Author: Sondra Forsyth

Exercise

Protect Your Tendons

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You’ve probably heard of such sports injuries as tennis elbow or jumper’s knee. These are just two examples of tendinitis, a painful condition caused by overusing and straining the joints in your body. Tendons are the tough but flexible bands of tissue that connect muscle to bones. You have about 4,000 tendons throughout your body. Tendons make it possible for you to bend your knee, rotate your shoulder, and grasp with your hand.

Caregiving

Early Palliative Support Helps Cancer Caregivers

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Dartmouth researchers have found that those caring for patients with advanced cancer experienced reduced depression and felt less burdened by caregiving tasks when palliative support services were offered soon after the patient's diagnosis. The team presented the findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncologist (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago on June 3rd 2014.

Sleep Health

Sleeping in Sync When the Wife is Happy

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A study done at the University of Pittsburgh suggests that couples are more likely to sleep in sync when the wife is more satisfied with their marriage. Results show that overall synchrony in sleep-wake schedules among couples was high, as those who slept in the same bed were awake or asleep at the same time about 75 percent of the time. When the wife reported higher marital satisfaction, the percent of time the couple was awake or asleep at the same time was greater.

Pain Management

Virtual Reality Therapy for Pain

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Virtual reality as a means of distraction, inducing positive emotions, or creating the perception of "swapping" a limb or bodily area affected by chronic pain can be a powerful therapeutic tool, according to a series of studies done in Belgium, the U.S., Korea, and Spain. Subsequent articles were published in print and online in June 2014 Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

Healthy Diet & Nutrition

Fruits and Vegetables: Fresh vs. Frozen and Canned

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By Sondra ForsythPlenty of people assume that fresh produce is healthier than the frozen and canned versions, but that’s not always the case. Flash-frozen fruits and vegetables are actually better for you than most fresh produce. The same goes for many canned vegetables if the salt content is low, and for many canned fruits if no sugary syrups are added. (Tip: Rinse canned vegetables to lower the salt content, and buy canned fruits packed in their own juice.)Why Frozen and Canned Products Are Healthy

Differentiating Among Dementia Diseases

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Not all cognitive decline is Alzheimer’s. Now a new diagnostic tool developed at the University of Eastern Finland helps clinicians differentiate among Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and mild cognitive impairment. The method, devised by Miguel Ángel Muñoz Ruiz MD and explained in articles in PloS ONE and Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, consists of a Disease State Index combining data from multiple sources, and of a Disease State Fingerprint showing the findings in a visual format.

Aging Well

Latest Developments in Aging Research

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The 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association (AGE), held May 30th to June 2nd 2014 at the Westin Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, featured the latest scholarship and research findings in the field of aging research from more than 70 leading experts. The event has long been recognized as a launching pad for researchers to share cutting-edge discoveries into the underlying mechanisms of the causes of aging as well as the possible breakthroughs in finding ways to increase healthspan.

Midlife High BP May Affect Memory in Old Age

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New research suggests that high blood pressure in middle age plays a critical role in whether blood pressure in old age may affect memory and thinking. The study is published in the June 4th 2014 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

New Gene Involved in Parkinson's Disease

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Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have identified a new gene involved in Parkinson's disease, a finding that may one day provide a target for a new drug to prevent and potentially even cure the debilitating neurological disorder. The five-year study appears June 4th , 2014 in eLife, a new, open access scientific journal for groundbreaking biomedical and life research sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (United States), the Wellcome Trust (United Kingdom) and Max Plank Institutes (Germany).

Life-Saving Drug for Older Adults with Pneumonia

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In a study that included nearly 65,000 older patients hospitalized with pneumonia, treatment that included azithromycin compared with other antibiotics was associated with a significantly lower risk of death but a slightly increased risk of heart attack, according to a study done at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and published in the June 4th 2014 issue of JAMA. The authors report that overall, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Exercise

Night Owls Tend to Be More Sedentary

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A study done at Northwestern University in Chicago suggests that night owls are more sedentary and feel that they have a harder time maintaining an exercise schedule. The research abstract was published in June 2014 in an online supplement of the journal Sleep, and presented on Wednesday, June 4th in Minneapolis at SLEEP 2014, the 28th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

Debunking the “Link” Between MS and CCVI

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In 2009, an Italian doctor named Paolo Zamboni postulated that a condition he dubbed “chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency” (CCVI) is a cause of multiple sclerosis (MS). CCVI refers to compromised blood flow in the veins that drain the central nervous system. However, no one has been able replicate Zamboni’s findings.

Brain Health

Learning a 2nd Language Aids Your Aging Brain

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If you grew up bilingual or learned a second language in high school, you’ve done your aging brain a favor. However, even if you start mastering a second language as an older adult, you can benefit from the positive effect your new non-native tongue will have on cognition as you age. That’s the finding of research done at the Centre for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and published in June 2014 in Annals of Neurology.

Weight Loss

When to Start a Diet

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By Sondra ForsythBathing suit weather is back and you may be wishing you had stuck your New Year’s Resolution to lose some weight. Don’t be discouraged! Here are some strategies for getting kicking off a diet and sticking with it:PICK A START DATE THAT HAS POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE FOR YOU

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