WELLderly

WELLderly News

Survey finds taste drives healthy living decisions.

The Los Angeles Times (5/24), reports on findings from an annual poll indicating that food purchases are driven by taste (87%), price (73%), healthfulness (61%), and convenience (53%). Nearly one quarter of the survey respondents said their diets were “extremely” or “very unhealthful,” although most were trying to improve their diets. “Less than 20% meet national guidelines for activity.

Dr. WELLderly note—Taste is driven by the addiction to FAT, SUGAR and SALT.  Which promotes diseases—of—heart, brain, joints etc. etc. etc.

The four food groups are NOT sugar, salt, grease and a beverage.

If, OW think this mantra often—”I USED to eat lots of sweets—BUTT that’s all behind me now!”  BUTT with exercise, I can—move it, use it and LOSE it!

WELLderly NEWS   

Doctored and Dispense by Dale Anderson, MD

Researchers taking increasing interest in massage therapy.

Wall Street Journal (3/13) Massage may improve immune function in breast cancer patients, asthma in children, and osteoarthritis. Researchers are currently studying massage as therapy for generalized anxiety disorder.

WELLderly note—Here’s a touching story.  We can be rubbed the RIGHT way. Needing, Kneading appears to be beneficial.  Staying in touch is healthy.

CDC: Children consume too much added sugar.

Chicago Tribune (3/28) “Children and teens are consuming too much added sugar in their diets.  Nearly one in every six calories they eat and drink comes from some type of added sugar.—consumption of added sugar rose steadily as kids got older. For instance, preschool-age boys got an average of 218 calories from added sugar, while those in the 6-to-11 age bracket got 345 and those in junior and senior high got 442.”

WELLderly note—Remember the visits to Grandpa’s—always with candy in his pockets and Grandma with “just made” cookies—”especially for you”.  Now we know that a sweet treat may lead to unwanted health TREATments.

Popcorn a good choice as a whole-grain snack.

USA Today (3/26) hull of popcorn has some good nutritional qualities – assuming it’s not smothered in butter, oil and salt.” “the amount of polyphenols in popcorn was up to 300 milligrams (mg) per serving compared with 114 mg per serving of sweet corn and 160 mg per serving for all fruits.

WELLderly note—Movie popcorn oil is likely “saturated”Cocanut oil. This oil is getting some press as a brain benefactor and for raising the good HDL cholesterol.  Stay tuned-the jury’s still out on this one.

People who eat chocolate more often tend to be thinner.

 Wall Street Journal (3/27, The Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that people who eat chocolate more frequently tend to be thinner than those who eat chocolate less frequently. The Journal notes that participants who ate more chocolate did not consume more calories than those who ate chocolate less often—antioxidants and other compounds in chocolate may deliver a metabolic boost that can offset its caloric downside.

WELLderly note—Chocolate more FREQUENTLY not FREQUENTLY, MORE CHOCOLATE.  

Scientists find neural highways crisscrossing the brain.

Boston Globe (3/30) a simple, grid-like pattern, much like ordered city streets that intersect at right angles–study used MRI technology to look in fine detail at the connections in the brain.

WELLderly note—NEUROBICS more paths, streets, intersections, highways are mapped out in the brain grid.  Built and maintained by self construction BUT without brain UP-keep the “roads less traveled” become unuseable and perhaps overgrown with AZ amyloid plaques and “tangles”.

Campaign seeks to cut down on unnecessary medical procedures.

New York Times (4/4) a group of nine medical specialty boards recomends that doctors perform 45 common tests and procedures less often, and urges patients to question these services if they are offered. For instance, “The American College of Cardiology is urging heart specialists not to perform routine stress cardiac imaging in asymptomatic patients.  The American College of Radiology is telling radiologists not to run imaging scans on patients suffering from simple headaches. Tthe American Gastroenterological Association is urging its physicians to prescribe the lowest doses of medication needed to control acid reflux disease.”  the entire list of 45 (often) unnecessary tests and procedures is online at choosingwisely.org.”

WELLderly note—to cut costs, health care providers needs to cut profitable tests, patient’s need to shun “placebo” tests that offer only peace of mind, and litigators willl need to revisit the idea that “no stone should be left unturned.”

Melanoma Rates Keep Rising.

www.amednews.com/2012/hlsa0409  The greatest increase seems to be occurring among adolescents and young adults, particularly in females, says a study in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “There is no such thing as a healthy tan, because you can’t get tanned without damaging your skin first.  That damage is what makes you more likely to get skin cancer later in life.

WELLderly note—the best way to maintain healthy skin is to have “a shady past” and perhaps supplement with the “sunshine vitamin”—D-3.

CDC: Most Americans get enough vitamins, some need more.

WebMD (4/3) When it came to deficiencies for vitamins, the highest deficiencies were found for vitamin D, which “is important for strong muscles and bones, and it may help protect against certain cancers and type 2 diabetes.

WELLderly note—to D or not to D—that is (no longer) the question.