Local study tests Alzheimer’s drug
Can gum disease speed up Alzheimer’s disease? Yes, according to last year’s study, which linked bacteria in the mouth to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the study showed that the bacteria accelerated the disease in patients. Patients who had gum disease declined faster than Alzheimer’s patients without the bacteria. Now a nationwide clinical trial is testing an investigational... READ MORE
Baltimore houses get free solar power
When Janete Gonzalez went to the Druid Hill Park farmers market in the fall of 2022, she was a new Baltimore City resident, having just moved after a house fire destroyed everything she owned. That day, she expected to leave the northern Baltimore market with food and maybe some health care products. Instead, she left with solar panels. “I originally assumed that solar panels were... READ MORE
These everyday drugs can mimic aging
You’ve probably heard the word “anticholinergic” in television commercials or in one of my articles and mentally checked out because it sounds technical. Don’t. It’s actually simple. It just means the drug blocks acetylcholine, a chemical messenger that your body uses all day, every day. Let me boil it down to seven things you should know about acetylcholine before you take... READ MORE
Ways to turn down the volume on tinnitus
Dear Savvy Senior, What treatments are recommended to help with tinnitus? I started noticing a subtle ringing in my ears about 10 years ago, but it’s gotten much more bothersome since I turned 60. —Ringing Ronnie Dear Ronnie, Tinnitus is actually one of the most common health conditions in the country. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other... READ MORE
Common myths about back pain persist
Dear Mayo Clinic: My back’s been bothering me, and everyone seems to have ideas what’s causing the pain. Can you help? A: Back pain is more common than homeownership in the U.S. While about 65% of adults own a home, nearly 80% of adults will have back pain at some point. Despite how common this type of pain is, myths about it persist. We clarify several misconceptions... READ MORE
Many older adults can improve with age
Aging in later life is often portrayed as a steady slide toward physical and cognitive decline. But a new study by scientists at Yale University suggests an alternate narrative — that older individuals can and do improve over time, and their mindset toward aging plays a major part in their success. Analyzing more than a decade of data from a large, nationally representative study of... READ MORE
What are the healthiest breakfast cereals?
While breakfast cereal is convenient, is it actually a healthy choice? The contents of those brightly colored boxes are often the source of added sugars and lacking in substantial nutritional value, according to dietitians like Patricia Bannan, RDN. But this doesn’t mean you should avoid cereal altogether. The cereal aisle is quite vast, and we spoke to registered dietitians about... READ MORE
There’s plenty of support for low vision
Millions of Americans are living with low vision, a visual impairment that can turn everyday moments — recognizing a friend’s face across the street, reading a recipe or checking a text message — into unexpected challenges. Low vision isn’t a natural part of getting older, though the conditions that cause it do become more common with age. Consider this information from the... READ MORE
Lack of sleep causes inflammation
Q: Is the association of poor sleep and a higher risk of cognitive decline related to chronic inflammation? A: Sleep deprivation is a condition that occurs when you don’t get enough sleep, or enough good-quality sleep. Research has found that sleep deprivation is associated with markers of inflammation, such as increases in inflammatory molecules — including cytokines,... READ MORE
Challenge your brain to keep it healthy
“Exercise your brain,” experts advise people hoping to stave off dementia. But how? Stretching your brain might be the better description. Do a crossword puzzle a day, and you may just get good at crosswords. Instead, research increasingly shows that a variety of habits and hobbies are like a cognitive workout, building knowledge and skills that may beef up parts of the brain as we... READ MORE
