By Kevin Brown | Bio
This past February I wrote an article concerning the Seniors=&0=&Category Archives: Health
Still Going Strong
The Herald Sun recently featured an article on Betty Calman, an 83-year-old instructor still going strong after 40 years of teaching yoga. Author of 3 books on yoga and a pioneer in bringing this practice to Australia in the 1950s, Ms. Calman was drawn back into teaching up to 11 classes per week 8 years ago by her daughter, who runs a health centre and needed more instructors. According to Betty, "You’re never too old. The body is a remarkable instrument. It can
stretch
Healthy Habits
A study published in the October 2007 Journal of Gerontology revealed that people aged 65 to 85 with exceptional health shared these traits:
- They’re married and have at least a high school edcation
- They’re physically active and have a positive outlook
- They’ve never smoked and they drink moderately
Canadian and U.S. researchers followed a randomly selected group of 2,400 Canadians for 10 years to discover clues as to what makes older people thrive. The study’s author, Mark S. Kaplan, professor of community health at Portland State University, stated that even though it’s best to start good habits early, there’s significant evidence
Grateful Celebration
By Shae Hadden | Bio
In 2008, the theme of the World Health Day was on protecting health from the adverse affects of climate change. For me, the year was about protecting my health from the adverse affects of stress, chronic illness and my workaholic tendencies. Being ill has been the most complete learning experience I could have asked for—a life-changing blessing in disguise. Not only have I discovered (and removed) the source of a chronic infection, but I have also created my relationship
20 Minutes
Doing 20 minutes a day of mild exercise (like walking, swimming or dancing) can help counter slight memory loss and improve your fluency. Recent research in people over 50 also suggests that the benefits of this small amount of daily exercise can last from 12 to 18 months and may even help those who are at risk for Alzheimers (those who exhibit mild cognitive decline). Being active not only improves blood flow to the brain, but it also relieves stress and enhances mood.
Alternative and Complementary Healthcare
By Shae Hadden | Bio
I got a rude awakening today while visiting my family doctor. As I was being guided to the examination room, the medical assistant handed me a brochure explaining that the clinic I go to was now going to offer extended healthcare ‘packages’ to their ‘clients’. The brochure outlined numerous different options to access ‘enhanced’ healthcare services and diagnostics, all for varying annual fees depending upon the complexity and estimated amount of ‘contact’ I could have with medical professionals. What bothered me more than this evidence of the two-tiered nature of the Canadian universal healthcare system was that none of the programs they offered included access to alternative or complementary healthcare. Unfortunately, conventional medicine doesn’t always treat all of our illnesses or alleviate all of our sufferings. Unconventional approaches and treatments have their place in a well-rounded, healthy healthcare system.Decisions about my health and well-being are the most important choices I have had to make in the past few years. It can be hard for many people to access the healthcare that they need, especially if they are low-income and do not qualify for certain insurances. It is a lucky thing that services such as IEHP are available to inform and assist with programs like Medi-Cal for those who need it otherwise they
Patient Patients
By Shae Hadden | Bio
How often do we relate to our health as we grow older as something ‘less than’ what it was in the past? I am reminded of a dear friend in her 20s who has lived with polio all her life. For her, the baseline of health is so very different than mine, and yet, as she grows older, she too is caught up in the ‘less than’ comparison. Over the past few months, I have been discovering another way of relating to my health—both present and future. I have been discovering that I am not my health or any story I may have about what was possible in the past or what’s possible in the future for my body. I am learning how to be a patient patient, a middle-aged woman committed to my healing process.Being
a patient patient is surrendering to ‘what is’ and being committed to
our own healing process—no matter what that involves. For me, this
shows up these days as learning how to balance regaining my strength
after several months of illness and surgery and the need to keep moving
my body and stimulating my mind to support my beleaguered immune system
and enhance my recovery. The balance shifts constantly: one day there’s
an
Body Breakdowns
By Jim Selman | Bio
You hear about it and know it is true—the body breaks down as we grow older. Naturally there are lots of exceptions. If you take really good care of yourself, you might make it to the end of the game without any major physical impairment. However, for most of us we’re going to encounter some life-limiting change in our bodies. I encountered my first this week.I showed up for a meeting with an orthopedic surgeon to have what I expected to be routine work done on a torn tendon in my shoulder, only to learn that it was inoperable and that I would need to accept the fact that, for the rest of my life, I will have limited functionality. That means I’ll probably not play golf or anything else that requires mobility or power in the left arm. The good news is that my right arm can still be repaired.
What was interesting to me was to watch
Caught Napping
By Shae Hadden | Bio
It’s Thanksgiving in Canada, and I’ve just enjoyed a full weekend of personal and work commitments. But the highlight of the weekend was a chance to reconnect with the power of the ‘nap’.
Research in the past few years has found that the human body requires as much sleep as the brain will allow it and that the brain needs a rest every now and then. So taking that mid-afternoon 20-minute snooze really can give one a burst of ideas and energy. And,
Cancer
By Vince DiBianca | Bio
Over the last year or two, I’ve found myself surrounded by family and friends who have been diagnosed with cancer of different forms. I’d say the number amounts to a dozen people. Of these, only two are in remission (breast cancer and testicular cancer). Six have passed away (after lengthy chemo/radiation) and the remaining four are in the midst of their “battle”, as it’s put. These are, seemingly, not great odds of survival.This seems like an unusually high incidence rate in such a short time. Is it our age? Is it The Age? I can’t attribute it purely to aging since these people range in age from their early 40s to their 80s. Trying to identify the cause of their cancer feels hopeless. Is it genetics, high stress, diet-related, environmental toxins, virus/fungus or bacteria-related, a run-down immune system, lack of nurturing, happenstance, fate or something else? I have my suspicions, but