Archive for the ‘Disease’ Category
How Sugar Shocks Your Heart!
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Despite all the glitzy commercial advertising about the many products that contain refined sugar, the cat is finally our of the bag. A leading US medical research publication reported that consuming sugar may actually be bad for your heart. For seniors who want to find preemptive aging information, in order to foster their senior health, this information about the dangers of sugar to the cardiovascular health of seniors are clear. Sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has come under a lot of criticism from the folks in the healthy dieting community, but it is not the only sugar that is causing major problems in the US population. Some of the alternatives that have been recommended are honey, raw sugar, and molasses, but they all drive up blood sugar and insulin.
In our bodies all the sugars are broken down into equal parts of fructose and glucose. It turns out that fructose in small quantities such as are found in a piece of fruit are good for us. The massive amounts of fructose that are contained in carbonated drinks, sweetened drinks, and desserts pump too much fructose into our bodies. Consuming this high level of fructose results in raising folks triglycerides, lowering the good HDL cholesterol, and speeding folks on the road to cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. The bottom line for seniors who are concerned about their cardiovascular health is to limit their consumption of drinks and foods that contain sugar in any form.
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How B Vitamins Help Senior Women
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Senior women who are concerned about their senior health need to make certain that they get enough of the B vitamins, because they reduce the risk of breast cancer by 38% and other cancers by 25%. The B vitamins lower homocysteine levels which keep women’s bones strong and promote cardiovascular health, too. It turns out that the risk of age-related macular degeneration was reduced for senior women who took the B Trinity on a daily basis. The healthy trinity of B vitamins that include B6, B12, and folic acid (vitamin B9) definitely improves cardiovascular health for both senior men and women by lowering the level of homocysteine. As an added benefit they reduce the risk of stroke as well. For both senior women and men Vitamin B12 boosts energy, helps keep the brain from degrading, and improves longevity.
Despite all these myriad health benefits why don’t the B vitamins get the press that C, D, and A do? Although some multivitamins list various B vitamins in their ingredients, they don’t tell you what health benefits they bring to the senior health table. Fortunately some of the latest research on vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid (vitamin B9) has uncovered numerous health benefits that improve our health and the health of seniors in particular. Major benefits conferred by the B Trinity for seniors include contributing to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, to the reduction of the risk of cancer, and to a lowered risk of osteoporosis.
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The Big Four Lifestyle Changes for Senior Health
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Now that the Federal Government has passed Health Care Reform legislation this would be an appropriate time to take take a serious look at what each one of us can do to reform our individual health care practices. Seniors need to be particularly attentive to taking care of our senior health by the choices that we make in terms of the foods we consume, supplements that we take, and the exercise schedule that we follow. When you get right down to the nittygritty there is a lot that seniors and boomers can do to prevent or preempt diseases from ever getting started. This becomes more serious for folks the older we get, because of the special issues that affect senior health. We can choose our lifestyle so that we head in a direction with a high probability of attaining greater health or in an opposite direction with an equal probability of coming down with one of the big three diseases.
The big three killer diseases are cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A small number of lifestyle changes can reduce the probability of seniors contracting one of the big three by 80%. Instead of raising your health insurance premiums these lifestyle changes will very likely keep them steady and in some cases may actually lower them. These lifestyle changes are attainable by most folks, but they do require sincere commitment. The alternatives for not embracing these changes are higher health insurance premiums for everyone, seriously degraded quality of life and early death. The big lifestyle changes can be reduced to four. They include eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. As one motivation coach put it, “Where attention goes, energy flows, and the result shows”. Practicing the healthy four lifestyle changes will help seniors preempt cancer, promote cardiovascular health, and avoid diabetes.
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Why Is Topical Vitamin D Needed by Seniors?
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Recently the health reports in the media have contained a number of articles that promoted the benefits of vitamin D3 for seniors, because it contributes to inhibiting something like 27 age-related diseases. The preemptive aging benefits of vitamin D3 have been highlighted particularly for their ability to reduce the risk of disease such as cardiovascular disease and a number of age-related cancers particularly the hormonal based ones. As we age the ability of our skin to synthesize vitamin D3 from sunlight decreases so that by age 70 we only synthesize about 25% of the amount we did when we were in our 20′s. Fortunately seniors can access vitamin D3 in supplement form to make up the difference. This is good news for seniors who are concerned about their senior health.
Seniors who supplement with vitamin D3 can restore their blood levels of D3 to their youthful levels, but there is a problem. The vitamin D3 that is taken in supplement form is used by our bodies to help build and maintain strong bones. Our skin is the last organ to receive the vitamin D3 which is taken in supplement form. Fortunately for seniors there is good news to report on this matter. Vitamin D3 is available in topical form, so that it can be applied directly to the skin. Applied in topical form vitamin D3 will contribute to skin cell repair, growth and metabolism. It will help to destroy free radicals and stimulate the skin’s immune system. Applying vitamin D3 topically may provide a rejuvenating effect on aging skin.
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Sex Promotes Cardiovascular Health
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Is sex really that important? As more and more research is done on the subject, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that having healthy sex is essential to a healthy life — and that sex can even help you to live longer. Numerous studies have shown that an active sex life is closely correlated with longer, healthier life which is of special importance for promoting senior health. Specifically, it seems like sex may lower the risk for heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular diseases. A European study in the 1990′s found that men who had weekly sexual activity reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by more than 40%. In 2010, the New England Research Institute conducted a massive study confirmed that weekly sex reduces risk of heart disease by 45%.
