healthy living for women + their families
Talking with a doctor about a health-care decision is crucial – and can be an intimidating process. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging, are some ways to get the most out of it:
Giving and getting information are two important steps in talking with your doctor. The third big step is making decisions about your care.
Don’t want to expose your skin to the sun’s damaging rays, but still want that sun-kissed glow? Consider trying sunless tanning products. Start by understanding how sunless tanning products work — and the importance of applying them carefully and correctly.
HOW DO SUNLESS TANNING PRODUCTS WORK?
If you’d like to meditate but are overwhelmed by the thought of lengthy training and practice, take heart: you can get the stress-reducing benefits from just 25 minutes.
New research from Carnegie Mellon University is the first to show that brief mindfulness meditation practice — 25 minutes for three consecutive days — alleviates psychological stress. ” the study investigates how mindfulness meditation affects people’s ability to be resilient under stress.
The Fourth of July weekend, with its barbecues, firecrackers and fireworks, is a festive time for millions of families. And it’s also a time to remember your animal companions. The experts at the ASPCA have some strategies for making the holiday a relaxing time for the furry friend(s) in your home.
Don’t leave alcoholic drinks within reach of pets. Alcohol can poison animals. Your pet could also go into a coma, the ASPCA says. In severe cases, fatal respiratory failure has occurred.
July 4th is a great time to celebrate freedom and independence of all kinds. Why not make it an occasion to declare your own independence – from tobacco? The federal Centers for Disease Control has made July 4th its focal point for its program on freeing yourself from nicotine addiction.
Anyone who’s ever quit can tell you it’s a tough process, but understanding why it’s so tough may help you deal with those moments when you feel you can’t go one moment longer without a cigarette. Here are some insights from the CDC:
When it comes to skin cancer, many people are influenced by fear, not statistics, to use sunscreen.
“Most health behavior studies don’t account for the more visceral, emotional reactions that lead people to do risky behaviors, like eat junk food or ignore the protective benefits of sunscreen,” says Marc Kiviniemi, lead researcher and assistant professor of community health and health behavior in the University of Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Here’s another addition to our Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning.
Editor’s note: This Fourth of July weekend, millions of Americans will gather with their families for barbecues, boat outings and beach trips. But excessive drinking isn’t a good part of this festive mix. Here, from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, are some good reasons why drinking too much shouldn’t be part of your holiday:
Scientists have found a way to preserve livers for a longer time before transplant.
The investigators, from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Engineering in Medicine, said that their technique permitted successful transplantation of rat livers after being preserved for up to four days. That is more than triple the length of time organs can currently be preserved.
The discovery was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Hormonal changes during menopause could increase a woman’s risk of heart disease, researchers have found.
The study, by investigators from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, was done by using an advanced method to analyze “cholesterol carriers” in the blood. The researchers found that during the transition to menopause, the quality of those carriers degrades.
Investigators said the study showed that the quality of cholesterol carriers could be as important as cholesterol numbers.
The nutrition facts-label on packaged food is one of the most important consumer tools for determining how healthy food products are. But the label, which lists fats, proteins, sugars and fibers, hasn’t changed since 1993, except for one alteration in 2006, when details of trans fats were added.
Now, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing an update to the label. Although the update isn’t approved yet, the agency has been holding public hearings and soliciting comments on the proposals.
Here’s an addition to our ThirdAge video collection. Press play to start learning.
General anesthesia may not always be best for patients undergoing hip-fracture surgery, a study has found.
The researchers, from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, found in another study that there were high rates of mortality and functional disability among nursing-home residents who were treated for hip fracture.
Each year, about 300,000 hip fractures occur in the United States. They often happen as a result of serious falls that can impair functionality.
WHAT IS A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT?
Here’s another addition to our ThirdAge video collection. Press play to start learning!
Watching too much TV can be fatal: Adults who indulge for three or more hours each day may double their risk of premature death, according to new research.
Researchers, who published their findings in the Journal of the American Heart Association, said that watching television is one of many bad lifestyle habits on the rise.
Whatever you think of the Affordable Care Act (and there are many different and heated opinions) there’s no doubt that it’s expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits and protections to 62 million Americans.
Leon Rodriguez, Director of the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human Services, wrote in a federal blog that the c hange represents “the largest expansion of behavioral health coverage in a generation and will help make treatment more affordable and accessible.”
If you or a loved one have been recently diagnosed with diabetes, you know that the nutrition guidelines for diabetics can seem overwhelming at times. And following the guidelines, which include carbohydrate counting, is crucial to a diabetic’s health.
Here, from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, part of the National Institutes of Health, is an easy-to-understand explanation of carbohydrate counting. This tool for planning meals will help you keep track of the amount of carbs you’re eating each day, and whether you’re in goal range.
