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.
How to Build Mutual Respect in the Dentist-Patient Relationship
There is a wealth of information available to dentists on how to build a better relationship with their patients – but precious little about how patients can build a better relationship with their dentists. Like any relationship, it will be stronger if it is a two-way street where both parties are striving for better communication.… Continue reading How to Build Mutual Respect in the Dentist-Patient Relationship
The Best Vitamins to Take for Your Age
Here are my top recommendations for vitamins you should be taking through the generations: Your 20’s –In our 20’s, we’re super active, so Vitamin B is really important. Vitamin B will keep you energized throughout the day and prevent you from crashing. Vitamin C is another important vitamin that will boost your immune system… Continue reading The Best Vitamins to Take for Your Age
One in Four Older Adults Prescribed a Benzodiazepine Goes on to Risky Long-Term Use
Prescriptions for sedatives known as benzodiazepines may start as well-intentioned efforts to calm anxiety, improve sleep or ease depression. But those prescriptions may lead to long-term use among one in four older adults who receive them, according to research done in 2018 by a team from the University of Michigan, VA and University of Pennsylvania.… Continue reading One in Four Older Adults Prescribed a Benzodiazepine Goes on to Risky Long-Term Use
Whole Grains Are One of the Most Important Food Groups for Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
It doesn’t matter if it’s rye, oats, or wheat. As long as it is wholegrain, it can prevent type 2 diabetes. This is the finding of a 2018 study from researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the Danish Cancer Society Research Center. The comprehensive study is a strong confirmation of previous research findings… Continue reading Whole Grains Are One of the Most Important Food Groups for Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
Marriage Protects Against Malnutrition in Old Age
More and more elderly people are suffering from malnutrition. People who are unmarried, separated or divorced are most often affected, while men and women who are either married or widowed tend to take better care of themselves. Those who have difficulty walking or coping with stairs or who have just returned home from hospital are… Continue reading Marriage Protects Against Malnutrition in Old Age
How Seniors Can Truly Benefit from Low-Impact Workouts
Activity is vital at any life stage. It helps children develop correctly, keeps adults healthy and reduces the impact of old age in seniors. Elders that stay active can enjoy various benefits to their well-being, even from low-impact workouts. Still, it isn’t always easy to keep motivated to work out, especially during these hot summer… Continue reading How Seniors Can Truly Benefit from Low-Impact Workouts
Perceiving Support — Not Receiving It — Helps People Cope with Worry and Waiting
Feeling like your partner cares about your stress helps you cope, according to 2018 research done at University of California – Riverside. It may even help you sleep better, and may be beneficial to your health. A release from the university notes that Kate Sweeny’s “worry and waiting” research has contributed much to our understanding… Continue reading Perceiving Support — Not Receiving It — Helps People Cope with Worry and Waiting
Plant Now for a Beautiful Garden Next Year
Don’t let the summer heat keep you indoors. Now is a great time to dress up those garden beds in need of a facelift. Always start by calling 811 and they’ll contact all the appropriate companies who will mark the location of their underground utilities in your work area. This helps eliminate the danger and… Continue reading Plant Now for a Beautiful Garden Next Year
DNA-Based Method Detects Trace Amounts of Peanut in Foods
For people with severe peanut allergies, eating even miniscule amounts of the legume can trigger anaphylaxis — a life-threatening condition characterized by dizziness, breathing difficulties and, sometimes, loss of consciousness. Now, researchers have developed a sensitive new test to detect trace amounts of peanuts in foods using the peanuts’ DNA. They reported their results in… Continue reading DNA-Based Method Detects Trace Amounts of Peanut in Foods
3 Factors That Can Keep Retirees Barely Hanging on Financially
They were an active and vibrant couple, determined that retirement wouldn’t slow them down. And it didn’t, at least not initially, as they golfed, participated in activities with their homeowners’ association, and otherwise stayed engaged with the world around them. But a few years into their post-working years the couple grew concerned about whether they,… Continue reading 3 Factors That Can Keep Retirees Barely Hanging on Financially
Simple Nerve Stimulation May Improve Sexual Response in Women
Treatment traditionally used for overactive bladder may offer new hope for women with sexual dysfunction Electrodes aren’t the first thing most people think of when it comes to achieving sexual arousal. But if the results of a pilot study done at the University of Michigan in September 2018 are any indication, that may soon change.… Continue reading Simple Nerve Stimulation May Improve Sexual Response in Women
Advances in Breast Reconstruction: The PAP Flap Reduces Visible Scarring
Women undergoing breast reconstruction after mastectomy have many options. The gold standard of breast reconstruction is natural tissue breast reconstruction, in which a woman’s own tissue is used to reconstruct the breast. Unlike implant-based breast reconstruction, a restored breast made of your own tissue is soft, warm, and grows or shrinks as you gain or… Continue reading Advances in Breast Reconstruction: The PAP Flap Reduces Visible Scarring
4 Reasons Being Creative Will Make You Happier as You Grow Older
We don’t all age like fine wine, but there’s plenty of proof that the creative juices can keep flowing well into the twilight years. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Millard Kaufman wrote his first novel, Bowl of Cherries, at the age of 90. Benjamin Franklin was 78 when he invented the bifocal lens. Frank Lloyd Wright completed… Continue reading 4 Reasons Being Creative Will Make You Happier as You Grow Older
Study Finds Multiple Sclerosis Drug Slows Brain Shrinkage
Results from a clinical trial of more than 250 participants with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) revealed that ibudilast was better than a placebo in slowing down brain shrinkage. The study also showed that the main side effects of ibudilast were gastrointestinal and headaches. The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and… Continue reading Study Finds Multiple Sclerosis Drug Slows Brain Shrinkage
Harvest Cucumbers for Slicing and Pickling
It’s all about timing when harvesting cucumbers for eating fresh or preserving as dill or sweet pickles. Picking these low-calorie vegetables ensures the best flavor, greatest nutritional value and suitability for pickling. Harvest cucumbers based on how you plan to use them. Pick the fruit when it is 1½ to 2½ inches long if you… Continue reading Harvest Cucumbers for Slicing and Pickling
How Unsecured Medical Record Systems and Medical Devices Put Patient Lives at Risk
A team of physicians and computer scientists at the University of California – San Diego and University of California – Davis has shown that it is easy to modify medical test results remotely by attacking the connection between hospital laboratory devices and medical record systems. A release from the UC San Diego notes that these… Continue reading How Unsecured Medical Record Systems and Medical Devices Put Patient Lives at Risk
You Are Never Too Old for the Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean diet is a secret of long life for elderly. These are the conclusions of a study by the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed, in Molise, Italy, published in August 2018 the British Journal of Nutrition. Researchers analyzed the relationship between the traditional Mediterranean diet and mortality in a sample… Continue reading You Are Never Too Old for the Mediterranean Diet