According to the ASPCA, 37 to 47 percent of all U.S. households have a dog, and 30 to 37 percent have a cat. Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that more than 90 percent of all U.S. households have at least one car. When you combine the high number of pet owners with the high… Continue reading Best Car Accessories for Pet Owners
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.
Five Tips for Container Gardening Success
Container gardens allow you to easily dress up your balcony and patio, create a colorful welcome for guests and keep edibles close at hand for cooking and entertaining. They’re also a terrific way for new gardeners to get their start. Increase your success growing vegetables, herbs or flowers in a container with these tips. Proper… Continue reading Five Tips for Container Gardening Success
High-Dose Flu Vaccine Better at Preventing Deaths in Seniors
The high-dose flu vaccine appeared to be more effective at preventing post-influenza deaths among older adults than the standard-dose vaccine, at least during a more severe flu season, according to a large new study of Medicare beneficiaries published in March 2017 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. The findings build on earlier research suggesting that… Continue reading High-Dose Flu Vaccine Better at Preventing Deaths in Seniors
How to Safely Drive with a Pet in Your Car
Just a few decades ago, it was considered perfectly acceptable for adults to travel in cars without wearing seat belts and for young kids to ride without the safety and support of car seats. These days, we have access to better information and safer technology, and we wouldn’t dream of putting ourselves or our loved… Continue reading How to Safely Drive with a Pet in Your Car
Sex Differences in Brain Activity Alter Pain Therapies
A female brain’s resident immune cells are more active in regions involved in pain processing relative to males, according to a March 2017 study by Georgia State University researchers. A release from the university explains that the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that when microglia — the brain’s resident immune cells —… Continue reading Sex Differences in Brain Activity Alter Pain Therapies
Trainer Bob Harper Had a Heart Attack: Does This Mean We’re All Doomed?
When a fitness guru suffers from a heart attack, where does that leave the rest of us? That’s what Bob Harper’s heart attack, just a few weeks ago, is leaving many people wondering. You may know Bob Harper, 51, as star trainer turned host from NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” He has authored several weight loss… Continue reading Trainer Bob Harper Had a Heart Attack: Does This Mean We’re All Doomed?
Keep Calm and Measure Cats’ Blood Pressure!
The International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM), the veterinary division of International Cat Care, is highlighting some concerns about high blood pressure in our feline companions. Hypertension is a well-recognized condition in older cats, yet probably remains significantly underdiagnosed. The consequences can be severe, with target organ damage typically affecting the eyes, heart, brain and… Continue reading Keep Calm and Measure Cats’ Blood Pressure!
7 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Lyme Disease
Celebrities – like singer Avril Lavigne, and authors Amy Tan and Rebecca Wells – have spoken publicly about their struggles with Lyme disease, so many people recognize that it can be serious. Most people have heard of Lyme disease, the infection that is passed onto humans (and animals) through the bite of a tick.… Continue reading 7 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Lyme Disease
Toward a Safer Permanent Hair Dye
Coloring hair has become a common practice, particularly for people who want to hide their graying locks. But according to a release from the American Chemical Society, an ingredient in many of today’s commercial hair dyes has been linked to allergic reactions and skin irritation. Now scientists have developed a potentially safer alternative by mimicking… Continue reading Toward a Safer Permanent Hair Dye
Growth Hormones in Food Animals: What’s the Risk?
Growth hormones are routinely given to cows and sheep being produced for their meat, and are injected into dairy cows. . These hormones make their way to our dinner tables, and also contaminate the environment via manure and runoff from feedlots into local streams. Studies have shown that these factors can constitute risks to our… Continue reading Growth Hormones in Food Animals: What’s the Risk?
Add Some Garden Pizzazz to Your Landscape with Easy-Care Dahlias
Plan now for a memorable grand finale in this year’s garden. Dahlias are spring-planted bulbs with big, colorful flowers that bloom continuously from midsummer to the first fall frost. Early in the season, the foliage of these easy-care plants provides a lush green backdrop for nearby annuals and perennials. Then, as many other plants are… Continue reading Add Some Garden Pizzazz to Your Landscape with Easy-Care Dahlias
Only 1/3 of Parents Think They Are Doing a Good Job Helping Kids Eat Healthy
If you know healthy eating is important for your kids but you also feel like it’s easier said than done, you’re not alone. Nearly all parents agree with the importance of healthy diets during childhood, according to a 2017 national poll. But when it comes to their own homes, only a third of parents of… Continue reading Only 1/3 of Parents Think They Are Doing a Good Job Helping Kids Eat Healthy
Ways to Improve Doctor-Patient Communication
A hospital-wide communication training program, outlining best practices for doctors to follow in interactions with patients, improved patients’ perception of doctor communication by 9 percent. That is the finding of research published on February 23rd 2017 in the American Journal of Medical Quality (SAGE Publishing journal). The study details the largest known experiment of its… Continue reading Ways to Improve Doctor-Patient Communication
Human Brain Processes Critical to Short-Term Memory
Neuroscientists at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles have uncovered processes involved in how the human brain creates and maintains short-term memories. A release from the medical center quotes Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, associate professor of Neurosurgeryand the study’s senior author, as saying, “This study is the first clear demonstration of precisely how human brain cells work to… Continue reading Human Brain Processes Critical to Short-Term Memory
Your Relationship With Money
Should I buy it, or shouldn’t I? Do I have enough; how much is enough? Should I conserve or risk? Are my partner and I in sync? These are just some of the questions that bounce around our heads, sometimes consciously, sometimes lurking beneath the surface. Do you ever wonder why? The answer isn’t always… Continue reading Your Relationship With Money
Colorectal Cancer Increasingly Seen in Younger Adults
Millennials – those in generations born since 1980 – are being diagnosed more and more with a disease typically associated with aging. . Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) incidence rates are on the rise in young and middle-aged adults. And these diagnoses rates are on the increase in younger adults at the… Continue reading Colorectal Cancer Increasingly Seen in Younger Adults
Recycling Unused Medication To Save Lives
In a 2012 survey, over a quarter (28%) of American adults with chronic conditions reported skipping doses or not filling a prescription because they could not afford to pay for it. Among those who were uninsured or under-insured, rates of cost-related problems getting medications were 30-60%*. At the same time, hospitals, pharmacies, manufacturers and nursing… Continue reading Recycling Unused Medication To Save Lives
Older and Younger Adults Experience Similar Improvements Following Surgery for Herniated Lumbar Disk
Although patients 65 years of age or older had more minor complications and longer hospital stays, they experienced improvements in their conditions after surgery for a herniated lumbar disk that were similar to those of younger patients, according to a study published online in February 2017 by JAMA Surgery. A release from the publisher notes… Continue reading Older and Younger Adults Experience Similar Improvements Following Surgery for Herniated Lumbar Disk