I often interview older people in their mid and late eighties to get a recorded history of their personal stories and add to the collection of the community’s history. To my surprise one of the more common stories told by several of them who grew up in the United States was a recollection of their father on the rare occasion he stayed home from work because he had all his teeth pulled. Their stories always ended with remembering that their dad went back to work without any teeth for many weeks until his false teeth or dentures were completed. Each said they thought they remembered the story because it was so rare if their father stayed home and they were surprised how their dads looked without teeth.

The good news is that dental care has greatly changed since those days, just a little over a generation ago, when loosing ones teeth seemed inevitable. It was part of aging. Today, however, advances in prevention and treatment of gum or periodontal disease and tooth decay have resulted in over 70 percent of Americans 65 and older still having some of their own teeth.

Even so healthy teeth just don’t happen. Brushing, flossing, fluoride treatment and regular dental checkups are all part of maintaining healthy smiles and oral health as you age.

I remember when my mother was having problems with her teeth and she was hardly eating.  I think it was her dentures which started hurting her so she only ate soft foods that she didn’t have to chew. When I realized what was happening I was alarmed knowing how important good teeth are to healthy aging. If you can’t chew you don’t eat and your body loses out on needed nutrition. Uncomfortable dentures could be the beginning of the end if there isn’t intervention.

Apparently my mothers jaw had shrunk because of osteoporosis and there wasn’t enough bone mass to provide a foundation for the dentures. The first step was to implant a material in her jaw so that the bone and the new material combined to provide a structure to hold the new dentures. That meant a trip to a specialist once every 2 or 3 weeks for the next 9 months. Then there were the trips to build the dentures and make sure everything fit and follow up appointments. and worked and that her gums were healthy enough to sustain the new structure.

The whole process took 3 years but mother had a great smile that lasted the rest of her life -which was another 20 years. I know my mother never did understand the procedure and why it cost so much money although I repeatedly told her it was worth every penny.

If you think about it your mouth is probably the most multifunctional part of your body. You use it to speak, to eat, to kiss, and to smile. Biting, chewing and swallowing food are its most important tasks and you can’t do that without good teeth and healthy gums that hold those good teeth in place.

More on the importance of maintaining your oral health as you age in my next post.

To putting your best smile forward,

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Health Writer
Business Writer & Copywriter
Mind and Body Aging Issues

When she fell down at the restaurant the end result was a broken wrist, a couple of fractured ribs and a broken or fractured wrist. I don’t remember about the wrist but she did need surgery and a metal pin. It wasn’t the restaurant’s fault. My bridge playing friend has bad knees; one knee gave out and she collapsed.

fruits and vegetables reduce fracture risk

An article in the January 2011 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that a diet high in vegetables, fruit and whole grain may reduce the risk of low-trauma fracture, especially among older women. Low trauma fracture takes place from a fall from standing height or less.

Participants in the more than 5000 person study who ate a nutrient rich diet had about 15 percent fewer fractures than those who ate an energy-dense diet of soft drinks, meats, French fries and desserts.  All the study participants were 50 years or older and the women were postmenopausal.

Women age 70 or older who ate nutrient dense foods had a fracture rate of 18 percent lower than those who ate the snacks and junk food. This number remained consistent even after factoring in body mass index, bone mineral density, and falls.

As a result of her fall and fractures, my friend now has a hip problem. She just happens to be in her early or mid 70′s and fits this study perfectly. I don’t think she consumed a lot of junk foods but she probably didn’t consume eat enough fruits and vegetables either. She was in rehab for a few weeks because she lived by herself and couldn’t take care of herself. She then continued treatment for at least another 3 or 4 months. She was very grateful that she had insurance because the cost was enormous. She was also grateful that she had friends to look after her and be there when she needed them.

It is so obvious that a healthy lifestyle, extended into old age, increases everyone’s chance for a better quality life. A nutrient rich diet plus regular exercise are also associated with fewer heart problems, better sleep, less depression, better memory and even a longer life. I can understand, however, that it isn’t easy for everyone to eat healthy foods. Transportation to get to the produce may not be available, or some may not be able to afford the cost. If that sounds like someone you may know suggest they contact their local senior center and talk to a dietician or nutritionist who may be able to help them out.

Your assignment, then, for the rest of your life, is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Your next assignment is to make sure your children and grandchildren understand the basic facts and start living a healthy lifestyle so that it becomes an ingrain habit. Keep in mind, the recommended number is seven servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

I’m getting close to that number but probably not 7 days a week. What about you? How many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables do you eat a week? Type your answer in the Comment Box and if you’re struggling, let us know where you’re struggling.

To good eating and healthy aging,
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Health Writer & Business Writer
Copywriter & Content Creator.

I don’t think you have to be any particular age to have chronic pain. All you need is an injury that never quite heals, an illness that affects your knee or your back (like arthritis) or a gene you inherited from one of your parents that resulted in some kind of imperfection.

That being said, the more time you spend on this earth the greater your chances are of becoming ill or breaking an elbow, or twisting a knee.
Regardless of the source, chronic pain affects more than just one area of your body where the pain is concentrated. People with chronic pain are more likely to be crabby, depressed, and angry. It just goes with the territory and it makes sense. Life hurts!

However, there are some things you can do to deal with your pain that will make you more comfortable and improve the quality of your life.

• First, find a doctor that you can talk with and tell her exactly how you’re feeling. How much do you hurt? When do you feel less pain, more pain, and how does this impact your life. Your doctor may recommend that you get treatment in a pain management clinic, or do physical therapy, or see a neurologist.

• Then tell this same story to your spouse and kids so they’ll have a better understanding about what you’re going through. Your description of your pain will give them a good idea of where that fun-loving, empathic, loving person is that they once knew.

• If a medication is recommended to treat your pain, consider taking it. Most people don’t become addicted to pain medications and everyone metabolizes medications differently so work with your physician and figure out the dosage. Sometimes you’re given additional drugs to counter act the side effects of the pain medication like fatigue or constipation. Side effect happens frequently, sorry to say.

• There are other treatments that may also help such as massage or acupuncture or ice and heat. For example, if it’s your right shoulder that hurts, you’ll may compensate by holding your right arm in a strange way or over use your left side causing your muscles to tighten in another area giving you a new pain. Just what you needed!

• Again, let your doctor know what’s happening with your body and make her your partner in treating your pain. That way you’ll have more energy to live your life the way you want to live it.

If you have chronic pain I would like to learn about your experiences. How do you deal with your chronic pain?  Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry.

To your healthy aging,

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodksy

Copywriter and Business Writer

Health Writer and Website content Creator

core strength and golf

Weight training and improved body strength may help your nagging back. That’s what the latest research reports.

That should be good news for golfers and to all the week-end warriors who press their bodies into action after 5 days of neglect. If you want a healthy back, you have to move – plain and simple.

At one time when you were crawling on the floor because you couldn’t stand up because your back hurt so much, you were told to rest. People with bad backs became couch potatoes and let their sore muscles rest. Later studies showed resting wasn’t such a good idea after all and people with sore backs needed to move around and even stretch. Yoga was good for sore backs.

A recent  study from the University of Alberta and presented at the American College of Sports Medicine reports that for best results build up those sore muscles with more weight training and strengthening. (That’s assuming there is no back surgery, damaged vertebrae or nerve root problems.)

Apparently, we are more likely to hurt our backs when we’re tired. If we increase our overall body strength there is less chance of our muscles getting fatigued. Just strengthening arms or legs or abs doesn’t work. The entire body needs to be strong because so much strenuous work is done with the upper body that it’s important to have strong chest and back muscles so you don’t hunch over.

Unfortunately, most people look to pain relief medications rather than exercise. I have long been of the opinion that exercise for better health is overlooked while drugs are overused, especially those drugs that can become addictive and are narcotic.

By the same token, I’m not advocating that medication is bad and exercise is good. What I am advocating is to take preventive measures for a healthy body by exercising. Then it’s a question of what each person needs to recover from an injury or a sore back after a round of golf. The problem is more likely to be resolved using a combination of prescription medication and a personalized exercise program.

Is there something you do when your back goes out? We are open to helpful hints that we can share.

To your healthy aging.

Ruthan

Health Writer & Business Writer

Copywriter and Content Creator

If you’re thinking of spending the money on massage therapy make sure you ask about the therapist’s training, experience and credentials. In most states massage therapists must be licensed. Also look for membership in or certification by a national massage-therapy organization and awards for continuing education credits. Also ask about the number of treatments that might be needed, the cost, and insurance coverage. Above all, do not use massage therapy to replace your regular medical care or as a reason to postpone seeing your doctor about a medical problem.

