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.

5 Tips for Battling the Winter Blues

Estimated to affect millions of Americans during late fall and subside in sunnier months, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is depression, causing mood and appetite changes, lethargy, and irritability. But, these symptoms can also occur in men with ‘borderline’ androgen deficiency (low testosterone) and a decline in estrogen in menopausal women. So, don’t misunderstand this annual… Continue reading 5 Tips for Battling the Winter Blues

Survey Finds 73% of Those Under 45 Are Unaware of Stroke Symptoms

ThirdAGERS, alert your younger loved ones and friends to this important finding! A 2016 national survey by Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles showed that patients under the age of 45 may underestimate the urgency of stroke symptoms and most say they would likely delay going to the hospital for help. Yet the… Continue reading Survey Finds 73% of Those Under 45 Are Unaware of Stroke Symptoms

Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Intermittent Severe Pain in Her Abdomen, and She Saw Blood in Her Urine, Third Week

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Editor’s note: Welcome to our thirdAGE feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth as we share the details of what happened when a patient presented with a problem that stumped the physician at first. The first week of this riddle, the patient reported her symptoms to her PCP. The doctor proceeded… Continue reading Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Intermittent Severe Pain in Her Abdomen, and She Saw Blood in Her Urine, Third Week

Life-Extending Hormone Bolsters the Body’s Immune Function

A hormone that extends lifespan in mice by 40% is produced by specialized cells in the thymus gland, according to a January 2016 study by Yale School of Medicine researchers. The team also found that increasing the levels of this hormone, called FGF21, protects against the loss of immune function that comes with age. Published… Continue reading Life-Extending Hormone Bolsters the Body’s Immune Function

‘Inflamm-aging”: Monocytes, Cytokines, and Susceptibility to Pneumonia

The chronic state of low-level inflammation seen in many elderly people (sometimes called “inflamm-aging”), is associated with conditions such as cardiovascular disease and dementia, as well as susceptibility to infections, especially pneumonia. A study published on January 14th in PLOS Pathogens reveals a crucial role of monocytes in the immune system changes that occur with… Continue reading ‘Inflamm-aging”: Monocytes, Cytokines, and Susceptibility to Pneumonia

A Technique to Tap into Your Creative Muscle

Imagination is the difference between the problems plaguing our every day and the future solutions to those issues. Imagination is step one for answers that work. Imagine that you could work on an app that better informs financial decisions to help users get out of debt; imagine working with technology that helps patients and doctors… Continue reading A Technique to Tap into Your Creative Muscle

The Controversy About Insurance Coverage for Breast Cancer Screening

On January 11th 2016, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published what were called “final” recommendations on screening for breast cancer.” The recommendation statement, which is published in Annals of Internal Medicine, is made up of several recommendations addressing different age groups and screening methods, and is accompanied by an editorial on how… Continue reading The Controversy About Insurance Coverage for Breast Cancer Screening

Thrive! 7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Every Day

It’s still pretty early into 2016, and already only 8% of those who made New Year resolutions are still on track. We can have the best intentions in the world, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or discouraged by multiple demands when we get back to the daily grind. As an executive coach and transformational… Continue reading Thrive! 7 Ways to Get the Most Out of Every Day

8 Things Boomers Must Know About RMDs From IRAs

According to the experts at Kiplinger, It’s a watershed year for the baby boom generation. In 2016, the first of the boomers — those born in the first half of 1946 — will reach age 70 1/2. The present from Uncle Sam is a demand that they begin withdrawing funds from their traditional individual retirement… Continue reading 8 Things Boomers Must Know About RMDs From IRAs

“Pink Viagra” (Which Is Actually Purple) Is Not Selling Well at All

Back in June of 2015 here at thirdAGE, we gave you advance warning that the female libido booster slated for an approval vote by the FDA was costly and risky. Then in August of 2015, we let you know that the pill — dubbed “Pink Viagra” and bearing the brand name Addyi — had in… Continue reading “Pink Viagra” (Which Is Actually Purple) Is Not Selling Well at All

Seven Bad Habits to Leave Behind in 2016

Life is built on routines. It’s easy to go years—or even decades—without consciously assessing what’s working and what’s not. As a result, many of us are surrounded by people, obligations, objects, and habits that aren’t exactly making our lives better (far from it!). Well, no more. With a new year upon us, it’s the perfect… Continue reading Seven Bad Habits to Leave Behind in 2016

Study Opens A New Door for ALS Drug Discovery

For the first time, scientists at the University of North Carolina Health Care in Chapel Hill have pinned down the structure of toxic clumps of a protein associated with a large number of Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) cases, opening new avenues in the pursuit of drugs to stem the disease. To create treatments for a… Continue reading Study Opens A New Door for ALS Drug Discovery

Wage Gap Could Explain Why Women Are More Anxious and Depressed Than Men

The odds of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder were markedly greater among women who earned less than their male counterparts, with whom they were matched on education and years of experience, according to research conducted at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Results of the study were published online in January 2016… Continue reading Wage Gap Could Explain Why Women Are More Anxious and Depressed Than Men

Good Bacteria Might Help Prevent Middle Ear Infections and Pneumonia

A January 2016 study from the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts is helping to shed more light on the important connections among the diverse bacteria in our microbiome. According to research published in mBio, scientists at Forsyth, led by Dr. Katherine P. Lemon, along with their collaborator at Vanderbilt University, have demonstrated that a harmless… Continue reading Good Bacteria Might Help Prevent Middle Ear Infections and Pneumonia

Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Intermittent Severe Pain in Her Abdomen, and She Saw Blood in Her Urine, Second Week

Editor’s note: Welcome to our thirdAGE feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth as we share the details of what happened when a patient presented with a problem that stumped the physician at first. Last week, the patient reported her symptoms. The doctor proceeded with the examination using the components of… Continue reading Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Intermittent Severe Pain in Her Abdomen, and She Saw Blood in Her Urine, Second Week

5 Tips for Managing Life as a Family Caregiver

Each year more and more Americans step up to assume the role of primary caregiver for an adult family member or loved one. In fact, in the past year, nearly 40 million Americans have provided unpaid care. For many, taking on the role of caregiver is necessary for the health and wellness of a senior loved one, but it is not without… Continue reading 5 Tips for Managing Life as a Family Caregiver

Higher Doses of Vitamin D = Increased Risk of Falls in the Elderly

Higher monthly doses of vitamin D were associated with no benefit on low extremity function and with an increased risk of falls in patients 70 or older in a randomized clinical trial, according to an article published online in January 2016 by JAMA Internal Medicine. A release from the publisher notes that lower extremity function… Continue reading Higher Doses of Vitamin D = Increased Risk of Falls in the Elderly

The “Sixth Sense” for Danger

Findings by French researchers show that the brain devotes more processing resources to social situations that signal threat than those that are benign. The results published in December 2015 in the journal eLife may help explain the apparent “sixth sense” we have for danger. This is the first time that specific regions of the brain… Continue reading The “Sixth Sense” for Danger