WINTER 2015
Health &Wellness Dave Morison “hammering at the edge” of the overhang near Twin Lakes, 1966. Page 2
Reminiscing wards off depression
Chicken soup cuts the cold
page 6
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Your Guide to a Healthy Mind & Body
Now on the web at www.BeaconSeniorNews.com
2 HEALTH & WELLNESS
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I WILL
often pretend to understand what people say. Even when my surroundings are quiet, it can be hard to
HEAR
My wife says that our relationship would be so much
BETTER
if she didn’t have to repeat herself so often.
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is our year. I’m doing it for us.
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Winter 2015
91 and slowing down? Not a chance! By Melanie Wiseman
athletic adventures. As a young man, Morison loved to t’s difficult to keep track of the exfish high mountain lakes. Back in the tremely active timeline of 91-yearday, 20 fish was the limit. old Dave Morison’s life as it is packed “At 12, 13 and 14 inches per fish, full of athletic feats, extensive travels, that was a lot of weight to carry,” and historic firsts. Morison’s photoMorison said. graphic memory His solution? lets him relive all “In 1948 I of the meaningful pushed my events in his life, balloon-tired and to share them bicycle (no gears) with other out10 miles to lakes door enthusiasts. at 11,000 feet “I reminisce a to fish,” he said. lot about all of “Then I rode my my adventures,” bicycle back to Morison said. “My the car, becoming memories are the first mountain what I have now, bicyclist. I did it but I’m not done many times that yet.” year and other Born is Ohio in years as well.” 1923 and raised Morison holds Air Force awards with awards for You can find in Fort Collins, articles written photography on the wall behind him. Morison graduabout Morison in ated from high school in 1942. He the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Hall enlisted in the Air Force, serving in of Fame. the Pacific until 1945. He wore his Morison began biking the foothills uniform proudly on a 2011 Honor of Denver on an English four-geared Flight to Washington, D.C. The emobike, and soon bumped it up to eight tional honor guard and community gears with Pikes Peak in sight. In welcome home at the Grand Junction 1951 a Denver Post photographer folAirport was the trip’s highlight. lowed him and friend Norm Mulligan His career as a draftsman and ilas they rode the rugged, all-dirt road lustrator in Denver left him itching to the top of 14,115-foot Pikes Peak. for more, which he found in the great It took them seven hours but it was outdoors. quite the accomplishment. Motorists “Work for me was just a job so I and the tollgate patrolman did double could get out and do other things,” takes at the bicyclists. They ended up Morison said. “I just love being in the waiting three hours at the top for the mountain air.” photographer, who had car trouble. He joined the Colorado Mountain “We had to watch our speed comClub in 1947 and is still an active ing down or you could go over the member today. Morison has climbed edge,” Morison said. all but 12 of the 54 Colorado 14,000 Morison has ridden over threefoot peaks, and many of those he has quarters of Colorado’s mountain climbed numerous times. The Canapasses, many of them back when dian Bugaboo Mountains remain a they were nothing more than dirt favorite destination. roads. In 1948, he went to climbing “In 1952 we were the first to have school and was a technical rock our bikes rigged with 24 gears,” climber until 2008 at the age of Morison said. 85. His last climb was a vertical in Every one of those gears came in Boulder Canyon. Hiking and climbing handy as he set out to do on bicycle would be just the beginning of many what few had done on foot. Morison
I
Winter 2015 biked to the top of Colorado’s highest peak, 14,439-foot Mt. Elbert without the benefit of a road or continuous trail. “I’ve always believed that a good cyclist using one of these specially geared jobs can go anywhere a Jeep can go,” Morison told the Denver Post. “Any average robot can drive a car up and down a mountain or over a pass, but mountain cycling demands a bit of nerve and stamina.” This stamina helped him bike 60 miles each way from Denver to the top of Mt. Evans (14,271 feet), not once but twice. If just reading about his hiking and biking adventures hasn’t exhausted you, let’s throw in ice-skating. Morison began roller skate dancing in the late 1940s and switched to ice skating in 1950. “I skated alone for 21 years but always wanted to ice dance,” Morison said. “I finally joined a club and won several ice dancing competitions over 18 years. I like the ice dance steps and the music.” He attended the Figure Skating World Competitions in Copenhagen and Helsinki in 1982 and 1983. You can still find him on the rink today, every Tuesday at Glacier Ice Arena. “I was single for nine years after the Air Force doing outdoor adventures,” Morison said. “I wasn’t going to marry someone who didn’t enjoy
www.BeaconSeniorNews.com Morison ice-skates every week.
