_ Aging Well Checklist for Aging in Place By Sondra Forsyth article By Hilary Young The overwhelming majority of people aged 50 and older would choose to remain in their own homes as they age.
_ How Do You Recover from Anesthesia? By Jane Farrell article A new study has found important clues about the process the brain uses to ΓÇ£navigateΓÇ¥ back to consciousness after being on anesthesia. Earlier research has revealed some elements of brain activity under anesthesia, but until now there havenΓÇÖt been any findings on the navigation process out of anesthesia.
_ Medical Care Mustaches & Oxygen Therapy = Burns By Sondra Forsyth article Facial hair and home oxygen therapy can prove a dangerously combustible combination, according to a Mayo Clinic report published in the peer-reviewed medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. To reach that conclusion, researchers reviewed home oxygen therapy-related burn cases and experimented with a mustachioed mannequin, a facial hair-free mannequin, nasal oxygen tubes and sparks. They found that facial hair raises the risk of home oxygen therapy-related burns, and encourage health care providers to counsel patients about the risk.
_ Aging Well Caregiving Medical Care Long-Term Care Must Be Improved By Sondra Forsyth article As millions of Americans struggle to help loved ones with dementia, policymakers should consider more ways to improve long-term services and supports for the soaring numbers of people with the debilitating condition and their caregivers, according to a new RAND Corporation study done in June 2014. Thereport also offers possible ways to achieve those goals.
Heart Coherence: 3 Simple Steps for Reducing Stress and Living Well By blog IΓÇÖve always prided myself on having a healthy heart. When IΓÇÖd have my yearly health checkups, the doctor always commented that I had the low blood pressure of an athlete. I do keep in good shape, but I havenΓÇÖt considered myself an athlete since high school when I played basketball and wrestled.
_ It's Never Too Late to Quit By Jane Farrell article When it comes to quitting smoking, older people may be faced with some especially discouraging issues. Maybe theyΓÇÖve tried to quit ΓÇô more than once. Maybe they think theyΓÇÖre too old and that the damage has been done. But according to experts, itΓÇÖs never too late to stop smoking, and to do it successfully. ItΓÇÖs not that older smokers donΓÇÖt want to quit. Many of them do, knowing that being smoke-free would have a number of positive results, from the avoidance of serious diseases like stroke and heart disease, to the likelihood of having more money and more energy.
_ 5 Tips for Safe Online Shopping By Jane Farrell article You might have resisted the idea of online shopping for a while, but these days, chances are youΓÇÖre doing it just like millions of other Americans. Unfortunately, though, with the convenience of online shopping comes the possibility of fraud. How can you protect yourself and your personal information? The Internet security firm McAfee has some suggestions:
What Are Cataracts? Cataract Awareness Month By blog June is Cataract Awareness Month - but what exactly are cataracts and what causes them? Cataracts are a clouding over of the eye - they can happen in one or in both and they are often associated with aging, but they can also occur in younger people and for reasons other than aging. Estimates by the U.S. National Eye Institute are that at least half of people who are 80 years old have either had a cataract or have one.
_ Beauty & Style Skin 10 Everyday Tips to Achieving Great Skin By Sondra Forsyth article By Andrea Warshaw-Wernick We all know that exercise and proper nutrition are huge factors in getting and maintaining great skin, but there are some other "must dos" to get your skin as healthy and youthful-looking as you can! Here are 10 simple, everyday tips on how to achieve great skin: 1. Keep your skin clean by using a gentle cleanser in the morning and at night. Always go in an upward motion when cleansing your face.
_ Food Allergies & Intolerance EpiPens Not Used Often Enough By Sondra Forsyth article Sudden allergic reactions can be fatal. The most common triggers of such reactions, also known as anaphylaxis, are wasp and bee venoms, legumes (pul, animal proteins, and painkiller. The incidence of anaphylaxis is age-dependent. Although epinephrine administered by injection is a know effective antidote, the treatment is not used often enough – at least not in German=speaking countries -- , according to a study published in the June 2014 issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
_ Skin Skin Health Endorphins and Sun Addiction By Sondra Forsyth article Why do sun lovers eagerly flock to the beach every summer in spite of widespread awareness of the risk of skin cancer? A study published June 19th 2014 in the journal Cell may have the answer. The research, done at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reveals that chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins, which act through the same pathway as heroin and related drugs and lead to physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction-like behavior.
_ Weight Loss Sticking to a Diet: Compliance vs. Adherence By Sondra Forsyth article By Sondra Forsyth You may have noticed that most health care professionals have stopped using the word ΓÇ£complianceΓÇ¥ when referring to whether or not people stick with medication regimens or apply sunscreen daily or exercise on a regular basis. The word most often used now is ΓÇ£adherence.ΓÇ¥ The rationale is that telling patients to comply smacks of issuing a command, whereas asking them to adhere implies that they are partners in their care and can use free will to do whatΓÇÖs best for their health.
Coming Next Week! June 23rd to June 27th By Sondra Forsyth article HereΓÇÖs a sneak preview of the articles 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. In addition, be sure to come back every morning to check out the ThirdAge Exclusives, We write them after culling the most important new academic and government studies from around the world that are making news that day.
_ Brain Health Seeing the Inner Workings of the Brain By Sondra Forsyth article A team of scientists at Stanford University has improved a technique called CLARITY that they developed in 2013 to look into brains from deceased donors, according to a paper published June 19th 2014 in Nature Protocols. A release from the university explains that without this tool, the fatty outer covering of the brainΓÇÖs nerve cells blocks microscopes from taking images of the intricate connections between deep brain cells. CLARITY eliminates the fatty covering while keeping the brain intact with all its intricate inner wiring.
_ 7 Colonoscopy Myths Debunked By Jane Farrell article By Digestive Health Team, Cleveland Clinic Everyone has reasons for not getting a colonoscopy. Often, itΓÇÖs based on misunderstandings ΓÇô both about the procedure and about colon cancer, says Carol A. Burke, MD, Director of the Center for Colon Polyp and Cancer Prevention in Cleveland ClinicΓÇÖs Digestive Disease Institute. People may not realize that colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers ΓÇô and that a colonoscopy is a short, mildly uncomfortable test that can save their life.
_ Aging Well Memory Loss Stress Management Stress-Free Living Stress Linked to Memory Loss as We Age By Sondra Forsyth article Research done at the University of Iowa reports a potential link between stress hormones and short-term memory loss in older adults. The study, published in June 2014 in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that prolonged high levels of cortisol can lead to memory lapses as we age.
_ Exercise Calling All Couch Potatoes: You Might Be at Risk for this Disease By Sondra Forsyth article HereΓÇÖs yet another compelling reason to get up off the couch: Physical inactivity can increase the risk of colon, endometrial, and lung cancers, according to a study published June 16th 2014 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Time spent watching TV was especially predictive of increased cancer risk.
_ Breast Cancer Many Elderly BC Patients Are Taking Hormone Therapy By Jane Farrell article Women over 65 with non-metastatic breast cancer are likely to follow recommendations for preventive hormone treatment. But non-white women were much less likely to have that therapy. The women who had the therapy suffered from estrogen-positive breast cancer and were given either an aromatase inhibitor or tamoxifen. Those hormones prevent tumors from using estrogen to fuel growth. The study was reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.