_ Slowing Down Alzheimer's Plaques By article University of Michigan researchers have learned how to fix a cellular structure called the Golgi that mysteriously becomes fragmented in all Alzheimer's patients and appears to be a major cause of the disease. The scientists say that understanding this mechanism helps decode amyloid plaque formation in the brains of Alzheimer's patients—plaques that kills cells and contributes to memory loss and other Alzheimer's symptoms.
Continuity of Care for Elderly Patients Needed By article Older patients with chronic illnesses often have care that is poorly coordinated. They may see many different health care providers working in multiple clinical locations, and poor communication between provider and patient is common. These factors can lead to higher use of health services and poorer outcomes. Improving the coordination of care for elderly patients with chronic diseases trims costs, reduces use of health services, and cuts complications. Those are the finding of a study done by the RAND Corporation and published online in March 2014 by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Moving My Feet By blog Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward." A Facebook friend recommended a workout fitness tracking bracelet called fit-bit. I received mine for Christmas, and I LOVE it!! I think the quote above should be their slogan, or at least I made it mine while I am working out.
_ Caregivers and Exercise By Jane Farrell article According to Sherri Snelling, ThirdAge contributor and founder of The Caregiving Club (www.caregivingclub.com), there are 65 million family caregivers in the United States. It’s no surprise that many of them, alone with that emotionally and physically draining task, become depressed. In turn, that can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as failure to exercise, bad eating habits and tobacco and alcohol use.
How to Love an Angry Man: Part 3 ΓÇô Help Him by Helping Yourself By blog I’ve been writing about angry men for some time now. That’s because I recognized how destructive anger can be in our relationships, but also how common it is. In my book, Stress Relief for Men: How to Use the Revolutionary Tools of Energy Healing to Live WellI describe the experiences that many people have living with an angry and abusive male:
_ Exercise Muscle Mass May Mean Longer Lifespan By Jane Farrell article Being stronger may equal a longer lifespan, according to new research. The findings, by researchers from UCLA, indicate that the more muscle mass older Americans have, the less likely they are to die prematurely. The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, was led by Dr. Preethi Srikanthan, an assistant clinical professor in the endocrinology division at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. It seems to support a growing body of research that muscle mass may be a better predictor of all-cause mortality than the Body Mass Index (BMI).
_ Tips for Turning Your March Madness into March Happiness By article By Jaime Kulaga, Ph.D., LMHC There’s a lot of hype about March Madness, and if you’re an NCAA fan (or married to one) you know it well. But I’d rather think in terms of March Happiness: training mind and body, just as those basketball players train, to remain positive even when faced with stress, sadness, and the cyclicality of life. You can create a habit of happiness.
_ Honey as an Antibiotic By article Honey could be a solution to the problem of bacterial resistance to, to research done at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I and presented in March 2014 at the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Dallas. A release from the society noted that medical professionals sometimes use honey successfully as a topical dressing but that the researchers predicted it could play a larger role in fighting infections..
_ Facebook: An Epidemic of Wellbeing? By article Researchers at the University of California, San Diego say that feelings are “contagious” on Facebook and that this fact could be exploited to created an “epidemic of wellbeing”. The study, published in March 2014 in the hournal PLOS ONE, analyzed over a billion status updates among more than 100 million users of Facebook in the United States. The report found that “positive posts beget positive posts”, according to a release from the university.
_ Exercise Exercise and Chronic Disease: Get the Facts By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic If you have a chronic disease — such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma, or back or joint pain — exercise can have important health benefits. However, it's crucial to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise routine. He or she might have advice on what exercises are safe and any precautions you might need to take while exercising. How can exercise improve a chronic condition? Regular exercise can help you manage symptoms and improve your health. For example:
_ A Better Understanding of Memory Loss By Jane Farrell article Scientists have discovered how a lack of oxygen can interact with inflammation to cause memory loss in conditions like stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. The research, from the University of British Columbia, focused on microglia, part of a newly discovered brain mechanism that contributes to Alzheimer’s. Chronic inflammation and oxygen deficiency are hallmarks of several brain diseases. But until now, there hasn’t been much known about how they contribute to symptoms such as memory loss.
_ When Medicine Does More Harm Than Good By Jane Farrell article About 20 percent of older Americans with chronic conditions are taking medicines that work against each other, according to a new study. In other words, the medication being used to treat one condition can make another condition worse. The problem affects millions of Americans, since three out of four older adults have multiple chronic conditions.
_ Reducing Falls Among the Elderly By article A low-cost program reduced falls in the elderly by 17 percent statewide in Pennsylvania, according to a study done at University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health available online in March 2014 and slated to be published in the May 2014 issue of the American Journal of Public Health The researchers demonstrated the value and effectiveness of using existing aging services such as senior centers in preventing falls.
_ Why Food Is Your "Frenemy" By Jane Farrell article By Sherrie Campbell Is food your “frenemy?” Food can be the best friend and comfort you have when you are down or just want to feel something because you are bored. Yet after you eat, you’re consumed with self-loathing. Suddenly, food is the enemy. This is no way to live or to let something outside of you have this much control over how you feel about yourself. It’s not a simple issue, but you can start having a better relationship with food – and yourself – if you understand all the complexities involved:
Aging Well Beauty & Style Exercise The Secrets to Banishing Back Fat By article By Soriyya Bawa When it comes to anti-aging fitness, the back area can sometimes be one of the hardest areas to tone. According to anti-aging fitness gurus, a lot of women forget to include the muscles in their upper and middle back in their total body workouts, resulting in poor posture and the visible appearance of back fat. Poor lifestyle habits and ill-fitting clothing often contribute further to the problem.
_ Magnet Hospitals = Higher Quality of Care By article The Magnet Recognition Program operated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes healthcare organizations that provide excellence in nursing.
_ Heart Health Key Heart Failure Culprit Discovered By article A team of cardiovascular researchers from at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in NewYork and the University of California, San Diego have identified a small but powerful new player in the onset and progression of heart failure. Their findings, published in the journal Nature on March 12th 2014, also show how they successfully blocked the newly discovered culprit to halt the debilitating and chronic life-threatening condition in its tracks.