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Tylenol is popular. It is known generically as “acetaminophen” or “paracetamol,” and is one of the leading pain relievers in the entire world. It’s probably in every medicine cabinet (including mine), right next to my ibuprofen. Most people know ibuprofen can hurt the gut, whereas acetaminophen can hurt the liver. Today I want to focus on protecting you if you like to take acetaminophen. Many years ago, probably in 2001, I warned you all to take a certain supplement called “NAC”, in order to protect your liver and restore glutathione l...
Kids love Halloween, but adults… maybe not. Seniors who live alone may feel vulnerable opening their doors to strangers. And if you choose not to spend a small fortune on treats, will your house get egged? Then again, some adults like to decorate their front porches and enjoy seeing the costumes and talking to the children. You might even walk the neighborhood with your grandkids. Depending on where you live, Halloween can be scary and stressful for seniors, especially those who live alone. If you have mobility problems, getting up and down t...
Fall is here and we are expecting another mild winter; happy days for me – the less snow we get the fewer times I have to have my roof shoveled. I haven’t heard from any readers about the “filial responsibility laws” I last wrote about, which is probably good news, since it means that seniors are taking care of their children and children are happily taking care of their parents. After my own 14-day stay in the hospital, which cost over $100,000, I am curious as to what Caitlyn Jenner had to...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. continues their fall series of health fairs around the state this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. These tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and...
The 23rd annual Stand Down for Veterans in Need will be held on Friday, October 23, at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, North Terminal. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to officials, “Stand Down is an annual program to provide ‘Veterans in Need’ with various types of assistance to include but not limited to medical, dental and vision screening, housing assistance, employment assistance, and financial assistance.” “We’ll have more than 50 social service agencies, including federal organizations, State of Al...
No more reading glasses? It may now be possible to get rid of your reading glasses permanently. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has now approved a new inlay procedure that can correct presbyopia. This is a condition that develops around age 40 and involves the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. Until now, you had to wear reading glasses, bifocals or undergo surgical procedures. The problem with the surgical procedures were that they could compromise a person’s d...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in October. This month’s topic is “Proper Body Mechanics and Back Safety.” Oct. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna, 5 p.m. Oct. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Oct. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Cente...
Long-time Anchorage fitness expert and frequent Senior Voice contributor Bonnie Murphy has released her book, "Young Longer: Functional Fitness to Renew Your Strength, Balance, and Energy for Your Best Years Yet." Murphy, a certified Functional Aging Specialist from the Functional Aging Institute, says she wrote and published the book in partnership with the Institute to help seniors learn about the benefits of "functional" training and learn how to do the workouts themselves, in their homes. Fu...
Mabel T. Caverly Senior Center and Services in Anchorage is expanding its DEAP program to seniors in the Mat-Su Valley, thanks to a grant from United Way. The program provides small grants, up to $900, for dental emergency care for seniors age 55 and older who do not have insurance coverage for dental work. Applicants must meet maximum income guidelines, but do not have to be members of the Mabel T. Caverly program. Payments are made to the service providers. The program used to also cover eyeglasses, hearing aids and prescriptions, but...
Alaska Health Fair, Inc. kicks off their fall series of health fair around the state this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. These tests can help you learn about your health and detect potential problems early, when treatment or changes in personal habits can be most effective. The test results give you and your health care provider important information about your physical condition and vital organ functions. A complete and comprehensive chemistry/hematology test is available for only $45 and...
September, what a terrible month with the loss of the David Letterman and Jon Stewart shows. Well, now I can get to bed an hour earlier. We could be paying much less Why do Americans pay a lot more for prescription drugs than people in other advanced countries or even those with certain private insurance plans? In case you don’t know, Medicare is not allowed to negotiate with drug companies to get lower prices, according to the Part D prescription drug program. This is one of the reasons I w...
You are probably asking yourself, what is functional fitness and how does that differ from any other type of fitness program? Functional fitness by definition is: movements and programs that lead to greater enhancement in performance or human function. If you compare functional movements with traditional weight training, you’ll find that they are entirely different and functional fitness can and will enhance your everyday activities because in functional fitness training we do things that simulate daily tasks. Traditional weight training r...
Iodine is not just for your thyroid and there’s mass confusion on this topic. Iodine is used all over your body, in all of your organs, especially your breasts and prostate (if you have those). The truth is trillions of cells have a receptor site for iodine and need it, and sadly, many of you are starving yourself of iodine because you assume it is radioactive. Natural iodine is not radioactive, that is silly. It is as natural (and needed) as other minerals like magnesium, lithium, potassium, selenium, etc. Natural iodine is not the same as r...
