_ Keeping Your Nails Their Healthiest By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic Take a close look at your fingernails. Are they strong and healthy looking? Or do you see ridges, dents, or areas of unusual color or shape? Many less than desirable nail conditions can be avoided through proper fingernail care. Others indicate an underlying condition that requires attention.
_ 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:
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.
Caregiving Without An Attitude By blog A few months ago, I attended a memory loss conference and encountered what I refer to as an “Alpha Alzheimer’s Caregiver.” I’ll call her Deborah.
"Energy Source" Implicated in Dementia By Jane Farrell article Researchers now know that a specific energy source is crucial to cells that maintain cognitive function. That discovery could lead to a better understanding of the cognitive decline in illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis. The source, NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), is a molecule that harvests energy from nutrients in food and converts into a usable form for cells.
Why Seniors Get Addicted to Drugs By Jane Farrell article For older people who have chronic conditions or find themselves in a lot of pain temporarily, medicine can be a godsend that vastly improves quality of life. But senior citizens may find it all too easy to abuse prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Just because such medicines are bought in drugstores rather than on the street, say, doesn’t mean that they are any less dangerous. Overuse of drugs can lead to additional health problems, family problems, and even fatalities.
_ Positive Self-Talk To Reduce Stress By Jane Farrell article Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question about positive thinking may reflect your outlook on life, your attitude toward yourself, and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic — and it may even affect your health.
6 New Ways to Love Your Salad By article By Jon Yaneff There is a classic Simpsons episode where Homer and Bart chant to Lisa, “You don’t win friends with salad.” This popular television family would mark any occasion with donuts and Duff beer, if Homer had anything to do with it.
_ Home Health Visits Keep Heart Patient Out of the Hospital By article Research done at North Shore University Hospital on Long Island demonstrated a very significant reduction in hospital readmissions after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for patients who received home health care through the “Follow Your Heart” program. The study was published in the May 2014 issue of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
_ Maximizing the Use of Donated Organs By article The quality of kidney and liver donations is fundamentally important for the longevity of transplants and the health of recipients. That’s why it’s critical to know which organs are suitable for transplantation, as well as to use techniques that preserve an organ’s function after donation. Several studies published in the British Journal of Surgery in April 2014address these issues and offer ways to maximize the use of donated organs.
Why Do More Women Develop Alzheimer's Disease? By blog Recently, I turned on the radio in my car and heard the last few minutes of an MPR [Minnesota Public Radio] All Things Considered segment about Alzheimer’s disease. A few days later I googled the subject matter and found this MPR link to the audio and an accompanying online story. Take a few minutes to read or listen to the broadcast.
_ Pets End-of-Life Pet Care By Jane Farrell article As any pet owner can tell you, companion animals are part of your family. You love them, you take care of them, you play with them. Someday, though, the inevitable will come: your pet will become seriously ill and pass away. Most pets don’t die suddenly; they usually become ill and linger for a while. How can you make your companion’s last days good ones, and when is it time for him or her to go? The experts at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) have some answers.
_ Targeting Blood Vessels That Keep Cancer Alive By article Researchers from at the University of Pennsylvania are using a DNA vaccine to kill cancer, not by attacking tumor cells but targeting the blood vessels that keep them alive. The vaccine also indirectly creates an immune response to the tumor itself, which amplifies the attack because of a phenomenon called epitope spreading. The results of the study were published in April 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
_ CoQ10: How Reliable Is It? By Jane Farrell article Editor’s Note: CoQ10 is a popular supplement that’s said to be effective in fighting everything from congestive heart failure to gum disease. But is it safe, and is there reliable evidence to support these claims? Before you reach for a bottle of CoQ10 on your next trip to the drugstore, read this information from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the federal National Institutes of Health:
Alzheimer's Disease and the Early-Onset Colombian Connection By blog I’m a huge fan of the CBS news show Sunday Morning. It’s 90 minutes of quality programming that I look forward to every week.
Love Your Gums! By article One in every two adults age 30 and older suffers from periodontal disease, commonly referred to as gum disease. The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) is calling for Americans to Love the Gums You’re With and take better care of their gums. To learn more, take a brief quiz on perio.org/loveyourgumsto evaluate the current state of your gum health, learn the signs and symptoms of periodontal disease, and receive tips on how to properly care for their gums.