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March 10, 2016

Health & Wellness

Maintaining your independence in 2016, part 1

Mayo Clinic states, “If you’re like many people, independence is the bedrock upon which you’ve built your life. More than virtually anything else, you treasure your freedom from the control of others – the opportunity to act according to your will and to make decisions for yourself as you see fit.” Come with me to explore two critical choices we need to make to maintain our independence through establishing good health in 2016!

Holiday Health & Nutrition, Part 3

From wine glasses served on festive holiday tables to New Year’s Eve champagne toasts, alcohol can often be found during our residents’ holiday celebrations. Also known as ethanol, alcohol is a chemical found in beer, wine, and distilled spirits such as whiskey, vodka, and rum. 

Holiday Health and Nutrition Part 2

Did you know that according to a USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) report, 31% or 133 billion pounds of U.S. food goes uneaten?

Holiday health & nutrition, part 1

With my last two articles on the subject of microbes, I thought that I would issue a warning about those many food buffets that you will soon be exposed to during the holidays. Left out too long on the serving table or exposed to contamination during the preparation process, those delicious dishes might just make you and your relatives or friends very sick during the holidays! 

Who are you going to call? Germ Busters!

Have you received your flu shot yet this year? Even though 50% of American adults ignore this annual public health advisory, it is a known fact that 91% of people hospitalized with severe cases of influenza last year didn’t get this vaccine. Anne Broderick, a Sun City Community resident and retired nurse, highly recommends the Fluzone High-Dose, which is made up of three flu strains most likely to cause the flu during this upcoming season.

Shingles: the virus that may be living inside us

As many Sun City residents rush this fall to get their flu vaccinations, it becomes important for us to consider another form of immunization: the Shingles Vaccine. What exactly is shingles?

The ongoing challenge of skin cancer, part 2

Laura Landro, in the September 1, 2015 edition of The Wall Street Journal, disclosed facts for the 3.5 million known Americans who are non-melanoma skin cancer patients.

The ongoing challenge of skin cancer

September is Healthy Aging Month. One subject that seems to affect all of us, especially as we age, is skin cancer.

The Chronic Pain Connection

Those of you who suffer from maladies such as migraines, fibromyalgia, or irritable bowel syndrome (along with neuropathic and inflammatory pain), know the meaning of chronic pain.  Modern medicine and its diagnostic testing often give us no conclusion as to what is causing the pain.

Weight control while sailing the ocean blue

Many seniors resist taking a long ocean voyage due to their fear of unprecedented weight gain that can occur on a luxurious ocean liner. This past May, my husband and I were determined to prove these critics wrong, as we approached our 6th cruise taken together/my 8th with nary a pound gained in the past.

Heeding the signs of heat stroke

Attention: Runners/walkers, bikers, tennis/pickleball and bocce enthusiasts, golfers, swimmers/water exercisers in warm water, and all Sun City seniors! Since summer has finally arrived with its sunny skies and high temperatures, a word to the “wise” becomes necessary.

The Dreaded “C” Word, part 4

According to 2015.thetrendingstories.com, here are the “Signs You Might Have Cancer You Can’t Ignore:” 

The Dreaded “C” Word, part 3

You probably have heard in recent decades that cancer has been linked with certain viruses. That is true.

The Dreaded “C” Word, Part 2

What exactly is cancer?

The dreaded “C” word, part 1

The two leading causes of death by disease in the United States are cancer and heart disease. Together, they accounted for nearly half of all deaths in 2008, the latest year for which data was available, according to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) report. Med Page Today tells us that while heart disease was first with 25% of all deaths, cancer was second with 23% that year.

Questioning cancer screenings for seniors, part 2

As mentioned in my Part 1 article about “Questioning Senior Cancer Screenings,” the obvious lifestyle habits of maintainng a normal weight, exercising regularly, eating healthy, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol usage, and protecting one’s skin are important guidelines to follow to reduce the chance of developing cancer as a senior.

Questioning cancer screenings for seniors, part 1

In the year 2014, the American Cancer Society informed us that an estimated 1,665,540 new cases would be diagnosed with the projection of 585,720 deaths that year due to cancer.

Fifty ways to support a caregiver

At the March meeting of Sun City’s Neighborhood Advisory Council, Donna Copeland Hill spoke on the subject of Family Caregivers. Representing the Northeastern Illinois Agency on Aging.

In support of support groups, part 3

While support groups do vary, the basic format is a small group of people (maybe no more than 10-12) who meet on a regular basis to discuss their experiences and provide mutual support for one another.

In support of support groups, part 2

As I said in my August 22, 2013, article on Low Vision, “Certainly one of the priceless perks of living in our senior community is our residents’ easy accessibility to support groups.”

In support of support groups

The halls are alive with the sound of music! If you walk into Family Alliance’s new Huntley location’s building (just outside of Del Webb) at mid morning on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, you will indeed hear singing and musical instruments being played and the sound of both emitting from a support group meeting room.

Balance problems and falls

As I coped with Huntley’s recent ice storm on the morning of Tuesday, March 3, I was reminded of my recent horrific fall on black ice, which took place five days before Thanksgiving 2014.

Yours for the choosing, Part III

I recently saw a sign on a Florida road marquee shouting out “Weight Loss is Fat Crying.” We probably all need to become a part of that “crying scene” sometime in our senior lives. It can be easy as substituting grapes for a brownie to lower calories consumed.

Yours for the choosing, part 2

Overweight predisposes individuals, especially seniors, to a multitude of illnesses and health catastrophes! It isn’t surprising then that recently 13 active Sun City residents revealed among their top 2015 New Year’s Resolutions: Weight Control.

Cutting your weight

While some methods of weight loss might mean putting down the fork, other times it’s a matter of going under the knife; but at what cost? According to Dr. Heydari Amir, the decision to undergo weight loss surgery is a complex one.

Yours for the choosing, part 1

It’s January, the month when many Sun City seniors make their New Year’s 2015 resolutions! According to Suburban Senior’s Magazine (December 2014 to January 2015), “… a recent study found that 22 percent of people give up their resolution(s) within the first week. By the end of March, more than half of the people pledging New Year’s resolutions had fallen from the bandwagon.” How can we then make promises to ourselves that are practical and worth keeping, especially to help our body and mind health?