Although some studies suggest that the factors such as area violence and noise can negatively affect cardiovascular health, few studies have looked at the potential health enhancing effects of positive local neighborhood characteristics. This prompted the authors of an article published in 2014 in BMJ to track the cardiovascular health of over 5000 US adults with no known heart problems over a period of four years, starting in 2006. Their average age was 70, and almost two thirds were women and married (62%).
Author: Sondra Forsyth
Sondra Forsyth is Co-Editor-in-Chief of ThirdAge.com. She is a National Magazine Award winner with scores of major magazine bylines and twelve books to her credit. Her most recent book is “Candida Cleanse: The 21-Day Diet to Beat Yeast and Feel Your Best”. Sondra was Executive Editor at “Ladies’ Home Journal,” Features Editor at “Cosmopolitan,” and Articles Editor at “Bride’s”. A former ballerina, she founded Ballet Ambassadors, an arts-in-education company in New York City, and served as Artistic Director for 16 years.
Stay Safe During Lightning
Here’s advice from the Centers for Disease Control to help you protect yourself and your loved ones from lightning during a thunderstorm:
The weather forecast calls for a slight chance of thunderstorms, but you can only see a few fluffy white clouds overhead. So you and your tennis partner grab your racquets and balls and head for the tennis court.
You spend a few minutes warming up and then—wait! Is that thunder you hear? Was that a lightning flash?
Poor Sleep Ups Suicide Risk in Older Adults
Reported poor sleep quality independent of a depressed mood appears to be associated with an increased risk for suicide in older adults, according to e study done by Rebecca A. Bernert, Ph.D. of the Stanford University School of Medicine, California and colleagues and published online in JAMA Psychiatry August 13th 2014.
Elasticity of Brain Arteries & Aging Well
In an effort to identify how the elasticity of the arteries in the brain correlates with aging well, researchers at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign used optical methods developed in their lab to map out the pulse pressure of the entire brain’s cortex.
Older Adults Weathered the Recession Well
The “Great Recession” may have put a dent in many older adults’ pocketbooks, but a study presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco found that more than 40 percent reported a decrease in “financial strain” between 2006 and 2010.
Many Menopausal Women Go to Anti-Aging Docs
Feeling that conventional doctors did not take their suffering seriously, women instead sought out hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms from anti-aging clinicians, according to a sudy done at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
Managing Dementia Related Personality Changes
Alzheimer’s disease causes brain cells to die, so the brain works less well over time. This changes how a person acts. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, are suggestions that may help you understand and cope with changes in personality and behavior in a person with Alzheimer’s disease.
Common personality and behavior changes you may see include:
• Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily
• Acting depressed or not interested in things
• Hiding things or believing other people are hiding things
Should Your Pet Take Supplements?
Our pets are like our family, right? Even pet food manufacturers now refer to “pet owners” as “pet parents” in their marketing! This humanization trend has been fueled by us Baby Boomers who are refocusing our discretionary spending on our pets rather than spending it on feathering our now empty nests. So it’s no wonder we “pet parents” are now pondering the question of vitamins and other supplementation for Fido and Fluffy. But what’s the real scoop of pet supplements? Good idea or bad?
Depression Often Untreated in PD
In light of the revelation that the late Robin Williams had early Parkinson’s Disease when he committed suicide on August 11th 2014, a study published in the August 2014 issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease is of particular interest. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago in collaboration with the National Parkinson’s Foundation (NPF) found that although depression is known to be a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease, the mood disorder often remains untreated for many patients.
Mayo Clinic Challenges Cholesterol Guideline
A Mayo Clinic task force has challenged some recommendations in the updated guideline for cholesterol treatment that was unveiled by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) in 2013. The task force concludes, based on current evidence, that not all patients encouraged to take cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins may benefit from them and that the guideline missed some important conditions that might benefit from medication.
High-Dose Flu Vaccine Best for Elderly
High-dose influenza vaccine is 24 percent more effective than the standard-dose vaccine in protecting people ages 65 and over against influenza illness and its complications, according to a study led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville TN and published August 13th 2014 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
Risky Work Scenarios Make Women Anxious & Less Competent
Risky situations at work increase anxiety for women and hurt their job performance, according to a study done at Stanford University and presented at the 109th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2014 in San Francisco. On the other hand, study author Susan R. Fisk found that anxiety did not raise anxiety levels for men and that men’s job performance was unaffected.
Dating with Cancer: When Do You Share Your Diagnosis?
By Tracy Maxwell
This article, which originally appeared on DemosHealth.com, is adapted from Being Single, With Cancer.
“At what point in a new relationship is it appropriate to reveal your status as a cancer survivor?”
If you have ever wondered what the right answer to this question is, you’re not alone. Many survivors ask the same thing when dating after cancer or during treatment.
Oxidative Stress Predicts Hip Fracture
Oxidative stress — a disruption in the balance between the production of free radicals and antioxidants — is a significant predictor for hip fracture in postmenopausal women, according to research led by University of Cincinnati epidemiologists and published online ahead of print in August 2014 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Digital Literacy Reduces Cognitive Decline
Congratulations, ThirdAge fan! The fact that you are at your computer reading this means that you are among the digital literati – and that accomplishment promises to lower your risk of cognitive decline as you age.
Researchers led by Andre Junqueira Xavier at the Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina in Brazil have found that the ability to engage, plan, and execute digital actions such as web browsing and exchanging emails can improve memory. The results were published in July 8th 2014 in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Medical Sciences.
More Exercise Is Not Always Better
Did you do about a half hour of exercise today? If so, don’t feel guilty about sitting down and putting your feet up – especially is if you have heart disease. Working out too much is probably bad for you. That’s the finding of a study published in August 2014 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. A release from the clinic notes that there is clear evidence of an increase in cardiovascular deaths in heart attack survivors who exercise to excess.
Prayer Eases Anxiety for Some, But Not All
For many people with anxiety-related disorders, prayer doesn’t ease the symptoms. That’s the finding of research done at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. What seems to matter is the type of attachment a person feels toward God. According to the Baylor study, those who prayed to a loving and supportive God whom they thought would be there to comfort and protect them in times of need were less likely to show symptoms of anxiety-related disorders such as irrational worry, fear, self-consciousness, dread in social situations, and obsessive-compulsive behavior.
Toward Tx for Interstitial Cystitis
A search for biomarkers is aimed at improving treatment of the painful bladder condition called interstitial cystitis (IC). Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem North Carolina are taking advantage of technology that can analyze tissue samples and measure the activity of thousands of genes at once.