TOO MUCH CAFFEINE? For years I heard claims that coffee could be seen as an excellent beverage for fitness, capable of significantly enhancing physical performance. Therefore, I kept up with my habit of consuming three large mugs of coffee daily. I even wrote about its benefits in a post dated October 18, 2017, titled Coffee—Your Ultimate Health & Fitness Drink. However, a few weeks back, I stumbled upon an article on NationalGeographic.com called “You can actually consume too much caffeine.” That got my attention! It led me to question, what level is considered excessive? My search led me to a...
HOW MUCH EXERCISE IS ENOUGH? You’ve probably read that you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week—or 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity. For some of us seniors, reaching 150 (or 75) minutes per week is routine. For others, it’s a stretch. (Refer to my February 10, 2023 post, Exercise—What’s the Minimum Amount?) Maybe you’ve wondered how the 150 minutes per week was determined. You’ll find out by reading these excerpts from the March 1, 2024, Harvard Medical School Health Letter article by Matthew Solan, Executive Editor, Hitting the activity mark. Guidelines recommend...
TIPS ON TEETH CARE After all these years, I thought I knew everything about taking care of my teeth. Still, I took the time to read an online article this week in which I actually learned a couple of things. You might also discover a useful tip or two from this Harvard Medical School April 14, 2023 post, At-Home dental care: True or false? Try these true-or-false questions to learn more about how to best care for your teeth and mouth. #1. If your gums are bleeding, you’re brushing too hard. True, sometimes. Bleeding gums are usually a sign of gum...
EXERCISE WITH A COLD? Three days after my return from visiting my son and his family in Florida I came down with a cold. (The risks of air travel and long hours in airports, surrounded by countless people, caught up with me.) This cold persisted for three full weeks, but as of today, my runny nose and coughing have finally ceased. Before my trip, I was training for a 10K running competition, which was scheduled for last Sunday. However, when I went jogging a couple of days into my cold, I could barely finish 4K without feeling exhausted. So I...
THINK YOURSELF TO BETTER HEALTH We’ve all had bouts of either physical or emotional pain. Heck, they’re part of the human experience. However, our having negative thoughts about them can amplify the condition, causing chronic pain or emotional reflection to hurt even more. I read a short online article from the Mayo Clinic that gives suggestions on how to reduce the “negative thinking” part of the pain. Here are excerpts from Health Tips: the power of thoughts and emotions: Zeroing in on the negative aspects of life is part of human nature. We are all prone to pay greater attention...
ANTICIPATING THE NEGATIVE—THE NOCEBO EFFECT Today I received an email from the Mayo Clinic promoting a new book: The Nocebo Effect -When Words Make You Sick. I don’t plan on ordering the book, but I did want to find out what a nocebo effect is, never hearing of it before. Here are highlights from the Mayo Clinic blurb, Can Words Make You Sick?: An investigation of the nocebo effect—the placebo effect’s evil twin “The nocebo effect” is a phenomenon best summarized as the occurrence of a harmful event that stems from consciously or subconsciously anticipating it. The most recent and...
BELLY FAT MAY BE BAD FOR THE BRAIN Accumulating more visceral fat, particularly around the belly during midlife, is associated with brain alterations that are consistent with Alzheimer’s disease, long before any symptoms appear. A recent study, which employed MRI scans, has found that visceral fat—fat that can gather around internal organs even in individuals with healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) levels—is linked to changes in the brain. In sharing the latest updates on Alzheimer’s research with fellow seniors, I’m providing excerpts from an online article dated November 20, 2023, on NBC Health News by Linda Carroll, A type of...
BEST DIETS RANKINGS FOR 2024 BY U.S. NEWS Once again, it’s time for me to post the best diet rankings for the year from U.S. News. (This is the seventh year I’ve shared their rankings.) Here are excerpts from their article and lists from January 3, 2024, titled U.S. News Reveals the 2024 Best Diets. For the seventh consecutive year, the Mediterranean Diet takes the No. 1 spot for the Best Diets Overall, with its focus on diet quality rather than a single nutrient or food group and daily consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, olive oil,...
BOGUS DECONGESTANTS Now that we’re in the middle of the cold and flu season, I thought it was timely to talk about useless nasal decongestants. Back in September, an advisory panel for the FDA found that phenylephrine—the common ingredient in several over-the-counter decongestant cold and allergy medicines—doesn’t work. Phenylephrine is the primary ingredient in the most popular oral decongestants on the market. It gained popularity two decades ago as a replacement for pseudoephedrine, the decongestant used in Sudafed. (In an attempt to prevent its misuse as an ingredient to make methamphetamine, Sudafed began requiring its customers to request it from...
SITTING ALL DAY MAY INCREASE YOUR RISK OF DEMENTIA We’ve all heard that sitting for many hours a day can increase our risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses. However, a recent study has found that extended sitting may also increase our risk of developing dementia. I sit at my computer for at least six hours per day and then spend another four hours in the evening either reading or watching the latest series on Prime or Netflix. Back in March 2021, I posted that a solution to sitting for long hours could be stretching (What to Do...
