ELDR blogs

Tips for Safely Managing Your Medications

Thu, 15 May 2008 11:51:54 -0400

Q. My daughter heard that grapefruit juice can be toxic for some people. Is that true?

A. The juice, itself, is not toxic, but you should be careful taking medicine with any grapefruit.

Grapefruit juice can raise the level of some medications in the blood. The effect of grapefruit was discovered after using juice to mask the taste of a medicine. So, be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if it is safe to have grapefruit with your medications.

Taking medicine can be hazardous to your health. You have to know what you're doing.

For example, calcium-rich dairy products or certain antacids can prevent antibiotics from being properly absorbed into the bloodstream. Ginkgo biloba can reduce the effectiveness of blood-thinning medications and raise the risk for serious complications such as stroke.

You should educate yourself so you know what active ingredients are in the prescription and over-the-counter medicines you are taking.

Some people treat over-the-counter pain relievers as if they are harmless. They can hurt you if you take them improperly. They contain drugs such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen sodium and aspirin. Acetaminophen is in Tylenol. Ibuprofen is in Advil. Naproxen sodium is in Aleve.

Many prescription or over-the-counter medicines that treat multiple symptoms, such as cold and flu medications, also include acetaminophen and the other pain-relieving ingredients. So you have to be careful not to take too much of any one ingredient by ingesting more than one medication that contains that ingredient.

Seniors take more medicines than any other age group because they have more health problems. Taking several drugs a day presents dangers. Here are some more tips to avoid these hazards:

Always inform your doctor or pharmacist about all medicines you are already taking, including herbal products and over-the-counter medications.

Tell your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist about past problems you have had with medicines, such as rashes, indigestion or dizziness.

Don't mix alcohol and medicine unless your doctor or pharmacist says it's okay. Some medicines may not work well or may make you sick if you take them with alcohol.

The best advice is this: Don't be afraid to throw a lot of questions about your medicines at your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Here are some good ones:

When should I take it? As needed, or on a schedule? Before, with or between meals?
At bedtime?
How often should I take it?
How long will I have to take it?
How will I feel once I start taking this medicine?
How will I know if this medicine is working?
If I forget to take it, what should I do?
What side effects might I expect? Should I report them?
Can this medicine interact with other prescription and over-the-counter medicines—including herbal and dietary supplements—that I am taking now?

And, ask your pharmacist to put your medicine in large, easy-to open containers with large-print labels.

About Fred Cicetti:

Healthcare writer Fred Cicetti has been a professional journalist for more than 40 years. Fred's sources are the National Institutes of Health, the academies for medical specialties and the leading medical institutions. His articles are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice; please talk to your doctor about your specific health issues.

If you would like to ask a question, please write to fred [at] healthygeezer [dot] com. Learn more about Fred at healthygeezer.com.

America Unzipped: Brian Alexander pulls off the covers

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:02:50 -0400

Brian Alexander's America Unzipped: In Search of Sex and Satisfaction (Harmony, 2008), is one of the most informative and entertaining books about sex that I've had the pleasure of reading. Alexander, MSNBC.com's "Sexploration" columnist, set out on a journey to explore the sexual mores and activities of middle America. Do "normal" Americans behave conservatively in the bedroom, or do they indulge in wild sexual expressions—even activities their neighbors and pastors might brand as "deviant" or "perverted"?

Alexander frequented sex parties, worked in a sex shop, explored kink, interviewed porn producers and actresses, attended rope bondage and fire play seminars, and thoroughly immersed himself in the world of non-vanilla sex (while still keeping his clothes on and his marriage vows intact). The result is a book filled with descriptions of the erotic lifestyles of people who might be your nurse, your librarian, a singer in your church choir, or your grandkid's teacher.

And yes, the people enjoying kinky sex aren't just the young ones. Alexander doesn't make a big deal of it when a person he interviews or observes is silver-haired, and that's one of the pleasures of this book—Boomers and elders who are enthusiastic about sex in any or all of its variations are mingled with all the other sex-positive folks. Kitty, age 50+, poses with her nightie on, then off, her behind to the camera, and posts her photos to a Web site. Don, 49, describes his "magnificent eruptions of bodily fluids" in chat rooms. Debra and Craig, 56, are unmarried swingers "reinventing ourselves" after their divorces. A man and woman, about 70, study elaborate rope-tying techniques at a seminar at the Hyatt. An elderly woman looks through her reading glasses as she uses a kitchen whisk to transmit electricity from a violet wand over the body of her husband. "Then she shocks the bald spot on the back of his head with the attentiveness of a grandmother knitting."

Personally, I have vanilla and monogamous taste in sex these days (I got what I needed from earlier experimentation), but I support everyone's right to do whatever they please with other consenting adults. And, I must admit, I find it fun to read about! I did feel a bit queasy at times: Goddess Heather (a bulked-up female bodybuilder dominatrix) "has a junkyard hanging from her cooter. Every one of her fifteen labia piercings holds a chain that reaches the floor, or an old, heavy lock." A woman (willingly) cowers in a cage at a fetish party. And all that violet wand shocking stuff was, well, shocking. But one of the wonderful things about books and imagination is that we can take magic trips into other people's experiences and emerge understanding more about the complexity of passion.

The Internet has done a lot to normalize sexual behavior previously thought of as weird or perverse, Alexander points out, whether it's watching or acting in porn online, hooking up with like-minded folks for fetish parties, discovering where you can buy rubberwear, or whatever you might be seeking.

That leads me to wonder, has the Internet freed you to explore some erotic attraction? What have you done, or considered doing, that wouldn't have been possible before we all had computers and online access? I invite your comments!

Read more about sex and aging at Joan's blog, betterthanieverexpected.blogspot.com.

A Program to Prevent and Manage Diabetes

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:35:04 -0400

Drugs and nutritional therapies that work in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.

In the clinical management of diabetes—and pre-diabetes, the prevention of diabetes—health education is critical, particularly with respect to drug therapy. Many of the patients I see with diabetes are misinformed and have doctors that are misinformed. Very frequently they have been prescribed old-fashioned types of drugs and are not taking advantage of more modern types of pharmacologic and neutriceutical agents.

Also complicating the drug therapy management of diabetic patients is the fact that we must deal not only with the glucose and insulin levels, but also the ancillary problems, such as hypertension, lipid abnormalities, hormone dysfunction—especially thyroid, adrenal, and sex hormones. Additional conditions, which complicate treatment and which must be addressed in the therapeutic modality, include visceral adiposity, homocysteine, uric acid elevation and progressive nerve and vascular problems, including retinal and renal disorders. These problems must come under an all-out attack that includes drug therapy and natural therapies, plus dedicated lifestyle changes.

The conditions secondary to diabetes and pre-diabetes are chiefly related to cardiovascular problems, because high glucose levels result in what I call the atherogenic and thrombogenic lipid profile. This profile consists in high triglycerides, low HDL, increased small particle size LDL, and changes in blood clotting characteristics. Associated problems that must be considered are postprandial hyperglycemia (elevated glucose after meals) and postprandial hyperlipidemia (elevated lipids after meals). These problems are called postprandial dysmetabolism.

Elevated glucose causes four specific problems that not only inflict damage on nerve tissue and blood vessels, but also dispose one to cardiovascular disease and accelerate the aging process:

Glycosylation. High glucose levels adhering to protein molecules causing protein and DNA damage as well as the production of AGEs: advanced glycation end products, detrimental to nerves and blood vessels.
Oxidative stress. The by-product damage done to cells in the process of burning nutrients to produce energy, countered by anti-oxidants.
Inflammation. The body's response to cell damage, a known risk factor in cardiovascular disease. It is marked by C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, cardio-CRP, fibrinogen, and white blood count.
Thrombosis. The formation of blood clots; coronary thrombosis is a cause of heart attacks.

The Drugs

In my practice, although I specialize in holistic cardio-endocrinology, I use a number of drugs that I find essential in diabetes management, especially since the newer drugs are extremely efficient. The classes of drugs are as follows:

Sulfonylurea types (Glucotrol, DiaBeta, Micronase, Amaryl).
Meglitinides (Prandin).
Biguanides (metformin/glucophage).
Alpha glucosidase inhibitors (Precose Glyset).
TZDs or thiazolidinediones, such as Actos. Note. Avandia, is still on the market although it has been pegged as a drug that can increase heart risk.
Incretins, which include the miracle drug Byetta, an injectable.
DPP-4 inhibitor Januvia.

What is significant about these modern drugs is that they are effective not only for glucose and insulin management, but many of them have collateral benefits in treating lipids and arteriosclerosis. For example, Actos will slow the progression of arteriosclerosis and possibly reverse arteriosclerosis; glucophage and byetta also reduce weight. But additional drug therapy will be necessary for obesity, hypertension, lipids, fatigue, dysbiosis and low hormone levels.

The Neutriceuticals

With regards to neutriceuticals, as with the drugs, we target those same problems—hypertension, elevated lipids, homocysteine, inflammation, oxidative stress, thrombosis, glycosylation—plus the attendant conditions: obesity, fatigue, and hormonal dysregulation. It is not possible here to discuss in detail each neutriceutical and its effects. Here is a list of those that I have used with success in preventing and treating diabetes: fiber, magnesium, chromium, vanadium, lipoic acid, XS maitake mushroom, Garcinia cambogia, Gymnema sylvestre, fenugreek, cinnamon, Pycnogenol, Asian pumpkin extract, phaseolamin, corosolic acid, biotin and ginseng. These are among the many, many natural substances that can be used therapeutically.

