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October 20, 2022

Health & Wellness

Walking Safely

This year, CRConsumerReports/On Health wrote that even taking a 15-minute stroll or relaxed walk can lead to protection against heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes as it improves mood, reduces stress, and helps you sleep better.

The mystery of brain fog

What exactly is “brain fog?” According to CRConsumerReports/On Health, this kind of mental fog has become a common symptom of long COVID which is “the complex condition that sometimes emerges after a case of COVID-19.” It is “characterized by difficulty focusing, sluggish thinking, and memory lapses.” Brain fog also can be seen in other conditions: chronic insomnia, cancer therapies, drug side effects, head injuries, strokes, and depression as in a form of mental cloudiness. Difficult to treat, physicians tell us that they may be able to treat some of the conditions that cause it.  

How to get better care from your doctor

Even though older adults are living longer in this country, almost 61% are dealing with multiple chronic conditions. CONSUMER REPORTS states “This makes solid medical care essential as we age…for older people errors are “much more likely to have consequences – their physiology is just not as adaptable.” Furthermore, Americans over the age of 50 say that 20% of them have doctors (who) have made assumptions about them based on their age, which can lead to inappropriate care. (For instance, both my husband and I fairly recently fainted in two foreign countries due to overcrowded conditions with heated temps, made worse through an overdose of blood pressure meds having been prescribed to both of us. This was due to our family physician not taking into account that we both had been very physically active in our daily routines for years.) 

Heat protection needed

Did you know that heat-related illnesses are the most risky and dangerous for older adults? This becomes true with the presence of age-producing conditions and medications that can increase susceptibility to heat. Extreme heat has continued to become more common in the U.S. With higher outdoor temperatures, more heat-related illnesses, such as heatstroke, are found annually.

The problem with COVID booster shots

After two and a half years into the world viral disaster, health experts and White House officials are pivoting and stating a Covid-19 vaccination conclusion:  “The current approach of offering booster shots every few months isn’t sustainable.” Due to the critical need for the initial quickly developed vaccination to curb the drastic amount of deaths and hospitalizations at the onset of the pandemic, it now becomes apparent that these shots are not as successful as viral vaccines from the past.

The stigma against mental illness, part 2: Public & institutional stigma

With our country’s two mass murders having taken place very recently, the discussion about mental health issues has become a primary subject on social media (itself even possibly thought to be a contributing factor for loneliness). All forms of printed or computerized/televised press have weighed in on the subject. Stiffer laws for the prevention of lethal weaponry usage are now being discussed and, hopefully, passed. The background of a world and country suffering from extreme difficulties has brought mental illness to new raging proportions with the critical need for daily conversations. The Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian/ Russian malaise, and the U.S.’s own economic decisions are just a few of these problems. Both public and institutionalized stigma for mental health are affected during these difficult times in history.  

The stigma against mental illness, part 1

What percent of the world was experiencing mental illness in 2021? According to Google search, 19% of adults, translating into over 47 million Americans, had the disorder with 4.55% suffering from a severe mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) informs us that more than half of mentally ill individuals don’t seek help for their disorders. Why? The association states “Often, people avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood.”  

Beyond bombs and bullets

Andrew Lee, a Professor of Public Health/the Research Lab of the University of Sheffield, England gives us his Relief/Web Conversation on Health Issues facing the Ukrainian citizenry these days. Because the Conversation was posted on March 2, 2022, I will not be giving any stats which are no longer accurate. As mentioned in my first H & W column on the subject (May 5’s publication), war extends far beyond bombs and bullets.

Coping with grief: Healthy grieving tips

EVERYDAY HEALTH, in its April 2022 newsletter, invites us into the realm of those grieving, especially on the loss of a loved one – such as a parent, spouse, sibling, daughter or son, friend, or pet – even the loss of a job or romantic relationship. Psychologist Sigmund Freud published a 1917 essay on the subject which he called “grief work.” He described it “as a period of time following a loss when a person must process or work through their thoughts, memories, and emotions in order to move on with life.”

Vacination and proper ventilation needed for spring’s indoor virus challenge

According to Wall Street Journal’s March issue, as people return this Spring to offices and other indoor spaces, infectious-disease experts highlight the vital roles of air quality and inoculation. Since the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declaration of the cause of the pandemic two years ago, opinion on the importance of temperature checks and deep-cleaning desk surfaces has now been dismissed as very little aids in the removal of the virus and its many mutants.

Mask guidelines relaxed, now what?

Towards the end of February, 2022, American government officials eased up on their guidelines on Covid-19 masking, including in schools. This shift occurred as a result of the decreased Omicron variant risks, and a steep drop in cases nationwide. As a result of this occurrence, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Friday, February 25th, made a change in the way it used risk assessment in U.S. counties.  Here are the three assessment factors now being used by the CDC.

COVID chaos on the roads

THE WEEK, January 21, 2022, Volume 22 Issue 1062, admonishes the pandemic for having caused a great deal of the dramatic increase in speeding, reckless driving, and deadly crashes on America’s highways, city avenues, and even residential streets. The trusted magazine states these amazing and tragic facts: “In 2020, despite millions of workers staying home and traffic plummeting, there were an estimated 38,680 U.S. auto-related deaths – a 7 percent increase from 2019.”

Marijuana may offer viable autism treatment

After having read my two-part article on marijuana, one of my readers asked the question about whether I had heard about a mother in Texas having used the drug for treatment of her autistic child. The below info will inform Sun City residents of my recent exploration into this subject.

