Dear Health-Conscious Friend,
If youre searching for some secrets to healthy agingtodays Monday Edition of Health News Weekly may be just what the doctor ordered! Youll discover what many older Americans fear MORE than deathand how theyre willing to avoid it
Youll also find out about a natural solution to help ease change of life discomfort and a simple remedy to squelch a nagging cough!
If youre ready for more helpful tips for healthier livinglets get started!
Seniors Fear Nursing Home
More than the Grim Reaper!
A new study shows older Americans say they fear moving into a nursing home and losing their independence more than death!
Aging in Place in America, commissioned by Clarity and The EAR Foundation, examines the attitudes and anxieties of the nations elderly population.
When asked what they fear most, 26% of seniors rated loss of independence as their greatest fear. And 13% of survey respondents said moving from their home into a nursing home was a major concern.
It is interesting to note that only 3% percent of seniors were afraid to die!
Researchers surveyed two groups to develop a comparative analysis: adults age 65 and older who are living at home and baby boomers who have senior parents.
Study results showed 82% of baby boomers fear their parents will be mistreated in a nursing home.
Other key study findings include:
- A majority of senior citizens (89%) want to grow older without having to move from their homes.
- Seniors living at home prefer to maintain their independence; they say they requireand receivelimited support from their children or other caregivers.
- Half of seniors are open to using new technologies to enable independence, including having sensors installed in their homes to monitor their health.
Clarity president Carsten Trads said Clarity and The EAR Foundation commissioned this study in an effort to enhance the quality of life for our aging population. According to Trads, independent living is a key determinant of quality of life for seniors, and we owe it to them to create solutions that make aging in place effortless and achievable.
Mother Natures Way to Fan
the Flames of Menopause!
A recent Mayo Clinic study reveals flaxseed could be a remedy to reduce the bothersome hot flashes of menopause!
The small pilot study found that postmenopausal women who did not use estrogen reported a 50% reduction in hot flashesjust by using flaxseed daily for six weeks.
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, director of the Mayo Breast Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota said the women who used flaxseed said it really helped them.
Her research was published in the summer 2007 issue of the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology.
Many doctors have become more cautious in prescribing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to combat hot flashes. This is because a large study known as the Womens Health Initiative found an increased risk of heart disease breast cancer and other problems associated with long-term HRT use.
According to a Health Day news report, Pruthi and her team were examining options for women who suffered from hot flashes but didnt want to take estrogen.
The study involved 29 postmenopausal women with an average age of 55. The women had to have at least 14 hot flashes a week for at least one month to qualify as participants.
Throughout the study, the women sprinkled 40 grams of crushed flaxseed daily into cereal or yogurt. They could also mix the flaxseed in orange juice or water.
Twenty-one women completed the study. Others dropped out because of abdominal discomfort from the high-fiber diet.
The researchers said of the 21 women who completed the studythe frequency of hot flashes decreased by 50%. Whats more, their hot flash scorea combined measure of the severity and frequency of a hot flashdecreased about 57%.
Pruthi said most women noticed improved symptoms by the second or third week of the study. She is planning to conduct a larger study to compare flaxseed to a placebo.
Another expert, Dr. Wulf H. Utian, executive director of the North American Menopause Society, cautioned that the study was too preliminary to prove that flaxseed is effective.
Until the larger study results are in, Utian is not convinced the flaxseed is a proven treatment for hot flashes.
This reduction [in the pilot study] could fall into the placebo effect, Utian said. The study was also relatively brief, he added.
Fast Fact
Need to purge body toxins and boost energy? Try a little exercise!
Moderate workouts help your body get rid of excess hormones and toxic buildiup.
You can increase your metabolism by 17% or more when you exercise. Youll also boost your circulationwhich will bring more nourishing oxygen to all your organs and tissues to help them achieve peak performance!
Osteoarthritis Knee Treatments are Useless, Government Study Says
Are you considering arthroscopic surgery to relieve knee pain caused by osteoarthritis?
Well you might want to tell your surgeon to put away that scalpel!
A new government funded study said this surgeryas well as popular glucosamine and chondroitin supplements and injected medicinesmay be useless for easing knee pain!
A new scientific review released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) concluded there is insufficient evidence of any benefit for many of these common treatments.
Osteoarthritis is a widespread, costly disease that wears away the cartilage cushioning the knee joint, causing pain and reducing mobility.
The study found that glucosamine and chondroitin appear to be no more effective than placebos at relieving osteoarthritis pain.
Researchers also said they failed to find convincing evidence that arthroscopic surgery effectively cleaned the knee jointwith or without removal of debris and loose cartilage.
Published studies generally report that hyaluronan injectionsintended to improve lubrication of the knee jointimprove scores on patient questionnaires used to measure pain and function.
However, the evidence is uncertain because of variation in study quality. It is also difficult to determine if score changes mean real clinical improvements for patients.
The study authors say better quality, randomized clinical trials are needed to clarify whether these treatments are beneficial.
Millions of Americans seek relief from the pain and reduced mobility caused by osteoarthritis of the knee, said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. However, they should work with their clinicians to decide the best course of treatment for them based on what has and has not been proven to work.
Health E-Hints
Chronic Coughing May Signal a Mineral Deficiency
If youre in desperate need of relief from a pesky coughan iron supplement may help more than cough drops or syrups!
Italian researchers say iron deficiency may help explain why some otherwise healthy, non-smoking women had persistent coughs.
Dr. Caterina Bucca of the University of Turin and colleagues presented a study at the scientific meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Chicago. They said tests on women with chronic coughs and iron deficiency showed that a simple iron supplement often cleared up the cough.
Bucca and colleagues studied 16 women with chronic cough who had normal lung function no signs of asthma or other respiratory disease and no evidence of acid reflux that could explain their coughing. All of the women had iron deficiencies.
Researchers gave the women iron supplements and checked them again in about 2 months. She found that coughing and signs of inflammation in the mouth and vocal cords were improved or completely resolved.
She plans to study this association further, but she urges doctors who are stumped by women patients with chronic coughs to check for iron deficiency.