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 July 6th will be Nat Cohen's
87th birthday. Happy Birthday Nat!
Story
by Robert Cohen, founder of the Dairy Education Board and the Notmilk
web site (www.notmilk.com). He is the author of Milk: The
Deadly Poison and Milk A-Z.
My father lives in Oradell, NJ. He and my mother have been married
for 55 years and I am one of their 2 children. During WW2 he built
airplanes, but for most of his life he worked as a manufacturer
of Ski wear. He has always been an avid sports fan. Before his stroke,
he worked out every day at the health club – he was once a
golden gloves boxer, semi-pro baseball player, championship handball
player, and played racquetball until age 85.
My father suffered his first stroke in August of 2002. His second
stroke occurred four months later; a few weeks before Christmas
of 2002, and it was devastating. Both of dad's attending physicians
were family friends. His neurologist was in tears. She told me that
he would probably not survive for more than a few days. His cardiologist
expected that if dad was to miraculously survive, he would be totally
disabled, unable to walk, talk, feed himself, or do any of the normal
things that he did before his stroke. We discussed some very difficult
quality of life issues and options.
I cooked every meal for dad during his one-month rehabilitation
in a nursing home. Every one of their traditional dietitian-approved
meals contained saturated animal fat – magic bullets I call
"weapons of mass destruction." Each of their meals had
the potential to cause the same cardiovascular event that got dad
to where he was. In a bed, he was unable to talk or walk. The vegan
diet that I prepared each day was nurturing, but the critical factor
regarding his return to health was not eating the dangerous foods
that got him there in the first place.
 The
day after taking him home, I began to watch with him episode after
episode of the McDougall tapes (Just released on DVD). At first,
he thought his recovery was a long shot. Dr. McDougall and I both
convinced dad that it would be a sure thing. That it was!
It's one thing for a "son" to give fatherly-advice to
own his dad. It's another thing to have that same vegan advice reinforced
by a physician. I give credit to Dr. John McDougall for extending
my dad's life. It's been nearly seven months since the last stroke,
and dad's physical and cognitive skills improve daily. He beats
mom in their daily scrabble games, and his memory is incredible.
(We discuss every New York Yankee baseball game, and he can cite
you up-to-date batting averages at any time).
Dad also now loves his vegan diet. His favorite restaurant has
become Veggie Heaven in Teaneck, New Jersey. Dad now adores each
day's large fruit salad. I call the components "vitamin pills."
He has learned to love veggie burgers, and makes his own soy milk.
Dad has gone from walker to cane, and with me in the passenger seat,
went for his first rehabilitation driving lesson in the deserted
high school parking lot this past weekend. I was amazed at how good
he did.
Life is short enough, especially with all the efforts we and others
make to cause it to be shorter and less enjoyable. Mr. Cohen has
enjoyed a good life but he wants a few more good years –
and so do we all. More than once I have heard my patients say,
"If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have
taken better care of myself."
The conventional approach to the elderly
is to medicate them. And the results are concerning:
- Analysis of medication use among elderly
shows prescription drugs were used by 60-68% of men and 68-78%
of women and nonprescription drugs were used by 52-68% of men
and 64-76% of women.1 *
- The more doctors a patient has, the
more drugs they will be taking.2
- The elderly take, on average, 2 to
4 kinds of prescription medications daily and the older they
are the more they take.3
- Laxatives are a daily requirement for
older people. This is no small matter (or is it?) In one study
of elderly people, the average number of nursing interactions
for constipation treatment was 23.3 per month.4 The average
cost per day for care specifically for the treatment of constipation
was $2.11.
- Sleeping pills are taken by 53% of
the elderly. Prescription products accounted for 83%, and 17%
of the products used were over-the-counter.5 Medications, such
as sleeping pills and antidepressants, increase the risk of
falls and fractures.6
- The pharmaceutical companies determine
the medications the elderly take – which is far different
than their real needs in most cases.7
The human body is an absolute miracle and
it is never too late to support it with a better diet and exercise
program. People in their nineties have started the McDougall Program
and they always improve – most times the results have been
dramatic. One of the first benefits (and much appreciated, by
the way) from a change in diet is daily effortless bowel movements
without laxatives. They lose excess unwanted weight. Medications
for blood pressure and diabetes are as easily discontinued in
the elderly as in younger persons – and the need to stop
these medications is often much greater, because these people
are much more sensitive to the side effects and the benefits are
even more questionable.
The big pay backs for the elderly from
regular exercise are great, and include: fewer medications, a
reduction in risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus,
hypertension and obesity as well as improvements in bone density,
muscle mass, muscle strength and function.8 All this ultimately
means an increase in physical activity and a greater opportunity
to live independently with a higher quality of life.
Many concerned people who are trying to
help their parents, like Robert and his father, Nat, contact me.
My first comment to them is to never give up trying to help them.
After all, they were always there for you when you needed their
help. My second comment is that they will be amazed at the rapid
improvements simple, cost-free approaches, like a low-fat, pure
vegetarian diet and a walk can make for them. Today would be the
right time to start sharing the good news about diet and better
health with all the people you know – and especially those
people who are, as they say, "enjoying their golden years."
References:
1) Chrischilles EA. Use of medications
by persons 65 and over: data from the established populations
for epidemiologic studies of the elderly. J Gerontol. 1992 Sep;47(5):M137-44.
2) Walop W. Prescription and nonprescription
drug use among at-risk community-dwelling seniors in Ottawa-Carleton.
Can J Clin Pharmacol. 1999 Summer;6(2):93-100.
3) Anderson G. Distribution of prescription
drug exposures in the elderly: description and implications. J
Clin Epidemiol. 1996 Aug;49(8):929-35.
4) Pekmezaris R. The Cost of Chronic Constipation.
J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2002 Jul-Aug;3(4):224-228.
5) Busto UE. Use of prescription and nonprescription
hypnotics in a Canadian elderly population. Can J Clin Pharmacol.
2001 Winter;8(4):213-21.
6) Ullom-Minnich P. Prevention of osteoporosis
and fractures. Am Fam Physician. 1999 Jul;60(1):194-202.
7) Kubesova H. The influence of new scientific
information on the treatment of elderly patients in general practice.
Acta Med Austriaca. 2001;28(2):52-5.
8) Mazzeo RS. Exercise prescription for
the elderly: current recommendations. Sports Med. 2001;31(11):809-18.
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