A blood pressure of 132/78, two hours of lawn tennis with 30-something year old women, an after lunch blood glucose level of 135 and a bounce in her step. Can you guess this person’s age? If you guessed 72 you would be right. I had the opportunity to talk to this person about what keeps her going daily. She told me that she had always been active. She loves tennis and hanging around with the younger women in her group, even playing competitively against them and, at times, winning. What a fantastic lesson to learn from her. She is a testament of what we all can aspire to be as we age. In her own words, “I’m as old as I feel and think”. If that isn’t the truth, I don’t know what is.

In contrast, a couple walked up to be screened for blood glucose… actually, it was the husband. He had fasted for eight hours, and I saw the seriousness in his eyes. His first fingerstick result was 273mg/dL (normal is 90-110). With this result, I suggested he get an A1c test which would give him a larger view of his glucose control. He agreed and five minutes later the result came back at 11.3%. He tested out as a diabetic. As a pharmacist, I could not diagnose him as diabetic, especially with the point-of-care test I used in spite of its 99% accuracy; however, I advised the couple that he go to his physician as soon as possible to confirm the result. He too, is 72. The sad part of this discovery is that he had to have been a diabetic for the past 7-10 years and not know it.

Science observed that women live longer than men; however, science has not tied down why they do. Every other month, some new study tries to give insight into this. I feel that women take care of themselves better than men do in almost every facet of their lives and the proof of their longevity is evident. Men tend to take a passive role in their healthcare and as they get older, it becomes more of a burden to do what it takes to stay healthy, and the indifference grows. This passivity then becomes a habit, the burden gets bigger and so does the indifference, hence a vicious cycle of deteriorating health becomes a reality and men allow it to happen.

Men need to learn a lesson from women about vanity. This is not the vanity of shallow selfishness, but the vanity of looking and feeling good about themselves to stay healthy for as long as possible. So, if you are with your significant other, open the dialogue and ask for guidance in preventing the vicious cycle of poor health from starting. I’m sure you will learn something that you can use to replace a negative habit with a positive one that will benefit your health.

Until next week, stay well.
Dion