I visited my mum in her dementia care home last weekend, and the best word I think to describe it is sad. Sad that she is living out the very thing she always said she did not want. Sad that she didn’t know who I was (although recognised a friendly face). Sad that she did not recognise her grandchildren in the photos I showed her. However, she was clean, smartly dressed and obviously being looked after, so I am thankful for that. It brought into focus again why I am so passionate about the benefits of healthy living. I want to stack the odds in my favour to avoid what has happened to her.
One of the pillars of my lifestyle is strength training, and in this week’s research video, I demonstrate a simple test you can do at home which is a measure of several key components of non-aerobic fitness – including muscle strength and power, flexibility, balance and body composition. The test gives a score based on how well the test is performed, which the researchers have linked to how long people lived, in a large cohort of people without any physical or medical limitations that prevented them taking part in the test. Please do check out the video.
However, looking fit and well muscled doesn’t necessarily correspond to good health, as demonstrated by a young patient I looked after this week. Let’s call him Josh, because he’s not called Josh. Whenever I see a date of birth this Millenia as an inpatient on the cardiology ward I raise my eyebrows, as it is often one of a few things. Mostly congenital heart abnormalities of one kind or another, but in this case not.
This man had come in with chest pain, and on direct questioning, had recently taken cocaine. It’s sadly one of the first things to think about in a young person presenting with chest pain, as can cause really intense spasm of the heart arteries. It can also cause enormously high blood pressure, and tears in the lining of the aorta and coronary arteries. I have seen people die from it. It can also cause serious heart rhythm abnormalities. Thankfully, Josh looked pretty stable. He had a couple of different scans of his heart, and there were no major abnormalities, so the spasm thankfully hadn’t done any lasting damage on this occasion.
He was, understandably, terrified. When I said he could go home, he was really not keen as he was so anxious. In a bid to be really honest about his health, Josh then opened up about his smoking and cannabis use, and his use of anabolic steroids. From the end of the bed, this guy looked fit – big pecs and biceps, six-pack. It was now transpiring his insides were very much a concern. We spent some time talking about strategies to replace his bad habits with good ones. He is a regular gym user, hence the six pack, and I think he might have to double down on his exercise to take the place of the drugs. It will be really hard for him, I have no doubt about that. You can’t go from a daily drug habit to clean without pain, but I’m hopeful the heart scare came at the right time to give him the shock he needed to make changes.
Often patients coming in with a heart scare use that as the springboard they need to get healthy, but wouldn’t it be great if people could make the changes before a problem arose? I totally accept I am at one end of the spectrum when it comes to lifestyle choices, but walking round a dementia care home is a great way to motivate myself to keep on walking the walk. Speaking of which, I really can’t face it, but I’m due my max effort peloton ride today. No time like the present!