AFVOA Newletters of Year 2003

Page 75 of 170 An offshoot of the production of Free Radicals (produced due to metabolism) in our bodies was that damage would necessarily be caused to organs. The question of how to destroy these unwanted free radicals is best answered by ensuring intake of Beta Carotene, Zinc, Vitamins A and E etc. While all these were available as separate pills/capsules, there was the problem of ensuring regular intake, as well as the expense. A single POLY PILL will perhaps be soon available that will make available all these micronutrients, the better method, which would allow each one’s body to absorb what was required naturally was by taking natural foods such a fruits etc. Carrots contained Vitamin A. One should consume at least two fruits a day. If a diabetic could not consume a yellow skinned fruit such as mango, one could eat apples, apricots etc. It was essential to include fenugreek, amla, garlic, and bran in our diet. All these would ensure we would get what we needed at a modest cost. Dr Natarajan stressed that we must change our eating habits, formed due to the needs of adhering to a workaday schedule during our younger years, and ensure that after 60, we ate a heavy breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a sparse dinner. It was necessary to have a gap of at least two hours between dinner and bedtime, this to prevent a relative lack of blood flow in the other vital organs of the body (vis a vis the stomach), which can result in the early night heart attacks so often found occurring among the susceptible after retiring to bed immediately following a heavy meal. The Doctor advised that if our eating habits are contrary to his recommendations, change must be brought about gradually, over a period of a month or two. He also stressed the importance of adequate exercise to prevent osteoporosis, constipation and insomnia. Exercise should take the form of a walk of at least 5km/45 minutes each week, cycling, yoga. Ladies, who found it difficult to leave their homes, could take up floor exercises or upper limb exercises. He cautioned against “over-exercising” due to misplaced enthusiasm. The indicators for any such “over-exercise” would be tiredness and palpitation. Mental health was a very important part of one’s well being. The important points were to avoid loneliness, for which one must engage oneself in any suitable form of interaction with the outside world such as visiting temples, listening to spiritual discourses, visiting clubs and meeting friends. In this context he mentioned that we Must Eat for the Mind, meaning thereby that intake of Amino Acids must be ensured. He said that the Indian science of MEDITATION has been scientifically proved the world over to be the best for mental health, as it has been proved that dormant neurons get activated. Lastly, but by no means to be neglected, was the mundane but vital aspect of personal finances. Dr Natarajan repeatedly stressed that it was essential to have a separate saving for one’s old age. He had come across many sad cases in his practice, wherein he met with now discarded elders who had unwisely given away ALL their wealth to their near and dear, under the false hope that their son/daughter would never throw them out. Alas, said Dr Natarajan, the facts of the real world spoke otherwise. Summing up, Dr Natarajan mentioned health check ups at regular intervals, proper diet, exercise, mental health, and finance as being the essentials of ensuring a carefree, independent old age. After Dr Natarajan’s informative talk, there was a prolonged ovation, and the President, AVM Krishnaswamy, requested the Patron to present the Doctor with a memento as a token of our gratitude. The Doctor showed his affection for the veterans of the Armed Forces by putting on sale, at a special reduced price, copies of his very informative book