JustCare

Category: Your Health & Wellness

  • Older adults living alone need not plan ahead alone

    Older adults living alone need not plan ahead alone

    Who would pay your bills or oversee your health care if you were unable to do so? Who has access to your bank account? Do you have a plan? Resources and programs abound to help older adults living alone plan ahead.

    Posts on Just Care USA, like this one, this one and this one, help you understand what you need to do to plan ahead. You can also join a group program that helps you organize your financial, health and insurance information in collaboration with others.

    Judith Graham writes for KFF Health News that Dorot, a NYC nonprofit organization, offers a free course for older adults across the US called Aging Alone Together. There are also many Facebook and in-person groups, as well as printed materials.

    According to AARP, more than three in ten people over 50 live alone without children, or without children they can depend on for assistance. In some cases, their children are estranged from them. In other cases, they don’t believe their children can handle their health and financial matters.

    A range of resources enable older adults living alone to feel less isolated and engage with others. Often having others to speak with about planning for the future makes the difference between an older adult planning ahead and not planning ahead. It’s easy to delay action if no one is expecting you to act.

    The Dorot program involves six sessions over a total of nine hours. Each session is interactive and helps people prioritize their desires when they are unable to help themselves. The sessions focus on helping people build social supports, consider housing options, complete advance directions, such as living wills and health care proxies, and organize financial and legal matters.

    To learn more about Aging Alone Together, email [email protected] or visit the Dorot website.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Minimize exposure to plastic, as much as possible

    Minimize exposure to plastic, as much as possible

    Chemicals in plastic can be harmful to our health. Yet, we can’t avoid our exposure to plastic, even in what we eat and drink. Kevin Loria reports for Consumer Reports on the dangerous health effects of bisphenols and phthalates  as well as thousands of other chemicals in plastic.

    Consumer Reports tested 100 food products and found chemicals that can hurt our endocrine and hormone systems, leading to metabolic and reproductive health issues. We don’t begin to know a lot about many of these chemicals, particularly how safe they are. Bits of plastic or microplastics end up in the air, our water and food.

    Today, likely everyone has plastic chemicals in their bodies. These plastics, sometimes called forever chemicals, include carcinogens, neurotoxic chemicals, and endocrine disruptors, which can be harmful to our organs and cause disease.

    Even when we have small amounts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in our bodies, the health effects can be consequential. They mess with our hormone levels. We are more likely to gain weight, get diabetes or be diagnosed with cancer. Our babies can have issues with brain development.

    For the most part, coal, oil and gas are used in making plastic. If you live near a plant that extracts or processes these materials, you are likely to be surrounded by dangerous chemicals, even in the air.

    Different plastics have different additional chemicals to enable them to stretch or be flame-resistant. These additional chemicals can escape the plastics to which they are attached when heated in the microwave, the dishwasher, the bathtub or stored in a plastic container. From there, the chemicals get into our bodies.

    Even our clothing and furniture is often made of plastic that can expose us to toxic chemicals.

    We continue to manufacture plastic and increasingly are exposed to it. And, our government does little to protect us from chemicals in plastics.

    What can you do to avoid exposure to plastics? 

    • Avoid storing food in plastic containers.
    • Don’t eat processed foods.
    • Don’t microwave food in plastic containers
    • Throw away plastic kitchen utensils; use wood, steel or silicone utensils instead.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Amazon offers new health care products for a subscription fee

    Amazon offers new health care products for a subscription fee

    Amazon has decided that it can make money selling its Prime members monthly subscriptions for five health care services that insurance will not cover. Heather Landi reports for Fierce Healthcare that Amazon’s services are pay-per-visit and are available exclusively through telehealth. Here’s how it works.

    If you are looking for help with hair loss (men only), anti-aging skin care, erectile dysfunction, eyelash growth and motion sickness, Amazon One Medical offers a subscription solution. You pay upfront each month in exchange for a telehealth visit, a treatment plan and free delivery of the medications you are prescribed.

    Medicare does not cover these services, whether you are in traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan. They are not considered medically necessary. But, if you would like any of these services, it’s not clear why you are better off subscribing to Amazon’s service than getting a prescription for them from your physician.