Additional benefits of engaging in sexual activity include reduction in stress and lower blood pressure. Another benefit of the oxytocin released during orgasm: it calms the nerves. Studies done on lab rats have shown that oxytocin counteracts the effects of cortisol (a stress hormone). Sex also helps you sleep better. When he rolls over and starts snoring after a good bout in the bed, it’s not just physical exhaustion. Oxytocin not only calms you down, but it also specifically promotes sleep. In conclusion seniors who engage in sexual activity are taking a preemptive aging step that fosters their cardiovascular health.
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Choices for Senior Living after Retirement
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When seniors reach retirement age they have a number of options open to them regarding their choice of lifestyle after retirement. In addition to remaining in their preretirement community or aging in place, they can consider other options. Among those options are a variety of retirement communities that include active adult communities, retirement resorts, independent living for seniors, senior apartments, and retirement resorts. In terms of options that provide a wide variety of health care seniors can choose assisted living facilities, nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, and facilities that provide Alzheimer’s care. Whatever their choice of facility, seniors need to remember that taking their prescriptions as instructed by their physicians is of utmost important to maintaining their senior health.
After senior choose their option for retirement, they need to keep in mind that they need to maintain access to information on those topics that are of critical importance to seniors. The information they need includes senior health, caregiving, money management, real estate, and travel designed for seniors. In particular the information on senior health should include resources that explain Medicare and Medicaid, as well as services that are available to seniors.
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What Does Black Tea Provide for Senior Health?
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Green tea has been getting all the good press about its multiple health benefits which are especially supportive of senior health. Recent research has discovered that black tea provides compounds called theaflavins that complement the health benefits of the polyphenols in green tea. The theaflavins in black tea have grabbed the attention of the folks performing research on human longevity. The theaflavins help regulate the genes that produce inflammatory cytokines which have been implicated in promoting degenerative disease and aging. By interferring with inflammation at its initial stages, theaflavins provide a new way to block inflammation related diseases that include cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Beyond blocking inflammation, researchers have found that the theaflavins can contribute to reversing the effects of coronary artery disease. Additional research uncovered the mechanism by which the theaflavins operate to prevent the blood platelets from sticking together which is the first step in the process of cardiovascular disease. There is good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive measures to foster their senior health against inflammation induced degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Highly concentrated and purified theaflavins are currently available in supplement form for use by seniors as part of their preemptive aging regime.
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Can NAC Provide Cancer Chemoprevention?
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NAC is the acronym for N-Acetyl Cysteine which is a double-barreled health promoting compound. It has been known for forty years, but its multiple health benefits have only recently been identified and reported. It regulates the expression of scores of genes in those pathways that link oxidative stress with inflammation. In NAC’s second barrel it supports raising the level of an important antioxidant known as glutathione (GSH) which is particularly important for seniors who are concerned about fostering their senior health. With these dual effects NAC can provide a special role in the treatment and prevention of many common diseases. NAC can provide protection against avian and seasonal flu, improve insulin sensitivity in folks with metabolic disorders, battle the stomach infection Heliobacter, and block cancer development at nearly every step in the process.
Today the knowledge that there are strong links between oxidative stress and inflammation that lead to cancer make NAC an obvious choice for a compound that will provide cancer chemoprevention. NAC has many anti-cancer activities which aim at multiple targets resulting in layers of cancer protection against myriad cancers. It turns out that NAC is now available in supplement form. This information is very good news for seniors who are searching for preemptive means to promote their senior health by avoiding cancer in any form.
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Seniors Need an Immune System Boost in Spring!
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When the seasons change from winter to spring many folks seem to be more susceptible to colds and flu viruses. This is particularly the case for seniors, because their immune function typically degrades with increasing age. Although considered “routine,” colds and flu in seniors can quickly progress into dangerous and even fatal upper-respiratory complications such as pneumonia. Seniors who are concerned about fostering their senior health can take preemptive steps to achieve an immune system boost. Seniors can take the following vitamins to boost immune system.
The vitamins C and E are two leading antioxidant vitamins that boost the immune system. Senior men need to get the full spectrum vitamin E that is found in foods, because typical supplements only provide the alpha component. Seniors need to add a third vitamin to complete the team. The vitamin that completes the immune system boost team is vitamin D3 the ‘sunshine vitamin’.
In addition to the vitamins seniors need to get the immune system boosting minerals, supplements, and foods that complement the vitamin immune system boost team. The minerals are selenium and zinc. The dietary supplement that is known to boost immune system is DHEA. Finally the foods garlic and green tea are both known to inhibit bacteria and viruses. These vitamins, minerals, supplements, and foods can provide seniors with the immune system boost they need to preempt spring colds and flu.
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Can Garlic Breath Save Your Heart?
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In common folklore wearing garlic is supposed to repel vampires, but in our workaday world consuming garlic may have a major health benefit. For some time garlic has been touted as food that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease is of particular importance to seniors. Previous research into how garlic contributes to cardiovascular health focused on its ability to help our bodies synthesize both NO and CO. Garlic apparently helps our bodies boost the levels of both carbon monoxide (CO) and nitric oxide (NO) so that the heart is better protected against cardiovascular disease. This is good news for seniors who are searching for ways to take preemptive aging steps to foster their senior health, but there is even better news about garlic.
Recent research has discovered that garlic helps our bodies synthesize a third molecule known as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) which is not as well known as the first two, but which your nose has probably detected. The H2S molecule gives off the familiar odor of rotten eggs. The H2S molecule is the one that is responsible for the infamous ‘garlic breath’ that appears after anyone has eaten anything containing garlic or its extracts. The small amount of H2S that is generated from eating garlic is not toxic and apparently has a beneficial effect on our cardiovascular health. Specifically the H2S molecule produces several physiological effects that benefit cardiovascular health including relaxing blood vessels, promoting the development of new blood vessels, and lowering blood pressure.
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