Offering more than just a guide – we provide a comprehensive platform committed to offering valuable resources, practical advice, and compassionate support for families navigating the journey of aging together. Our newsletter covers a wide range of topics, including elder health tips, caregiving strategies, medical assistance resources, and lifestyle advice, tailored to meet the diverse needs of every family member.
Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes
Millions of Americans use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). Young people especially, age 17 and under, have quickly taken up their use: Substantially more young people use e-cigarettes than any other tobacco product, including traditional combustible tobacco cigarettes.
Despite their popularity, little is known about the health effects of e-cigarettes.
Immediate Care or Emergency?
When you or a loved one gets sick or injured, going to the right place helps ensure getting the care you need quickly and efficiently. This helpful checklist will help you evaluate whether you should seek attention at an Immediate Care or the Emergency Room.
Men’s Health: How Urologists Can Help
Gentlemen, it’s probably not going to get better on its own. Speak up about your most personal health concerns.
A physician who specializes in the male reproductive system and urinary tract called a urologist can help provide solutions. If you have urologic health concerns, talk with your doctor about first steps and referrals.
Immune Dysfunction
Almost 24 million Americans live with an autoimmune disease—and many of them are women.
Your immune system is your body’s strongest defense against outside attackers, whether these are environmental factors or common bacteria and viruses you pick up from other people. So what happens when it turns on itself?
Tips for Unplugging on Vacation
As people head off for vacation, the one thing that most will take with them is the office. Unwinding and unplugging are not synonymous when work is just one phone call, email or text away.
Technology, which makes connectivity possible in all but the most remote places, is only part of the problem.
Cleaning for a Better Mood
Your house is messy, and you feel miserable. Believe it or not, research has shown it’s common to feel this way.
According to a National Sleep Foundation survey, roughly 75 percent of people sleep better when they have clean sheets. Additionally, individuals who live in clean homes are generally healthier than their counterparts living in clutter, according to research conducted at Indiana University.
Ask the Nurse | Chemicals and Your Health
You don't have to be a cynic about health risks to doubt the value of lots of chemicals attached to almost everything you use.
A dose of health skepticism is healthy.
Ask the Nurse and Asthma
Ask the Nurse: Things you should know about Advair
Ask the Nurse: Christine Hammerlund, President of Assured Healthcare Staffing and Nurse
Dear Chris: I am an asthmatic and I take Advair. But I keep reading about issues related to the drug. What should I know to be smarter about the drug? Ellen in Des Plaines.
4 Heart Healthy Surprises
Diet and exercise aren’t the only factors that positively influence your heart’s well-being.
Here are four unexpected things you can do to promote good heart health.
1. Make time for a laugh.
2. Own a furry friend.
3. Think optimistically.
4. Say “I do.”
How to Fight Frailty for More Life in Your Years
Who Does Frailty Affect?
About 5 percent to 10 percent of people over age 65 are frail, according to a 2013 article in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA).2 Most are over 80 years old and most are women, partly because women live longer than men. Smoking, depression, long-term medical problems and being underweight seem to increase the likelihood of becoming frail.
Avoid the Hazards of Dehydration
It's been a long, hot day. First a morning of yard work, then three hours helping coach the kids' baseball and soccer games, followed by the weekly shopping. Now you're finally heading home with a week's worth of groceries to unload and put away. You're tired and thirsty, cranky with your family, and wincing at the throbbing in your temples. You could also be experiencing the first symptoms of dehydration, which is far more common than most people realize.
Sleep and Your Health: The Zs Have It
Do you treat sleep as a luxury, a few brief hours of rest squeezed in between home, work, family and social obligations? Think again—a sensible and sufficient sleep schedule is of prime importance to your good health and well being. Many people have a hard time making the connection, accepting fatigue, lethargy and more serious complaints as a fact of life or a product of our hectic lifestyles. But what if we understood better how essential quality sleep is, and began to apply some self care by making healthy sleep a priority instead of an afterthought? Consider these sleep facts and statistics:
5 Tips for Walking Your Way to Better Health
Spring is just around the corner, and after the long winter months most of us are ready for sunnier days and more time spent outdoors. Even if you've been following an indoor exercise regimen or participating in winter sports, there's just something special about that first springtime walk—lacing up your shoes, heading out the door and pausing to inhale a deep breath of fresh air, fragrant with the promise of blooming plants and flowers. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your walking routine:
When Clutter Becomes Hoarding
The Mayo Clinic defines hoarding as "... the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them" and states that "compulsive hoarding and compulsive hoarding syndrome, may be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)." We are not talking everyday household mess and clutter here, or collections of specific objects that may, in the opinion of other family members, be taking up too much space in the house. True hoarding can be a sign of mental and/or physical illness that manifests itself in the obsessive accumulation of things—items that can range from mounds of clothing, unopened shopping bags, stacks of newspapers, magazines and mail, to piles of trash and rotting garbage that are dangerous to the health of an individual or a family.
Savor the Flavor for Better Health
As Americans, we tend to be a nation of gobblers when it comes to eating. In other cultures, meals and conversation can run on into the evening, with family members enjoying conversation and sharing the news of the day. On average, our meals last a whopping 11 minutes—and that's for dinner. Breakfast and lunch clock in at under 5 minutes for some people. The good news is, to realize an abundance of health benefits all we need to do is slooooooow dooooooown. And here are few good reasons why:
Ergonomic Exercises Help Ease Workday Strain
Sitting at a desk much of the day, working on a computer, can place demands on the muscles of your body that cause pain and discomfort. By observing a few simple exercises, you can minimize those issues and improve the quality of your workday.
As with any type of close work, using a monitor can place some serious demands on your eyes.
Rx for Good Health: Helping Others
It's true - volunteering and helping others in need not only makes a difference in the lives of recipients, it can improve our own mental and physical health and well being. The good feeling we get from lending a helping hand benefits us in a variety of ways:
There is the social aspect of joining with others in our communities, making friends and assisting worthy organizations in achieving their goals.
Tai Chi for Fitness and Mental Clarity
Right now is a good time to focus on ongoing fitness practices that can help to keep us healthy all year long. One daily practice you may want to consider is Tai Chi.
Tai Chi is a series of physical postures, or "forms", which are linked slowly and precisely by meditative movement. It originated in China more than 1,000 years ago and is considered a martial art that is practiced primarily for its health benefits, including reduction of tension and stress.
Spice Up Your Life - It's Good for You!
One of the best ways to enhance nutrition and improve your health is to bypass processed and pre-packaged foods in favor of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and proteins.
Make Common Sense Part of Nutrition Planning
As with almost any health-related topic, we find ourselves bombarded with "expert" and frequently conflicting advice from all quarters -- nutrition is no exception. How many meals a day are the best? How many servings of vegetables? Of grains and cereals? Is white sugar ever okay?