_ ObesityHope for the Overweight & Diabetics By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers in Germany and at Harvard have succeeded in distinguishing the various types of fat cells in the body on the basis of their surface proteins. This discovery is raising hope for a new method to treat those suffering from obesity and diabetes. The team was headed by Dr. Siegfried Ussar from the Institute for Diabetes and Obesity (IDO) at the Helmholtz Diabetes Center/ Helmholtz Zentrum München, partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), and Professor C. Ronald Kahn from the Joslin Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School.
Coming Next Week! August 4th to August 8th 2014 By Sondra Forsyth articleHere’s a sneak preview of the articles, slideshows, and blogs we’ll be posting during the coming week on ThirdAge, the biggest and best site for “boomer and beyond” women since 1997. As always, we’ll bring you the latest information from top experts about maintaining a healthy body, mind, and spirit as you navigate both the challenges and the joys of being a ThirdAger.
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionTree Nuts Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels By Sondra Forsyth articleEating tree nuts appears to help lower and stabilize blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes compared to those on a control diet, according to a study done at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and published July 30th 2014 in the online journal PLOS ONE.Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, coconuts, hazelnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pine nuts and pistachios. They do not include peanuts, which are legumes.
Digestive HealthDiverticulitis Patients Suffer Symptoms Long After Attack By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers at the University of California, Los Angeles interviewed people with diverticulitis and confirmed that many suffer psychological and physical symptoms long after their acute illness has passed.
Medical CareMigraine Relief from Cosmetic Surgery Technique By Sondra Forsyth articleDr. Oren Tessler, Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, is part of a team of plastic and reconstructive surgeons who report a high success rate using a method to screen and select patients for a specific surgical migraine treatment technique. More than 90% of the patients who underwent this surgery to decompress the nerves that trigger migraines experienced relief and also got a bonus cosmetic eyelid surgery.
_ Hope for Accurate Diagnosis of Memory Problems By Sondra Forsyth articleMore accurate tests could be created to diagnose diseases such as Alzheimer's or memory problems stemming from head injuries. These tests could lead to earlier intervention, according to findings from the University of East Anglia in the UK published July 30th 2014 in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.
_ Stress-Free LivingNot Wild about Your Backyard Wildlife? By Sondra Forsyth article By Diane Blum A variety of wildlife routinely exists in many neighborhood backyards. Homes that are near open space, hills, natural water sources, meadows and the like are known as an urban or suburban interface. In these areas in particular, people not only will see deer and other small animals, but sometimes more dangerous wildlife may move in. Hillside development may destroy previously wild habitat. Drought can also cause bears, mountain lions, and other predators to move in to residential areas.
Exercise5 Steps To Establish a Workout Routine for Better Health By Sondra Forsyth article By Andrea Warshaw-WernickThere aren't many guarantees in life but working out can be one. By working out, you can see and control your results. And with summer in full swing, there’s no better time to hit the gym and start integrating exercise into your every day life.
_ Breast CancerAcupuncture Helps Breast Ca Patients By Sondra Forsyth articleUse of electroacupuncture (EA) – a form of acupuncture where a small electric current is passed between pairs of acupuncture needles – produces significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and depression in as little as eight weeks for early stage breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs). That is the finding of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial examining the intervention led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and published online in July 2014 in the journal Cancer.
_ Cosmetic SurgeryBeware of Claims About Cosmetic Stem Cells Procedures By Sondra Forsyth articleAdvertising claims for cosmetic procedures using stem cells are running far ahead of the scientific evidence for safety and effectiveness, according to a review in the August 2014 issue ofPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).Dr. Michael T. Longaker of Stanford University Medical Center and colleagues wrote: "Stem cells offer tremendous potential, but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk."
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionControversy Over Changes to Food Labels By Sondra Forsyth articleTo help Americans make better decisions about what they eat, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year proposed significant changes to the Nutrition Facts label found on nearly every food product in the U.S. An July 2014 article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly news magazine of the American Chemical Society (ACS), explains the suggested updates — and the fight that has ensued.
_ CaregivingTelephone Support Helps Dementia Caregivers By Sondra Forsyth articleRhode Island Hospital researchers have found that a support program administered entirely by telephone can significantly reduce depression and other symptoms in informal caregivers, such as family or friends, of individuals with dementia. The study was published in July 2014 online in advance of print in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
_ Sleep Health3 Bad Sleep Habits To Give Up (And 5 Good Habits To Start) By Sondra Forsyth articleThis article, which is adapted from Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day, originally appeared on DemosHealth.com.
_ Kidney DiseaseDrug Halves Risk of Kidney Transplant Rejection By Sondra Forsyth articleOxford University scientists in the UK have shown that a powerful drug given at the time of a kidney transplant operation not only halves the early risk of rejection, but that it also allows a less toxic regimen of anti-rejection drugs to be used after the operation.
_ OsteoarthritisOmega-3 Lessens Severity of Osteoarthritis By Sondra Forsyth articleMice consuming a supplement of omega-3 fatty acids had healthier joints than those fed diets high in saturated fats and omega-6 fatty acids, according to Duke Medicine researchers. The findings, published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases on July 11th 2014, suggest that unhealthy dietary fats – not just obesity – may contribute to worsening osteoarthritis.
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionMenus Trick You Into Choosing Unhealthy Items By Sondra Forsyth articleAfter analyzing 217 menus and the selections of over 300 diners, Cornell Food and Brand Lab study published in July 2014 in the International Journal of Hospitality Management showed that any food item that attracts attention with bold, hightlighted or colored font or set apart in a text box makes people more likely to order it. Unfortunately, according to a release from Cornell, lead author Brian Wansink, author of
_ Medical Care$15 Billion Physician Training System Needs Overhaul By Sondra Forsyth articleThe U.S. should significantly reform the federal system for financing physician training and residency programs to ensure that the public’s $15 billion annual investment is producing the doctors that the nation needs, says a new report release in July 2014 by the Institute of Medicine. Current financing -- provided largely through Medicare -- requires little accountability, allocates funds independent of workforce needs or educational outcomes, and offers insufficient opportunities to train physicians in the health care settings used by most Americans, the report says.
_ Aging Well Caregiving3 Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living Home for Your Parents By Sondra Forsyth article By Peder JohnsenSeventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services. But that doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice quality of life. In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assisted-living community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home.