grow older better

Category: Health

  • Learning The Hard Way – Again

    hibernating

     

    Are you a winter hibernator?

    I am – and it is not a good thing for our bodies.

     

    [Maybe bears can do it –I can’t.]

    In the winter, I tend to just take walks and do some stretching to keep my hamstrings flexible – but otherwise I kind of become someone who sits too much – and as we know, that is not good for a body.

    As we get older, it seems we need to keep all parts in flexible working order and to do that, we cannot hibernate!

    downward dog poseI re-learned this recently when I started back into doing yoga! 

    I had lost a real lot of my flexibility – and could not easily [or even] do much of what was so easy before I hibernated!!

     

     

     

     

    The obvious moral of the story is that we all need to do a variety of exercising to stay flexible – and as we age, it seems we cannot take off for a long period of time without it having a major impact.

    OUCH!

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you…..

     

     

  • Do You Do X Or Have Y? Then We Have A Pill For You!

     money and meds - big pharma

    I am getting very tired of the ads on TV that make you think that normal bodily functions are now ailments that need pills…

     

     

     

    Personally:

    • I urinate a lot.
    • I have always urinated a lot.
    • I will always urinate a lot

    Do I think it’s a problem? Of course not.

    It’s my body and it’s the way my body functions.

    Would I take a pill because somebody thinks this is a problem?  Of course not.

    There is an ad about urination with the woman helping her daughter  try on a wedding gown and it seems like the daughter is miffed with the mother – and the mother is embarrassed – why?

    Because the mother has to go to the bathroom instead of giving her undivided attention to her daughter! 

    Well Duh!  Doesn’t that now grown up child know about her mother’s frequent urination?

    My kid did – and it was a family a joke.

    In fact, it’s been a joke with my friends and everyone as car back as I can remember.

    I was always known as the friend, in New York City, who knew where all the bathrooms were – c’mon I mean that’s an honor.

    When camping, I could always find the outhouses in campgrounds – in the dark too.

    And I have no problems peeing behind bushes, etc. when hiking, skiing, or whatever I am doing.

    If that daughter and that mother were having a problem now, when the daughter is an adult, I do wonder about the parent-child relationship and the fact that this was never discussed.

    The next ad that sent me screaming at the television set was one where the question was raised “do you have a lot of tissues in your pocket?”

    Again – duh! Of course I do! Noses run! That’s what noses do!

    But – guess what? You need a pill.

    Why would I want to take a pill to stop my nose from running or to stop urinating and when those are normal activities?

    And why on earth would I want to take a pill when they tell me about all the possible side effects the pill will create?

    Sadly, all these pills are designed only to make gobs of money for the pharmaceutical companies.

    And – if you get sick from the pill that stops up your nose or stops you from peeing?

    Well – guess what? We have pills for that too!

    Thoughts?  Comments? Thank you!

     

  • Grapefruit Juice and Your Medications

    Do you drink grapefruit juice? 

    Do you take medications?


    If you answer yes to both – please read this whole article to see if your medications are among those that interact with grapefruit juice.

    For some medications:

    Taking one tablet with a glass of grapefruit juice is like taking 20 tablets with a glass of water," Bailey said. "This is unintentional overdosing. So it's not surprising that these levels go from what we call therapeutic to toxic.

    And if you have friends or family members who love their grapefruit and/or grapefruit juice – please let them know about this article.

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you!

  • Eyes, hairlines, and hearts

    heart-health

    Wow!

    If you "look old," and have signs of aging such as a receding hairline – it may be linked to your heart's health!


     

     

    If you look old, your heart may feel old, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2012.

    In a new study, those who had three to four aging signs — receding hairline at the temples, baldness at the head’s crown, earlobe crease, or yellow fatty deposits around the eyelid (xanthelasmata) — had a 57 percent increased risk for heart attack External link and a 39 percent increased risk for heart disease External link.

    “The visible signs of aging reflect physiologic or biological age, not chronological age, and are independent of chronological age,” said Anne Tybjaerg-Hansen, M.D., the study’s senior author and professor of clinical biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

    I admit, I went and looked in a mirror after reading the article…phew – no receding or other of the signs….

    Not to scare anyone – but take a look in the mirror and discuss any of these signs with your physician!


    Comments? Thoughts? [Worries?]

  • Confused About Medicare?

    Are you confused about all your Medicare choices?

    confused-about-medicare

    It's "open enrollment season" which means every plan in your state may be contacting you!

     

     

    It also means that almost every plan in you state will mail you some information and maybe invite you to call them or meet with them..


    One Oregon plan offered a "free" re-useable shopping bag if I met with them.


    Let's see – drive about a 20 round trip [maybe use a gallon of gas for almost $4.00]  – plus spend my time driving and then listening to a sales pitch.


    For that I get something I can get at for a few bucks…and I can never recoup the time..


    Now if I were interested in that plan I'd go – but then if it were that good they would not have to entice me with a cheap promo item.


    For those who do go to these "events" – aka sales pitches – PLEASE – be careful…

     

    If you sign on to that plan – confused-about-a-contractyou are locked into it for the upcoming year!


    It is a legal contract – one you should not be pressured into signing.


    You have until December 7th to make your decision.

     

    There is absolutely no reason to be pressured.

     

    Comments? Thank you….