the outdoors.” He met Micki on an ice-skating trip with the Outing Club. They enjoyed 50 years of worldwide experiences together before she passed away in 2005. “She loved skiing best of all,” Morison said. “We hiked up to Hanging Lake one winter with skis I had cut down to four feet. We skied down that steep winding trail just once. That was enough.” His best adventure with Micki was flying to Belgium in 1959, where they bought bikes and traveled for 43 days together. He can still recount what they did every day of that trip. They would enjoy six more extended trips to Europe together. Morison has a unique way of preserving his memories. “By 2010, I had taken 23,620 stereo (3D) slides before everything turned digital,” Morison said. “I have been in photography exhibitions worldwide and received many Photographic Society medals. Over the years I have given many 3D slide presentations. The audience wears 3D glasses and I give them a thrill.” Not all of Morison’s adventures are in the past. “I believe if you’ve been active, you better stay active Morison routinely biked with family dog, Cindy, on his as you get older,” Morison back for 36 miles at a time.
said. “Someone told me I should start slowing down and I said, ‘No, I’m just getting better.’” Morison continues to ice-skate, hike and bike on a weekly basis. “I ride my bike out in the country and collect cans along the way,” Morison said. “I’ve gotten up to 300 cans on one ride. I get exercise, clean up
HEALTH & WELLNESS 3 the roads and collect money when I turn them in.” Morison may seem like an iron man at his age, but he’s had his share of spills and broken bones. Bike accidents in 2003 and 2006 landed him with a broken hip and fractured knee. Ice-skating falls in 2010 and 2014 resulted in a fractured pelvis and broken collarbone. Despite these challenges, he heals and keeps going. “My only health issue is that my health is in excellent shape,” Morison said. “I’m fortunate my eyes are still 20/20 and I take no medications, only a few vitamins.” Be on the lookout for this athletic wonder at the rink or in the great outdoors. If you’re able to keep up with him, he’ll love sharing his adventures with you. “I’ve had a good life,” Morison said. “I made use of every year and still do.” If you’re interested in having Dave Morison make a presentation to your group, call 256-7230. ■
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4 HEALTH & WELLNESS
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Winter 2015
What is bursitis? How do you treat it? The Healthy Geezer By Fred Cicetti
B
ursitis is a condition that often occurs as we age. Bursitis describes inflammation of a bursa, a small sac filled with fluid that acts as a shock absorber and grease for our joints. We each have about 160 of these bursae, which act as buffers between bones and overlapping muscles, or between bones and tendons/skin. When bursae become inflamed, they can ache. Repetitive motions are the worst things for people who tend to get bursitis. Other causes include joint trauma, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and infection. Simple pressure can also cause inflammation. Movements such as pushing a vacuum cleaner can give you bursitis in your elbow, but sitting on a hard surface for a long time can inflame the bursa over a bone in your buttocks. People with bursitis may feel pain
or stiffness in the elbow, hip, knee, shoulder, heel, big toe or other joints; stronger pain with movement or pressure; swelling, warmth and redness. You can usually take care of bursitis. Rest the affected joint and use an ice pack to reduce swelling. To reduce pain and inflammation, take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) such as ibuprofen or aspirin, if your doctor approves. It usually takes a week or so for bursitis to go away. You should see your doctor if symptoms don’t subside after 10 days. Symptoms may include a fever, excessive swelling, redness, bruising or a rash in the affected area. You should also see your doctor if the pain is sharp, shooting or disabling, or if you have a medical condition or take drugs that may increase your risk of an infection. Your doctor may recommend physical therapy or a cortisone injec-
tion into the bursa to relieve inflammation. Ultrasound treatment is often used by physical therapists and other health care providers to treat bursitis. Ultrasound relieves pain and inflammation, speeds healing, reduces muscle spasms and increases range of motion through high frequency sound waves, which vibrate tissues deep inside the injured area, creating heat that draws more blood into the tissues. The tissues then respond to healing nutrients brought in by the blood. Treatment is given with a soundhead that is moved gently in strokes or circles over the injured area. The procedure may be performed with the soundhead alone or with a topical anti-inflammatory drug or gel. However, if the bursitis is caused by a bacterial infection of the bursa, it will have to be drained and you will need antibiotic treatment. Here are some tips to help prevent
bursitis: * If you must undertake a job that requires repetitive movements, take many breaks. * Avoid sustained pressure on a bursa. For example, don’t sit on hard chairs for long periods. If you have to do a job on your hands and knees, use knee cushions. Don’t rest your elbows on hard surfaces. Don’t wear ill-fitting shoes. * Exercise the muscles in the joints that tend to get bursitis. You can protect these joints by strengthening the muscles around them. Of course, don’t exercise until all bursitis symptoms are gone. * Stretch and warm up your muscles before exercising. ■
Send your general health questions to the Healthy Geezer in care of the BEACON, or email fred@healthygeezer.com.
