_ Relationships & LoveToxic Relationships Raise Your Blood Pressure By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University have shown what you have probably suspected all along: Unpleasant or demanding interpersonal encounters increase hypertension risk. That unfortunate result is particularly true for women 51 to 64 -- but not men. The study was published in May 2014 in the American Psychological Association's journal Health Psychology.
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionOrganic Foods: Are They Safer and More Nutritious? By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth
_ Breast CancerDouble Mastectomy Doesn’t Increase Survival By Sondra Forsyth articleMany women diagnosed with cancer in one breast undergo a contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to remove both breasts. Yet removing the unaffected breast has not been shown to increase survival, according to a study done at the University of Michigan and published online May 21st 2014 in Jama Surgery.
_ Aging WellLong-Term Care in America By Sondra Forsyth articleThe Associated Press-National Opinion Research Center (NORC) for Public Affairs Research conducted a follow-up study to the 2013 survey regarding Americans’ understanding and attitudes about long-term care. The earlier research has shown that most people n the Boomer and Beyond cohort are expecting their families to take care of them as they age and that few people are ware of the true costs of long-term care. The current study shows that this has not changed significantly.
_ Mental & Emotional Health“Forgive and Forget” Really Works By Sondra Forsyth articleIf you’re still holding a grudge about a wrong someone did to you, you’d probably do well to follow the old adage that tells us to “forgive and forget”. That’s the advice of researchers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, who showed that the details of an offense are more likely to be wiped from your memory when you’ve forgiven that transgression. You don’t even have to forgive the offender in person. You can simply resolve to pardon the person in your mind.
_ Healthy Diet & NutritionThe Importance of Prebiotics and Probiotics By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth Both prebiotics and probiotics are essential components of a healthy diet. Prebiotics are indigestible carbohydrates that act as food for probiotics, which contain live bacteria. Together, they help promote the growth of the good bac- teria in your intestines and maintain your gut’s ecosystem. When a food contains both substances, it is called synbiotic: a synergistic combination of the two. Prebiotics
_ National Hepatitis Testing Day 2014 By Sondra Forsyth articleMay 19th 2014 is the third national Hepatitis Testing Day. Testing is especially important for Boomers and Beyond because people in that cohort may have contracted the HCV virus through blood transfusions or organ transplants prior to 1992 before screening went into effect. HCV, a potentially life-threatening infection of the liver, can be chronic with no symptoms for years and even decades. Millions of Americans have chronic hepatitis and most of them don’t know they are infected until serious liver damage has occurred.
_ Exercise Health & Fitness Injury Prevention & TreatmentDebunking Injury Prevention and Treatment Myths By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth
_ Medical CareThe Right Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Hepatitis C By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth The Centers for Disease Control has designated May as Hepatitis Awareness Month. One goal of that campaign is to let Boomers know that of the more than three million Americans infected with hepatitis C, over 75% are in their 50s and 60s. You can find out the extent of your risk with this 5-minute online assessment from the CDC.
_ Women's Health and WellnessWomen & Peripheral Artery Disease By Sondra Forsyth articleWomen, especially older women, face greater limits on their lifestyle and have more severe symptoms as a result of peripheral artery disease (PAD) than men do. The condition happens when fatty deposits build up in arteries outside the heart, usually the arteries supplying fresh oxygen and blood to the arms, legs and feet. About 8 million Americans have peripheral artery disease.
Aging WellWe Feel Younger Than Our Years! By Sondra Forsyth articleGood news about Boomers and Beyond! The ninth annual 100@100 survey by UnitedHealthcare reported that Americans at age 65 say they feel 55 on average. Not only that, but our hardy centenarians say they feel as though they are 83 “years young” on average, and more than half live independently without the support of a caregiver to help them with their daily activities.
_ Health Searches Peak on Monday By Sondra Forsyth articleHappy Monday! We’re glad you’re here on ThirdAge today to learn the latest about health. As it happens, you’ve probably got a lot of company. A study published on April 18th 2014 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that on average, searches for health topics were 30 percent more frequent at the beginning of the week than later in the week, with the lowest average number of searches on Saturday. This pattern was consistent week after week and year after year.
Aging WellResilient Older Women Show Compassion By Sondra Forsyth articleIf you’re 50+ and you’ve recently been through a tough time but you’ve bounced back, chances are you would score high on a compassion test given by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The study, published in the April 2014 issue of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, reported that resilient older women who have suffered a recent major loss are more likely to be compassionate toward those they don’t even know than are other older adults.
_ Massage Really Does Do a Body Good By Sondra Forsyth articleImproved circulation and relief of muscle soreness are common claims made for massage therapy but no studies had ever been done to substantiate these assertions even though massage therapy is increasingly used as an adjunct to traditional medical interventions. Now researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have shown that massage therapy not only improves general blood flow and alleviates muscle soreness after exercise but also helps people who have not worked out such as those who are bedridden.
_ Delirium Severity Measure for Older Adults By Sondra Forsyth articleResearchers from Harvard, Brown, and the University of Massachusetts have developed a new method for measuring delirium severity in older adults. A release from the Hebrew Senior Life Institute for Aging Research, a affiliate of Harvard Medical School in Boston explains that delirium is defined as the sudden onset of confusion or change in mental status that is often brought about by physical illness, surgery, or hospitalization. Delirium is a common and often costly condition that is a leading complication among older adults who are hospitalized.
_ Our New Secretary of HSS By Sondra Forsyth articleIn the wake of the error-plagued healthcare rollout that left millions of Americans struggling to log on to HealthCare.gov in order to get insurance, Kathleen Sibelius has resigned from the position of United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. On April 11th 2014, President Obama nominated Sylvia Matthews Burwell to be Sibelius’ successor. Burwell, who will turn 49 in June, served as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget beginning in April 2013 after a stint as president of the Walmart Foundation starting in January 2012.
Advance Directives Critical for Elderly Still at Home By Sondra Forsyth articleMore 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.