Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Saving A Life After Heart Attack: There Is An iPhone
App for That
Inexpensive smartphone app could help save lives by
faster diagnosis, treatment for deadliest heart attacks
May 17, 2013 ― An experimental, inexpensive iPhone
application transmitted diagnostic heart images faster and more reliably
than emailing photo images, according to a research study presented at
the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research
Scientific Sessions 2013.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Depressed Cancer Survivors Twice as Likely to Die
Prematurely
Prevalence of cancer rising as are number cured or
living with it as a chronic disease… due partially to aging population,
more effective treatments
May 16, 2013 - Depressed cancer survivors are twice
as likely to die prematurely than those who do not suffer from
depression, irrespective of the cancer site. That's according to a new
study,
by Floortje Mols and colleagues, from Tilburg University in The
Netherlands.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Salt Intake Restrictions for Seniors, Others
Questioned by Institute of Medicine
Potential harm from too little salt? Lack of evidence
to support current guidelines
May 15, 2013 – Senior citizens have been well
warned by the American Heart Association and a number of other
authoritative sources that they should not consume more than 1,500 mg
per day of sodium. Now, the prestigious Institute of Medicine is
questioning this restriction and even the restriction for younger people
of 2,300 mg per day.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
CDC Urges Seniors, Others with Arthritis to Take Action
in May to Relieve
Symptoms
Arthritis Awareness
Month sees 50 million in U.S. living with the pain; walking offers
relief; ten ways to get started
May
15, 2013 – About 12.4 million senior citizens - 33.6 percent of those
age 65 and older - in the U.S. suffer with osteoarthritis, the most
common form of arthritis among older people. And, 50 million Americans
live with some form of arthritis. In recognition of Arthritis Awareness
Month (May) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging
patients to take actions to reduce the symptoms and live well.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Being Proactive Critical in Battle Against Cancer
But Study Questions Guidance Provided to Patients
With a focus on shared decision-making between
doctors and patients, more studies needed to determine how decision aids
help guide choices for cancer screening
May 13, 2013 - When it comes to a cancer diagnosis,
timing can be everything – the sooner it’s found, the more treatable it
is. But when and how often should someone get screened? Are physicians
doing their part to help patients make wise decisions?
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Reason for Fuzzy Memories for Seniors Taking Statins
May Be Explained
Memory loss that is reversible sometimes caused by
cholesterol-lowering drugs, one of most widely prescribed medications
for senior citizens in the world.
May 10, 2013 - A University of Arizona research
team has made a novel discovery in brain cells being treated with statin
drugs: unusual swellings within neurons, which the team has termed the
"beads-on-a-string" effect. It may explain the continued documentation
that some patients experience fuzzy thinking and memory loss while
taking statins, a class of global top-selling cholesterol-lowering drugs
used primarily by older people.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
New Prostate Cancer Test Better at Determining
Candidates for Surveillance
UC San Francisco tool billed as better at
determining risk; could save many at low-risk from treatment that is now
common
May 8, 2013 - A new genomic test for prostate
cancer, which most often targets older men, can help predict whether men
are more likely to harbor an aggressive form of the disease, according
to a new UC San Francisco study. The test, which improves risk
assessment when patients are first diagnosed, can also aid in
determining which men are suitable for active surveillance – a way of
managing the disease without direct treatment.
Read
more...
Medicare News
Wide Variance in What Hospitals Charge Exposed in
Data Release by Obama Administration
Consumers don’t know what hospitals charge them or
their insurance company; info aimed at helping them make smart choices
May 8, 2013 – The cost of healthcare just became a
lot more transparent with the release of information by Health and Human
Services on what hospitals charge for common inpatient services. The
information shows an extreme variance across the country and even within
communities.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Doctors' Diagnostic Errors Are Often Not Mentioned
But Can Take A Serious Toll
‘Diagnoses that are missed, incorrect or delayed are
believed to affect
10 to 20 percent
of cases, far exceeding drug errors and surgery on the wrong patient or
body part…’
By Sandra G. Boodman, Kaiser Health News
May, 7, 2013 - Until it happened to him, Itzhak
Brook, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Georgetown
University School of Medicine, didn't think much about the problem of
misdiagnosis. That was before doctors at a Maryland hospital repeatedly
told Brook his throat pain was the result of acid reflux, not cancer.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Omega-3, Antioxidants Ruled Out in Treating AMD,
Leading Cause of Blindness in Elderly
Study clarifies role of supplements, including lutein,
zeaxanthin, in preventing advanced AMD: incurable disease that is
leading cause of blindness in senior citizens
May 6, 2013 - Adding omega-3 fatty acids did not
improve a combination of nutritional supplements commonly recommended
for treating age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of
vision loss among older Americans, according to a study from the
National Institutes of Health (NIH). The plant-derived antioxidants lutein and
zeaxanthin also had no overall effect on AMD.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Seniors May Want to Take a Closer Look at How
Smartphone Apps are Changing Healthcare
The field is growing so fast it has spurned a
million-person study and an online magazine to medical professional
aware of the latest apps
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
May 4, 2013 - Even senior citizens, not
often the most interested in new ways of doing things, have probably
heard "There's an app for that!" It refers to the
applications available for smart phones.
Seniors should pay close attention to the new wave of
sophisticated apps offering stunning medical help - like an EKG to check
your heart, and apps that check blood pressure and heart rate. Among the
most amazing is one that helps people with artificial hands determine
the grip they want to use.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
New Guidelines Urge Older Men Discuss Benefits,
Harms of Prostate Cancer Screening with Doctor
American Urological Association changes position to
slow wide-spread screening for men 55 to 69; opposes routine screening
of men 40 to 50; no screening if 70+
May 3, 2013 - Men ages 55 to 69 who are considering prostate cancer screening
should talk with their doctors about the benefits and harms of
testing and proceed based on their personal values and preferences,
according to a new clinical practice guideline released today by the
American Urological Association (AUA). The guidelines also say screening in men under 40
or 70 and over is
not recommended, nor is routine screening of men 40 to 50 with
"average risk".