    Your primary care physician typically can prescribe medicines for hair loss and motion sickness. And, you can find plenty of anti-aging skin care products without paying Amazon One Medical providers $10 a month or more.

    What do these new services cost? 

    • Anti-aging skin care is available for $10 a month
    • Men’s hair loss is $16 a month.
    • Erectile disfunction treatment costs $19 a month (a 92 percent savings, according to Amazon)
    • Eyelash growth treatment is $43 a month
    • Motion sickness care is $2 a use.

    If you are not prescribed a treatment, you don’t pay.

    Amazon Clinic is already available throughout the US. It provides telehealth services for many common conditions, including pink eye, flu and sinus infection. Messaging visits are $29. Video visits are $49.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Do you really need a tooth implant?

    Do you really need a tooth implant?

    If your dentist suggests you replace your teeth rather than fix them, get a second opinion. You should avoid getting tooth implants if you can. Not only are they extremely expensive, they are not likely to be a better alternative than crowns and root canals, reports Brett Kelman and Anna Werner for KFF Health News.

    Prosthetic teeth are not likely to function as well as your own teeth. One patient of ClearChoice, which provides people with dental implants, couldn’t chew for two years because the implants were not aligned properly. She needed corrective surgery.

    If you can save your teeth, do so. As a general rule, you should get implants when you have missing teeth or teeth so damaged that they cannot be replaced. Dentists’ primary goal should be to preserve their patients’ teeth.

    According to experts, implants are very costly and can lead to surgical complications. Moreover, they increase the likelihood of people having few ways to treat new problems with their teeth. Dental experts say that they find in most cases that they are asked to give second opinions about dental implants, teeth can be saved.

    No one should think that dental implants will hold up better or longer than your own teeth. Don’t believe the TV and social media ads that suggest otherwise. You have to take care of implants even more than you have to take care of natural teeth. You can get gum and bone infections or bone loss in the area surrounding implants. That can destroy the implant’s efficacy.

    Moreover, too often the implants do not fit well and need replacing. Dentists often have not been trained in how to provide an implant. Training is not required in any state except Oregon. Without training and experience, you can imagine what the results might be. Oral surgeons, periodontists, or prosthodontists have training but usually are not performing the implants.

    Many lawsuits have been filed against the dental implant chains, alleging negligence and malpractice. Private equity firms own a lot of dental implant chains. Their goal is to make money.

    What exactly happens when you get an implant? The dentist screws a metal post into your jaw and then attaches a fake tooth or a crown to it. For patients who have teeth that cannot be saved, dental implants can be a lifesaver.

    The companies that are pushing dental implants–ClearChoice, Aspen Dental, Affordable Care and Dental Care Alliance–refused to speak to a reporter about their implant services.

    Perhaps thanks to the marketing, in 2022, Americans had more than 3.7 million implants.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Adults use dining app to make new friends

    Adults use dining app to make new friends

    We hear often about all the lonely people. We also know that social engagement is one of the best things you can do for your health. A new app, Timeleft, connects you with other friend-seekers at a dinner table in hundreds of cities across the US, reports Hira Qureshi for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

    Whether you’re 30 or 70, live in Miami or New York City, like Thai food or plain old American, Timeleft matches you with a small group of strangers at a local restaurant.

    You can engage in conversation about whatever suits your fancy. Everything’s on the table. Your work, your favorite restaurants, why you used the app. It’s not about dating specifically, but rather a way to build a network of friends or simply have dinner companions.

    Timeleft has taken off since its founding in 2020 and is now in 275 cities. In Philadelphia, it sets up dinners for people each Wednesday based on a questionnaire they complete. On the day of the dinner, you learn a bit about your dinner mates, including where they are from, their work and their zodiac signs.

    Timeleft picks the restaurants based on their cost and Google ratings. After the dinner, if people hit it off, they can continue connecting through Whats App. For sure, it’s a way to meet people you likely never would have met otherwise, without the pressure of being on a date with them.

    Different strokes for different folks. Some people make new friends on sports teams or at clubs. And, some people are simply looking for company on a given evening. Whether you live in the city or you’re from out of town, you shouldn’t have to eat alone.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Stay healthy: Eat more nuts

    Stay healthy: Eat more nuts

    Nuts are a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals. They also offer other health benefits, reports Daryl Austin for National Geographic.

