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News worth toasting Drinking red wine may help lower your risk for dementia, according to researchers at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. However, they warn that moderation is the key. The researchers just published a study that showed a compound found in common foods such as red grapes and peanuts may help prevent age-related decline in memory. Resveratrol is an antioxidant that is found in the skin of red grapes, as well as in red wine, peanuts and some berries. It has...
The National Sleep Foundation kicks off Sleep Awareness Week with the nationwide Sleep in America Poll and ends on Daylight Savings Time each year in early March. It's no coincidence that Sleep Awareness Week coincides with Daylight Savings Time, the annual spring forward that comes with a loss of an hour of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation chose to host the event in early March due to the increase in sleep deprived related accidents, says Kevin Asp, founder of Alaska Sleep Clinic. In 2003,...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. continues its spring series of health fairs this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. 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 panels 27 different tests for conditions ranging from diabetes, kidney and liver function, thyroid, prostate, bone metabolism and more. There are also tests to check...
Reliably taking medications at the right time in the right way (with food, or an hour before eating, etc.) can be a serious chore. Here are a few common problems and tips. Remembering whether you took a prescription Finding a system that works for you to track whether you’ve taken each med is key. Some people like using pill dispensers, some people like a weekly paper chart with boxes they can check off. Once the meds are filled in, the chart can be photocopied and kept near where drugs are s...
Julius Caesar was told to beware of the “ides of March” and that used to be a warning to us, too, to get our taxes done by the 15th. But the great IRS decided to give us another month, and so we can now relax until the 15th of April. Most seniors, if their income is only from Social Security, will not have to file for taxes anyway. Since this is the 50th anniversary year for the Medicare program, I am reiterating the following information for people who are new to Medicare and/or for the peo...
While we know diabetes can lead to complications and terrible health conditions, we also know diabetes can be managed and quality of life improved. Getting control of diabetes involves the whole person. Though managing your diabetes may feel overwhelming, the key is to work on two or three actions that lead to positive change. A combination of education and support can set you up for success. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sponsors a program called “Everyone with Diabetes Counts.” This program helps families and people wit...
My youngest cousin, age 50, is the daughter I never had. Now she is dying of liver disease. Laura was here for a visit a few months ago, along with her two brothers and her father — my brother, Douglas. It was a delightful family visit, although Laura spent considerable time resting in our basement bedroom, missing out on the guffaws and accompanying banter, along with accounts of our recollections of past happier years when we all lived in Washington. Laura was the youngest of Doug’s offspring – a little child in glasses. She grew up to be a...
UAA’s Dental Hygiene Clinic is providing reduced cost dental hygiene care to staff, students and community members. As part of the Dental Hygiene program, students see patients under the supervision of a dentist from the Anchorage community. The clinic is HIPAA compliant and maintains the highest level of infection control procedures for patient safety. Services offered consist of dental examinations, dental cleanings, x-rays and sealants. Costs are less than private dental practices, however, the time needed to complete each service takes l...
Holy guacamole! An avocado a day may keep the doctor away It is believed that eating avocados may provide many important health benefits, and now you can add lowering your cholesterol levels to the list. A new study has found that individuals on a moderate-fat diet who ate an avocado every day had lower bad cholesterol (LDL ) levels than those on a similar diet without an avocado a day or on a lower-fat diet. The study, which was just published in the Journal of the American Heart Association,...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in March. This month’s theme is National Brain Awareness Month. March 2, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 12, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall, 5 p.m. March 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. March 17, Caregiver support meeting at Anchor Point Senior C...
Airbags, now found in virtually every vehicle, have saved countless lives and substantially reduced the severity of injuries in crashes. Similar technology could greatly reduce broken hips resulting from a fall, something most seniors fear. In view of a rapidly growing senior population, other techniques could also greatly reduce the number of these life-changing injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year one out of every three adults 65 and older...
As a Valentines’ Day present to yourself, you might ask your doctor if any of your prescriptions are coming available as generics. 2015 is slated to be a big year for popular name-brand drugs to come off patent. Some of the big names on the list are Abilify, Nexium, Epipen, Namenda, Zyvox and Emend. Here’s a list of anticipated generic medications: www.corporatepharmacy.com/page/upcoming_generic_drugs. Release dates may be delayed if manufacturers get into legal squabbles with each other. Man...
Happy Shortest Month of the Newest Year! To those of you who bought the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan, I am sorry to tell you that there was incorrect information about pharmacies who participated in Aetna’s 2015 Part D website during the open enrollment period. Community pharmacists and beneficiary advocates say that the situation is problematic but the National Community Pharmacists Association called the situation a “bait and switch” on beneficiaries. Centers for Medicare and Medic...
