Author: Jane Farrell

The Letter that Can Make You Healthier

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Patients at high risk of osteoporosis can be identified via an automated letter-generating system that encourages them to follow up on their care, according to researchers. Investigators from the Penn State College of Medicine say that the system effectively promotes osteoporosis intervention and can help prevent future fractures.

Managing Your Medications

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Editor’s Note: A crucial part of looking after yourself is managing the medicines you’re taking – by, among other things, understanding how and when you’re taking them; being consistent; storing them properly; and noting when you should ask for a refill. Here, the best tips for being an efficient medication manager, from the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health:

The High Cost of "Free" Foods

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Think twice before reaching for that fat-free cookie or sugar-free ice cream bar as an afternoon snack. In most cases, you’re better off having the real thing in moderate portions, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, wellness manager at Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute. The issue, Kirkpatrick says, is that choosing heavily processed foods over natural foods often means taking in too many additives and refined ingredients with questionable nutritional value. Substitutions — but no substitute for the real thing.

A New Image for a Facelift

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Complications from facelifts can be painful and embarrassing, but a new 3-D technique may change that. The technique deals with liquid facelifts, in which people remove wrinkles and soften creases by the injection of a gel-like material. Hundreds of patients suffer redness and swelling after the procedure. Millions of people each year remove wrinkles, soften creases and plump up their lips by injecting a gel-like material into their facial tissue. These cosmetic procedures are sometimes called “liquid facelifts” and are said to be minimally invasive.

Spinal Cord Injuries Increasing in Seniors

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The rate of traumatic spinal cord injuries is rising sharply among older people, with the leading cause appearing to be falls, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins. In fact, the number-one cause of spinal cord injuries overall no longer appears to be motor vehicle crashes, but falls. The injuries suffered in these accidents range from temporary numbness to paralysis. Researchers said their findings indicated that efforts to prevent falls among older people could significantly reduce the number of spinal cord injuries.

Alternative Treatments for Quitting Smoking

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Fifty years ago this month, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an unprecedented report that linked smoking to deadly illnesses like lung cancer and heart disease. As research efforts have expanded over the years, investigators have linked still other illnesses to tobacco.

Electronic Health Records = Fewer Unnecessary Tests

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Electronic health-records systems, in which medical information is securely shared, may be helping avoid unnecessary care, a new study shows. Fewer emergency patients got repeated medical scans when they went to a hospital that takes part in a health information exchange, or HIE, according to researchers published online in the journal Medical Care. Researchers from the University of Michigan said their findings are a good evaluation of the effectiveness of HIEs.

On the Horizon: A New Way to Treat Pain

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Researchers have identified two molecules that perpetuate chronic pain, and that may pave the way for more effective, less addictive medicines.   A study from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland said that the molecules may play a role in the phenomenon that causes uninjured areas of the body to be more sensitive to pain if they are near an area that has been injured.   The findings were published in the journal Neuron.   "With the identification

Can Moderately Cold Temps Help You Lose Weight?

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While overesposure to cold is linked to serious and even fatal consequences, regular exposure to mild cold may actually help people los weight. On the other hand, cozy indoor environments might lead to weight gain. The findings were published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. 

Needed: A New Approach to Health-Care Surrogates

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Almost half of hospitalized Americans 65 and older need decision-making assistance from family members because they are too impaired to make decisions on their own, a new study has found.   And those health-care surrogates need to be taken more seriously.   Most surrogates are children or spouses. Some patients have two or more family members making decisions toether.   Researchers from Indiana University said the problem is only going to grow more prevalent as the U.S.

Glaucoma Cases Reduced by Half

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Glaucoma is a serious issue faced by millions of people, but the likelihood of the condition has been cut in half, probably due to advances in diagnosis and therapy, a new study says Still, researchers also caution that many patients still progress to blindness.     Glaucoma affects more than 2.7 million individuals aged 40 and older in the United States and 60.5 million people.

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