_ What You Might Not Know about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood An estimated 12 million Americans suffer from the painful nerve disorder of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). We’ve heard the term so much that it might start to seem as if CTS is simply something you should live with. But investigators are working on new ways to prevent and cure it.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Emotional Recovery After Public Trauma By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood Horrific events like the shootings in a Colorado movie theater and a Sikh temple in Wisconsin affect not only those directly or peripherally involved, but also many people who only hear about them on the news. “Such events leave most of us feeling vulnerable, helpless, sad and anxious,” says Linda Ligenza, a consultant to the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. These killings, unlike those in war, happened in ordinary and familiar settings. This could have been me, we think.
Music and Alzheimer's By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood If you've ever felt , or witnessed, the unimaginable despair and sadness that accompanies seeing a loved one with Alzheimer's, there could be good news for you. A new feature documentary, “Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory,” demonstrates the power of music to awaken and revive those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia--and to bring them closer to being themselves once more..
_ Health Headlines HGB Dies at 90 By Sondra Forsyth article All of us who are "Boomers and Beyond" are hoping to live long and well. Helen Gurley Brown did exactly that. Here's a link to our ThirdAge tribute to her, which we posted on her 90th birthday: http://www.thirdage.com/celebrities/happy-90th-bday-helen-gurley-brown
_ Overactive Bladder (OAB) & Incontinence Managing "Urge Incontinence" By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood If you experience the urge to urinate day and night, even though you just went to the bathroom, you may have Overactive Bladder (OAB). A collection of urinary symptoms, the most prominent being an uncontrollable urge to urinate even though the bladder isn’t full, OAB affects millions of Americans. Although up to 40 percent of American women and 30 percent of men have been identified with OAB, there may well be more people who suffer from it because people don’t like to discuss this kind of problem.
_ Exercise ThirdAge Health Close-up: Pilates By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood I’m doing Pilates machines workouts by the process of elimination. I’ve tried and given up just about everything else. For the last year, my friend’s words have echoed in my guilt chamber: “Just pay the money and do Pilates machines classes. They work!”
_ World No Tobacco Day By Sondra Forsyth article May 31st is World No Tobacco Day 2012. If you're still puffing away, in spite of all the dire health warnings about smoking, consider making this the moment you commit to kicking the habit. Do it for yourself, and for those you love. Obviously, they want you to stay well and live long, but remember that you are also putting all those around you at risk by exposing them to secondhand smoke.
_ Senior Health Medicare Provision Helps Boomers Stay Well By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as Ben Franklin noted long ago, shouldn’t our health system reward and emphasize prevention rather than the cure? In fact, just a few days ago the Obama administration hired a PR firm to conduct a public education campaign about the utilization of preventive benefits and services included in the Affordable Care Act.
_ Exercise Donald Driver Wins DWTS By Jane Farrell article The winner of Season 14 of “DWTS” is Green Bay Packer Donald Driver, and it’s all over but the TV talk shows. One thing is for sure: this was the most satisfying seasons of “DWTS.” The quality of the dancing was extremely high and this show has left an indelible mark on its fans. I think we’ll expect more of future seasons.
Mental & Emotional Health A Lesson from Mary Kennedy's Death By Jane Farrell article By Judy Kirkwood Mary Richardson Kennedy’s death could not have been unanticipated. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 90 percent of people who die from suicide have the risk factors of depression and other mental disorders, including substance abuse disorders. Any knowledgeable health provider versed in dual diagnosis could have told the Kennedy and Richardson families that it was not a good idea for Mary to be living alone and to have total responsibility for her finances and health.
_ Dr. Marie's Advice About Changes in Your Urine's Color By article ThirdAge medical contributor Marie Savard, M.D. is known for mentioning the unmentionable in order to help you stay healthy. Here, she explains how changes in the color of your urine can be an early sign of a medical disorder. Dr. Marie notes that in her experience, many women are shy about bringing up issues regarding what goes on "down there" and that this can be risky business.
_ Relationships & Love John Edwards Is Guilty--Of VIolating Human Decency By Jane Farrell article To me the most compelling news to surface in John Edwards’ trial for alleged violation of campaign finance laws is the scene described last week of Elizabeth Edwards ripping off her blouse and bra and confronting her husband with evidence of her scarred life (physical and emotional - she had a double mastectomy and was battling a recurrence of her cancer). “You don’t see me anymore,” she cried, as ex-aide Christina Reynolds recounted in the federal courthouse in Greensboro, North Carolina.
_ Dr. Marie's Advice About Bacterial Vaginosis By Sondra Forsyth article About 50% of all cases of vaginitis, an inflammation or infection of the vagina, are caused by bacterial vaginosis. If BV is not treated, it can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain and possible infertility. It can also lower your defenses against other infections. However in this digital age, when many women are turning to the Internet rather than see a doctor, a recent study found that fully two out of three women with bacterial vaginosis misdiagnosed themselves when they Googled their symptoms.
_ Overactive Bladder (OAB) & Incontinence Urinary Health Dr. Marie's Help for Incontinence By Sondra Forsyth article A 2008 article in the New England Journal of Medicinearticle revealed that 25 percent of perimenopausal women and 40 percent of postmenopausal women report leakage of urine. ThirdAge medical expert Marie Savard, M.D., author of "Ask Dr. Marie," says that the main causes of this annoying condition are decreased estrogen levels and aging pelvic muscles that are losing strength. She adds that obesity can exacerbate the condition, as can asthma, diabetes, a chronic cough, and medications such as diuretics, antihistamines, and antidepressants.
_ Wills & Estates The Best Estate-Planning Tips By Jane Farrell article If you don’t have a will, you are not alone. Half of Americans don’t have a will, a living will, or financial and medical powers of attorney. Yet we know a will and other estate documents would ease our family’s burdens if something happened to us.
_ Mental & Emotional Health "The Hunger Games": What's All The Fuss? By Jane Farrell article I ignored “The Hunger Games” as long as I could. Even after my 13-year-old granddaughter told me she was reading the books. But when I realized she would be seeing the PG-13 movie with Jennifer Lawrence, I wanted to find out about this Katniss Everdean character.
_ Relationships & Love My Sweet Baby James By Jane Farrell article James Taylor’s breakthrough album, Sweet Baby James, was released in 1970. Over 40 years later, he is still my boyfriend – well, he did promise, specifically to me, “You’ve got a friend.”