_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Caffeine Lowers Incidence of Tinnitus By Sondra Forsyth article Researchers at Brigham and WomenΓÇÖs Hospital in Boston found that higher caffeine intake is associated with lower rates of tinnitus, often described as a ringing or buzzing sound in the ear when there is no outside source of the sounds, in younger and middle-aged women. This study was published in the August 2014 issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
_ Wellness Coaching Improves Quality of Life By Sondra Forsyth article Wellness coaching improves quality of life, mood and perceived stress, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in August 2014 in the peer-reviews journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Matthew Clark, Ph.D., L.P., lead author of the study and resiliency expert at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, answered some common questions about wellness coaching:
_ Menopause What to Expect and How to Prepare for Menopause By Sondra Forsyth article By Marni Andrews There are a record number of North American women now entering a new period of their lives, menopause, which marks the official end of their reproductive period. Women are born with a finite number of eggs in their ovariesΓÇöby the time they reach their 50s, the number of fertile eggs has dropped significantly. When the remaining eggs are released, or hormones in the body can no longer stimulate their release, the body enters menopause. This generally happens between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age being around 51.
_ High blood pressure / hypertension BP, Lower May Not Be Better By Sondra Forsyth article The mantra for treatment for high blood pressure has been "the lower, the better," but that goal can potentially put patients at risk of kidney failure or death, according to a study done Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles and published August 4th 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Researchers examined the electronic health records of nearly 400,000 Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California who were taking medications to treat high blood pressure from January 2006 through December 2010. They found that:
_ Living With and Treating Peripheral Artery Disease By Sondra Forsyth article If you have P.A.D., you may feel pain in your calf or thigh muscles after walking. Try to take a break and allow the pain to ease before walking again. Over time, this may increase the distance that you can walk without pain. Talk with your doctor about taking part in a supervised exercise program. This type of program has been shown to reduce P.A.D. symptoms.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Fish Really Is Brain Food! By Sondra Forsyth article Eating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain, regardless of how much omega-3 fatty acid it contains, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online in 2014 the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, add to growing evidence that lifestyle factors contribute to brain health later in life.
_ Sex Restarting Your Sex Life By Jane Farrell article Normal aging brings physical changes in both men and women. These changes sometimes affect the ability to have and enjoy sex. A woman may notice changes in her vagina. As a woman ages, her vagina can shorten and narrow. Her vaginal walls can become thinner and also a little stiffer. Most women will have less vaginal lubrication. These changes could affect sexual function and/or pleasure.
_ Exercise Does Air Pollution Make Outdoor Exercise Risky? By Sondra Forsyth article By Edward R. Laskowski, M.D. While aerobic activity is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle, air pollution and exercise can be an unhealthy combination. This is especially true if you have asthma, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, or lower respiratory disease. Even when you're not exercising, exposure to air pollution can cause health problems. But with the combination of air pollution and exercise, the potential health problems are increased.
_ The Latest Approach to Anti-Aging By Jane Farrell article Instead of fighting chronic diseases one by one as they develop, researchers suggest, medicine should focus instead on preventing several of these illnesses at once. That approach, the investigators say, could help extend healthy lifespans.
Rosemary & Oregano Fight Diabetes By Sondra Forsyth article The popular culinary herbs oregano and rosemary are packed with healthful compounds, and now lab tests show they could work in much the same way as prescription anti-diabetic medication, scientists report. In their study published in July 2014 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia and colleagues found that the way the herbs are grown makes a difference, and they also identified which compounds contribute the most to this promising trait.
_ Aging Well Exercise Health & Fitness Healthy Diet & Nutrition 7 Strategies to Optimize Your Growth Hormone By Sondra Forsyth article By Sara Gottfried MD ΓÇ£My husband and I had the most amazing sex in years,ΓÇ¥ Martha began, slightly cautious she was oversharing. When my facial expressions suggested otherwise, she continued:
_ Exercise Six Tips to Avoid Germs at the Gym By Sondra Forsyth article ItΓÇÖs frustrating when youΓÇÖre going to the gym regularly, doing a great job at healthy living, and then you get sick ΓÇô and youΓÇÖre pretty sure the elliptical machine is the culprit. Your local 24-hour fitness center is like a daycare for adults: Like any enclosed space full of people, it can be a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. Fortunately, we can tell you how to live a healthy lifestyle while youΓÇÖre working out. ItΓÇÖs not as hard as you think, and worth the extra effort!
The Foods That Can Make You Less Anxious By Jane Farrell article Coping with anxiety can be a challenge and often requires making lifestyle changes. There aren't any diet changes that can cure anxiety, but watching what you eat may help. Try these steps: Eat a breakfast that includes some protein. Eating protein at breakfast can help you feel fuller longer and help keep your blood sugar steady so that you have more energy as you start your day.
_ Heart Health Niacin Linked to Death Risk By Sondra Forsyth article Niacin has been a mainstay of cholesterol therapy for 50 years, but Northwestern Medicine preventive cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones, M.D. maintains that the drug should no longer be prescribed for most patients due to potential increased risk of death, dangerous side effects, and no benefit in reducing heart attacks and strokes. His editorial was published in the July 17th 2014 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
_ Aging Well Exercise More of Us Are Exercising This Year! By Sondra Forsyth article The 2014 United States of Aging Survey found that 37% Americans 60 and older say they exercise every day, compared with 26% in 2013. Maybe all those reports about how ΓÇ£sitting is the new smokingΓÇ¥ are motivating us! Even so, we can do better. Almost 2/3 of us are still not living lives that are active enough to promote good physical and emotional health. Yet older adults who do exercise daily are much more likely than those who never exercise to say the past year of their life has been better than normal.
Aging Well Senior Health WhatΓÇÖs Really Keeping You From Aging Well? By Sondra Forsyth article By Dr. Kevin J. McLaughlin During my experience as a health care provider, I have realized that, when it comes to aging well, many older women are worried about developing cancer, especially breast cancer, more than any other age-related diseases.
_ Brain Health Sleep Health A Good NightΓÇÖs Sleep Boosts Brain Power as We Age By Sondra Forsyth article A University of Oregon-led study published in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that middle-aged or older people who get six to nine hours of sleep a night think better than those sleeping fewer or more hours. The study reaffirms numerous small-scale studies in the United States, Western Europe and Japan, but it does so using data compiled across six middle-income nations and involving more than 30,000 subjects for a long-term project that began in 2007.
_ Making the Best Decisions With Your Doctor By Jane Farrell article Talking with a doctor about a health-care decision is crucial - and can be an intimidating process. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging, are some ways to get the most out of it: Giving and getting information are two important steps in talking with your doctor. The third big step is making decisions about your care.