    Nuts help make strong bones. Some experts claim that nuts also reduce your risk of cancer. And, eating nuts can reduce your risk of diabetes because nuts help manage your blood sugar.

    There’s also evidence that eating just one ounce of nuts each day reduces your risk of heart disease by 21 percent. Nuts can lower blood pressure, sharpen your mind, lower your cholesterol and help you live longer.

    More good news—Even though nuts are high in calories, so long as you don’t eat large quantities, they should not lead you to gain weight . They could even help you lose weight.

    How can nuts lead to weight loss? Nuts contain a lot of fat, protein and fiber, which can sate you, so you don’t feel hungry. And walnuts and almonds don’t have as many calories as you think. Some of their calories leave your body in stool.

    Which nuts are best to eat? All nuts are different. Almonds are very good for you because they have a lot of fiber, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin E; they also help to reduce your bad cholesterol.  Pistachios also offer a lot of health benefits, including vitamin B6 and B1, all nine amino acids, potassium and lutein, which help with brain function and stave off cognitive decline. Of note, they are not as caloric as other nuts.

    Brazil nuts, peanuts and walnuts are also especially good for you. Walnuts are good for improving heart health and brain health and providing omega-3 fatty acids.

    Go for the mixed nuts for a wide range of health benefits!

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Blue Zones: Do they really promote long lives?

    Blue Zones: Do they really promote long lives?

    Twenty years ago, Dan Buettner started writing about Blue Zones, places on this earth where people allegedly live long healthy lives. The public has been transfixed. While people in the Blue Zones appear to exhibit good healthy behaviors, there’s no science behind the Blue Zone claims.

    Buettner has built a large following reporting on these Blue Zones–including authoring eight books–and what we can all do to live longer, healthier lives. And, he has made a lot of money doing it. But, he is making observations, not finding causal links between particular environments and longevity.

    There really migt not be a there there, Dana G. Smith reports for The New York Times. One expert challenges the notion that certain communities have more centenarians because of their special behaviors. He thinks that these communities more likely have bad record-keeping about the age of their residents.

    Why are the areas with purportedly large populations of very old people called Blue Zones? Back in 2004, researchers highlighted Sardinia in blue on a map to signal that its residents lived long lives. They thought Sardinians had especially healthier lifestyles than others or high levels of “inbreeding” leading to a certain set of genes that promoted longevity.

    Buettner, then a reporter for National Geographic, wrote about longevity in Sardinia and two other areas, Okinawa and Loma Linda, California. He argued that people lived longer in these zones as a result of their healthy lifestyles. They ate well, were active, socially engaged and didn’t smoke. Their lives had purpose, and they could handle stress.

    Buettner claimed people in Blue Zones lived ten years longer on average than the rest of us, without taking supplements or going to exercise studios. Rather, they lived in good places.

    Buettner has made “Blue Zones” into a very big business notwithstanding the lack of science behind them. Who doesn’t want to believe in magic, especially if it could help them live longer? Then, Saul Justin Newman, University College, London, decided to look into the data and things did not add up as well as Buettner has suggested.

    Newman believes the Blue Zones might not be such special places. True or not, Buettner admits that Okinawa might no longer qualify as a Blue Zone. People’s diets and lifestyles have changed. He actually believes that Blue Zones will die out in the next 15 to 25 years as a result of fast food and changing behaviors.

    We non-Blue Zone dwellers can still take a page from Buettner’s advice: eat well, stay active, and engage with your community. All three behaviors have been found to promote good health and long lives.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • New treatment for baldness?

    New treatment for baldness?

    Lots of men struggle with male pattern baldness as they age, as do plenty of women. Tom Howarth reports for BBC Science Focus on what may be a new cure. It’s a sugar that we create naturally in our bodies.

    The sugar is technically known as 2-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR). This sugar is critical to assorted biological processes in our bodies and those of animals.

    The new research, published in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, shows that this sugar could be almost as effective as the generic drug minoxidil, without its side effects. Though it’s still early days. The sugar has only been tested on mice to date.

    How does the sugar work? The theory is that it increases the blood going to hair follicles, which in turn spurs hair to grow.