Lately attention has been drawn to hormonal factors in diabetes and obesity (what I call diabesity). Frequently, I see patients with clinical hypothyroidism—that is, early stage hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone). Recent publications have indicated that a higher range of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), even a level within normal range, can be associated with inability to lose weight. Along with hypothyroidism very frequently there occurs adrenal fatigue and adrenal hormone depression. For this condition, DHEA (the body's super hormone) replacement therapy can be very effective in increasing energy and reducing visceral adiposity.

Most diabetic and pre-diabetic men I see have a testosterone deficiency. Administration of the testosterone hormone not only helps the insulin resistance of the diabetes, but also improves their endurance and energy levels, and improves libido and ED. Other problems that are often addressed in the diabetic patient are brain fog and intestinal dysbiosis, by products of the diabetic's high glucose level. For this, I use certain diets that reduce allergens, such as wheat or gluten. These diets are quite effective in reducing weight as well. Also, Candida albicans, often found in diabetic patients, must be treated.

Diet and Exercise

Of priority in the prevention and management of diabetes are a strict disciplined diet and a structured exercise program. I cannot discuss any aspect of this subject without stressing these essential elements. The diet of choice at my centers in New York is a low glycemic, modified low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet, which is low in grains, fruits, and starches and high in vegetables, salads, lean protein, with some olive oil and some red wine when indicated. The other essential is exercise. It is equally if not more important than all other therapies discussed here in the management and prevention of diabetes. I recommend "cross training"; that is, resistance training, weights and aerobics, and treadmill walking.

My program is obviously extensive and includes all of the above management therapies as well as the help and counsel of the certified medical nutritionists and diabetes educators Maria Santoro and Gia Mazzeo who are a part of my practice. I also perform at my centers a cardio-metabolic evaluation, which includes a complete cardiac evaluation and metabolic evaluation with the use of body composition studies, measurement of basal metabolic rate, measurement of a two-week daily energy expenditure, and most recently added, gastric analysis for hypochlorhydria or lack of stomach acids.

About Dr. Vagnini
Dr. Vagnini is ELDR's chief medical advisor. He is the coauthor, along with ELDR Editor-in-Chief Dave Bunnell, of the book, Count Down Your Age (McGraw-Hill). To learn more about Dr. Vagnini, visit his website »

"When Walls Become Doorways"

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:11:56 -0400

Just when we're sailing along in our lives, up pops a roadblock. So we experience frustration, mount the hurdle and resume the normalcy of our life. Yet, many people face roadblocks that are so enormous and life-changing that it is only because of their compelling creative spirit that they go on.

My sister, Dr. Tobi Zausner, writes about creativity, artists, and inner strength in her book When Walls Become Doorways. Tobi says, "When we look at the influence of physical illness on creativity we often find that instead of stopping artists, physical difficulties transform them, enhancing both their life and their work." Her book is based on years of research and an experience with ovarian cancer in 1989. "I was not expected to last the year," Tobi says, "yet I survived and my life transformed for the better."

In looking at the lives of other artists in her book, Tobi shows a similar pattern of illness and personal growth across cultures and throughout the centuries. All of these artists used their creativity to combat the effects of physical difficulties and made the world a better place because of their work.

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo became a painter after being severely injured in a traffic accident. A farm accident changed the life of the Native American Frank Day, who discovered his gift for painting while recovering in the hospital. It was dyslexia that influenced the Italian Leonardo da Vinci to be an artist, and he became one of the greatest of all time. The American artist Dorothea Lange had polio in childhood, yet she turned her suffering into compassion for others and shows that caring and compassion in her photographs. After severe hepatitis, the Japanese artist Itchiku Kubota found a new way of working and is now one of the leading kimono painters in the world.

Even physical conditions that would seem to impede a career can turn out to be enhancements. The Dutch artist Rembrandt was color blind but used his great ability to see light and shade to give enormous power to his work. The African-American artist Henry Ossawa Turner became a painter after an illness in childhood and the Chinese-American artist Raymond Hu, who has Down syndrome, does work that combines Eastern and Western techniques.

The French artist Henri Matisse was a young lawyer until the long convalescence from an appendectomy turned him to painting as a way to past the time. Later, at the age of 70, his doctors thought he would die after an operation for intestinal cancer went very badly. Yet Matisse lived another 13 years and did some of the best work of his life while sitting in a wheelchair. "Whether you can or not, you hold on" insists Matisse, and "when you're out of will power you call on stubbornness." He believes that what we think is our weakness can turn out to be our greatest strength.

So, how can we learn to create and embrace doorways when faced with what appears to be impenetrable walls in our lives? In researching biographies of artists for her book, Tobi found that they shared these qualities:

• Hardiness. The strength that helps us thrive despite obstacles.

• Resilience. The ability to bounce back after difficulties and adapt to new circumstances.

• Self-efficacy. Our belief that the things we do make a difference.

• Mastery. Success in performing tasks or in the outcome of a situation.

• Perseverance. The determination to keep going.

• The ability to handle stress. In a very long life, there can be a great deal of stress.

• A focus on work and the urge to create.

• Looking toward the future. No matter how old they are, these artists insist their best work is still to come.

As Tobi says, "Everyone has the capacity to grow and change. It comes from the great well of inner strength that we possess and can access in times of need. We are all not only stronger than we think we are but stronger than we can even imagine."

-Judith Zausner is the Founder and President of Caring Crafts, Inc. which offers craft kits and supplies to adults with fine motor skill problems and/or attention difficulties. Awarded a grant from the Society for the Arts in Health Care, Judith is dedicated to empowering creativity to encourage independence and enhance wellbeing.

The Next Big Thing: Neuroplastics

Tue, 06 May 2008 15:48:23 -0400

You remember the line in The Graduate, when a friend of Dustin Hoffman's parents pulled him aside and revealed the next big thing: "Plastics."

Well, the next big thing today may be "Neuroplastics." This is the field of medicine that explores the ability of the brain to improve itself through activity or mental exercise.

"The idea that the brain can change its own structure and function through thought and activity is, I believe, the most important alteration in our view of the brain since we first sketched out its anatomy and the workings of its basic component, the neuron," writes Dr. Norman Doidge in his book, The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science.

"The neuroplastic revolution has implications for, among other things, our understanding of how love, sex, grief, relationships, learning, addictions, culture, technology and psychotherapies change our brains," Dr. Doidge writes.

Today's New York Times has a related story: "Exercise Your Brain or Else You'll ... Uh..." The lead actor in the story: ELDR editor-in-chief David Bunnell, who recounts his techniques for maintaining the acuity of his own brain.

"Mr. Bunnell now does regular brain calisthenics, largely avoiding expensive software in favor of simpler solutions," says the Times article. "He works at memorizing the numbers that swirl around his daily life—credit cards, PINs and phone numbers—and devises mnemonics for remembering people's names. ‘Smart people find new ways to exercise their brains that don't involve buying software or taking expensive workshops,' he said."

A growing industry is turning out brain health products—both dietary supplements and computer-based products such as math and memory exercises, cognitive assessment and training and other "neurosoftware" programs.

My favorite brain exercises are crossword puzzles and the "Scramble" word game. I've tackled sodoku but so far with little success. But I haven't given up yet.

Now where did I put this morning's puzzle page?

-Lee Callaway of Redwood City, CA, has reinvented himself several times, including a transition from corporate executive to consultant, two trips back to graduate school and, most recently, as the founder of RebootYou.com. His driving force is staying active, discovering and trying new things, and continually searching for new challenges.

Attracting a Quality Staff of All Ages

Fri, 02 May 2008 17:12:04 -0400

In my last entry, I delineated the differences between the four generations currently in the workforce. How do you attract and retain the best in each age group? Here are some suggestions.

Streamline recruiting processes
Generations X and Y expect the recruiting process and decision to occur rapidly and electronically. If you keep them waiting too long, they will accept other offers. Although older workers are used to waiting, those who are reentering the workforce may not have the financial resources to navigate long recruitment processes. If you want the best and brightest, move quickly. Furthermore, for older workers, give them the choice to be contacted by e-mail or by phone.

To attract Generation X and Generation Y, provide ways to reward them that do not involve promotion.
These younger workers are less interested in climbing the ladder than in building their skills. Offer tuition reimbursement, allow time off for training opportunities, provide webinars, and /or mentoring programs. Develop your organization as a learning community that enhances their value in the marketplace yet makes it difficult, because of the learning opportunities, for them to leave.

Provide opportunities for older workers to upgrade their technological skills.
As technology changes rapidly, older workers may feel embarrassed that they are not up-to-date. Many reentry workers may question their interest in learning or their ability to understand the newer technologies. Thus, by advertising that specific positions require knowledge of certain software programs, you may be excluding people who can make a substantial contribution to your organization. Better to include technological training as part of orientation. Don't just offer classes, as some people may not be willing to ask questions. Include a coaching session for every worker and make your determination whether the person needs further training in technology at that time. You may also want to create a buddy system between the younger and older workers. Generations X and Y can provide help in technology; older workers can provide skills, wisdom and political savvy.

Consider non-traditional approaches to work including flexible work schedules, job sharing, telecommuting, and part time employment.
Younger workers, who work to live, will value the freedom and work/life balance. Older workers will jump at the chance to use their expertise and still have time for themselves and their families.

Don't forget the basics

Catch people doing what is right. There is nothing like praise to motivate people, as long as it is authentic.
Create a shared vision rather than trying to sell people on management's vision.
Allow for dissent. Remember, as author and consultant Peter Block says, "If we can not say no, our yes means little." Teach people the difference between authentic dissent that stimulates breakthroughs and inauthentic dissent- denial, rebellion and resignation.

