_ Heart HealthWatch: 3 Common Heart Disease Myths You Probably Believe By Sondra Forsyth articleHere's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!
_ Aging WellMore Proof Protein Is Good as We Age By Sondra Forsyth articleOn March 5th 2014, I posted an item on ThirdAge.com that dealt with the misleading title of a press release that went viral: “Meat and cheese may be as bad as smoking”. The study the release referred to actually showed that for people over 65, animal protein is protective.
_ Aging WellOver 65? High Protein Diet Is Protective By Sondra Forsyth articleThis morning a news release from the University of Southern California entitled “Meat and cheese may be as bad as smoking” hit my inbox. Since then, numerous sites around the web have picked up the eyeball-grabbing headline and the accompanying story. If you encountered any of those posts and you’re over 65, don’t be alarmed and don’t cut back on the percentage of protein you eat.
_ In One Ear and Out the Other By Sondra Forsyth articleDo you remember that sound bite you heard on the radio this morning? The name of the person you met socially yesterday? The grocery items your spouse asked you to pick up? Chances are the answer is no, according to a study done at the University of Iowa that showed there is truth to the old adage “in on ear and out the other”. The team reports in a paper published February 2014 in the journal PLoS ONE that we don't remember things we hear nearly as well as things we see or touch.
_ Diabetes: “Lend a Hand” Prioritizes Goals By Sondra Forsyth articleThe "lend a hand " illustration that accompanies this article shows an open palm with the five major forms of diabetes interventions are arranged in descending order of importance from thumb to little finger as follows: smoking cessation, blood pressure control, metformin therapy, lipid reduction, and glucose control.
_ Antidepressant Helps With AD Agitation By Sondra Forsyth articleThe antidepressant drug citalopram, sold under the brand names Celexa and Cipramil and also available as a generic medication, significantly relieved agitation in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to research led by a Johns Hopkins team and reported in the February 19th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. However, side effects including sings of abnormal heart function and a slight increase in cognitive decline.
Vision HealthTraining Can Improve Vision By Sondra Forsyth articleWith a little practice on a computer or tablet — 25 minutes a day, four days a week, for two months — our brains can actually learn to see better. That is the encouraging finding of research done at the University of California, Riverside and published in the journal Current Biology. Although the team did the training with baseball players at the university who had normal vision, the hope is that the same training, called perceptual learning, will help people with low vision due to cataracts, macular degeneration, or amblyopia.
_ The Benefits of “Telehealth” By Sondra Forsyth article“Telehealth”, an approach to saving costs and improving patient care in hospitals, goes far beyond videoconferenced doctor visits, according to researchers at the University of Michigan who conducted the first survery of how broadly web-based technologies are being used nationwide. The team found that 42 percent of U.S. hospitals use some type of "telehealth" approach. The study, published in the February 2014 issue of the journal Health Affairs, breaks down adoption rates by state.
Injury Prevention & Treatment Pain Pain ManagementRepetitive Stress Injuries: Beyond Carpal Tunnel By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth
The Joys of a Birthday Morning on Facebook By Sondra Forsyth blogWhen I booted my computer early on the morning of January 14th 2014, I went straight to my Facebook timeline. Sure enough, the birthday wishes had already begun to arrive. What a joy to be in touch with such a diverse group of people! I had long since lost touch with many of them before I started to use Facebook at the end of 2008. In a very real sense, the hundreds of people who are my Facebook friends give me the invaluable benefits of social support -- the buzz phrase for having frequent contact with people you care about and who care about you.
_ Heart HealthNew BP Guidelines Questioned By Sondra Forsyth articleOn December 19th 2013, ThirdAge.com reported on the new hypertension guidelines from The American Society of Hypertension Inc. and the International Society of Hypertension. The revised recommendation was150/90 for people 60+ before starting treatment, up from the recommendation of 140/80 that has been the standard for 30 years.
_ Aging WellWelcome, Youngest Baby Boomers! By Sondra Forsyth articleHere at ThirdAge, where we focus on the health and well-being of women 50+ and their families, we want to extend a heartfelt welcome and a happy 50th birthday to those of you who were born in 1964 -- the last year of the post-war baby boom. The oldest Boomers, born in 1946, are 18 years older than you are so plenty of people point out that your coming-of-age experiences are a lot different that those of people in the 60+ cohort.
In Praise of a (Mostly) Undocumented Christmas By Sondra Forsyth blogFrom the vantage point of the second week of January 2014, I’m reflecting on how very much I enjoyed the Christmas of 2013 once I let go of my self-appointed role as the family videographer. The year my first grandchild was born, 2008, I bought a Flip camera and a lightweight tripod and spent my entire holiday visit capturing every possible moment for posterity. When I wasn’t staring at the little screen and exhorting everyone to smile or say something worth recording, I was busy downloading the scenes to my laptop.
_ Glaucoma Senior Health Vision HealthWhat You Must Know About Glaucoma By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth In April of 2013, I went for my annual eye exam. I’ve worn glasses or contacts for distance correction ever since elementary school but over the years, other than the usual age-related need for “readers”, I’ve never had any vision problems. This time, though, I saw a look of concern flash across the optometrist’s face when she did the test for ocular pressure. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
Alzheimer's Disease and other DementiasThirdAge Health Close-Up: NPH, the Curable Dementia By Sondra Forsyth articleBy Sondra Forsyth During 2004, when Alicia Harper was 69, her husband began to notice heartbreaking changes in the way his smart, vibrant wife was behaving. "She was becoming disconnected," Nildo, now 83, says. "She was confused and always forgetting things. And when we would visit with any of our four children and eight grandchildren, she didn't seem to feel anything for them. I just assumed she had the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease. I took her to several doctors and they thought so, too."
A Warm Welcome for Nana By Sondra Forsyth blogJanuary is drawing to a close, yet the indelible memories of Christmas with my daughter, son-in-law, and two young grandsons continue to buoy my spirits. Not only that, but those dear little boys, flesh of my flesh, are a powerful incentive to do everything I can to give myself the best chance possible of celebrating many more Christmases to come. This must be why social scientists, in study after study, have shown that strong family ties are one of the most important keys to enjoying continuing vitality as we age.
Why I Hate Exercising in the "Great Outdoors" By Sondra Forsyth blogI recently ran across yet another article extolling the virtues of working out in "nature." The author made gushing references to the wonders of sunshine, fresh air, gentle breezes, and a change of scenery. She did not, however, mention dangerous UV rays or ragweed or pollution or disease-bearing bugs or sudden thunderstorms or blistering heat. As far as I'm concerned, the list she ignored is a very good argument for sticking with indoor exercise – mall walking, dance classes, Pilates, the gym, or simply exercise videos right in your own home.
Grandparents Day: A Reminder to Live a Healthy Lifestyle By Sondra Forsyth blog As Grandparents Day 2012 approaches, I am renewing my annual vow to keep living the healthiest possible lifestyle so that I can, with some luck in the bargain, stick around to see my precious grandsons reach milestone after milestone. This all started the year the elder of the two was 15 months old. His eyes welled up with tears when I kissed him good-bye at the airport after a visit. I hugged him fiercely and then I said, as brightly as I could muster, "Bye bye!"