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Men Who Take Statins Less Likely to Die from
Prostate Cancer
Statins prescribed as drugs to control cholesterol
but may work against number one cancer killer of men
May
2, 2013 - Men with prostate cancer who take cholesterol-lowering drugs
called statins are significantly less likely to die from their cancer
than men who don’t take such medication, according to study led by
researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Too Many Stroke Victims Fail to Use EMS for Fastest
Trip to Treatment
Ethnic minorities, rural residents least likely to
call 911 at onset of a stroke as recommended by American Heart
Association
April 30, 2013 — Time is critical to stroke victims
but more than a third don’t get to the hospital by ambulance, even
though that’s the fastest way to get help, according to new research in
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American
Heart Association journal.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Fast Acting Virus Kills Melanoma Cancer Cells Before
Immune System Can Stop It
Melanoma killer has been highly efficient attacking
human cancer cells in animals, lab tests, while ignoring healthy ones
April 23, 2013 - Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine
have demonstrated that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is highly
competent at finding, infecting, and killing human melanoma cells, both
in vitro and in animal models, while having little propensity to infect
non-cancerous cells.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Alternative Therapies May Help Lower Blood Pressure But Don’t
Match Traditional Methods
New scientific statement from American Heart
Association looks at yoga, slow breathing, meditation, hand-grip
exercise and more - Over half of those 60+ have hypertension
April
23, 2013 – Don’t kid yourself about effective ways to reduce
your life-threatening high blood pressure – some alternative
methods can help, especially if they involve physical exercise,
but they shouldn’t replace the proven methods long promoted by
the American Heart Association.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Ovarian Cancer Detected Using Neighboring Cells,
Raises Hope for Early Detection Method
Partial wave spectroscopic (PWS) microscopy has shown
promising results in early detection of colon, pancreatic and lung
cancers
April 22, 2013 – No reliable early detection method
for ovarian cancer currently exists but there is new hope with a
discovery that has the potential as a minimally invasive early detection
method using cells collected by a swab, exactly like a Pap smear.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Dementia Risk in 20-Year Decline Among Senior
Citizens as Cardiovascular Disease Decreases
Reduction of dementia risk important but number of
people with dementia will rise with the increase in life expectancy and
growing number over age 75
April 20, 2013 – A new Swedish study appears to
confirm that dementia is declining among older people: those 75 years
old and older. The report in the journal Neurology shows the risk
of the elderly developing dementia may have declined for over 20 years,
in direct conflict with most assumptions. The reason appears to be the
decrease in cardiovascular disease.
Read more...
Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens
Knee Brace Proven to Significantly Reduce Pain of
Kneecap Osteoarthritis
Enormous potential for treating common joint
condition effectively; providing a simple and cheap alternative to
painkillers
April 19, 2013 - A lightweight knee brace can
dramatically improve the function and reduce the pain associated with
osteoarthritis the affects the kneecap, says a study released today by
researchers at The University of Manchester that was funded by
Arthritis Research UK.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Reminding Doctors to Test Older People for Osteoporosis Reduced
Fractures, Health Care Costs
Just a simple personal reminder letter to
family doctors and patients about evaluating fracture patients
for osteoporosis significantly improved care at very low cost
April 18, 2013 - Osteoporosis is a
condition that is common, costly and undertreated. Low trauma
fractures in older people are a "red flag" for osteoporosis, but
those at risk often are not treated for the condition. Rates of
osteoporosis testing and treatment are typically less than 20
percent in the first year after a fracture.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
You May Have Survived Cancer But Cardiovascular Risk
May Now Be Higher Than You Think
Cancer shares many of cardiovascular risk factors
such as smoking, low physical activity and obesity; cancer treatment
many not help heart either
April 16, 2013 – A study of survivors of breast,
prostate, colorectal and gynecologic cancers finds many of these people
end up dying of cardiovascular disease.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Almost
Half of Deaths from Prostate Cancer Can Be Predicted by PSA Before Men
Reach Age 50
Earlier 2010 study in BMJ showed PSA level at age 60
is strongly predictive of the risk of death from prostate cancer by age
85
|
"As it turns out, the best way to determine risk is a
single PSA before the age of 50." |
April 17, 2013 - Prostate specific antigen (PSA)
screening is widely used for the early detection of prostate cancer, but
remains highly controversial, as it became widespread long before
evidence to prove its value. There is now evidence that PSA screening
can reduce prostate cancer mortality in men who would not otherwise be
screened. However, this can come at considerable harm.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Questions About Colon Screening Coverage Still Vex Consumers;
Difference for Medicare, Others
People in group, individual health plans don't pay for polyp removal
during a screening colonoscopy; feds say it is an integral part
of screening and should be covered without cost sharing -
Medicare may still require co-pay. Some remain vexed and
confused about testing that begins at age 50 for
second leading cancer killer
By Michelle Andrews, Insuring Your Health, KHN
April 16, 2013 - No one looks forward to
screening tests for colon and rectal cancers. But under the
Affordable Care Act, patients are at least supposed to save on
out of-pocket costs for them. Coverage is not always clear,
however, and despite the federal government's clarifications,
some consumers remain vexed and confused.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Targeting Cholesterol Buildup In Eye May Slow
Age-Related Vision Loss from AMD for Seniors
Cholesterol build-up in arteries and veins is a
natural consequence of aging; cholesterol known to accumulate in the eye
in deposits called drusen
April 3, 2013 - Targeting cholesterol metabolism in
the eye might help prevent a severe form of age-related macular
degeneration (AMD), one of the most common causes of blindness in older
Americans, according to indications in a study in mice, which was
supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Men with Lynch Syndrome Genetic Condition at Greater Risk of Prostate, Other Cancers
New study adds prostate to list of several cancers
associated with one of the most common inherited cancer conditions
April 1, 2013 - Men with an inherited genetic condition called Lynch
syndrome face a higher lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer and
appear to develop the disease at an earlier age, according to a new
study led by researchers at the
University of Michigan Comprehensive
Cancer Center.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
EDTA Chelation Therapy Reduces Cardiovascular Events
in Heart Attack Victims Age 50 and Over
NIH says 18% reduction was ‘modest;’ Seniors with
diabetes appeared to receive particular benefit from this chelation
therapy that is supposed to clear plaques from the blood
March 27, 2013 - Chelation therapy, an unproven
alternative medicine in the treatment for heart disease, “modestly”
reduced cardiovascular events for seniors aged 50 and older who had
suffered a prior heart attack, according a news release from the
National Institutes of Health, which supported the research.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Depression, Anxiety a Deadly Combination
for Older People with Heart
Disease
Two new studies look at anxiety and depression among
older heart disease patients and find these patients need closer monitoring
March
20, 2013 — Heart disease patients who have
anxiety have twice the risk
of dying from any cause compared to those without anxiety. It they
suffer both anxiety and depression they have a triple risk of dying.
Then, a second study finds heart failure patients with moderate or
severe depression have four times the risk of dying.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Actinic Keratosis – Dry Scaly Skin Spots Common for
Seniors – Can Lead to Cancer
For up to 10 percent of people, AKs – off-color skin
blemishes often referred to as “sun spots” - will progress to squamous
cell carcinoma.
By Dr.
