The hole of middle-age neglect

NASA released the firstever picture of a black hole and its shadow in July 2019. That made us think about certain sports teams that are notorious for drawing their fans into a black hole of broken dreams from which there seems no escape. Yet, as Stephen Hawking famously predicted, energy can escape a black hole’s iron grip, and so can sports teams. Take the Cleveland Cavilers. They went 33 years (1975-2009) before they won a division championship and then nailed the 2016 NBA championship. Or the Browns, who went 1-31 through 2016 and 2017, but now have Odell Beckham and quarterback Baker Mayfield and they look like a good playoff bet.

That should encourage 40- to 50-year-olds to take steps to escape what Aussie researchers are calling the “black hole of aging,” in which folks steadfastly ignore what’s going on with their health and miss the opportunity to escape serious problems down the road. Their study found 30% of 40- to 50-year-olds had undiagnosed high blood pressure and 32% had cognition problems!

Fortunately, lifestyle changes and simple medical treatments often can reverse or slow such issues. So schedule a physical exam with your doc(s) to check blood pressure; blood glucose, body mass index and blood lipid levels; skin; and PSA (men), mammogram and pelvic exam (women). Get new vaccines and age-appropriate boosters and a lung-cancer screening, if indicated. Then your doc(s) will be able to catch emerging health issues when they’re most effectively resolved. Tip: Schedule future recommended doctor appointments now to stay ahead of problems.