Higher levels of lifestyle physical activity such as house cleaning, walking a dog and gardening as well as exercise are associated with more gray matter in the brains of older adults, according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center and published in The Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences on February 14th 2018.… Continue reading Everyday Activities Are Associated with More Gray Matter in the Brains of Older Adults
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.
“Liquid Biopsy” Can Help Predict Outcomes in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
A clinically relevant “liquid biopsy” test can be used to profile cancer genomes from blood and predict survival outcomes for patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to research published in the February 20th 2018, print issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology by a multi-institutional team of researchers with The Ohio State… Continue reading “Liquid Biopsy” Can Help Predict Outcomes in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Hottest Pepper Varieties to Try this Year
Turn up the heat and add a bit of spice to your meals with hot peppers. Add them to your garden, flower borders and containers for added beauty and easy picking. Your biggest challenge will be narrowing down your choices. Let All-America Selections (AAS) winners help. This nonprofit organization tests new edible and ornamental varieties… Continue reading Hottest Pepper Varieties to Try this Year
Most Parents Don’t Believe Their Child’s BMI Report Card
A whopping 53% of parents who receive their child’s Body Mass Index (BMI) report card do not believe that it accurately categorizes their child as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese, according to research published February 14th 2018 in Health Promotion Practice, a SAGE Publishing journal. A release from Sage explains that researchers Jones et… Continue reading Most Parents Don’t Believe Their Child’s BMI Report Card
Expanding Hepatitis C Testing to All Adults Is Cost-Effective and Improves Outcomes
According to a February 2018 study published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases, screening all adults for hepatitis C (HCV) is a cost-effective way to improve clinical outcomes of HCV and identify more infected people compared to current recommendations. Using a simulation model, researchers from Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Stanford University found… Continue reading Expanding Hepatitis C Testing to All Adults Is Cost-Effective and Improves Outcomes
Bringing Back a Youthful-Looking Face
It’s a dilemma of aging supposedly identified by that famous French beauty Catherine Deneuve: Do you want to keep a firm fanny or face? Beyond a certain age, it was said, maintaining a slim derrière meant a hollowed-out face with droopy cheeks and wrinkles. Fortunately, a fast-forward through the decades has brought increased options. Due… Continue reading Bringing Back a Youthful-Looking Face
4 Reasons It’s Urgent to Understand the Cost of Growing Old
Many young, healthy Americans may not realize that they share something troubling in common with each other. There’s a good chance they could spend the later years of their lives in long-term care, a situation that might drain their finances and leave them dependent on the government to survive. Families go broke quickly trying to… Continue reading 4 Reasons It’s Urgent to Understand the Cost of Growing Old
Perceptions of Old Age Change as We Age
Does life really begin at 40? Is 50 the new 30? For people in these age groups, the answer appears to be yes. But for young adults in their teens and early 20s, turning 50 equates to hitting old age, according a February 2018 study of more than a half-million Americans led by a Michigan… Continue reading Perceptions of Old Age Change as We Age
Why Is Sleep So Essential?
The debate in sleep science has gone on for a generation. People and other animals sicken and die if they are deprived of sleep, but why is sleep so essential? Psychiatrists Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi of the Wisconsin Center for Sleep and Consciousness proposed the “synaptic homeostasis hypothesis” (SHY) in 2003. This hypothesis holds… Continue reading Why Is Sleep So Essential?
Breast Reconstruction Has Come a Long Way
The ancient Egyptians described breast cancer in papyrus writings as far back as 1600 B.C. Over the following centuries, many causes were suggested – from imbalances of bodily fluids to compression from tight clothing – and treatments ranged from cauterization to opium to arsenic. It was not until the 18th century that breast cancer came… Continue reading Breast Reconstruction Has Come a Long Way
11 Food Safety Tips to Pack When Traveling
Whether you spend time partying in a city, exploring a different country or getting some R&R at home, don’t let food safety take a vacation . Maintaining basic food safety standards, like washing hands, and adding some travel-specific practices is the best way to ensure foodborne illness won’t interrupt a fun getaway. Check out the… Continue reading 11 Food Safety Tips to Pack When Traveling
MRI Technique Differentiates Benign Breast Lesions from Malignancies
An MRI breast imaging technique that requires no contrast agent, combined with sophisticated data analysis, could reduce the number of unnecessary breast biopsies, according to a study appearing online in February 2018 in the journal Radiology. A release from the Radiological Society of North America explains that breast MRI currently is used to screen women… Continue reading MRI Technique Differentiates Benign Breast Lesions from Malignancies
Good Oral Hygiene Keeps Dental Costs Down
Even with the rising cost of dental care, it is very easy today to maintain an excellent oral hygiene prevention system at home – at a fraction of the cost of rehabilitating a diseased mouth. To paraphrase the old adage, a dollar at the drug store is worth a thousand at the dentist. Here are… Continue reading Good Oral Hygiene Keeps Dental Costs Down
Our Thoughts About Our Experiences Can Have Physical Consequences
Our own unique experiences shape how we view the world and respond to the events in our lives. But experience is highly subjective. What’s distressing or joyful to one person may be very different to another. These differences can matter, especially as a growing body of research shows that what happens in our inner landscapes… Continue reading Our Thoughts About Our Experiences Can Have Physical Consequences
How to Help When Your Friend Has Cancer
I wanted to do something when Kathleen, my younger single mom friend, was diagnosed with Stage 3A lung cancer. It turned out the irritating cough she had that progressed to alarming non-stop coughing was a symptom of adenocarcinomas. She had never taken a sick day off work, never smoked. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I… Continue reading How to Help When Your Friend Has Cancer
14 Smart Skincare Hacks for Gym Rats
Exercise is good for the body and mind and did you know exercise and sweating is good for your skin, too? When exercising we release toxins from our skin, opening up and clear out our pores. However, if you miss one important step when it comes to exercising and skin, you’ll start to notice your… Continue reading 14 Smart Skincare Hacks for Gym Rats
Cleaning Your House Is Comparable to Smoking When It Comes to Decreasing Your Lung Function
According to a February 2018 release from the American Thoracic Society, women who work as cleaners or regularly use cleaning sprays or other cleaning products at home appear to experience a greater decline in lung function over time than women who do not clean. The research was published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American… Continue reading Cleaning Your House Is Comparable to Smoking When It Comes to Decreasing Your Lung Function
Restoring Creation of Lasting Memories in Older or Damaged Brains
Aging or impaired brains can once again form lasting memories if an enzyme that applies the brakes too hard on a key gene is lifted, according research done University of California, Irvine and Mount Holyoke neurobiologists. A release from the university quotes senior author Marcelo Wood, UCI’s Francisco J. Ayala Chair in Neurobiology & Behavior,… Continue reading Restoring Creation of Lasting Memories in Older or Damaged Brains