Alaska Health Fairs, Inc. begins its spring series of health fairs this month, featuring free health screenings and education, low cost blood tests and more. The 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 panels 27 different...
Yoga may help boost brain function in older adults A simple yoga program may be good for the brain in unexpected ways. University of Illinois researchers are now reporting that practicing hatha yoga three times a week for eight weeks may help improve sedentary older adults’ performance on cognitive tasks that are relevant to everyday life. The findings involved 108 adults between the ages of 55 and 79 years of age. Among the 108 adults, 61 attended hatha yoga classes. The others met for the s...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in February. This month’s theme is National Heart Month. Feb. 3, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 10, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 12, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall, 5 p.m. Feb. 17, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Feb. 24, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Please j...
Millions of Americans are suffering needlessly with chronic pain, according to a new book, A Nation in Pain. The author, Judy Foreman, calls the opioid wars not only medical but psychological, economic, political and cultural. We are suffering needlessly in what she calls “an unrecognized health epidemic.” Pain is the main reason seniors visit their doctors. Research has shown that 50 percent of older adults who live on their own and 75 percent to 85 percent of the elderly in care facilities suffer from chronic pain. Yet, pain among older adu...
Attitudes about marijuana and its use are changing nationwide. Alaska, along with Washington, Colorado and Oregon, has lifted the prohibition on its use. The voter-approved changes in each state are expected to bring in millions of dollars through taxes. However, the real windfall may be for Alaska residents and others with chronic health problems. The active ingredient in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is now showing promise for treating chronic pain conditions, nerve pain and nausea...
If affording your prescriptions is a challenge, please don’t turn to ‘cost-cutting’ measures like going without, or maybe taking one pill a day instead of two, or splitting your pills and only taking half your prescribed dose. These can end up costing you far more than they save you. There are almost always ways to make your prescriptions affordable. First, tell your pharmacist you need something cheaper. Sometimes you can take a less expensive medicine instead. For example, the New York Times...
Breast cancer vaccine showing promise The New Year is ushering in new hope for women who have advanced breast cancer. Researchers are now reporting success with a novel breast cancer vaccine that appears to be safe and effective for helping women with metastatic breast cancer. Preliminary evidence also suggests that the vaccine specifically primes the patients’ immune systems to attack tumor cells and help slow the cancer’s progression. The vaccine causes the body’s immune system to hone in on...
The Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program will hold the following peer support meetings in January. This month’s theme is National Senior Independence Month. Jan. 6, Caregiver support meeting at Sterling Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 13, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 15, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Peninsula Family Caregiver Support Program in the Blazy Mall, 5 p.m. Jan. 20, Caregiver support meeting at Kenai Senior Center, 1 p.m. Jan. 27, Caregiver support meeting at Soldotna Senior Center, 1...
If you’re like most of us, you detest those darn child-proof caps that come on every medication. In fact, you may have tossed the troublesome lids. And you may be in the habit of keeping your medications on bedside tables or other easily reachable places. You should know, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 80 percent of emergency room visits are from medication overdose among kids 12 and under, usually because they were curious when they found medicines that resembled candy. That’s the equivalent of four busloads of kids, eve...
An ethical will is a document which expresses your wishes, hopes and maybe blessings. It’s something you share with family members while you are still alive. Sound unimportant? Think about it. You could look at it as a way to impart wisdom to those you will leave behind. It’s easier than a memoir and a good way to convey important ideas. I had a friend – Annette – who suffered a serious brain injury at age 42. Before she went into a surgery, which she knew she might not survive, she wrote short letters to her daughters, husband, parents...
Medicine helps us tremendously, but occasionally we experience negative side effects, allergic reactions or other problems. Sometimes they’re quite serious. It’s important to be aware of potential problems so you can watch for them and report them right away before they become dangerous. An Anchorage woman recently contacted me and asked me to share her tale, in the hopes that it might spare others some of the trouble she’d had. I agreed, because I’ve heard so many similar stories over the yea...
My friends, I always regret it when I have to report not so good news to you. The Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans for 2015 are the unpalatable ones that I always knew they would be since the program started – there are no good policies that I can suggest to my clients. The lowest premium (Humana Walmart) is $15.60, but it comes with a whopping $320 deductible. In fact, most of the plans have a deductible of $320. Why do you think that is? Is this collusion? And why is there still a ...
