Tri-County Sentry
Friday
MAY 9, 2014
Page 9A
Senior Living:
Spotlight on Health:
By M. Brooks It looks like there is some scientific truth to the old saying, “laughter is the best medicine.” A new study from Loma Linda University in California finds that humor may reduce age-related memory loss caused by the “stress hormone” cortisol. Too much stress has been linked to a number of health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, allergies and diabetes. Stress has also been shown to lessen learning ability and memory in the elderly due to increased cortisol production that damages neurons in the brain. One of the best (and proven) stress relievers is laughter, so the research team led by Dr. Gurinder Singh Bains, came together to test this hypothesis: Laughter may reduce neuron damage caused by “stress hormone” cortisol, therefore improving memory in older individuals.
By Gwendolyn Harris Your most powerful weapon against the battle of the bulge may not be an eating utensil but a writing one! Watching what you eat starts long before food ever hits your fork or spoon by knowing what, why, when and how you eat. Like, how you REALLY eat and not just the healthy habits you’re kinda sorta thinking about doing most of the time. One of the best ways to know what’s really good with your health and eating habits is to write everything down. According to a study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, a Psychology professor at Dominican University of California, people who wrote down their goals, shared them with a friend and maintained accountability were 33% more successful reaching their goals than those who just formulated goals. If your goal is to get se-
Laughter Reduces Age-Related Best Utensil to Fast Track Your Weight Loss Memory Loss
For the study, researchers analyzed a group of elderly individuals with diabetes and a group of healthy elderly people. Both groups were shown a 20-minute funny video before completing a memory assessment that measured memory recall, learning ability and vi-
sual recognition. A third control group also completed the test without watching the video. Cortisol levels for all participants were measured before and after the test. There was a significant reduction in cortisol in both LAUGHTER, See page 12A
Three Tips for Choosing an Assisted-Living Home for Your Parent
Seventy percent of people age 65 and older will need long-term care at some point in their lives, according to a 2014 study by CareScout, a division of Genworth Financial Services. “But that doesn’t mean they have to sacrifice their quality of life,” says Peder Johnsen, CEO of Concordis Senior Living, www. concordisseniorliving. com, which owns, operates and develops senior housing communities. “In fact, a person who needs some assistance with day-to-day living will often find he or she is much happier in a good assistedliving community with an atmosphere that reminds them of their former home.” And it doesn’t have to be outrageously priced, notes Johnsen, a thirdgeneration ALF operator whose family pioneered the contemporary congregate community model. The median price for
a private, one-bed home in an ALF community is $42,000, he says, citing the CareScout report. By contrast, a semi-private nursing home bed costs a median $77,000 a year. But it’s up to prospective residents and their families to ascertain the quality of the community and whether it’s a good match for the person who will be living there. There are a number of
easy ways to see if a home has a truly caring atmosphere and well-trained staff. Johnsen offers these tips: • Ask to see the home’s state licensing survey, an assessment that usually includes inspections, audits, interviews with residents, etc. Every state has an ALF licensing agency and all have some form of survey system for ensuring that certain standards of quality HOME, See page 12A
Ten Medical Tests to Avoid
By Elizabeth Agnvall Doctors are warning that some of the common medical tests routinely taken by Americans do more harm than good, waste billions of health care dollars annually and could endanger your health or even your life. Among the tests targeted by prestigious panels of doctors as overused were annual Pap smears, regular PSA tests, regular EKGs and even routine yearly physicals. Overuse of such tests leads to dangerous side effects, pain, radiation exposure, unnecessary surgery — even death, the doctors said. The American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation asked more than 50 medical societies — of family doctors, oncologists, cardiologists and other specialties — to identify tests and treatments that are often unnecessary. AARP is a consumer partner with this campaign, called Choosing Wisely. 1. Nuclear stress tests, and other imaging tests,
after heart procedures Many people who have had a heart bypass, stent or other heart procedure feel they’ve had a brush with death. So patients — and doctors — understandably want to be reassured through a nuclear stress test or other tests that their hearts are beating strong. But performing these tests every year or even every two years in patients without symptoms rarely results in any change in treatment. In fact, it can lead to unnecessary invasive procedures and excess radiation exposure without helping the patient improve. 2. Yearly electrocardiogram or exercise stress test A survey of nearly 1,200 people ages 40 to 60 who have never had heart disease or any symptoms found that 39 percent had an EKG over the previous five years, and 12 percent said they had an exercise stress test. The problem: Someone at low risk for heart disease could be 10 times more likely to get a false-positive result than to
