_ Safe Traveling with Diabetes By Jane Farrell article Getting out of your routine is part of the fun of vacation and traveling. But donΓÇÖt forget your medications and your care routine, especially if you have diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says. Experts at the federal agency, part of the National Institutes of health, say that travel factors such as meals away from home, a change in physical activity, and different time zones can affect your management of your conditions.
Electronic Cigarettes: Not as Harmless as Some May Think By blog I'm not a proponent of electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes. While I concede that they may be the lesser of two evils, smoking a combustible cigarette or an e-cigarette, I still believe they are dangerous and should not be promoted.
_ Patients Are Helping Doctors Do Research By Jane Farrell article PatientsΓÇÖ participation in health-care research is becoming more active thanks to ΓÇ£big dataΓÇ¥ research projects that use many people to provide real-time information on symptoms, side effects and results. An analysis published in the journal Health Affairs said that new technologies such as electronic health records and monitoring devices are playing an increasing part in major studies.
_ Beauty & Style Skin Skin Health Are Your Skincare Products Making You Sick? By Sondra Forsyth article By Diane Blum Most of us put on gloves when we clean our bathrooms, as weΓÇÖre very aware of the dangers of toxic chemicals coming into direct contact with our skin. But what about all of the synthetic chemicals that we innocently apply to our bodies? Every day we absorb self-applied toxins, and most are no further away than our bathroom make-up counter. Shampoos, soaps, deodorants, and all the many ΓÇ£de-agingΓÇ¥ skincare products we women use. How do we know they are all safe?
_ 6 Reasons Your Hypertension Meds Might Not Be Working By Jane Farrell article From the Cleveland Clinic A hypertension specialist looks at potential causes. Usually, itΓÇÖs not just one single issue but various factors that contribute to the problem. Your doctor will work to figure out why ΓÇô and from there, create a new plan of attack. ΓÇ£Finding the right combination of medications for uncontrolled hypertension may require some trial and error,ΓÇ¥ says hypertension specialist George Thomas, MD. In his work with patients, Thomas investigates possible explanations for difficulty in controlling blood pressures. These can include:
Companion and Caregiver By blog The words companion/caregiver are positive words for us who have parents. They are also sad words. They are not positive words for our parents. I know. My mother has a ΓÇ£companion,ΓÇ¥ she says! Not a caregiver. We dare not call Mimi a caregiver. My father had a caregiver. Below are tips I have learned that I want to share with you when you may have to look for a companion or caregiver for your own parents.
_ Caregiving Professional Post-Stroke Care From Head to Toe By Sondra Forsyth article By Marki Flannery At the end of nurse Lorraine Williams' recent home care visit to Professor Samuel Kaplan, he walked her to the apartment's front door. "I was so surprised," she marvels. Only a year earlier, the 70-something professor had a stroke and couldn't walk.
_ Heart Health Cheaper & Better Drug for Heart Attack Procedure By Sondra Forsyth article A study done in the UK and published in The Lancet on July 4th 2014 compares outcomes for two drugs used to prevent blood clot formation during emergency heart attack treatment. The study suggests that use of one of the drugs, heparin, could result in improved outcomes such as a reduced rate of repeat heart attacks, compared to the other drug tested, bivalirudin, which is in widespread use in high-income countries and is around 400 times more expensive than heparin.
_ Brain Health Sleep Health A Good NightΓÇÖs Sleep Boosts Brain Power as We Age By Sondra Forsyth article A University of Oregon-led study published in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that middle-aged or older people who get six to nine hours of sleep a night think better than those sleeping fewer or more hours. The study reaffirms numerous small-scale studies in the United States, Western Europe and Japan, but it does so using data compiled across six middle-income nations and involving more than 30,000 subjects for a long-term project that began in 2007.
_ Alternative Health Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia By Jane Farrell article People who suffer from fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder with symptoms that include musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness, often seek relief from alternative-health practices. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) part of the National Institutes of Health, talks about the research:
_ Exercise Sitting Pretty: How to Stay Fit Even If You Have a Desk Job By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth
_ Menopause Toolkit to Diagnose Menopause By Sondra Forsyth article The ΓÇ£Practitioner Toolkit for Managing the MenopauseΓÇ¥, designed to guide physicians in the management of menopausal conditions for women from the age of 40 has been designed by researchers at Monash University in Australia. The kit, which includes a diagnostic tool as well as a compendium of approved hormone therapies, was published on July 6th 2014 in the journal Climacteric.
_ Making the Best Decisions With Your Doctor By Jane Farrell article Talking with a doctor about a health-care decision is crucial - and can be an intimidating process. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging, are some ways to get the most out of it: Giving and getting information are two important steps in talking with your doctor. The third big step is making decisions about your care.
_ Skin Skin Health Sunless Tanning: What You Need to Know By Jane Farrell article Don't want to expose your skin to the sun's damaging rays, but still want that sun-kissed glow? Consider trying sunless tanning products. Start by understanding how sunless tanning products work ΓÇö and the importance of applying them carefully and correctly. HOW DO SUNLESS TANNING PRODUCTS WORK?
_ Glitch in ΓÇ£Garbage RemovalΓÇ¥ Ups Dementia Risk By Sondra Forsyth article An international team of researchers identified a pathogenic mechanism that is common to several neurodegenerative diseases. The findings suggest that it may be possible to slow the progression of dementia even after the onset of symptoms.
Healthy Diet & Nutrition Senior Health Nutrition Screenings for Older Adults By Sondra Forsyth article As older adults typically have one or more chronic health conditions that can affect dietary intake, malnutrition has been identified as a serious for this population. For this reason, nutrition screenings should be a mandatory part of the comprehensive geriatric analysis (CGA), according to a review article published on July 3rd 2014 in the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition's (A.S.P.E.N.) Nutrition in Clinical Practice journal.
_ Meditation Doesn't Have To Be A Marathon By Jane Farrell article If youΓÇÖd like to meditate but are overwhelmed by the thought of lengthy training and practice, take heart: you can get the stress-reducing benefits from just 25 minutes. New research from Carnegie Mellon University is the first to show that brief mindfulness meditation practice ΓÇö 25 minutes for three consecutive days ΓÇö alleviates psychological stress. " the study investigates how mindfulness meditation affects people's ability to be resilient under stress.
_ A Declaration Of Independence From Tobacco By Jane Farrell article July 4th is a great time to celebrate freedom and independence of all kinds. Why not make it an occasion to declare your own independence ΓÇô from tobacco? The federal Centers for Disease Control has made July 4th its focal point for its program on freeing yourself from nicotine addiction. Anyone whoΓÇÖs ever quit can tell you itΓÇÖs a tough process, but understanding why itΓÇÖs so tough may help you deal with those moments when you feel you canΓÇÖt go one moment longer without a cigarette. Here are some insights from the CDC: