Posts Tagged With ‘ Aging with Pizzazz ’

  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

As I sit down to prepare this post, I remember a glorious 86-degree day this past Thursday, but now there’s snow falling on recently-bloomed flowers and trees. It’s somewhat sad, since several of our favorites, like the peonies, are sensitive to the abrupt changes. Still, a new season kick-off is knocking on our door. Like me, you may be contemplating your next escapade. As spring and summer approach, plans for travel may not be far behind for those of us with wanderlust. I wouldn’t mind avoiding air-travel this year for various reasons, including health issues. Occasionally, we have little... Continue Reading

For a spring break, I thought we might like a change of pace, so here’s something new. At AgingWithPizzazz, I make every effort to embrace ideas or tips that live up to the name of this content blog. Still, I realize that there are many other sites out there on Aging, Senior Interests and Health. I thought I might attempt a “Macy’s-promotes-Gimbles” type of post and share with you some sites I’ve discovered over time. Varying greatly, a small description of each will help you decide which might be of interest to you. Unfortunately, some I have enjoyed in the past don’t seem up-to-date... Continue Reading

Family lore claimed that my granddaddy worked on farmland somewhere in the triangle of Eagle Mills, Pittstown and Grafton NY. As the story goes, he woke up in the middle of the night, worked in the shed or barn a few hours and returned to sleep before his “first breakfast.” They had a first, light meal, and a more substantial one at a time I wouldn’t yet consider early brunch. I never visited this farm outside of Troy, NY, but the sleeping part of the story is not that unusual and probably a part of many family retellings. In current-time era, my friend Alison has exhibited an energy-zapping... Continue Reading

Is Aging with Pizzazz a wellness site? Often yes. Like others over the centuries, I believe that engaging in our own healing is vital. Information is at the root of such engagement. With this self-help philosophy in mind (something I often refer to as ‘harvesting the low-hanging fruit’), I was incredibly distressed by a PBS segment I recently saw. (You can refer to “In Search of Wellness” Feb 17, 2022, PBS Newshour). It focused on the dark side of “wellness.” Granted, most news is negative, but I was troubled to hear their story. A Co-opted Wellness Industry? I will summarize the... Continue Reading

 Take notice of the picture credit for this post; I’ve linked to her unusual and really neat blog. Have you internalized favorite fables from your childhood or early adult years that prove handy now? I have. One I consider periodically is the frog and the scorpion. As a brief refresher, lazily paraphrased: the scorpion asks the frog for a ride on its back across the river. The frog refuses, saying “you will sting and kill me.” The scorpion replies that if he were to sting the frog, they both would die (as the scorpion would drown). The frog concedes. Halfway across the river, the scorpion... Continue Reading

Wait, what?! Another Vitamin K? What is that? We all know about Vitamin K – the coagulant vitamin. If you have too little, you can bleed to death from a minor injury. If you have too much, doctors put you on blood thinners and we cross our fingers, hoping that clots don’t form in your bloodstream and lead to potential stroke or cardiac arrest. Well, that is K1, found in green leafy foods and alfalfa sprouts. Simple enough. So, what is this other vitamin K? Does it also come from green leafies? Nope. Vitamin K2 is found mostly in animal products. It is fat soluble, as are Vitamins D and A.... Continue Reading

I haven’t kept track but suspect that I resort to heat or cold first for almost any aliment that is bothering me – small pains or injuries. However, I remember from patients, family and friends that which one to choose (heat or cold) is not always intuitive for everyone. It’s a common question. When home treatments are part of your routine, it’s good to feel confident about your choices. During recent times of COVID, Omicron and general pandemic, reports show that many have avoided the hospital or discretionary health care visits. These are times when self-help has to be a consideration.... Continue Reading

Here’s Hoping that 2022 is a Safe and Happy New Year. As I prepare my annual ‘Dozen Things Learned’ list, I realized that once again I’ve forgotten to record many of the newly-discovered items this year. Still, it is amazing. If you keep your own list, you will find that looking back there’s a wide array of ideas or facts that demonstrate that even in ‘down’ years, we can learn a lot. Sadly, if you are like me, you may also learn you forgot a bunch of them already. [Don’t whisper “senior moment” to yourself.] I will also take this New-Year opportunity to ask you to put AgingWithPizzazz... Continue Reading