Ellen Marmur
March 19, 2013 - We all know someone who fits the
bill: fair-skinned, covered in “sun spots” after having spent their
younger days soaking up the sun, getting a nice bronze tan (or sunburn)
while unwittingly bathing themselves in the sun’s harmful UV rays. While
education around skin cancer has increased dramatically, it doesn’t help
the generations of sun-worshippers for whom the damage has already been
done. I know, because I am an ex sun worshipper who has survived skin
cancer. For these people, proactive skin care and screening is
essential.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Older Women Seem to Do Fine with Biennial Mammogram,
Regardless of Breast Density
Younger women - 40 to 49 - with high density should
stick with annual exams says new study considering harm and benefits of
various screening frequencies and considering age, breast density and
more
March 15, 2013 – It appears to be okay for older
women – those ages 50 to 74 – to have mammograms every two years because
a new study finds regardless of breast density or hormone therapy it
does not increase the risk of presenting with advanced breast cancer and
does substantially reduce the cumulative risk of a false-positive
mammography result and biopsy recommendation. Women aged 40 to 49 years
with extremely dense breasts, however, should consider annual screening.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
CDC Calls for Action Now to Halt Spread of Deadly
CRE Bacteria in Hospitals, Nursing Homes
Antibiotic-resistant CRE bacteria kills up to half of
patients who get bloodstream infections from them – seniors at highest
risk due to frequent hospital visits, lack of endurance
March
15, 2013 – Senior citizens and the caregivers who watch over them need
to pay close attention to a new threat from a family of bacteria that
has become increasingly resistant to last-resort antibiotics during the
past decade, and more hospitalized patients are getting lethal
infections that, in some cases, are impossible to cure.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Bitter Melon
Juice Prevents Pancreatic Cancer In Mouse Models
Mice fed bitter melon juice were 60 percent less likely to
develop pancreatic cancer
By Garth Sundem,
In The Lab
March
12, 2013 - A University of Colorado Cancer study
published this week
in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that bitter melon juice restricts the
ability of pancreatic cancer cells to metabolize glucose, thus cutting the
cells’ energy source and eventually killing them.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Antibiotic-Resistant Strain of E. Coli Increasing
Among Senior Citizens in Nursing Homes
Spread of E. coli ST131 already a pandemic but has
received little attention in the U.S. – ‘making development of
strategies to halt further emergence and spread of these strains a
public health priority’
March 12, 2013 - Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia
coli (E. coli) continues to proliferate, driven largely by expansion of
a strain of E. coli know as sequence type ST131. A new study points to
hospitals and long-term care facilities (LTCF) as settings in which this
antibiotic-resistant strain is increasingly found, particularly among
senior citizens.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Many Colonoscopies for Older Adults May be
Inappropriate, Study Says
Unnecessary screenings are almost 40% for those
seniors
76 to 85; 23.4% for all 70 and older. Second study finds senior citizens just
keep on getting cancer screenings without results.
March 11, 2013 – Almost 1 of every 4 colonoscopies
performed in Medicare beneficiaries 70 years and older in 2008-2009 in
Texas and across the country were potentially inappropriate according to
age-based screening recommendations or the results of a previous
screening.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Lack of Aspirin Before Angioplasty Linked to
Significantly Higher Death Rate
Failure to follow basic aspirin protocol raises
questions about medical staff adherence to other guidelines
March
7, 2013 - Despite recommendations from leading medical groups, a
surprising number of patients are not given aspirin before
artery-clearing coronary angioplasty and stenting, and those patients
have a significantly higher in-hospital death rate, according to
research from a Michigan network being presented at the American College
of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Key to Heart Failure, Path to New Treatments
Discovered by Temple Researchers
First to show that an enzyme called GRK5 (G-protein
coupled receptor kinase 5) can gain access to a heart cell's command
center, where control of its genes is maintained
March 7, 2013 - Some 5.8 million Americans suffer
from heart failure, a currently incurable disease. But scientists at
Temple University School of Medicine's (TUSM) Center for Translational
Medicine have discovered a key biochemical step underlying the condition
that could aid the development of new drugs to treat and possibly
prevent it.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Prostate Screening Tests In Older
Men Decline, But Many Still Get Them, Study Finds
Government panel recommended in
August 2008 that men over age 75 should not be routinely screened for
prostate cancer
By Julie Appleby,
CAPSULES: Short Takes On News & Events
March 4, 2013 - Fewer men over age
75 are being routinely screened for cancer with a prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) test following a 2008 recommendation against the tests,
researchers said today, suggesting a less-is-more approach
sometimes works.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Heart Attack Death Risk Appears to Increase After
Death of Adult Sibling
Death increases risk of heart attack death of adult
siblings and increased risk is most evident years later
March
1, 2013 — Your risk of dying from a heart attack may increase after your
adult sibling dies, according to new research in the Journal of the
American Heart Association.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Women More Aware of Heart Disease Danger but Room
for Improvement
American Heart Association finds women’s awareness of
heart disease as leading cause of death nearly doubled in 15 years;
culturally and generationally relevant messages on lifestyle and
prevention strategies are needed
Feb 22, 2013 - The number of women aware that heart
disease is the leading cause of death has nearly doubled in the last 15
years, but that knowledge still lags in minorities and younger women,
according to a new study in the American Heart Association journal
Circulation. And, as might be expected, senior women age 65 and
older are more likely to discuss heart disease with their doctor than
are younger women.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Recent Studies Linking Aspirin and
Age-Related Macular Degeneration Raises Interest in AMD Awareness Month
Five tips on how seniors can help protect their
vision from the number one cause of blindness in older people - video on
AMD below story
Feb. 20, 2013 – February is AMD Awareness Month and
certainly much of the focus will be on two studies published in the last
few months that have linked regular long-term aspirin use to neovascular
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of
blindness in older people.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Study Shows Greater Efforts Needed to Convince Older
People to Stop Smoking, Live Longer
Researchers find positive, life-saving results
occur faster than assumed for seniors who quit smoking
Feb. 20, 2013 – German researchers are urging more
emphasis on encouraging older people to stop smoking, after learning in a
study of people age 50 to 74 that the positive results from smoking cessation
occur in just a few months.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Walmart Health Screening Stations Touted
As Part of
'Self-Service Revolution'
Walmart, Sam's Clubs to have 2,400
health stations offering consumers free and convenient access to health
care by allowing them to screen their vision, blood pressure, weight,
and body mass index (BMI)
By Julie
Appleby, KHN Staff Writer
In collaboration with
USA TODAY
Feb. 19, 2013, Perched by a
computer monitor wedged between shelves of cough
drops and the pharmacy in a bustling Walmart,
Mohamed Khader taps out answers to questions
such as how often he eats vegetables, whether
anyone in his family has diabetes and his age.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Study of Seniors Finds Less Response to Shingles
Vaccine for Those with Untreated Depression
If antidepressants increase the effectiveness of the
shingles vaccine, it may have similar effect on depressed patients to
other important vaccines, such influenza
Feb. 15, 2013 – Senior citizens are encouraged to
get the vaccination for shingles, which can guard against the painful
condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus.
There has been concern, however, that the vaccine is not more
successful. Researchers seeking answers have found a link between
untreated depression in older adults and decreased effectiveness of the
vaccine.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Large Study Shows
Elderly and African-American Men at Increased Risk of Having Aggressive
Prostate Cancer
This cancer only found
by PSA testing but not known if early detection and treatment can be
beneficial
Feb. 13, 2013 – A
significant number of elderly men (age 75 and older) and
African-Americans may have an aggressive form of prostate cancer that is
only diagnosed by PSA testing, according to a large retrospective study.
These men have high to intermediate risk prostate cancer staged as
T1cN0M0.
Read
more...
Study Questions Kidney Cancer Treatment in Elderly: May Be Worse Than
Disease
Surgery may not help older people with small kidney
tumors, a study suggests.
By Marilynn
Marchione, Associated Press
Feb. 13, 2013 - In a stunning example of when treatment
might be worse than the disease, a large review of Medicare records finds
that older people with small kidney tumors were much less likely to die over
the next five years if doctors monitored them instead of operating right
away. Even though nearly all of these tumors turned out to be cancer, they
rarely proved fatal. And surgery roughly doubled patients' risk of
developing heart problems or dying of other causes, doctors found. Read more
at
USA Today
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Got to Go? Harvard Scientists Find New Relief for
Urinary Incontinence, Overactive Bladder
New focus on proteins in cells lining the surface of
the bladder may lead to new drug relief for incontinence that affects millions of
senior citizens
Feb. 11, 2013 - If you have an overactive bladder
or urinary incontinence, help could be on the way. Most drug treatments today
target proteins in the muscle surrounding the bladder, but new research
shows that it may be possible to design drugs that target sensory
proteins in the epithelium, a thin layer of cells which line the surface
of the bladder.
Read
more...
International Stroke Conference Closes After More
Than 1,300 Presentations: Links to Some of Best are Below
Five research reports today focus on care for stroke
victims - links to these and more are below
Feb. 8, 2013 – The information-packed International
Stroke Conference 2013 on the latest research in stroke care and
prevention ended today with five key presentations on new discoveries in
better treatment for stroke victims. Below are links many of the top
presentations are below.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Immune System Uses Melanoma's Own Proteins to Kill
Off Cancer Cells, Researchers Say
Transfer of cancer building cells to immune system
provides crucial intelligence about the attacking cancer, which
facilitates
the right defense to kill the cancer
Feb. 4, 2013 – Researchers have found that the
transfer of a protein that promotes cancer development from melanoma
cancer cells to T cells in the immune system alerts the immune cells of
the danger and allows them to develop the molecules necessary to kill
the cancer.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Marriage Reduces Risk of Heart Attack in Both Men
and Women and of All Ages
Cohabiting associated with better prognosis after
coronary events before and after hospitalization
Jan. 31, 2013 - A large population-based study
from Finland shows that being unmarried increases the risk of fatal
and non-fatal heart attack in both men and women whatever their age.
Conversely, say the study investigators, especially among middle-aged
couples, being married and cohabiting are associated with "considerably
better prognosis of acute cardiac events both before hospitalization and
after reaching the hospital alive".
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Prostate Cancer Survivors Differ in Side Effects by
Treatment, But It Evens Out After 15 Years: All See Sexual, Urinary
Decline
All aggressive therapies for prostate cancer have
significant side effects and perhaps these data make an argument for
active surveillance (avoiding aggressive treatment and closely following
the cancer) in certain cases
Jan. 30, 2013 - Prostate cancer patients treated by
surgical removal of the prostate rather than radiotherapy had more
problems with urinary and sexual functions in the years after treatment,
according to a new study, but less with bowel funtion. The researchers
found, however, it evened out in about 15 years, although both had
significant declines in sexual and urinary function over the duration of
the study.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Kidney Donation Over Age 70? Desperate Patients Saying, ‘Yes, Please’
Physicians are conservative about living kidney
donors: Nearly three-quarters of transplant centers have not accepted
organs from people older than 70
By Judith
Graham
Jan. 29, 2013 -
Robert Brown was healthy, willing and a good
match: So why not give a kidney to his wife, who
otherwise would need dialysis?
But Brown was 74, an age once unthinkable for
a kidney donor. For this retired psychologist
from Columbia, that wasn't an issue. "I didn't
think about the age thing, not at all..."
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Americans Have Worse Health Than People in
Other Prosperous Countries Until They Pass Age 75
‘Americans are dying and suffering at rates
that we know are unnecessary because people in other high-income
countries are living longer lives and enjoying better health’
Jan.
25, 2013 – Senior citizens are probably more likely than most
Americans to consider the U.S. health system as the best in the
world for living a long healthy life. They are, however, wrong.
Americans die sooner and experience higher rates of disease and
injury than people in other high-income countries and this
disadvantage extends to age 75, says a shocking new report. There is
good news for seniors, however - people over age 75 in U.S. live
longer, have lower death rates from stroke and cancer, better
control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and lower rates of
smoking.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Hyperbaric Treatment in Oxygen Chamber Brings
Stroke Damaged Brains to Life
Tenfold increase in oxygen levels during HBOT
treatment supplies the necessary energy for rebuilding neuronal
connections and stimulating inactive neurons
Jan. 23, 2013 - Stroke, traumatic injury, and
metabolic disorder are major causes of brain damage and permanent
disabilities, including motor dysfunction, psychological disorders,
memory loss, and more. Most therapy and rehab has limited success.
There is new hope from Tel Aviv University, however, where
researchers say they have been able to restore a significant amount
of neurological function in brain tissue thought to be chronically
damaged – even years after the initial damage.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Regular Aspirin Use Linked to Greater Risk of
Blinding Age-Related Macular Degeneration
‘Findings are, at best, hypothesis-generating that
should await validation in prospective randomized studies before guiding
clinical practice or patient behavior” – invited Commentary
Jan. 21, 2013 – Regular aspirin use appears to be
associated with an increased risk of neovascular (wet) age-related
macular degeneration (AMD), which is a leading cause of blindness in
older people, and it appears to be independent of a history of
cardiovascular disease and smoking, according to a report published
Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Hearing
Loss Signals Faster Cognitive Decline, Impairment for Senior Citizens
Having
hearing loss indicated a 30% to 40% accelerated rate of cognitive
decline and 24% increased risk for cognitive impairment
Jan. 21,
2013 – Hearing loss in older people appears to signal accelerated
cognitive decline and impairment in a study of men and women with an
average age of 77. The report is published Online First by JAMA
Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Dieting
Does Not Seem to Matter in Health of Obese Seniors Age 75 and Older
Reports
even suggest there may be survival benefits associated with overweight,
mild obesity among the elderly
Jan.