–Aimee Bernstein is the President of Open Mind Adventures^TM. Beyond her corporate practice in leadership and organizational development, she offers personal growth workshops and webinars.

In Retirement, Boomers Stay Active

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:02:19 -0400

Older Americans are generally happy and more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior. That's the key finding of a massive study done over 26 years by University of Chicago sociologist Yang Yang.

The study, based on periodic face-to-face interviews with 28,000 people from 1972 to 2004, found that older Americans have learned to be more content with what they have than younger adults, Yang said. His study was published in the April issue of American Sociological Review.

However, get ready for the next group of people about to become "older Americans:" the baby boomers. According to the study, baby boomers are the least happy.

Linda George, Duke University aging expert, said that while older people have learned to lower their expectations and accept their achievements, baby boomers aren't lowering their aspirations at the same rate earlier generations did.

"They still seem to believe that they should have it all," George said in a New York Times article about Yang's study. "They're still thinking about having a retirement that's going to let them do everything they haven't done yet."

My translation: the boomers are going to be rebooters!

–Lee Callaway of Redwood City, CA, has reinvented himself several times, including a transition from corporate executive to consultant, two trips back to graduate school and, most recently, as the founder of RebootYou.com. His driving force is staying active, discovering and trying new things, and continually searching for new challenges.

Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:05:52 -0400

Cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and peripheral vascular disease, but not for stroke unless it is extremely high. Total cholesterol should be less than 200, with LDL or bad cholesterol less than 130. HDL, the protective or good cholesterol, which functions to carry cholesterol away from blood vessels, should be over 50. The most important number is the ratio of total cholesterol to good cholesterol (Chol/HDL), and this number should be less than 4.0.

Unfortunately, many physicians are prescribing statin drugs to patients with high cholesterol who have no history of heart disease. In women with no history of heart disease, cholesterol-lowering drugs provide no benefit in preventing heart attacks. In men with no history of heart disease, you have to treat 50 men to prevent one heart attack.

In men and women with a history of heart disease, LDL cholesterol should be brought into the range of 60-80.

Cholesterol reduction alone, however, does not always translate into clinical benefit. Ezetimibe is a newer cholesterol-lowering drug (also known as Zetia, and is a component of Vytorin) that enhances the cholesterol-lowering effect of statin drugs by reducing intestinal absorption of cholesterol. A recent study, however, reveals no improvement in carotid intima-medial thickness using Zetia. Thus, it offers no reduction in arterial blockage. Billions of dollars have been spent on a drug with no evidence of efficacy.

The statin drugs are not benign and frequently cause muscle pain and weakness that can be severe and debilitating. Symptoms may take weeks to resolve after the drug is stopped.

High cholesterol does not always mean heart disease is imminent. We have numerous patients in their 70's and 80's with high cholesterol and no disease. Some have cholesterol as high as 250-300, with LDL up to 200.

One useful test to assess risk is a coronary artery calcium score. Calcium is deposited within coronary arterial walls as part of the disease process. The higher the calcium score, measured by C-T scanning, the greater the risk of cardiac events. If the calcium score is zero, there is virtually no risk, no matter how high cholesterol is. Many patients with high cholesterol have calcium scores of zero. I tell them statin drugs will be of no benefit.

The best way to lower cholesterol is to change food choices. Eliminate dairy products, especially cheese and ice cream, keep milk to a minimum and use organic or raw milk. Some people believe raw milk is completely safe and will not elevate cholesterol levels. I have seen no studies on this. I recently lowered my cholesterol 40 points just by stopping dairy products.

Eat no more than 7 eggs a week. Reduce intake of meats, especially fatty meats like lunch meats and hot dogs. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can. They contain no cholesterol.

Supplements to lower cholesterol include niacin, fish oil, and plant sterols. We have a potent formulation called Lipichol, which contains all these supplements. The dose is two packets per day.

You can see changes in cholesterol levels within one month of making dietary and supplement changes. In many people, these nutritional changes and the addition of supplements are more effective in lowering cholesterol than statins, and they offer no risk. When the cholesterol falls low enough, we reduce or discontinue statin drugs.

- Dr. Sosin is the Founder and Medical Director of the Institute for Progressive Medicine in Irvine, California. He has authored two books, Alpha Lipoic Acid: Nature's Ultimate Antioxidant, and The Doctor's Guide to Diabetes and Your Child.

^{The information contained on this blog is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or condition. The recommendations contained on this site have not been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). No content contained on this site is a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never increase, reduce or discontinue any medication or treatment without first consulting your doctor.}

The 1-800 "Solution"

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:22:48 -0400

The more things about ourselves we want to "fix," the more tempting quick-fix promises become.

Call the toll-free number on your screen NOW! How often have you heard that and been tempted to follow orders and call? Why not? The juicer promises good health; the portable treadmill promises a better body; Victoria Principal promises beautiful skin.

We are all susceptible to some advertisements, especially those that answer our deepest desires. And sometimes the products we buy serve a simple purpose: They get us started on a program of discipline and regularity, they support our determination to fix something about ourselves that we think needs fixing.

As we get older, there seem to be more things to fix. We enter a high-maintenance era similar to that of an aging car. How much you invest in self-preservation, so to speak, depends a lot on how much you care about yourself. It's not just a matter of vanity. Unlike a car, you can't turn yourself in for a newer low-maintenance model.

The danger during this period, however, is that we will succumb to the glitter of almost any promise, ignoring simple, inexpensive solutions to our problems. For example, if losing weight is the issue, do you really need that expensive equipment? Walking doesn't cost anything, except the price of a decent pair of shoes. Using stairs instead of elevators and escalators is cheaper than buying a Stairmaster. A good body can be achieved by exercising at home with books or soup cans as your weights. And don't overlook the great exercise programs on TV. They're free!

Similarly, better skin is often the result of good diet, hormones, and cleanliness, not cosmetic miracles. Avoiding the sun like the plague also helps. And as for that magic juicer, how many such gadgets are gathering dust on the top shelf in your kitchen?

So the next time you get the urge to order one more expensive solution to a problem, stop, think...and convert that urge into a logical step toward a reasonable goal. By now you should know that there are no quick fixes—for anything.

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:28:33 -0400

The inflation figures for March came out last Wednesday. Yikes. Just when you thought it was safe to retire. I am often surprised at some of the punditry surrounding the release of inflation data. First of all, you should know that we really don't have an accurate feel for the inflation data until at least six months after the fact. The Labor Department releases figures about two weeks after the end of each month, and often revises those figures down the road sometime later.

Nonetheless, I would consider the year-over-year inflation figure of 4.0% to be pretty reliable. The commentary accompanying that figure (from Wall Street, mostly) is largely focused on the fact that most of the 4.0% is attributable to only two categories: food and energy. The implication here is that we shouldn't care about this high number since so many of the categories saw modest inflation. This is a naïve and short-sighted point of view.

In the fullness of time—meaning, over your remaining years of life—energy is ultimately the root cost input to everything we buy and do. The story of the advance in human standards of living over the millennia is the story of our ability to harness and process even larger amounts of energy, per capita. We have gotten very good at harnessing energy, at an ever-lower real cost. If the price of energy is going to rise faster than other goods and production inputs, all prices will eventually rise.

If you're a working stiff like me, you hope that your wages rise along with prices. If they do, then there isn't too much to worry about. The 1970's weren't fun, from an economic perspective, but life went on and here we all are today. That assessment is tainted by what statisticians call "survivorship bias." Survivorship bias is best illustrated by imagining that you asked a room full of bicyclists to raise their hands if they have ever had a fatal accident due to not wearing a bike helmet. No hands go up? Then you conclude that wearing bike helmets is not really necessary.

Concluding that we all got through a past inflationary period just fine forgets that those who did not get through the period just fine aren't around to remind us of the fact. Somebody who retired at age 65 in 1968 saw his stock and bond portfolio nearly destroyed over the ensuing 15 years, and he's not around any longer to serve witness. There also weren't as many of those folks, as a percentage of the population at the time. So we tended not to notice them. They lived in the spare room in the homes of their grown kids.

Inflation is the real deal, my friends. It is a corrosive tax on accumulated wealth that cannot be dodged, deferred or sheltered. Ten years of inflation at 4.0% will wipe out fully half of the value of your accumulated wealth. Investment strategies absolutely, positively must be built, ensuring that your investment returns stay one step ahead of inflation.

–Rick Ashburn, CFA, is Chief Investment Officer of Creekside
Partners Investment Counsel in Lafayette, California. He has managed
investments for institutional and private clients for 23 years. Visit
his website at creeksidepartners.com, or e-mail him at rick [at] creeksidepartners [dot] com.

Feeding a Passion for Art

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:10:53 -0400

It's no secret that we're all different. Some of us settle in quiet retirement and enjoy time that we did not have earlier. Vacations, family visits and hobbies are enjoyed with more flexibility. Yet there is a unique group of older New York City artists who refuse to retire because they have a passionate need to be vital with their art. Their lifetime focus has not changed; their daily routines have altered only to adjust to their physical demands.

Supported by the Pollack-Krasner Foundation and the Cornell Institute for Translational Research on Aging, Joan Jeffri's project "Above Ground: Information on Artists III: Special Focus New York City Aging Artists" exemplifies the creative stamina of these individuals whose average age was 73. Joan states "The resilience of artists in relation to their art is a testimony to old age. All the artists we interviewed visited their studios on a frequent and sometimes daily basis, even if it took 1.5 hours to walk the three blocks to the studio. When the medium became too taxing-such as large-scale sculpture or paintings, not one artist talked of giving up art; s/he simply changed the medium."

