Coming Next Week! June 23rd to June 27th By Sondra Forsyth articleHere’s a sneak preview of the articles and blogs we’ll be posting during the coming week on ThirdAge, the biggest and best site for “boomer and beyond” women since 1997. As always, we’ll bring you the latest information from top experts about maintaining a healthy body, mind, and spirit as you navigate both the challenges and the joys of being a ThirdAger.In addition, be sure to come back every morning to check out the ThirdAge Exclusives, We write them after culling the most important new academic and government studies from around the world that are making news that day.
_ Women's Health and WellnessFor Some Older Women, Calcium Supplements Up Risk of Kidney Stones By Sondra Forsyth articleCalcium and vitamin D are commonly recommended for older women, but the usual supplements may send calcium excretion and blood levels too high for some women, according to a study published online June 18th 2014 in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society. Excess blood and urine calcium levels may lead to kidney stones or other problems. The study will be published in the November 2014 print edition of Menopause.
_ Brain HealthSeeing the Inner Workings of the Brain By Sondra Forsyth articleA team of scientists at Stanford University has improved a technique called CLARITY that they developed in 2013 to look into brains from deceased donors, according to a paper published June 19th 2014 in Nature Protocols. A release from the university explains that without this tool, the fatty outer covering of the brain’s nerve cells blocks microscopes from taking images of the intricate connections between deep brain cells. CLARITY eliminates the fatty covering while keeping the brain intact with all its intricate inner wiring.
_ Aging Well Memory Loss Stress Management Stress-Free LivingStress Linked to Memory Loss as We Age By Sondra Forsyth articleResearch done at the University of Iowa reports a potential link between stress hormones and short-term memory loss in older adults. The study, published in June 2014 in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that prolonged high levels of cortisol can lead to memory lapses as we age.
_ ExerciseCalling All Couch Potatoes: You Might Be at Risk for this Disease By Sondra Forsyth articleHere’s yet another compelling reason to get up off the couch: Physical inactivity can increase the risk of colon, endometrial, and lung cancers, according to a study published June 16th 2014 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Time spent watching TV was especially predictive of increased cancer risk.
_ MenopauseAre You Setting Off Your Hot Flashes? By Sondra Forsyth article By Gary ElkinsIf you start taking note of your hot flashes, you may recognize some events, emotions, or activities that actually seem to contribute to, or “trigger,” the onset of a hot flash. Scientifically speaking, while the physiology of hot flashes is associated with a decrease in estrogen level or an increase in gonadotropin concentrations, the actual physiological mechanism of hot flashes is not known.
_ Heart HealthFor Women, Improving Accuracy of Heart Disease Diagnosis By Sondra Forsyth articleDiagnosing coronary heart disease in women has become more accurate through gender-specific research that clarifies the role of both obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease as contributors to ischemic heart disease in females, according to a statement published in June 2014 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
_ High blood pressure / hypertension Senior HealthDiuretics Risky for Older Adults By Sondra Forsyth articleAdults over 65 with high blood pressure who have recently begun taking thiazide diuretics are at a greater risk for developing metabolic-related adverse events including acute kidney injury, according to research done at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco. The study was published in June 2014 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
_ Digestive HealthWatch: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Advice By Sondra Forsyth articleHere's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ Injury Prevention & Treatment Medical CareThirdAge Health Close-Up: I Fell and Dislocated My Shoulder By Sondra Forsyth article By Sherry Amatenstein, LCSW
_ Medical CareDocs Say “AMEN” When Patients Pray for a Miracle By Sondra Forsyth articleCancer clinicians and a chaplain at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have developed a new tool to help doctors, nurses, and other health care providers talk to dying patients and families who are, literally, praying for a miracle.
_ Vision HealthAMD: Omega-3 Stops Unwanted Blood Vessel Growth By Sondra Forsyth articleAge-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is characterized blood vessel growth, is the primary cause of blindness in the elderly in industrialized countries. The prevalence of the disease is projected to increase 50% by the year 2020. There is an urgent need for new pharmacological interventions for the treatment and prevention of AMD.
_ High blood pressure / hypertensionLower BP Not Always Better By Sondra Forsyth articleFor decades, common medical wisdom has been "the lower the better" in treating the approximately one in three people in this country who have high blood pressure. But does that approach result in reduced risk for dangerous heart events? Not necessarily, according to research done at Wake Forest Baptists Medical Center in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and published in the June 16th online edition of JAMA Internal Medicine.
_ Aging WellDiscussing Sensitive Subjects With Your Doctor By Sondra Forsyth articleMuch of the communication between doctor and patient is personal. To have a good partnership with your doctor, it is important to talk about sensitive subjects, like sex or memory problems, even if you are embarrassed or uncomfortable.
_ Bionic Pancreas Outperforms Insulin Pump By Sondra Forsyth articlePeople with type 1 diabetes – a lifelong condition -- who used a bionic pancreas instead of manually monitoring glucose using fingerstick tests and delivering insulin using a pump were more likely to have blood glucose levels consistently within the normal range, with fewer dangerous lows or highs. The full report of the findings, funded by the National Institutes of Health, was published June 15th 2014 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionHealth Buzzwords on Food Products: False Promises? By Sondra Forsyth articleHealth-related buzzwords such as "antioxidant," "gluten-free" and "whole grain," lull consumers into thinking packaged food products labeled with those words are healthier than they actually are, according to a research done at the University of Houston.A release from the university reports that the team suggests that false sense of health as well as a failure to understand the information presented in nutrition facts panels on packaged food may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
_ CaregivingSynching Info Between Homes & Hospitals By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers at the University of Missouri in Columbia are working to develop an in-home health monitoring and alert system that streams patients’ individualized health information between homes and hospitals. The system’s ability to provide comprehensive health information could lead to better care for patients as well as reduced costs for individuals and health systems.
_ Aging WellNeeded: Activity Apps for Older Adults By Sondra Forsyth articleCommercially available activity-monitoring apps, Web sites, and wearable devices allow for easy self-management of health and wellness. This technology may be particularly helpful for older adults, who can improve their cognitive function through proper diet and exercise. However, in spite of the growing popularity of and potential benefits of tracking monitors, product designers rarely consider those over 65 to be a viable user group.