15, 2013 – Putting senior citizens age 75 and up – described as of
“advanced age” - on an overly restrictive diet to treat their excess
weight and other conditions appears to have little benefit, according to
researchers at Penn State and Geisinger Healthcare System.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Earlier Detection of Cancer May Be Enhanced by MIT
Discovery with Biomarkers Collected in Urine
Nanoparticles amplify tumor signals, making them much
easier to detect in urine
Dec. 17, 2012 – Most senior citizens live with a
fear of cancer, since the oldest are the most likely targets for many of
the deadliest cancers. Certainly most have wished for a simple way to
detect cancer in its earliest stage, when surgery or other treatments
are most likely to end the threat. A simple blood test has not been the
solution because the protein biomarkers secreted by cancer are so few
that they are hard to detect. MIT researchers, however, may have found a
solution to make detection much easier.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Seniors with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Do Poorly
on Therapy Designed for Younger Patients
People who develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
are typically age 65 and older, but participants in CLL clinical trials
are usually several years younger
Dec.
12, 2012 – Although most people are age 65 or older – senior citizens –
when they develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), most of the
clinical trials use younger participants. And, age is not usually
considered when treatment is determined. A new study says this is a
mistake – the therapies should be different for older CLL patients and
younger ones, although the disease is incurable.
Read more...
New Strategies for Prostate Cancer Care Demanded by
Longer Life Expectancy, Aging Population
As boomers pass age 65 – the most common time of
prostate cancer diagnosis – researchers have a handful of new barriers
to put in the path of the disease
By Garth Sundem, University of Colorado Cancer
Center
Dec. 4, 2012 - The population of the United States
is getting older, due not only to aging boomers but also to a four-year
increase in life expectancy from 1990 to 2010. An aging population means
increased diagnosis of prostate cancer. Statistically, the older the
patient at time of diagnosis, the more aggressive the disease – and also
the less well the patient is likely to tolerate traditional
chemotherapies. In sum, we have more, aggressive prostate cancer that
can’t be targeted by traditional treatments.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Small Test Shows Treatment’s Potential to Stop
Spread of Melanoma Cancer
Treatment uses drug believed capable of stimulating a
patient’s immune system into attacking cancer cells while sparing
healthy normal tissue
Nov. 16, 2012 – Most senior citizens know that
melanoma is the most deadly skin cancer, if it is not caught early and
surgically removed. When it is not detected early and begins to spread
it can move very rapidly to other parts of the body, and becomes very
difficult to stop. New hope, however, for stopping this cancer was
reported recently at an international meeting.
Read more...
Patients Unable
to Lower Bad Cholesterol with Statins
Find Success with New Drug
AMG 145 reduced LDL
cholesterol by 66% in
only 12 weeks
Nov. 6, 2012 -
People taking statin drugs to lower "bad
cholesterol" levels sometimes are
unsuccessful due to their body's
inability to tolerate or sufficiently
respond to the medicine. Researchers
announced today, however, that with the
addition of a new drug - AMG 145 - they
were able to help these patients reduce
the LDL cholesterol by 66 percent in
only 12 weeks.
Read more...
Genetically Engineered Tomatoes Do the Work of Good Cholesterol to Reduce Plaque
Mice that ate the freeze-dried, ground tomatoes had
less inflammation and reduced plaque build-up in their arteries
Nov. 5, 2012 — For the first time, genetically
engineered tomato plants produced a peptide that mimics the actions of
good cholesterol when eat1n, researchers reported today at the American
Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2012.
Read more...
Microorganisms reduced fatty acids tied to dangerous
plaque buildup in arteries in study with 127 adults
Nov. 5, 2012 — Two daily doses of a probiotic
lowered key cholesterol-bearing molecules in the blood as well as “bad”
and total cholesterol, in a study presented today at the American Heart
Association’s Scientific Sessions 2012.
Read more...
Interpretation of PSA Tests May Be More Meaningful with DNA Study
May reduce risk of men being treated for prostate cancer unnecessarily
Oct.
30, 2012 - The still hot controversy about using prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) tests to detect prostrate cancer may have something just
around the corner that will cool the debate. At least that is the hope
of Swedish researchers who say it may be possible to refine the
interpretation of PSA tests by studying a specific part of the male DNA,
which could reduce the risk of men being treated for prostate cancer
unnecessarily.
Read
more...
First clear data on quality-of-life issues for U.S.
cancer survivors; over 30% have post-treatment physical, mental
problems; may id those at risk
Oct. 30, 2012 – Beating cancer is just the first
step. More than one third of the 12.6 million cancer survivors in the
United States have physical or mental problems that put their overall
health in jeopardy, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist
Medical Center.
Read more...
Big Decline in Heart Attacks, Cardiac Deaths in
County After Smoke-Free Workplace Laws
Heart attacks drop by 33 percent, sudden cardiac
deaths by 17 percent after protection from secondhand smoke; seniors
should take note
Oct. 29, 2012 – There was a substantial drop in
heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths in a Minnesota county after it
implemented laws to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and all workplaces,
according to an evaluation from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Senior
citizens are the most common victims of these coronary problems and may
benefit most from laws to restrict public smoking.
Read more...
Pricey New Prostate Cancer Proton Therapy Raises
Questions About Safety, Cost
Proton therapy targets more precisely, should
minimize damage to nerves and tissue; hope is it translates into fewer
side effects, but has become center of intense debate
By
Rob Stein, NPR News (The KHN Blog)
Oct. 29, 2012 - Bill Sneddon had a feeling he was
in trouble when his doctor called with his latest test results. “I just had a premonition that something’s not
right,” said Sneddon, 68, of Ocean Township, N.J. And, sure enough, Sneddon’s instincts were right.
He had prostate cancer.
Read
more...
Pancreatic Cancer Appears to be Different Disease in
Different People
Study for international cancer study says each
pancreatic patient may require a different treatment
Oct. 25, 2012 – Pancreatic cancer, which has the
highest mortality rate of all the major cancers and is one of the few
for which survival has not improved substantially over the past 40
years, appears to not be one disease, and people who appear to have the
same cancer may need to be treated differently.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Nearly Half of Adults Say High Blood Pressure Under
Control; Seniors Not Taking Meds
Older people, blacks, Mexican-Americans, and people
with diabetes and chronic kidney disease have higher rates of high blood
pressure and less likely to take blood pressure medications, survey
finds
Oct. 24, 2012 - Nearly half of U.S. adults with
high blood pressure said they had their blood pressure under control by
the end of 2010 - a significant increase from the start of the decade,
researchers reported in the American Heart Association journal
Circulation.