    The researchers think it’s possible that this naturally occurring sugar could also help people who lose their hair as a result of chemotherapy.

    There’s still a lot to learn. We don’t yet fully understand the connection between blood flow to the hair follicles and hair growth.

    Other research published in Frontiers of Pharmacology shows that millet seed oil might be an effective treatment for people with alopecia who lose their hair.

    For now, most people use minoxidil or Rogaine to address hair loss. It can be used topically or orally. And, it tends to work. But, it does bring on side effects for some people including headaches, dizziness and nausea. Note: Minoxidil is also an anti-hypertensive.

    Some people use Finasteride, which also has been found to slow hair loss and stimulate new growth.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • 2024: Get your flu shot!

    2024: Get your flu shot!

    It’s important to get a flu shot every year, no matter how old you are. It’s particularly important for older adults. Now that it’s sweater weather and fall is here, it’s time to get your flu shot!

    Talk to your doctor about getting the flu shot and about whether you should get a special vaccine available for people over 65. The good news: Medicare covers the full cost of a flu shot.

    You do not need to go to the doctor’s office for your flu shot. You can usually get the flu shot at your local pharmacy or supermarket. More pharmacies are offering drive-through and curbside flu shots, in addition to in-store vaccines.

    Why get the flu shot now? That’s how you best protect yourself, the people you love and your community. The flu, like Covid-19, can be lethal. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the flu kills as many as 50,000 people each year. Between nine and 41 million Americans get sick from the flu and hundreds of thousands of people are hospitalized from the flu each year.

    Because people have been taking precautions against Covid-19 though, in 2021-22, the CDC found a significant drop in hospitalizations and deaths from the flu. Ten thousand people in the US were hospitalized from the flu and 5,000 people died. Older adults are more likely to die from the flu than younger people.

    The flu vaccine takes between two and four weeks to become effective. So, even if you get it now, it might not protect you from the flu until the end of October. It will not protect you from Covid-19, though the symptoms can be quite similar–a cough, a cold, sore throat, fever. You should also talk to your doctor about getting the Covid-19 booster shot, now available; also ask whether you should get the new RSV vaccine.

    Sometimes the flu shot will not keep you from getting the flu. However, even if you get the flu, the flu shot reduces the odds that it will be a severe case. The flu shot may keep you from being hospitalized for the flu or, worse still, from being in the intensive care unit of the hospital. It also reduces your risk of death.

    You shouldn’t wait to get the flu shot. No one knows whether the flu season will begin this month or next. You want to protect yourself as soon as possible.

    You need the flu shot even if you haven’t gotten the flu before. (There is one exception: People who are allergic to the flu vaccine.)  There is only benefit from getting the flu shot. The flu shot cannot give you the flu.

    Here’s some good news: Everything you do to protect yourself from Covid-19, including social distancing, wearing a mask and regular hand washing–should also minimize your chance of getting the flu!

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • How to stay young? Travel

    How to stay young? Travel

    Fall is in the air and, before long, many Americans will be bracing themselves for the cold or planning a trip to warmer climes. According to a new study, that trip could slow the aging process, Andrea Sachs reports for The Washington Post.

    Researchers at Edith Cowan University looked at the benefits of travel and found that travel is a way to stay young. How could that be, you might wonder? Well, in many cases, travel means social interactions, activity, and good feelings. Travel also activates your mind.

    In short, travel satisfies important health needs. When you take a fun trip, it’s good for your body’s “low entropy,” slowing the aging process. It engages you mentally and socially. It often exposes you to the outdoors, lowering your stress level and improving your mood. It gets you walking. All of these positive aspects of travel can keep you young.

    Travel is also somehow associated with healthy eating. The theory is that you eat better when you’re traveling. And, the latest research reinforces what we already know, eating a healthy diet is good for your health. In the study, which took place over 25 years, more than 25,000 women reduced their risk of dying by eating a healthy diet.

    According to the researchers in Australia, travel is good for lots of people, including people who are not in great shape. Travel can slow down or stop a worsening health condition, promoting quality of life.

    Keep in mind that all travel is not good for your health. The “wrong” travel can endanger your health, creating health issues. A bad travel experience or destination could lead to danger and disease or aggravate a person’s anxiety.

    Here’s more from Just Care: