You probably heard about it or read about it. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that Botox, along with a similar drug called Myobloc, were linked to life-threatening symptoms such as strained breathing and severe difficulty in swallowing, which can lead to a form of pneumonia. Both drugs use botulinum toxin to block nerve impulses which causes them to relax.

Botox is best known for minimizing wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. Botulinum toxin is also used for a variety of muscle-spasm conditions.

It’s a headline that screams ‘sensationalism’. The millions using Botox have to be frightened…you would think. And the rest of us who don’t use the wrinkle eliminating drug are either thinking ‘nan nan a nan nan’, feeling a little smug about not using the drug, feeling some concern about their friends using the drug, or a combination of all three reactions.

The agency warned that patients receiving a botulinum toxin injection should be told to seek immediate care if they suffer symptoms of botulism including, difficulty swallowing or breathing, slurred speech, muscle weakness or difficulty holding up their head. Doctors are not advising patients to monitor themselves for the sever reaction and the FDA is deciding whether to strengthen the warnings on the drugs’ label.

What’s more troubling for me is that the most serious reactions – deaths and hospitalizations – occurred among children treated for cerebral palsy-associated symptoms. The drugs are not FDA-approved for that use in children or adults.

The problem is FDA-approved drugs are often used for off-label purposes. That’s when physicians take medications approved for one disease to treat another. This medical approach may benefit a patient with a particular symptom. More uses of any one drug certainly benefits the manufacturer – more sales! The problem is the risk for patients, like you and me, become s greater because research hasn’t been carried out on the off label use.

The other problem is that the FDA is now saying that there are more reports that the toxin, Botox, may migrate from the point of injection more frequently than previously believed. This can cause symptoms of botulism. Granted, that danger is noted on the label but only for patients being treated for neuromuscular disorders like myasthenia gravis.
Last Friday’s FDA warning came two weeks after the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen (Sidney Wolfe, director)

Petitioned the FDA to ask for stronger warnings of the use of Botox and Myobloc. He said that drug regulators in Britain and Germany last year required that sterner warnings be sent to every doctor in those countries.

What’s your next step?
If you’re like me and never used Botox, you’re probably even less likely to consider using it now.

If you are using Botox, talk to your dermatologist and get the facts that make it feel safe or not such a good idea for you.
Just in case you’re wondering why I never considered using Botox, the fact is I like laugh lines. I think they give character to a person’s face. I often find them appealing on some men; it’s part of what makes their eyes sexy if they have sexy eyes. I find they add a sensuality to women. Laugh lines tell a story and you need to get to know the story to read the laugh lines. I absolutely love how they look when someone smiles; anyone.
I am definitely not a good testimonial for Botox.

Would love to hear what you think about Botox, the warning, and why you do or don’t use it for a more youthful appearance. Scroll down to comments and tell us your story.
Warmest regards
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Copywriter & Content Creator

Health Writer

Business Writer

Protecting your skin is forever. The last time I played golf I was admonished by a friend. He actually said  ‘shame on you.’

Ben wears a wide brimmed hat, long trousers and a long sleeve shirt when he plays golf or whenever he’s out in the sun. His face and arms are marked with scars from removed skin cancers and age spots from years of sun damage.

I wore a short sleeve shirt and Capri length slacks. I am blue eyed with fair skin and have had numerous bouts with skin cancer , strictly basal and squamous cancers easily treated and excised.

My friend was right for yelling at me. Today I play golf wearing long trousers and a long sleeve shirt, even though I’m pretty sure the sun rays go right thru that shirt.

I had this thought while driving home that I should be purchasing sun protection clothing. Many of the sports equipment stores like REI have them. I just wonder if I waited too long in the summer season and they’re no longer in stock.

My second and more sobering thought was that I’m at that age where I no longer have much choice about putting together a skin care regime to stay healthy. I need to be always vigilant about skin cancer and that includes protecting my skin from the sun. Actually, that’s true for everyone, including children.

For me, it’s the anti wrinkle creams and skin moisturizes widely available at department stores, malls and drugstores that bring on the confusion. There is so much to choose from that I’m never quite sure I’m using the right creams and moisturizers for my skin.

I do know, however, and want to share this with you, that no matter how good the creams and moisturizers, they won’t work well unless I’m also:

• Eating a balanced diet because my skin requires the right nutrients, too.
• Reducing stress because it interferes with sleep and keeps me out of focus.
• Drinking enough water.
• Exercising and strength training.
• Using natural personal care products and avoiding those with chemical ingredients.

I’m very interested in what you believe also benefits a good antiaging skin care regimen. Scroll down to ‘Comments’ and type your suggestion in the blank window.

To your successful future years,
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky

Copywriter and Content Creator

Health Writer

Business Writer

Sarcopenia at its worse is the loss of muscle mass, strength and functionality. It often appears by the age of 40 although it accelerates after the age of 75. Although most often seen in physically inactive people, sarcopenia is also common among physically active people because inactivity is not the only contributing factor to this condition. Similar to osteoporosis, sarcopenia is a multifactor disease process that may result from hormonal changes, lack of dietary protein, too much stress, inflammation, and inactivity.

Exercise is important in preventing and managing sarcopenia

Exercise stimulates the release of hormones that help promote healthy muscle mass. These include the growth hormone which works throughout your body.  Exercise also helps reduce the loss of essential muscle and bone that so often comes with aging.

Although any exercise is better than no exercise, not all forms of exercise are equal.  Aerobic exercise is great for your cardiovascular system and for keeping your cholesterol low. However, it is only somewhat effective in preserving the lean body mass you already have.  When athletes train and want to increase lean body mass they use some form of resistance training such as weight, machines , bands or the Total Gym for example.  In fact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has guidelines for resistance exercise for older adults and reports that in addition to building muscle, strength training promotes mobility and improves fitness in general.

For those of you who are trying to lose weight, strength training not only prevents sarcopenia, it also increases the amount of calories you burn. Your basal metabolic rate (basic functions of the body such as breathing and digestion) is responsible for 65 to 75 percent of the calories you need each day. All of which is why men, who have more muscle mass, tend to have a higher metabolic rate then women.

Resistance Training

This type of exercise uses resistance such as pushing, squeezing, stretching or bending , to gradually overload your muscles until they progressively become stronger. Regular training in this area tones muscles and increases bone mass. I personally use bands and free weights. Swimming machines and isotonic exercise equipment may also provide proper types of resistance.

Exercising the cardiovascular system helps improve how your heart and lungs function. People with sarcopenia benefit from this because the exercise strengthens the muscles that you use. I like to incorporate cardiovascular exercise in my routine because it’s more fun.

Flexibility exercises are also important because without improving your flexibility you won’t have the full range of motion needed for resistance training. When sarcopenia is involved, your muscles tend to be weak and don’t’ perform many strenuous movements which means that stretching can help you strength your muscles.

One of the side effects of sarcopenia is loss of balance and difficulty walking so that balance training can also be helpful.

There are many things you can do to reduce the impact of sarcopenia and to prevent it in the first place.  I understand that your “what you have to do list” to stay healthy is getting longer but its well worth the effort.

To your successful resistant training.

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky

Copywriter and Content Creator

Business & Health Writer

I thought I should explain what happens to our bodies as we age to put us at risk of sarcopenia so that we have a better understanding of sarcopenia as we age. I think the  “how to prevent sarcopenia”  information will make more sense then.

The loss of lean body mass and strength as you get older is not a new phenomenon. We’re seeing more of it because more people are living longer to become old and even more people are getting much older and loss of lean muscle mass becomes a real problem. In fact sarcopenia may impact over half of the oldest old.

The term sarcopenia is relatively new.  Things like a stooped posture, forward head, and slow unbalanced movements are often the result of sarcopenia. The good news is that sarcopenia is not inevitable and can be reversed, at least to a degree.

Causes of sarcopenia

You have absolutely no control of some of the causes such as disease or your environment. When sarcopenia is attributed to age, the usual causes are listed as:
Protein deficiency, chances in hormone concentrations and off balanced motor ability.  When all three of these conditions are evident they point to the age-related loss of muscle coordination and mass that is called sarcopenia.

We usually don’t lose our ability to metabolize proteins even as we age. We do, however, lose our ability to synthesize our own protein because of hormone imbalance. The insulin-like growth hormone (ICF-1), testosterone and growth hormone all play an important role in protein production, synthesis and use. As the concentration of these hormone declines with age, we lose our ability to produce and maintain muscle mass through nonessential proteins. In fact, some are saying that as we age we need more protein than we did when we were younger.

Combine the decline of hormones and protein deficiency and then add to that the decline of motor ability and you have all the makings of pronounced sarcopenia.  Neuron cells start dying and can’t communicate to the brain and muscle fibers what needs to be done. Muscles slowly start to atrophy because the arms or the legs or the neck aren’t moving. Older people are unbalanced because their muscles aren’t working and they fall creating all sorts of health issues.

Some muscle groups that atrophy through sarcopenia are very obvious but we don’t think of them as muscle loss. Sagging and unresponsive facial skin is the result of lost muscle fiber beneath. The stooped posture of many older people is due to the loss of skeletal muscles which leads to a loss of support for bones of the spine, shoulders and back that keep a younger person erect. There’s even a name for these dramatic signs : senile sarcopenia.