There was disturbing news, however, revealing that most senior citizens
and some other demographic groups were most likely to not be taking the
recommended drug therapy.
Read more...
Shingles Vaccine Does Work but Not as Effective for
Seniors Over 70
Among older adults who get the vaccine almost 50%
have reduced risk of acquiring the painful disease
By
Sharyn Alden, Contributing Writer, Health Behavior News Service
Oct. 18, 2012 – The shingles vaccine works, but it
works better for those under 70 years old, according to a new evidence
review from The Cochrane Library. Shingles, which originates from the
same virus as the childhood disease chickenpox, is painful and can
severely impact quality of life for weeks or months.
Read more...
See video in story |
Favorable trends in TC, non-HDL-C, and LDL-C
may be due in part to a decrease in consumption of trans-fatty
acids or other healthy lifestyle changes
Oct. 16, 2012 – An analysis of
nationally-representative data indicates that between 1988
and 2010 there has been a trend of declining average levels
of total cholesterol, non-high-density lipoprotein
cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol for
U.S. adults overall, according to a study in the October 17
issue of JAMA.
Read more..
Every individual that ever smoked cigarettes was
associated with an increased risk of age-related cataract
Oct.
13, 2012 – Cigarette smoking is a well-known risk factor for a
wide-range of diseases. Now, scientists have evidence that smoking may
also increase the risk of age-related cataract, the leading cause of
blindness and vision loss in the world.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Baby Aspirin May Slow Brain Power Decline in Elderly
Women with Heart Disease Risk
Older women in Swedish study were at high risk of
heart disease and stroke
Oct.
8, 2012 – Elderly women may be able to slow the decline in their brain
power with a daily low dose aspirin, at least if they are at high risk
of heart disease and stroke, according to a new observational study
reported online in BMJ Open.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
More Precise Analysis of Scans for COPD Can Better
Determine Lung Damage, Treatment Results
Parametric
response mapping is path to more precise diagnosis, treatment
planning; useful tool for precisely assessing the impact of new
medications and treatments
Oct. 8, 2012 - A new approach to lung scanning
could improve the diagnosis and treatment of a lung disease that affects
approximately 24 million Americans – mostly older people - and is the
country's third-highest cause of death.
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements for Seniors
Apple a Day Lowers Blood Chemical Linked to
Hardening of the Arteries
Apple industry group funded study finds apples
lowered blood levels of oxidized LDL -- low-density lipoprotein, the
"bad" cholesterol
Oct. 2, 2012 - Eating an apple a day might in fact
help keep the cardiologist away, new research suggests. In a study of
healthy, middle-aged adults, consumption of one apple a day for four
weeks lowered by 40 percent blood levels of a substance linked to
hardening of the arteries.
Read
more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Detects High-Grade
Prostate Cancer Using Less Biopsies
Older men in ‘active surveillance’ for prostate
cancer would benefit from
using microbubble technique to watch progession
Oct. 1, 2012 – Anything that reduces the necessity
of biopsies is usually welcomed by senior citizens, the most likely
victims of cancer. New research concerning prostate cancer, a common
cancer hitting older men, indicates the time has come for the use of
contrast-enhanced ultrasound to better detect high-grade prostate cancer
and monitor low-risk ones using less biopsies.
Read more...
Low Levels of Vitamin D Indicate Much Higher Risk
for Heart Attack, Early Death
Large study funded by Danish Heart Foundation used
blood samples from 10,000 Danes
Sept. 24, 2012 - Low levels of vitamin D are
associated with a markedly higher risk of heart attack and early death
in a large study that involved more than 10,000 Danes. The researchers
say those with the lowest levels of vitamin D have at least an 81
percent higher risk of death from heart disease than those with the
optimal levels.
Read
more...
Thalidomide Disfigured Children in 1950s, Improves
Lives for Older People with IPF
Drug relieves disabling cough for seniors - average
age 67 - with deadly lung disease, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, study
shows
|
Risk of severe, life-threatening birth defects caused by
thalidomide.
|
Sept. 17, 2012 – It is probably a very hard pill to
swallow for senior citizens old enough to remember to shocking images on
the fuzzy TV screens of the 1950s that showed the severe birth defects
caused by thalidomide, when it was taken by pregnant women. Now,
however, a clinical trial shows the drug has the potential to improve
the lives of people – mostly seniors – stricken with deadly idiopathic
pulmonary fibrosis.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
How Melanoma Skin Cancer Can Resist Chemotherapy is Discovered
Study results suggest new approach to treating most
deadly skin cancer
 Melanoma patient after cancer
surgically removed from head... |
Sept. 17, 2012 – Melanoma – the deadly skin cancer,
major killer of seniors and most rapidly increasing cancer – has been
almost unstoppable and a major reason has been its resistance to
chemotherapy. This advantage may be coming to an end with the discovery
of a genetic pathway in melanoma cells that blocks the cellular
mechanism for detecting DNA damage wrought by chemotherapy, thereby
building up tolerance to cancer-killing drugs.
Read
more...
Health for Senior Citizens
Sam’s Club Joins Walmart to Offer Ten Immunizations in 4,352 Pharmacies
Free blood pressure screenings today (Sept. 15) in all Walmart stores offering immunizations; also on Sept. 22 and 29
Sept.
10, 2012 – Sam’s Club announced it is joining Walmart to offer 10 vital immunizations this cold and flu season at all 552 Sam’s Club locations
with a pharmacy, which will open to the public. In partnership with Mollen Immunization Clinics, Walmart and Sam’s Club are offering a menu of
10 immunizations by registered nurses through November 15, including shingles, flu and pneumonia. The program began Aug. 27 at the 3,800
Walmarts with pharmacies.
Read more...
Medicare News
Shingles Vaccination Not Covered for Some in Medicare; It is for Some Boomers
Seniors face many obstacles to getting needed vaccines, including the shingles vaccine
Sept. 14, 2012 – The
shingles vaccine – its cost, its coverage by Medicare, its coverage provided by Medicare supplement insurance, its coverage by the drug
program – are frequent questions among senior citizens. This week the answers are provided by Michelle Andrews in her column for Kaiser News,
“Insuring Your Health.”
