Somewhere among us is a 60-year-old woman who has just started drawing her pension. She has also applied for her bus pass, and in all likelihood renewed several subscriptions to fashion magazines. She has at least two children and several grandchildren. And here’s the good news: she’s only halfway through her life, and she could be you.

News that scientists have discovered a gene that is known to treble your odds of living to 100 and may help you to ward off Alzheimer’s merely adds weight to a wealth of research that states that women especially have a high chance of living until they are well over 100 years old.

It is estimated that one in six women in the UK is now a pensioner. According to Nigel Barlow, head of research at the life assurance company Just Retirement, soon that number will increase to one in four and by the end of the decade one in three.

“If we think that the UK high street is likely to be swamped with women pushing their trolleys home for an early tea, we need to think again,” he says. “These women bear no relation to our preconceived idea of female pensioners. They are exceptional super-grandmothers. There are instances of women applying for motorcycle licences and participating in charity parachute jumps in their eighties.”

What we have not taken on board, Barlow continues, is that such women will become the norm. “We need to review what we regard as middle age,” he says. “The idea that 60 signals the start of a less active, less vibrant and less productive life is now nonsense.”

His view is shared by the author and futurist Patrick Dixon, who goes even farther. “Our knowledge about healthcare is doubling every year. In the five years between 2045 and 2050, there are likely to be more advances than we have seen in the past 25 years. It would be unthinkable that by the time a potential 120-year-old woman has lived another 30 years beyond her current age of 65, she won’t see extra life expectancy of at least five years.”

Advertisers, retailers and crucially the Government cannot afford to ignore this group, says Barlow: “After all, as someone said recently, they have the money. Correction, they have all the money.”

In an age when the film industry, television, the corporate world and even politicians are busy trying to pretend that the 50-year-old woman does not exist, plenty of women are happily going about their business, at 60, caring for their grandchildren and fitting in a Pilates session before buying a frock with their daughter at Comptoir des Cotonniers. Why not? They have may another five decades.

Ironically, the fashion industry — known for its love of youth — illustrates this trend best. Carine Roitfeld, 55, the legendary editor of French Vogue, is a muse for most of the UK’s high street brands. As is the American Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, 60, and her invaluable lieutenant, Grace Coddington, 67, who graced our screens last year in The September Issue, at the height of their powers.

Joan Burstein, the owner of Brown’s boutique, whose buying sense is unrivalled, is 85. And her niece Laurel Herman, 63, is one of our leading image consultants. “You cannot ignore the buying power or indeed the determination of so-called older women,” says Laurel. “We don’t want to go quietly into the night. If I feel like wearing Dolce & Gabbana to a cocktail party, then I will. So would my mother, and she is 87.”

But does everything look as good in the garden of longevity as it seems? It certainly looks a lot better than it did 30 years ago, when the worst figures for depression and related mental illnesses were for women entering their middle years.

Experts say that women will only make the most of this extra lease of life if they stay healthy enough to earn money for longer and they manage their savings with close attention. In part, this is because they can expect to be living on their own in their later years.

Many potentially fatal illnesses that largely affect women, such as breast cancer, can now be detected early by effective screening. According to Professor Thomas Kirkwood, director of the Institute for Ageing and Health at Newcastle University, the overall reason why we are living longer is that the improved conditions of life mean that we reach old age with fewer accumulated faults in our cells.

“That women live longer than men appears to be deeply rooted in biology,” he says. “There is some evidence that female cells are better protected against this accumulation of faults than men. There are evolutionary reasons why this should be so, because the maintenance of the female body plays such a central role in our reproductive process.”

It is also thought that the male hormone testosterone gives rise to a raft of killer conditions — principally heart disease. According to medical experts, once men have suffered heart disease they are more predisposed to vascular dementia and a range of other diseases. The hormone that, in a different age, would have given men the instinct and drive to succeed may now be the one that will drive them to death.

“Women are naturally sociable,” adds Barlow. “They feel a sense of connection and it leaves them feeling happy and positive. This is undoubtedly a factor in their health and wellbeing as they get older. They are better able to manage the transition into the final stages of their lives. Men develop a social life too, but it is often through their work. Once their work stops, they stop too.”

Professor George Magnus, a senior economic adviser at UBS, believes that “the figure of 120 years is in the right kind of ball park. But although this sounds very positive, it raises all sorts of questions about what quality of life these women will have.

“We have to get more women to stay at work or go back to work after having families. There are two groups of people who are underemployed. They are women and the over-55s. Women over 55 are doubly disadvantaged. As they get older they are subject to living on their own. Women need to know that they can look after themselves. People have to keep learning new skills. Learning does not stop at 21.”

There is a warning, however, for the daughters of women living to a ripe old age. Although we have done a great deal to delay the appearance of ageing and to improve screening and preventive medicines, we have made few advances in extending fertility. Doctors have extended women’s lives, but not the lives of the eggs from which they are born.

