How often have you seen an
advertisement—weight loss, growing hair on a bald head, miracle cure—where the
final statement is: Individual results may vary. Yep, that is the catchall
phrase to get the advertiser off the hook when the product miserably fails to
deliver.
It is not just advertisers who
promote the cautionary tale about individual results. When you develop a
disease, you may often hear the same comment from your doctor. Along the way,
they’ve tried to steer you toward the healthy path, but they know that some
people defy all the odds, which they refer to as statistics.
I participated in a video
conference recently, and the speaker talked about lifestyle as a way to
increase your chances of attaining overall health for your body and brain. Of
course, the ideal situation would be a strictly healthy diet, an exercise plan,
and mentally stimulating activities.
The downside is that as humans we
can’t always resist the donut, we’re too time crunched or physically drained
for exercise, and rather than read a book, it’s much easier to zone out in
front of our favorite TV program.
Although population in general
would benefit, we all know individual results may vary. We all know the person
who smoked, ate junk food, and never left the couch for anything more important
than getting a beer out of the fridge. We may write off these individuals as
having a death wish, but sometimes they just go on and on until they reach a
ripe old age. On the flipside, we all know people who eat right and exercise
but develop cancer or die from cardiac arrest. Individual results vary.
Yes, there are exceptions to known
statistical risk factors, but as the researcher pointed out: Most of us fall
within the middle and how we monitor our health can make a life changing
difference. Lifestyle may be our best defense against Alzheimer’s disease and
other dementias.
Genetics and environment play a
major part in our overall health. If we are born with genes that increase our
chances of developing Alzheimer’s, we can’t change that. In some cases, we can
improve our environment. Where we are born and raised can affect our health
throughout life. If we live in an area with air pollution, contaminated drinking
water, or unhealthy living conditions, it increases our chances of developing
life-changing diseases.
The bottom line is that no pill or
treatment is a cure all for any disease. Hopefully, we are on track to find an
effective treatment for Alzheimer’s, but even when that happens, how we take
care of our bodies and minds can make a huge difference.
When individual results vary, we
should strive to make sure our individual results vary toward a positive
outcome.
Copyright © October 2017 by L.S.
Fisher
#ENDALZ
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