_ Weight Loss Sticking to a Diet: Compliance vs. Adherence By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth You may have noticed that most health care professionals have stopped using the word ΓÇ£complianceΓÇ¥ when referring to whether or not people stick with medication regimens or apply sunscreen daily or exercise on a regular basis. The word most often used now is ΓÇ£adherence.ΓÇ¥ The rationale is that telling patients to comply smacks of issuing a command, whereas asking them to adhere implies that they are partners in their care and can use free will to do whatΓÇÖs best for their health.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Anger Management: Your questions Answered By Sondra Forsyth article By Mayo Clinic Staff Anger itself isn't a problem ΓÇö it's how you handle it. Consider the nature of anger, as well as how to manage anger and what to do when you're confronted by someone whose anger is out of control. What is anger?
Coming Next Week! June 23rd to June 27th By Sondra Forsyth article HereΓÇÖs a sneak preview of the articles 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. In addition, be sure to come back every morning to check out the ThirdAge Exclusives, We write them after culling the most important new academic and government studies from around the world that are making news that day.
_ Brain Health Seeing the Inner Workings of the Brain By Sondra Forsyth article A team of scientists at Stanford University has improved a technique called CLARITY that they developed in 2013 to look into brains from deceased donors, according to a paper published June 19th 2014 in Nature Protocols. A release from the university explains that without this tool, the fatty outer covering of the brainΓÇÖs nerve cells blocks microscopes from taking images of the intricate connections between deep brain cells. CLARITY eliminates the fatty covering while keeping the brain intact with all its intricate inner wiring.
_ Aging Well Memory Loss Stress Management Stress-Free Living Stress Linked to Memory Loss as We Age By Sondra Forsyth article Research done at the University of Iowa reports a potential link between stress hormones and short-term memory loss in older adults. The study, published in June 2014 in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that prolonged high levels of cortisol can lead to memory lapses as we age.
_ The Best Way to Take Your Medicine By Jane Farrell article It pays to be cautious at any age about taking medications. But itΓÇÖs especially important for older people, who are likely to have multiple prescriptions. And that, according to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), can increase the chances of harmful drug interactions.
_ Heart Health For Women, Improving Accuracy of Heart Disease Diagnosis By Sondra Forsyth article Diagnosing coronary heart disease in women has become more accurate through gender-specific research that clarifies the role of both obstructive and non-obstructive coronary artery disease as contributors to ischemic heart disease in females, according to a statement published in June 2014 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
_ Pain Management Getting Rid of Chronic Pain By Jane Farrell article As people age, chronic pain becomes a real problem. In your younger years, you probably had pain for a short while ΓÇô from a broken arm, say, or a bad toothache. But pain can become a constant, unwelcome companion for older people who have age-related illnesses like arthritis, cancer or diabetes. However, though chronic pain often accompanies aging, that doesnΓÇÖt mean itΓÇÖs something you should put up with. DonΓÇÖt delay going to your doctor. Here, from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), are tips on how to talk to your doctor so your pain problem can be solved.
_ Aging Well Discussing Sensitive Subjects With Your Doctor By Sondra Forsyth article Much of the communication between doctor and patient is personal. To have a good partnership with your doctor, it is important to talk about sensitive subjects, like sex or memory problems, even if you are embarrassed or uncomfortable.
Love and the Mind By blog ΓÇ£How beautiful would it be to find someone who is in love with your mind?ΓÇ¥ One of the often ignored advantages to finding love later in life is finding someone who sees past your surface beauty. That special someone who takes the time to look all the way into your mind and your soul. This is a true gift of aging! This is an advantage I had no idea of back in early 2005 when I finally met the partner I had been seeking my whole life.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Health Buzzwords on Food Products: False Promises? By Sondra Forsyth article Health-related buzzwords such as "antioxidant," "gluten-free" and "whole grain," lull consumers into thinking packaged food products labeled with those words are healthier than they actually are, according to a research done at the University of Houston. A release from the university reports that the team suggests that false sense of health as well as a failure to understand the information presented in nutrition facts panels on packaged food may be contributing to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
_ Aging Well Needed: Activity Apps for Older Adults By Sondra Forsyth article Commercially available activity-monitoring apps, Web sites, and wearable devices allow for easy self-management of health and wellness. This technology may be particularly helpful for older adults, who can improve their cognitive function through proper diet and exercise. However, in spite of the growing popularity of and potential benefits of tracking monitors, product designers rarely consider those over 65 to be a viable user group.
_ Friendship Friends and Your Health By Jane Farrell article Friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being, but it's not always easy to build or maintain friendships. Understand the importance of friendships in your life and what you can do to develop and nurture friendships. What are the benefits of friendships? Good friends are good for your health. Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. Friends prevent loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. Friends can also: Increase your sense of belonging and purpose
_ Men's Health Men with Gout Often Have ED By Sondra Forsyth article A study presented in June 2014 in Paris at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2014) showed that erectile dysfunction (ED) is present in most men with gout and is frequently severe. A release from EULAR reports that in a survey of 201 men, 83 had gout, of whom a significantly greater proportion had ED (76%) compared with those patients without gout. Also, a significantly greater proportion of gout patients (43%) had severe ED compared with patients without gout (30%).
_ Exercise Heart Health Stress Management Stress-Free Living Why Stress & Overexertion Trigger Heart Attacks By Sondra Forsyth article Scientists believe they have an explanation for the axiom that stress, emotional shock, and overexertion may trigger heart attacks in vulnerable people. Hormones released during these events appear to cause bacterial biofilms on arterial walls to disperse, allowing plaque deposits to rupture into the bloodstream, according to research published in published in June 2014 in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
_ When a Loved One Is Diagnosed With Parkinson's Disease By Sondra Forsyth article By Judy Santamaria MSPH The incidence of Parkinson's disease, which is common in people over the age of 60, is expected to rise with the aging of our populations. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that mainly affects movement. The primary symptoms of Parkinson's disease are tremor, rigidity or stiffness of the muscles, slow movement, loss of movement, and balance and walking problems.
_ Exercise What You Need to Know About Exercise As You Get Older By Sondra Forsyth article By Soriyya Bawa While exercise and weight loss are both important elements of any anti-aging regimen, many seniors worry that the risks outweigh the potential benefits. Exercise at an older age means risking serious injury due to falling, injuring the ligaments of the knee, and other forms of musculoskeletal injuries; the risk is even greater if the person is obese. However, a recent study has found that the benefits from exercise at an older age, and the subsequent weight loss, far exceed any possible risk of injury.
_ Depression LInked to Quicker Progression of Alzheimer's By Jane Farrell article Late-life depression could be a major risk factor for developing AlzheimerΓÇÖs more quickly than those who arenΓÇÖt depressed. The finding was presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. ΓÇ£Our results clearly indicate that mild cognitively impaired subjects with depressive symptoms suffer from elevated amyloid-levels when compared with non-depressed individuals,ΓÇ¥ said the studyΓÇÖs principal scientist Axel Rominger, MD, from the department of nuclear medicine at the University of Munich in Germany.