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Winter 2015
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Chronic pain can turn some patients into drug addicts By Tait Trussell
M
illions of Americans are suffering needlessly with chronic pain, according to a new book, “A Nation in Pain” by Judy Foreman. Foreman calls the opioid wars medical but also psychological, economic, political and cultural. We are suffering needlessly in what she calls “an unrecognized health epidemic.” Pain is the main reason seniors visit their doctors. Research shows that 50 percent of older adults who live on their own and 75-85 percent of the elderly in care facilities suffer from chronic pain. Yet pain among older adults is largely undertreated with serious health consequences such as depression, anxiety, decreased mobility, social isolation, poor sleep and related issues. Doctors-to-be, however, get only 8 to 16 hours of pain instruction over four years. Only four U.S. medical schools, Foreman wrote, get a full course on pain management. Veterinarians, she wrote, get twice as much pain instruction as do physicians. She also reported that our country has only 3,000 to 4,000 pain specialist physicians. She writes that in one survey of doctors, about a third of them said they weren’t comfortable about treating patients with chronic pain. And young doctors have little interest in learning more. Patients who seek relief from agony are often suspected of seeking mindaltering recreational drugs. Sometimes they are dismissed as drug addicts. Foreman wrote that two public health issues are on a collision course: the abuse of narcotics, such as Vicodin, for pain and street drugs, such as heroin. “Often older people with no history of drug abuse can’t get drugs they need,” she wrote. “Physicians have recognized the under treatment of pain as inhumane and have called
for reforms in regulation. But there remains a pervasive suspicion about narcotics, which allows the epidemic of untreated suffering to continue.” Few would deny potent painkillers to the terminally ill who are dying of diseases such as cancer. But the sobering news is that even powerful drugs aren’t up to the task of relieving pain. Even in high doses, opioids cut pain by only 30 to 40 percent. Even in hospice, pain is quite common. Foreman’s book went beyond its emotional appeal and reported arguments about the failures of palliative care in the U.S. Pain in itself lacks an institution or establishment for pain management. She reviewed evidence of some promising approaches, ranging from massage to nutrition to acupuncture. She argues that fixing pain is a moral imperative. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine announced in September that 13 research projects totaling about $21.7 million over five years will explore non-drug approaches to managing pain and related health conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug abuse and sleep issues. The effort seeks to increase options for the management of pain and associated problems in U.S. military personnel, veterans and their families. One positive development is that medical marijuana may be able to provide chronic pain relief where many traditional chronic pain medications don’t. Cannabinoids have documented analgesics that make medical marijuana an effective medicine to treat some cases of chronic pain. In scientific studies, most medical marijuana patients experience pain relief. While marijuana potentially has detrimental mental effects, sometimes the pain relief may be worth it. ■
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6 HEALTH & WELLNESS
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Winter 2015
Reminiscing for the heart, soul and mind By Melanie Wiseman
W
hat if you were told you could never reminisce again? No looking at old pictures or talking about your growing up days, your first car, finding that special someone, your first home, favorite pets, raising children, family vacations and the birth of your grandchildren. “I would say that’s impossible,” Wilma Baumbach, 84, said. “Where you are now is where you’ve been and came from. You can’t start here and go on. You’re part of an ongoing process.” “Reminiscing is who you are,” her husband of 64 years, Ralph, 88, said. “Everything that’s happened to you is a part of you, both the hurts and the joys. You can cut off a tree but you can’t cut off roots.” Wilma said that as you age, reminiscing becomes even more important. “Reminiscing gives you satisfaction and you’re content to live more simply,” she said. Anyone old enough to have a memory loves to reminisce. As people age, reminiscing takes on greater significance. Experts studying reminiscing and aging say those who take the time to look back at the highs and lows of their lives find greater satisfaction later in life. Ministers, social workers, nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists have all used reminiscing when working with older clients. When individuals tell a part of their life stories, those who listen act as a mirror, reflecting and affirming their lives. Reminiscing, also referred to as “life review,” is widely used in senior counseling as people search for personal validation, meaning and emotional resolutions. People who have the opportunity to reminisce tend to have a more favorable view of the past and are more optimistic about the future. As they age, people often lose what has defined them: family, spouses, friends, careers and homes. To help