A good massage therapist usually starts by asking you questions about your physical condition, whether any muscles need special attention, and your preference for light or strong pressure. Now is the time to speak up.

Most massage therapists practice many techniques. Swedish massage is the most common and is extensively used in the U.S. It consists of basically 5 techniques.  Two of these are:

• Effleurage in which you use the palms and fingers, glide slowly and rhythmically across the skin, applying light to moderate pressure. Push toward the heart when working on arms and legs.

• Friction is another technique in which you use your fingertips, apply deep, circular movements near joins and on either side of the spine. The therapist manipulates one spot at a time, focusing on the underlying muscles and tendons.

Other types of massage are Shiatsu and acupressure, both of which involve focused pressure on points that are supposed to control your energy flow.

Still another type is the sports massage uses moderately deep pressure to limber up and rehabilitate muscles.

There are many variations of these types of massages.

Here are a few massage  techniques I learned for my feet when I was jogging 4 or 5 days a week. You can use these at any time to make your feet feel better and relieve some stress.

• Move your feet back and forth over a rolling pin or golf ball for a few minutes.

• Use your thumb, the heel of your hand, or your knuckles and stroke the bottoms of the opposite foot in a series of straight lines from heel to toe, starting with the inner arch and progressing to the outer edge and then back again.

• Press the bottom of your foot with the opposite thumb, using a small circular motion. Repeat until you’ve covered every part of the sole.

Massage is safe especially when practiced by an experienced and trained professional. The more vigorous the massage, the greater the potential for harm, especially as you get older and may have skin and bone problems. Hot oils used by some message therapists can also cause blistering. A good idea is to tell your doctor about any complementary or alternative practices the massage therapist may want to use before your get started.

The best is to enjoy the massage and the end results – a more relaxed and mobile body.

To your success at healthy aging,

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Health Writer
Business Writer and Copywriter

Expert on Aging

Massage and Healthy Aging

Massage therapy is well recognized as helping reduce many diseases and conditions. Not all, mind you, but there are some promising results based on the research.

Back Pain
More people request massage therapy for lower back pain than any other problem. Many report substantial benefit after deep-tissue massage and that the benefits last for several months.

Cancer
Massage does not cure cancer. However, it does improve the psychological well-being, coping style, anxiety and possible physical systems associated with cancer including pain and nausea.

Fibromyalgia
There are few medical options for this disease which involves fatigue and muscle and joint pain. Massage, however, has been shown to provide some relief to relive pain, stiffness, anxiety, depression and fatigue.

Headache
One theory suggests that chronic tension headaches result from sustained contraction of muscles in the head and neck. Small studies indicate that people who receive a weekly or twice a month massage of the shoulders and neck reported less pain and more headache-free days.

Post-surgical pain
Women who receive daily arm massages following a mastectomy with lymph-node dissection in their armpits reported less pain and less swelling.

Sleep problems
Many studies found that massage helped people sleep better primarily because it helped relieve stress and tightness

Other areas which showed an improvement with massage therapy include allergies, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma and bronchitis, circulatory problems, sports injuries, and Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction or TMJ.
The few cautions to take regarding massages are significant and should be understood.  Caution about massage therapy includes:

• Avoiding vigorous massage of people with bleeding disorders or low blood platelet counts and by people taking blood-thinking medication.

• Massage should not be done in any are of the body with blood clots, fractures or open healing wounds, skin infections, or areas of osteoporosis.

• Pregnant women should consult their doctor before considering massages.

I’ll give you tips to finding a good massage therapist in my next post and a few handy techniques you can learn.

In the meantime

success to healing hands everywhere.

Ruthan

Ruthan brodsky

Business Writer & Health Writer

Content Creator & Copywriter

healthy aging

The laying of the hands was a physician’s primary tool until the beginning of modern medicine and effective drugs in the early 20th century. It’s taken over 100 years but massage therapy has come back into mainstream medicine working side by side with the drugs.

You know it’s in the main stream when your insurance covers the cost or at least part of the cost for a prescription of massage therapy. You’ve injured your knee, for example. It cost a lot less to find out if massage therapy can eliminate your pain rather than a surgical procedure. In addition volumes have been written in the last 20 years about the benefits of massage therapy for reducing stress, reducing pain caused by some diseases such as fibromyalgia, back pain, arthritis, and the myriad of sports injuries.

You and I don’t need clinical data to find out if a massage feels good. Researchers, however, have managed to measure the body’s response to those rubdowns and how this can translate into improving our health. One of the more obvious and simplest reasons is that massage stimulates blood flow. It’s blood flow that carries more oxygen and nutrients to the massaged muscles and tissues also helping to remove toxic waste products.

Other studies have shown that massage eases anxiety and stress as well as other relaxation techniques. Stress reduction activates your body’s parasympathetic nervous system which in turn.

• Slow the heart rate and relax muscles.

• Lowers the levels of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol which are linked to several diseases.

• Increases the levels of certain brain chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin which may help control pain.

• May strengthen your body’s immune system by increase the number and aggressiveness of the body’s naturally.

The good news is that there are few risks with massage therapy. However, if you’re taking blood thinning meds it’s a good idea to avoid massage therapy. You also should avoid massage therapy in any area where there are blood clots or fractures or skin infections. Pregnant women should consult their doctor before working with a massage therapist. More on massage therapy in my next post.

To successful healing with massage therapy.

Ruthan

Business Writer & Health Writer

Content Creator

Resveratrol supplements have been selling very well since the mid 90s. People believe that taking resveratrol will extend their life span even though there has never been a recommended dosage to guarantee a person does enjoy an expanded life. In addition resveratrol is tricky to absorb. When drinking wine, for instance, it is advised to sip it slowly for the resveratrol to absorb in the mouth and not the gut. Even so supplements containing resveratrol are everywhere.

The problem with supplements is they are not regulated in the U.S. and the ingredients may not contain what the label says they contain.

In May of last year GlaxoSmithKline announced they were halting their study on cancer patients with a pharmaceutical drug called SRT501 due to possible kidney problems. SRT501 is based on resvervatrol but it is a proprietary chemical developed in the lab, not the natural resveratrol antioxidant found in red grapes.

Most of us know the benefit of eating and drinking natural things and that grapes are filled with healthy polyphenols.  GlaxoSmithKline was trying to one better Mother Nature and it didn’t work.  At the same time there’s more research reporting, this time from Johns Hopkins, that drinking red wine can protect against cancer and obesity.

Even with this evidence, not too many people are listening. Sales of resveratrol supplements were estimated over $30 million in 2009.

If you were to use me as a research sample, then you could say the red wine findings were true. I drink red wine, maybe a glass 4 times a week. I’m not obese and as far as I know I don’t have cancer. Does that mean the red wine is working?

On the other hand I’ve been drinking red wine for 30 years and I still can’t lose the 5 pounds I’ve wanted to lose for the past 8 years. Does that mean the red wine really doesn’t work?

This is my executive summary of resveratrol:
Natural resveratrol is good for you. Manufacturers of supplements containing resveratrol, however, make outrageous claims about the product before there are controlled studies of the supplement on people. Besides there is no information about what the dosage should be to be effective as a preventer of heart disease and cancer. Moreover, supplements aren’t regulated in the U.S. so how do you know you’re getting any amount of resveratrol in the first place?

My conclusion: keep eating those grapes without going overboard on the calories and drink red wine in moderation. The grapes can be one of your daily fruit servings and red wine contains other substances that are also good for your health. Besides the amount of resveratrol in any juice or wine or bunch of grapes is probably too low to have any real impact on your health. To convince you further Consumer Lab.com, an organization that performs independent evaluations of supplements, reports that supplements may not offer the cardiovascular benefits associated with moderate wine consumption.

There you have it. If I’ve influenced you to eat more grapes and save your money by not purchasing resveratrol then I’ve given you the right information.  Let me know.

To your healthy aging,

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky

Health Writer & Business Writer

Content Creator & Copywriter

The hype about resveratrol has been going on for over a decade. It is a substance found in foods like red wine, grapes, peanuts, berries, juices, soy and even chocolate.  My first recollection of the benefits of resveratrol was that it was found in red wine because the source of the substance is primarily from the skin of red grapes. Several of my friends made the switch from white wine to red wine very soon after the news was broadcast.

During the last 15 years there have been announcements of study results that claim resveratrol also helps people lose weight, delays aging, improves performance, boosts metabolism, protects from heart disease and eliminates cancer causing agents. If this sounds too good to be true – it probably is. I personally don’t take any resveratrol supplements and I certainly would if even half of these benefits were reliable.