Many artists have experienced tremendous success in their later years:

Grandma Moses didn't start to paint until the age of 67 when her husband died. She said, "If I didn't start painting, I would have had to raise chickens."
Beatrice Wood, a leading ceramic artist, did some of her best work in her nineties and lived to be 105.
Al Hirschfeld, at 93, had four major exhibitions of his work and the following year created a wonderful self-portrait.

It is their life drive to be creative that propels these artists forward despite their years and despite their physical ailments. Grandma Moses said, "Life is what we make of it, always has been, always will be."

-Judith Zausner is the Founder and President of Caring Crafts, Inc. which offers craft kits and supplies to adults with fine motor skill problems and/or attention difficulties. Awarded a grant from the Society for the Arts in Health Care in recognition of its "commitment to integrating the arts and healing", Judith is dedicated to empowering creativity to encourage independence and enhance wellbeing.

Teach Me Tonight

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:47:18 -0400

Whether you loved or hated school, retirement is a great time to learn about things you wish you had studied before (such as the stock market), entirely new subjects (the history of opera), or subjects already of interest (World War II). Taking a class, even online, could add years to your life, because just like your heart, your brain needs to be exercised in order to stay healthy . And usually there are no exams or homework for you to worry about.

Lifelong learning is a term that has recently been added to the retirement lexicon. The "lifelong," "extended," and "continuing education" labels refer to those courses offered at colleges and universities for students who aren't necessarily looking for credits but want to continue their education. There are courses in everything from bioethics, literature, and spirituality to the history of the American musical. In some situations, subjects cover areas chosen by the students themselves. For example the class might involve activities such as a weekly nature walk to identify local plants and trees, followed by a discussion and slide show. Sometimes the programs avoid using the words class and teacher and identify the gathering as a "study group" with a "coordinator" instead.

If a semester or a month seems too long a commitment to make, you can find courses as short as a day, even in serious subjects, often taught by professors from Ivy League colleges. Other programs offer weeklong summer seminars in vacation settings. After all, boomers are probably the best-educated generation in history, and we have been brought up to value learning. While we may have vowed never to take another course once we earned our degree forty years ago, we still have interests in many things, and years of brain activity ahead of us. Check your local centers of higher education and libraries for the most up-to-date listings of continuing education near you.

Learning is not limited to educational institutions. Join a book group in your neighborhood or one organized by your local library; check the lecture series at the nearby community center or religious institution; join a writing group, a knitters' society, or a bridge club. Take a comedy class, learn to play the piccolo, try hip-hop or swing dancing. And don't forget all the options available on the Internet. Language classes are a good place to start, especially if you are planning to travel abroad. Learning a language electronically enhances your computer skills and, of course, teaches you the basic language skills you need when traveling. Some people like to combine the visual computer lesson with a conversational language class so they can actually hear what the new words sound like; conversely, if you are a person for whom the aural experience of language is not enough, sign up for a computer language course simultaneously with the active one and you will soon be a star pupil. Any chance to learn something new is like a health club for the brain.

Playing a musical instrument is a wonderful thing to do in retirement. So many people regret not sticking with their childhood music lessons. Well, there are no excuses now. You have the time, patience (hopefully), and resources, and there's nothing to stand in the way of your practicing. If you never started, or if you once played but gave it up later, now is a great time to take lessons. If you don't own your instrument of choice, you can rent whatever you need. If you don't have the space for a piano, keyboards with weighted keys are a great substitute. Most will accommodate headphones and can be used even when the rest of the household is sleeping.

If you don't want to deal with a music teacher, computer programs can bring out your inner Chopin or Ringo. There are digital keyboards, guitars that hook right in to the computer, and even a program that teaches you to sing. Or try a group music class at your community college, senior center, or musical instrument store. You might wind up forming a band with your classmates. Retirement is all about trying something new, seeing if you enjoy it, and moving on if you don't. But first you must try it. Sitting and looking at the catalog is not enough.

–Miriam Goodman is the author of Reinventing Retirement: 389 Bright Ideas about Family, Friends, Health, What to Do and Where to Live, from Chronicle Books, at book stores and online.

Pre-Diabetes: The Ticking Clock

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:09:15 -0400

In preventive medicine, scientists and practitioners are always looking for the origin and causes of disease. In a study of Korean War soldiers 55 years ago, scientists were surprised to find the beginnings of cardiovascular disease in these young men. Today practitioners are watching for cardiovascular risk factors in children. A number of recent studies report that the signs that diabetes is coming on can be detected long before there is a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes.

This phenomenon is called "the ticking clock." The San Antonio Heart Study, conducted in the '80s and '90s, found that many subjects with identifiable heart disease risk factors turned out to develop diabetes in the course of the 15-year study. Ironically, while all indications are that heart disease mortality is decreasing—either because of early detection and/or aggressive clinical and technological treatment—the prevalence of diabetes is increasing and becoming an American epidemic.

In another broad population study of nutritional and behavioral habits in European countries, researchers happened to find a correlation between relatively low hemoglobin A1C markers and mortality risks. The A1C test uses a blood hemoglobin marker to determine the average level of glucose in the blood over a three-month period. An A1C level of 5 to 5.9 % or closer to 6 is indicative of pre-diabetes. A level of 6 and a 3-month average blood glucose of 135 mg/dl indicates diabetes. What this analysis found is that even at A1C levels below 6% there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.

In the Nurses Health Study, conducted in the '70s and '80s and involving more than 100 thousand women, the analysts found that women who eventually developed diabetes were at a significantly elevated risk of heart attack and stroke prior to the diagnosis of diabetes (see chart below).

The signs of risk of cardiovascular disease began at least 15 years before the diagnosis of diabetes. That's the "ticking clock."

An Interview with Dr. Vangini on the ‘Ticking Clock' in Clinical Practice

Q: Do you discuss the metabolic syndrome and the ticking clock with a patient who you suspect?

Dr. V: I absolutely do. When I treat many patients in the area of cardio-metabolic prevention, I always tell them I am not only treating them for today but for down the line in 15 to 20 years. I tell them that if they continue with their multiple metabolic risk factors—high blood pressure, visceral adiposity, elevated lipids, and elevated glucose levels—they are at risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cancer. I make that very clear to them.

Q: What tests do you perform to determine whether a patient is a suspect of the ticking clock?

Dr V: The five tests I always perform from my cardio-preventive and cardio-metabolic point of view are as follows:

A carotid duplex, which is an ultrasound evaluation of the carotid arteries in the neck, keeping in mind that 50% of strokes are caused by carotid occlusive disease.
A cardiac echo, which determines cardiac performance, valve function, and heart size.
A nuclear or stress echo to determine myocardial ischemia or perfusion.
Coronary cat-scan testing that will determine premature or advanced coronary disease. Even in the face of a negative stress test, this should be performed on everyone age fifty and over, and on those below age fifty who are at risk.
Peripheral vascular evaluation either by a certified physician that can determine peripheral pulses or a non-invasive peripheral study to determine the ankle/arm index.

Q: What treatments do you apply?

Dr V: My treatments are very similar to those used in my cardio-preventive program. I start with lifestyle changes, including the right diet, exercise, stress reduction, prayer, and pharmaceuticals if necessary. I continue with neutriceuticals in accordance with my cardio-nutrition program, using natural therapies geared toward high blood pressure, cholesterol, atherosclerosis, high triglycerides, blood glucose, weight problems and blood vessel wall problems.

Q: How prevalent are these problems (metabolic syndrome and ticking clock) in the patients you see?

Dr. V: Almost every patient I see is involved in some way with an increase in cardio-metabolic risk. Individuals with any type of heart disease—certainly high blood pressure, heart attack, lipid abnormalities—are at a very high risk for elevated glucose and diabetes. As a matter of fact, in the recent American College of Cardiology supplement on the endocannabinoid system, an article indicated (with regards to ticking clock) that individuals have a prolonged period during which their blood vessels are bathing in high glucose levels and high insulin levels, making them candidates for follow-up cardiovascular problems.

Q: Do you find patients with different degrees of these problems? How long does it take to get them under control?

Dr. V: There are many patients coming in with pre-diabetes who are at risk for diabetes, heart attack and stroke. There was a recent article in the February 11 online issue of Diabetes Care naming predictors identifying patients with hypertension and diabetes. The main ones are BMI and fasting glucose. I also find elevated triglycerides are very significant. As a matter of fact, individuals with a family history of diabetes, belly fat, and high triglycerides have a ten times greater risk of developing diabetes. I find the complete gamut of patients, ranging from those who are mildly overweight to pre-diabetes to frank diabetes—which is epidemic at this time—and those with cardiovascular complications. With regards to how long it takes to get them under control, it depends on the severity.

Q: Has your clinical experience convinced you of the validity of the ticking clock hypothesis? Is the hypothesis a valuable bit of information for preventive practice?

Dr. V: Yes, without question. I have followed patients who are not compliant and have seen them develop diabetic and vascular complications. It is not uncommon for patients to come in and say, "Doc, I should have listened to you 10 years ago. You were right."

