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Homepage | Death
15 Ways to Live Longer
Forbes.com has an interesting article (on MSNBC.com) that offers advice for living a longer and healthier life.
"There's a saying that genetics load the gun, but it's the environment that pulls the trigger," says Dr. David Fein, medical director at the Princeton Longevity Center, a clinic in Princeton, N.J., which focuses on quality of life and prolonging it. "You can have the gene for a certain disease, but it doesn't mean you're going to get it."
Take heed: Your lifestyle choices are very significant. While there is no way to ultimately defy death, that isn't an excuse to start indulging in vices and neglecting your health. There are plenty of ways to keep the grim reaper at bay -- and many of these "secrets" result in an improved quality of life.
If you really want to live longer, then start with your attitude. Your way of thinking not only improves your outlook on life, but also how long you actually live. In 2002, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found that optimistic people decreased their risk of early death by 50 percent compared with those who leaned more toward pessimism.
The article includes these 15 tips for living longer.
Don't oversleep
Be optimistic
Have more sex
Get a pet
Get a VAP
Be rich
Stop smoking
Chill out
Eat your antioxidants
Marry well
Exercise
Laugh a little
Lose weight
Manage stress
Meditate
The Forbes article has an explanation for each of the tips that is worth reading. The article says people can expect to live to about 78 today. Just last month we posted about Aubrey de Grey, a biomedical gerontologist from Cambridge University, who believes the first person to live to 1,000 has already been born. If that's true it will require something more than just following these 15 steps to get there.
Posted on May 19, 2006
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Cancer Deaths Fall Slightly
MSNBC.com reports that data indicates cancer deaths fell for the first time since 1930 in 2003.
For the first time in more than 70 years, annual cancer deaths in the United States have fallen, a turning point in the war on cancer likely achieved by declines in smoking and better tumor detection and treatment.
The number of cancer deaths dropped to 556,902 in 2003, down from 557,271 the year before, according to a recently completed review of U.S. death certificates by the National Center for Health Statistics.
"Even though it's a small amount, it's an important milestone," said Dr. Michael Thun, who directs epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society.
There is much more to be done but as Dr. Thun said it is a milestone to see the numbers finally start to plateau and even recede slightly. The article also listed the deadliest cancers in 2003.
Lung: Men, 89,964; Women, 68,122
Colon, rectum: Men, 28,007; Women, 27,951
Breast: Men, 380; Women, 41,620
Prostate: Men, 29,554
Posted on February 14, 2006
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