English

Abstract

Many of the problems that we experience as we age are, quite simply, associated with bad habits. There are, of course, neurophysiological factors that decline as we age: our bodies wear down, we have less energy, there is less plasticity in our brain and we are more vulnerable to certain kinds of maladies. However, even considering these inevitable age-related declines, poor habit patterns can markedly exacerbate and accelerate these problematic conditions. Neurotherapists who do not attend to these poor habit patterns are likely to have many clients with less than ideal therapy outcomes. By attending to issues such as diet, sleep hygiene, activity levels, socializing, and engaging in purposeful and meaningful activities clients can markedly enrich the quality of the later the years of their lives. Five decades ago when I was in graduate school a number of the Ph.D. students would joke about what we called Bubbe (Yiddish for ‘grandmother’) psychology. If your professor couldn’t make sense of something, ask your Bubbe for the real scoop! I was reminded of this when I was writing about two subjects: The first on factors that adversely affect young children’s cognitive functioning (Swingle, in submission) and the second on factors that affect the elderly. It seemed apparent that what my grandmother told me as a child (e.g., “eat your broccoli!”) was also very good advice for me in my advanced years of life. Further, just as we are medicating normal children’s behavior, an absolute outrage in my opinion, we are doing the same with elders. What did my Grandmother tell me when I was a young child that is now useful advice in old age? Well, first she said, “Get your duff off the sofa!” Which happens to be very good advice for seniors. In a 2012 article in the journal Neurobiology of Aging (Fiocco et al, 2012) it was pointed out that a sure recipe for cognitive decline is salt and inactivity. In a three-year study of more than 1,200 older adults with normal cognitive function at outset, researchers found that a high intake of sodium combined with low levels of physical activity was associated with a decline in global cognitive functioning. The authors go on to say that exercise may help immunize the brain against some of the adverse effects of higher sodium intake. So as Grandma pointed out, lying on the couch eating potato chips is not a good idea for young children; and it is certainly not a good idea for us seniors. The second part of Grandma’s advice with regard to “off the sofa” was “and go outside and play!” The data relevant to this aspect of Grandma’s advice is very straightforward. Katzmarzyk & Lee (2012) report that the relative risk for all-cause mortality was about 45% higher for individuals sitting more than six hours per day compared with those who sat less than three hours per day. Further, watching TV for less than two hours per day increases life expectancy by about 1.4 years.