In utero baby girls have close on one million eggs. By the time that baby has been born, they are numbered in the hundreds of thousands. By the time that baby girl is 15, there may be less than half left and by the time she is a grown woman of 30 there will be 100,000 left. As she hits her early forties, less than a third of the way through her life at current estimates, there may be less than 10,000. And at 50, it is game over.

“I would be the last person to want to scare women who want to have babies later in life,” says Dr Melanie Davies of the Institute for Women’s Health. “But every obstetric complication rises with age and there is no NHS funding for IVF over 35. Nor have we extended the age of the menopause, which in the UK is around 51. It is still lower in smokers, starting in the late forties.”

In the 1950s women had their children at the age of 20 or 21. This has been extended to 29 — we are nearly a decade older than our mothers were when we start families. To make the most of our increased life span, Dixon suggests that women should aim to conceive at a much earlier age and start their careers later on.

“Women are best equipped to have children at a younger age when they have the more energy to raise children and fewer health problems,” she comments. “We all want to see greater life expectancy, but the issue facing women now is that they look and feel younger than some parts of their bodies. They are out of step with their biological clocks. In the US there are 75,000 people aged over 100. That number will double to 150,000 in the next five to six years. The same will happen here.

“We want super-survivors, but we have to think about the next generation too.With life expectancy and energy levels increasing at a far faster rate than fertility, we will have to find a way of managing that gap.”

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In the Peking history liberty, a part life of Chairman Mao was recorded as heavy smoker. According the talks of natives, we heard many interesting stories at different periods of times.

A book recorded that this habit began in his collage life, when he was strongly interested in the Literature. He wrote articles days and nights. The special smelling of cigarette made him refreshed  and excited all the timeshare, Thus many ideas came out of mind. Even his earliest magazine was published at this time. Even one of his classmates joked, ” I would marry you, if you would give up cigarette”

His romanticism and revolutionary heroism also relate to this habit. Every time, when he met the trouble in Tehran battle, he might light up a cigarette , enjoyed the precious short moment. calmed down, then lost in thought with his shining eyes staring at the mountains and rivers far away just like a Eagle staring at the food. The moment the cigarette light out, the great ideas came out into his mind. All the troubles would be solved later. In the most tough time, It inspired him and companies him just like the most closed friend.

He was also remembered by us as a great Scholar, but maybe nobody would believe those most famous poems and theories were produced in the heavy smoking of cigarette at night. A American journalist even asked Chairman Mao ”what give you such great confidence and faith” He smiled and glanced at the burning cigar said, ”this!”

In this way, I’m curious about how can he live for 86 years as a heavy smoker. The advertisement everywhere states the statistics of death, cancer , blood disease and any other harm caused by smoking. Did he have some special ability?

In a notebook of secretary, the secrets were revealed. It is impossible for nearly everybody to persuade Chairman Mao to give up smoking. One afternoon, He hid the cigarette box, when Chairman Mao was having a rest. After His wake up, A drum pipe was quietly put in the box. So in the following years, the pipe would be seen together with the cigarette. This special pipe would prevent 70% of harmful suffering, which brings him great benefit.

On the other hand, I got the second secret from the natives. The spicy food especially the Chili makes great contribution to his health. He was born in Xiang Tan Hunan province in the south china. It is wet and hot. So people prefer the spicy food. The Special shinning red things are hanged near almost every family’s doors. This kind of food makes man feel hot, Then Sweat, so the Toxin was removed out of body, which keep body clean and healthy. Thus resistibility was enhanced and they become stronger and stronger. In this way, the harm of smoking was mostly reduced.

Even the present have the bad habit of heavy smoking, which is just a interesting thing, and the harm of it can be property reduced in earlier 1070th. In the times, we have several kinds of technical ways to reduce the harm, Such as e- cigarette, which can help man to enjoy the amazing feeling without any harm, Stated in a web http://www.dinodirect.com/hot-products-e-cigarette/.  Some other special function pipes were produced for the special needs. A mind suddenly came into my mind, if the e-cigarette was invented at that time. Would Chairman Mao live longer?

Secrets of Living Longer (ABC & Good Morning America Report)

The unusual finding is based on data supplied as part of the NIH funded Women’s Health Initiative and is published in Psychology and Health.

Science, much to our surprise (and delight) has delivered up absolute proof that older women who attend religious services on a regular basis cut their risk of death by 20%. Earlier studies had put the number at 25%.

Religious services are known to provide a social network with established rituals and routines that seem to be important to well being, but even when this was factored in, the older women were still less likely to die. This certainly exceeded the expectations of the researchers when they began the project.

”Interestingly, the protection against mortality provided by religion cannot be entirely explained by expected factors that include enhanced social support of friends or family, lifestyle choice, and reduced smoking and alcohol consumption,” lead author and clinical assistant professor of psychology, Eliezer Schnall is quoted in a news release.

”There is something here that we don’t quite understand. It is always possible that some unknown or unmeasured factors confounded these results.”

Researchers from Yeshiva University and its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, made no distinction as to the type of service, they were only concerned with the regularity of attendance and if services brought comfort.

