The coming health crisis: protect yourself against age-related diseases.(Better nutrition special report: anti-aging)

If you're like most people, you probably associate aging with health disorders such as Alzheimer's disease or arthritis. But researchers who spoke at a congressional briefing in September 2004 warned that some other, lesser-known diseases are poised to strike older adults with a vengeance: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), urinary incontinence and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

With this in mind, we've compiled some suggestions about various natural products that, in concert with an overall regimen of proper diet, exercise and smoking cessation, may lower your risk of suffering these diseases.

Urinary Incontinence

Many of us are soon going to be afraid of a good belly laugh--for fear of wetting ourselves in public. Over 20 million Americans wouldn't dare strain to pick up their grandchild or sit on someone's new couch.

But the condition can produce more than just embarrassment. Bladder infections and skin breakdowns are much more common in people with incontinence. And it can lead to depression and loss of self-esteem. Fractures can even result from mad, unplanned dashes to the washroom.

Science hasn't pinned down the cause and--short of further research into this rarely studied problem--cannot explain why some people suffer from it and others don't.

Exercise, relaxation techniques and yoga have been shown to help. People with incontinence should also avoid too many drinks containing alcohol, caffeine or carbonation, and they should limit their liquid intake to two liters of fluid daily. Never go to the toilet "just in case." Avoid constipation. And try to train your bladder to hold more urine.