Aromatherapy Proven to Reduce Anxiety
In 2015, the World Health Organization estimated that anxiety disorders affect approximately 6.3% of individuals in the United States. This is an issue of special concern for seniors because anxiety affects a disproportionate percentage of elderly people, particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease. Anxiety disorders are treated with any of a variety of anti-anxiety drugs, benzodiazepines…
Read More5 Ways the Effects of Medicines Change as You Age
If you’ve been taking medication for a chronic condition, you might find that once you pass age 65, it doesn’t work the same way it did when you first started it. You might also find that you suddenly develop side effects from a medication that never gave you problems before. Why would this happen? The…
Read MoreBlood Pressure and Dementia are Connected
People tend to categorize diseases by which of the bodies systems they affect: there are heart diseases, such as such as arrhythmias and coronary artery disease; there are cancers; there are cognitive diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. But the truth is that the body is a giant system, and a disease that seems to fall in…
Read MoreUlcerative Colitis in the Elderly
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the large intestine, also known as the colon. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease comprise Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). While most people with ulcerative colitis first have symptoms in their 20s, the second most common time to be diagnosed is between the ages of 50 and…
Read MoreThe Dangers of Polypharmacy
Polypharmacy is the use of five or more medications, and is associated with a number of health risks, including adverse drug reactions, falls, and poor compliance with medical advice. Polypharmacy is a special risk in the older population, since seniors account for a disproportionate use 3of prescription and over-the-counter medication. As people live longer, they…
Read MoreHeart Rate and Blood Pressure: What’s the Difference?
Your heart rate, also known as your pulse, refers to the number of times your heart beats per minute. Your blood pressure, on the other hand, is a measure of how forcefully your blood flows through your veins. If you think these two measures are the same, you’re not alone. But you’re not correct, either.…
Read MoreJudging the Quality of Life in Nursing Homes
An international group of researchers has recently discovered what care and services residents of long-term care facilities value most, as well as what makes them feel most at home. The results published as “Hearing the Voice of the Resident in Long-Term Care Facilities — An Internationally Based Approach to Assessing Quality of Life,” in The…
Read More6 Reasons for Swollen Legs
The medical term for swelling caused by fluid retention is edema. Other symptoms of edema include: Discomfort in the swollen area Reduced mobility of the swollen area Shiny, stretched skin over the swollen area Skin that does not quickly return to normal after it has been pressed (see picture) If your feet or legs are…
Read MoreIf you have a chronic health condition, you need these vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all seniors receive the following four vaccines: The seasonal flu vaccine (all ages, every year) The pneumococcal vaccine (adults 65 and older, every year) The shingles vaccine (adults 60 and older, every five years) A Td booster shot (all ages, every ten years) These vaccines…
Read MoreFDA Warns about Unapproved Genetic Testing
The fruit fly, drosophila melanogaster, is primarily known as a kitchen pest. But its short lifecycle and prodigious rate of reproduction have made it a favorite for genetic research, including the massive Human Genome Project (HGP). The fly’s genes were studied and mapped back in the early 1900s, but it was not until the 1990s that international…
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