There is a type of grief that is rarely discussed or even widely known. It is formally classified as “disenfranchised grief” and sometimes called “estrangement grief”. This kind of grief is not readily acknowledged by society. I do not believe the lack of acknowledgment is intentional. After all, you cannot acknowledge that which never occurs… Continue reading When Estrangement and Grief Collide
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 Old Do You Look? The Answer Is in Your Genes
Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 28th 2016 say they have found a gene that helps explain why some people appear more youthful than others. A release from the publisher explains that the gene in question, MC1R, is already well known for producing red hair and pale skin. Now it… Continue reading How Old Do You Look? The Answer Is in Your Genes
Can a “Second Skin” in a Bottle Banish Wrinkles?
A release from the MIT News Office written by Anne Trafton reports that scientists at MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, Living Proof, and Olivo Labs have developed a new material that can temporarily protect and tighten skin, and smooth wrinkles. Trafton explains that with further development, the discovery could also be used to deliver drugs to… Continue reading Can a “Second Skin” in a Bottle Banish Wrinkles?
Foot Care Tips for Sandal Season
With the warm weather approaching, I recommend soaking in Epsom salt to reduce swelling and other foot irritations that are common in the summer. Our feet tend to swell more from the summer heat, looking less attractive at a time when they are more visible in open shoes. My motto is “Treat your feet the… Continue reading Foot Care Tips for Sandal Season
Older Adults Need Better Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Control
The leading cause of death in the elderly, the fastest growing segment of the population, is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Prevention of cardiovascular events in elderly patients presents a therapeutic challenge because this age group is generally underrepresented in clinical trials, and doctors often assume that it is too late to initiate preventive therapy in the… Continue reading Older Adults Need Better Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Control
MUTTS Comic Strip Creator Patrick McDonnell: “I Try My Best to Give a Voice to Shelter Animals”
According to the ASPCA, each year approximately 7.6 companion animals enter shelters nationwide – approximately 3.9 million dogs and 3.4 million cats. Of those, approximately 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats are euthanized. Patrick McDonnell, creator of the phenomenally successful, award-winning comic strip MUTTS (http://www.Mutts.com), is devoted to helping shelter animals avoid that fate.… Continue reading MUTTS Comic Strip Creator Patrick McDonnell: “I Try My Best to Give a Voice to Shelter Animals”
Don’t Retweet If You Want to Remember
In a digital world where information is at your fingertips, be prepared to hold on tight before it slips right through them. Research at Cornell University and Beijing University finds retweeting or otherwise sharing information creates a “cognitive overload” that interferes with learning and retaining what you’ve just seen. Worse yet, according to a release… Continue reading Don’t Retweet If You Want to Remember
In Older Adults, Frailty and Depression Can Affect Spouses
Frailty, a condition that affects 10 percent of people aged 65 and older, can make older adults more prone to disability, falls, hospitalization, and a shorter lifespan. In April 2016, research published online in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined the effects of frailty and depression on married couples. A research summary released… Continue reading In Older Adults, Frailty and Depression Can Affect Spouses
Blind Spots: Repeating Patterns That Don’t Work
There is a statistical assumption that the future will look like the past. Although psychoanalysis has little in common with statistics, ironically both disciplines agree about this assumption. Psychoanalysts believe there is a great probability the future will look like the past because you choose partners who represent aspects of people in your past—mother, father,… Continue reading Blind Spots: Repeating Patterns That Don’t Work
Can Positive Memories Help Treat Mental Health Problems?
Researchers from the University of Liverpool in the UK have published a study highlighting the effectiveness of using positive memories and images to help generate positive emotions. It has been suggested that savuring positive memories can generate positive emotions. Increasing positive emotion can have a range of benefits including reducing attention to and experiences of… Continue reading Can Positive Memories Help Treat Mental Health Problems?
Smell and Taste: The Spice of Life
Did you know that your sense of smell and taste are connected? As you get older, these senses can change, and you may find that certain foods aren’t as flavorful as they used to be. Changes in smell or taste can also be a sign of a larger problem. Your Sense of Smell Smell is… Continue reading Smell and Taste: The Spice of Life
10 Tips to Reduce Allergy Symptoms While Outside Doing Yard Work
As the weather is warming up, many homeowners are starting to work in the yard to enhance their home’s curb appeal for the spring and summer months. But with the warmer weather comes the wheezes and sneezes of allergy season. How can you spend more time outside working in your yard without the bothersome symptoms… Continue reading 10 Tips to Reduce Allergy Symptoms While Outside Doing Yard Work
Innovative Technique for Reconstructing Breast after Mastectomy
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center plastic surgeons have developed a new breast reconstruction technique that combines advantages of two different types of microsurgical procedures using abdominal and other tissue to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy. A release from the university explains that flap-based procedures use a woman’s own tissue taken from the abdomen,… Continue reading Innovative Technique for Reconstructing Breast after Mastectomy
Add Sparkle to Your Landscape with Unique Containers and Elevated Gardens
Include an elevated garden to increase planting space and make planting, weeding and harvesting easier on the back and knees. Liven things up with a robin egg blue VegTrug™ or washtubs elevated on a support for a bit of rustic charm. Add wheels to make it easier to move planters around the patio or deck. This allows… Continue reading Add Sparkle to Your Landscape with Unique Containers and Elevated Gardens
Affordable Care Act Payment Reform Achieves Early Gains
Accountable care organizations that joined the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) when it launched in 2012 achieved modest savings while maintaining or improving performance on measures of quality of patient care in 2013, the first full year of the program, researchers at Harvard Medical School found in the first rigorous examination of this key health… Continue reading Affordable Care Act Payment Reform Achieves Early Gains
Did Butter Get a Bad Rap?
A research team led by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health has unearthed more evidence that casts doubt on the traditional “heart healthy” practice of replacing butter and other saturated fats with corn oil and other vegetable oils high in linoleic acid. The findings, reported… Continue reading Did Butter Get a Bad Rap?
Opioid Use: A Public Health Crisis
In response to concerns about overdose deaths in the U.S. due to prescribed opioid pain killers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidelines to help primary care doctors determine when and how best to prescribe them to patients, particularly those with noncancer-related chronic pain. The CDC recommends physicians avoid prescribing opioids such… Continue reading Opioid Use: A Public Health Crisis
Bananas Could Help Prevent Blindness
Carotenoids, which are found at various levels in different banana cultivars — plant varieties that have been produced by selective breeding — are important vitamin precursors for eye health. In a study published in American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in April 2016, researchers report a new understanding of how the fruit… Continue reading Bananas Could Help Prevent Blindness