Tag: Aging

The Role of Magnesium for Cognitive Function in Older Adults

The synergy between magnesium and vitamin D is critical for optimal immune function and overall health—especially as it pertains to lowering your risk of COVID-19. Previous studies have also highlighted the role this duo plays in cognitive function among older adults, as well as overall mortality. Those findings are important, especially as the link between…


Herbs Can Help Lower Blood Pressure

Heart disease has ranked No. 1 in the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. for years. In 2020, 690,882 people died from heart disease. This is compared to 633,842 who died in 2015, which represents a 9 percent jump in six short years. One of the key risk factors for heart disease…


Doctor-Turned-Caregiver Shares About Health Care’s Blindspot

Caring for someone with a serious illness stretches people spiritually and emotionally, often beyond what they might have thought possible. Dr. Arthur Kleinman, a professor of psychiatry and anthropology at Harvard University, calls this “enduring the unendurable” in his recently published book, “The Soul of Care: The Moral Education of a Husband and a Doctor.”…


Exercise Linked to More Resilient Brains

Physical activity is very important for a number of reasons—including that it helps to protect the structure and function of our brain as we age. This may be key in reducing the risk of developing certain neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Though researchers have known about the protective effect of exercise for many years,…


Your Plan for Better Aging

Everyone knows someone who must be lying about their age. After all, how can they look like that and have all that energy if they were as old as you? After about 35 or 40, I’d say “the real you” starts to show, and it will typically go one way or the other. Some will…


Poor Sleep in the over 50s Is Linked to More Negative Perceptions of Aging

For people over 50, poor sleep has been linked to more negative perceptions of aging, which can impact mental, physical, and cognitive health. A new study led by the University of Exeter found that middle-aged people who rated their sleep the worst also felt older and had a lower image of their own physical and…


Alternative Treatments For Alzheimer’s Disease

According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer’s predominantly being the most common form. About 60 to 70 percent of all reported cases of dementia are diagnosed as Alzheimer’s. Current Alzheimer’s Treatments While there is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, there are various prescription drugs, such…


The Urgent Need to Address Ageism

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization announced a global campaign to combat ageism—discrimination against older adults that’s pervasive and harmful but often unrecognized. “We must change the narrative around age and aging” … “adopt strategies to counter” [ageist attitudes and behaviors], WHO concluded in a major report accompanying the campaign. Several strategies the WHO endorsed—educating people about…


Air Pollution Is a Risk Factor for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a growing concern among older adults. Many known risk factors are associated with RA, but a new study published in the journal Rheumatology suggests a link between air pollution and the condition. For this study, researchers from the University of Verona, Italy, collected longitudinal data of patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis…


Seniors Decry Health Providers’ Age Bias

Joanne Whitney, 84, a retired associate clinical professor of pharmacy at the University of California–San Francisco, often feels devalued when interacting with health care providers. There was a time several years ago when she told an emergency room doctor that the antibiotic he wanted to prescribe wouldn’t counteract the kind of urinary tract infection she…