_ Depression and Lifestyle Changes By Jane Farrell article Discussing healthy eating habits with a nutrition coach was as effective as talk therapy in preventing major depression among older adults with mild symptoms of mood disorder, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Maryland. The findings, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, examined both black and white adults.
_ What You May Not Know About Preventing Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Diabetes By article By Bradley Bale MD and Amy Doneen ARNP with Lisa Collier Cool Have you ever wondered why someone could feel perfectly fine and then minutes later have a massive heart attack or stroke that either kills the person or causes a life-long disability? Even more challenging is the concept that some people can go in for a full medical exam, including cholesterol and blood pressure check and a stress test, and be told they are fine only to drop dead of a heart attack days or weeks later.
_ A Discovery That Could Help Control Blood Sugar By Jane Farrell article Researchers have found that a molecule may help control high blood sugar, and the discovery could lead to new targeted therapies for 25 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes. Scientists from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center showed that lipid molecules called phosphatidic acids enhance glucose production in the liver. So inhibiting the production of phosphatidic acids could do the opposite, helping to control blood sugar.
Five Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before An Operation By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic The news that you will need surgery can prompt many questions and a lot of anxiety. Beyond details about your medical condition and treatment options, what should you ask your surgeon before the operation? Whatever you need to ask to be comfortable with the decisions you make about your care, says Robert Cima, M.D., a colon and rectal surgeon and chair of Mayo’s surgical quality subcommittee.
_ Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy By Jane Farrell article According to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), 26 million Americans have chronic kidney disease (CKD), and millions more are at risk. Kidney disease, in which the kidney fails to eliminate wastes from the body, is extremely serious, since it can lead to failure of this vital organ.
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.
Sundown Syndrome And A Breath of Fresh Air By blog Editor's Note: As many of our readers know, Sundowning (or Sundown Syndrome) sometimes affects people who have Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Rita Altman, VP of Memory Care for Sunrise Senior Living, is an expert and recently put some of her expert tips on how to respond to symptoms of Sundowning to "virtual" paper in the form of a blog. Rita writes that you should, "observe for emotions and behaviors, Look for the unmet need, Respond with empathy, Don't forget about vitamin D and Maintain a routine." For additional insight and detail around these tips, we've posted Rita's original blog below.
_ 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:
_ Waist Circumference Trumps BMI By article Having a big belly has consequences beyond trouble squeezing into your jeans, published in the March 2014 edition of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The researchers say that a large waist is detrimental to your health, even if you have a healthy body mass index (BMI). The finding come form a new international collaborative study led by a Mayo Clinic researcher found.
_ Healthy Food Sells Well at Concession Stands By article A University of Iowa-led study came to a surprising and encouraging conclusion: Concession stands can benefit financially from offering healthy foods instead of just junk food, Beyond that, consumers are pleased to have the helathy choices available. A release from the university reports that in the fall of 2008, researchers asked the booster club in Muscatine, Iowa to add healthy foods such from apples and string cheese to its concessions menu while also putting healthier ingredients in big sellers like nachos and popcorn.
_ 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:
_ Sleep Health How to Keep Your Body from ΓÇ£Falling BackΓÇ¥ By Jane Farrell article By Julia Samton, MD
How to Love an Angry Man: Understanding and Helping Your Partner By blog We all get angry at times. When we feel we’re threatened we react with anger. But we know people who get overly angry or their anger causes problems with their relationships at home or at work. I was one of those people. I wrote two books about how it impacted me and how I learned to help myself and my clients: The Irritable Male Syndrome: Understanding and Managing the 4 Key Causes of Depression and Aggression and Mr. Mean: Saving Your Relationship from The Irritable Male Syndrome.
_ FDA Wants to Update Nutrition Labels By article The Food and Drug Administration wants to update the look and content of the Nutrition Facts Label to help consumers make better food choices and follow healthy dietary practices. The proposed changes include:
_ Breast Cancer 14 Questions About Your Breast Cancer Diagnosis By article prognosis and medical choices.
_ Ten Ways To Control High Blood Pressure Without Medication By Jane Farrell article Editor's note: Hypertension is one of the most common, and most serious, health problems. It has the potential to damage vital organs like the brain, heart and kidneys. Millions of people take medications to control their high blood presure, but lifestyle changes are often just as important and can make it possible to handle hypertension without any medicine. Here, experts from the Mayo Clinic offer some non-medicinal ways to control hypertension.
_ Heart Health Pulling Teeth May Not Reduce Cardiac Infection Risk By article When patients have the potentially dangerous combination of abscessed or infected teeth and the need for heart surgery, the problem teeth often are removed before surgery to reduce the risk of infections including potentially lethal endocarditis. However a study done at the Mayo Clinic and published in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery found that roughly 1 in 10 heart surgery patients who had teeth extracted before surgery died or had adverse outcomes such as a stroke or kidney failure.