healthy living for women + their families
Having a slow reaction time can be fatal: a new study shows that people who have that in midlife increase their risk of death 15 years later.
The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Researchers from University College London and the University of Edinburgh looked at statistics from more than 5,000 participants (age 20 to 59). The figures were collected from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III) in the US.
Previous studies have shown that testosterone therapy raises the risk of heart attacks in men over 65 but new research has found an increased risk of cardiovascular events even when men using the therapy are under 65. Yet as a result of a ubiquitous advertising campaign for testosterone gel and patches, sales of Androgel exceeded those for Viagra in 2013.
In this age of commercial gene sequencing, a simple blood test might tell you which diet would give you the best chance for longevity. That’s the contention of researchers who discovered a genetic mechanism linking aging to specific diets. The study was done at the University of Southern California and published in the January 2014 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.
Researchers have made a breakthrough in the use of ultrasound to detect and monitor cancer, and the discovery could provide a safer method than the ones already in use.
Ultrasound has some advantages over other detection and monitoring methods such as X-rays, CT scans and MRIs: It’s less expensive and is radiation-free. But it hasn’t provided as clear an image as have the other methods.
Previous studies have shown that breast cancer survivors who meet the current exercise recommendations of 2.5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity per week are at 25% lower risk for dying from breast cancer. Now research from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and reported in the International Journal of Cancer suggests that exceeding the recommendations may provide greater protection, and that running may be better than walking.
By Brok Vandersteen
The last time I visited my doctor, I asked him how much my prescription would cost.
“Well, it depends on how much your insurance covers,” he answered. I asked him if he knew how much that was. He pulled out his tablet and did the calculation, finding the pharmacy cost of my medication and comparing it to my insurance coverage. It was amazing: I knew right away what I would have to pay — and whether I could afford it.
By Joe Vennare, PT & Fitness Program Director at LeanonLife.com
When winter rolls around and temperatures begin to fall, do you shut down or layer up? Hibernating until spring might sound like a good plan — that is, until cabin fever sets in and extra pounds start to creep on. There’s no reason to let all of the fitness gains you’ve made during the summer slip away.
By Servet Hasan
None of us can escape loss. Life's challenges are universal and eventually will find us. Whether you're moving to a new city, leaving for college, or experiencing a divorce in your family, having life throw a major curve ball can leave us longing for the way things used to be.
A new culture of health care has been ushered in by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) but Americans with income fluctuations, such as those with multiple part-time jobs, may experience shifts in coverage. Those transitions would require the affected people to "churn" between Medicaid and private insurance, a process that could affect affordability and continuous access to care.
When properly manipulated, a population of support cells found in the brain called astrocytes could provide a new and promising approach to treat Parkinson's disease. That’s the finding of a study done at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York and published on January 28th 2014 in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.
One potential approach to reversing hair loss uses stem cells to regenerate the missing or dying hair follicles but it hasn't been possible to generate sufficient numbers of hair-follicle-generating stem cells. Now, however, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicinehave come up with a method for for converting adult cells into epithelial stem cells.
It’s well known that inflammation is frequently a cause of disease, but new research indicates that low levels of a pro-inflammatory substance in the brain are crucial for cognition.
Researchers from the University of Texas, San Antonio, found that found that blocking the substance, interleukin-6 , impaired learning in rats. The learning area affected was cognitive flexibility – the ability to change learned thoughts and behaviors in response to a changed environment.
Aspirin is still overprescribed for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation despite the potential for dangerous side effects, according to a study done by the European Society of Cardiology andpublished January 28th 2014 in in the American Journal of Medicine. Another worrying finding was that oral anticoagulants were underprescribed in elderly patients, with aspirin alone more commonly prescribed.
Patients at high risk of osteoporosis can be identified via an automated letter-generating system that encourages them to follow up on their care, according to researchers.
Investigators from the Penn State College of Medicine say that the system effectively promotes osteoporosis intervention and can help prevent future fractures.
Editor’s Note: A crucial part of looking after yourself is managing the medicines you’re taking – by, among other things, understanding how and when you’re taking them; being consistent; storing them properly; and noting when you should ask for a refill. Here, the best tips for being an efficient medication manager, from the SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health:
Here's another additioni to our Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning!
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.
Complications from facelifts can be painful and embarrassing, but a new 3-D technique may change that.
The technique deals with liquid facelifts, in which people remove wrinkles and soften creases by the injection of a gel-like material. Hundreds of patients suffer redness and swelling after the procedure.
Millions of people each year remove wrinkles, soften creases and plump up their lips by injecting a gel-like material into their facial tissue. These cosmetic procedures are sometimes called “liquid facelifts” and are said to be minimally invasive.
