_ Constipation Solve the Medical Riddle: The Patient Is No Longer ΓÇ£RegularΓÇ¥, Fourth Week By article By Marie Savard MD EditorΓÇÖs note: Welcome to our ThirdAge feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth … Read More→
_ The Global Alzheimer's Crisis: Are You Ready to Take Action? By article By Nancy Wurtzel IΓÇÖve been surrounded by AlzheimerΓÇÖs disease my whole life. Decades ago, both of my grandmothers had the … Read More→
Constipation Digestive Health Solve the Medical Riddle: The Patient Is No Longer ΓÇ£RegularΓÇ¥, Third Week By Sondra Forsyth article EditorΓÇÖs note: Welcome to our ThirdAge feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth as we share the … Read More→
_ Skin Skin Health The Newest Treatments for Psoriasis By Jane Farrell article People who suffer from psoriasis know how aggravating it can be, but treatments for the persistent skin condition are improving. … Read More→
_ When Swelling Isn't So Swell: Curbing Chronic Inflammation By Jane Farrell article By Dr. Mickey Barber Of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States, chronic, low-level inflammation contributes to … Read More→
_ Heart Health Drinking Tea Reduces Non-CV Mortality By Sondra Forsyth article Drinking tea reduces non-cardiovascular mortality by 24% according to a study of 131,000 people presented at European Society for Cardiology Congress in Barcelna on August 31st 2014 by Professor Nicolas Danchin from France.
_ Volunteering is Healthy for Body as Well as Mind By Jane Farrell article Older people who volunteer are getting not only an emotional boost ΓÇô itΓÇÖs also benefiting their health. A study led by researchers from the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Health services analyzed data from 73 studies over the past 45 years. The studies involved adults over 50 who were involved in formal volunteering roles.
_ Exercise Ready, Set - Change Your Health Habits! By Jane Farrell article We all know how crucial it is to make lifestyle changes to improve our health, but knowing that and actually changing a habit are two very different things. Here, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, offers an easy-to-follow plan that will help you understand how best to make the move to healthier habits.
_ 10 Natural Ways to Control Blood Pressure By Jane Farrell article If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure (a systolic pressure ΓÇö the top number ΓÇö of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure ΓÇö the bottom number ΓÇö of 90 or above), you might be worried about taking medication to bring your numbers down. Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication. Here are 10 lifestyle changes you can make to lower your blood pressure and keep it down.
_ Pain Management Chronic Pain & Painkillers: Why You ΓÇ¿Should Consider AlternativesΓÇ¿ By Sondra Forsyth article By Dr. Frank King Roughly 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain lasting more than six months, according to a report from the Institute of Medicine. Throughout the past decade, the use of painkillers such as Vicodin, Percocet and OxyContin has soared by 300 percent. For many ΓÇô 17,000 people per year, or 46 each day ΓÇô the treatment is worse than the pain. ThatΓÇÖs the number of users who die from the medicine, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
_ A Good Way to Improve Nursing-Home Care By Jane Farrell article A ΓÇ£culture changeΓÇ¥ to a more residential atmosphere in nursing homes can lead to significant improvements in quality of care, according to a new study. Researchers from Brown University examined the effect of culture change ΓÇô an adjustment in nursing homes to allow a more flexible lifestyle for patients. Specifically, that means, among other adjustments, more resident choices in schedules and activities, and more input into care management from ΓÇ£front-lineΓÇ¥ workers who have close daily contact with residents.
_ Aging Well Why Our Word Choices Matter As We Age By Sondra Forsyth article By Roger Landry MD Have you ever considered how the words we use impact the culture around us? How do those words reflect our own attitudes, beliefs, and values? Furthermore, for those among us who work in the aging profession, how does what we say affect both how we perceive older adults to be, and how they self-identify? How Our Brains React to the Words We Say
The World is Waking Up to MenΓÇÖs Health: Good News for Men, Women, and Children By blog IΓÇÖve been working in the field of menΓÇÖs health for more than 40 years. For much of that time, IΓÇÖve felt like a lone wolf calling out in the darkness for people to recognize that males live sicker and die sooner than females. We suffer from illnesses like addictions, depression, and Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at rates much higher than females. But over the years the balance has been shifting and now the world is waking up to the problems of menΓÇÖs health and are ready to address solutions that are good for us all.
_ The Newest IBS Medicines By Jane Farrell article Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an often misunderstood and underdiagnosed condition that affects about 15.3 million people in the United States. No one remedy works for all patients, so thereΓÇÖs a great medical need to develop new therapies for IBS, Andrew Mulberg, M.D., a gastroenterologist with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said in one of the agencyΓÇÖs ΓÇ£Consumer UpdateΓÇ¥ articles.
_ Making Surgery as Easy as Possible By Jane Farrell article Have you been told by your doctor that you need surgery? If so, you're not alone. Millions of older Americans have surgery each year. Your primary care doctor may suggest a surgeon to you, and your state or local medical society can tell you about your surgeon's training. Try to choose a surgeon who operates often on medical problems like yours.
_ 5 Food-Drug Interactions You Want to Avoid By Sondra Forsyth article By Leah Shainhouse You have heard it again and again: Adapt to a healthy lifestyle. If you make sure to eat well, a plethora of diseases can be prevented or managed. However, there are times when you walk into your doctorΓÇÖs office, either for a routine check-up or for some sort of ache or pain and you have no choice. You walk out with another prescription, whether it is to help lower your cholesterol, control your blood pressure or fight off an infection.
_ Heart Health Good Neighbors May Curb Heart Attack Risk By Sondra Forsyth article Although some studies suggest that the factors such as area violence and noise can negatively affect cardiovascular health, few studies have looked at the potential health enhancing effects of positive local neighborhood characteristics. This prompted the authors of an article published in 2014 in BMJ to track the cardiovascular health of over 5000 US adults with no known heart problems over a period of four years, starting in 2006. Their average age was 70, and almost two thirds were women and married (62%).
_ Heart Health Mayo Clinic Challenges Cholesterol Guideline By Sondra Forsyth article A Mayo Clinic task force has challenged some recommendations in the updated guideline for cholesterol treatment that was unveiled by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) in 2013. The task force concludes, based on current evidence, that not all patients encouraged to take cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins may benefit from them and that the guideline missed some important conditions that might benefit from medication.