_ 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.
_ 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.
_ 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.
_ 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.
_ 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.
_ Heart HealthA Non-Invasive Procedure That Helps Heart Patients By Jane Farrell articleA minimally invasive procedure can significantly reduce the likelihood of heart disease-related deaths among adults with atrial fibrillation.A long-term study from the University of Michigan’s Frankel Cardiovascular Center found that the procedure, catheter ablation, helps atrial-fibrillation patients lower their risk of dying from a heart attack or heart failure.
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.
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.
_ Vision HealthA Computer That Can "See" You By Jane Farrell articleSomeday, your computer may have “glasses” to help you see the screen – not the other way around, according to researchers developing the technology.Scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, are developing computer models to compensate for a person’s visual impairment. When fully developed, these vision-correcting displays enable users to see words and pictures on a screen clearly without eyeglasses or contact lenses.
_ 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.
_ Pain Management9 Ways to Tame Your Chronic Pain By Jane Farrell articleWhen it comes to chronic pain, there’s usually a limit to how much relief medications and procedures can bring. That’s where changes to your daily life can help bridge the gap. Cleveland Clinic pain and wellness specialists Daniel Leizman, MD, and Mladen Golubić, MD, PhD, offer nine “pain wellness” tips to make sure you’re following for maximum pain management.Take deep breaths. The average adult takes eight to 16 breaths per minute. Slowing that down to five or six deep breaths that really fill your lungs will help you relax, which can lessen your discomfort.
_ 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.
_ 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.
_ 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.
_ 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.
_ Skin Skin HealthWatch: Can You Sunburn in The Car? By Jane Farrell articleHere's another addition to our Third Age video collection. Press play to start learning.