The ticking clock is one of the key hypotheses that will allow people to start and have a successful preventive program to address insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and their complications—that include an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

About Dr. Vagnini
Dr. Vagnini is ELDR's chief medical advisor. He is the coauthor, along with ELDR Editor-in-Chief Dave Bunnell, of the book Count Down Your Age (McGraw-Hill). To learn more about Dr. Vagnini, visit his website »

Myths Surrounding Psychiatric Drugs

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:52:33 -0400

I have been in the practice of Internal Medicine for 30 years. For the last 20 years I have worked in holistic medicine. That involves a merging of conventional medical practice with alternative techniques. It especially involves using nutritional therapies and other approaches that help the body to heal itself, and limiting the use of drugs and surgical procedures, which may worsen the condition they are intended to treat, or create damaging complications.

Drugs and surgery are overused. Hundreds of thousands of patients in the United States are killed or seriously injured every year by their treatments. Physicians are trained and habituated to prescribe the medicine or the operation that will resolve the condition. Doctors are addicted to giving drugs. Failing to offer a drug in some quarters is tantamount to committing medical malpractice. Much of this unconscious mindset is the product of pharmaceutical salesmanship. You make a diagnosis because the patient needs to have a label for his condition. Then you choose the correct drugs, and you give them in this order, and you add this one to that one if the first one doesn't work. That is the way it works for all illnesses, including psychiatric illnesses.

We pay a big price for this behavior. People are made sick by their cures. Little opportunity is offered for the enormous benefits of nutritional therapies. Vitamin and mineral supplements are ignored or called quackery. Lifestyle changes are given lip service and little else. Doctors don't believe that patients can be responsible for their own health, and therefore impose on their patients a chemical tyranny.

The situation is the worst in psychiatry. Patients, because they are considered mentally less than competent, are given even less choice in their therapy. Drugs are recommended for life because the diagnosis is considered permanent. Therefore, a five-year-old child labeled with ADHD is prescribed Ritalin®, and because psychiatrists believe that ADHD persists in adulthood, this amphetamine-like drug is prescribed forever. Never mind that amphetamine-like drugs are addicting and may lead to addiction to other drugs.

Because there is almost no science involved in the understanding of psychiatric illness, and almost no understanding of how the drugs work, it is often the case that the drug chosen is ineffective. Then a second drug is added, and a third, and sometimes a fourth. I have seen patients who were prescribed 5 psychiatric drugs at the same time, and even one who was taking 8 psychiatric drugs at once. These patients never did well. They were groggy, confused, couldn't communicate, and unable to function in the activities of daily life.

It is ironic that our society treats substance abuse with more drugs. I have worked with drug abuse patients for over twenty years as part of my practice. Unless they are fortunate enough to enter a drug-free program like Narconon, where rehabilitation is achieved entirely without drugs, these people will receive legal drugs to get them off their street drugs. Thus a person using heroin will be put on Methadone maintenance, with legal narcotics, and a person using cocaine or amphetamines will be put on Prozac®, Wellbutrin®, Risperdal®, and related drugs. Many of them will continue to use street drugs at the same time, because the prescribed drugs don't handle their problem.

Sometimes the drugs have effects opposite to what was intended. I have seen depressed patients who did not think of committing suicide until after they were placed on psychiatric drugs. There is a black box warning in the Physician's Desk Reference for many psychiatric drugs, relating exactly this fact, that the drug may cause suicidal or homicidal thinking and actions.

Older patients are not spared the relentless drugging of our population. Most patients in nursing homes are placed on psychiatric drugs to keep them quiet. One of my patients, a bright and wonderful 85-year-old man, was repeatedly prescribed anti-depressant medication because he had had a heart attack. On my advice, he repeatedly declined to take it, but during one hospital stay the drug was prescribed again and given to him when he was unaware. When his daughter figured out why he was so stuporous, she had the drug stopped.

Psychiatric drugs are unreliable and they are damaging. They impair function. I have seen many patients complain that they could not remember, that they felt confused, that they could not function normally, and that their emotions were dulled. Two of the greatest freedoms in life are the freedom to think and the freedom to feel. Psychiatric drugs impair thought and flatten emotions. They rob people of their individuality and the opportunity to understand and truly manage their lives.

One might argue, "So what other choice do we have?" We need to evaluate the factors that impair mental and spiritual health. These include biochemical and hormonal disorders such as diabetes and thyroid disorders, drug use, prescription drug use, food allergies, nutrient deficiencies, heavy metals, stress factors. Sometimes a change in life choices is necessary, or a correction of ethics.

Because they impair thought, psychiatric drugs interfere with efforts to improve spiritual health. They imitate cure by suppressing emotions and reactions. They reduce our humanity. We have a better way.

– Dr. Sosin is the Founder and Medical Director of the Institute for Progressive Medicine in Irvine, California. He has authored two books, Alpha Lipoic Acid: Nature's Ultimate Antioxidant, and The Doctor's Guide to Diabetes and Your Child.

Shingles: No Laughing Matter

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:13:12 -0400

Q. I heard a comedian make a reference to "shingles" as if there was something funny about them. I had shingles and I didn't find any humor in the experience. Am I missing something?

A. Shingles is a painful skin disease caused by the chickenpox virus awakening from a dormant state to attack your body again. Some people report fever and weakness when the disease starts. Within two to three days, a red, blotchy rash develops. The rash erupts into small blisters that look like chickenpox. And it's very painful.

Does this sound funny? I don't think so...

Anyone who has had chicken pox can get shingles. Half of all Americans will get shingles by the time they are 80. Shingles occurs in people of all ages, but it is most common in people between 60 and 80. Each year, about 600,000 Americans are diagnosed with shingles.

The virus that causes chickenpox and shingles remains in your body for life. It stays inactive until a period when your immunity is down. And, when you're older, your defenses ain't what they used to be.

The inactive virus rests in nerve cells near the spine. When it reactivates, it follows a single nerve path to the skin. The shingles rash helps with its diagnosis; the rash erupts in a belt-like pattern on only one side of the body, or it appears on one side of the face. It usually begins as a patch of red dots which become blisters.

Physicians treat shingles with antiviral and pain medications. The antivirals don't cure shingles, but they weaken the virus, reduce the pain and accelerate healing. The antiviral medications work faster if they are started early—within 72 hours from the appearance of the rash.

The disease's name comes from the Latin word cingulum, which means belt. The virus that causes shingles is varicella-zoster, which combines the Latin word for little pox with the Greek word for girdle. In Italy, shingles is often called St. Anthony's fire.

If you have had chickenpox, shingles is not contagious. If you have never had chickenpox, you can catch the virus from contacting the fluid in shingles blisters. However, you will not get shingles, but you could get chickenpox.

The pain of shingles can be severe. If it is strong and lasts for months or years, it is called postherpetic neuralgia. Persistent pain is a common symptom in people over 60. However, most victims of shingles overcome their symptoms in about a month. And the odds are against them getting shingles again.

Outbreaks that start on the face or eyes can cause vision or hearing problems. Even permanent blindness can result if the cornea of the eye is affected. In patients with immune deficiency, the rash can be much more extensive than usual and the illness can be complicated by pneumonia. These cases, while more serious, are rarely fatal.

There is a vaccine for shingles. It is Zostavax, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people 60 years old and older to prevent shingles. Zostavax does not treat shingles or post-herpetic neuralgia once it develops.

In a clinical trial involving thousands of adults 60 years old or older, Zostavax prevented shingles in about half of the people and post-herpetic neuralgia in 67% of the study participants. While the vaccine was most effective in people 60-69 years old it also provided some protection for older groups.

About Fred Cicetti:
"I always write with the image of seniors putting my columns on their refrigerators," says healthcare writer Fred Cicetti, a professional journalist for more than 40 years. Fred's sources are the National Institutes of Health, the academies for medical specialties and the leading medical institutions. His articles are not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice; please talk to your doctor about your specific health issues.

If you would like to ask a question, please write fredcicetti [at] gmail [dot] com. Learn more about Fred at healthygeezer.com.

How Not to Look Old: Yucky Stereotype, Savvy Tips

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:16:21 -0400

How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp (pictured at left, Springboard, 2008) is a book I'd love to hate—in many ways, I do. Krupp feeds our image self-consciousness as if she were feeding swimmers' bodies to sharks, with attitudes like we can't succeed in business and we're ludicrous and totally unappealing (not to mention unsexy) if we look our age, dress comfortably, go outside without makeup, wear gym shoes with jeans, or wear our glasses on a chain around our neck.

This advice is coming from an unwrinkled, tight-bodied former Glamour beauty director, the darling of Oprah, Tyra, and Good Morning America, who doesn't look a minute over 40. Okay, that's her point: You never need to look over 40, as long as you follow her fashion and makeup rules and make your dermatologist your new best friend. Oh, and if you can, it's a good idea to spend a fortune not letting yourself look old.

I resent this woman who looks nowhere near my 64 years claiming to represent "the over 40 generation." I hate her first statement: "All right, I'm just going to come out and say it. Aging sucks." I hate that she sees age spots, crow's feet, saggy bosoms and bunions as vile and icky. I hate her premise that "to keep our paychecks and our self-esteem, we need to look young; we need to look current." I hate that she spent only one sentence on exercise, the genuine fountain of youth.

And yet, if you can get past all that, I must admit it—this book has terrific tips for optimizing our appearance. I found myself taking notes on the chapter about how to choose a flattering pair of jeans—who knew? I learned a dozen new things about updating my makeup (on the rare occasions when I use anything other than a dash of lipstick).

I surely would love to debate Krupp about aging, appearance, and our attitudes towards both. Do you think Oprah would invite me?

Learn more about Joan Price »

Learn more about her book, Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty (Seal Press, 2006).

