We’ve been reading for months about the steroid enhancements used by athletes to build muscle and that it’s now illegal for baseball players to use human growth hormone (HGH). HGH may make muscles bigger but not necessarily stronger.

Interestingly, HGH has been touted as an anti-aging treatment since the early 1990s after a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that HGH, to some extent, reverses muscle loss and increased body fat both of which take place as we age. At the same time, younger people take HGH with anabolic steroids to improve their body’s appearance. According to an article in the January issue of Harvard Health Advisor, HGH does have legitimate medical uses but it’s not the fountain of youth.

HGH is a hormone made by the pituitary gland. Following adolescent growth spurts, HGH levels decline steadily when growth ends. Recombinant genetic techniques now make it possible to splice the genes that churn out the hormone, but treatments are expensive costing a least $1000 a month. Because the body breaks down HGH during digestion, it must be injected.

The problem is there are no data about possible side effects from long-term use. Short-term studies have identified some side effects such as soft-tissue swelling, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and increases in blood sugar levels. Although research hasn’t proven HGH causes cancer, there’s enough evidence to suggest a link.

It seems to me that the money spent for HGH could be spent better somewhere else – hiring a personal trainer to help you reach your goals of looking healthy because you’re in good shape.

I know HGH is also available as a nutritional supplement over-the-counter. Do any of you have information on that approach for the hormone? Is it completely worthless because it’s something you swallow rather than inject? Type your comments in the window and tell us what you know.

Warm Regards,

Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky

Health Writer

Copywriter and Business Writer

Tagged with: anti aging hgh • anti aging treatment • fountain of youth

Filed under: Anti Aging

I was casually reading Golf Digest this morning and near the back I saw a  2-page ad plus a pull out card for the product ‘Men Touch of Gray’. It’s a hair coloring product.

The pull-out card offered a refund for proofs of purchase but more importantly on the back of the card, in bold large fonts the message: “Best News for Boomers Since The Birth Control Pill.” These guys know their market!

An April article in USA Today headlined their story as “Men arm themselves with anti-aging weapons.”

Men’s personal care and anti aging products are an exciting trend and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. According to Laura Petrecca of  USA Today, anti aging products accounted for 20% of the estimated $46 million in male skin care sales.

The targets for the men’s anti aging market vary – just as the market does for women. There are products for the upscale, wealthier male population and products for the average baby boomer. Interestingly, a third of men 18 to 59 say it is “very or extremely acceptable” to use anti-aging products according to a poll recently released by Men’s Health magazine.

What’s intriguing for me is the language marketers use to appeal to men: the verbs are a lot more active. Verbs such as “fight” and “defend” instead of adjectives such as active  and powerfu”
Apparently men are beginning to realize that looking good, i.e. looking younger, gives them a competitive advantage. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons there was a 215% increase in men getting Botox injections and a 96% rise in laser skin resurfacing for men from 2000 to 2007.

I wonder if men gossip about who is using what anti aging tool.
To your successful aging, man or woman!
Ruthan Brodsky

Ruthan Brodsky
Business Writer
Copywriter

Health Writer

Tagged with: anti aging for men • hair color for men • men's hair color

Filed under: Anti Aging for men

You’re looking good! Your face has just enough color from gardening or golfing, you only gained a couple of pounds over the winter, you’re standing tall, you like what you’re doing and you like who’s looking back at you in the mirror. Not bad for someone who is …years old.
Then you look at your hands. They’re not keeping up with the image you want.
My dad use to say, if you want to tell a woman’s age, look at her hands first, then elbows and then knees.

Age spots, loss of fat, prominent veins, texture changes all contribute to make the hands look older. The good news is that if you have the money, plastic surgeons have solutions to make your hands look younger. In fact, many of the treatments are the same ones that refresh the face.

Topical treatments include tretinoin, the generic name of a class of drugs that include Retin-A, Renova, and Avita. Chemical peals can also improve the appearance of the skin on the hands.

Laser treatment also works. “Feathering” the effect of the laser near the wrist can reduce those lines that mark the wrist area.

Fillers used for the face wrinkles are not being used to restore the lost volume of fat in the hands that often comes with aging. Once injected, the dermatologist usually massages the hand to make sure the filler is distributed evenly.
If patients are happy with the fillers, some physicians use autologous fat injections (fat collected from your own body) which generally lasts longer than fillers.

To remove the large hand veins, laser ablation is used by some plastic surgeons as reported in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, June 2006.

The bad news is that all these treatments cost anywhere from $3000 to $5,000 for fillers and lasers and vein removing. Because the treatments aren’t permanent, you need to repeat the treatments to keep up the younger appearance. More money.Besides, not everyone is a candidate. People with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, hand tremors or Parkinson’s disease are disqualified.

Now and then I’ll put a skin lightening cream on my hands but usually give up once spring arrives in Michigan and I’m outdoors walking, gardening and playing golf. Actually, I give up because I’d be so busy putting on cream I wouldn’t have time for anything else. So I use lots of sun screen and slather it on my hands only to wipe it off so the golf club or tennis racket won’t slip out of my hand.

The sacrifices we make for playing sports!