define who they are today, they need to remember who they were. Reminiscing is a mechanism for coping with change as individuals are forced to shift from an active role of being in control of his or her environment to being more passive. Some researchers say that encouraging people to talk about past experiences can help reduce stress and depression, and improve the quality of their lives or even prolong them. A Harvard study suggests that social activities such as reminiscing are as effective as fitness activities, linking meaningful reminiscing to lowered blood pressure and heart rates in participants. Reminiscing can also benefit individuals’ health by drawing them into conversations that get their minds off their medical problems.
A sense of community Telling stories about ourselves helps build a sense of community. When people are engaged with others in meaningful ways, there is an increase in trust and a greater sense of well-being. As opportunities for self-esteem decline later in life, reminiscing interactions form social support, which allows for an esteem lift from others. “Reminiscing with seniors is a great way to draw out even the most reluctant individual,” The Fountains of Hilltop Activities Coordinator Linda Larson said. “Many times, if I’m having a difficult time interacting with a senior, whether it’s due to shyness or they tell me they just don’t want to participate in any activities, jogging their memories of something from the past just tends to open up the flood gates. That in turn tends to help form friendships with others.” Depression and isolation can play a part in the lives of some older people. Reminiscing can help relieve boredom and form a sense of companionship with the person interested enough in them to listen. Being able to relive and relate their
Winter 2015
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life stories can give them a sense of purpose and self-worth, and they will have a better outlook on life.
Family bonds Elizabeth Atkinson, 79, moved to Grand Junction in 1998 to be closer to her grandchildren. Every Sunday at noon for the past 16 years, her dining room table has been surrounded by family. The glow on her face during these special meals speaks louder than words. “Sunday family meals are good food and time with family when the rest of the week we’re going in different directions,” Elizabeth’s daughter, Ann Peterson, 56, said. “Everyone in the family looks forward to it and doesn’t want to miss it.” While conversation tends to focus on the grandchildren and creating new memories, they learn a lot about Elizabeth as well. They recently learned that as a little girl, she used to play basketball in a skirt. Clark Atkinson, 50, said, “Mom has always been the listener and Dad was the talker. While he was alive, Dad did a good job of reminiscing about the past and their growing up years.” His father, Neal, didn’t know at the time how special his reminiscing would be, as his life was cut short in an accident 33 years ago. Now Elizabeth and all five of the Atkinson children share memories of their dad. “Something Mom has been doing the last few years is giving away some of her things,” Peterson said. “Along with each gift comes a story associated with it.” Elizabeth has also been sorting through pictures and making special
albums for each child. Pat Pruess, 79, feels fortunate to have all three of her children living nearby. She recently reminisced with her daughters about her favorite part of the day when they were growing up. “When we did the dishes together, that was our special time to do spelling, geography, math, etc.,” Pat said. “We had a lot of fun as a family.” Pat and her daughters, Shari Wilson, 58, and Dani Pruess, 56, all laughed at the differences between the two girls as they were growing up and how Pat screened their boyfriends. Shari recalled going through her mom’s and grandmother’s jewelry boxes with her own daughter and reminisced with Pat about where each piece came from. Dani fondly recalled going through her grandmother’s things. “Her sweaters still had her smell,” Dani said. “I still have my mother’s perfume and give it a squirt now and then,” Pat said. Remembering the past can bring a new awareness to the present. Memories can be explored in many creative ways that place value on a person’s unique life experience. The best triggers are those that stimulate our five senses: taste (grandmother’s recipes), smell (aroma of fresh baked bread), touch (textures), sound (music) and sight (photographs). Reminiscing is a tool to promote communication, encourage selfexpression and recollect valuable memories. Ultimately, reminiscing can be a pleasurable experience for all involved.
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HEALTH & WELLNESS 7
Connecting with those with dementia about something that’s meaningful to People find reminiscing to be a new way to communicate with people who have dementia or Alzheimer’s. People with dementia often have a keen ability to recall long-term, personal memories when the details of the present may escape them. Reminiscing increases confidence and builds on people’s remaining skills. It concentrates on early memories that remain vivid when recent events fade. It also allows people to return to times in their lives when they were active and healthy. If only for a moment, reminiscing gives people a different identity in the way they think about themselves. When you ask a people to tell stories
them, it broadens their sense of who they are at the moment. While living with dementia can be isolating, reminiscing helps them be involved and to re-engage.
You can make a difference Each of us is part of a rich history that needs to be shared and preserved. Tap into a senior’s life story—write it down or capture it in a live recording. Ask open-ended questions and actively listen. By valuing their memories from the past, you can show them they are valued in the present. When you take time to reminisce, you’ll make a significant difference in the life of someone else, as well as your own. ■
8 HEALTH & WELLNESS
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Winter 2015
Proper nutrition for better vision Your eyes are nature’s wonders, functioning like photo cameras, only substantially more complex. By Wendell Fowler
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hakespeare and Da Vinci poetically suggested that the eyes are windows to your soul; that you can see somebody’s heart by focusing lovingly, deeply into their eyes, effortlessly surpassing any earthly panoramic landscape. Your eyes are nature’s wonders, functioning like photo cameras, only substantially more complex. On a clear day, can you fully absorb an awe-inspiring vista, or see the loving energy radiating from someone’s soul? You see, each of your body’s organs have specific nutritional essentials that must be respected to function as the divine intended. Our compassionate creator fashioned us to express perfect health and wholeness, not to become malnourished—an unfortunate tragedy in today’s bar-coded population. Are age-related vision difficulties making your brown eyes blue? Have you consistently nourished your “soulular” window? It’s widely accepted that the bedrocks of most eye diseases are genetics, damage from sun rays and eating nutritionally inferior food, starving the eye of nature’s sustaining, divine sustenance. It’s my humble layman perspective that if all of us hadn’t been encouraged to eat nutritionally bankrupt iceberg lettuce and instead, consumed dark leafy greens and yellow/orange vegetables while cruising from infancy into adulthood, there’d be significantly less age-related macular disease (AMD). Alas, a nation trusted biased commodity brokers and bankers to be their nutritionists and obediently embraced iceberg salads whose leaves contain much less nourishment. Have you innocently starved the windows to your soul? It’s never too late to properly feed your trillions of cells, my friends. Romaine, as opposed to iceberg
lettuce, contains a complete protein containing all essential amino acids, iron, molybdenum, potassium and B vitamins and fiber. Kale, riding a wave of popularity, packs a colossal punch of vitamins K, A (the good stuff), C, calcium, foliate and potassium. Collards, turnip and mustard greens have undergone a popularity renaissance with similar benefits. A good rule of thumb is that the nutritional value increases as the green in the leaves gets darker, making iceberg easy to identify as the least helpful. Powerful antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin in certain colorful vegetables belong to the group of carotenoids called xanthophylls. Regular consumption may decrease the incidence of AMD, according to the American Optometric Association. These antioxidants help maintain macular health, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Studies in “American Journal of Epidemiology, Ophthalmology and Archives of Ophthalmology” found that higher levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in your temple’s diet are associated with a lower incidence of AMD. Why? One cup of iceberg lettuce has 152 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin, whereas one cup of romaine contains a whopping 1,087 micrograms of lutein and zeaxanthin. Cooked spinach contains both lutein and zeaxanthin. According to WebMD, carrots, milk, cheese, egg yolk, and liver, all rich in vitamin A, are especially vital for good vision. What a privilege to be the sole architect of your health. Don’t hasten AMD. If you already experience vision loss, blurred vision or flashes of light, seek medical guidance. If you take blood thinners, consult with your phlebotomist. If they warn you not to eat green veggies, find a new doctor. ■
Winter 2015
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HEALTH & WELLNESS 9
Turning the tables on hearing loss—the Helen Keller way Dr. Joe McDermott, Au.D. F-AAA, CCC-A
S
“Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.”