Difficulties in using medical marijuana

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association informs us that “marijuana use comes with real risks that can impact a person’s health and life.” The association continues “Marijuana is the most commonly used (often) illegal substance in the U.S. and its use is growing. Marijuana use among all adult age groups, both sexes, and pregnant women (a terrible development for the unborn child) is going up. At the same time, the perception of how harmful marijuana use can be is declining.

Medical marijuana: The legal use, part 1

This past year of 2021 saw record sales of $1.38 billion dollars in Illinois revenue from the state’s 110 recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries. One-third of the Illinois-approved purchases were made by out of state visitors.

Use caution when eating and drinking and taking meds this holiday season

The pharmacy Update in “December, 2021 – Costco Connection” gives this strong advice from Lawrence Varga, B.Sc.Phm.: “Navigate your medications this holiday season.”

He cautions us not to be tempted to overindulge in alcoholic drinking now or at any other time during the year. Health professionals are aware of seniors possibly taking certain medications that need special treatment. The following information comes from this general manager of the store’s pharmacy operations in Canada. It concerns what happens on an empty stomach, on a full stomach, or when drinking.

The necessity of heart exercise this holiday season

The winter holiday season and its wasted non-nutritional calorie consumption has once again begun. Therefore, I thought it important to discuss heart problems often caused by a lack of exercise and poor diet choices. Dr. Tim Sanborn is one of six cardiologists on the Southeast Wisconsin Heart Institute staff located at Froedtert Pleasant Prairie (Wisconsin) Hospital. His comments will be quoted in the following paragraphs as they appeared in the Fall 2021 ChicagoLife Magazine under the subject: “Health Benefits of Exercise on the Heart.”

Safety 1st

Here is some excellent advice in these difficult times from Huntley’s Police Department’s Sergeant Kevin Keane. Seniors are especially popular targets of con artists who may pose as charity solicitors, grandchildren, home improvement providers and repair workers, romantic imposters, or internet scammers (just to name a few). It behooves us to learn how to protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Diabetes the disease, part II

According to the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), “Diabetes can strike anyone, from any walk of life…in numbers that are dramatically increasing.” As stated also in my Part 1 on the subject, “Today, more than 34 million Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes.” Add to that figure, the fact that “Worldwide, more than 463 million people have diabetes.”

The miracle of insulin to help in the control of diabetes

My below report depicts the history of diabetes with its miracle discovery of insulin used to control and prolong the lives of the 34.2 million Americans living today with Diabetes 1 and Diabetes 2. I found Amanda Foreman’s Wall Street Journal column fascinating in its explanation of the discovery of insulin a century ago. Foreman refers to this event as one of the “greatest medical breakthroughs of the 20th century.”

The Problem with the longevity of COVID-19 Shots

Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) writer, Jo Craven McGinty, asks the question “Why don’t Covid-19 vaccinations last longer? Measles shots are good for life, chickenpox immunizations protect for 10 to 20 years, and tetanus jabs last a decade or more.”

Meanwhile, our country’s health officials are deciding whether to give authority for Covid-19 boosters to vaccinated adults as soon as six months after their initial inoculations. The info below is a synopsis of our writer’s answer to the above question in The Wall Street Journal.

The dangers of digital ‘e-dictions’

Today’s rising rates of depression and anxiety among all ages of people may be a result of our brains’ messengers getting hooked on pleasurable activities. This is especially true in the Covid-19 Era where more and more people are spending an extreme amount of hours at home in pursuit of video games.

Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and professor at Stanford University, gives us this essay adapted from her new book: “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence.” Dopamine is the brain’s chemical that functions as a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. In the past 75 years, it has been discovered, however, that pain and pleasure are processed in the same part of the brain.

Health risks of air pollution for the heart

In addition to global warming and climate change with its rising sea levels, Dr. Tim Sanborn of Chicago Life Magazine (Summer 2021) addresses the importance of heart issues resulting from air pollution. Now acknowledged by the American Heart Association and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (along with many other organizations), air pollution has become a dangerous health hazard for heart trouble. More than smoking, obesity, and elevated blood glucose, air pollution is linked to over 3 million worldwide cardiovascular deaths annually. Only hypertension has led to greater cardiovascular mortality.

The mystery of long COVID illness

With fully vaccinated people having been saved (for the most part) from the severe illness and death of the Covid-19 virus, scientists are now identifying an array of less serious, but potentially debilitating chronic long-term symptoms of the Covid-19 disease. Now responsible for more than 80% of our country’s rapidly growing caseload of the viral scourge, the Delta variant or mutation is spreading even amongst our largely unvaccinated youth. The new scientific term “Long Covid” refers to symptoms that last for weeks or months beyond infection.

COVID-19 antibodies to the rescue?

In their article “Covid-19 Antibodies Remain Beneficial,” the Wall Street Journal explains that “Research indicates an enduring level of protection, but variants, like Delta, present risks.” The article’s authors, Brianna Abbott and Stephanie Armour, state that “Infection and inoculation both elicit an immune response against Covid-19 that lasts for months and possibly years, a growing body of research shows, but the power of vaccines against known variants make the shots critical to containing the virus.”

Two important questions about COVID vaccination

A Sun Day reader recently asked two very important questions for the newspaper’s health staff to answer. Here are the Sun City resident’s questions and my column’s researched answers from The Cleveland Clinic and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).