Tens of thousands of people each year achieve dramatic weight loss by undergoing bariatric surgery. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, in 2017, 228,000 people underwent surgery to restrict the amount of food the stomach can hold or reduce the absorption of nutrients or both. Surgical techniques vary according to the… Continue reading Options for Body Contouring after Bariatric Surgery
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.
Herbal Medicines May Be Tainted – Especially Those Sourced Overseas
If you travel overseas and you’re a fan of herbal medicines, heed this warning! In 2018, a University of Adelaide forensic pathologist in cautions that potentially harmful substances found in herbal medicines may be playing a bigger role in deaths of “health tourists” than previously thought. Professor Roger Byard is calling for closer checks during… Continue reading Herbal Medicines May Be Tainted – Especially Those Sourced Overseas
8 Steps of Gratitude that Will Change Your Life
With Thanksgiving a few weeks away, now is the time of year that people reflect and give thanks for whatever they’re grateful for in their lives. Gratitude has been shown to make us more patient, improve relationships, help ease depression, give us happiness that lasts, and more. You can’t force change. You need to allow… Continue reading 8 Steps of Gratitude that Will Change Your Life
Improving Lifespan Predictions and the Scientific Understanding of Aging
By studying the effect of genetic variations on lifespan across the human genome — that is, the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism — an international group of researchers have devised a way to estimate whether a person can expect to live longer or shorter than average. The team… Continue reading Improving Lifespan Predictions and the Scientific Understanding of Aging
Responding to a Consumer Drug Recall
The summer of 2018, American consumers saw a number of larger drug recalls, including the contaminated valsartan medication found in July and the hydrochlorothiazide tablets that were mislabeled in August. These two medications in particular impacted thousands of consumers with high blood pressure, and it’s worth noting that they also raised many general questions about… Continue reading Responding to a Consumer Drug Recall
Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer Delayed by Woeful Lack of Awareness
A global study of women with ovarian cancer has found that two thirds of women had never heard of the disease, or did not know anything about it before their diagnosis. Although nine out of ten had experienced symptoms prior to diagnosis, fewer than half of those women visited a doctor within a month of… Continue reading Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer Delayed by Woeful Lack of Awareness
Risky Sedative Prescriptions for Older Adults Vary Widely
Despite years of warnings that older adults shouldn’t take sedative drugs that put them at risk of injury and death, a 2018 study done at the University of Michigan reveals how many primary care doctors are still prescribing them, how often, and exactly where. Mapped out county by county, the study shows wide variation in… Continue reading Risky Sedative Prescriptions for Older Adults Vary Widely
Five Steps This Fall to a More Beautiful Landscape
Don’t let a busy schedule stop you from creating a beautiful landscape. Incorporate a few of these changes into your fall landscape care. You’ll create beautiful results with a limited investment of time and effort. Cut the grass, recycle fall leaves, and improve the soil with a pass of the lawn mower. Shred leaves and… Continue reading Five Steps This Fall to a More Beautiful Landscape
The Dangers of Mixing Prescription and OTC Drugs with Alcohol
There’s a reason why prescription and some over the counter medication packages are marked with a “Do not mix with alcohol”. It’s dangerous. Mixing medicine and alcohol can have all kinds of negative side effects. Unfortunately, many people overlook this. Maybe they’re having too much fun at a party and decide to pop a few… Continue reading The Dangers of Mixing Prescription and OTC Drugs with Alcohol
Poor Oral Health Linked to Higher Blood Pressure and Worse Blood Pressure Control
People with high blood pressure taking medication for their condition are more likely to benefit from the therapy if they have good oral health, according to new research published in October 2018 in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension. The findings of the analysis, based on a review of medical and dental exam records of… Continue reading Poor Oral Health Linked to Higher Blood Pressure and Worse Blood Pressure Control
Black Market Plastic Surgery: What Price Do You Really Pay for a “Bargain”?
Seeking fuller lips, a larger derriere and bigger breasts, but unable to afford expensive plastic surgery procedures? Many women in the U.S. are increasingly turning to the black market to alter their appearance. With the use of tools such as industrial silicone, which is only available at home improvement stores, many women in several states have… Continue reading Black Market Plastic Surgery: What Price Do You Really Pay for a “Bargain”?
Scientists Found the Brain Signal That Might Help Us Judge the Holiday Buffet
At holiday buffets and potlucks, people make quick calculations about which dishes to try and how much to take of each. In 2018, Johns Hopkins University neuroscientists have found a brain region that appears to be strongly connected to such food preference decisions. The researchers, working with rats, discovered robust nerve activity related to food choice… Continue reading Scientists Found the Brain Signal That Might Help Us Judge the Holiday Buffet
Social Media Buffers Depression Among Older Adults with Pain
With a few finger strokes or swipes on a computer or cell phone, seniors with pain reduce the risk of depression when visiting social media sites. That is the finding of a 2018 University of Michigan study published in the Journals of Gerontology, Series B. A release from the univerisyt notes that the researchers reported… Continue reading Social Media Buffers Depression Among Older Adults with Pain
Don’t Fall Sick with a Foodborne Illness this Autumn
The temperatures are falling right along with the leaves, and all those autumnal traditions and festivities are just around the corner. Whether it’s picking apples and drinking cider, having fun on a hayride, walking amongst the colorful trees, or even playing in the pumpkin patch, your fall fun will very likely involve food. This is… Continue reading Don’t Fall Sick with a Foodborne Illness this Autumn
Sleep and Memory: How They Work Together
“Sleep on it.” We’ve long known that a good night’s sleep confers important benefits on mood, alertness, concentration, and judgment. Research over more than a century has also established that sleep plays an important role in memory retention. More recently, studies have begun to establish more precisely how the connection between sleep and memory works.… Continue reading Sleep and Memory: How They Work Together
Modifiable Dementia Risk Factor in Older Adults
For older adults, it may seem as though the die is already cast regarding their odds of developing dementia, but 2018 research from the University of Pittsburgh has identified a dementia risk factor among older adults that should be modifiable even well into old age. The study, which draws on data collected from following hundreds… Continue reading Modifiable Dementia Risk Factor in Older Adults
Hard Cider, With a Shot of Sugar
Autumn is the season for falling leaves, pumpkin-spice-flavored everything, and apple cider. Yet research done in 2018 indicates that, in addition to alcohol, some hard ciders may contain a hefty dose of added sugar, which may not be disclosed on the label. The researchers reported their results in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.… Continue reading Hard Cider, With a Shot of Sugar
Healthy Elders Consuming Walnuts Daily Show No Negative Effects on Body Weight
Researchers in 2018 at Loma Linda University Health in California found that walnuts can be incorporated into the daily diet of healthy elders without having a negative impact on weight gain or weight management. Their findings, published September 18th in the journal Nutrients, expand the knowledge of how nuts can affect the independently living, predominantly… Continue reading Healthy Elders Consuming Walnuts Daily Show No Negative Effects on Body Weight