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Discovery of Biomarker for Deadly Melanoma Skin Cancer Offers New Hope
Researchers were able to reverse melanoma growth in pre-clinical studies
Sept. 13, 2012 – Researchers claim discovery of a novel opportunity for melanoma skin cancer diagnostics, treatment and
prevention. Melanoma is the most dangerous of skin cancers, the leading cause of death from skin cancer and is increasing faster than any
other cancer. It most often strikes older people.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
About One-Third of Stroke Survivors Suffer Depression, Mostly Men
Reducing health ambiguity with proactive communication may be effective for reducing survivor distress: small study
Sept. 12,
2012 – About 33% of stroke survivors struggle with depression and men are considerably more likely to suffer depression than are women,
according to a small study reported in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. The survivors’ uncertainty about the
illness causes the depression.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Sorafenib May Be New Treatment for Multiple Myeloma Blood Cancer That Strikes Seniors
Sorafenib is drug used now for advanced cancer of the kidneys and liver
Sept. 5, 2012 –
Multiple Myeloma is a common form of blood cancer that is usually diagnosed after people pass age 60. Although considered incurable, it often
progresses slowly and is usually controllable. A problem in treatment, however, is the development of resistance to treatment drugs, according
to an oncology researcher, who thinks he has found a new drug that works – sorafenib.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
CMRI Indicates Most Heart Attacks in Elderly May Go
Unrecognized
Among test group, 17% had ‘unrecognized myocardial infarction;’ only 9.7% had been thought to have had MI
Sept. 5, 2012 – New research using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging suggests that many older people may have suffered
heart attacks that went undetected. The study compared the prevalence and prognosis of recognized and unrecognized myocardial infarction (MI)
diagnosed with CMR vs. electrocardiography (ECG) in older diabetic and non-diabetic participants.
Read more...
Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Breast Cancer Survivors Given Chemo May Suffer Mild Cognitive Impairment
Large study finds evidence of ‘Chemo Brain’ – patients do significantly worse on tests of verbal and visuospatial ability
than patients not getting chemo
Sept. 4, 2012 – Breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy are at risk of mild cognitive impairment after treatment
– a condition referred to as “Chemo Brain,” according to researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center. The review of previously published studies,
found that study participants on average had mild impairments in verbal abilities (such as difficulty choosing words) and visuospatial
abilities (such as getting lost more easily).
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Sleep Apnea Linked with Increased Risk of Cancer Death, Growing Links to Cancers
Several new studies find links between this chronic breathing problem during sleep and cancer – sleep apnea risk highest in
older people
Sept. 4, 2012 – Three new studies indicate a link between sleep apnea, a common disorder in which you have one or more
pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep, and cancer. The risk of this condition increases with age. A key study that finds an
association between sleep apnea and increased cancer deaths will be presented today.
Read more...
Galectin-3 Protein Can Predict Higher Risk of Heart Failure, Death in Older Adults
Heart failure has enormous risk of death, often few warning signs
Aug. 31, 2012 – If you are a senior citizen, it is almost a certainty you have wondered about the chances that your heart
will fail. Well, if you really want to know, a way to answer the question may have arrived. Government scientists have discovered a protein –
galectin-3 – that identifies which people are at higher risk of heart failure.
Read
more...
Fitness at Middle Age Leads to Lower Risk of Chronic Disease in Senior Years
Even study participants who died had fewer chronic ailments to the end
Aug. 27, 2012 - A new study declares that fitness in middle age points to less chronic health problems in later life.
And, even those who died in old age, seemed to have less of these chronic ailments right up to the end. The study involved both senior men and
women, older than 65, who were Medicare patients.
Read more...
Study Designed to Help Pancreatic Cancer Patients Make Hard Choices
‘Even aggressive intervention with chemotherapy, radiation or surgery rarely yields more than an extra month to a year of
survival’
Aug. 23, 2012 – The short life expectancy of a pancreatic cancer patient, even if the treatment is aggressive, motivated
physicians, medical educators and students to produce a quantitative analysis of this experience that they hope will assist these victims in
making quality-of-life decisions.
Read more...
Prostate Cancer Survival Rates Improved After Introduction of PSA Screening
Growing evidence that questions U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommendation against PSA screening in all men
Aug. 23, 2012 – The latest round in the on-going debate over the routine use of prostate specific antigen (PSA) to screen
for and monitor prostate cancer is a new study that compares studies before and after the “PSA era.” The lead investigator concludes that
‘without a doubt it has played a role in extending many lives.”
Read more...
Caregiver & Elder Care News
Lots of High Tech Efforts to Prevent Drug Errors but Don’t Forget Simple Stuff
Watch video by pharmacy professor on basics of medication management
Aug. 22, 2012 - As researchers develop high tech solutions like smartphone apps, computerized tools and even ingestible
devices to help individuals taking multiple medications manage their pills, it becomes increasingly important to not forget the simple stuff.
And, this can be critical for seniors – the most often to visit emergency rooms with drug reactions.
Read more...
Features for Senior Citizens
Baby Boomer Alert
Baby Boomers Should All Receive One-Time Hepatitis C Test: CDC Recommendation
Over 2 million US baby boomers infected with hepatitis C – over 75% of all adults with the virus - more about
hepatitis C below news story
|
Hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood
tests, which can also show if you have chronic hepatitis C or another type of hepatitis. |
Aug. 16, 2012 - All U.S. baby boomers should get a one-time test for the hepatitis C virus, according to final
recommendations published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in 30 baby boomers – the generation born from 1945
through 1965 – has been infected with hepatitis C, and most don’t know it. There is no vaccine for Hepatitis C.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Melanoma Skin Cancer May Be More Treatable with New Discovery
Average age of melanoma diagnosis is 61; over 9,000 expected to die in 2012 - more about this skin cancer below news report
Aug. 15, 2012 - There is a new target that may hold the key to the successful treatment of melanoma, the deadliest skin
cancer that primarily targets older men. Researchers have found a new channel-forming protein called Pannexin (Panx1) that is on the surface
of healthy skin cells. But they found, in melanoma, Panx1 is over-produced to a uncontrolled level. If you reduce it or knock it down, the
cell becomes more normal.
Read more..
Senior Citizens, Boomers Destined for Cataracts if They Live Long Enough
Professionals urged seniors to take action during Cataract Awareness Month - New study finds
risk of hip fractures significantly reduced in Medicare patients who had cataract surgery
|
Cataracts may cause
colors to appear faded or yellowish, vision to be blurred, cloudy. See video... |
Aug. 14, 2012 - Over half of all Americans will develop cataracts by the age of 70 and those who do not surely will if
they live long enough. But poor vision doesn't have to be an inevitable fact of aging, say medical professionals promoting Cataract Awareness
Month in August.
