Ocassional exercise and sexual activity can increase risk of heart attack

New research says both exercise and sex can trigger a short term increased risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death. This risk is low to those who maintain constant physical activity. When it comes to these activities your better to do it on a regular basis, especially for seniors. Regular physical activity is strongly associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and related mortality. Overall an event of sexual activity was associated with 2.7 times increased risk of heart attack, atleast one to two hours after exerting oneself. This study found that each additional time a person exercised in a week reduced the risk of heart attack by 45%, and 30% for suddden cardiac death. If you have not done much physical activity recently dont go running a marathon, gradually build up your stamina.

Story telling program improves lives of people with Alzheimers

An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimers, including 5.1 senior citizens aged 65 and older. Dementia symptoms include a loss of brain function that affects memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior. TimeSlips, a creative storytelling program, is for people with Dementia that encourages participants to use their imagination to create short stories as a group. It encourages participants to be actively involved and to experience moments of recognition, creation, and celebration. This study held one hour sessions, twice a week for six weeks. The results included increased expressions of pleasure and initiation of social communication. Improvements lasted several weeks following the last session.

Seniors surviving breast cancer have more risk of falling

Women who are seniors and breast cancer survivors, appear to fall more than their peers. Combined effects of chemotherapy and endocrine therapy may increase the risk of bone fractures. Researchers asked post-menopausal breast cancer survivors whether they had fallen in the past year and tracked their falls over a 6 month study period. Researchers used a comprhensive set of neuromuscular and balance characteristics. The study findings suggest that the balance problems may have been related to changes in the vestibular system that is associated with chemotherapy. The vestibular system begins in the inner ear and is responsible for balance and posture,and also regulates locomotion and other movements. This study is to consider how breast cancer treatment may increase your fall risk and by exploring mediators of the treatment/falling relationship.

Medical coverage

The new year will change the way many of us get our health care under the reform law President Obama signed back in March. The administration knows there are plenty of skeptics and is still trying to sell health care reform as a good deal for tax payers. One new provision should help anyone with a job and insurance: employer plans have to spend 80-85% of your premium dollars on services related to medical care. And for those on Medicare, the so called donut hole is getting smaller. The donut hole is a gap in coverage that exists for seniors who've spent a certain amount for drugs and is in whats called the 'part D' drug plan. Starting this year seniors who fall into that gap will get 50% discount on brand name drugs and a much smaller discount on generic drugs. Seniors will get free preventive benefits. Many of the biggest changes in health care reform, including a mandate that everyone buy health insurance, wont kick in until 2014.

Stroke

The latest statistics from the CDC showed that the number of deaths caused by strokes has dropped from the 3rd place of causes of death. Stroke is now the 4th leading cause of death, down from the 3rd rank it has held for decades. A new study finds that nearly 2/3rds of senior citizens discharged from hospitals after Ischemic stroke die or are readmitted within one year. Stroke is the 2nd leading cause of hospital admissions among elders. Ischemic stroke, which occurs as a result of obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain, accounts for 87% of all strokes. In-hospital death rates for Ischemic stroke patients are nearly 15% within 30 days of admission and more than 30% within one year admission. The post discharge death or admission rates are 61.9% within one year discharge.
Having a stroke is a medical emergency, know these signs of a stroke, every second counts:
*Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg especially on one side of the body.
*Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
*Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
*Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
*Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Staying healthy during cold and flu season

Getting flu vaccine is your best defense, but you may also use the following 10 tips to fight the flu this year:

1. Wash your hands frequently, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, being with ill people and especially before you eat
2. Avoid sharing objects
3. Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes
4. Get enough sleep and avoid getting "run down"
5. Reduce stress
6. Use tissues for coughs and sneezes and dispose of them immediately and appropriately
7. Eat right and get regular exercise
8. Avoid crowds and keep your distance from people whom you know are ill
9 If you are sick, avoid contact with the frail, very young and elderly
10. If you are sick, stay home from work or school

Keeping warm during winter

1
Candles give smoke, which can give warmth. Shut windows and use light. Shut all the windows in your room, turn off all the lights and light some candles. But if you don't want to risk a fire, candles should only be used to illuminate a room during winter and to create atmosphere.

