The Dangers of Senior Loneliness

Physical problems are good at making themselves known. You have a clear pain in a specific part of your body that you can describe to the doctor to get the treatment you need. Some seniors might not do a great job of letting their caregivers know about all their pains, but for the most part physical pains are problems that are easy to spot.

Emotional problems are more complicated. Many seniors come from an era where they were taught not to complain much, or even to see mental health issues as something to be ashamed of.  If they feel isolated and alone, it can be easy to decide it’s their own problem and they’d better just deal with it without complaining. But loneliness (and its very serious companion depression) can be as deadly as many physical ailments if not treated properly.

Senior Loneliness is Common

Some who have covered the subject of senior isolation are prone to refer to it as a “loneliness epidemic.” There’s something to that – the numbers of people affected are significant.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 11 million people over 65 – that’s over a third of the total – live alone.

Living alone in and of itself doesn’t mean a senior will suffer from the devastating effects of loneliness. Those that get out and participate in social activities, see their family members and friends regularly, and make the effort to stay in contact with other people don’t have much to worry about. But as age makes mobility more difficult, limits transportation options, and takes more and more of a senior’s loved ones away in death, the risks grow.

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The Health Effects of Loneliness

Researchers have started to find evidence for what many people in the geriatric profession have long known to be true – loneliness can seriously limit a person’s life span, not to mention their quality of life in its last years. A 2012 study showed a link between social isolation and higher rates of mortality for people over 52.

That should be troubling enough, but that’s not all. Loneliness:

• Causes raised blood pressure in seniors over 50

• Has a negative influence on cognitive performance

• Can make people more susceptible to viruses like the flu

• Increases the risk of Alzheimer’s

Many experts compare the health risks of loneliness to those of obesity and smoking. It’s becoming widely regarded as a health risk that’s just as dangerous, but far less discussed.

3 Ways to Prevent Loneliness

Once you understand how dangerous loneliness can be, the question becomes how to ward it off. Tapping into any community you already have is recommended, but you might consider suggesting some of these options to the seniors you care about to help add some new social interactions to life.

1. Pursue new social activities.

See if there’s a meetup or club in your area that focuses on something they’re interested in. If getting there is an issue, reach out to others in the group to find out if carpooling is an option. Whether it’s water aerobics classes at the local YMCA, a knitting club, or getting more involved in church activities, making sure to put some social gatherings on the calendar will mean increasing the amount of contact a senior has with other people.

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2. Volunteer

Research local volunteer opportunities. Sites like Volunteer Match make it easy to peruse the causes that could use some extra help and find one that’s a good fit for what your loved one cares about. Not only will they meet new people, they’ll get that fulfilling feeling that comes with doing something meaningful.

3. Adopt a pet.

Research shows that pets are good for our health. They decrease the risk of depression, help bring blood pressure and cholesterol rates down, and reduce stress levels – in short, they help counteract all those bad things loneliness can cause. Many shelters offer senior-to-senior pet adoption programs, so you can skip dealing with potty training and just enjoy the companionship of an animal that needs love too.

Loneliness can creep up on seniors if it’s allowed to. Keeping it at bay requires some proactive effort, but it can be done. Look into the resources in your community that can help and sit down and get some actual plans on the calendar to make sure they happen.

courtesy of SeniorAdvisor.com

An 84-year-old doctor who refuses to use a computer has lost her medical license

Aside from a fax machine and landline telephone, there isn't much technology in the office of physician Anna Konopka, 84.

Instead, her patients' records are tucked into two file cabinets, which sit in a tiny office next door to her 160-year-old clapboard house in New London, N.H. Records are meticulously handwritten, she said. Konopka does have a typewriter, but it's broken, and its parts have been discontinued.

With medicine in the United States becoming increasingly regulated — and as more doctors are expected to keep records electronically — Konopka's style of doctoring had attracted about 25 patients a week. Some had complicated conditions like chronic pain. Some didn't have insurance. Konopka says she would see anyone who can pay $50 in cash.

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But she no longer can.

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Konopka said she felt forced to surrender her medical license in September after New Hampshire Board of Medicine officials challenged her record-keeping, prescribing practices and medical decision-making, according to court documents. She is specifically accused of leaving the dosage levels of a medication up to a young girl's parent and failing to treat the girl with daily inhaled steroids.

Konopka said the girl's mother ignored her instructions.

State law prevents the board from releasing or discussing additional details regarding its now-closed investigation into the complaints against Konopka, a board member told the New Hampshire Union Leader. After Konopka surrendered her license, the board's medical review subcommittee received additional complaints against her, according to court documents.

Konopka said she wonders if her license was in part taken away because of her inability and unwillingness to use technology to diagnose her patients or log her patients' prescriptions as part of New Hampshire's mandatory electronic drug monitoring program. The program, signed into effect in 2014, is an effort to reduce opioid overdoses.

In 2015, more than 16,000 people died of overdoses from prescription opioids, including methadone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every state except Missouri has created a prescription drug monitoring program, and most of those systems mandate some form of action by prescribers.

 5:27

Users of opioid painkillers often grapple with risking addiction or living with pain

Respondents who took part in The Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey on long-term, opioid painkiller use share their experiences of living with pain (Monica Akhtar, Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post)

New Hampshire has one of the country's highest rates of drug overdose deaths, according to the CDC.

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Konopka, who was a licensed medical practitioner for 55 years, insists that patients prescribed painkillers were always given small dosages. If not for her prescriptions, they would be in constant pain, she said.

“The [electronic] system right now, with this opioid war, they have no common sense with what they're doing. Bureaucrats who don't know medicine — they are getting this kind of idea that they can handle this type of pain without narcotics,” she said.

“I prescribe a small amount of OxyContin and they are doing beautifully. . . . They can work, and many of them could not work for many years. They are partially employed or fully employed and have a normal daily life,” she said.

Doctors in recent years have been encouraged to get better training in prescribing opioids. The government in July reported that the number of opioid prescriptions written by health-care providers declined between 2012 and 2015. It's an indication of progress, officials said, in curbing the worst drug epidemic in U.S. history.

Konopka was born in Rzeszow, Poland, in 1933, about 60 miles north of Slovakia and the same distance west of Ukraine. She tried to attend medical school under Joseph Stalin's regime but was blacklisted, she said, because of her unwillingness to join the Communist Party. She was eventually accepted into medical school in the mid-1950s, after Stalin's death.

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She immigrated to the United States in 1961 and earned her license to practice after several writing exams and residencies. She began seeing patients at St. Catherine's Hospital in Brooklyn, she said, and opened her private practice in New London 28 years ago.

Complaints regarding Konopka's prescribing practices began in 2014 — primarily, she said, in the form of “lies” from other physicians. Then, a complaint was filed regarding her treatment of a 7-year-old girl who had seen Konopka about her asthma since she was 18 months old. Konopka said the girl came to her with tachycardia, a condition in which the heart beats too quickly. Konopka thought this was a side effect of the girl's asthma medication, and so she wrote the girl a different prescription.

In revoking Konopka's license, New Hampshire Board of Medicine officials said Konopka failed to confirm the girl's diagnosis with additional follow-up tests or refer the girl to a cardiologist, according to court documents. 

“I'm not sending my patients to this doctor and this doctor. I treat everything. I have enough experience and can treat any disease,” said Konopka, who added she would seek help from other doctors when she felt she needed it.

She said modern medicine encourages doctors to use electronic records to diagnose patients. But Konopka said she does not want to learn how, as she feels she is experienced enough to diagnose a patient by examining them and talking to them.

“Even if I knew how to use [the electronic system] I would be unwilling,” she said. “I cannot compromise the patient's health or life for a system. I refuse to,” she said.

While research shows the electronic systems — especially when mandated — are effective, doctors have complained about the time it takes to log information into a database when they are already burdened by paperwork requirements.

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Konopka is fighting to regain her license, which she agreed to voluntarily surrender in September after she was told it was the best option for her patients, she said. If she voluntarily surrendered, she would have until Oct. 13 to wrap up her practice as she fought to get it back. About 30 of her patients have written letters of support on her behalf.

“It stinks, but you have to find a new doctor, and it’s a rat race,” one of Konopka's patients, Stanley Wright, told the Associated Press. He saw her during the past year for chronic back pain. “The doctor I had before was overmedicating me, and she gives me a lot of herbal stuff and I was doing a lot better. Now, I’m back to being screwed. I don’t know what to do.”

But on Nov. 15, Merrimack Superior Court Judge John Kissinger dismissed Konopka's case to regain her license.

