_ Don't Be Confused By Organ-Donation Myths By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic Over 100,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for an organ donation. Unfortunately, many may never get the call saying that a suitable donor organ — and a second chance at life — has been found.
_ The New Challenges of Alzheimer's By Jane Farrell article The growing incidence of Alzheimer’s raises many question beyond diagnosis and, eventually treatment. As a society, we also need to think about the ethical and policy choices we are faced with, an expert says.
_ Grandparenting Watching Grandkids Once a Week Keeps Grandmas Sharp By article Taking care of grandchildren one day a week helps keep grandmothers mentally sharp, according to a study from the Women's Healthy Aging Project in Australia, published online April 8th 2014 in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). That's good news for women after menopause, when women need to lower their risks of developing Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders.
_ Extra Pounds Even Worse Than We Thought By article Mortality risks of being overweight or obese are underestimated, according to University of Pennsylvania researchers who published their study in the March 2014 issue of the open-access journal Population Health Metrics. A release from the university quotes lead researcher Andrew Stokes as saying, "The scholarly community is divided over a large meta-analysis that found that overweight is the optimal BMI category and that there are no increased risks associated with obese class 1."
Esophageal Cancer Month, April 2014 By article April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month and ECAN, the Esophageal Cancer Action Network, is urging Americans to get the facts about this deadly disease, which usually isn’t detected until it’s too late. Some basic facts about Esophageal Cancer in the U.S. *Most cases of esophageal cancer in the United States are caused by the effects of GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease), where acid from the stomach moves back into the esophagus. The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn.
Startling Findings About Diabetes Tx By article Scientists thought they basically knew how the most common drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes worked, but a new study from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) reveals unexpected new aspects of the process. These findings could eventually lead to more potent anti-diabetic drugs with fewer serious side effects. The study was published in the April 7th 2014 issue of the journal Nature Communications.
Osteoporosis Too Fit to Fracture By article Experts from the Too Fit to Fracture Initiative have established exercise recommendations for people with osteoporosis, with or without spine fractures. The results were presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases in Seville, Spain in April 2014.
Bring Me a Higher Love! By blog Everywhere I go I meet so many interesting and COOL older singles who are losing hope in ever finding true love again. My words to you are: DON’T GIVE UP! By running a dating service for older singles, I learned that there are SO MANY COOL adults looking for love later in life. More than you would EVER possibly imagine. Your best proof that you could meet someone great TODAY is this simple fact: You are single and look how amazing you are! There must be others just like you wondering what is the best way to connect with others.
_ The Best Ways To Protect Yourself Online By Jane Farrell article By Rose Haywood You put more personal information online than you may think. By signing up for a contest, shopping online for the holidays, or doing online banking, you can make it easier for hackers to get the details they need about your online ID. With so many companies and services moving to online-only mediums, it’s hard not to put some of your information out there to get the services you need. Here are three easy-to-follow rules that can help safeguard your ID and personal information, including financial and health details,heal from prying eyes. 1. Avoid free Wi-Fi
_ Why It May Be More Than "The Blues" By Jane Farrell article Everyone feels blue now and then. It’s part of life. But if you no longer enjoy activities that you usually like, there may be a more serious problem. Feeling depressed without letup can change the way you think and the way you experience emotions. Doctors call this clinical depression.
_ Urban Gardeners Must Know More About Soil By Jane Farrell article People growing food in urban gardens need to know more about soil contamination, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF). Although consuming food from urban gardens can have health benefits, a lack of knowledge about soil contamination could pose potential problems for both consumers and producers.
_ Caregivers for Wounded Veterans By article More than 1.1 million spouses, parents, and friends are caring for the injured and disabled who have served in the U.S. military since Sept. 11, 2001, often doing so without a formal support network and putting their own well-being at risk, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Presurgical Psych Screening Largely Ignored By article Only 10 percent of orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons follow professional guidelines recommending routine psychological screenings of patients prior to major surgery for severe back and leg pain, according to a Johns Hopkins study published in the April 2014 edition of the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques.
_ Exercise The Zero Gravity Lesson We Learned from Astronauts By article By Roger Landry, MD, MPH “Houston, we have a problem.”
_ Heart Health Learn the True Age of Your Heart By article A new method of heart disease risk assessment developed by the Joint British Societies lets you learn the true age of your heart so that you can take preventive steps to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. The calculator is available online here: JBS3 risk calculator.
_ Being Underweight Is as Hazardous as Obesity By article Being underweight puts people at the highest risk of dying just as obesity does, according to research dome at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and published in March 2014 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health. A release from the hospital written by Leslie Shepard notes that the connection between being underweight and the higher risk of dying is true for both adults and fetuses. This is so even when factors such as smoking, alcohol use or lung disease are considered, or adults with a chronic or terminal illness are excluded, the study found.
Marriage Marriage Not as Heart-Healthy at 50+ By article People who are married have lower rates of several cardiovascular diseases compared with those who are single, divorced or widowed, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session in March 2014 in Washington D.C. However, Boomers and Beyond take note: The relationship between marriage and lower odds of vascular diseases is especially pronounced before age 50. For people aged 50 and younger, marriage is associated with 12 percent lower odds of any vascular disease.