_ All About Telehealth By Jane Farrell article From the Mayo Clinic How many times have you heard it said that the Internet has transformed modern life? Indeed, it's probably changed how you stay in touch with family and friends, purchase goods and services, and even search for information about health problems. But are you using the array of telehealth tools available to improve your health and wellness? If not, you may be falling behind the times. What is telehealth? Why should you care?
_ Aging Well The Future of Aging, 2014 By article Here’s a link to a video of the General Session from the 2014 American Society on Aging "Aging in America" Conference in San Diego. JoAnn Jenkins (AARP); Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. (Age Wave); Joe Coughlin, Ph.D. (MIT AgeLab); and Fernando Torres-Gil, Ph.D. (UCLA) present their views about the future of aging.
Pain Management Natural Migraine Prevention Tips By article By Romie Mushtaq M.D. Headaches are fifth-leading cause of emergency room visits among all Americans, according to a 2013 National Institutes of Health report that calls headaches a major public health problem. The key to preventing headaches is, of course, to figure out what’s triggering them. While migraine and stress headaches can both be triggered by stress, migraines have many other possible triggers and they vary from one individual to the next.
_ Mental & Emotional Health Reducing Anxiety? ThereΓÇÖs an App for That. By article Playing a science-based mobile gaming app for 25 minutes can reduce anxiety in stressed individuals, according to research done at Hunter College in NYC and the City University of New York and published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The study suggests that "gamifying" a scientifically-supported intervention could offer measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people with relatively high levels of anxiety.
_ The Personal Records You Need to Keep By Jane Farrell article We don’t like to think about suddenly becoming seriously sick or disabled. Yet it’s extremely helpful to review what you and others need to know if that happens. To have your “affairs in order” will help your family and caregivers as well as you yourself. The federal National Institute on Aging has a list that will help you and other family members be prepared for a sudden crisis. (And if you are caregiving yourself for a family member, it might be a good idea to tactfully bring up this subject.)
_ Supplement Users Have Healthy Habits By article A review published in February 2014 in Nutrition Journal debunks the myth that dietary supplement users are operating under a "halo effect" or are somehow short-changing themselves, eating poorly, not exercising regularly, and relying on a supplement alone for good health. On the contrary, the data collected by researchers at the Council for Responsible Nutrition indicate that in fact dietary supplement users make better food choices in addition to taking supplements.
_ What You Need to Know About COPD By Jane Farrell article Along with lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, affects a patient’s very ability to breathe. COPD, which is also called emphysema or chronic bronchitis, is a progressive lung disease in which the airways of the lungs become damaged, making it hard to breathe. COPD is also known as emphysema or chronic bronchitis. According to the National Institutes of Health, COPD is a major cause of death and illness worldwide. In the U.S., it kills more than 120,000 Americans every year, or one every four minutes.
_ The High Cost of "Free" Foods By Jane Farrell article Think twice before reaching for that fat-free cookie or sugar-free ice cream bar as an afternoon snack. In most cases, you’re better off having the real thing in moderate portions, says Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, wellness manager at Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute. The issue, Kirkpatrick says, is that choosing heavily processed foods over natural foods often means taking in too many additives and refined ingredients with questionable nutritional value. Substitutions — but no substitute for the real thing.
Fibromyalgia and Alternative Treatments By Jane Farrell article http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/Fibromyalgia, a collection of painful symptoms that may be linked with anxiety and depression, is often difficult to diagnose and to treat.
_ Alternative Health My Acupuncture Treatment By Jane Farrell article Earlier this year I completed a six-week trial of acupuncture to see if it would banish the pain in my butt from Piriformis syndrome, an inflammation of the sciatic nerve. It didn’t fix that, but it did do something else that I hadn’t experienced with massage or chiropractic treatment (and certainly not with ibuprofen). And I did feel better.
_ Divorce The Post-Divorce Valentine's Day By Jane Farrell article Who dreads Valentine’s Day more than single women with no romantic interest in their lives? Recently divorced women. But there is hope for a new kind of Valentine’s celebration. On a day when “I love you, darling” is shoved down our throats, maybe we should be expressing our gratitude to those who stuck by us through the valley of depression, or making the day special for our children or grandchildren.