“It is clear to the court that Dr. Konopka has spent her career helping people in her medical practice and has a genuine commitment to address the needs of those not able to afford medical care elsewhere,” Kissinger wrote in his ruling. “Her motivation to seek an injunction allowing her to continue to practice comes from a sincere desire to help her patients.”

Allowing Konopka to continue her medical practice, however, would be inappropriate and would “ignore the process established by the legislature to regulate the practice of medicine in this State,” Kissinger wrote.

courtesy of
Washingtonpost.com

12 Benefits of Detoxing the Body

12 Benefits of Detoxing the Body

Are detox programs really good for you? There seems to be an equal amount of warnings and recommendations for detoxing, which can make it confusing for the would-be detox dieter. While it is possible to get it wrong, as long as you get it right you’ll be helping yourself in several different ways. We’ve outlined some of the benefits you can expect by following some of the more well-organized detox programs out there.

1. Boosts Your Energy

Many detox program followers report feeling more energetic. This would make sense because while you’re detoxing you’re stopping the influx of the things that caused you to need a detox in the first place. By cutting out the sugar, caffeine, trans fat, saturated fat, and replacing them with fresh fruits and vegetables, you’ll be getting a natural energy boost, one that comes without a resultant crash. It’s vital to stay well hydrated while on any detox program, and that can also be a source of increased energy if you typically don’t get enough water throughout the day.

2. Rids the Body of Any Excess Waste

The biggest thing that detoxing helps with is allowing the body to rid itself of any excess waste it’s been storing. Most detox programs are designed to stimulate the body to purge itself, helping the liver do its thing as well as the kidneys and colon. Cleansing the colon is an important part of the detoxing process because those toxins need to exit the body, and a backed up colon can cause them to be reintroduced into the body, rather than exiting as planned. Sticking with fruits and vegetables even after the detox program is completed is a good way to keep things moving.

3. Helps with Weight Loss

It’s easy to see how a detox diet would cause you to lose weight in the short term, but a healthier way to look at it would be to establish long-term eating habits, and rid yourself of unhealthy habits. Many times it is the drastic reduction in calories and rapid weight loss that is focused on, especially in the media. But these short-term results won’t last if you don’t make it a point to replace bad foods with good, and use your newfound energy to exercise more and be more active overall.

4. Stronger Immune System

When you detox the body you free up your organs to function the way they should. This helps to give your immune system a boost since you’ll be able to absorb nutrients better, including Vitamin C. Many of the herbs you take while on a detox will help the lymphatic system, which plays a big role in keeping you healthy and firing on all cylinders. Many detox programs also focus on light exercises which help to circulate lymph fluid through the body and helps it to drain, strengthening your immune system in the process.

5. Improved Skin

Your skin is your largest organ, so it only makes sense that it would show positive results from a detox program. One way to help your detoxing efforts is to take a sauna to help the body sweat out additional toxins. You can expect clearer, smoother skin at the end of your detox plan. It’s also been reported that detoxing can help with acne, although the condition may worsen before it gets better as the toxins are released. You may find that your skin itches or gets patchy before clearing up, but this is part of the process and is a sign that you’re on the right track with your program.

6. Better Breath

Follow a detox program that includes a colon cleanse because those toxins need to be released from the body. It’s been theorized that one contributor to bad breath is a backed up colon. When you are able to clear it out and get your digestive system functioning well again, you may find that your breath improves. Be aware that your breath may actually worsen during the detoxing process, but when it’s finished it will be better. This is natural, and occurs as toxins are released from the body.

7. Promotes Healthy Changes

It’s hard to change a long-standing habit, and a detox program – no matter how long – is one way to put a wedge between your old ways and your new ones. If you have addictions to sugar, caffeine, fried, or crunchy foods you can use a detox program to help you kill those cravings. Often if you just try to quit eating those foods or drinking those beverages you’ll have limited success, and go back to your old ways. But if you cleanse the body and replace those foods with healthier choices, you can retrain yourself and be more likely to stick to your new habits.

8. Clearer Thinking

A good detox program will pay some attention to your state of mind during the cleanse. The use of meditation is often recommended as a way to get back in touch with your body during this time of purging and cleansing of toxins. Detox followers often say that they lose that sense of fogginess, and are able to think more clearly during a detox than when not on it. It makes sense, since many of the sugar-filled and fat-filled foods that surround us each day will cause us to feel lethargic and can factor heavily in the quality of our thinking.