tudies show that untreated hearing loss is more than an inconvenience. It robs us of our quality of life because it leads to stress, depression, social isolation, fear, irritability, poor concentration, insomnia and even dementia. But that’s not new information to someone living in the shadow of hearing loss. A woman sees her normally affable, gregarious mate withdraw from social gatherings or become cross with her for mumbling. She thinks that perhaps he’s ignoring her because he doesn’t respond to what she says. The cumulative stress, if it doesn’t totally destroy their marriage, transforms a once lovely relationship into one of dispassionate coexistence. The vice president of a large company resigns from his six-figure-a-year job after 30 years because his hearing loss has become a liability. Most of the information he needed to do his
job well came from informal conversations in the hallway, or on the work floor, or around the coffee pot or at business lunches. Misunderstanding or totally missing what was being said caused him to feel (and appear) incompetent. Stories like these are played out daily. Yet they never have to end so sadly. The truth is we don’t have to surrender our favorite activities and precious relationships to the effects of hearing loss. We don’t have to reel in our lives and our dreams. When asked if she could have either vision or hearing, Helen Keller chose hearing, commenting that, “Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.” Keller conquered her challenges one step at a time, turned the world’s attitudes about disabilities upside down and won the Presidential
Medal of Freedom. Her credo was “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do something I can do.” All it takes is the right people to come alongside with understanding, compassion and solutions. All it takes is each of us taking Helen Keller’s words to heart and to “not refuse to do something I can do.” For the frustrated spouse, it means adopting good communications habits. It means recognizing that the symptoms of hearing loss are just that— symptoms—not a death sentence. It means not trusting the perception that the other person is ignoring you or just doesn’t care enough to listen. In fact, odds are that distant, grumpy spouse would like nothing better than to hear clearly. The first steps toward taking control are
1) Recognizing and owning the problem 2) Seeking the help of a qualified and dedicated hearing professional 3) Agreeing on a solution 4) Sticking with it, keeping expectations realistic and recognizing improvements There are plenty of solutions out there. Some technologies are better suited to particular types of hearing loss, lifestyle or temperament. Make 2015 the year you take control of your life and stand with Helen Keller in saying, “I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do something I can do.” Looking for answers? Call Colorado West Audiologists at 255-3548 or visit www.facebook.com/Colora doWestAudiologists. We can help! ■
10 HEALTH & WELLNESS
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Winter 2015
Curcumin and curry spice help diabetes and cancer By Suzy Cohen
A
s the snowy cold weather begins to roll into Colorado where I live, I crave warmer, heartier meals like chili, stews and brisket. Juicing kale and celery when it’s four degrees outside doesn’t cut it. So at this time of year garlic and curry go in everything I eat. Let’s talk curry. Penang, or red or green curry—it’s all good with me. Curry sounds like it’s one spice, but it’s actually a blend of spices, and it always contains some turmeric spice. Turmeric comes from the ginger family. This yellow-orange spice was first used as a dye until its medicinal properties were uncovered. Our research today proves turmeric positively benefits hundreds of health conditions, making it a healthy and tasty sprinkle for any dish. Do I want it right now? Yes, please! You can buy the spice called turmeric all by itself if you don’t like curry. Supplements of turmeric are
sold everywhere. And you’ll also find curcumin, which is one potent extract of turmeric. Curcumin may prevent or improve age-related cognitive decline, dementia and mood disorders. This is not wishful thinking. It’s true. A randomized, doubleblind, placebocontrolled trial observed 60 adults between the ages of 60 and 85. One hour after their curcumin dose, these adults enjoyed a higher attention span and better memory than those who swallowed the dud pill, the placebo. After four weeks of curcumin supplements, memory, mood, alertness and contentedness were considerably better in the participants.
