Posts Tagged With ‘ Aging with Pizzazz ’

GUEST WRITER Too good to be true. We have all heard this old phrase. Sadly, we don’t always heed its warning. The world has become super competitive and very connected. Many people have also become very greedy, and an ‘honest day’s work’ does not seem to be a valued principle any longer. The get-rich schemes have taken over our society, be they Ponzi schemes, real estate scams or love rats. Additionally, many scammers aren’t strangers but our dear friends and loved ones. Senior citizens are unfortunately an easy target with studies showing that the older you are, the more vulnerable... Continue Reading

Remember Part I? In the last blog, we covered the ubiquitous NAFLD, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which is shockingly common world-wide (33% of adults). We also addressed the more severe form of this fatty liver disease called NASH. Additionally, you learned about a common precursor to both of them – Metabolic Syndrome. You may remember that Metabolic Syndrome is a host of different problems that often occur together. They can include Increased blood pressure, blood sugar imbalances, excess abdominal fat, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, predisposition to thrombus and clots,... Continue Reading

Few people talk about the liver. Fewer still about the aging liver. Fewer yet about the connection between the liver and neuro-muscular-skeletal system. And what, if anything, we can do to protect the liver. I recently attended a workshop on the health connection between the liver and the muscle skeletal system. There is a connection.  But it’s rather convoluted and probably too difficult for me to explain in depth and still be easily understood. My challenge here is to translate medical-ease into English and provide us a useful take-away. When in school I learned an analogy that wasn’t... Continue Reading

Note: Occasionally, AgingWithPizzazz has a guest writer; it’s nice to mix things up a bit. Andrea has a history writing for seniors. We have guidelines for guest writers at:Guest-Posting-Guidelines-for-Aging-with-Pizzazz-2022.pdf (agingwithpizzazz.com) As the leaves start to change and the air takes on a slight chill, something in us knows that it’s time to snuggle up with a warm blanket and a glass of wine or hot tea. And while we may not be in as much of a rush to get outside in the cooler weather, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the beautiful fall season. Even if we’re not as... Continue Reading

You may have noticed that I’ve been missing in action a bit recently. The blog took a vacation. During this period, on a long summer trip, I spent time with a variety of friends and relatives. As you can imagine, that meant special repasts, fancy restaurants, sharing dietary restrictions, dining outdoors and home-cooked meals. Whatever the venue, clearly everyone has unique habits and diets. Let me recount just a few from my many stops: — Gary and Linda grow almost all their food themselves. (They’d probably say, “just much of it.”) — Leslie has an unusual pantry designed to avoid... Continue Reading

Micro Thought Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom. No, I’m not complaining about constant, online, virtual meetings. Instead, this is the sound of the highway. Cars and trucks passing by, usually at twice my speed. Some of us are on the move constantly, others only occasionally. Either way, it reminded me that even when “on the move,” we need to continue emphasizing movement for our physical and mental health. Examples of Moving when on the Go Since a picture is worth a million words (upgraded from a thousand, considering inflation of the times), here are examples that may speak to you. Walking/Hiking... Continue Reading

“Clap, clap, 5-6-7-8” calls Clay’s voice over the Buenos Aires accordion music. Around the town-recreation hall many lips silently count steps and the occasional head is bent to watch the foot work. Another Tango lesson has begun. Unlike other styles, tango is a “walking” dance. Typical ballroom dances may have ‘proven’ to you that “you can’t dance.” Yet, if you walk, and especially if you can walk to a beat, you can probably tango. On the other hand, if you’re a great dancer, realize that this activity is a different animal. I noticed many folks having to un-learn twisting,... Continue Reading

The steep decline down to Lewiston Lake leveled off at the water’s edge. At the farther end of the California campground, it was less forgiving, and there was no ‘leveling off.’ Instead, overlooking the large dam, a long precipice down offered a clear warning of danger. The crag was inviting no one to a nice walk, let alone entrance to their water sport. While camping at the more-accessible portion, I noticed two people with severe disruptions to their biomechanics. One was in a wheelchair near the camp-host site. The other, arriving as we were leaving, had a conspicuous limp as he and... Continue Reading

  Note: As Memorial Day approaches, I’d like to change the pace, and offer a story I’ve shared with friends down the years, this time trying to capture the scene with a bit more care. Maybe 1973. Perhaps 1974. Unimportant is the date; significant is the time that captured my memories. Looking out the shadowy window into the late dusk, I can see the greyhound sign flickering behind me. Traveling home from south Florida, I shivered, the only one clutching a sweater in the many seats surrounding mine. With my arms around me, half-protecting myself from the air-conditioner cold, I felt the deceleration... Continue Reading

Nothing hits home like our own experiments. My ‘case study’ (which I say tongue-in-cheek) alerted us to significant caution by the fourth ‘trial’ session. My ‘case study’ included myself and my husband, in which we tracked and learned about our own reaction to zinc lozenges. The Cold-Zinc Connection Why is zinc commonly taken? The Mayo Clinic, along with most health care sources recognizes evidence that zinc can reduce the length of colds. When lozenges (or syrup) are taken within 24 hours of cold symptoms starting, it can reduce the number of days you suffer with discomfort, or perhaps... Continue Reading