Continue reading »]]> If you are new to the Upside of Aging …Welcome!

I started writing posts for this blog in November and December of 2007. My goal back then was to use this blog as a place where I could provide information about healthy aging.

I had been a freelance health writer for 25 years and it was upsetting to find all the misinformation published on the internet about health and aging. One of the areas that upset me the most was the fact that marketing content for a health product was frequently published as factual information for treatments or cures.

The doors to integrative and complementary medicine were just opening and unscrupulous manufacturers touted their special formulas as the cure for arthritis, the eradication of wrinkles, and a promise for the  libido of an 18 year old.

My health writing stories were for national magazines, hospitals, chapters of books and even pharmaceuticals. I knew how to research and how to explain the research so everyone can understand the results. I also have a post masters in gerontology and was giving classes on caring for your elderly parent long before they became popular.

Last year I stopped publication of this blog and replaced it with another blog called Secrets to Health and Aging. Secrets will continue and its purpose is to keep readers informed about a broad range of healthy aging issues including arthritis, cardiovascular health, bone health and osteoporosis,  and nutrition in general.

Upside of Aging  focuses on healthy aging above the neck; brain health, mind, mood and memory.

My name remains on the lists of several research organizations to receive their latest information. It amazes me how much more information there is than even 5 years ago and the speed at which new research results are published.

The reason you are here is you also want to learn about healthy aging, memory loss and improving your memory, about the plasticity of the brain and what does that mean for you as you get older, and what do you have to do just to maintain the cognitive skills you already have. Those are the kinds of topics I include in this blog.

Upside of Aging is an exciting journey because it describes issues that are new and relatively unknown. It’s kind of fun to think of the aging process as a journey for discovery but that is precisely where we are…exploring our aging.

I’m thrilled that you have joined me and look forward to our personal growth.

Regards

Ruthan Brodsky

Ruthan’s Other Blogs Are:

http://SecretstoHealthandAging.com

http://FromRetirementToCareerChange.com

http://ruthanbrodsky.com

Continue reading »]]> My hope is that we will continue to connect so I can help you stay up to date about information for your healthy aging.

Please visit my other blog titled Secrets to Health and Aging   You can subscribe to it by email or RSS feed. You will find more information and resources regarding best ways for you to stay vibrant and feel good about yourself as you get older.

To your healthy aging success.

Ruthan Brodsky

Continue reading »]]> A recent study from Columbia University points to another possibility of reducing the risk of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) through good nutrition. The study indicated that those following the Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of mental decline. People who combined the Mediterranean diet with regular exercise lowered their risk even more.

Everything adds up and makes sense. People who ate well following the Mediterranean diet and stayed most physically active had between a 61 percent to 71 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. In other words it is not a matter of eating less and exercising more, but a case of eating well and staying active.

The Mediterranean diet is low in red meat and poultry, high in fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and cereals, high in fish, permits low to moderate use of wine, and uses olive oil as its main source of fat.

Before you get too excited, keep in mind that the research did not prove that the Mediterranean diet protects a person against Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline. All we know is that this healthy lifestyle runs less risk of developing the disease as well as other diseases. If you think about it this statement makes sense because those not following a Mediterranean lifestyle are more likely to eat more red meet, more cheese burgers, and more processed foods which generally put people at risk of all sorts of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease and even cancer.

Part of the concern about being definitive about the Mediterranean diet and AD is that those who are at least risk probably didn't start their healthy lifestyle at age 65. They were more likely following a healthy lifestyle and being physically active for years, maybe even starting in their childhood. For instance there was a recent study that linked accelerated aging to soda and processed foods from phosphate. This was a study done on mice which showed that high levels of phosphate are linked to kidney disease, heart disease and can cause muscle atrophy. Apparently keeping a well balanced level of phosphate in the diet is important for a healthy life and longevity.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Continue reading »]]> Patty (not her real name) has been taking care of her husband who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for about 4 years that I know. She had been our next door neighbor for 25 years. The two had raised 4 children, were very active in their church and the local community, and seemed destined to lead a retirement of grandchildren, travel, and gardening.

