life expectancy

[Guest guest]

Did you know that most of the change in average life expectancy over

the past 175 years has been due to reduction in infant mortality by

hundreds of times. There has been very little change in the life

expectancy of those who survive childhood in this same period. Most of

this has been to the ability to repair hearts and damage from injuries

common amongst the elderly and the use of antibiotics for infections.

But this has really only added about three years at the end of life on

average. What that means is that western medicine is pretty good at

keeping you alive till adulthood compared to past forms of medicine,

but with all its science and tech has done very little so far to

actually decrease mortality. Treatment in conditions like cancer and

heart disease may increase morbidity substantially for a scant increase

in lifespan. So up till this point, western med really has two

triumphs, infant mortality and lifesaving care. The use of meds for hi

BP and diabetes may also be considered partial victories as these do

seem to lower morbidity and mortality, though often with major side

effects such as impotence in men. All that is left for medicine is the

daily sufferings of life. And after all this time, there is still not

much more reliable and safe for pain than aspirin and morphine, two

very old drugs. Modern WM has not really been proven safe and truly

effective for much of what ails us every day - headaches, UTIs, IBS,

chronic pain - at least no moreso than CM. And we have the added

advantage of not killing anyone last year. Any sane person would

always see their acupuncturist or herbalist or ND first. Assuming that

if necessary, a referral would be made. But a person who watches their

weight and exercises can probably avoid conventional medicine

altogether and live just as long as one who uses it regularly and

perhaps with less morbidity. A lot of longevity experts, physicians

themselves, recommend avoiding doctors who prescribe toxic drugs except

unless absolutely necessary (seizure meds, for example). We might

never have much to offer in the hope of cure for most chronic or

debilitating illnesses, but we do offer noniatrogenic relief of

suffering. You should be comfortable telling your patients that they

may be dependent on herbs in some cases. The illusory goal of perfect

substance free health is not realistic for even the most scrupulous and

disciplined, especially as we age.

 

Don't forget to keep abreast of the latest developments as WM is

changing rapidly. We may have the antidote to daily life, but it will

continue to be western medicine that discovers the antidotes to death.

Here is new site I found on a link google put on my webpage

 

http://www.sagecrossroads.net/public/

 

 

 

Chinese Herbs

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

this seems to contradict your life expectancy statements

 

>>>>>>>>

 

VAUPEL: In 1840, Swedish women enjoyed the world's longest life expectancy. And

in 1840, Swedish women lived, on average, forty-five years.

 

Last year Japanese women had the world's longest life expectancy, and last year

Japanese women lived 85.33 years. So eighty-five years four months.

 

So from 1840 to now, a 160 year time period, life expectancy has gone up from

forty-five to more than eighty-five. So 40 years over 160 years-two and a half

years per decade, three months per year. It's been steady, linear, just a steady

rise and no sign of any deceleration, no sign of any slowing down.

 

So the evidence suggests that this trend will probably continue, and if it

continues then people will live longer and longer in the future.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Question:

How are these statistics determined? Are child mortality rates

factored into life-span statistics?

 

 

On Feb 6, 2005, at 3:57 PM, Alon Marcus wrote:

 

>

> So from 1840 to now, a 160 year time period, life expectancy has gone

> up from forty-five to more than eighty-five. So 40 years over 160

> years-two and a half years per decade, three months per year. It's

> been steady, linear, just a steady rise and no sign of any

> deceleration, no sign of any slowing down.

>

>

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

How are these statistics determined? Are child mortality rates

factored into life-span statistics?

 

>>>>I would think not. These are mortality rates not life span, but i do not

know

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

This figure needs to be evaluated regionally as well. For example, Dr. Gary

Young ND, spent time interviewing and documenting people within various

former Soviet states who had longevity. Many of these areas averaged well

over 100 years. These figures have been dropping since the introduction of

vaccinations and western medicine into these areas. To think that maybe

people lived longer with natural wisdom and yet this idea seems to be

incomprehensible to us. Hmmm. By the way, the Ningxia area is also said to

also have people who maintain activity with age over 100 years, there seems

to be a connection to their locally grown wolfberries (Gou Qi Zi). Later

Mike W. Bowser, L Ac

 

> " " <zrosenbe

>

>

>Re: life expectancy

>Mon, 7 Feb 2005 07:43:15 -0800

>

>Question:

> How are these statistics determined? Are child mortality rates

>factored into life-span statistics?

>

>

>On Feb 6, 2005, at 3:57 PM, Alon Marcus wrote:

>

> >

> > So from 1840 to now, a 160 year time period, life expectancy has gone

> > up from forty-five to more than eighty-five. So 40 years over 160

> > years-two and a half years per decade, three months per year. It's

> > been steady, linear, just a steady rise and no sign of any

> > deceleration, no sign of any slowing down.

