HEALTH

Jackie and I were recently discussing health issues as I was fondling a bottle of fish oil and she posed this question: at what age is it OK to forget taking fish oil, any supplement, eating right, exercise, etc, based on the idea that with the number of years left, you are not going to substantially be adding years to your life anyway. For example, the flax seed that Michael pours over his cereal--at this stage of his life, assuming that it is keeping his arteries unplugged, how much time is he really adding to his life span anyway. Take exercise, whatever. Stud muffin Larry, four hours a day working out: how much is he really adding to his life span? What if he stopped doing it? Started eating bacon and eggs, etc. At this stage, how much difference does it make? It might be different if pain is involved but the things we are doing that are hard to measure or if we can, it is only slight: cholesterol was 200, now 170, in terms of life span, at this age, what difference does it make?

Will all of the things we are doing substantially add to our number of years is a question. Does it make us feel better? A guy who is 90 and loves to smoke. Why not? Or, 82 and still smoking pot. Why not? One day this week I went to this gourmet restaurant in the City: the Lucky Penny and ate pancakes smothered in enough syrup to give me a sugar high for a week or the time Steve and I went to Haight and Fillmore and ate a cheeseburger to die for but if it didn't plug up our last arteries, we are safe forever. What if we did that stuff every day, would it make ant difference, shortened our years.

The essence of what I am saying: is what we are doing appreciably increasing our quality of life? We surely don't want fat bellies and we know that it appears that being overweight like fat Bob increases the chances of a heart attack. Many questions. Let's have some answers. Amen. {{{{{{{LP}}}}}}