2
Wear warm clothes. Wear two sweaters and a large overcoat in case of severe cold. If you have a heater, turn it on.

3
Give yourself a blanket treatment. Take all the blankets around your house, and if no one has any problem, pile them all up in your bed. Spread them over the bed, one on top of the other, get inside them, and get warm!

4
Run, jump, hop, skip and roll until you sweat! Then jump constantly for two minutes, take a minute's break. Skip for ten minutes, with a three minutes' break every two minutes. Go for a mile's walk in the neighborhood. On the way, take your jump rope and hop about for a while. All this ought to make you sweat!

5
Have warm food and drinks. Drink hot drinks, like coffee. It makes you feel warm inside. Hot food, like grilled meat, hot pizza, is tasty and warm, too. If you are hungry you will feel cold. Any food will help you feel warmer.

6
Stay in one place. Being in one place can make the seat, bed, etc, quite warm, but only if you've been there for a long time. (You might not be able to feel it, though. But someone else might.)

7
Go to Indoor Parties. Whether it's with family or friends, everyones body heat can help warm you, along with others. You can also snuggle with people, it works!

8
Take hot baths. It's a nice way to relax your muscles, especially after a stressful day, and can warm you up in no time. If you really want to relax, add some candles and soothing music. Be sure to dry off well afterwards.

9
Patch up the drafts. Prevent any cold air coming into the house, or any hot air escaping the house. This helps save energy and money.

10
Sit by a fire. It can keep you warm! If its a fireplace or a campfire you're sure to stay warm.

High cholesterol may lead to Alzheimers disease

Regular consumption of a high fat cholesterol diet might lead to Azlheimers. Alzheimers starts 20-30 years before the 1st symptoms start showing and recent studies show that high cholesterol levels are linked to the pathology of this disease. This study uses adult rats which were fed a normal diet and another group with a special cholesterol enriched diet. After a 5 month study rats with the special diet showed memory impairment, cholinergic dysfunction, induced microbleedings, all which resemble Alzheimers disease. Data shows that high fat lipids, including cholesterol may be an active participate in Alzheimers. Since Alzheimers is a complex disease, this data does not conclude cholesterol to be alone responsible for the disease.

14 inexpensive ways to keep warm this winter

1. Fool the eye: Sometimes warmth is a matter of perception. Warm colors and textures make you feel warmer so change out your decor. Try a throw so you can snuggle under it.

2. Cut a rug: Cover up your bare floors with a rug.

3. Bake something: Stews, roasts, casseroles and soups are made for the cold weather because they cook at low temperatures for a long period of time and, of course, they warm you up going down.

4. Drink something: Wrap your hands around a warm mug of tea, cocoa or coffee.

5. Let the sun in: Open curtains and blinds during the day.

6. Change your bedding: Switch to flannel sheets, a down comforter, use extra blankets.

7. Clean the house: Not only will your house be cleaner but activity will get your blood pumping.

8. Cover your head: It sounds silly but wearing a hat (and socks) to bed at night, even if the rest of you is clad in skimpy clothing, will keep you warm.

9. It's muggy in here: Use a humidifier. Humid air feels warmer. No humidifier? Open the bathroom door while you're showering.

10. Reverse the fan: We've heard that, since heat rises, running your ceiling fan in reverse will push the warm air back down to the ground.

11. Do your laundry: Nothing warms you up like clothing straight from the dryer.

12. It's drafty in here: Block drafts with weather stripping, a rolled up towel or a draft stopper.

13. It takes two: Snuggle up with your friends, or your significant other.

14. Something old fashioned: Try a hot water bottle or, before you get into bed, running a hot pan over your sheets. Bags of rice or dried beans, warmed in the microwave, are another option

Staying healthy with the weather changes

Staying Healthy any time of year can be challenge but it’s particularly tough when seasons change. Our bodies also changes when the world around it does.

1. Simply eat right. That means lay off the junk food and learn to love fruits and vegetables. Raw food is real food.

2. Exercise, exercise, exercise. The benefits of exercise on robust health are too numerous to mention here. It’s not an option, it’s something that you have to do. If you’re just starting out, begin walking and work up to 30 minutes sessions, 3- 5 days a week.

