Who are the ‘Most Vulnerable People’?

 

Who are the most vulnerable people? Well, they are people with suppressed immune systems. They are people who are already dealing with other health conditions or taking multiple medications. And these are unhealthy people who just have not taken care of themselves. They are people who are making poor lifestyle choices.

Seniors?

According to many traditional medical institutions in the US and other western countries, seniors are the most vulnerable people and are hit the hardest by COVID, the flu, and all types of infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of dying due to Covid-19 is 630 times higher in people over the age of 85, as compared to young adults ages 18 to 29.

So how do we explain the fact that some of the oldest of the world are surviving COVID-19?

Centenarian Survivors

Maria Banyas, the oldest woman in Spain, beat the coronavirus at age 113. Sylvia Goldscholl of New Jersey beat COVID at age 108. Connie Titchen was 106 when she was wheeled out of the hospital in England to a standing ovation from staff. Sister Andre left the hospital in France just in time to celebrate her 117 birthday. According to Sister Andre, she had no symptoms, didn’t know she had COVID, and her only discomfort was the loneliness of isolation. 

The list of these centenarian COVID survivors goes on and on. Google it for yourself. So clearly, age isn’t the defining factor of what makes someone a “most vulnerable person.” Each of these 100+-year-olds have proven they were not vulnerable to the point where this virus overcame their body’s ability to cope. They survived. They are actually among the least vulnerable people, despite their age.

Common Threads

If you delve into many of their stories, you will find common threads among all their lifestyles. These folks rarely ate junk food, but enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables—and many of them garden. They were not overmedicated, a condition known as Polypharmacy. Friendship and community are important to them. Daily strolls have always been a part of their routine. They have interests and hobbies and continue to actively participate in activities and celebrations. In short, they have made good lifestyle choices and taken care of themselves. Their lifestyle choices have sustained them, in most cases to ages well beyond what they thought would be possible. 

Don’t Blame Age

If these people have taught us anything, they have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that age is not the reason people are or become vulnerable. It’s lifestyle choices that make you vulnerable, not your age. And it’s never too late to make different choices. 

In fact, it was 98-year-old Max who was the inspiration for The 100 Year Lifestyle. Despite being of advanced age and extremely poor physical health when he walked into my practice, Max responded well to his chiropractic care. He proved to all of us at 100 Year Lifestyle that it is never too late to start chiropractic care—but why would you wait and allow all that decay to accumulate for decades. As his body’s innate ability to heal was revived and his health and mental state improved, Max gave us all a new perspective on longevity, possibility, hope, and healing, regardless of your age or health.

Anything is Possible

So, with these role models proving to us that anything is possible, now is the time to create your 100 Year Lifestyle. Now that you have survived COVID, it is time to consciously make the choices that will create the rest of your long and healthy life. You may not be able to control your age, but you don’t need to. Everyone gets biologically older. However, if you do the right things to take care of yourself, you will build strong immunity, function at a much higher level, feel younger, and go from being “most vulnerable” to “least vulnerable.”