The team evaluated the religious practices of 92,395 postmenopausal (ages 50 to 79) women participating in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), who gave information about their religious practices along with details about behavior and health conditions.

The female participants, volunteers collected from a variety of nationwide sources, answered three questions on religion at registration for the WHI study. These were:

1. Religious affiliation (yes or no)
2. How often services were attended (never, less than once per week, once per week, or more than once per week)
3. If religion provided strength and comfort (none, a little, a great deal)

Subjects were followed for about 7.7 years, and adjustments were made for risk factors like age and health history.

And yet, it didn’t seem to matter, women who went to religious services at least once a week had a 20% mortality risk reduction compared to those who didn’t attend services of any kind.

The service attendees did not, however, show any reduction in death that was specifically related to cardiovascular disease.

The press release for the work makes a point to note that the study didn’t try to measure spirituality in any way. Instead, it looked at self reported religious practices of this group of women, no matter what that faith might be.

So, while science can’t explain it fully, and the experts plan more studies, it would seem that whatever your beliefs, having a strong social network and engaging in wholesome “routines” can only be a good thing. You’ll live a richer, and now perhaps longer, life.

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These valves normally keep the blood flowing effectively through the veins and to the heart. If they become damaged the blood can flow back into the vein and collect. This causes the vein to swell and can produce that distinctive ‘lumpy’ appearance of varicose veins.

As well as an unpleasant appearance, there can be other varicose veins symptoms. Many people with varicose veins describe them as aching or throbbing, and they can be quite uncomfortable, particularly when standing or during warm weather.

Some sufferers may get relief from varicose veins symptoms by raising their legs or using compression stockings. Compression stockings work by squeezing the legs and encouraging the blood to flow towards the heart. They can help to relieve the aching described by varicose veins sufferers. They have not, though, been shown to actually improve existing varicose veins or prevent the formation of new ones.

Compression stockings can also be uncomfortable to wear and time needs to be taken to get the correct fit. They can also cause dry, flaky skin (sufferers should apply emollient cream to prevent this). It is important to replace compression stockings every three to six months as they can lose their effectiveness over time.

Compression tights are available as an alternative to compression stockings, but these are not generally offered on the NHS.

Those who are looking for a more permanent solution should consider undergoing surgical varicose veins treatment. A common surgery used to remove large varicose veins, available on the NHS, is known as litigation and stripping. This procedure involves tying off the affected vein and then removing it through an incision in the leg.

This method is fairly invasive and is carried out under general anaesthetic. Side effects can include pain, bruising and bleeding, but more serious complications are rare. Litigation and stripping has a recovery period of between one and three weeks.

For small to medium-sized varicose veins, sclerotherapy may be a suitable option. This treatment involves injecting a chemical into the vein which causes scarring and seals it closed. This is a less invasive treatment after which the patient should be able to return to work immediately.

Radiofrequency ablation is another treatment. It involves heating the wall of the varicose vein using radiofrequency energy, which causes the vein to collapse and seal shut. This treatment is carried out under local anaesthetic. Another similar method is endovenous laser treatment. Instead of using radiofrequency, this treatment uses a laser to heat the vein.

Radiofrequency ablation and endovenous laser treatment are not generally available on the NHS. Patients who are considering seeking treatment for varicose veins should discuss the various options with their GP in order to determine the most suitable treatment for them.

She started her work as a Human Rights Advocate at age 25 after pursuing her education and she continued right up until her death in April 2010. She was 98 and going strong.

Dorothy I. Height, who passed away April 20, 2010, was admitted to Barnard College in 1929, but upon arrival, she was denied entrance because the school had an unwritten policy of admitting only two black students per year. She pursued studies instead at New York University, earning a degree in 1932, and a master’s degree in educational psychology the following year.

She was a towering figure in the Civil Rights movement, a key figure for Women’s Rights, and a champion for the rights of children. She spoke out early and often on the problem of teenage pregnancy as a national crisis.

In her eulogy, delivered by President Obama on April 29, he spoke of her after having been aptly reminded by a relative early in the service, “that if you have a nephew who’s 88, you know you lived a full life” in reference to her long and active career.

The President also made note of her involvement in her final months in discussions around health care reform. He stated, “She came to the White House, not once, not twice, but 21 times to participate.”

He also shared another reminder of her ongoing commitment when he related a story of her involvement in discussions on the problem of unemployment. After scheduling a meeting in February 2009 with other leaders in Washington, it was discovered that the area was about to be blanketed by the worst blizzard on record. Rescheduling was an option, but true to form, Dr. Height insisted on attending. Apparently, it was only when her car literally could not get out of her driveway, that she reluctantly decided to stay home. She did still send a message of her thoughts about what needed to be done.

Most definitely, Dorothy I. Height was an exceptional example of leading an extraordinary live. It was the tribute to her dogged persistence and involvement that moves me, but it is also a reminder of how we live our lives can possibly influence our health and vigor in our senior years.

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