_ Sleep Health Night-Owl People Bigger Risk Takers Than Early Risers By Jane Farrell article Women who are night owls are as likely as men to be risk-takers. They’re also liable to be single or have short-term romantic relationships. Research by a professor from the University of Chicago suggests that night owls are different from early risers in very important ways. The research suggests that sleep patterns are linked with important character traits and behavior.
_ More People Are Making Living Wills By Jane Farrell article The number of older people who have living wills has nearly doubled in recent years, researchers have found. The change indicates that millions of people are less timid about discussing the complicated, frightening issues surrounding end-of-life medical treatments. Investigators from the University of Michigan and the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health Care System found that the percentage jumped from 47 percent in 2000 to 72 percent in 2010.
_ Six Surprising Facts About You and Your Microbes By article By Bill Miller M.D. “I'm so nervous, my stomach is all in a knot.”
Good Vibrations for Diabetic Wounds By article Wounds may heal more quickly if exposed to low-intensity vibration, according to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago who published their study online in April 2014 in the journal PLOS One. The finding, based on laboratory work with mice, may hold promise for the 18 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes, and especially the quarter of them who will eventually suffer from foot ulcers. Their wounds tend to heal slowly and can become chronic or worsen rapidly.
_ Sleep Health Reversing Age-Related Sleep Problems By article With increasing age, many people experience a decline in sleep quality that in turn reduces their quality of life. In a study publishing April 1st 2014 in the journal PLOS Biology, scientists at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biology of Aging in Cologne, Germany present findings that suggest that age-related sleep decline can be prevented and might even be reversible.
_ 3 Questions To Ask About The Intensive Care Unit By Jane Farrell article 3 Questions to Ask About The Intensive Care Unit Looking After Your Loved One In The ICU The Medical Intensive Care Unit, or what people commonly call the ICU, can be just that – intense. Most patients are admitted because they have a serious illness that requires critical, round-the-clock care. These people have often developed pneumonia, sepsis, or multiple organ failure. Feelings can run high, especially for patients and their families.
_ 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.
_ Mobile Tools Boost Smoking Cessation Counseling By article Smartphones and tablets may hold the key to getting more clinicians to screen patients for tobacco use and advise smokers on how to quit. Even though tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S., clinicians often don't ask about smoking during patient exams.
The Power of Validation Techniques In Caring For Dementia Patients By blog Editor’s Note: Last spring, Rita Altman, Sunrise Senior Living's Vice President of Memory Care and Programming, spoke with the Washington Post, discussing her experiences caring for Sunrise residents diagnosed with advanced dementia. We thought the article that followed their conversation with Rita included some good tips on communication tactics with family members and friends who may be suffering from cognitive impairment, as did the blog shared by Sunrise. We've posted both below.
_ 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.
_ Common Anesthetic Ups Risk of Brain Damage By article Researchers at the University of Adelaide have discovered that a commonly used technique called hypotensive anesthesia that reduces the blood pressure of patients undergoing surgery could increase the risk of starving the brain of oxygen.
_ Grow Your Own Organic Produce By article By Bob McClendon Growing your own food can be a fun project that yields healthy results. Here are my tips to help you to start or make the best of your own garden at home:
Happy Spring! Welcome Back to Love By blog For me, spring is the time of new love and fresh starts! Are you ready for a fresh start in your love life? Here’s a love quiz that appeared in my book on believing in love again: What do you believe about love now?
_ Aging Well Spiritual Health Well-being Religion + Spirituality = Healthier Aging By article Religion and spirituality have distinct but complementary influences on health as we age, according to research done at Oregon State University and published in March 2014 in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. A release from OSU quotes gerontology professor Carolyn Aldwin, director of OSU’s Center for Healthy Aging Research, as saying, “Religion helps regulate behavior and health habits, while spirituality regulates your emotions, how you feel.”