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.
Tag: depressive symptoms
Extra Pounds Even Worse Than We Thought
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."
Green Tea Boosts Your Brain
Green tea is said to have many positive effects on health. Now researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland are reporting the first evidence that green tea extract enhances cognitive functions, in particular the working memory. The findings, published in April 2014 in the journal Psychopharmacology, suggest promising clinical implications for the treatment of cognitive impairments in psychiatric disorders such as dementia.
Watch: New Technique Helps Find Hidden Cancers
Here's another addition to our Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning.
Exercise For Alzheimer’s Patients
Editor’s Note: Exercise has myriad benefits, and the same holds true for people with Alzheimer’s. In addition to mental exercise and social interaction, physical activity is essential. It can help keep muscles and the heart in shape, reduce stress and depression and maintain an even weight. The companionship it provides with visitors or caregivers can also be helpful. Here, from the National Institute on Aging’s Go4Life program, are some tips for caregivers to help their loved ones get into a physical routine, or maintain one:
Misdiagnosed Strokes Common For Women And Minorities
ER doctors overlook or minimize early signs of stroke in tens of thousands of patients, especially with minorities, women and people under 45 – often in the week before they suffered the debilitating incident.
A report on the research, from a team led by a Johns Hopkins specialist, was published in the journal Diagnosis.
In analyzing federal health care data, the investigators said that younger people in the study were nearly seven times more likely to be given an incorrect diagnosis and sent home without treatment despite such symptoms.
Caffeine May Help Guard Against Dementia
Ordinary caffeine appears to have a positive effect on one of the key proteins responsible for Alzheimer’s, researchers report.
Researchers from the University of Bonn and the University of Lille said the discovery may pave the way for treatment of Alzheimer’s.
The results were published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging.
Why Newly Proposed Nutrition Labels are (Mostly) Good
By Michael (Dr. Mike) S. Fenster M.D.
Nutritional labeling hasn’t been overhauled in 20 years but proposed update, which could take a year or more to appear on store shelves, is being driven by first lady Michelle Obama as part of her “Let’s Move” campaign.
Our current nutrition labeling is the same as that implemented in the 1990s, except for the 2006 addition of trans fats information. It’s based on nutrition data and eating habits from the 1970s and 1980s.
5 Steps to Clearing Your Mind of Clutter
By Andrea Warshaw Wernick
I often find that I try to do too much at one time, which leaves little time to focus on one particular task that really needs to be accomplished. If you find yourself unable to focus on one task, here are some tips to help you take a deep breath and declutter your mind of all the other things you have going on so that you can really dive into that important project. You’ll finally be able to cross it off your to-do list once and for-all:
Esophageal Cancer Month, April 2014
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
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.
Advance Directives Critical for Elderly Still at Home
More than 70% of elderly Medicare beneficiaries experience cognitive impairment or severe dementia near the end of life and may need surrogate decision makers for healthcare decisions. Advance care planning for older adults with dementia may be particularly important for individuals who do not reside in a nursing home or a long-term care facility, according to research done at at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and published in the April 2014 issue of Health Affairs.
All About Telehealth
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?
Skin Patch Makes Health Monitoring Easier
A simple, ultra-thin skin patch could help doctors monitor patients around the clock.
Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have proven that the patch, which moves with the skin and has electronic chips, is as effective as EKG and EEG testing.
According to the researchers, the patches have a “microfluidic” construction with wires folded like origami to allow the patch to bend and flex. The patches could be used for daily health tracking by wirelessly sending updates.
Grandparents Could Be Factor in the “Baby Blues”
For some new mothers, living with baby’s grandparents may not be a good thing.
A study by researchers from Duke University indicates that living with the new baby’s grandparents either lessens or increases the rate of post-partum depression, depending on the mother’s marital status.
Both married and single mothers suffer depression when they live in multi-generational households during their baby’s first year of life. But unmarried women who live with their romantic partner in a multi-generational household show lower rates of depression.
How You Can Help a Spouse With Cancer
By Nurse Practitioner Jamie Kabat, BSN, MSN, CNP and Clinical Nurse Specialist Josette Snyder, RN, MSN, AOCN
One of the most frequent – and touching – questions we get on the Cleveland Clinic’s Cancer Answer Line is from people whose spouses or partners have been newly diagnosed with cancer. They want to know how they can help and support their spouses through this life-changing diagnosis and the ensuing treatment.
5 Easy Food Swaps to Kiss Your Cravings Goodbye
By Jon Yaneff
It could be late at night or during the day, and BOOM, out of nowhere, you have to have your salty treat. Your life just stops if you don’t consume your sugary and sweet chocolate treat. And, every morning you can’t get through your day without your coffee—milk, two sugars.
Too Fit to Fracture
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.