find a true problem. This could lead to unnecessary heart catheterization and stents. Instead, have your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. And if you’re at risk for diabetes, have your blood glucose level checked as well. 3. PSA to screen for prostate cancer Cancer is always scary, but the PSA test often finds slow-growing cancers that won’t kill men. As a result of the test, he says, men often have ultrasounds, repeat lab tests and even biopsies for a problem that isn’t there — an estimated 75 percent of tests that show high PSA levels turn out to be false alarms. When men do have treatments such as surgery or radiation, 20 to 40 percent end up with impotence, incontinence or both. 4. PET scan to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease Until recently, the only way to accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s was during an autopsy. In the last few years, doctors have begun TESTS, See page 12A
rious about your health and weight loss, here are three ways to use the power of the pen to help speed you to victory. 1. Keep a food journal. The method is simple: If you eat it, WRITE IT. Make your food diary as basic as a tiny memo pad or as fancy as hardcover journal; whatever is convenient (be-
cause you’ll want to keep it on you at all times) and inspires you to keep writing. Track your daily meals and snacks, times of day and even how your food choices made you feel. 2. Use a calendar to track temptation. When you look at your daily planner, you may just UTENSIL, See page 12A
Can Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy Help Prevent ADHD in Kids?
(NewsUSA) - Pregnant women might want to think twice before reaching for that pain pill. A new study published in the respected JAMA Pediatrics has discovered a possible link between acetaminophen -- found in Tylenol and many other pain pills -- and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. And while experts say the preliminary findings fall short of proving a direct causeand-effect relationship, the fact that acetaminophen is the most common drug taken by expectant mothers is sounding alarm bells. "We really should start looking at non-pharmacological ways to deal with pain," Jeff Chapa, director of maternal fetal medicine at Cleveland Clinic, told USA Today, while advising that acetaminophen continue to be used in the case of fevers. According to the study, which tracked more than 64,000 Danish children born from 1996 to 2002,
Gastro Woes More Common in Kids with Autism
By Brenda Goodman What many parents of children with autism have long suspected -- that autism and gastrointestinal complaints often go together -- is now supported by a new study. The study, a review of medical research, found that children with autism are more than four times as likely as their typically developing peers to have digestive difficulties such as abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation. The study authors stress that doesn’t mean the gastrointestinal troubles are the cause of autism, as one widely discredited theory has suggested, or that something about the biology of autism causes stomach complaints. No cause-and-effect relationship has been established. But the researchers say the link between the two problems is strong enough that it deserves more investigation.
A new study links acetaminophen use during pregnancy to ADHD in kids. those whose mothers took acetaminophen were: • 37 percent more likely to be diagnosed with hyperkinetic disorder -- the equivalent of "high end" ADHD. • 29 percent more likely to receive ADHD medications. One drug-free alternative that continues to gain
popularity is chiropractic care. The American Pregnancy Association notes it can help "maintain a healthier pregnancy" overall while also potentially "controlling symptoms of nausea, reducing the time of labor and delivery, relieving back, neck or joint ADHD, See page 12A
Mammograms in Ventura County Information provided by Ventura County 2-1-1
Free mammograms St. John's Medical Center 1-800-511-2300 Free mammograms for low income, uninsured and under-insured Conejo Free Clinic 805-497-3575 Low income uninsured or under-insured women age 40+ mammograms Every Woman Counts Screening and Referral 805-981-5221 Low cost to no cost mammograms Ventura County Public Health 1-888-285-5012 Sliding fee scale, state funded, Medi-Cal mammograms Planned Parenthood 1888-898-3806 Free, Sliding scale, Medi-Cal, no one turned away due to inability to pay mammograms Clinicas Clinics: El Rio Office 805-436-3444 Fillmore Office 805-524-1263 Maravilla Office 805-488-0210 Newbury Park Office 805-498-3640 North Oxnard Office 805-988-0053 Ocean View Office 805-986-5551 Oxnard Office 805-487-5351 Santa Paula Office 805-933-0895 Simi Valley Office 805-522-5722 Ventura Office 805-659-0560 Ojai Valley Office 805-640-8293