Curcumin is a hot supplement, not spicy hot, but hot in the sense that research is conducted frequently. I found more than 900 published research papers pertaining to curcumin’s anti-cancer activity. One of these papers found that curcumin has the ability to make some cancer cells commit suicide. Basically, curcumin programs the cell to die. Technically, we call this apoptosis. Cancers that are resistant to multiple chemotherapeutic agents seem to still respond to curcumin, at least in mouse studies. Because of curcumin’s long-term record of safety and low risk of side effects, I think it’s a great natural adjunct to many protocols, especially for breast and prostate cancer. It’s a
Curcumin is the “Kardashian” of herbs. It’s spicy, notorious, and a little goes a long way if you know what I mean.
strong anti-inflammatory. Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. “Diabetes Care,” the journal of the American Diabetes Association, published a study about curcumin’s ability to prevent prediabetic patients from becoming fullblown diabetics. Results after nine months showed 100 percent success. No one progressed to full diabetes. Further, curcumin-treated patients had better pancreatic beta cell function and higher adiponectin. Curcumin is the “Kardashian” of herbs. It’s spicy, notorious, and a little goes a long way if you know what I mean. Too much is not good because it’s a laxative. Most importantly most physicians consider curry and curcumin effective and safe. Ask your doctor about supplementing with it if you have inflammatory conditions, especially autoimmune ones like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s and psoriasis. ■
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Winter 2015
www.BeaconSeniorNews.com
A chicken in every pot, broth for every day By Allison St. Claire
R
emember President Hoover’s famous slogan, “A chicken in every pot?” (Actually King Henry the IV said it several centuries earlier.) In the midst of these dark winter days, miserable flu season, and the even darker times of a sluggish economy, a chicken in your pot and the healthful, delicious broth it creates is one of the brightest foods you can make. Easy: All you really need is a chicken or its carcass, and water. Hundreds of recipes call for chicken broth or stock. Only the ratio of bones and meat used differentiates them. I can’t think of a single vegetable or grain I cook that isn’t infinitely more flavorful and nutritious with some added chicken stock. There’s no need to buy store-bought, which is far more expensive and unhealthy. Unfortunately, homemade broth has been replaced with bouillon, which is perhaps the worst item in the market, as it is full of sodium and
MSG. Some pre-made liquid broths also have added MSG and “natural flavorings” which are a negative. They are not cooked in the traditional way to gently extract the minerals, collagen and gelatin from real bones and have very little nutritional value. Plus, soup cans, as well as other food cans, are lined with an estrogenlike chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) to help prevent rust. But this chemical doesn’t just sit there in the can lining. It breaks free and leaches out into the soup. That means you’re getting a secret burst of hormones with every spoonful. Mmm? Yuck!
Starting simple Use a whole chicken (preferably organic, pasture-fed or from a reputable supplier) or parts, such as backs, necks, wings and especially feet. Yes, the feet are an extremely nutritious gelatin provider. Note: Every meat purchase does at least double duty if you buy it bone-in. Meat closest to the bone is more flavorful, and bones
make excellent soups and stocks. Really basic: Put chicken and a splash of vinegar (to help extract minerals from the bones) in a large pot and cover with water. Cook on the stove top at a low simmer, or uncovered in the oven at 170-180 degrees for six to 24 hours. Especially with factory-farmed chickens, you may want to quickly boil first to release scum that you will skim off. Stock 1.0: Add a large onion, chopped, at the beginning. Stock 2.0: Additional vegetables. If you plan to toss mushy vegetables away or blend them as a base for soup and gravy thickeners, add two carrots, peeled and chopped, and three celery ribs, chopped, at the start. If you plan to include them in a bowl of chicken soup or casserole later, add during the last hour. Stock 3.0: If you have them and like additional layers of flavor, at the start, add peppercorns for spiciness, garlic for added sweetness, two bay
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HEALTH & WELLNESS 11 leaves for savory depth, and parsley and/or thyme at the very end for floral, herbal notes. Store broth in your refrigerator for several days, or save space by freezing it in an ice cube tray. Each cube would nicely flavor a couple of servings of cooked vegetables, provide a steaming cup of drinking broth, or provide a rich base for rice, quinoa, couscous, wild rice or other grain.
