Archive for December, 2008
Another One Bites the Dust
Friday, December 26th, 2008
Many of my fellow flower children grew up listening to the music of The Lovin’ Spoonful. We did believe in magic. And, thanks to Grace Slick, we learned that, "One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small."
Unfortunately, one pill apparently does not make you any less prone to dementia or Alzheimer’s Disease, at least if that one pill is ginkgo biloba. In an article in the Nov. 19 issue of the Los Angeles Times, Karen Kaplan reported on the results of a clinical trial involving thousands of volunteers between the ages of 75 and 96. Despite high hopes, the subjects who had ingested ginkgo biloba for more than six years were slightly more likely to be diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s than participants in the control group who had been taking a placebo. Research seems to suggest that the herbal extract does not prevent nor delay the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Bummer!
For boomers and other younger subjects, the jury is still out. According to the article, smaller studies showed mixed results and there was some speculation that ginkgo biloba might be effective if people start taking it in their 40s or 50s.
I stopped taking vitamin E after I read the results of a study that indicated it may actually increase the chance of a heart attack, but regardless of mixed reviews, I continue to take Co-Q 10 and vitamin C. And I keep echinacea on hand, just in case.
Do you read studies? Have you changed your behavior based on any of the reported results? Given the state of the economy, do you still take expensive supplements?
Strong Silent Types
Friday, December 19th, 2008
It’s a guy thing. Women have summer moments, and as it turns out, so do men. Midlife men experience a range of physical, mental, social and spiritual changes that can be as debilitating as menopause. There’s an ongoing debate over the use of the term andropause, but whatever you call it, middle-aged men are suffering just the same.
We’ve all seen those commercials, but midlife male misery goes beyond performance issues, whether they occur in the bedroom or in the boardroom. Many people poke fun at the stereotype of the middle-aged man buzzing around in a red convertible with a trophy wife at his side. In reality, men are more likely than women to have self-destructive midlife crises. Sadly, they are less likely to share their pain. Midlife men often feel isolated, disconnected and confused. Identity issues can be especially challenging for men who are entering retirement.
Do you know the top three reasons men dread getting older? I know someone who does. He has created a series of programs to help midlife men face their future with confidence.
H. Les Brown, MA, CFCC is dedicated to exposing The Truth About Aging: How Midlife Destroys Men’s Lives. He has created the Midlife Mastery program that redefines what it means to be a successful man. Brown is a certified Franklin Covey coach and a certified Marshall Goldsmith Leadership Effectiveness coach. He has master’s degrees in philosophy and theology, and his bootcamp, basecamp and summit programs equip men to navigate the rocky landscape and troubled waters that can characterize male midlife transition.
Despite the similarity in our names, H. Les Brown’s Midlife Mastery is not affiliated with my retirement coaching company, Midlife Menu, but our missions complement each other. I’m honored to introduce Brown and I invite you to explore his website, online community and Internet radio show.
If you are a midlife man or you happen to love one, realize that you are not alone. Get support and join a community of like-minded people at:
Midlife Mastery website www.MidlifeMaster.com
Midlife Mastery Community (Social Network) www.MidlifeMaster.org
Midlife Mastery Journal (Daily Blog) www.MidlifeMaster.net
Midlife Matters Internet Radio Program www.BlogTalkRadio.com/Midlife
Don’t Let the Superbugs Bite
Monday, December 15th, 2008
You know that old joke about avoiding hospitals because they are full of sick people? Well, it’s not so funny anymore. In an early episode of House, MD, Dr. Cuddy snipped off the tie worn by one of the rule-breaking residents. The televised scene was meant to be humorous, but in the real world, doctors’ ties, their scrubs, and even their skillful hands can carry deadly contaminants.
For several years, we’ve been hearing about the dangers of MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococous aureus, from sources as diverse as Parade magazine and Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. Now a new strain of MRSA is reaching its tentacles out into the community and infecting healthy people at gyms, military bases and prisons.
Recently, I’ve been hearing about another nasty new superbug called C.diff, short for Clostridium difficile, that is infecting patients at hospitals and nursing homes. The Nov. 1, 2008 AARP Bulletin featured A Hospital Germ on the Warpath by Betsy McCaughey, the former lieutenant governor of New York. McCaughey reported that the C. diff infection is spread on surfaces such as privacy curtains, bed rails, blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, even on the clothing worn by the doctors and nurses. On Nov. 11, ABC7 News carried a similar story about this nasty intestinal bacterium spreading at an alarming rate.
Sources report that C. diff is spread when patients touch contaminated surfaces and then touch their food. Apparently bleach is the only way to kill this superbug on surfaces that can remain contaminated despite routine cleaning.
Last year, I had a surgery from which I recovered nicely. Or so I thought. Two days after my discharge from the hospital, I ended up back in the emergency room with a nasty infection. People entered my room wearing disposal yellow gowns and masks that looked like they belonged on the Haz-Mat team. During my recovery from my initial surgery, I had been visited by a doctor with great people skills. He always shook my hand before examining me. In retrospect, I wish that Dr. Warm and Fuzzy had paid more attention to universal precautions.
Protect yourself and your loved ones. Wash your hands with soap and water before and after visiting their hospital room. Insist that the medical staff do the same. And think twice before eating in the hospital cafeteria.
To learn more about protecting yourself and your loved ones, go to aarpmagazine.org and enter C.diff in the search bar. The ABC7.com website has additional information, some of it from sponsored links.
Nov 26 Newsletter
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008If you missed our Nov 26 newsletter, you can read the archived version by clicking here.