More than 53 million Americans age 50 and older, primarily women, have osteoporosis or are at high risk for the condition due to low bone density. A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Bone in June 2016 found that approximately a third of women prescribed oral bisphosphonates, the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis treatment, continue to… Continue reading One-Third of Women Taking Bisphosphonates Remain at Risk for Fracture
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.
Music Eases Anxiety During Cataract Surgery
Having relaxing music played just before eye surgery leads to patients feeling less anxiety and requiring less sedation, according to a study presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 in London from May 27th to 30th 2016. The study was done by by Dr. Gilles Guerrier, Cochin University Hospital, Paris, France, and colleagues. A release from the society… Continue reading Music Eases Anxiety During Cataract Surgery
For Millions on Long-Term Opioid Medications, Change Will Be a Challenge
A team of researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System surveyed patients to understand barriers to reducing the use of opioids to manage chronic pain. The results of those interviews were published online on May 20th 2016 in the journal Pain Medicine. A release from… Continue reading For Millions on Long-Term Opioid Medications, Change Will Be a Challenge
Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Active Surveillance Anxiety in Prostate Cancer
Men with prostate cancer who are under close medical surveillance reported significantly greater resilience and less anxiety over time after receiving an intervention of mindfulness meditation, according to a pilot study from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine published in May 2016. Release from the university notes that the anxiety and uncertainty that men… Continue reading Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Active Surveillance Anxiety in Prostate Cancer
Mayo Clinic in Arizona Opens Lung Transplant Program
Mayo Clinic in Arizona has opened its lung transplant program and has completed two lung transplants, a milestone that now completes Mayo’s comprehensive solid organ transplant program, with ability to provide heart, kidney, pancreas, liver and now lung transplants. Mayo received approval by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) to launch a lung transplant… Continue reading Mayo Clinic in Arizona Opens Lung Transplant Program
The Beauty of Old Age: A “Higher” Perspective
Most people grasp how crucial it is for children to not miss out on their childhood, but we often forget that it is equally crucial to not miss out on all of life, be it adolescence, middle age, old age, single life, married life, parenthood, or any other phase. Every stage is an incredible gift… Continue reading The Beauty of Old Age: A “Higher” Perspective
Long-term Care: Perceptions, Experiences, and Attitudes of Americans 40 or Older
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research announces the publication and availability on April 24th 2013 of a major survey that provides a new baseline of understanding about what Americans 40 years or older believe about their need for long-term care services, what such care would cost, and how such issues fit into their… Continue reading Long-term Care: Perceptions, Experiences, and Attitudes of Americans 40 or Older
Holding on to Old Grievances
Most of us have narratives of our life stories that include some pivotal event. It could be meeting the love of your life or a special teacher who changed your life for the better. Sometimes the pivotal event is a tragedy such as sexual or physical abuse, or an accident or death in the family.… Continue reading Holding on to Old Grievances
How to Avoid Running Out of Money in Retirement
A New York Life survey found that 58% of Americans overestimate how much they can safely withdraw from retirement savings. More than three in ten believe they can spend ten percent or more of their savings each year, yet at that rate they would exhaust their savings in 11 years or less. Here’s why retirees should count on… Continue reading How to Avoid Running Out of Money in Retirement
Fiber Intake Tied to Successful Aging
Most people know that a diet high in fiber helps to keep us “regular.” Now Australian researchers from The Westmead Institute for Medical Research have uncovered a surprising benefit of this often-undervalued dietary component. The study, published in April 2016 in The Journals of Gerontology, reports that eating the right amount of fiber from breads,… Continue reading Fiber Intake Tied to Successful Aging
Telephone Therapy Eases Menopause Symptoms
Chatting on the phone with a “sleep coach” and keeping a nightly sleep diary significantly improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia in women through all stages of menopause, according to a study done at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and published May 23rd 2016 in JAMA Internal Medicine. A release from the center… Continue reading Telephone Therapy Eases Menopause Symptoms
Are You Using Sunscreen Correctly?
How well do you understand sunscreen? For many consumers, the answer is not so well. According to a 2016 American Academy of Dermatology survey, many people are still puzzled by the wide range of SPF numbers on product labels, and some may not be using sunscreen properly, which could increase their skin cancer risk. The… Continue reading Are You Using Sunscreen Correctly?
The Impact of Celebrity Loss
Even back in the Dark Ages (referring to the time before the Internet, social media, a 24-hour non-stop news cycle and electronics of all manner invaded our lives), news of a celebrity or a public figure’s death had the ability to bring life to a standstill, even if for only a brief moment in time:… Continue reading The Impact of Celebrity Loss
Parks Are Seldom Used by Older People
Neighborhood parks across the United States are geared primarily toward younger people, limiting their use by adults and seniors, but surprisingly attract fewer female youth as well, according to a RAND Corporation study that offers the first national examination of parks, what they offer, who uses them and how they are used. The study was… Continue reading Parks Are Seldom Used by Older People
71% of Hip Fracture Patients Not Told They Have Osteoporosis
More than seven in 10 older adults who suffer hip fractures aren’t told they have the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis, despite the fact that hip fractures nearly always signify the presence of this potentially debilitating condition. That is the finding of research done in May 2016 by physicians atNorthwell Health in Great Neck on Long Island,… Continue reading 71% of Hip Fracture Patients Not Told They Have Osteoporosis
Take This to Heart, Ladies
While cardiovascular disease may be top-of-mind in February during American Heart Month, any time is the right time for women to learn more about what has been deemed their number one killer. More deadly than all forms of cancer combined, cardiovascular disease affects approximately 44 million women in the US. Along with stroke, it can… Continue reading Take This to Heart, Ladies
Flawed Data on High-Risk Women’s Health Devices
Some high-risk medical devices used in obstetrics and gynecology were approved by the FDA based on flawed data, according to a study from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology in May 2016. A release from the university explains that the investigators assessed the regulation of women’s health devices approved by… Continue reading Flawed Data on High-Risk Women’s Health Devices
Redefining Health and Well-Being in America’s Aging Population
Chronological age itself plays almost no role in accounting for differences in older people’s health and well-being, according to a large-scale study done in 2016by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Chicago. The paper was published in the May 2016 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A release… Continue reading Redefining Health and Well-Being in America’s Aging Population