Health is wealth. Too much of it, wrapped around your middle is a burden. It leads to trouble. The remedy is simple eat less and work more, remember the saying.
“Breakfast like a king, lunch like a common man and dinner like a pauper”
Join yoga class even if you have crossed 70 you will get more pleasure in sometimes missing the class than in being monotonously regular. It keeps you going it does not really help you reduce your fat or put on weight, but does not harm either!
Always make it a point to talk to somebody at a party who talks of nothing else, but his/her ailment and umpteen operations which the person has undergone. This will help you count the number of ailments that you have escaped so far. Of course, you would have spent a lot of money to undergo various tests to find out what is not wrong with you. Laugh and the world will laugh with you. If you laugh in a garden along with a group, the world will laugh at you. You can easily laugh in your bed or bathroom, keeping the door half shut, try it.
Cry if spelt with a full stop after every letter C.R.Y. – is an organization, which cares for children and the aged, you do not cry alone. Instead of wasting your valuable tears, you wipe away the tears of others by sending a cheque on your birthday. Lead life like a soldier in his barracks.
Revile, 5am PT or long walk for 45minutes. Solid breakfast some useful work or pursuit of a harmless hobby [Excluding practicing singing, dancing, physical musical instruments loudly or talking on the phone for hours].
Reading, writing, letter – writing and answering the mail or email.
Going to a temple or church or visiting the British Library for instance will keep you out of your spouse’s hair. She does not want to learn from you how to prepare khichari.
Light lunch 2 chapattis, dal and vegetables with an odd banana or mango thrown in, no hot curries or fried, oily food and preferably vegetarian food after the age of 70. Keep awake for half an hour after the meal, watch T.V, or listen to some music on the radio and then lie down for half an hour. The grand children would be in school and the house is quite. The maid servant has finished her chores, read the daily news paper and go for a walk in the evening. Make sure you come back before the traffic gets thick and it starts getting dark. Again watch T.V. for half an hour and have a light meal, biscuits, a cup of cocoa or a couple of chips attis and dal, no odd ice cream or a pizza does no harm. Drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day, keep a couple of jugs or water bottles scattered around the housed next to the T.V or next to your bed and study – table. Listen to the news at 9pm and “lights out” at 10pm.
Retiring to bed:
No late night T.V shows (Keep the porn in your mind only) or family discussions and arguments. Read a chapter from the scriptures or say a prayer before going to bed. You can try shavasana for 10 minutes. Banish all thoughts and sleep like a log. Make sure your bed is nice and comfortable and you have not too much, nor too little to cover yourself. Another golden rule, mind your own business and do not meddle in the affairs of your near and dear ones. Let them lead their lives, let them bring up their children the way they want.
When they are not watching, pamper your grand children, smuggle chocolates and an odd toy. Those crooks will keep your secret.
Do not take sides when husband and wife are quarrelling. If one party comes to you for help, just say “Consider me to be dead” they will sort out their differences, sit on the fence and watch.
Do not expect your dear ones to pamper you or entertain you. They have better things to do. Did you entertain the old when you were young? Of course, you did not. Then why should they? They have their dates and that is how it should be. For god’s sake, read, write, go for a walk, learn to sing or play an instrument, join a computer course and try and send emails to your near ones who are far away. Jogging is beneficial for driving away old age blues.
Cultivating new interests:
Join some poetic association or bhajan mandali. Once a year goes to tirupati or kulu with a bunch of old dodders, there are companies which organize such excursions. Your son or daughters will gladly pay for it. (Just to be free for a fortnight) one can paint pictures, those that are spoilt are called modern art. I know a person who tried to copy a van Gogh ambition has no limits.
Money is the root of all evils and the source of all joy. But remember enough is enough. How much is enough? Less than what you have.
Secondly remember the old saying, “a shroud has no pouch”, Rather macabre but true you cannot take it with you. There are no banks in the next destination, [Naturally, there are no scams either one headache less for the reserve bank of India].
Give away a part of your property to your sons and daughters in the form of gifts while you are alive so that they wish you a long life and not look forward to your end.
However, do remember that there may be an emergency like a by pass surgery or a replacement of the hipbone. Keep aside a big chunk for the rainy day. It never rains but it pours well sometimes.