That didn't happen. They sold their home, the one they built, and moved to a smaller apartment. They are doing okay because Patty is the ultimate caregiver but I think more sense would have been made out of both of their lives if her husband's AD could have been predicted earlier and they could make plans while his cognitive faculties were still functioning well.

Today, that kind of planning has a better chance

to take place because there are better imaging machines and better processes which can detect and tract the protein known as amyloid precursor protein which is found in many cells, including brain neurons. It is known that patients with the disease have a buildup of amyloid protein aggregates or plaque in their brain.

Before you get your hopes up too high, keep in mind that the cause of

AD is still unknown. In the past, however, only a brain autopsy revealed a definitive AD diagnosis. Today an AD diagnosis can be made using a brain scan while a patient is still alive. The hope is that tracers can be used to assess the extent of the amyloid deposits in patients' brains years before AD symptoms appear, when the disease may still be preventable or at the least, slowed down. Like most diseases, it is earlier in the course of AD when you can stop the process before the irreversible damage is done.

As a result of this research, several pharmaceutical companies are working on antiamyloid therapies. If they are successful the drugs could be given to those who are at high risk of developing AD if the research shows that is the way to go. According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 5 million Americans have AD. As the baby boomer generation gets older, the numbers are going to increase. By 2030 that figure is expected to reach 8 million and 16 million by 2050 in the U.S. alone.

The problem is amyloid plaque in the brain is a necessary condition for an AD diagnosis. However, it is not the only condition. There are other factors which have not been identified and research. The process of early detection of AD is complicated but this is definitely a beginning.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan

http://ruthanbrodsky.com

Continue reading »]]> If you are over the age of 60 you probably have a problem with foot calluses and some of you have bunions, misshaped toes and thickening of toe nails. It is also not unusual to experience a numbness or lack of feeling in your feet as you age because you lose nerve function. This is called peripheral neuropathy. If this is one of your problems you should be concerned because that lack of feeling makes it more difficult to detect other problems with your feet such as calluses and blisters and they can do serious damage.

There are also many reasons why you have a problem with dry skin on your feet. It could be poor nutrition, you're not drinking enough liquids, your circulation has decreased, you are still smoking or it could be part of the normal aging process. Our skin produces less oil as we age and that results in drier skin.

Dry skin without redness, cracking, blistering or scaling can usually be treaded with moisturizing lotions or creams. Depending upon the climate where you live the creams can be applied daily or twice a day. Once you've identified why your skin is dry and tackled some of the contributing factors such as wearing shoes that are too tight, there are other treatments to consider. These include:

•  Reducing how often you bath or shower. Showers are probably better than baths and when you do shower, use lukewarm water, not hot water.
•  Replacing standard soap with a substitute such as a water soluble emollient, a bath oil or a fatty soap. In fact, if you can, minimize the use of soap.
• Apply an emollient liberally and often, especially after bathing. The more dry your skin, the thinker the applications. For dry skin that flakes or develops into a thick callus, moisturizing creams or lotions that have a gentle exfoliating acid are helpful. Look for ingredients such as alpha hydroxyl, glycolic or lactic acid which can help dissolve the dry skin while moisturizing the healthy skin.
•  Creams are thicker and work well on extremely dry skin but they can feel greasy.
•  Lotions are better for daily use and feel less greasy.
•  Keep in mind any of these creams can irritate your skin if used too often or the skin doesn't heal and remains cracked and dry.

Here's something you should know before you purchase that tube or jar for you dry toes. First the term moisturizer or to moisten and emollient are usually used interchangeable. Depending on which cream you purchased they do one of two actions:

•  The creams are occlusives which provide a layer of oil on the surface to slow down water loss;
•  The creams are humectants, which introduces a substance into the stratum area to increase water capacity.

