I got a call this week from 87yo retired MD, Ruth Houk, who was wresting with her dog a few weeks ago.
In this case, the dog won and Ruth fell and broke the head of her femur, requiring replacement of the ball and socket in an emergency surgery.
——–-Her prognosis?
According to Wikipedia, for “those affected over the age of 65, 40% are transferred directly to long-term care facilities, long-term rehabilition facilities, or nursing homes; 50% permanently require walkers, canes, or crutches for mobility.
Among those affected over the age of 50, approximately 25% die within the next year due to complications such as blood clots (deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism), infections, and pneumonia.”
———- Her actual clinical course?
She had uneventful surgery and was discharged after one day. She only required a walker for three days and took no pain pills. The surgeon remarked that he couldn’t believe how healthy both her bones and joints were. I can’t say that it is related but this is certainly not typical for an 87 yo woman. (Of note, she and her husband have both been taking a telomerase activator for 1.5 yrs.)
———– What is the relationship of bone health to aging and telomerase activity? See this video I did on the subject:
———— “But wait one minute, Dr. Park…” (the skeptics among you might say)
“If TA-65 is so great, why did she break her hip at all? And in “Life happen Part 1: Serious as a heart attack?” why did that patient even have a heart attack? Maybe the telomerase activator is to blame in some way?”
I would answer that valid alternative hypothesis by pointing out two things:
1) UNUSUAL OUTCOMES! It is not typical for 73 yo men to have dinner fêtes two days after cardiac stenting and to have the surgeon “guarantee” no future heart problems (even though the post-op stress testing did prove negative.) Likewise, it is not usual for an 87 yo woman with a with a hip replacement to throw away the walker after three days.
2) The “Bird Poop Principle”: No amount of car washing and waxing will prevent a car that is being driven from being pooped on. Life happens, sometimes on our cars…sometimes in our organs. The question is, will you have the reserve health and function to weather the coming scat storms?