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Reducing Stress Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Problems
A Review in The Lancet reveals the importance of healthy lifestyle choices to reduce stressors related to cardiovascular risk factors. Researchers from John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore examined records between 1990 to 2006. They observed how stress affects the sympathetic nervous system, impacts physiology, and the effect it has on the cardiovascular system. Lead author, Daniel Brotman, claims "Acute physical stressors such as sugery, trauma, and intense physical exertion are well known triggers of cardiovascular events. Emotional stressors are increasingly recognized as precipitants of such events."
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Rapid Rise in "Complementary" Medical Services
Family History
ACUPUNCTURE AND FIBROMYALGIA
Medicare Part D Deadline
Monday is the last day to enroll in Medicare part D. Have you or your loved ones signed up?
On Wednesday the bush administration said that about 37 million Medicare beneficiaries now have prescription drug coverage. That leaves around six million of the total 43 million who are eligible left who have not signed up.
And the government is pushing hard to get these holdouts enrolled—like 65 year old Henry Bowens waited to nearly the last minute to sign up for the new Medicare part D drug plan.
“I just heard it, I didn’t know nothing about it until I saw it on the TV,” says Henry.
77 year old Nora was a true procrastinator. She says, “I’m on dialysis three days a week. By the time I do my laundry and have time to take care of myself, I just let it go.”
While Monday is the last chance in a sense, you can still join a plan after May 15. But you will pay a higher monthly cost.
The penalty actually isn’t that much. It’s 1% of the average premium nationwide for each month that you’re not covered. And that’s about 3 dollars a year. But the longer you wait, the more it’s going to cost you.
There are resources on medicare.gov, the website for Medicare.
But the big criticism is that older individuals are not internet savvy.
Robert Hayes, President of the Medicare Rights Center, says, “The oldest people, the frailest people, the neediest people tend to be the less equipped to navigate complicated bureaucracies; probably in the history of domestic government programs there has been no program as complicated as this.”
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ALZHEIMER'S DRUG FAILURE
VISUALLY IMPAIRED FIND MEDICINE LABELS TOO SMALL TO READ
CAREGIVER CHALLENGES
CAREGIVER CHALLENGES
42 year old Lauren Hirtes is facing the quintessential challenges of the sandwich generation. She is taking care of her father who has suffered several heart attacks and a stroke and is also caring for her daughter who is battling bipolar disorder and depression.
“He uses a cane, he’s very forgetful, I do have to help him with appointments, he’s no longer able to drive, so that reduces a lot of his independence and increases his dependence on me.”
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Hip Fracture
Hip Replacement
Osteoporosis
VISUALLY IMPAIRED FIND MEDICINE LABELS TOO SMALL TO READ
74 year old Teresa Olender struggles to keep track of all of her medications.
“One is for the heart, one is for blood pressure, one is a water pill and the other one is for cholesterol,” says Teresa. Teresa’s problem is that she has poor eyesight, making it hard for her to the read the labels on her medicines.
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Blindness
FRACTURE-REDUCING DRUGS
MAILBOXES AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES
ALZHEIMER'S DRUG FAILURE
A new study provides discouraging evidence a drug used for Alzheimer's to stem the progression of the disease may not be effective in the long run. The recently developed drugs called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors held a lot of hope.
And studies have shown they do work at first. But this study shows the drug does not stop the progression of the disease at all, questioning their long-term and overall benefit.
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Reducing Stress Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Problems
M.S. AND ALZHEIMER’S DRUG
Research Suggests Ways to Slow Alzheimer's