9. Healthier Hair

By the time you can see your hair, it’s already considered dead, as all of its growth occurs within the hair follicle. This is why it’s important to keep your body functioning at its full potential through a regular detoxing strategy. When your hair is able to grow uninhibited by internal toxins you’ll see and feel the difference in your hair. In many instances hair gets shinier, and feels softer to the touch. Detoxing isn’t enough to stop male pattern baldness, but many report that their hair grows more quickly, a sign of healthier hair.

P.S. Take a look at the 5 veggies that boost female metabolism and burn off lower belly fat.

courtesy of Bembu.com

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Studies Show That Vitamins Can Tame Your Unruly Child in School Allowing Them to Learn More and Excel in Their Work

Could unruly children be tamed with a vitamin pill? Pupils taking the supplement were 'better behaved at school'

• Study gave schoolchildren a vitamin, mineral and omega-3 supplement
• Behaviour improved over 12 weeks compared to those taking placebo
• Especially unruly children had fewer classroom outbursts in this time
• Experts say supplements improve brain health and antisocial behavior

By Madlen Davies for MailOnline

PUBLISHED: 05:40 EDT, 9 March 2016 | UPDATED: 10:38 EDT, 22 March 2016

A vitamin pill can improve the behaviour of unruly teenagers, a study claims. 

Schoolchildren given a supplement containing a mix of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 for 12 weeks were better behaved at school, researchers found.

Experts say the findings add to a body of evidence showing deficiencies in young people's diets can contribute towards poor brain health and antisocial behaviour.

Omega-3 is known to be vital for healthy brain function, and past studies have shown it can improve discipline and reduce the symptoms of ADHD.

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Badly-behaved: A a vitamin, mineral and omega-3 supplement can improve the behaviour of unruly teenagers, a study has found (file photo)

One trial, published in the Journal of Attention Disorders, found a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 could be almost as effective as the drug Ritalin at controlling ADHD symptoms in teenagers.

Omega-3 is found in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines - but experts worry children who eat a diet high in sugar and fat may be deficient. 

Professor John Stein, of the University of Oxford, who led the new research, said improving students' diets with supplements in turn improves their behavior.

He said: 'Nutrient deficiencies have been implicated

 in antisocial behaviour, hence correcting them

 may improve sociable behaviour.

'When assessed using validated tests, supplements may protect against worsening behaviour.'

Dr Jonathan Tammam, the principal researcher on the study, told MailOnline the results were significant but that parents should initially try to improve their children's levels of vitamins, minerals and omega-3 through changing their diet.

Only if this fails should they turn to supplements. 

He said: 'When we looked at the children's diets a third was made up of foods high in sugar and fat, like crisps and sweets. Their diet was poor.

'Improving this, flipping their diet so a third came from fruits and vegetables, and eating more oily fish, would raise nutrient levels and protect against bad behaviour.'

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Brain function: Experts said the research adds to the growing body of evidence that nutrition can impact the brain health and behaviour of children

As part of the study, 196 healthy children aged 13 to 16 were recruited from Robert Clack, a mixed comprehensive school in Dagenham, east London.

They were split into two groups - one was given a 'WellTeen' supplement while the other was given a placebo.

Nutrient deficiencies have been implicated in antisocial behaviour, hence correcting them may improve sociability 

Professor John Stein, University of Oxford 

Researchers took blood samples from the pupils to measure the change in vitamin, mineral and omega-3 levels during the study. 

These were found to be low at the start of the study but were significantly raised in the group receiving the nutrient supplements over the 12 weeks. 

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The children's behaviour was assessed using the Conner’s scale, a validated measure of discipline and emotional problems.

Using this scale, the team found the behaviour of students receiving the supplements improved, while the behaviour of the pupils receiving the placebo worsened.

When they looked at the children's school records, they found throughout the school term the number of occasions where teachers reported lateness, classroom outbursts, rudeness or any other form of rule-breaking increased for both groups.

Dr Tammam said: 'This is to be expected. Children start the term bright eyed and bushy tailed. Then, as time goes on, they get tired and fractious.'

Then, they looked at results only for the most badly behaved children, who had committed at least three or more misdemeanors in the 12 weeks of the study.

courtesy of Dailymail.co.uk