The best time to apply any moisturizing lotion is immediately after you gently towel drying after you've taken your shower or bath. Application of lotion after bathing helps you to retain the moisture of the shower or bath water on your skin.

I think these small treatment hits should improve your foot health.

Let me know if you have any other tips.

Regards,

Ruthan Brodsky

My website: http://ruthanbrodsky.com

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment:  http://www.plantarfasciitistreamentguide.com

Continue reading »]]> The skin is the largest organ of our body protecting our good health and often preventing possible illness. The skin also reveals a lot about our lifestyle, whether we are exercising, eating well or have diabetes. It makes sense, then, to take good care of our skin and taking care of the skin of our feet is important to our foot health.

If you think about it, we put more stress on the skin of our feet simply because of the wear and tear the feet endure. The skin has to be strong enough to survive the walking, the pounding, and elastic enough to stretch as we move and bend. All of which is why the skin on the bottom of our feet is twice as thick as the skin on any other part of our body to cushion and protect the bones of the feet. That thickness is called the plantar fat pad and it tends to thin as we age.

In fact, as we get older the appearance and texture of our skin changes. There is less blood flow which causes the skin to come drier and thinner and less elastic. The color of the skin also changes and less hair grows on the lower legs and feet. When the plantar fat pad decreases calluses can form on the forefoot and toes and cause a lot of pain.

Here are a few factors that contribute to a dry and cracked skin foot condition:

· Inherited conditions;

· Metabolic factors such as underactive thyroid gland or major weight loss;

· Increasing age which results in decreased lubrication;

· Cool weather especially where humidity is low;

· Air conditioning, central heating or sitting close to a fan or space heater;

· Frequent showering or swimming or bathing especially in heavily chlorinated hot or cold water;

· Frequent contact with soap and detergents;

· Frictional irritation and chapping.

As we get older our skin changes which impacts our feet and lower legs because they become more vulnerable to certain skin conditions and less resistant to calluses, infection and even ulcers. What's more the skin tears easily and heals slowly. Basic skin hygiene and callous care are things we can do for ourselves to prevent a lot of the negative conditions. Other more serious conditions should be treated by a dermatologist, or podiatrist or your family physician.

In my next post I'll write about the treatment of dry skin on your feet so you will have a better idea about what you need to do to keep your feet healthy.

To your success at healthy aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

Continue reading »]]> Most of us have a fairly decent understanding that what we do during the day can affect how we sleep. Too much caffeine or any caffeine too close to bedtime interferes with many people and their ability to sleep. Nicotine is another stimulant that can disrupt your sleep. And drinking alcohol, although it may not keep you up like coffee, it can fragment your sleep and cause you to wake up a few hours after you fall asleep. Exercising too close to bedtime can also prevent you from falling asleep. That means playing tennis or racquet ball in an evening league can get you so wired up you can't fall asleep for hours.

On the other hand, getting no exercise through out the day can also contribute to your sleep problems.

Then there are the prescriptions you take. Antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs that affect the central nervous system can cause either sleepiness or cause you to have problems falling asleep. Drugs used for arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, colds, and pain are also common causes for sleep problems including over the counter medications. Amphetamines often prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder may also give you problems if you take them too late in the day.

For one week try going to bed when you are tire, sleep as much as you can, and allow yourself to wake up naturally. That may help you find your own sleep balance and rhythm. If you are usually not getting enough sleep you will probably sleep longer to make up for your previous sleep loss so you may have to increase your experiment for 2 weeks. Once you know how much sleep you require to feel rested and alert during the day, change your schedule so that you can achieve your sleep goal.

Good luck and I'd love to hear your results. You can type them in the comment box.

To your success at healthy aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

Continue reading »]]> Not getting enough sleep has been linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, stroke and heart attack. Lack of sleep has also been linked to loss of memory and decline in cognitive functioning. Now we're being told that getting enough sleep can help prevent disease.

