Considering Integrative Medicine

Posted on April 28, 2021 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 Ph a rmacy, 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 March 25, 2021 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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An Essential (Oil) Conversation

Posted on January 13, 2021 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 emotion al brain.
Source: Home – NAC Wellbeing

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Translating Fresh Food Labels

Posted on December 2, 2020 by autocreate740

How do you know if the food in your refrigerator, which has an expiration date on it, can still be used by you for a safe meal?

It is often confusing about how long it is safe to eat an item after the “sell by date”. I understand that it is defined for the store retailer. I know to purchase the freshest item. What should I do if I purchased the item long before the “sell by date” – but I did not use it – Now what?

Lindsay Backer, a registered dietitian and food safety expert advises that if it is meat, it is not recommended to go much beyond the sell by date. The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) advises to use or freeze beef, veal, pork, and lamb products with a “Sell-By” date within 3 to 5 days of purchase. Fresh chicken, turkey, ground meat, and ground poultry should be cooked or frozen within 1 to 2 days of purchase.

Web MD has other recommendations that we can use to help us decipher how to manage getting the best freshness from our food purchases and making sure not to waste the food we buy.

* “Best if used by (or before)” date:
Refers to quality not safety.
* “Use by” date: Last date at peak quality (by manufacturer).
* Milk is ok up to one week after “Sell By” date.
* Eggs purchased before “Sell By” date are ok 3-5 weeks after.

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The Bright Lights of Our Pandemic

Posted on September 20, 2020 by autocreate740

Photo by fotografierende from Pexels

Hello Everyone,

You may have noticed that LivingSenior.me has a new look. Considering the Pandemic, my post ‘conversations’ going forward will include some interesting outcomes of this fundamentally altering period in our lives. Frankly, in my opinion, among other results, it may have brought more ‘connectedness’ and human kindness towards each other. Families have had to be more creative in their togetherness; neighbors are reaching out to each other; often, people want to help each other. Politics have become more prominent to our conversations. Namely, we cannot take our freedoms and livelihoods, or health for granted. I also consider the display of compassion for each other a good thing for our human society.

For this issue, I would like to call your attention to the Blogroll of my favorite websites. Recently, I became more acquainted with Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper. I encourage you to put reading it on your “To Do” list. It is an A+ online newspaper. Here’s a link to read about Maria Shriver, and to see what she has to offer with her positive ideas, compassionate thoughts and suggestions for our WellBeing during this period and beyond. Just click the link. https://mariashriver.com/mystory/

Another new addition to the Blogroll is the A+ Free Fitness programs. Just click the link to find out more. https://seniorplanet.org/virtual-fitness-wellness-events/

Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

Below is a link to a post that appeared on The Lighthouse, a website, which originates in Sydney, Australia. It is interesting to learn what others, outside of the USA, are saying about the Covid19.
https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/april-2020/seven-positive-outcomes-of-covid-19

Stay Safe and Positive!

Message to Elders & Parents: Play More, Live Better and Longer

Posted on August 28, 2020 by autocreate740

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Play More?
What Does That Mean? Why Should I?

As we are continually confronted with the challenge of Covid19 worries, that impact our lives, I am sure we could all use a ‘Time-Out’ – in a positive way.

Research reveals that play as adults can help us to get some relief from our responsibilities, and find ways to manage the stress we feel. Not only will it be good for you, but if you have children, it can be a way to connect and relieve stress for them as well. Worth thinking about? The school year will begin shortly in a format that some of us have not quite figured out how to handle, and to bring ‘normalcy’ to our work and school days. Maybe what we need is a little relief to help us cope through this period. Below are some sources, which discuss various options and suggestions for placing ‘play’ in your life.

Photo by Edu Carvalho from Pexels

Sources for Ideas

https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-importance-of-play-for-adults/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-in-mind

Hearing Aids? Do you need them? How do you know?

Posted on June 30, 2020 by autocreate740

My Everyday Tools: Hearing Aids and Glasses

It seems odd that hearing aids are not something I focused on as a tool for assisting my “wellbeing” in a significant way. If you think about it at all, it would seem that hearing aids are just as important as glasses for reading and driving. My favorite question these days, which I have adopted from Rachel Maddow of MSNBC – “Why is that“?

Flash back to August of 2017, when I wrote a post about hearing loss, and at that time I called attention to the research, which determined that dementia ( I repeat, dementia) could be related to hearing loss. (https://livingsenior.me/2017/08/21/hearing-loss-dementia/)

Flash forward, after a recent hearing test (have you had one lately? ever had one?), my Audiologist doctor determined that I required hearing aids due to hearing loss in both ears. In addition, she was concerned because difficulty hearing raises dementia risk. There it is again: dementia and hearing loss are related.

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Senior Care and COVID19

Posted on May 20, 2020 by autocreate740

senior telemedicine The COVID19 – Pandemic has affected us all in how we will lead our lives post Coronavirus. In addition, we senior citizens are being confronted with new methods in order to manage how we live going forward. Major changes have occurred in attending to our healthcare and well-being needs physically, socially, and mentally. To protect our health, Telehealth is a solution, which allows us to see the doctor without visiting their office.

Good news for seniors is that Medicare has now expanded Telemedicine coverage and you can arrange doctor appointments until further notice, without incurring added charges. This includes chronic conditions like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
FYI – The terms Telehealth and Telemedicine are being used interchangeably. These are the descriptions I found at The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) – https://www.aafp.org/about/the-aafp/history.html
iPhone users can contact telemedicine doctors using FaceTime. Android users can use Skype. There are numerous apps, which can be utilized.

doctor-4187242_1920 Medicare Descriptions of Telehealth coverage:
https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/telehealth
https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/virtual-check-ins
https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/e-visits

https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/the-best-telemedicine-apps/ Continue reading →

A New Outlook with Meditation

Posted on April 15, 2020 by autocreate740

woman-wearing-red-hat-and-sunglasses-1729931

Photo by Nashua Volquez from Pexels

COVID19 is unsettling for us all.

As senior citizens, we find ourselves during the later years of our lives with more stress than we could have imagined in our younger years. Rather than traveling, spending time with family and friends leisurely in our “golden years”, those dreams of our lives have been replaced with anger, fear and uncertainty for ourselves and our families. The result is that our health and well-being are in jeopardy. At this point we are confronted with adjusting to new way of life, which is not what we had in mind.

life-2387831_1920 I searched the “www” for some coping mechanisms to possibly relieve our anxiety. Meditation and Mindfulness were at the top of many lists for relaxing methods to relieve all sorts of issues, and to enhance our senior citizen lives. Some things that were listed as benefits are summarized below:

♦ less stress, more happiness, longevity, younger looks.
♦ creativity, body healing, focus and motivation.
♦ willpower, better sleep, activates the happy part of your brain.

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Reference for COVID-19

Posted on March 17, 2020 by autocreate740

This month I am at my wits end to assist in any way providing guidelines for the Coronavirus. The first link will take you to the government website. New announcements about Telehealth services for senior citizens is important. You can contact your doctor’s office for guidelines on how it works.

In addition, I received two reference pdf books about COVID-19 from a family member, and I think it is worth sharing. It provides guidelines for how to care for yourself, as was understood at the time it was written. Click the links for more information.

Government Websites:
https://www.hrsa.gov/
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

For Handbook Reference:
Corona Ebook.pdf

CoronaVirus Slide for kids.pdf

Take a look. I hope it is helpful.
Wishing you wellness.
Judith