Being Creative is Age-Resistant

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:29:08 -0400

Being creative is not about being young or old; it is age-resistant.

I am 60 years old and some months ago started a new business that provides craft kits and supplies to adults with fine motor skill problems and/or attention difficulties. I was not inventing the wheel but inventing a different approach to the wheel. For example, adult necklace kits often involve tiny pieces, a small tool and precision. But beautiful necklaces can also be made by focusing on the solution and then the design. This was my approach because initially I had to consider the closure of the necklace, then the components and the third step was the design. This is the reverse of the way most designers approach their projects yet it successfully produced a variety of unique necklaces for a specific market.

My friend, Joan Lobenberg, is in her 70s and designed a solution for making clay beads for Caring Craft kits. Traditionally, you create a clay bead by rolling a small piece of clay between the palms of your hands to make a small ball and then puncture it with a sharp tool to make a hole for threading. But Joan thought that the clay bead would be too heavy when strung as a necklace with other beads and wanted to develop a solution to create a clay bead that would be light. Lots of thought produced terrific results. Joan rolls air-dry clay on a flat surface, wraps it to cover a small Styrofoam ball and then makes a hole using a knitting needle. A simple and elegant solution to a problem that renders a necklace light and easier to wear.

Dr. Gene Cohen, founding director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at George Washington University. has been studying aging for over 30 years and shares this wonderful personal story:

My in-laws, Howard and Gisele Miller, both in their 70s, were stuck. They had just emerged from the Washington, DC, subway system into a driving snowstorm. They were coming to our house for dinner and needed a cab since it was too far to walk. But it was rush hour, and no cabs stopped. Howard tried calling us, but both my wife, Wendy, and I were tied up in traffic and weren't home yet—this was the pre-cell phone era. As his fingers began to turn numb, Howard noticed a pizza shop across the street. He and Gisele walked through the slush to it and ordered a large pizza for home delivery. When the cashier asked where to deliver it, Howard gave him our address, and added, "Oh, there's one more thing."

"What's that?" the cashier asked.

"We want you to deliver us with it," Howard said.

And that's how they arrived, pizza in hand, for dinner that night.

This favorite family story perfectly illustrates the sort of agile creativity that can accompany the aging mind. Would a younger person have thought of this solution? Possibly. But in my experience, this kind of out-of-the-box thinking is a learned trait that improves with age. Age allows our brains to accumulate a repertoire of strategies developed from a lifetime of experience, part of what other researchers have termed crystallized intelligence. Obviously, Howard hadn't used that pizza routine before, but the accumulated experience of other successful strategies helped stimulate the thinking that produced his creative resolution. This was one of his new senior moments, occurring, again, not as a failing of aging, but a benefit of it.

Solutions. They challenge us every day. And when we realize that there is a better way and creatively and patiently think it through, our solution empowers us. We are less fearful of challenges because we are mobilized to respond.

–Judith Zausner is the Founder and President of Caring Crafts, Inc. which offers craft kits and supplies to adults with fine motor skill problems and/or attention difficulties. Awarded a grant from the Society for the Arts in Health Care in recognition of its "commitment to integrating the arts and healing", Judith is dedicated to empowering creativity to encourage independence and enhance wellbeing.

You Gotta Have Friends

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:14:40 -0400

A solid social support system can make the difference between a successful and a stressful retirement. Dozens of studies have found that friendships are vital to our emotional health throughout our lives. For too many retirees, their friends were people with whom they worked; the office was their community and their social life. Retirement didn't just mean the end of work for them—it meant the end of the social activity that connected to it. As a result, many retirees find themselves having to make new friends or be alone.

Some retired people find themselves gravitating back to friends from their youth, even if they haven't been in touch for years. Old friends remind us of who we were and who we wanted to be. And it is both relaxing and energizing to be with people we have known for a long time. Local alumni chapters and school reunions, or just picking up the phone, are great ways to contact friends with whom you have lost touch. These people, whom you have known for years, have been busy, too, but they probably would love to hear from you. Friends are important at all times in your life, particularly when you have happy occasions to share, like successes, children's weddings, or graduations. And they are especially valuable when you experience a loss, like the death of a parent or spouse. If you are lucky enough to have good old friends, embrace them. They are literally keeping you alive.

But what about new friends? Remember taking your children to the park and watching them approach another child and begin to play together, without fear of rejection? At a certain age, children do learn about exclusion and rejection, but they keep trying. The trick to making friends is to turn yourself back into that three-year-old who doesn't expect exclusion. If you want to meet new people, you will have to walk right up to them and be assertive.

As adults, however, we often stop putting ourselves in situations where we might be left out or ignored. But the truth is that we aren't in high school anymore and now we can decide which one is the "cool table." So at the next meeting or luncheon or lecture you attend, choose a group of people, walk over, and introduce yourself. Start by attending an event where you share a common interest with other participants—a concert, a class, or a lecture. Talk with the "strangers" about the speaker, the music, or other concerts you have attended, and you might find that the people you meet share your interests. Some music lovers find that by ushering at concerts they get the opportunity to hear music they love (for free), meet others who also usher, and make new friends who might like to go to future concerts and events with them.

However you go about doing it, just remember: If your attempt to make friends doesn't work the first time, don't give up. As always, to make a friend, you must be a friend, and it won't hurt to appear responsive and open to conversation. No one wants to approach a newcomer who looks unfriendly and aloof. If someone meets your eye, don't look away. If a person looks like he or she needs assistance, even if it means helping to open a folding chair at a lecture, offer it. That person could turn out to be a new friend.

–Miriam Goodman is the author of Reinventing Retirement: 389 Bright Ideas about Family, Friends, Health, What to Do and Where to Live, from Chronicle Books, at book stores and online.

What's Your Investing Style?

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:57:06 -0400

Good investors have style. That is, they have a style. Like most things in life, you do best at something if you figure out a way that works for you and then you focus your energies on getting really, really dialed into that one thing. One's investment style is what governs the choice to get into or out of any particular investment or asset class.

There are growth investors and momentum investors and value investors and on down the line. After spending the better part of 25 years watching all these styles, it strikes me that there is really only one style that will win the game and produce satisfying results consistently. That style involves the invocation of two simple rules:

If something can't go on forever, it won't.
If something is inevitable, it will happen.

There you have it: A graduate course in investment decision-making. If you take these two thoughts and turn them around in your head for a bit, you arrive at some interesting implications. Take the basic premise of "value-investing"— Warren Buffet style. The value investor says that if an asset is too cheap, it is inevitable that its price will rise to match its true value. The value investor also knows that if an asset's price has risen to irrationally exuberant levels, it will not continue to rise forever.

Another implication of these rules is that they say nothing of timing. While we know that cheap assets will rebound, we have no idea how long that might take. The single greatest mistake investors make is to try and get the timing too precise. If you think you will make money by timing peaks and valleys, you are in for a rough ride. The wise investor simply decides that some assets are too expensive and gets out; she decides that some assets are too cheap and gets in. Then, she is patient. The wise investor is not an owl, who goes hunting for prey. She is a vulture, who sits and waits. And waits.

Real estate values are falling. Can they fall forever? Of course not. When they get cheap enough, we buy real estate. Might values keep falling? Sure. The wise investor who uses value principles must be willing to be wrong for stretches of time. No worries—values can't fall forever. So long as we avoid using leverage to make our investments, we needn't worry about short-term moves against us.

These two rules are the backbone of the concept that investment prices are mean-reverting. The true fair value of an investment is often unknown, but it is like the dark matter out in the cosmos that so mystifies astronomers. We can't see it. We don't even know what it is. But we do know with certainty that it is attracting all things toward it, like a cosmic tugboat. Fair value is like gravity; it pulls asset prices inexorably up or down, as the case may be. All we need to do as wise investors is to recognize this law of nature and position our portfolios on the right side of the cosmic tug.

–Rick Ashburn, CFA, is Chief Investment Officer of Creekside Partners Investment Counsel in Lafayette, California. He has managed investments for institutional and private clients for 23 years. Visit his website at creeksidepartners.com, or e-mail him at rick [at] creeksidepartners [dot] com.

All That Glitters

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:35:55 -0400

The shine's still on The Golden Girls, even after years in reruns.

I love to watch reruns of The Golden Girls and never cease to marvel at how clever this warmhearted sitcom was—and still is. Nothing on TV today even comes close to capturing the nature of life for single older women. Oh yes, Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote is nifty but not very reflective of an ordinary woman's lifestyle.

The Golden Girls is much closer to the daily pace and activities of unglamorous lives. Each character embodies qualities of women we all know—except, perhaps, Estelle Getty, who defies every example we're familiar with of how an "old lady" should behave. It may well have been Getty's spunky and raunchy character that attracted teens as well as mature viewers and gave the show its transgenerational appeal.

So I was very excited when I attended a CBS luncheon several years ago and sat next to one of the show's creators. I asked how the idea was born, and the answer was simply this: Back in the mid-1980's, Miami Vice was the hot show and CBS wanted to compete in that time slot. They knew that part of the program's appeal was the Miami scene, so the writers asked, "What else is there in Miami?" The answer: "Old people." The rest, as they say, is history. The Golden Girls, created by Susan Harris, debuted in 1985 and instantly became the number-one show in the country.

Thirty years later, it continues to tickle and touch us, to show us that friendship and communal living can be a wonderful alternative to being married with children. Such arrangements may, in fact, be the way of the future for many single women who miss the companionship of a family but can't or don't want to remarry. These days everyone seems to be concerned with redefining the family—or perhaps we're simply facing the truth about what a family is. Basically, it's made up of those who provide you with the love and nurture—people you can count on. Despite their squabbles, the Golden Girls demonstrate the importance of committed friendship between diverse personalities. If ever we needed that message, we need it now.

