_ Multiple Sclerosis: 5 Things You Should Know By Jane Farrell article MS can happen to just about anyone. The central nervous system disorder affects your brain and spinal cord. But it spares the nerves and muscles that lead away from the spinal cord. Nearly 350,000 people in the United States have MS. MS is a long-term illness. Infection-fighting white blood cells enter the nervous system and cause injury by stripping off the myelin sheath that protects nerves. When this happens, the nerves cannot conduct electricity as well as they should. This causes symptoms.
_ Many Elderly ER Visitors Are Malnourished By Jane Farrell article In a new study, researchers found that more than half of elderly patients in a hospital emergency room were either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Additionally, more than half of the patients who were malnourished hadnΓÇÖt been diagnosed with the condition. Researchers focused on patients 138 65 and older who were seen at the University of North Carolina hospitals over an eight-week period. The patients were not cognitively impaired or critically ill. None of them lived in a nursing home or skilled nursing facility.
_ Caregiving Managing Dementia Related Personality Changes By Sondra Forsyth article AlzheimerΓÇÖs disease causes brain cells to die, so the brain works less well over time. This changes how a person acts. Here, from the National Institute on Aging, are suggestions that may help you understand and cope with changes in personality and behavior in a person with AlzheimerΓÇÖs disease. Common personality and behavior changes you may see include: ΓÇó Getting upset, worried, and angry more easily ΓÇó Acting depressed or not interested in things ΓÇó Hiding things or believing other people are hiding things
_ Pets Vitamins + Supplements Should Your Pet Take Supplements? By Sondra Forsyth article Our pets are like our family, right? Even pet food manufacturers now refer to ΓÇ£pet ownersΓÇ¥ as ΓÇ£pet parentsΓÇ¥ in their marketing! This humanization trend has been fueled by us Baby Boomers who are refocusing our discretionary spending on our pets rather than spending it on feathering our now empty nests. So itΓÇÖs no wonder we ΓÇ£pet parentsΓÇ¥ are now pondering the question of vitamins and other supplementation for Fido and Fluffy. But whatΓÇÖs the real scoop of pet supplements? Good idea or bad?
_ Mental & Emotional Health Depression Often Untreated in PD By Sondra Forsyth article In light of the revelation that the late Robin Williams had early ParkinsonΓÇÖs Disease when he committed suicide on August 11th 2014, a study published in the August 2014 issue of the Journal of Parkinson's Disease is of particular interest. Researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago in collaboration with the National Parkinson's Foundation (NPF) found that although depression is known to be a common symptom of Parkinson's disease, the mood disorder often remains untreated for many patients.
_ Heart Health Mayo Clinic Challenges Cholesterol Guideline By Sondra Forsyth article A Mayo Clinic task force has challenged some recommendations in the updated guideline for cholesterol treatment that was unveiled by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) in 2013. The task force concludes, based on current evidence, that not all patients encouraged to take cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins may benefit from them and that the guideline missed some important conditions that might benefit from medication.
Wise Words By blog Today I met with TimΓÇÖs doctor from Hospice. She has agreed to read my second book, ΓÇ£Life After Death on This Side of Heaven.ΓÇ¥ My hope is that she will write a blurb for the back of the book, or even better, write the foreword. She is an amazing doctor, her experience lies with helping to usher people into the next life, and like me, she has lost her husband.
_ Mental & Emotional Health How to Cultivate Contentment By Jane Farrell article By Mayo Clinic Staff Do you know how to be happy? Or are you waiting for happiness to find you?
_ Dating Dating with Cancer: When Do You Share Your Diagnosis? By Sondra Forsyth article By Tracy Maxwell This article, which originally appeared on DemosHealth.com, is adapted from Being Single, With Cancer. "At what point in a new relationship is it appropriate to reveal your status as a cancer survivor?" If you have ever wondered what the right answer to this question is, you're not alone. Many survivors ask the same thing when dating after cancer or during treatment.
_ Osteoporosis Oxidative Stress Predicts Hip Fracture By Sondra Forsyth article Oxidative stress -- a disruption in the balance between the production of free radicals and antioxidants -- is a significant predictor for hip fracture in postmenopausal women, according to research led by University of Cincinnati epidemiologists and published online ahead of print in August 2014 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
_ Exercise More Exercise Is Not Always Better By Sondra Forsyth article Did you do about a half hour of exercise today? If so, donΓÇÖt feel guilty about sitting down and putting your feet up ΓÇô especially is if you have heart disease. Working out too much is probably bad for you. ThatΓÇÖs the finding of a study published in August 2014 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. A release from the clinic notes that there is clear evidence of an increase in cardiovascular deaths in heart attack survivors who exercise to excess.
_ Anxiety (Panic Disorders, Phobias) Mental & Emotional Health Spiritual Health Prayer Eases Anxiety for Some, But Not All By Sondra Forsyth article For many people with anxiety-related disorders, prayer doesn't ease the symptoms. ThatΓÇÖs the finding of research done at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. What seems to matter is the type of attachment a person feels toward God. According to the Baylor study, those who prayed to a loving and supportive God whom they thought would be there to comfort and protect them in times of need were less likely to show symptoms of anxiety-related disorders such as irrational worry, fear, self-consciousness, dread in social situations, and obsessive-compulsive behavior.
_ Osteoporosis Progress in Preventing Osteoporosis By Jane Farrell article Researchers are progressing in the development of a more effective treatment of osteoporosis, a widespread and serious health problem in the U.S. The investigators, from the UCLA School of Dentistry, are working on a treatment that both slows down the destruction of bone and promotes bone formation. The researchers found that a growth factor, Wnt4, which is secreted in the bone marrow, prevented bone loss in mice with osteoporosis. Wnt4 does that by blocking a signaling pattern that would otherwise promote inflammation.
_ Exercise How Exercise Can Improve Osteoarthritis By Jane Farrell article Osteoarthritis, the degeneration of joint cartilage, is age-related. Most cases involve stiffness in the knee, hip and thumb joints. But while it is a painful condition, osteoarthritis doesnΓÇÖt necessarily limit your from physical activity. In fact, the right kind of exercise can improve the condition.
Why Did the Robin Williams News Hit So Many So Hard? By blog We hear of celebrity deaths frequently. Old favorites die of old age, new favorites may die of drug overdoses, illness, or in accidents. There are also suicides sometimes. The news of the deaths makes the rounds, now much more quickly than ever because of the Internet. We see retrospectives of the celebritiesΓÇÖ work, people comment on beloved scenes or events, and then we move on.
Coming Next Week! August 18th to August 22nd 2014 By Sondra Forsyth article HereΓÇÖs a sneak preview of the articles, slideshows, and blogs weΓÇÖll be posting during the coming week on ThirdAge, the biggest and best site for ΓÇ£boomer and beyondΓÇ¥ women since 1997. As always, weΓÇÖll bring you the latest information from top experts about maintaining a healthy body, mind, and spirit as you navigate both the challenges and the joys of being a ThirdAger.
_ Aging Well Foods That WonΓÇÖt ΓÇ£FrailΓÇ¥ You By Sondra Forsyth article By Robert Ashton M.D. With aging comes frailty. The more frail we are, the more likely we are to get sick or die from chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and other leading causes of death. If you can slow the debilitating process, then you have a shot at living not only a longer life, but a healthier one too.
_ Breast Cancer Active Lifestyle Decreases Breast Ca Risk After Menopause By Sondra Forsyth article Postmenopausal women who in the past four years had undertaken regular physical activity equivalent to at least four hours of walking per week had a lower risk for invasive breast cancer compared with women who exercised less during those four years, according to data published in August 2014 inCancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.