3. Get some sun. Vitamin D is made when our skin comes in contact with sunlight. That’s a problem because this vitamin is vital to the immune system. Using sun block interferes with that process. 20 minutes of sunlight can produce quite a bit of Vitamin D. If you remain unconvinced, take a Vitamin D3 supplement.

4. Omega 3 – Fish oil. This is a must. Since the majority of our food is processed, our diets have too many Omega 6 oils and very little Omega 3’s. Omega 3 comes from flax and cold water fish. Taking an Omega 3 supplements will support the heart, brain and immune system.

5. Detoxify. Face it, most of us are walking garbage cans. We’ve been eating bad food, breathing bad air and drinking polluted water for years. Eating right and drinking plenty of water help. There are also many supplements that stimulate the liver and help cleanse the colon. That’s a subject for another article.

6. Sleep. Some times we get so caught up in our overloaded schedules, that we put off sleeping to get more done. Bad idea. Lack of sleep reduces the production of T-cells, the linchpin of the immune system. Get a good night’s sleep every night and keep your immune system at peak performance.

Memory loss

Getting older is not the cause of mild memory lapses or called senior moments. This study found that the early changes in memory that are more common in old age than dementia are caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's and other Dementia's. The early cognitive changes thought to be signs of aging are signs of progressive dementia. Alzheimer's and related Dementia's ate the root cause of virtually all loss of cognition and memory loss. There are other factors that affect how vulnerable we are to the pathology and to its effects. Recognizing that the earlier changes in memory are related to Alzheimer's pathology can lead to early diagnosis and will be critical information if a treatment is developed that can alter the diseases course.

The flu shot reduces your risk of heart attack

The earlier you get the flu vaccination the more heart protection it provides. A new study shows that the vaccine appears to reduce the chances of a first heart attack by 19%. Heart attacks significantly increase in the winter when pneumonia and the flu are prevalent. Earlier vaccination (sept-nov) had a higher reduction rate of heart attacks (21%), compared with late vaccinations (12%).

Enjoying your labor day week!

SUN AND OUTDOOR SAFETY

1. Sun Screen - While the sun may not be at full blast this late into the summer, sun screen must be applied at all times. Even on cloudy days, the sun's UV rays can do serious damage to the skin if not protected. An SPF 15 or higher should be used on adults, while an SPF 50 or higher should be used on children.

2. Wear Sun-Protective Gear - Over-exposure to the sun can be avoided by simply wearing a hat or sunglasses. Nothing is more painful than getting a sunburn on the scalp, so especially on sunny days, a hat should be worn at all times. Wearing sunglasses will prevent UV rays from hitting the eyes, which could cause diseases like cataracts later in life. Simply finding shade or wearing longer clothing can also protect you from the sun.

3. Bug Spray and Insect Repellent- With West Nile Virus a threat around this time of the year, make sure to put on a good dose of insect repellent, especially later in the night. The bugs are known to come out during the evening, so if your party continues late into the night, bug spray is never a bad option to put on. To avoid mosquitoes, put on a sweatshirt and jeans at night when they're worst.

4. Allergies - Before taking one step outside, always take your allergy medicine or any necessary vitamins. Allergic reactions are known to make a return in late summer, so don't take the risk of being outdoors and stay immune to your allergy threats.

Tobacco counseling for Medicare beneficiaries

There is a change being made at Medicare that will help seniors now to stop smoking. Before medicare only covered counseling for individuals diagnosed with a tobacco related disease. For too long tobacco users had been denied access to counseling. With this new coverage any smoker will be able to get counseling. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. Smokers who successfully quit, the health benefits will begin immediately and continue for the rest of your lives. These benefits include reducing death from coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, lung and other cancers. This new coverage will apply to services under Parts A and B of Medicare, and does not change Part D. And in the coming months there will be a new benefit for pregnant women to receive Medicaid covered tobacco counseling.