Read more, see video...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements
Eating Egg Yolks Almost as Bad as Smoking for Stroke, Heart Attack Risk
‘Eating egg yolk regularly should be avoided by those at risk of cardiovascular disease’
Aug. 13, 2012 - Eating egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis in a manner similar to smoking cigarettes, according to a
researcher who surveyed more than 1200 patients. He says regular consumption of egg yolks is about two-thirds as bad as smoking, when it comes
to increased build-up of carotid plaque, a risk factor for stroke and heart attack.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Cardiovascular Benefits of Taking Statins Outweigh Diabetes Risk
No risk for those without diabetes risk factors, one risk factors jumps risk 28%
Aug. 10, 2012 - The benefits of taking statins to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease outweigh the increased risk
of developing diabetes experienced by some patients who take these cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to an Article published Online First
in The Lancet. Those with major risk factors for diabetes should be cautioned.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
West Nile Virus Cases Reported to CDC Through July Are Most Since 2004
CDC urges seniors, others to take action to avoid this mosquito-carried disease
Aug. 3, 2012 - Concern being expressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention due to the outbreak of 241 cases
of West Nile virus disease, including four deaths. This is the highest number of cases reported through the end of July since 2004. Thus far
in 2012, 42 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
No PSA Testing May Triple Cases of Advanced Prostate Cancer, Spread
Data very clear: not doing PSA will result in many men with far more advanced prostate cancer spread to other parts of the
body
July 30, 2012 - Eliminating the PSA test to screen for prostate cancer would be taking a big step backwards and would
likely result in rising numbers of men with metastatic cancer at the time of diagnosis, predicted a University of Rochester Medical Center
analysis published in the journal, Cancer.
Read more...
Exercise & Fitness for Senior Citizens
Group Yoga Helps Stroke Victims Improve Function, Balance
Helps patients long after stroke; cost effective; may help them be more active; oldest over 90
July 27, 2012 – Group yoga can improve motor function and balance in stroke survivors, even if they don't begin yoga
until six months or more after the stroke and no longer receive rehabilitative care, according to new research in the American Heart
Association journal Stroke. One patient was in his 90s.
Read more...
Sex and Romance for Senior Citizens
Older Women with Diabetes More Likely to Experience Sexual Dissatisfaction
Diabetes recognized risk for erectile dysfunction in men, but almost no data to indicate whether it affects sexual
function in women
July 25, 2012 - Women with diabetes – age 40 to 80 in this study - are just as likely to be interested in sex and engage
in, sexual activity as non-diabetic women, but they are much more likely to report low overall sexual satisfaction, according to a UCSF study.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Basal Cell Carcinoma Is Most Common Skin Cancer, Chronic for
Many Seniors
Further confirmation that risk of basal cell carcinoma increases with age; more of chronic disease; High sun exposure
before age 30 a major predictor, as was a history of eczema; what can be done for older people
July
25, 2012 - In the powerful sunlight of July, newly published results from a large study of people at high risk for basal cell carcinoma
support the emerging view of the nation’s most common cancer as a chronic ailment that often repeatedly afflicts older people but for which
the seeds may be planted in youth. The research also found a new association with eczema.
Read more...
Senior Citizen Alerts
Diabetes Patients Can Save Up to $60 Million a Year: New Walmart Initiative
Company that led way in reducing the cost of generic drugs, now offers lower prices on meter, test strips, more for diabetes
patients
July 25, 2012 - Walmart yesterday launched an initiative it says will save diabetes patients in the U.S. up to $60
million annually with its exclusive ReliOn brand of diabetes products, including the ReliOn Prime meter and blood sugar test strips. Among
U.S. senior citizens aged 65 years and older, 10.9 million, or 26.9%, had diabetes in 2010.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Hip or Knee Replacement Increases Risk for Heart Attacks Among Seniors
Worst problems for those 80 and over, very little risk for those under 60
July 24, 2012 - Total hip replacement (THR) and total knee replacement (TKR) surgeries were associated with increased
risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack) in the first two weeks after the surgical procedures, according to a new study. The
average age in the study for THR was less than 72 and for TKR it was just over 67.
Read
more...
Tradjenta Effective Fighting Diabetes for Long-Term: International Study
The drug linagliptin is marketed in U.S. as Tradjenta and as Trajenta in other countries
July 24, 2012 - An extended trial involving older people of a drug for type 2 diabetes has confirmed that the oral DPP-4
inhibitor Tradjenta (linagliptin) is a safe and effective means of lowering glucose levels for up to 102 weeks, either on its own or in combination with
other selected oral anti-diabetic medication.
Read more...
Secret to Melanoma Cancer’s Resistance to Treatment Exposed - Hope for Seniors
Researchers say they have found why treatment is difficult and may have answer for
turning this around
July 23, 2012 - Melanoma skin cancer is one the most aggressive of all cancers and its favorite
victims are senior citizens. Not only does it progress rapidly but successful treatment is difficult because it is usually resistant to
conventional chemotherapy treatment. Researchers reporting on a new study say they may have a found a new way to treat this cancer more
successfully.
Read more...
Chemical that Affects Biological Clock Offers New Way to Treat Diabetes
Fishing with ‘longdaysin’ found new chemical to slow biological clock; inhibits production of enzymes in liver – Second
study finds why hypertension and diabetes damage eyes
July 12,
2012 - A chemical that offers a completely new and promising direction for the development of drugs to treat metabolic disorders such as type
2 diabetes does not directly control glucose production but it can regulate our circadian rhythm or biological clock.
Read more...
Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements
Older Women Lower Osteoporosis Risk with Moderate Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol appears to behave similarly to estrogen in that it reduces bone turnover; moderate drinkers have a higher bone
density than non-drinkers or heavy drinkers
July 11, 2012 - Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle may benefit women's bone health,
lowering their risk of developing osteoporosis. A new study assessed the effects of alcohol withdrawal on bone turnover in postmenopausal
women who drank one or two drinks per day several times a week.
Read
more...
Aging News & Information
Scientists Find Genetic Clues to Why Immune System Gets Weaker with Age
Understanding how to maintain strong, healthy immune systems could help many live longer, healthier lives
July 11, 2012 – A team of U.S. scientists say they have discovered important insights that explain why our ability to
ward off infection declines with age. They identified genes responsible for this decline by examining fruit flies – a model organism often
used to study human biology – at different stages of their lives.
Read more...
Health & Medicine for Senior Citizens
Nine Factors Found to Play Key Role in Quality of Life for Dying Cancer Patients
When a cure
for cancer is no longer an option, the focus of care often shifts from prolonging life to promoting the quality of life
July 9, 2012 - Better quality of life at the end of life for patients with advanced cancer was associated with avoiding
hospitalizations and the intensive care unit, worrying less, praying or meditating, being visited by a pastor in a hospital or clinic, and
having a trusting alliance with their physician, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network
publication.
Read more...
Senior Cardiac Surgery Patients May Suffer Extended
Cognitive Problems
Postoperative delirium a common complications in hospitalized senior citizens over 65; may be key to improve recovery of
cognitive ability
July
5, 2012 - Older patients undergoing cardiac surgery often experience changes in cognitive function, such as memory problems or an inability to
focus, in the days immediately following their operations. While these changes are usually temporary, for unknown reasons, a significant
number of cardiac patients will encounter long-term cognitive problems, lasting as long as a year after their surgeries.
Read more...
