_ Exercise More Exercise Is Not Always Better By Sondra Forsyth article Did you do about a half hour of exercise today? If so, donΓÇÖt feel guilty about sitting down and putting your feet up ΓÇô especially is if you have heart disease. Working out too much is probably bad for you. ThatΓÇÖs the finding of a study published in August 2014 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. A release from the clinic notes that there is clear evidence of an increase in cardiovascular deaths in heart attack survivors who exercise to excess.
_ Anxiety (Panic Disorders, Phobias) Mental & Emotional Health Spiritual Health Prayer Eases Anxiety for Some, But Not All By Sondra Forsyth article For many people with anxiety-related disorders, prayer doesn't ease the symptoms. ThatΓÇÖs the finding of research done at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. What seems to matter is the type of attachment a person feels toward God. According to the Baylor study, those who prayed to a loving and supportive God whom they thought would be there to comfort and protect them in times of need were less likely to show symptoms of anxiety-related disorders such as irrational worry, fear, self-consciousness, dread in social situations, and obsessive-compulsive behavior.
_ Osteoporosis Progress in Preventing Osteoporosis By Jane Farrell article Researchers are progressing in the development of a more effective treatment of osteoporosis, a widespread and serious health problem in the U.S. The investigators, from the UCLA School of Dentistry, are working on a treatment that both slows down the destruction of bone and promotes bone formation. The researchers found that a growth factor, Wnt4, which is secreted in the bone marrow, prevented bone loss in mice with osteoporosis. Wnt4 does that by blocking a signaling pattern that would otherwise promote inflammation.
_ Women's Health and Wellness Toward Tx for Interstitial Cystitis By Sondra Forsyth article A search for biomarkers is aimed at improving treatment of the painful bladder condition called interstitial cystitis (IC). Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem North Carolina are taking advantage of technology that can analyze tissue samples and measure the activity of thousands of genes at once.
_ Pneumonia Respiratory Rate in Pneumonia Often Overlooked By Sondra Forsyth article Pneumonia, a severe lung infection, is the most common disease calling for hospital admission. More than one out of ten pneumonia patients die of the disease. Thus it is vital to predict accurately and to closely monitor the clinical course. Measuring the respiratory rate – the number of breaths a person takes in a minute – provides valuable information. However, far too little use is still being made of this vital sign in clinical practice, according to Richard Strauß and co-authors a study published in August 2014 in Deutsches Ärzteblatt.
_ Highly Drug Resistant Pathogen in Ohio By Sondra Forsyth article A team of clinician researchers has discovered a highly virulent, multidrug resistant form of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patient samples in Ohio. Their investigation suggests that the particular genetic element involved, which is still rare in the United States, has been spreading heretofore unnoticed, and that surveillance is urgently needed. The research, which was done at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, was published ahead of print in August 2014 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
_ Women's Health and Wellness What's Your Bladder Telling You About Your Health? By Jane Farrell article How your bladder functions every day can tell you a lot about your overall health. How often you urinate during the day and during the night, the color of your urine and whether you can ΓÇ£hold itΓÇ¥ all provide clues to health conditions that donΓÇÖt involve your urinary system. ΓÇ£Eighty percent of the causes of bladder problems are related to conditions outside of the bladder,ΓÇ¥ says urologist Raymond Rackley, MD. These can include problems with the nervous or cardiovascular systems, Rackley says. So what should you look out for?
_ Grandparenting Kid's & Teen Health Mental & Emotional Health Parenting Can Fiction Heighten Empathy? By Sondra Forsyth article If you read stories to your grandchildren and also read fiction for your own pleasure, you may be improving the ability of both the children and yourself to understand what other people are thinking or feeling. ThatΓÇÖs the finding of a study presented on August 7th 2014 at the American Psychological Association's 122nd Annual Convention in Washington D.C. by psychologist Raymond Mar from York University in Canada.
_ Exercise How Exercise Can Improve Osteoarthritis By Jane Farrell article Osteoarthritis, the degeneration of joint cartilage, is age-related. Most cases involve stiffness in the knee, hip and thumb joints. But while it is a painful condition, osteoarthritis doesnΓÇÖt necessarily limit your from physical activity. In fact, the right kind of exercise can improve the condition.
