ΓÇ£Happy AnticsΓÇ¥ Exercise for Dementia Patients By Jane Farrell article A holistic exercise program called “Happy Antics” that pairs cognitive activities with physical movements helps dementia patients and caregivers alike, according to research done at Teesside University in the U.K. and published in May 2014 in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies.
Heart Health Viagra for Heart Failure? Works Better for the Guys By article Clear-cut gender differences stand out in measuring impact of Viagra as therapy for heart failure, according to a study done at Johns Hopkins and posted online May 16th 2014 in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Specifically, in female mice modeling human heart failure, the benefits of sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, ranged from robust to practically nonexistent depending on the animals' levels of the hormone estrogen. Yet in male mice, sildenafil generally appears to work well because it targets a different biological process independent of estrogen.
_ Exercise How To Have The Exercise Talk With Your Doctor By Jane Farrell article The health benefits of exercise are almost too numerous to list: Experts say that regular physical activity can have a positive effect on health conditions ranging from depression to diabetes. But it’s essential to talk to your doctor you begin exercising, want to take your current routine to the next level, or want to start a different activity.
_ National Hepatitis Testing Day 2014 By Sondra Forsyth article May 19th 2014 is the third national Hepatitis Testing Day. Testing is especially important for Boomers and Beyond because people in that cohort may have contracted the HCV virus through blood transfusions or organ transplants prior to 1992 before screening went into effect. HCV, a potentially life-threatening infection of the liver, can be chronic with no symptoms for years and even decades. Millions of Americans have chronic hepatitis and most of them don’t know they are infected until serious liver damage has occurred.
Aging Well Geroscience, The Study of Age-Related Health Issues By article A new collection of articles appearing in May 2014 in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences focuses on how the basic biology of aging drives chronic disease. Together, they highlight the value of the emerging field of geroscience, which uses an integrated approach to the study of diseases and disability associated with growing older.
Heart Health Sugar Is Bad for Your Heart Even If YouΓÇÖre at a Healthy Weight By article Researchers from New Zealand's University of Otago have uncovered evidence that sugar has a direct effect on risk factors for heart disease, and is likely to impact blood pressure, independent of weight gain. Dr Lisa Te Morenga, Research Fellow with Otago's Department of Human Nutrition, and colleagues conducted a review and meta-analysis of all international studies that compared the effects of higher versus lower added sugar consumption on blood pressure and lipids (blood fats or cholesterol) – both of which are important cardiovascular risk-factors.
_ A New Approach to Treating Peanut Allergies By article If your grandchildren have to avoid PB&J sandwiches, once a staple of school lunch boxes, you’re far from alone. More and more people have food allergies that can sometimes have life-threatening consequences. Now scientists at the American Chemical Society report in May 2014 in the' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that they have developed of a new type of flour that someday could be used in food-based therapies to help people better tolerate their allergy triggers, including peanuts.
_ How Can We Avoid Another Global Pandemic? By Jane Farrell article An investigation into the 1918 flu pandemic has yielded some findings that could help experts improve current health policies, researchers say. Researchers from the University of Missouri looked at remote regions in North American to see how environmental, nutritional land economic factors determined the effect the pandemic had on them. The flu pandemic infected more than 500 million people and killed at least 50 million.
Exercise The Try Tennis for Free Campaign By article Are you looking for a way to be more active? One option is the “Try Tennis for Free” campaign offered during the month of May 2014. Visit PlayTennis.com where you can find tennis facilities and teaching professionals in your area offering free events for beginners and returning tennis players.
_ National Hospice Awareness Campaign By article The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization launched a national awareness campaign on May 15th 2014 called "Moments of Life: Brought to You by Hospice."
_ Mental & Emotional Health May Is Mental Health Month: WhereΓÇÖs Your Sanity? By article By Dr. Claudia LuizΓÇ¿ΓÇ¿ Everybody is overwhelmed and nobody is afraid to talk about it. Historically speaking, we are more sophisticated than ever emotionally; we are highly aware of what we feel, and we can talk about it. If we don’t feel better, it’s only because our methods for dealing with what we feel are still so antiquated. It’s just the same-old, same-old: try to be better, get inspired to change. But it doesn’t’ work. ΓÇ¿ ΓÇ¿
_ The Infectious Bond Between People and Their Pets By Jane Farrell article Humans and their animal companions exchange the bacteria for the antibiotic-resistant MRSA, according to a new study. The findings were published in mBio, the journal of the American Society for Microbiology. MRSA naturally lives on the skin and causes difficult-to-treat infections in humans and animals. It is hard to treat because over time it has become resistant to antibiotics.
_ Aggressive Tx for Older Prostate Patients a Mistake By article Treating older men with early-stage prostate cancer who also have other serious underlying health problems with aggressive therapies such as surgery or radiation therapy does not help them live longer and, in fact, can be detrimental, according to a study done by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. The study was published in the May 13th 2014 early online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Cancer.
_ New Molecule to Treat Asthma By article A new, potent therapeutic agent to treat asthma is on the horizon, according to findings published on May 12th 2014 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences show promise for, a chronic disease affecting more than 25 million Americans. The research study was done at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in Orlando, the Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Germany, the Free University of Berlin in Germany, Shinshu University in Japan, and the University of California, San Diego.
_ Exercise Health & Fitness Injury Prevention & Treatment Debunking Injury Prevention and Treatment Myths By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth
_ Skin Skin Health Is It Shingles? By Jane Farrell article Shingles is one of the most common conditions for American adults: more than 50 percent have had it by the time they reach 80. However, it’s most frequent in the years between 60 and 80. How can you tell if you have this bothersome, painful problem, and what should you do about it? The experts at the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health have some answers:
_ Women's Health and Wellness Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines May Be Wrong By Jane Farrell article A study has found that cervical cancer rates are higher than previously believed, especially among women 65 and older as well as African-American women in all age groups. The finding brings into question current screening guidelines that don’t recommend Pap smear screenings for women 65 and older. The study, led by researchers from the University of Maryland School of medicine, was published in the journal Cancer.
Vision Health Plugging Blood Vessels to Save Vision By article The growth of malformed blood vessels that can burst is a leading cause of vision loss in North America. Retinopathy and retina degeneration are associated with premature birth, with diabetes, and with increasing age. Now a new drug approach has been developed by a research team led by Dr. Andras Nagy at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto for safer clean-up of deformed blood vessels in the eye. The study was published in May 2014 in EMBO Molecular Medicine.