Resveratrol is a compound found naturally in plant foods, such as grapes. It’s part of the plant’s natural defense system in response to stress, injury, fungal infection or ultraviolet radiation. According to studies at Cornell University resveratrol is found in all parts of the grape plant including the seeds, skin and leaves. Red and purple grapes contain more resveratrol than other grapes because red wine uses grape skins in its production.

Because of its association with red wine the compound has been credited as the angel of the French people. Apparently, the French have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease although they consume a lot of saturated fat in their diet. This was explained by their continual intake of red wines resulting in a healthy diet of reverse.

However, there is some question whether it is the resveratrol or something else that’s protecting the French. Is it the resveratrol or one of the hundreds of active compounds also active in red wine that could account for the French lower rates of cardiovascular disease? Whatever the compound, red wine is most frequently given credit for the French good health.

To date only animals were tested with resveratrol. They have shown possible results as a cancer preventive and treatment. They also support the notion that resveratrol reduces heart disease by reducing oxidation of lips, improving serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and reducing the sticky platelets that could form platelets. There are also reports that resvertrol may protect against brain damage following a stroke. Reports on research declare that resveratrol can act as a pain reliever, protect against hearing loss, and protect the spinal cord against injury.

I am skeptical, very skeptical about all these findings because none were carried out with people but in lab cultures and on mice. Secondly, that old phrase ‘if it sounds too good to be true it probably is’ keeps running around in my mind’s foreground. Thirdly, the results are most likely better if consumed in natural food products than in a pill and the amount of food we would have to eat to get the amount of resveratrol would be more than anyone could handle.

On the other hand I’ve consciously made red grapes one of my daily regulars among the 9 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables.

More on resveratrol in my next post: does the compound really extend life?
What do you think?

To your successful aging,

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Health Writer & Business Writer
Copywriter & Content Creator

Fifteen years ago I became aware of the serious importance of dietary fiber. Oh sure, I knew about whole grains but I wasn’t even aware there were two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber. I also learned back then that I should be consuming between 25 and 30 grams of fiber daily.

Back then I thought I was consuming a lot more fiber than I really was. The food packaging and labels disguised as whole grain can be very deceiving. For instance, ‘multi grain or brown looking doesn’t mean it’s a whole grain. Made with ‘wheat flower’ could mean it is still made with refined flour. As a result, I found that maybe I was getting in 12 to 15 grams.

I’m not quite a maven about fiber just yet but I do read the food labels and am always seeking good fiber sources. What has become important is cowing the two types of fiber and what each accomplishes.

Soluble fiber absorbs water which makes the stomach contents more gelatinous. This causes nutrients from foods, including sugars, to be absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream.  It also prevents rapid spikes in blood sugar after eating and lowers blood cholesterols by binding to bile acids, which contain cholesterol, in the small intestine and prevents them from being absorbed.

Sources of soluble fiber are fruits, oats, legumes, root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and onions.

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, has a bulking action and isn’t digested. This causes it to push foods more quickly through your digestive system improving bowel regularity. Sources of insoluble fiber are whole grains, nuts and seeds, skins of vegetables and fruits, some fruits including bananas and avocados.

Good sources of grain fiber are whole grain versions of cereal, flour, pasta, rice such as barley, brown rice, buckwheat and oatmeal. Today’s dietary guidelines suggest you consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber each day. Actually, this isn’t that difficult to do if you eat the five to nine recommend fruits and vegetables and by making half of your grains whole.
Fiber can do great things for you such as lowering your cholesterol level and controlling blood sugar. It does this by changing the nature of the contents in your gastroinstinal tract which changes how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed…

Here are a few good things fiber can do for your health.

• Controlling your cholesterol level and lowering your blood pressure leads to less cardiovascular disease.

• Decrease your risk of stroke.

• Decrease your risk of obesity because you usually eat less when you get full from fiber.

• Decreased risk of metabolic syndrome.

• Decrease risk of type 2 diabetes.

• Decreased risk of colorectal cancer.

In other words, by not consuming enough fiber you are missing out on a big chance for better health.

Do you know how much fiber you consume? We good take a blog poll but better yet I’d like to know what you’re going to do to increase your fiver intake. And it has to be more than sprinkling wheat germ on your cereal. Type your answer in the ‘comment box” and send it. Le’s find out what everyone is doing.

To your success at good health,
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Copywriter and Content Creator
Health Writer & Business Writer