_ 10 Common Cancer Treatment Myths By Jane Farrell article By Mayo Clinic Staff As advances in the treatment of cancer have increased, you may have discovered more opportunities to learn the facts about this disease. Yet some misleading ideas about cancer treatment still persist. Timothy J. Moynihan, M.D., a cancer specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., helps debunk some of the most common misconceptions about cancer treatment and explains the truth. Myth: A positive attitude is all you need to beat cancer.
_ Sleep Health Sleep and "Exploding Head" Syndrome By Jane Farrell article “Exploding head syndrome” sounds like the latest slang term, but it’s a real, though underdiagnosed, sleep disorder. People who have the syndrome usually hear loud noises – doors slamming, fireworks or gunshots – as they are going to sleep and waking up.
_ Getting The Most From Springtime Walking By Jane Farrell article With spring returning, most of us want to get out and walk, especially if we’ve been stuck at home for most of the winter. Springtime walking isn’t just great exercise; it also lets us observe the beauty of a reawakening world. At this time of year, it’s no wonder that people go outside urban settings and walk on country or unpaved roads. But as wonderful as that can be, rural and even some suburban walking have their own set of hazards.
_ Aging Well Helping Us Use Age-Friendly Technologies By article Both public and private entities must consider the needs of older adults in order to help them optimize the use of new technologies from smart phones to smart cars, according to the latest issue of Public Policy & Aging Report (PP&AR), entitled “Aging and Technology: The Promise and the Paradox.” A total of eight articles, all from authors affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab, are featured.
_ "Reading" Others' Emotions Is Often Inaccurate By Jane Farrell article If you think you’re good at reading peoples’ faces, you might want to think again. Lisa Feldman Barrett, Northeastern University Distinguished Professor Psychology, has concluded that the widespread belief in universal emotions – i.e. you can read someone from a Third World country just the same as you would someone from the is simply wrong. “Emotions are not universally perceived, “ Barrett says. Everything that’s predicated on that is a mistake.”
_ Possible New Parkinson's Therapy By article When properly manipulated, a population of support cells found in the brain called astrocytes could provide a new and promising approach to treat Parkinson's disease. That’s the finding of a study done at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and published on January 28th 2014 in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
_ 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.
Shoulder Replacement Eases RA Pain By article Shoulder arthritis is a common problem for rheumatoid arthritis patients. According to a release from the Mayo Clinic, pain and difficulty moving their arms can grow so severe that daily tasks and sleep become difficult. If medication and physical therapy aren't enough, shoulder replacement surgery is a common next step. Despite surgical challenges with some rheumatoid arthritis patients, the procedure improves range of motion and reduces pain in nearly all cases, especially for those with intact rotator cuffs, a Mayo Clinic study shows.
In Praise of a (Mostly) Undocumented Christmas By Sondra Forsyth blog From the vantage point of the second week of January 2014, I’m reflecting on how very much I enjoyed the Christmas of 2013 once I let go of my self-appointed role as the family videographer. The year my first grandchild was born, 2008, I bought a Flip camera and a lightweight tripod and spent my entire holiday visit capturing every possible moment for posterity. When I wasn’t staring at the little screen and exhorting everyone to smile or say something worth recording, I was busy downloading the scenes to my laptop.
_ Aging Well Are You Still Mad About "Mad Men?" By Jane Farrell article How satisfying is “Mad Men” eight episodes into Season 5 after a 17-month absence? There are rumblings and petulance – threats of not watching it if it doesn’t get more intense and brooding. In other words, we liked the old tightly wound Don, juggling wife, girlfriends and his secret history; not this new lovesick non-Don. Certainly there have been some high points.