Try and be useful to the family you can take care your grand children to school and bring them back. Do babysitting when the parents want to go to the movies. Do not get up at an unearthly hour and try and wake up the house hold by saying bhajans in aloud voice. Remember, “It is nice to get up in the morning but it is nicer to lie in bed”.
There are lots of programmes and events in your town everyday. The newspapers announce them in their daily colums. A few are free some rows are reserved. Make it a point to get out and find something interesting to do.
If you are single, try cooking your breakfast, in the beginning the toast will be charred and the milk will boil over as you are now forgetting things. Does not matter you will soon start planning your shopping and budgeting.
Don’t neglect yourself:
One last tip, do not neglect even a miner ailment, do not be your own doctor. Get an annual checkup done. At the same time do not be hypochondriacs or a magician creating diseases out of nothing. In old age take care of the prostate removal of the uterus (as the case may be) contract, hearing aid, pain in the joints, troublesome dentures cough and cold, slight stomach upset, bile, etc.
Be careful if the bathroom floor is wet. Hold on to the banister when you are climbing the staircase, do not be ashamed to carry a stick if you need one. Protect your head and eyes in summer. Do not get wet in the rain and do not forget to wrap a nice, warm muffler round your head in winter. Act your age and do not try to complete with the young. There are fields like higher education, music, fine arts, journalism and writing for pleasure where age does not matter, go for them.
One can over come most of the common problems of old age by following certain rules. Playing with grand children is an easy way for the elderly to pass time. There are certain ingredients for a happy old age. Financial independence your own house an interesting occupation (better if it is paying) and above all good health. Pursuing hobbies and spending time with carrying children and loving grand children adds to the happiness.
Hobbies help you look busy without doing anything which other people may find useful. They serve to pass your time in an interesting manner. A few things are of your own making. Getting sick is also of your own making to a certain extent. Yet diseases come like uninvited guests. You have to just put up with them, what cannot be cured must be endured. Unwittingly you can even be useful you could write letters for those who cannot see or get medicines and the daily newspaper for some immobile person everyday. That way you can read the newspaper without paying for it.
Homoeopathic Treatment
Symptoms and Medicine
Heart attack: Great anxiety with difficulty in breathing plus numbness and tingling in the fingers feels better sitting up.
- Aconitum
- Chest pain after exertion or fatigue
- Chest feels sore and bruised, Arnica Montana
- Heart feels as if grasped in a fist
- Lower part of chest feels tied down and there are cries of pain Cactus grandiflorus
- Weakness and numbness in left arm
- Skin has a blue tinge
- Fears the heart will stop if move about Digitalis
- Violent pain in chest and left arm, pulse is very rapid and there is great difficulty Latrodectus mactans
Fainting:
Fainting is due to a temporary lack of oxygen to the brain. It can arise from being in a hot, stuffy atmosphere or follow any sort of emotional upset or disturbance. Frequent or repeated fainting attacks require medical investigation.
Symptoms and medicines:
For after a fright or with severe pain – Aconite.
When anemia is present:
If it comes about from fear, lack of breath and stomachache.
Arsenicum album:
Fainting occurs from nasty smells – Nuxvomica.
Heart Stroke:
Exposure to high temperatures, particularly with high humidity, may lead to this condition, early symptoms are headache, dizziness, nausea and lassitude. This may quickly lead on to muscle cramps, convulsion, collapse and coma. As well as using homoeopathic treatment, first aid produces to cool the patient should be carried out.
Symptoms and medicines:
- A throbbing headache with a hot red face and generalized sweating – Glonoine.
- Severe headache which is worse on attempting to move or even sit up – Broyonia Alba.
- The illness is of sudden on set with burning, hot, dry skin, dilated pupils and delirium – Belladonna.
- Severe muscle cramps happen at the same time as the heatstroke – Cuprum Metallicum.
Stroke:
Caused by a sudden cutting off of the blood supply to part of the brain strokes very according to the area involved and the amount of damage to the brain tissue. The symptoms can be anything from loss or diminution of muscle power in the affected apart of the body to total coma and eventual death. As well as using homoeopathic treatment, first aid procedures should be carried out while waiting for medical assistance.
Symptoms and medicines:
- Anxiety in the early stage of a minor stroke – Aconite Arnica.
- If unconscious – Arnica.
- If dusky, flushed and collapsed with a slow pulse and dilated pupils – Opium.
- If known to have high blood pressure – Scrychninum.
