_ Sleep Deprivation & Prostate Cancer By article Lower levels of melatonin, a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle, may suggest an increased risk for developing advanced prostate cancer, according to findings presented in San Diego at the American Association for Cancer Research Conference held January 18th to 21st 2014.
_ Heart Health Hope for New Meds for Heart Arrhythmia By article A common mechanism of cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats, is calcium overload in the heart. However, the underlying mechanism has remained a mystery for decades. Now findings published in the January 19th 2014 edition of the journal Nature Medicine report the discovery of a physiological process that causes the calcium-triggered arrhythmias. The researchers at the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta in Canada hope their work will one day help design molecularly tailored medications that correct the pathophysiology.
_ Too Much Medicine May be Bad for You By Jane Farrell article If you’re taking a number of medicines for a single condition, you have a greater chance of being hospitalized than people who are taking multiple medicines for multiple conditions. A study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology analyzed “polypharmacy,” a situation in which patients diagnosed with multiple conditions are being treated with multiple medicines.
_ Osteoporosis Drug Holidays From Osteoporosis Meds By article Due to the risk of fractures in the thigh bones and tissue decay in the jaw bone associated with osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates, The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists currently recommends a drug holiday or break from these medications after four to five years of bone density stability if osteoporosis is moderate and after 10 years of stability if fracture risk is high.
_ Heart Health New BP Guidelines Questioned By Sondra Forsyth article On December 19th 2013, ThirdAge.com reported on the new hypertension guidelines from The American Society of Hypertension Inc. and the International Society of Hypertension. The revised recommendation was150/90 for people 60+ before starting treatment, up from the recommendation of 140/80 that has been the standard for 30 years.
_ Mental Exercises Have Long-Term Effect By Jane Farrell article The benefits of mental-sharpness exercises for older adults can last for as long as ten years, according to new research. The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that even after a decade, participants who underwent cognitive training had less difficulty in performing everyday tasks. Known as Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly, or ACTIVE, the study is the first to establish that link, according to Frederick W. Unverzagt, Ph.D., professor at Indiana University School of Medicine.
_ Women's Health and Wellness A Nonsurgical Treatment for Pelvic Pain By Jane Farrell article Experts say that a nonsurgical option can be as good as medicine or sugery for women suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction, which includes bladder and bowel probems as well as pelvic pain.
_ Exercise Safety for Senior Athletes By Jane Farrell article Aging affects multiple organ systems, from the heart and lungs to your bones and metabolism. Of all the changes, musculoskeletal issues have the most impact on the aging senior’s sport. These changes include:an overall decrease in muscle and bone mass; stiffening of muscles; weakening of tendons and cartilage.
_ New Features on MyDiabetes.com By article Registration is free on the site called MyDiabetes.com, an online community for patients, friends, families, and healthcare professionals. In addition to sharing personal stories and getting access the latest information on the disease, members can use a diabetes management dashboard to keep track of important personal information such as blood sugar levels, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and medications. Now, for 2014, the site has added new features:
_ Women's Health and Wellness Fake Headache Treatment May Be As Good As the Real Thing By Jane Farrell article Patients who receive good information about the medicine they’re taking do better than those who aren’t given as many positive details, according to a new study of migraine sufferers.The study showed that patients’ expectations of the drugs’ effic
_ ICE Your Cell Phone for Cold Weather Safety By article As frigid temperatures continue to affect every state in the union, Visiting Angels -- one of the nation’s largest in-home senior care agencies -- has launched the ICE a Cell Phone Safety Campaign to help people in case of emergency. ICE stands for In Case of Emergency. To ICE your cell phone or the phone a loved one in your care, load emergency contacts with the word ICE in front of the names so that if you’re ever in trouble, people will know who to call.
_ 5 Treatments Older Adults May Not Need By article By Anne-Marie Botek, Editor-in-Chief of AgingCare.com Overtreatment is a persistent problem among the aging population. Research shows that the more doctors an individual has, the more likely a patient is to be prescribed conflicting medications. Indeed doctors may over treat elderly patients unintentionally.
_ Drugs Protect Against Post-Stroke Damage By article Anticoagulant medications such as Warfarin have long been known to help prevent strokes, but now a large Danish study has shown that the blood thinners can also reduce the risk of death and brain damage when a stroke happens anyway. The research was published in Stroke - Journal of the American Heart Association.
_ Heart Health 5 Reasons Senior Heart Patients Need Exercise By Jane Farrell article Editor’s Note: You might think that the best course is to simply rest if you have heart disease. But doing the right kind of exercise can benefit you in some very substantial ways. Here, the American Council on Exercise and the Cleveland Clinic offer some suggestions to get you going. Remember, though, to talk with your doctor before beginning or resuming any exercise program, and to follow his or her recommendationis for the right exercises for you. 1. Exercise Optimizes Heart Health.
Medicare to Ban Dangerous Prescribers By article According to a January 6th 2014 report in Pro Publica by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein, Medicare plans to “arm itself with broad new powers to better control — and potentially ban — doctors engaged in fraudulent or harmful prescribing.” Pro Publica is an independent, non-profit newsroom based in New York City that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
_ Refilling Prescriptions Online Can Help Your Health By Jane Farrell article Using an online service to refill medications actually helped some people with their health, according to a new study. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente and the University of California, San Francisco Medical School followed 17,760 diabetic patients who got care from Kaisesr Permanente in northern California between 2006 and 2010. The subjects used online patient portals, which allow users to order prescription refills, communicate with their health care providers, schedule appointments, access their health records and view their lab test results
_ Pain Management Chinese Medicine for Chronic Pain By article Corydalis, a plant used for centuries in Chinese medicine, may be just what we in the West need to relieve chronic pain, according toa study done at the University of California-Irvine and published in the journal Current Biology on January 2nd 2014. A key pain-relieving ingredient is a compound known as dehydrocorybulbine (DHCB) found in the roots of the flowering plant, which is a member of the poppy family.
Quick and Effective Ways to Deal with Chronic Pain Without Drugs By Jane Farrell blog According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, pain affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease, and cancer combined. The list below shows the number of chronic pain sufferers compared to other major health conditions. Chronic Pain 100 million Americans