_ 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.
_ 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?
_ 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.
_ 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:
_ Skin Skin Health Fear Of Illness Can Be A Good Thing By Jane Farrell article When it comes to skin cancer, many people are influenced by fear, not statistics, to use sunscreen. ΓÇ£Most health behavior studies donΓÇÖt account for the more visceral, emotional reactions that lead people to do risky behaviors, like eat junk food or ignore the protective benefits of sunscreen,ΓÇ¥ says Marc Kiviniemi, lead researcher and assistant professor of community health and health behavior in the University of BuffaloΓÇÖs School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Life in a Sandwich By blog About a third of all AlzheimerΓÇÖs and dementia patient caregivers are living their lives ΓÇ£sandwichedΓÇ¥ between caring for their loved one and raising their own children or grandchildren. With women often having their children later, and with so many young adults moving back into the nest, more families are finding themselves dealing with multi-generational caregiving challenges.
_ Menopause Menopause Brain: What You Need to Know Beat the Odds By Sondra Forsyth article By Soriyya Bawa As if hot flashes and irritability werenΓÇÖt enough to handle, women going through menopause also worry about the risk of memory loss. Some of the common cognitive concerns relating to memory loss that are reported by women going through menopause include trouble with routine mental tasks and remembering what was once easily retrievable information. A lot of research has delved into evaluating the link between menopause and memory loss, and weΓÇÖre now beginning to understand even more.
_ Aging Well Caregiving Medical Care Long-Term Care Must Be Improved By Sondra Forsyth article As millions of Americans struggle to help loved ones with dementia, policymakers should consider more ways to improve long-term services and supports for the soaring numbers of people with the debilitating condition and their caregivers, according to a new RAND Corporation study done in June 2014. Thereport also offers possible ways to achieve those goals.
_ It's Never Too Late to Quit By Jane Farrell article When it comes to quitting smoking, older people may be faced with some especially discouraging issues. Maybe theyΓÇÖve tried to quit ΓÇô more than once. Maybe they think theyΓÇÖre too old and that the damage has been done. But according to experts, itΓÇÖs never too late to stop smoking, and to do it successfully. ItΓÇÖs not that older smokers donΓÇÖt want to quit. Many of them do, knowing that being smoke-free would have a number of positive results, from the avoidance of serious diseases like stroke and heart disease, to the likelihood of having more money and more energy.
What Are Cataracts? Cataract Awareness Month By blog June is Cataract Awareness Month - but what exactly are cataracts and what causes them? Cataracts are a clouding over of the eye - they can happen in one or in both and they are often associated with aging, but they can also occur in younger people and for reasons other than aging. Estimates by the U.S. National Eye Institute are that at least half of people who are 80 years old have either had a cataract or have one.
_ Skin Skin Health Endorphins and Sun Addiction By Sondra Forsyth article Why do sun lovers eagerly flock to the beach every summer in spite of widespread awareness of the risk of skin cancer? A study published June 19th 2014 in the journal Cell may have the answer. The research, done at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reveals that chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins, which act through the same pathway as heroin and related drugs and lead to physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction-like behavior.