So until something better—or as good—comes along, I'll happily spend a few evenings with Estelle and Bea, Rue and Betty, catching those "golden" moments in reruns.

Staying Sexy without a Partner

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:27:38 -0400

The things that stop you having sex with age are the same as those that stop you riding a bicycle (bad health, thinking it looks silly, no bicycle)…The important thing is never drop sex for any long period—keep yourself going solo if you don't for the time being have a partner.
- Alex Comfort in The Joy of Sex

Juicy is an Attitude
Haven't you noticed that when you're getting plenty of sex, people are attracted to you as if you were oozing irresistible come-hithers, while when you're desperate for sex or a relationship, you might as well be wearing a sign that says, "I have a stinky, fatal disease—stay far away"?

Being sexually juicy doesn't depend on the flow of our vaginal secretions or the presence of a partner in our life but on physical and emotional well-being, mental attitude, and love of sensuality.

We can feel and look sexy and attractive, whether we're in a relationship or not. Looking good has nothing to do with whether our thighs are tight or dimply, our breasts perky or floppy, our face unlined or road-mapped. Any partner who would judge us this way would be much too superficial for a relationship at this stage of our lives anyway. Sexiness is how we feel about ourselves and how we present ourselves to the world, with or without a partner.

We are lively and sexy when we live our lives fully, doing the activities that keep us energetic, creative, and happy—whether we're accompanied by a lover or not. The more we strut our beautiful stuff with confidence, the more others are attracted to us.

Sexually Seasoned Women Speak about Solo Sex

When I was single and my grown son was out of the house, I discovered sex with myself in a wonderful way. I had a mad, passionate, love affair with myself. I got fabulous lingerie and bought myself champagne. It was just me and a vibrator. Some days, nobody else can do it like you. –Monica, 60
I left my last relationship about twelve years ago and wanted to be a hermit. I continued to be sexual with myself and got pretty wonderful results with that method. When I felt sexual, I made love to myself, just like I comforted myself as a kid. Now I'm turned on all the time. –Claire, 66

I was maybe sixty-five before I ever did it. I was talking with a girlfriend who was between relationships, and she said she masturbated. I never even thought of such a thing. My first time, I knew just where to go. I tried it with the jets in the hot tub, and I found the right spot. It was the best sex I ever had! –Jaime, 73

Sometimes I masturbate—what else can you do? It's better than going out and picking up people. My drive is still strong. –Matilda, 78

Excerpted from Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex after Sixty by Joan Price. Learn more about Joan Price »

Opinion Poll

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:21:10 -0400

Being opinionated can be a strength—not the fault it's often made out to be.

I still recall the first time someone accused me of being too opinionated. I was about eight years old, and it was my own father chastising me for this fault—one that, with his traditional sensibilities, he found especially disturbing in a girl.

It certainly wasn't the last time this fault surfaced. Note that I say "fault"—because for a long time I believed (to my own discomfort) that being opinionated was a fault, and a quality to be equated with narrow-mindedness. But over time I've come to the conclusion that these two traits are neither interchangeable nor identical. (Just consider all the people who've accused me of being too liberal, meaning too receptive to new ideas.)

So, what's the difference between defending an opinion and being just plain stubborn and close-minded? The difference becomes more evident as we age.

Many of us refuse to be called "older" and prefer "mature"—and rightly so, because there's a strong difference between the two. Rigidity, inflexibility, and an inability to understand and accept are signs of the atrophy that characterizes aging of mind as well as muscle. Maturity, on the other hand, suggests perspective and a willingness to incorporate new ideas into one's philosophy. It also denotes an ability to give—and to give in—that so many people, younger and older, lack.

Well-developed opinions on everything from how we like our coffee to where we want to live can in fact make our mature years a reward. That's because our opinions are intensely personal; they spring from an inner place that has absorbed the contents of life. They represent our decisions about what is meaningful, and what should be defended. Holding a considered opinion indicates that we are willing to remain involved, curious, risk-takers who trust our instincts and have not allowed the daily grind to sap our enthusiasm for life.

We are entitled to opinions as much as any politician or leader, and in our own universes those opinions can make all the difference—not just in how our coffee tastes, but in the quality of our lives and those around us.

ELDR Editors' Note: Leda has published a book of essays called, Look for the Moon in the Morning. To learn more about Leda Sanford, you can visit her website, ledasanford.com.

The Many Benefits of Being Creative

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:01:05 -0400

Creativity matters. Often a simple phrase, sometimes a title and always a meaningful statement filled with a promise of expectations.

Research has shown that being creative alters us by improving our mood, self esteem and socialization. A recent article in the Washington Post, "Studies Suggest There's An Art to Getting Older: Creative Activity May Have Health Benefits," addresses current research supporting the benefits of creativity in aging adults. It looks at the physiological change of increased neural activity as well as the joy of expression. And the cumulative results are renewed vitality and a can-do attitude that triggers healing because a new strength emerges that fosters independence.

And creativity can take many forms. It is not black or white, simple or complex; it is an approach and an attitude of coloring your world differently. Everything in our lives can be looked at in other ways. It is not always about art or the talent to draw. We can challenge ourselves to wonder how a purple flower might look if it was red with soft pink edges, or how a story would change if the characters had different intentions, or how your favorite pieces of music would sound if they were blended together. It is the purpose of thinking, imagining and delighting in possibilities.

As older adults, some of our physical abilities have changed so it is important to build new views of old experiences. If you used to enjoy drawing and now have difficulty with using a pen for details, try a different tool, a different art, a different approach to maintaining your creativity. And if you have always felt bereft of talent, get motivated now by signing up for a workshop, joining a museum or perusing unique finds in craft stores or boutiques. Let your eyes look and your mind imagine.

Think creative and be creative today and every day because it is important for your brain activity, your general health and your emotional wellbeing!

Stop Diabetes Before It Starts

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:34:01 -0400

There's a diabetes epidemic in America: 17 million cases of Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes diagnosed, an estimated 6% of the U.S. population. And there are another 8 million undiagnosed. According to U.S. health authorities, the epidemic is growing...which means that there are millions of Americans in the condition of pre-diabetes who are at risk of becoming diabetic. The bad news is there is no cure yet for diabetes. This is the good news: pre-diabetes can be treated and stopped before it develops into full blown diabetes.

Simply defined, diabetes is the absence or the inability of insulin to support the metabolism of sugar/ glucose into energy. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood and when it is measured in an oral glucose tolerance test, a level of 200 mg/dl (milligrams per demiliter) is a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. When the glucose is at the level between 140 and 200, the American Diabetes Association defines it as pre-diabetes. I wrote about this condition a decade ago when it was called insulin resistance (Understanding Insulin Resistance, Healthfair 1998).

Currently there is confusion in diagnosing and recognizing pre-diabetes—and even diabetes—by many physicians. The confusion arose because in the past, blood sugar measured at levels between 80 and 120 in the eight-hour fasting test were considered normal. Now blood sugar levels between 100 and 125 in the fasting test must be diagnosed as pre-diabetes (see graphs of tests below). In my practice, I consider a blood-glucose level of 90 mg/dl as risky. At this point, I want my patients to undertake therapeutic measures that will prevent them from becoming diabetics.

Other factors play a role in diagnosing pre-diabetes. The first step is physical observation. There is an 80% chance that persons seen with visceral adiposity (belly fat)—a waist measurement above 40 inches in a man and above 35 inches in a female—are at high risk for pre-diabetes and its dangerous consequence. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that persons with visceral adiposity, elevated triglycerides, and a family history, have 10 times the risk of developing full blown diabetes. There is scientific evidence that a significant percentage of persons with pre-diabetes will develop diabetes within 10 years.

There are solid reasons for preventing diabetes. Among its devastating complications is the fact that it predisposes a person for heart and other cardiovascular problems. Heart disease strikes persons with diabetes twice as often as persons without diabetes. In persons with diabetes, cardiovascular complications occur at an earlier age. Persons with diabetes are four times more likely to suffer strokes.

54 Million Pre-Diabetics!
The American Diabetes Association believes there are 54 million American pre-diabetics—unbeknownst to most of them, of course. And there is evidence that even at this inchoate stage the disease is causing damage to vital organs. Here is where we can make preventative progress, because there are proven therapies for heading off full-blown diabetes that work. The ADA outlines these steps for the "prevention or delay of type 2 pre-diabetes." While the outline discussed medications for insulin reduction, it most emphatically endorses (1) therapeutic lifestyle changes and (2) weight-loss dieting. Therapies like these might be familiar because the symptoms of pre-diabetes and the metabolic syndrome are quite similar—as are their treatments.

The Tests

Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG). After an eight-hour fast, a blood test (see diagram at left) that shows a level of 100-125 mg/dl (yellow) signals pre-diabetes. In my practice, if I see a level of 90, I begin treatment. A level over 125 (red) in this test indicates diabetes.

Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). In this test (see diagram at left), the patient has fasted for 8-12 hours; blood is drawn and tested to establish a "baseline" blood glucose level. Then the patient drinks a sugary glucose drink-like an ultra-sweet cola, and after an hour the blood is checked. The process is repeated after three hours. If the body is unable to metabolize the glucose efficiently, it will remain and show up at high levels. In this test, a level between 140 and 200 mg/dl is pre-diabetes; a diagnosis of diabetes is when a level of 200 is reached at the second hour.