The good news is that none of this is inevitable  and sarcopenia can be delayed. Resistance training and strength training are the answers.

More on this in my next post.
To erect postures as we age,
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Copywriter & Content Creator
Business & Health Writer

If getting up and out of your favorite chair requires more effort or all of our effort, pay attention to this blog post. I’m not selling anything; only giving away information.

Most of the talk shows and headlines focus on breaking hips and fracturing your pelvis which is the beginning of the end for 25 percent of those over 65 in the hospital with a broken hip. A few weeks ago, for instance, on the front page of the Personal section of the Wall street Journal, the headline read, “Yes, You Are Getting Shorter“.  The concern here is about breaking brittle bones. Maintaining your muscle strength puts you at less risk of falling because your muscles are helping to support you and you’re less likely to lose your balance.

Sarcopenia is a lot like osteoporosis but instead of bone loss a person looses muscle. Just like osteoporosis, sarcopenia has horrible consequences for someone older who then has trouble bathing, dressing and other activities. And, as I said, it puts people more a risk of falling because they can’t care for themselves.

Actually, sarcopenia is more analogous to osteopenia, the loss of bone mineral content or density associated with aging and osteoporosis. The point is osteopenia, if not treated, may result in osteoporosis in which bone mass is reduced and bones become fragile and prone to fractures. Because bone tissue is part of lean mass, sarcopenia and osteopenia are closely linked. In fact they often are present at the same time.

If you think about it, sarcopenia is a relatively new term for an old phenomenon, the loss of lean body mass and strength with aging.  Actually the term sarcopenia, which means flesh loss, was coined just over 20 years ago at Tufts University in 1988.Your body mass is the weight f all the tissue in your body minus the fat. Comprised primarily of bone, muscle, water, and organs, how much lean mass you have gives you a good idea of your strength, your mobility and even your metabolic rate.

For example, if you have lost lean mass in your quads and glutes (thighs and rear end muscles) getting out of a chair will be tough for you. Young people use maybe half their strength to get out of a chair. Many older adults use 100 percent of their strength reserves which means they sit only in armchairs and lean on those arms for support.

Think about it. How do you get out of a bathtub or rise of a toilet?  If you can’t do those things your independence is sadly reduced and jeopardized. Those with sarcopenia also are limited when it comes to climbing stairs, they usually walk slowly and their risk of falling is increased.

How to prevent or at least reduce the onset of sarcopenia is the topic for my next post.  In the meantime send me your questions now and I can answer them in the next blog post.

To your success at good health,
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
RAB & Associates, Inc.
Copywriter and Content Creator
Business Writer
Upside of Aging

The word, sarcopenia, may not be familiar to you but it is a universally experienced side effect of living a long life. It is the decline of lean body mass that happens as you age and your skeletal muscle shrinks.

Lack of muscle and lack of strength is the primary reason that getting older is associated so closely to frailty.  However, muscle loss has consequences beyond looking good and feeling energetic. Muscle protein does more than just move you around – which is a major task by itself – and fill out your clothes. Muscle is also your major source of protein  for important functions when you’re injured or ill. Your body needs to find protein for antibody production, white blood cell production, and antibody production and wound healing. To put it simply, if your protein reserves are low because of sarcopenia, you aren’t going to get better very quickly.

I remember when medical research thought that the natural process of protein synthesis and breakdown was critically impaired as we age. Later research shows that protein metabolism isn’t the problem. That’s  good news because  if muscle metabolism failed as we got older there isn’t much we could do about it.

The good news is that good nutrition, exercise, and strength training can help you maintain your muscle mass. In other words, you can do something about it.

As we age our body composition shifts. Generally, lean muscle mass decreases and body fat increases. This loss of muscle mass with normal aging is called sarcopenia. In fact, if you don’t get adequate exercise muscle mass decreases about 1 percent each year after age 30. That means that by age 64 you’ve lost 40 percent of your lean muscle mass; by age 74 you’ve lost 45 percent and from ages 75 to 84 you’ve lost 65 percent of your muscle mass.

This wouldn’t be so bad except this loss of muscle mass does impact your health.

• You lose the strength and balance you need to do everyday tasks. You are simply less mobile.

• You don’t burn as many calories  because muscle consumes energy. When you lose the muscle mass you slow down your metabolism.

• You are also susceptible to certain diseases associated with weight gain such as diabetes and loss of bone stimulation which contributes to osteoporosis.

More on sarcopenia in my next post.  I’ll explain why we lose muscle mass as we age and how you can prevent this loss.  I can answer your questions about sarcopenia in the next post or by email.

Much success in staying strong.
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Copywriter and Content Marketer
Health Writer
Business Writer