You are not getting older, you are getting better New research is suggesting that blood vessels can actually get better with age and arteries adapt to oxidative stress caused by aging. These new findings contradict earlier theories and they may point to new ways to improve heart health and extend successful aging. Oxidative stress is thought to be the main cause of many age-related diseases. It has been linked to cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases including diabetes, hypertension and...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in September. This month’s topic is “Medication Management.” Sept. 1, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 8, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 10, Caregiver support meeting at Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna, 5 p.m. Sept. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Sept. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior Center, 3 p.m. Sept....
9 fires have been identified around Alaska this season, with about 27 of the fires worked by firefighters. The degree of challenge and loss Alaskan seniors have experienced is as varied as our geography. Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Keys subdivision area near Sterling was heavily affected by fires, including many seniors being evacuated from their homes, according to Sandy Clark-Bailey at the Sterling Senior Center. The center offered a place to hang out, she said, and the Sterling Community...
Summer is the time when our skin is exposed. We need to keep it looking beautiful. Here are some common skin conditions, as well as solutions. Eczema Dry, cracked skin and blisters can become very painful. Eczema has been associated with sluggish detoxification, autoimmune conditions or reduced intestinal flora. A study just published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy found that the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is particularly protective against eczema, so make sure your probiotic contains this strain. Some people have eczema flare-ups...
As Americans, we have many rights not afforded to others in this world. Yet, we’d be foolish to think that every American has access to all the freedoms that many of us take for granted. Our elderly loved ones are no exception—and in fact, it’s possible that they may experience a loss of freedoms and certainly their sense of independence, as they age. How can we truly help them to maintain their rights and their feeling of control over their own lives? The first thing is to understand what kind of challenges our elderly might face: Discr...
Eating eggs may help prevent development of type-2 diabetes Researchers in Finland are reporting that eating eggs may benefit blood sugar metabolism. In the past, egg consumption has either been associated with an elevated risk of diabetes or no association has been found. The findings from this new study suggest that some compound or combination of compounds in eggs may help combat diabetes through an anti-inflammatory effect. The researchers looked at the dietary habits of 2,332 men between...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in August. This month’s topic is “Immunizations for Seniors.” Aug. 4, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 11, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall in Soldotna, 1 p.m. Aug. 18, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 25, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Aug. 27, Careg...
Shrink your stomach and you will lose weight. The idea is perpetuated in our country and complications such as hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and bladder concerns make it feel dire to undergo a drastic procedure such as gastric bypass. I’ve watched 12 episodes of “My 600 lb Life” on TLC channel, and I’ve empathized with every person, it’s a great show that I highly recommend you watch. Gastric bypass may end up being your solution, but you may not fully grasp the long-term nutritional consequences of gastric bypass surgery. While som...
White hats, black hats, good guys, bad guys. The dichotomy influences TV, classic literature, movies, and your temple. In life, balance is essential. When bad guys gain control of your inner universe, more good guys are required to restore peace. But its success requires your involvement. You’re eating “good guy” bugs when you consume yogurt, kombucha, kefir, tempeh, miso, and fermented kim chi. Kombucha tea is my personal favorite. Your gastrointestinal tract (GI) is a complex ecosystem where a delicate intestinal balance must exist, other...
You may know that theft of Social Security numbers (SSN) among seniors often happens because thieves go after your Medicare cards. Experts say, never carry your Social Security card with you, to prevent theft of your SSN. But your SSN is printed on your Medicare card, which we are told we should carry. Thieves know this. For ages Americans have been asking our government to remove that critical number from the Medicare card, but to no avail. It looks like someone might finally be listening. With the rise of cyber-attacks involving medical...
Similar to ‘First Aid’ and ‘CPR,’ ‘Mental Health First Aid’ is designed to arm the public with skills to help individuals who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental Health First Aid is a non-clinical, public education experience offered as an interactive 8-hour certification course that presents an overview of mental illness and substance use issues in the U.S. The course addresses the fear and stigma associated with mental illness and introduces participants to risk factors and warning sig...
New dissolving electronic heart stents Researchers have now come up with an electronic stent that can provide innovative therapy and then dissolve. It is now estimated that every year a half-million Americans undergo surgery to have a stent prop open a coronary artery narrowed by plaque. However, a major drawback with stents has been that sometimes the mesh tubes get clogged. Scientists are now reporting in the journal Nano that they have come with a new kind of multi-tasking stent that could...