Hemoglobin A1C. For ongoing monitoring of diabetes there is the hemoglobin A1C test which uses a blood hemoglobin marker to determine the average level of glucose in the blood over a three-month period. An A1C level below 5 and from 5 to 5.7 is normal; 5.8 and 5.9 may indicate pre-diabetes. Levels above 6 indicate diabetes.

Urine Sample. An annual physical examination may include a urine sample. The sample can be tested for various conditions or infections. It may also be tested for diabetes. By itself, the urine test is indicative but not conclusive. If the results suggest diabetes, the doctor will order an OTGG.

The Symptoms
Lists of symptoms are always broad and all-encompassing and might point to any number of conditions threatening or benign. The standard symptoms of diabetes are unusual thirst, a frequent desire to urinate, blurred vision, and/or a feeling of being tired most of the time for no apparent reason. It is up to a physician to interpret the symptoms patients complain of within the context of his/her knowledge of each patient. For this reason it is a good practice to keep in touch with one's physician when there is a suspicion of pre-diabetes or any awareness of symptoms.

This blog is the first installment in a three-part series on managing pre-diabetes. In the second part, Dr. V sits down for a Q&A, examining the topic of "The Ticking Clock."

About Dr. Vagnini

Dr. Vagnini is ELDR's chief medical advisor. He is the coauthor, along with ELDR Editor-in-Chief Dave Bunnell, of the book Count Down Your Age (McGraw-Hill). To learn more about Dr. Vagnini, visit his website »

Give a Little, Get a Lot: The Joys of Volunteering

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:08:47 -0400

Everyone claims he or she wants to make a difference and help others, and volunteering is certainly an easy and basic way to do that. Many people have been volunteering for years, but retirement gives one more time and a lot more choices.

For those who are new to volunteering, choosing an activity may seem like an overwhelming task: so many places, so many choices, where to begin? Do you want to do something political; help the environment; work with the disadvantaged, with the elderly, with kids? Perhaps you want to do a little of all of these. The challenge may be to figure out how to use your time wisely so that you don't spread yourself too thin.

After all, it's easy to over-commit when every opportunity sounds interesting and each organization could really use your help. Before signing up for a long-term commitment to any volunteer organization, look at your own calendar and travel plans. Consider your exercise schedule, plans with friends, the activities that you have promised to share with your spouse or partner, and other commitments already on your plate. You must plan carefully so you'll be sure to have the time and energy to do whatever volunteer task you decide is right for you.

Here are a few things to consider before you sign up to volunteer. They can save you a lot of time and disappointment as you enter the wonderful world of helping others.

• Be realistic and clear about the amount of time you can commit. It is easier to start small and increase your hours than to have to back out because your schedule is overwhelming you.

• Visit the organization you are interested in before committing yourself. Get a sense of the staff and clients you will be working with and an overall feel for the environment.

• Find out about the agency's purpose and how your role as a volunteer fits into that mission. Sometimes what may seem an insignificant contribution to you makes all the difference to the people you are assisting.

• Ask for a job description of your volunteer work. It helps you decide if the work is an appropriate fit for you, and it provides a set of standards or expectations when you do volunteer. You don't want to set aside time to give an agency only to arrive and find there's nothing to do.

• Ask about training and supervision. If an organization is asking you to perform a task, will they provide the support necessary for you to be successful?

• Volunteering is an opportunity for personal growth. Don't be reluctant to request an evaluation of the work that you perform or a letter of recommendation, should you decide to list your volunteer service on future job applications.

• Enthusiasm is key. If you are not excited about the program, the chances are that you are not going to be thrilled with giving up time in your day to go there. But, once you make the commitment, volunteering is an obligation and must be treated as seriously as you treated your business, which means goal setting, scheduling, and teamwork.

When deciding on the type of volunteering you want to do, ask yourself if you would like to use the skills you have been using in your work or if you feel like trying something entirely new. If the job you retired from required writing, for example, you could use your expertise writing newsletters, fund-raising letters, or brochures for any number of nonprofit organizations.

But the fact that you are already good at something doesn't mean you must use that skill in your retirement. Volunteering could be an opportunity to learn something new. If you really love animals or plants or working outdoors and want to combine that interest with volunteering, start by looking for an opportunity that would let you do that.

You get out of your volunteer work what you put into it. Volunteering requires no special degree or prior experience. All you need is a willingness to help. Go for it!

More ideas about what to do with your new free time can be found in Reinventing Retirement: 389 bright ideas about Family. Friends, Health, What to Do and Where to Live, by Miriam Goodman, at your bookstore now.

How Fast Do We Age?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:37:17 -0400

Lessons from the Senior Olympians

Is aging a number, a feeling or an inevitable biologic process we can't alter? Much of what we know about the aging process has come from studying sedentary people. The problems typically attributed to aging have less to do with actual aging than the sedentary way that more than 70% of people in this country choose to spend their lives. This sedentary living results in 35 chronic diseases that kill more than 250,000 people a year in the US. This is many times more than any bacteria, spinach or bird flu outbreak. Our couches are not only aging us—they're killing us!

It occurred to me that, in order to understand the true nature of musculoskeletal aging, we had to eliminate the variable of living a sedentary lifestyle. Only this way could we answer the question of "What are our bodies really capable of if we aged actively, the way we were designed for?"

For this reason I started studying the Senior Olympians. These active agers consistently exhibit high levels of functional capacity and a high quality of life. I wanted to know why the 50-year-old male winner of the mile sprint was capable of finishing in 4:34 or why the 70-year-old winner still can blow away many sedentary people half their age by running a mile in 7 minutes.

I began looking at performance times of the top 8 finishers in every track distance from 100m to 10K, from age 50 to 85 in the 2001 Senior Olympics. Would there be any kind of pattern to how we age? When does biology take over, no matter how active we are?

What I found amazed me. Master's athletes' performance declined less than 2% per year for both men and women from age 50 to 75. This means that you could put a 50-year-old and a 70-year-old in the same race and no one gets lapped. This was true for the sprint distances as well as the endurance distances.

After 75 years old, however, something happens. The slow 2% decline in performance times suddenly becomes more than 8% decline per year. Why does performance plummet? Is it the cumulative factors of loss of muscle mass, flexibility, coordination or aerobic capacity that suddenly catch up with us?

To evaluate this effect further, I looked at American Track and Field record holders—the bests of the best. From 30-50 years old, there is less than a 1% decline in performance. From 50-75 this increases to less than 2% and after 75 years old, there is again a sharp decrease in performance.

There are many reasons for these observations and maybe you have experienced them yourselves. In the next several blogs I want to talk about these reasons and how you can stay at the top of your game or race for as long as you can.

You can read the full study in the March edition of American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Boosting Immunity

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:31:04 -0400

Staying healthy is no easy feat these days. Our body is under constant attack not only from bacteria and viruses but also from toxins in the air we breathe and the food we eat, damaging sun rays, and a host of other potentially damaging things in the environment. How do we protect ourselves? Our immune system is one of the keys. The immune system is made up of both a physical barrier (skin and cells that line important organs) and a complex group of cells that help fight infection and rid our body of damaged or damaging intruders.

As we age, our immune system becomes less effective at both recognizing and fighting foreign cells. This can lead to both a higher incidence and severity of infections as well as increased rates of immune-related disorders such as cancer, inflammatory diseases, and autoimmune diseases in which the body essentially attacks itself. What can you do to boost your immune system? Here are 3 important things.

Eat better. This is no surprise to most, but eating a well balanced diet which includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, healthy fats, and lean protein is critical. Adequate intake of several vitamins and trace minerals is essential for proper immune function. Anti-oxidants like Vitamin C, E, and selenium help counteract damage to cells. Zinc, copper, B vitamins (especially B6, folate and B12), and Vitamins A and D help support immune cell responses and increase the production of critical cells involved in the immune system.

In addition to a balanced diet, a basic multivitamin will help you meet vitamin and mineral requirements and if you are under considerable stress, you may consider a stress or immune formula which has higher levels of several of the vitamins mentioned above. In addition, maintaining a healthy weight is essential as obesity is often associated with chronic low levels of inflammation which can overtax your immune system over time, rendering it less effective when you really need it to fight off that cold or something even more serious.

Move more. Long term, moderate exercise can help boost or maintain immune function by improving both immune cell production and response. Studies in older adults have shown decreased infection risks and increased rates of vaccine effectiveness in those who exercised regularly. Interestingly, frequent strenuous exercise (which is considered exercise at greater than 85% of your predicted maximum heart rate) can actually lead to immune system dysfunction so make sure to play close attention to diet and take a good multivitamin if you engage in regular strenuous exercise.

Stress less. It is not always easy but reducing stress is important for a healthy immune system. Stress increases neuro-endocrine hormones including glucocorticoids and catecholamines. Chronically elevated levels of these hormones can have a detrimental effect on immune function and can lead to delayed wound healing, impaired responses to vaccination, and even development and progression of certain types of cancer. Do your best to control stress in any way that you can whether through lifestyle changes, exercise, yoga, meditation or simply not getting aggravated in traffic or at home every day.

Don't take your immune system for granted and your chances of a living a long and healthy life will increase considerably.

In good health,

Dr. Melina

About Dr. Melina Jampolis
Dr. Melina Jampolis is a board certified internist and physician nutrition specialist (one of only approximately 200 in the country). She is a graduate of Tufts University as well as Tufts School of Medicine and specializes exclusively in nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention and treatment.