By now, everyone has heard about monkeypox, which is now in numerous countries. It is an illness that may be the new pandemic. But is this really the beginning of a new pandemic, or are people still living in fear because of the real pandemic we are currently experiencing? There’s no reason for people to be… Continue reading The Ides of Monkeypox—What the Future Holds, How to Prevent It and What Causes It
Tag: illness
Hospice vs. Palliative Care: What’s Better for Your Loved One?
Hospice or palliative care? Many people think they are one and the same, but that is not exactly accurate. Each type of care helps patients at specific times and may have different insurance coverage options. What is hospice? According to the National Institute on Aging, a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human… Continue reading Hospice vs. Palliative Care: What’s Better for Your Loved One?
How to Be Food Safe at The Barbecue
As weather gets warmer and the days get longer, we want to gather with friends and family for evenings around the grill. However, with warmer temperatures also comes an increased risk of foodborne illness. According to Stop Foodborne Illness – a national, nonprofit, public health organization dedicated to preventing illness and death from foodborne pathogens… Continue reading How to Be Food Safe at The Barbecue
Lack of Sleep Impairs Brain Power, Promotes Disease
“To sleep, perchance to dream, ay, there’s the rub.” Unfortunately, the lament of Shakespeare’s Hamlet remains all too true for as many as 70 million Americans who experience some type of sleeping disorder. Getting a sufficient amount of sleep is closely associated with good physical and mental health and overall quality of life. Most adults… Continue reading Lack of Sleep Impairs Brain Power, Promotes Disease
Romance Has No Age Limit
Romance is like happiness—you know it when it happens, but it is hard to define. However, it is the missing ingredient in many older individuals’ lives—the excitement of being with someone special that might or might not lead to a real attachment. One widow reported the thrill she got when a casual date held her… Continue reading Romance Has No Age Limit
Long-Distance Caregiving: What You Need to Know
Long distance caregiving can be complicated and difficult. These strategies, from the National Institute on Aging, offer a list of things to remember: Know What You Need to Know Experienced caregivers recommend that you learn as much as you can about your family member or friend’s illness, medicines, and resources that might be available. Information… Continue reading Long-Distance Caregiving: What You Need to Know
Centenarians and Better Health
When it comes to aging successfully and remaining in good health, are centenarians the perfect role models? Or is extreme age inextricably linked with increasing levels of illness? How often do diseases affect those who are in their 80s or 90s but don’t reach the 100-year mark? Researchers from Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have been… Continue reading Centenarians and Better Health
Making Magic Happen: How Scientists are Editing DNA to Remove Potentially Fatal Genes
Scientists have achieved a landmark breakthrough by editing DNA in human embryos to rid them of a potentially fatal gene As reported in the journal Nature, the researchers from Oregon and Health Sciences University focused on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common genetic heart disease. By editing the DNA of embryos carrying that gene, the scientists said… Continue reading Making Magic Happen: How Scientists are Editing DNA to Remove Potentially Fatal Genes
Loneliness Can Cause Illness in Older Adults
For older adults, perceived social isolation is a major health risk that can increase the risk of premature death by 14 percent, according to research done at the University of Chicago and published November 23rd 2015 in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences A release from the university notes that researchers have long known… Continue reading Loneliness Can Cause Illness in Older Adults
Evaluating Frailty in Seniors
Fifteen percent of older Americans living at home or in assisted living settings are frail, a diminished state that makes people more vulnerable to falls, chronic disease and disability. Another 45 percent are “pre-frail,” or at heightened risk of becoming physically diminished. A study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found frailty… Continue reading Evaluating Frailty in Seniors
How Nature Can Heal Us
Spending time in nature does more than make us happy: It has been proven to help protect against a startling range of diseases, including depression, diabetes, obesity, ADHD, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Now, a scientists may have discovered the reason why. After reviewing hundreds of studies examining nature’s effects on health, University of Illinois environment… Continue reading How Nature Can Heal Us
Refrigerating Food the Right Way
With age comes a change in our immune system: It becomes a bit sluggish in recognizing and ridding the body of harmful bacteria and other pathogens that can cause foodborne illness. The body doesn’t react like it used to – older adults who contract a foodborne illness are more likely to have a lengthier illness… Continue reading Refrigerating Food the Right Way
How to Be Emotionally Present to Life’s Challenges
by Jennifer Kunst, Ph.D. There is a wish in all of us to be able to get around troubles in life rather than go through them. If only we could skip from the beginning to the end without having to go through the middle. If only we could skip the pain and just have the… Continue reading How to Be Emotionally Present to Life’s Challenges
Gender Can Determine Response to Illness
Gender and personality are crucial in how people cope with physical and mental illness, according to a new paper. Researchers from Washington State University and the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, found that while men are less affected by a single-symptom illness, they are more affected by illnesses with a few symptoms. Robert… Continue reading Gender Can Determine Response to Illness