JOURNAVX, THE NEW NON-OPIOID PAINKILLER Ten days ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new type of painkiller that doesn’t carry the risk of addiction associated with opioid medications. Suzetrigine, the drug, will be sold under the brand name Journavx and is the first new class of pain medicine approved in more than 20 years. This is great news to us seniors, especially those who suffer from moderate-to-severe pain. Here are highlights from the January 30, 2025 WashingtonPost.com article by Daniel Gilbert and Rachel Roubein, FDA approves new non-opioid painkiller Journavx. The drug represents the first new class of...
HOW MUCH EXERCISE DO WE NEED TO COUNTER ALL OUR SITTING? I just received the February issue of my online Harvard Health Letter. Right off, I spotted an article spelling out the dangers of sitting all day. I, like most seniors, sit way too much—at my computer, reading, or watching shows on Apple-TV or Hulu. I’ve previously sent several posts addressing our highly sedentary lifestyle and its associated health risks: What to Do After Sitting All Day? Stretch! (March 2021); Sitting All Day May Increase Your Risk of Dementia (January 2024); Kick Your Pain from Prolonged Sitting (October 2024). This...
CAN INFECTIONS ALSO CAUSE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE? As seniors, we understand that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases as we age. In fact, as many as 50% of Americans aged 80 and older will experience some form of dementia, with Alzheimer’s being the most common type. This growing risk highlights the progressive nature of age-related cognitive decline. That’s why I make it a point to search out articles on the topic and share the latest news and developments with you. This post explores the latest idea: that some cases of Alzheimer’s may be linked to infection. Researchers widely recognize that two...
BEYOND BMI: A BETTER MEASURE OF HEALTHY WEIGHT In the running events I regularly participate in, I often see men and women who appear to be significantly overweight completing courses ranging from 5K to half marathons. Although their BMI—a measurement based on height and weight—may exceed 30, which defines obesity, they clearly display good health. This is why I found an NPR article titled Move Aside, BMI: There’s a Better Way to Define Obesity, Commission Finds so intriguing. As a senior, you’re likely mindful of your weight, just as I am, and might find this fresh perspective on such an...
ALL ABOUT LUCID DREAMS Last week, I came across a captivating article on lucid dreaming in the January 2025 issue of Scientific American (“Engineering Our Dreams” by Michelle Carr, pp. 48–51). Lucid dreaming is a state in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while still within the dream. Michelle Carr, author of the article, is Director of the Dream Engineering Lab at the Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine in Montreal Canada. In her “dream laboratory” she primes sleepers to have lucid dreams by waking them and then prompting them as they fall back asleep. In...
THE TOP 15 FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2025 The most popular fitness trends change every year. Compare the 2025 survey with last year’s post, The Top Fitness Trends for 2024. Here are excerpts from the 19th annual survey from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), published in its Health & Fitness Journal, 2025 ACSM Worldwide Fitness Trends: Future Directions of the Health and Fitness Industry. The editors of this Journal have developed and circulated an electronic survey sent to thousands of professionals around the world to predict trends in the health and fitness industry for the following year. This report for 2025 describes...
NEW GENE EDITING TOOL CALLED SPLICER SHOWS PROMISE IN TREATING ALZHEIMER’S Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a gene-editing tool called SPLICER that helps bypass disease-causing gene sections. In tests on mice, it reduced precursors to amyloid-beta plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. SPLICER outperformed current gene-editing methods and may have the potential for treating other diseases. To keep you informed with the latest advancements in Alzheimer’s disease research, I’m sharing excerpts from this December 23, 2024 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign online article by Liz Ahlberg Touchstone, biomedical sciences editor, titled Gene editing tool reduces Alzheimer’s plaque...
CAN YOU REALLY MANAGE MULTIPLE TASKS AT ONCE? ‘Tis the season to multitask—or so I usually believe this time of year. Between Christmas shopping, holiday gatherings, and travel plans, it feels like juggling everything is the only way to keep up. However, as I (hopefully) grow wiser with age, I’ve come to realize that trying to manage multiple tasks at once often leads to less productivity; when jobs get muddled together, mistakes happen, and I end up spending even more time fixing them. This year, I paused for a moment to explore the realities of this juggling act. If you...
DRIED FRUIT: FUEL SOURCE OR JUST A SUGARY SNACK? For years I’ve downed an energy gel every half hour on my jogs or bike rides. But recently, I’ve come across suggestions for using dried fruit as a substitute. We got an early Christmas gift basket that contained dried fruit, and I decided to give it a try. Yesterday, I grabbed a couple of dried apricots, packed them in a baggie, and stuffed it in my pocket. I ate them midway through my four-mile jog, and surprisingly, they gave me the same energy boost as my usual gel packs. Now, I’m...
RAPAMYCIN: CAN THIS DRUG SLOW AGING? I’ve noticed rapamycin being mentioned in numerous articles from outlets like National Geographic, NPR, and AARP. The buzz surrounding this drug centers on its potential to slow the aging process. Rapamycin, initially approved by the FDA as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplant rejection, functions by modulating the immune system and decreasing inflammation. Now, researchers are exploring its broader applications, particularly as a possible intervention to delay aging and improve health span. Seeking a concise update on the latest developments, I came across an article by Graham Lawton on NewScientist.com titled Rapamycin is a...
