, even MONTHS, for the stuff to leave their system. That's because those fat cells are holding on to the hooch for dear life!

I think that's enough sobering news (sorry, I couldn't resist that) for one day, so we'll continue with thoughts from Dr. Susan soon!