Chocolate may lower your risk of heart failure

Chocolate has a rich source of flavonoids, which act as antioxidants, and are believed to protect against heart disease, cancer, and other medical conditions. Women who ate an average of 1-2 servings of high quality chocolate per week had 32% lower risk of developing heart failure. Chocolate is a relatively calorie dense food, but large amounts risk weight gain. Studies also show that eating chocolate can lower blood pressure, and reduce LDL cholesterol. Majority of people eat processed chocolate which has added sugars, corn syrup, and milk fats. If people were to consume pure cocoa they would enjoy a few health benefits. If your going to have a treat make sure its in moderation. Heart failure occurs in about 1% of Americans over 65, and anything that helps decrease heart failure is worth examining. This is not a 'eat all you want' message, but rather a little chocolate can be healthful.

Funny jokes for Seniors!!!

One Sunday morning, a mother went in to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready for church, to which he replied, "I'm not going."

"Why not?" she asked.

"I'll give you two good reasons," he said. "One, they don't like me, and two, I don't like them."
His mother replied, "I'll give YOU two good reasons why YOU SHOULD go to church. (1) You're 59 years old, and (2) you're the pastor!"

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During my brother's wedding, my mother managed to keep from crying---until she glanced at my grandparents.

My grandmother had reached over to my grandfather's wheelchair and gently touched his hand. That was all it took to start my mother's tears flowing.

After the wedding, Mom went over to my grandmother and told her how that tender gesture triggered her outburst.

"Well, I'm sorry to ruin your moment," Grandmother replied, "but I was just checking his pulse."

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Perks of being over 55

Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

No one expects you to run into a burning building.

People call at 9 PM and ask, "Did I wake you?"

People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

Things you buy now won't wear out.

You can eat dinner at 4 P.M.

You enjoy hearing about other peoples operations.

You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.

You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

You sing along with elevator music.

Your eyes won't get much worse.

Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the National Weather Service.

Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

Your supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size.

Gardening tips for seniors

Gardening is an enjoyable recreational activity and a great form of exercising for mobility, flexibility, and motor skills to improve strenght and endurance. The physical activity helps prevent osteoporosis , and also reduces your stress level. Always stretch before doing any gardening activities. Drink plenty of fluids to keep you hydrated. Try to work in your garden in the morning or late in the day to avoid the sun. Wear comfortable cloths and shoes, a hat and gloves to cover exposed skin and always wear sunscreen. Rotate your gardening tasks every half hour or so, so you dont stress out your muscles. With a few safety precautions, seniors can reap the many rewards of gardening whether flowers or fresh vegetables.

Peach up your pasta salad

Recipe: Warm pasta salad with peaches, heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella

Ingredients
1 head fresh fennel, cut into small dice
2 shallots peeled, cut into small dice
Grated zest from 2 lemons
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Peaches, tomatoes and mozzarella
3 small yellow peaches, cut into small wedges
3 small white peaches, cut into small wedges
6-7 medium-size or small mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into large dice
1 1/2 pounds mozzarella, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
1 pound farfalle pasta "bow ties", cooked according to package directions
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Heat a medium-size sauté pan until hot but not smoking. Turn off the flame.

Add the diced fennel, shallots, lemon zest and wine vinegar.

Add the extra-virgin olive oil.

Let it cool down to room temperature.

For the peaches, tomatoes and mozzarella:

Cut peaches just before mixing with pasta.

Add peaches to vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta, drain well and then place pasta in a large bowl.

While pasta is still warm, add heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, then add the peaches and vinaigrette.

Toss lightly, check for seasoning and serve immediately.

Serving Size
Serves 6

Shake your summer up

Frothy chocolate espresso shake

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup gourmet hot chocolate mix (recommended: Marie Belle)
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 cup fat-free milk
1 pint reduced-fat frozen vanilla yogurt, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preparation
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium-low heat. Add the hot chocolate mix and espresso powder. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the milk.

Place the frozen yogurt and vanilla in a blender. Pour the chocolate mixture into the blender and blend until smooth and frothy.

Serving
Pour the shake into 8-ounce frosted glasses and serve immediately.

Serving Size
4 servings

Keeping you cool

Recipe: Spinach and cannelloni bean dip

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (6 ounce) bags baby spinach
1 (15 ounce) can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 of the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Repeat with the remaining spinach. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes.

Place the remaining olive oil, spinach mixture, cannelloni beans, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

Blend until the mixture is smooth.

Serving

Transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve with endive spears, crostini or pita chips.

Serving Size
4-6 servings