In a 2008 study, for example, people who slept more hours had less plaque buildup in their coronary arteries, published Journal of the American Medical Association, December,2008. In another study, researchers found that people who slept eight hours or more at night were almost three times less likely to develop a cold after being exposed to the cold virus then someone who slept less than seven hours.

On the other hand, the researchers also reported that not everyone needs the same amount of sleep and no one seems to know why. Some people are considered as short sleepers; they sleep five or six hours a night and they can't sleep longer even if they want. Others need eight hours of sleep but they don't get it and they need it. They could be working strange hours or just staying up watching movies, watching TV or playing video games.

Sleep becomes a problem when not getting enough sleep makes someone always feel tired or fatigued and could be falling asleep while driving. That is when, say the experts, you need to figure out what is causing your problem. For most of us it is important to find out what is compromising our sleep time. It could be stress. Something like 65 percent of Americans say they lose sleep because of stress according to The Better Sleep Council.

Sometimes the reasons are about what is going on around you. For instance, there may be noise that you can hear such as a train going by, the temperature of your bedroom is too low, having a pet in bed, and having a bed partner who snores are all common reasons for your sleep getting interrupted.

There are several practical solutions to sleep problems. I will write more about them in my next post.

To your success at a good night's sleep.

Ruthan Brodsky

Continue reading »]]> You knee hurts when you walk and especially when you get in and out of a car. If you are the right candidate, you may not need total knee replacement therapy. Total knee replacement therapy does improve the quality of life of those whose knees are badly damaged by osteoarthritis and other medications and physical therapy isn't working. The problem is total knee replacement is very painful and takes a lot of time for rehabilitation.

If only a portion of your knee has osteoarthritis a partial knee replacement may work for you. It can relieve your pain and increase your mobility.

The knee consists of three compartments: the medial or inside, the lateral or outside, and the patellofemoral or kneecap. When only one of these areas is impacted by osteoarthritis and your ACL or anterior cruciate ligament is whole and working well, a partial knee replacement may work for you.

A total knee replacement is preferred for patients who have more extensive damage. Even so, partial replacement should only be considered after medications and physical therapy. At one time this therapy was considered only for older folks who didn't move around much. Today the thinking has changed and many are using it as a stopgap for younger adults to delay the need for a total replacement. Most doctors agree, however, that if the arthritis is localized to only one area, the surgery should be the partial replacement for everyone.

For more information on total knee replacement read the series of posts recently published on my blog Secrets To Health and Aging.  The posts begin April 12.

To your healthy aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

Continue reading »]]>  

Although what constitutes health will always be up for debate, the pursuit of happiness is universal and part of our highest aspirations. Research projects about happiness are just about as ongoing. Someone somewhere is coming up with a study that says this or that about happiness.

One of the more interesting findings in all this research is that the older you get the happier you are more likely to be, that is under normal conditions. It appears that the midlife crisis, which takes place for women at age 40 and age 50 for men, marks the peak of mental stress and low levels of happiness. After this dip, happiness gradually climbs back up and people in their 60s and 70s tend to be as satisfied as young people.

Although no one is saying why the happiness curve swings up in later life, these are some of the theories presented:

• As people mature they accept their weaknesses and become more realistic about their goals and interests.
• As people age the differences between education, race or sex seem to level out reducing any advantages these may have had earlier in life.
• Maturity brings more insight, self esteem and immunity to life's stresses.
• As we grow older and lose family and friends, we tend to cherish what we do have.
• As people mature they are more capable of controlling their emotions such as avoiding negative and stressful experiences. For example, seniors are less likely to argue their point of view than younger people because of their perspective on life. They tend to realize that the time left is shorter and they don't have to interact with an unpleasant person for their career.

What do you think about these theories about why older people are happier? Someone could interpret these theories and say mature people do not argue or have stress because they give up and have resigned themselves to their place in life. Is it giving up or purposefully avoiding and is their a difference? Share your thoughts with us. Type your opinion in the comment box.

To your healthy aging success.

Ruthan Brodsky