Building health Almost 1,000 years ago, physician Moses Maimonides prescribed chicken broth as a treatment for colds and asthma, thus the name “Jewish penicillin.” Recent scientific studies confirm what we’ve known all along. Meat stocks contain the minerals (especially calcium, magnesium and potassium) of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes that are easy to assimilate. The gelatin produced allows the body to use the complete proteins you consume. Gelatin also helps in treating many chronic disorders such as diabetes, muscular dystrophy, gut problems and even cancer. ■
12 HEALTH & WELLNESS
www.BeaconSeniorNews.com
Winter 2015
4 tips for getting seriously healthy
T
here’s a reason why so many diseases are increasing in frequency in the United States, making some that were almost unheard of 100 years ago commonplace today, said Dr. Robert Thompson, an OB/GYN and integrative medicine specialist. “The United States is now 46th in men’s mortality and the absolute worst country in the industrialized world for first-day infant mortality,” said Thompson, author of “The Calcium Lie II: What Your Doctor Still Doesn’t Know,” (calciumliebook. com), a book that details the roles minerals play in overall health and how to identify and correct deficiencies and imbalances. “The current rate of diabetes suggests 95 percent of our adult population will be diabetic by 2030,” he said. “The number of children with life-threatening allergies has increased more than 1,000 percent since 1995. Mineral deficiencies are responsible for a host of health problems, which are incorrectly treated by drugs.” Thompson offers these suggestions for Americans to take charge of their health. • Get a hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA) to determine your mineral status. This may be the most important health test that exists, Thompson said. Only when you and your doctor know for sure your mineral status and important ratios can you adapt your diet, minerals and supplements to work toward proper balance. Thompson recommends using Trace Elements, Inc. clinical lab in Addison, Texas because it adheres to the highest standards. The lab accepts only samples submitted by health-care providers, including physicians, nutritionists, and others, so you need to find one who does HTMA and uses that lab. (Individuals who can’t find a provider can call the lab for help in locating one.) • Do not take calcium supplements unless tests indicate a deficiency. We’ve all been told that
we must ingest lots of calcium to ensure strong bones. In fact, calcium is just one of at least 12 minerals in our bones, all of which must be present in the right balance for good bone health. Calcium has been added to so much of our food, it’s unlikely most of us are deficient. And yet, people are told to take calcium supplements. Excess calcium can cause kidney and gallstones, arterial plaque, bone spurs, calcium deposits in tissues other than bone, and brain cell dysfunction, brain shrinkage and dementia. Instead of calcium, Thompson instructs all his patients and readers to take a minimum of 3 grams of trace minerals derived from sea salt every day. • Salt (sodium) is necessary for digestion, nutrient absorption, cell function and metabolism. Limiting salt intake is not only the wrong advice for 90 percent of the people at risk for high blood pressure, but it also contributes to the lack of minerals in our bodies. Many of us are actually deficient in sodium. Salt is a mineral, and unrefined sea salt and rock salt are the best sources of sodium and ionic minerals. If you are sodium deficient, add harvested pure sea salt liberally to your foods. It is important to use pure sea salt, and not the common table salt, as processing has stripped common table salt of its mineral value. • Use only vitamin supplements made from 100 percent organic whole foods that have been vine ripened. Almost all of us need supplements because contemporary food supplies lack adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, thanks to soil depletion. Most store-bought vitamins include just one component of the many complex molecular elements contained in the naturally occurring vitamin source. You need all of the nutrient components to get the full benefits. The best natural sources of readily available vitamins include raw seeds, stabilized rice bran powder, vine-ripened fresh fruit and berries. ■