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

When Roosevelt introduced Social Security to the American Public he told the

folks " you have nothing to fear but fear itself " . And then ... they should

think about the future " why who'll take care of you when your 65? " . So the

government talked people into giving the government more money to be put

away for their old age - At the government decreed retirement at age 65. No

fear.

FDR did not tell the good folks back then that the life expectancy was

(only) age 62.

 

Life expectancy is increasing (and therefore problems for the government.

Not because there are more people living longer but because the government

has spent the excess for some 60 years and not saved it ). Life Expectancy

increasing because of Western Science is another False Claim. Infant

mortality has gone down because the birth rate per women has gone down,

thereby giving each baby (as well as the women) a better chance at life. Add

simple life extenders like clean water and a functioning sewer system. The

number one killer has been pneumonia. The decline of that killer is more

attributable to decent living conditions, home care, bed rest and sick

days - where one was not forced to work to feed their family when sick with

walking pneumonia. It can not be shown Statistically that flu vaccines

(western science) has saved lives of the elderly, the most at risk group for

the leading cause of death - pneumonia.

 

Where one would think that western science would make a remarkable

difference ... prevention /immediate intervention in natural disasters.

Recall one summer in Chicago, Il (USA) sorry in one month, 500 deaths from

heat stroke. Followed a few years latter, 500 deaths, same cause in Europe.

Natural disasters. How " advanced " are we.

 

Now, our water, food and air are challenged. Smog alerts, bottled water, raw

food taboo ...generic engineered foods, vaccinating new born babies - just

days old... longevity ?

 

Ed Kasper LAc. Santa Cruz, CA

 

 

 

Sun, 6 Feb 2005 15:57:55 -0800

" Alon Marcus " <alonmarcus

Re: life expectancy

 

this seems to contradict your life expectancy statements

 

>>>>>>>>

 

VAUPEL: In 1840, Swedish women enjoyed the world's longest life expectancy.

And in 1840, Swedish women lived, on average, forty-five years.

 

Last year Japanese women had the world's longest life expectancy, and last

year Japanese women lived 85.33 years. So eighty-five years four months.

 

So from 1840 to now, a 160 year time period, life expectancy has gone up

from forty-five to more than eighty-five. So 40 years over 160 years-two and

a half years per decade, three months per year. It's been steady, linear,

just a steady rise and no sign of any deceleration, no sign of any slowing

down.

 

So the evidence suggests that this trend will probably continue, and if it

continues then people will live longer and longer in the future.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

On Feb 7, 2005, at 12:41 PM, mike Bowser wrote:

 

> By the way, the Ningxia area is also said to

> also have people who maintain activity with age over 100 years, there

> seems

> to be a connection to their locally grown wolfberries (Gou Qi Zi).

 

I'm convinced that we need to keep our dietary observations for

longevity in context of the local environment. My own experience with

Russian cuisine tells me that they do like their high-coloric diet, no

doubt to serve as an extra layer for those long cold winters. However,

that same diet gives rise to hypertensive obese senior citizens here

(in temperate Southern California).

 

Or the Chinese with a bike as the primary means of transportation gives

rise to all sorts of health benefits and dietary needs that are quite

different from our Western life-in-the-fast-lane lifestyles.

 

--

 

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

-Adlai Stevenson

[Guest guest]

Laurie Garrett's book " Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public

Health " discusses this topic. She exhaustively backs up her arguments with

the relevant research. She echoes Ed's statement that, if you had to pick

between the two, public health would be by far more responsible for any

improvement in longevity over modern medicine. As you might guess she also

goes on to state how and why it has basically fallen apart and that

globalization has made everyone susceptible to disease outbreaks in any one

part of the world, tying in themes of her previous book " The Coming Plague " .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sean

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

The Russian foods that they eat are loaded with living bacteria and enzymes

those same foods in America are devoid of such due to pasteurization (high

heat cooking to destroy bacteria also does this to enzymes as well), which

changes these life giving foods into mild undigestible toxins. Many

researchers believe that enzymes are one of the most important groups of

substances required for life. Later

Mike W. Bowser, L Ac

 

>Al Stone <alstone

>

>

>Re: life expectancy

>Mon, 7 Feb 2005 13:46:29 -0800

>

>

>On Feb 7, 2005, at 12:41 PM, mike Bowser wrote:

>

> > By the way, the Ningxia area is also said to

> > also have people who maintain activity with age over 100 years, there

> > seems

> > to be a connection to their locally grown wolfberries (Gou Qi Zi).

>

>I'm convinced that we need to keep our dietary observations for

>longevity in context of the local environment. My own experience with

>Russian cuisine tells me that they do like their high-coloric diet, no

>doubt to serve as an extra layer for those long cold winters. However,

>that same diet gives rise to hypertensive obese senior citizens here

>(in temperate Southern California).

>

>Or the Chinese with a bike as the primary means of transportation gives

>rise to all sorts of health benefits and dietary needs that are quite

>different from our Western life-in-the-fast-lane lifestyles.

>

>--

>

>Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

>-Adlai Stevenson

>

>

>