Anyone have some great tips. I, for one, would like to know about them.
Sources: Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, June 2006, December 2007.
WebMd, 2008

http://wwwmaycoclinic.com/health/wrinkles

To your successful aging,
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky

Copywriter & Content Marketer

Business Writer

Tagged with: acative ingredients • age spots • aging hands

Filed under: Anti Aging

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

Tagged with: anti wrinkle • Botox • Botox injection

Filed under: Skin

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

Tagged with: prevent wrinkles • sun screen cream • sune protection clothes

Filed under: Uncategorized

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

Tagged with: lean muscle loss • sarcopenia • strength training

Filed under: Conditions and Diseases

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

Tagged with: decline in hormones • muscle loss • sagging facial skin

Filed under: Conditions and Diseases

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

Tagged with: bone fractures • muscle loss • osteopenia

Filed under: Fitness and Nutrition

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

Tagged with: loss of energy • loss of mobility • muscle loss

Filed under: Fitness and Nutrition • Prevention

Looking stylish, wonderfully fit, vigorous and very expensive, Madonna, the Material Girl, hit the half-century mark in August. A flurry of magazine and newspaper articles resulted as well as TV and radio commentaries.

Not your mother’s 50’s but the New 50’s! new 60′s! and new 70′s!

Madonna is a great example of what 50 can look like these days. I don’t personally go for the surgical work she probably had done to enhance her appearance, but then I’m not a celebrity so surgery isn’t required. I do, however, love her attitude, her discipline for exercise and good nutrition, and her continuing ambition and desire to excel and do well.

This lady is not a wall flower at 50 and neither is that script written for us- men or women. There are other famous names who are reaching 50 in 2008: Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Stone, Alec Baldwin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Bacon and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Obviously, aging isn’t what we may have assumed. Even if you take away the nips and tucks and fillers, I think it’s the attitude plus exercise, better skin care, sun protection, less smoking, better concepts of good nutrition and a different standard of what is healthy.

Madonna is a reflection of how the perception of aging has changes in our society. Men and women in their 50s and 60s do look 10 to 15 years younger than the last generation. True, age is something that’s still easier to accept for men. That’s beginning to change also when considering the film, “Sex and the City.” I for one am enjoying the perception change. Can’t wait to see what happens when Madonna turns 60!

When it comes to nutrition, the research is loaded with information on malnutrition and its impact as you age. Malnutrition remains a health issue for the elderly but usually not for the folds aged 60 to 80 or even 85. Times have changed!. The other reason that not much has been studies is because the experts have not figured out how to deal with loss of muscle mass and bone mineral density that takes place naturally as you age and diet. In fact, weight loss is usually not recommended because it may mean even less muscle mass and bone density.

I for one do not see the problem. The complication only means that the nutrition program for someone 60 or older who is obese has to be very carefully outlined so that there are enough nutrients that bone density and muscle mass loss are not increased. The nutrition plan, the lifestyle plan, if you will, requires steps that we probably all should be taking: a low calorie diet with physical activity and social support.

Of course there will be some exceptions depending upon the individual. Older people, for example, need to be careful that they take in enough vitamin D, vitamin B-12, fiber and that they hydrate. Someone else may need more omega 3. Most health experts recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise for those who do not have physical problems. I personally think that number should be at least 45 minutes or an hour 6 or 7 days a week especially if all your joints and pieces and parts work.

A healthier lifestyle is available to you no matter your age. And some kind of a healthier lifestyle is also available to you even with some physical limitations. Start with small steps and move ahead.

The noise about osteopenia and osteoporosis is that with either you increase your risk of breaking a bone without being physically fit and having a healthy lifestyle.  The weaker your bones are the less stability and balance you have and you are more likely to fall. Breaking a hip bone, for example, is well documented as the beginning of the end for 25 percent of the people who do break their hip bone. The goal, then, is not to put yourself at risk by making sure your bones have some density and mass. This is anti aging medicine at its finest.

Osteopenia is treated by taking steps to keep it from progressing to osteoporosis. Most people can achieve this by changing their lifestyle. This includes changing their diet to include sources of calcium such as dairy and green vegetables. Taking a calcium and vitamin D supplement are also part of the solutions.

Exercise is also important in maintaining strong bones. Weight bearing exercises such as walking or biking and dancing are good choices. Add to that light weights or elastic bands to help the upper body.

There are also medicines to treat bone thinning but these are more commonly used when you have passed osteopenia and are in osteoporosis. Some of the medicines used for osteopenia are bisphosphonates, raloxifene and hormone replacement. The problem is the drugs carry risks so many experts say the diagnosis and drug treatment does more harm than good.

I am not sure you can prevent osteopenia, at least not completely. It all depends on your family history, if you are thin, how much calcium and vitamin D you received when you were a child and as a young adult raising children. The trick is to increase your bone density before you are 30 when the density peaks. If you are over 30 it is not too late to make lifestyle changes.

The fact is doctors do not agree on the treatment for osteopenia and for osteoporosis as well. Much of the controversy revolves around when to take the medications and where. I am very skeptical about taking medicine for osteopenia because I see it not as a disease but as a marker for the risk of osteoporosis.

Complicating the issue even more is how do you determine the degree of risk in the early stages of bone loss? I truly believe that overly enthusiastic marketing may have resulted in too aggressive treatment of younger women who probably were at relatively low risk of fracture.

Let me know what you think about this issue of bone mass and treatment and meds. Personal stories of experiences with the meds would be wonderful.

To your successful health.
Ruthan

Ruthan Brodsky
Copywriter and Content Creator
Business Writer
Health Writer

Tagged with: balancing your life • feeling fit • maintaining bone strength

Filed under: Uncategorized