_ Breast CancerMammography Benefits Women Over 75 By Sondra Forsyth articleMammography-detected breast cancer is associated with a shift to earlier stage diagnosis in older women, subsequently reducing the rate of more advanced, difficult-to-treat cases, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology in August 2014. The researchers said the findings lend support to regular mammography screening in women ages 75 and older.
_ High blood pressure / hypertensionBP, Lower May Not Be Better By Sondra Forsyth articleThe mantra for treatment for high blood pressure has been "the lower, the better," but that goal can potentially put patients at risk of kidney failure or death, according to a study done Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles and published August 4th 2014 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.Researchers examined the electronic health records of nearly 400,000 Kaiser Permanente patients in Southern California who were taking medications to treat high blood pressure from January 2006 through December 2010. They found that:
_ Rituals Help With Asthma Med Adherence By Sondra Forsyth articleStoring asthma medications in the bathroom and establishing taking the drugs as part of a daily routine may be helpful advice that doctors can give their older asthmatic patients who struggle to remember to stick to their medication schedule. That’s the finding of a study done at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, which discusses how elderly asthmatics cope with taking their inhaled corticosteroid medication as prescribed. The report was published August 5th 2014 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
_ Interval Walking Best for Diabetics By Sondra Forsyth articleResearch done by by Dr. Thomas Solomon, and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and published in August 2014 in Diabetologia suggests that training with alternating levels of walking intensity, known as interval training, could be better than walking at a constant speed to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.
_ Medical CarePharmacists Could Boost Drug Adherence By Sondra Forsyth articleCommunity pharmacists can dramatically help their patients stick to their prescription regimens, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. The findings, published on August 4th 2014 in Health Affairs, suggest also that greater adherence to medications can lead to a reduction in emergency room visits and hospital admissions, thereby lowering health care costs for a variety of chronic conditions including diabetes and asthma.
_ Weight LossWatch: The Shopping List That Could Help You Lose Weight By Sondra Forsyth articleHere's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ Living With and Treating Peripheral Artery Disease By Sondra Forsyth articleIf you have P.A.D., you may feel pain in your calf or thigh muscles after walking. Try to take a break and allow the pain to ease before walking again. Over time, this may increase the distance that you can walk without pain. Talk with your doctor about taking part in a supervised exercise program. This type of program has been shown to reduce P.A.D. symptoms.
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionDehydrated? These 7 Foods Will Satisfy Your Thirst and Hunger By Sondra Forsyth article By Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LDWhen heat and humidity soar, keeping your body hydrated matters more than ever. Did you know you can hydrate with what’s on your plate — not just what’s in your cup? The following foods are heavy on the water content, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s nutrient database. In several cases, they’re also full of nutrients that will help you fight disease. So eat up, and beat the heat with your fork.1. Cucumbers
_ ObesityClue to Curbing Obesity By Sondra Forsyth articlePreventing weight gain, obesity, and ultimately diabetes could be as simple as keeping a nuclear receptor from being activated in a small part of the brain, according to a study done by Yale School of Medicine researchers andp ublished in the August 1st 2014 issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI).
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionFish Really Is Brain Food! By Sondra Forsyth articleEating baked or broiled fish once a week is good for the brain, regardless of how much omega-3 fatty acid it contains, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published online in 2014 the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, add to growing evidence that lifestyle factors contribute to brain health later in life.
_ Prostate cancerProstate Cancer Risk Calculator Online By Sondra Forsyth articleA free updated calculator to help men and their doctors assess their risk of prostate cancer is available online. Developed at the University of Texas Health Science Center, the tool has had a major upgrade in order to enhance how men and their physicians better understand a man's risk of prostate cancer. A description of the update's needs and benefits is described by the Health Science Center authors in a viewpoint published online August 4th in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
_ Lung CancerLung Cancer Diagnosis Tool Safe for Older Patients By Sondra Forsyth articleA 2014 study done at the University Hospital of South Manchester in the UK has found that a procedure to take tissue samples from lung cancer patients can be used safely in the elderly, allowing doctors to make a more accurate diagnosis and to choose appropriate treatment. The results were published their results in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
_ Beauty & Style HairWatch: Women and Hair Loss By Sondra Forsyth articleHere's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ Vision HealthHow to Know You Need Bifocals or Progressives By Sondra Forsyth articleA gradual loss of the ability to see well up close is a natural part of aging. The condition is called presbyopia, from the Greek for “elder eye”. If you already wear glasses or contact lenses for distance vision because you have myopia, the medical term for nearsighted, you’ll need to switch to a new prescription. Options include bifocals, vari-focals, and progressives. For contacts, you could also choose monovision in which one eye is corrected for distance and the other is corrected for close work.
_ Exercise5 Exercise Myths Debunked By Sondra Forsyth article By Brett Osborn M.D.As a neurosurgraon and an avid bodybuilder, I know that you will do more harm than good if you’ve bought into some of the myths and “conventional wisdom” about exercise that is simply wrong. Here’s the truth about are those misconceptions:
_ Medical Care“Lab Developed Tests”: FDA to Ensure Reliability By Sondra Forsyth articleOn July 31st 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took important steps to ensure that certain tests used by health care professionals to help diagnose and treat patients provide accurate, consistent and reliable results.
_ Women's Health and WellnessFemale Boomers with Asthma Face Challenges By Sondra Forsyth articleAn article published in the August 2014 issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), outlines the challenges faced by older women in treating asthma, and offers practical solutions to improve their care.
_ Aging Well Senior HealthLonger Lives, Fewer Age-Related Illnesses By Sondra Forsyth articleLiving long and well may eventually be more possible, thanks to a surprise result of the work of scientists at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. While developing a new cancer drug, the researchers discovered that mice lacking a specific protein live longer lives with fewer age-related illnesses. The mice, which lack the TRAP-1 protein, demonstrated less age-related tissue degeneration, obesity, and spontaneous tumor formation when compared to normal mice. The teams findings could change how scientists view the metabolic networks within cells.