Why Did the Robin Williams News Hit So Many So Hard? By blog We hear of celebrity deaths frequently. Old favorites die of old age, new favorites may die of drug overdoses, illness, or in accidents. There are also suicides sometimes. The news of the deaths makes the rounds, now much more quickly than ever because of the Internet. We see retrospectives of the celebritiesΓÇÖ work, people comment on beloved scenes or events, and then we move on.
Coming Next Week! August 18th to August 22nd 2014 By Sondra Forsyth article HereΓÇÖs a sneak preview of the articles, slideshows, and blogs weΓÇÖll be posting during the coming week on ThirdAge, the biggest and best site for ΓÇ£boomer and beyondΓÇ¥ women since 1997. As always, weΓÇÖll bring you the latest information from top experts about maintaining a healthy body, mind, and spirit as you navigate both the challenges and the joys of being a ThirdAger.
_ More Health Research Needed on Natural Gas Drilling By Jane Farrell article Projects involving gas drilling, including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, should be subject to public-health and community analysis before they begin, an expert panel says. The panel called for groundwater and air quality testing before, during, and after the drilling, saying that the analysis is a key component of guaranteeing the safety of communities near the drilling site.
_ Aging Well Foods That WonΓÇÖt ΓÇ£FrailΓÇ¥ You By Sondra Forsyth article By Robert Ashton M.D. With aging comes frailty. The more frail we are, the more likely we are to get sick or die from chronic illnesses including heart disease, diabetes, and other leading causes of death. If you can slow the debilitating process, then you have a shot at living not only a longer life, but a healthier one too.
_ Vision Health ΓÇ£Seeing'ΓÇ¥ Through Virtual Touch By Sondra Forsyth article Surprising results from University of Cincinnati research could lead to new ways to help the visually impaired better navigate everyday life. Visual impairment comes in many forms, and it's on the rise in America. The University of Cincinnati experiment aimed at this diverse and growing population could spark development of advanced tools to help all the aging baby boomers, injured veterans, diabetics, and white-cane-wielding pedestrians navigate the blurred edges of everyday life.
_ Healthy Diet & Nutrition Keeping Fillers Out of Coffee By Sondra Forsyth article Java lovers beware: Surprise ingredients that are neither sweet nor flavorful may be hiding in your coffee. Not only that, but growing coffee shortages may increase the chance of having these fillers in your cup of joe in the future. The good news, though, is that a highly accurate test is in the works to find coffee containing unwanted fillers before the beverage reaches stores and restaurants.
_ Osteoarthritis Newfound Cause of Osteoarthritis By Sondra Forsyth article A mechanism of joint destruction caused by a natural material that grinds away healthy cartilage and worsens osteoarthritis has been identified in human hip joints for the first time by University of Liverpool scientists in the UK. The scientists, with Professor Alan Boyde and colleagues from Queen Mary University of London, were studying the hip of a man with a rare genetic condition, alkaptonuria (AKU). This is a metabolic disease in which a substance called homogentisic acid accumulates in joint cartilage, causing changes to its physical properties.
Can A Person Ever Be Fully Prepared to Care for Someone with Alzheimer's? By Jane Farrell blog Earlier this year, I attended a caregivers conference at the University of Minnesota. The morning keynote speaker was absolutely terrific ΓÇö an engaging, informed speaker who was also funny and self-deprecating.
_ Colon-Cancer Screenings: Weighing the Options By Jane Farrell article Editor's note: If you ever thought getting a colonoscopy was the only way to screen for colon cancer, you're wrong. Here, the experts from the Mayo Clinic explain what the choices are: WHAT IS YOUR DOCTORΓÇÖS APPROACH TO COLON-CANCER SCREENING? Make sure that you're comfortable with the colon cancer screening test your doctor recommends. If your doctor specializes in a particular test but you'd rather have another test, express your wishes. If necessary, your doctor might offer a referral to someone trained in the test with which you feel most comfortable.