Category Archives: FYI

VIM App for Arthritis Sufferers

Posted on by autocreate740

The Arthritis Foundation reports that the onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) generally affects persons in the age range of 30-60 years. The foundation also reports that RA affects children.

RA sufferers have a new tool to assist them with their various challenges brought on by this autoimmune and inflammatory disease. It is the VIM App.

My podcast provides a summary with details of how the Free VIM App works.

Download Apps using the links below for your Apple or Android Phone.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=guru.applica.vim
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vim-pain-mgmt/id1562886172

livingsenior.me | WellBeing Conversations various arthritis blog posts are at the links below:
Arthritis Seasons & Remedies | livingsenior.me
Arthritis & Exercise | livingsenior.me
Arthritis Signs for Knees | livingsenior.me

Additional Sources:

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms in Women (healthline.com)
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments
Arthritis Foundation launching Vim app to help people manage chronic pain | PhillyVoice
Pharma News | Pharma Industry | Pharmaceuticals Industry | FiercePharma


What have you done for your skin lately?

Posted on by autocreate740

This is a continuation of the SPF and skincare question.  Some of you may have listened to my summary on this topic at my Judith Guerra Wellness Connections Podcast on Spotify.  This post provides details for you on where you can find the tools you need to participate in a well-being program for your skin.

I happen to think men believe that women spend way too much time on their skin/beauty regimens, which could be true (LOL).

What some men may not know is that by age 50 men are more likely than women to develop melanoma. And, that number continues to increase. (At age 65, men are 2 times more likely as women the same age to get Melanoma). At the age of 80 it is 3 times more likely. The research facts reveal Melanoma is harder on men. Melanoma strikes men harder – AAD

I can actually confirm that none of the men I know use SPF.
If you are a man reading this post – do you? On a walk recently, I asked a neighbor, whom I see often, whether he had on SPF – he quickly admitted he did not. In addition, he did not have on a hat. This man is about 65-70 years old. I suggested he may want to consider using an SPF. He promised he would. As I said, The research shows that at his age he is 2 times more likely than a woman to develop melanoma. According to the AAD: 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.

In addition, Melanoma is more than 20 times more common in whites than in African Americans. Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 2.6% (1 in 38) for whites, 0.1% (1 in 1,000) for Blacks, and 0.6% (1 in 167) for Hispanics.

Although skin cancer is less prevalent in the black community than in the white population, when it does occur among people of color, it tends to be diagnosed at a later, and more advanced, stage.

♥ Studies show that black people are four times more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage melanoma and tend to succumb at a rate of 1.5 times more than white people with a similar diagnosis. The Sunscreen Gap: Why Black People Still Need SPF (healthline.com)

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Summer Fun and SkinCare

Posted on by autocreate740

After one year fighting the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are ready to once again return to activities outside of our homes. I checked what steps we should consider taking to protect our skin. In addition, what support systems are available to help us determine if any change(s) to our skin have occurred during this stressful period.

You can listen to my Podcast on Spotify, which will give you a summary of my upcoming blog post.
Spotify is a free app, that you can download on your mobile device, from the Google Play or Apple app store. You can also download the app to your desktop computer.

Later this month, I will post” What have you done for your skin lately?” with detailed information and links on my livingsenior.me blog. This will give you an opportunity to explore on your own how to keep your skin looking and feeling well.

I look forward to continuing sharing these well-being conversations and ideas with you. Let’s stay connected.

Considering Integrative Medicine

Posted on by autocreate740

Integrative Medicine is often referred to as a way of “complementing” our wellness regimen by enhancing our body, mind and spirit experiences. What does that mean?

First, Integrative Medicine is not to be considered a “substitute for conventional medicine”. However, it can help with treating your well-being by “adding” to your regular medical program.

Second, some complementary/integrative methods are: Aromatherapy, Music Therapy, Acupuncture, Meditation, and Dietary Supplements. Living Senior has posted articles on these topics in the past: Links to My Other Posts | livingsenior.me

Third, let’s explore some ideas that can help with our wellness regimen, which are considered complementary.

A friend called my attention to the People’s Pharmacy, which began in 1976 to aide us in making decisions about medical and alternative treatments. They also have a database of Home Remedies at this link: Home Remedies | The People’s Pharmacy (peoplespharmacy.com)

A source I use for Integrative medicine guidelines, and how to understand the different terminology is Dr. Andrew Weil. He has been a pioneer in Integrative Medicine for thirty years.

You can signup for his newsletters at the link below:
DrWeil.com Newsletters | Andrew Weil, M.D.

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Aging Gracefully? What is it?

Posted on by autocreate740
Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

As an ‘elder citizen’ have you ever thought about what “Aging Gracefully” is?

Many of us are confronted with all types of challenges to that concept- not the Aging, but the “gracefully”. What is your idea of what that means for your life now? To help you contemplate how to employ “Aging Gracefully” in your own life, here is a definition of what the Healthline website defines it as:

“Aging gracefully isn’t about trying to look like a 20-something — it’s about living your best life and having the physical and mental health to enjoy it. Like a bottle of wine, you can get better with age with the right care.“

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Black History Spotlight & Painting for Well-Being

Posted on by autocreate740
Painting for Health & Well-Being

This year during Black History Month I would like to celebrate Alma Woodsey Thomas, an artist of remarkable accomplishment.
Thomas, started her painting career at the age of 70, after being a junior high school teacher for 35 years.  YES! We can create “new beginnings” even in our senior citizen years.

Thomas’s parents migrated from Georgia to Washington, D.C. in 1906.  In 1932 she became the first graduate of the Fine Arts department at Howard University, which is also the Alma Mata of the first African/Asian vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris.  After graduation from Howard, in 1925, she taught Art at Shaw Junior High School until 1960.  During her teaching career, she managed to also earn degrees from Columbia University and from New York University. 
Thomas considered giving up Painting when she retired because of arthritis pain. However , in 1966 Howard University offered to mount a retrospective of her work. That’s when she decided she wanted to produce new paintings.

Alma Thomas was later honored with one-woman exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. In 1972 her painting Red Roses Sonata was selected for the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Before her death in 1978, she was nationally recognized as a key woman artist dedicated to abstract painting
Some of her other well-known paintings are: Fiery Sunset, Snoopy Sees Earth Wrapped in Sunset.

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An Essential (Oil) Conversation

Posted on by autocreate740

What are Essential Oils?

The scented liquid taken from certain plants using steam or pressure. Essential oils contain the natural chemicals that give the plant its “essence” (specific odor and flavor). Essential oils are used in perfumes, food flavorings, medicine, and aromatherapy. source: Definition of essential oil – NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms – National Cancer Institute

In previous posts I have introduced the idea of using essential oils as a complementary method to assist us in coping with mind, body, and spirit care. Essential oils are not intended to replace any medications we require for our health. Rather, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is used as a way to enhance, not replace, our self-care regimen.

Stress is known to cause pain in the neck, shoulders, and back. Stress also causes insomnia and headaches. How do you manage these issues? Do you take a pain pill for your body? Do you take a pain pill for your headache(s)? How many times a day? How Anxiety Can Create Aches and Pains (calmclinic.com)

In some countries, essential oils are regulated and used as a methodology for helping patients enhance their relief with health issues: An example, is Canada where Essential Oils are regulated as Natural Health Products. These products require the approval of Health Canada (FDA in the USA) approval before going to market.

Our sense of smell is especially pertinent to wellbeing because it is the only sense that is directly processed by the limbic brain – the emotional brain.
Source: Home – NAC Wellbeing

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