Local doctor focuses on senior health concerns

With this issue, the Green Valley News introduces Dr. DeWall Hildreth, D.O. whose column, “Hildreth on Health,” will appear biweekly and will focus on health issues as they relate to the art of aging gracefully.

Before moving to Green Valley three years ago, Hildreth was in family practice medicine in Oregon for 20 years; he then had a practice in Mesa, specializing in internal medicine and degenerative diseases. In 1993, he retired from his medical practice to concentrate in specialized research and as a medical lecturer.

As part of this work he has served on the visiting staff of the Bradford Institute in Chula Vista, Calif., under the direction of Dr. Robert Bradford, who founded the Capital University of Integrative Medicine in Washington, D.C

Now a physician with the Continental Natural Health Clinic in Continental Shopping Plaza, Hildreth is a primary care physician who uses an integrative approach and is an advocate of preventive medicine. His medical specialties focus on hormone balancing and musclo-skeletal degeneration

Asked what he would like readers to know about him personally and as a physician, he said, “Broadly, that I care about them. I would hope that they walk out of here feeling better than when they came in. I like an open dialogue in language patients can understand; I’m here because I enjoy it and I enjoy people.”

Introducing himself to a group of about 100 who came to hear him at the East Center on Wednesday, Hildreth said when people think of aging they usually refer to chronological aging and not biological aging.

To age gracefully he spoke about the importance of knowledge—and understanding the knowledge—and stressed the need for a balance of body activators and inhibitors. It’s essential, he said, that the body’s two key systems, the endocrine/hormonal system and the autonomic nervous system work in sync.

Discussing progesterone, estrogen and testosterone, Hildreth said starting at about age 28, every body begins a 1 percent to 2 percent hormone loss.

Of the mysteries in medicine he said, “You can have the flu and think you’re going to die (although you probably won’t) — and any one of us in this room can have cancer right now and not know it.”

Emotional stability, which is necessary to overall good health, can be maintained by a high spiritual consciousness, psychic stability, the right heredity and proper nutritional balance. “Those who are high one minute and low the next… their hormones are out of balance,” Hildreth said, and likened it to children the day after Halloween when they’ve had an overdose of sugar.

An immune system that’s functioning properly and isn’t overloaded with chronic or repeated infections or ongoing trauma is paramount to a healthy aging set of body cells. Allergies, trauma and nutritional imbalance can create “immune overload,” Hildreth said.

In closing he stressed the significance of a positive mental outlook and said, “We’re basically made as positive and loving people… we need to appreciate who we are and have a reason for being here.”

Ellen Sussman is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.