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The catchphrases “Clinically Shown” or “Clinically Proven” occupy a special place in the vocabulary of advertising come-ons. Because of their implied medical credibility, such taglines presume…

The catchphrases “…

The catchphrases “Clinically Shown” or “Clinically Proven” occupy a special place in the vocabulary of advertising come-ons. Because of their implied medical credibility, such taglines presume more (undeserved) credibility than marketing cliches like “Limited Time Offer” or “Call Now, Operators Are Standing By!”————-The following explanation, with which I completely agree, came from Bard.AI, Google’s large language machine-learning model – accessed November 24, 2023:“The phrase ‘clinically proven’ is often used in marketing and advertising to convey the impres…

In September 2024, over 14,000 eager scientists, researchers, and observers attended the Five-day Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). The purpose of this annual assembly is to s…

In September 2024, o…

In September 2024, over 14,000 eager scientists, researchers, and observers attended the Five-day Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC). The purpose of this annual assembly is to showcase the most recent advances in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia. A “Key Takeaway” From AAIC: New Blood Biomarkers Offer Earliest Diagnosis The new tests were embraced as “a simple and accurate selection tool for identifying cognitively unimpaired patients who likely have amyloid-beta plaques in their brains”, and as a  means to“improve early diagnos…

Good news! Like a disobedient dog, when  the word on the tip of your tongue won’t come when you call, that doesn’t mean it’s gone for good. We’re OK as long as it eventually comes back! ____…

Good news! Like a di…

Good news! Like a disobedient dog, when  the word on the tip of your tongue won’t come when you call, that doesn’t mean it’s gone for good. We’re OK as long as it eventually comes back! _______ The inability to find that previously-known word that is now on the “tip of your tongue” (TOT) is one of the most frequently self-acknowledged memory failures. It is that exasperating feeling that accompanies our temporary inability to retrieve information from memory. This is most noticeable with proper nouns (persons, places, or organizations, spelled with an initial capital letter). We …

The Premise The authors (from Harvard, Berkeley, and MIT) of this June 2024 article in the journal Nature  “bring recent evidence from neuroscience and allied disciplines to argue that in modern hu…

The Premise The auth…

The Premise The authors (from Harvard, Berkeley, and MIT) of this June 2024 article in the journal Nature  “bring recent evidence from neuroscience and allied disciplines to argue that in modern humans, language is a tool for communication, contrary to a prominent view that we use language for thinking.” They further propose that “language is optimized for communication”, and “does not appear to be a prerequisite for complex thought, including symbolic thought.” Language only “reflects, rather than gives rise to, the signature sophistication of human cognition.” Support comes …

The Problem:Do you find yourself leaning into the computer monitor on your desk, squinting to read, fooling with display fonts, and taking more breaks?The Explanation:Presbyopia is the gradual l…

The Problem:Do you…

The Problem:Do you find yourself leaning into the computer monitor on your desk, squinting to read, fooling with display fonts, and taking more breaks?The Explanation:Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects, a natural, often annoying part of aging. To compensate we rely on improving our vision by adding to our built-in lenses: externally with reading glasses, contact lenses, or bifocals, or with vision correction surgery (like LASIK, intraocular lens placement, or others).A Solution:An inexpensive ($11.99 in 2016) pair of glasses to use at th…

Ever since Alois Alzheimer dissected his patient’s brain in at the turn of the 20th century the assumed primary mechanism underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was the proliferation of amyloid prote…

Ever since Alois Alz…

Ever since Alois Alzheimer dissected his patient’s brain in at the turn of the 20th century the assumed primary mechanism underlying Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was the proliferation of amyloid protein in the brain with associated destruction of neural tissue and pathways. That focus on amyloid led to the development and recent approval of drugs that act to reduce the amyloid burden in the brain.However, like every other AD treatment adopted since the turn of this century, those recently developed “breakthrough” anti-amyloid drugs  fall short of the goal of an “effective disease-modify…

There are a lot of positives in my life.  To quote the character Brian Plummer in the Denzel Washington movie “The Equalizer 2” (2018):  “Today I broke a personal best: successive days alive�…

There are a lot of p…

There are a lot of positives in my life.  To quote the character Brian Plummer in the Denzel Washington movie “The Equalizer 2” (2018):  “Today I broke a personal best: successive days alive” 

You can’t find more than one person to bid on a job around the house.No one calls you back. The one person who does becomes your only option. Fortunately, in this post-COVID age, simply calling ba…

You can’t find mor…

You can’t find more than one person to bid on a job around the house.No one calls you back. The one person who does becomes your only option. Fortunately, in this post-COVID age, simply calling back has so far been a decent measure of quality. 

Regarding the phrase “senior moments”: I doubt that the majority of the time that phrase is used, the intent is to belittle. However, a significant portion of my boomer brothers and sisters fin…

Regarding the phrase…

Regarding the phrase “senior moments”: I doubt that the majority of the time that phrase is used, the intent is to belittle. However, a significant portion of my boomer brothers and sisters find that term distasteful. At least consider adding this one to the expanding list of unconscious biases we really should be shedding. For example, a speaking problem does not necessarily mean you have a thinking problem. On occasion I am “speaking impaired”, stonewalled with a proper noun stuck on the tip of my tongue. And sometimes memory impaired for the location of keys, glasses, or the …

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. I’m not kidding about pursuing “Cogni…

The Americans with D…

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. I’m not kidding about pursuing “Cognitive Impairment Associated with Aging” as a specifically named member of the disabilities covered under the ADA. Include us with our younger brothers and sisters with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, neurological conditions,  mental health disorders,  autism spectrum disorders, and others. Regardless of our specific impairment, a challenging life is tests us all, and helping…

Maybe there is a way to change how we are perceived and treated by identifying ourselves as verbally handicapped or memory-challenged before we speak. The absence of a white cane, walker or wheelchair…

Maybe there is a way…

Maybe there is a way to change how we are perceived and treated by identifying ourselves as verbally handicapped or memory-challenged before we speak. The absence of a white cane, walker or wheelchair, dark glasses, or a service dog does not guarantee our acceptance, physical safety, or freedom from exploitation.How about those “communication cards” that typically contain brief information about an individual’s disability, their specific needs, or how others can assist them. Such tools help reduce misperceptions and misunderstandings to facilitate interactions in public or social setti…

Yes, it can be disabling, but the cognitive changes associated with aging are NOT:FunnyDementiaIgnoranceFatal A consequence of one’s past actions

Yes, it can be disab…

Yes, it can be disabling, but the cognitive changes associated with aging are NOT:FunnyDementiaIgnoranceFatal A consequence of one’s past actions