Artificial sweeteners may be associated with long-term weight gain and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, according to a study published in July 2017 in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Manitoba’s George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation and… Continue reading Artificial Sweeteners Linked to Risk of Weight Gain, Heart Disease, and Other Health Issues
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.
Seven Medicine Cabinet Must-Haves for the Summer
Summer is a time to enjoy the warm weather and the outdoors as much as possible. However, the hot season means natural elements that can hinder anyone’s well-being, making it imperative your medicine cabinet is stocked with the most essential, over-the-counter, at-home first aid products and medications. Moisturizing Sunscreen – This goes without saying. A… Continue reading Seven Medicine Cabinet Must-Haves for the Summer
Good News About Aging! Older People Are More Likely to Be Happy Than Younger People Are
The poet Robert Browning wrote, “Grow old along with me/The best is yet to be”. Data from a study done by CivicScience shows that he was right. The market research firm followed happiness from 2013 to 2015. Over that time, 166,310 Americans answered the CivicScience poll question – “How happy are you today?—Very Happy, Happy, Unhappy,… Continue reading Good News About Aging! Older People Are More Likely to Be Happy Than Younger People Are
Learning with Music Can Change Brain Structure
Using musical cues to learn a physical task significantly develops an important part of the brain, according to a study published in July 2017 in the journal Brain & Cognition. The interdisciplinary project brought together researchers from the University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Music in Human and Social Development, Clinical Research Imaging Centre, and Centre… Continue reading Learning with Music Can Change Brain Structure
Are You Leaving Your Beneficiaries a Tax Time Bomb?
When it comes to retirement – and to passing on whatever wealth you’ve accumulated to a spouse or the next generation – you may think you’ve thought of everything. But despite your careful planning, it could be that Uncle Sam will be handing you a hefty tax bill while you’re living – or your beneficiaries… Continue reading Are You Leaving Your Beneficiaries a Tax Time Bomb?
10 Tips to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Being the primary caregiver for a loved one dealing with a serious medical condition is hard and will take a toll on you. The good news is there are things caregivers can do to help them provide the best care possible, make it through the tough times and avoid caregiver burnout. Soothe yourself with prayer,… Continue reading 10 Tips to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Steroids May Do More Harm Than Good in Some Cases of Severe Asthma
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and UPMC have uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying corticosteroid resistance in severe asthma. The new findings have important clinical implications, suggesting that corticosteroids, the main treatment for asthma, may worsen the disease in this group of patients. The research was published July 6TH 2017… Continue reading Steroids May Do More Harm Than Good in Some Cases of Severe Asthma
Cranberries May Aid the Gut Microbiome
Nutritional microbiologist David Sela at the University of Massachusetts Amherst says that many scientists are paying new attention to prebiotics — that is, molecules we eat but cannot digest — because some may promote the growth and health of beneficial microorganisms in our intestines. In a 2017 study, he and colleagues report the first evidence… Continue reading Cranberries May Aid the Gut Microbiome
Grief Delayed Is Not Grief Denied
It all seems pretty straightforward – almost formulaic in a way. You lose someone you love. It feels terrible. You cope with the shock. You mourn and you grieve. You wait patiently…and subsequently impatiently…for the time to arrive when life will resume some semblance of normalcy. The time arrives, the pain finally “disappears”…and you continue… Continue reading Grief Delayed Is Not Grief Denied
The Mind Plays an Important Role in Well-being in Later Life
What does it take to have a sense of well-being as we age? Summarizing the results of a study done at Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health and published in July 2017 in BMC Geriatrics, Prof. Karl-Heinz Ladwig said, “Aging itself is not inevitably associated with a decline in mood and… Continue reading The Mind Plays an Important Role in Well-being in Later Life
Ten Tips for Effective Communication With Your Doctor
Sometimes in my work as a family doctor, the days don’t always go as expected. On a busy day, I feel like I’ll never catch up, and it’s frustrating that I can’t give adequate time to each individual patient. One afternoon not long ago, I was feeling unusually tired. I looked down at my schedule… Continue reading Ten Tips for Effective Communication With Your Doctor
7 Techniques for Keeping Your “Thought Life” Healthy and Your Stress Level Low
Life gives people plenty of reasons to be stressed. Relationship problems, child-rearing issues, job woes, and a lack of money are just some of life’s complications that can weigh people down – and cause health problems. It’s difficult to stay healthy and energized when stress is a daily reality. Chronic stress can damage your body,… Continue reading 7 Techniques for Keeping Your “Thought Life” Healthy and Your Stress Level Low
High Doses of Vitamin D Reduce Redness, Swelling, and Inflammation of a Sunburn
You know that getting a sunburn is not a good idea. Yet at the height of summer, your best efforts at prevention could fail. What then? According to a double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial done at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, high doses of vitamin D taken one… Continue reading High Doses of Vitamin D Reduce Redness, Swelling, and Inflammation of a Sunburn
Some OTC Hearing Assistance Devices Pretty Much Match the Performance of a More Expensive Conventional Hearing Aid
A comparison between less expensive, over-the-counter hearing assistance devices and a conventional hearing aid found that some of these devices were associated with improvements in hearing similar to the hearing aid, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in July 2017 by JAMA. A release from the publisher notes that currently, hearing aids can only… Continue reading Some OTC Hearing Assistance Devices Pretty Much Match the Performance of a More Expensive Conventional Hearing Aid
Waiting for Higher Rates Is a Bad Bet
Many people who want to invest in fixed-income or principal-protected products like fixed annuities and CDs hesitate because they’re leery of tying up their money at current rates. But delaying costs you. While you’re waiting for rates to rise, you’re earning little in a money market fund or bank account. It’s very hard to catch… Continue reading Waiting for Higher Rates Is a Bad Bet
Shingles Increases the Risk of Heart Attack & Stroke
Contracting shingles, a reactivation of the chickenpox virus, increases a person’s risk of stroke and heart attack, according to a research letter published In July 2017 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. A release from the publishers notes that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost one out of… Continue reading Shingles Increases the Risk of Heart Attack & Stroke
Method That Determines Cell Age More Accurately Could Help Elderly Patients
Sure, you know how old you are, but what about your cells? Are they the same age? Are they older, younger? Why does it matter? Led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins University, a team of researchers is reporting progress in developing a method to accurately determine the functional age of cells, a step that… Continue reading Method That Determines Cell Age More Accurately Could Help Elderly Patients
Quick Test Finds Signs of Sepsis in a Single Drop of Blood
A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood. A team of researchers from the University of Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois completed a clinical study of the device, which is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system’s… Continue reading Quick Test Finds Signs of Sepsis in a Single Drop of Blood