grow older better

Author: Lynn Dorman, Ph.D.

  • Back to standard time

    I’m not sure why this year is so different for me – the change of time was only a week different from what is used to be but my body is more mixed up. I sleep okay and wake up okay but I’m hungry at odd times…and I am tired earlier.

    I could see if my stomach was off by an hour – but it’s way off…like I had supper at 3 PM today. I assume the tiredness is related to the dark so I try to get as much sunlight as possible during the day [and it’s great that we have not had the usual Portland cloudy drizzly days.]

    And soon will come the stretch of time when it is still dark out at 7:50AM. That shocked me when I first moved out here. It’s just an odd sensation to have that drastic a change from what I was used to on the East coast…

    Wonder how much of this might be related to aging? Exercising more? Different climate? It’s hard to separate out all the variables as I changed so many in the same time frame….

    glyconutrients, healthy aging, growing older, aging, nutrition, exercise, eating properly,

  • Information about medical schools and drug companies

    Disclaimer – I take vitamins and supplements. I also market vitamins and supplements.

    But did you ever stop to wonder why the big pharmas and your docs tell you vitamins are a waste of money? And why certain meds are seemingly pushed at you? Read on…..

    Medical School Department Heads Financially Connected to Drug Companies
    Breaking News
    By VRP Staff

    A new survey indicates that almost two thirds of department heads at U.S. medical schools have financial ties to drug companies.

    The survey, conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, was distributed to all 125 accredited medical schools and the nation’s largest teaching hospitals. A total of 459 of 688 eligible department chairs completed the survey.

    The results indicated that many of the academic leaders at these institutions served as paid consultants to the pharmaceutical industry or accepted free meals and drinks from drug company representatives. Overall, 60 percent of the department heads had a personal financial relationship with the drug companies. Twenty-seven percent reported serving as a paid consultant to the pharmaceutical industry and an equivalent amount of respondents also reported serving on a drug company scientific advisory board. Furthermore, 21 percent of these academic leaders reported serving on speakers’ bureaus for the drug industry. Eleven percent of respondents were on the board of directors of companies involved in the medical industry. In short, the survey found that pharmaceutical companies are involved in every aspect of medical care.

    The lead author of the study, Eric Campbell, pointed out that drug companies and makers of medical devices often take advantage of these academic connections to convince physicians to widely prescribe the companies’ products to patients, even if the products aren’t necessarily in the patients’ best interest. Campbell also co-authored a study last year, which found that these same links to drug companies occur on hospital review boards that oversee experiments on patients.

    Reference:

    Campbell EG, Weissman JS, Ehringhaus S, Rao SR, Moy B, Feibelmann S, Goold SD. Institutional academic industry relationships. JAMA. 2007 Oct 17;298(15):1779-86.

    glyconutrients, healthy aging, growing older, aging, nutrition, exercise, eating properly,

  • The free food come on

    Some Medigap providers invite you to a meal – a FREE meal! Why? Because few turn down free meals. But with the food comes a sales pitch.

    You can eat the food and say NO – not interested. Or say “let me take the information home and study it.” If you feel pressured by the sales people to sign up right there and then – it’s a good chance they are working on a commission and do not really care about you except as part of their commission check!

    High pressure sales tactics are not unheard of – several insurers got in trouble due to this a while back. If any sales person tells you that you must sign up for their insurance immediately because it’s a limited time offer – RUN the other way! You have a few months in which to make the decision…and it’s one that you want to think about.

    Changing insurers may mean you need to switch physicians and you’ll want to think about that. You’ll need to check each plan in which you might have interest and see if your current providers are part of the new plan. You’ll also want to compare out of pocket costs like co-payments, daily hospital rates and the maximum you must pay before the insurance kicks in.

    I got a “blurb” in the mail yesterday that said it starts at $0. [There are a few of these.] So I went online to find out more about this because I was not about to call them and talk to a sales person. For starters even tho I am web savvy – the site was not easy to negotiate and for many of the questions I had – I needed to open a .pdf file.

    So I decided to stop looking at that insurance for now because it seemed to me the goal of the site was to get me to call or go to a meeting – which is exactly what I was trying to NOT do!

    glyconutrients, healthy aging, growing older, aging, nutrition, exercise, eating properly,

  • It’s Almost November

    I have posted some of the funnier scams that arrive in my email boxes but now it’s time to pay attention to the onslaught of information and potential for scams that will come to your phone or house.

    If you are a Medicare recipient – you can switch plans starting in November. My local paper is already carrying large ads for insurers who want you to chose them…

    There is nothing wrong with switching plans – IF – and it’s a big IF –

    IF – it’s really your well considered option!

    I’ll post more on this over the next few days – but for now – just be careful.

    glyconutrients, healthy aging, growing older, aging, nutrition, exercise, eating properly,

  • Art and artists

    This is the weekend of my art group’s show….I’ll be back to more regular blogging next week.

    Getting ready is a bit stressful – but it’s a good kind of stress – the kind that can motivate and get you revved up!
    This is one of those kinds of stress I do not wish to eliminate – or I won’t get everything done : -)

    If you are in the Portland Oregon area this Sunday – here is our Press Release

    ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists
    503.244.0794
    info@northwestjewishartists.org
    http://www.northwestjewishartists.org

    CELEBRATION OF ART:
    Portland, Oregon- October 28th, 9am-3pm
    Neveh Shalom
    2900 SW Peaceful Lane
    Portland Oregon

    The magic begins as you enter our Main Exhibit Hall. Live music by well known recording artists and performers will greet your ears, and a coffee house featuring fresh treats will tantalize your palate as you listen to the musical stylings of Stephanie Schneiderman (of Dirty Martini fame), George Fendel, jazz pianist, and Justin Jude, recently named “Oregon’s Best Singer/Songwriter 2007!”

    Stroll from exhibit to exhibit to experience a unique show that blends the best elements of a gallery opening with an artist colony tour — with a coffee house of a forgotten age tossed in. Celebrating their second year as a collective, ORA artists invite the public to
    discover their new work. Although the artists are Jewish, Judaic and secular works are available for purchase.

    Members of ORA are: Rosana Berdichevsky , collage and multi-media; Lynn Dorman, photography; Leslie Elder water colors, Robin Esterkin, water color, acrylic and mixed media; Laurie Fendel, fabric construction; Diane Fredgant, silk painting; Sara Harwin, fabric construction, acrylic painting and serigraph prints; Julie Hockley, hand-cast precious metal jewelry & ritual objects; Esther Liberman, handmade bead work; Sharon Segal, acrylic and mixed media paintings and cards; Eddy Shuldman, fused glass; and Sabina Wohlfeiler, water color paintings.

    You don’t need to be Jewish to come look, schmooze with the artists, nosh a little, and buy art that speaks to you., Best of all, admission is free!

    For more information please visit our website: www.northwestjewishartists.org

    glyconutrients, healthy aging, growing older, aging, nutrition, exercise, eating properly,