Table tennis players compete at Maryland Senior Olympics
For most people nearing 90, mornings may begin with tea, the newspaper or breakfast at an assisted-living community. But 89-year-old Yvonne Kronlage spent a recent Saturday morning making a flurry of forehands and backhands at the 2025 Table Tennis Maryland Senior Olympics (MSO), in Potomac, Maryland. A table tennis National Senior title champion and National Hall of Fame inductee,... READ MORE
The many health benefits of cherries
Bursting with a perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors, fresh cherries are one of summer’s most perfect offerings. Pop them in your mouth one by one to enjoy as a sweet and healthy snack, or add cherries to a wide variety of sweet or savory dishes for a dash of flavor and color. Best of all, these small stone fruits also boast some impressive health benefits — making them an even ... READ MORE
Exercise boosts colon cancer survival
A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. Until then, patients can increase their physical activity... READ MORE
DMV has lowest dementia rates in the U.S.
The risk of dementia varies surprisingly across the United States. People in certain areas, like the Southeastern states, have dementia rates as much as 25% higher than the baseline. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, conducted a large-scale study of more than 1.2 million older veterans enrolled in the VA medical system from 1990 to 2021. Participants were... READ MORE
Depression relief for palliative care patients
“Magic mushrooms” are making a comeback. Scientific research on psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound in certain mushrooms, is advancing, pioneered by the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research. Past studies have proved that even a small dose of the drug can heal depression and even addiction. Now there’s a local study designed to see if one dose can... READ MORE
Tortellini with corn makes a summery meal
Summer is here, and this pasta dish highlights some of the season’s best bounty. Blending fresh basil into reduced cream with Parmesan makes a rich, savory, herbaceous sauce for tortellini, offsetting the sweetness of the fresh corn and mellowing the spice of a Fresno chile. Tortellini with Corn and Basil Cream Sauce Serves 4 Ingredients: 2 (9-ounce) packages fresh cheese... READ MORE
How women experience heart disease
Most people think of heart attacks as debilitating pain in the chest. However, that’s not always the case, especially for women, and missing the signs can be a matter of life and death. Although heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women, according to the American Heart Association, symptoms are often overlooked or explained away as less worrisome... READ MORE
Keeping older drivers safe on the road
Dear Savvy Senior, What safety tips can you recommend for older drivers? My 86-year-old mother, who still drives herself, had a fender bender last month, and I worry about her safety. —Back Seat Daughter Dear Back Seat, With more and more older Americans driving well into their 70s, 80s and beyond, there are a variety of things your mom can do to help maintain and even improve ... READ MORE
Surgery treats benign prostate hyperplasia
Most men over 50 will develop an enlarged prostate. Also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), this bothersome condition makes it hard to urinate and can eventually lead to other problems, such as infections, kidney stones and bladder damage, if left untreated. Many different BPH therapies are available, including medications and various types of surgery. One of the newer surgical... READ MORE
Natural ways to calm small fiber neuropathy
If you’re dealing with strange nerve symptoms such as burning, tingling or electric shock sensations, small fiber neuropathy (SFN) might be the culprit. This condition affects the tiny, unmyelinated nerves responsible for pain, temperature and autonomic functions. One overlooked cause? Mutations or dysfunction in sodium channels, which act like electrical gates in your nerves. In SFN,... READ MORE