_ Osteoporosis World Osteoporosis Day 2014: Real Men Build Strength from Within By Jane Farrell article World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on October 20th and marks the beginning of a year-long campaign dedicated to raising … Read More→
_ Mental & Emotional Health Raising Awareness About Suicide Is Key to Prevention By Jane Farrell article September is National Suicide Prevention Month. As it comes to a close in 2014, Mark Kaplan of the University of … Read More→
_ Breast Cancer Breast Screening Over Age 70 May Lead to Overdiagnosis By article Mammograms for women over the age of 70 s doesn’t prompt a sharp fall in advanced disease and may instead … Read More→
Mental & Emotional Health Substance Abuse and Mental Health Recovery at Midlife: If Not Now, When? By article September is not just the month school starts again. It is the 25th Annual National Recovery Month. The mission is … Read More→
_ Medical Care Those with Not Long to Live Still Get Screenings for Cancer By Sondra Forsyth article A substantial number of older patients with limited life expectancy continue to receive routine screenings for prostate, breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer although the procedures are unlikely to benefit them, according to the authors of a study done at theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by Trevor J. Royce, M.D., M.S. and colleagues.
_ Exercise More Exercise Is Not Always Better By Sondra Forsyth article Did you do about a half hour of exercise today? If so, donΓÇÖt feel guilty about sitting down and putting your feet up ΓÇô especially is if you have heart disease. Working out too much is probably bad for you. ThatΓÇÖs the finding of a study published in August 2014 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. A release from the clinic notes that there is clear evidence of an increase in cardiovascular deaths in heart attack survivors who exercise to excess.
_ Women's Health and Wellness Female Boomers with Asthma Face Challenges By Sondra Forsyth article An article published in the August 2014 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), outlines the challenges faced by older women in treating asthma, and offers practical solutions to improve their care.
_ Heart Health Hospital Visits for AFib Rising By article Hospitalizations and costs for treating irregular heartbeats, a condition called atrial fibrillation or AFib, are escalating. This fact is increasing the burden on the U.S. healthcare system, according to new research published in May 2014 in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. AFib can lead to stroke and other heart-related complications.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Mental & Emotional Health Stress Management Stress-Free Living Chronic Stress Makes Junk Food Even Worse for You By article File this under “That’s not fair!” People who are not dealing with chronic stress can get away with eating a lot of high-fat, high-sugar food without upping their risk of metabolic syndrome, but stressed out people can’t. That’s the finding of research done at the University of Califorina, San Francisco.
_ Aging Well Spiritual Health Religious Music Lifts Our Spirits as We Age By article If you need an emotional lift, try listening to hymns. Better yet, choose gospel music. A team of researchers from four top universities reports that listening to religious music is associated with a decrease in anxiety about death and increases in life satisfaction, self-esteem, and sense of control over our lives as we age. In particular, listening to gospel music is linked to reducing anxiety about death and an increase in sense of control.
_ 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).
_ 10 Things Docs & Older Patients Should Question By article “Choosing Wisely”, and initiative of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, has released a 2014 update from the American Geriatrics Society listing 10 procedures and tests that should not be routinely performed or prescribed for older patients:
_ Experts Have Overlooked Binge-Drinking Patterns By Jane Farrell article Studies linking moderate drinking to potential health benefits may have failed to take into account the issue of binge drinking among older “moderate” drinkers, a new study shows. Previous research, the investigators say, has focused on average drinking levels rather than drinking patterns. And that, the investigators say, hides underlying factors such as heavy episodic or weekend binge drinking.
_ When Your Doctor Shames You By Jane Farrell article New research has found that while 50 percent of patients leave their doctor’s office feeling ashamed or guilty, those feelings may have positive results depending on a number of factors. Researchers from the University of California San Diego said that investigating the issue of patient shame – and consequent avoidance of treatment – is crucial. "More than one third of all deaths in the United States are still essentially preventable and largely due to unhealthy patient behavior,” the researchers wrote.
The Two Secret Ingredients Most Men Lack That Keep Them From Becoming Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise By Jane Farrell blog “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” This quote is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin since it appeared in his Poor Richard’s Almanack, though the idea was likely around much earlier. Most of us could use some help with our health, our money-flow, and our wisdom. There are many things that can help us achieve our goals, but I think there are two things that are vitally important, but are often neglected in our liv
7 Surprising Ways Sex Can Save You By blog Like most living things, I’m interested in sex. By sex I mean both the pleasurable act of sensual engagement as well as the reality that men are one sex and women are the other. Vive La Différence! As important as sex is in our lives, new findings from the emerging field of Gender-Specific Medicine (GSM) are changing our view of sex and health. What Is Gender-Specific Medicine?
How the New Science of Gender Medicine Can Save MenΓÇÖs Lives By blog Long before anyone had heard of the field of “gender medicine”, I was on a search to find answers to the questions “Why do men die sooner and live sicker?” I was five years old when my father tried to commit suicide. He had, what I was told was, a “nervous breakdown.” I didn’t know what that was, but I knew he was having trouble finding work in a down economy and he had become increasingly irritable, angry, and withdrawn. Although he didn’t die, our lives were never the same. The year before, the fat