Health Topics in the News

There are a number of health topics in the news that have recently caught my eye. Some we’ve heard about before, for example the benefits of coffee and red wine, and personally, I take this sort of “health news” with a grain of salt. My skepticism?

That’s a matter of the divergent recommendations that periodically pop up on our screens, though we do seem keen to continue buying (conflicting?) guidance on these and related subjects every few months.

However, other topics, including some we may shy away from talking about, should stay on our radar. Here is a selection I found of interest. Interpret as you will.

Numbing and Distracting

This article explaining why we stress eat had me nodding along. It notes that some 40% of Americans stress eat, explaining the impacts of the stress-related hormone, cortisol, and characterizing psychological reasons for the behavior as “distracting” and “numbing.”

Indeed.

This bit of information was useful to me:

Sugar can also release endogenous opioids, the body’s natural painkillers…

Non-pharmaceutical painkillers? Yup. They get my vote. And the out-of-pocket cost of junk food is far less than massage therapy, right? Obviously. Readily accessible, too. What if massage therapy were part of the physician’s prescribing pad?

Sadly, that’s not generally the case, despite the clear benefits of massage in delivering pain relief.

CBD. Hype? Help?

Speaking of painkillers, Time discusses the issue of CBD oil, which seems to be everywhere these days, and explains what it is and what it isn’t. Time points out:

…the CBD that is available in shops and online is not regulated by the government — which means it might contain other ingredients, or not even any CBD at all…

Several people have suggested to me that I look into CBD products (to help with shoulder and back pain), and I did find this article useful in that regard. (Are any of you using it? In what form, for what, and with what result?)

Exercise for the 50+ Crowd

Consider this from Livestrong — an article on what constitutes a healthy exercise plan for 50+ women. My quibble: By the time you’re 50 or older, there’s a good chance you have some sort of physical or medical constraints. Or possibly several.

Clearly, a personalized plan would be ideal. But this is not reality for those of us without the bank to afford a combination of professional providers to craft that plan, guide us through, and monitor and adjust as needed. More’s the pity. Imagine the improved quality of life and ability to “contribute.”

Sexually Active?

This Time post reminds us that STIs are a global problem, and certain groups are more at risk than you might think.

In many individual cases, these STIs don’t cause symptoms, which allows them to spread undetected. Using condoms can protect against infection, and doctors recommend regular STI screening for sexually active individuals—especially those in higher-risk groups, like young women and elderly adults.

That “elderly” group? That is, as I read the article, those of us in the 45+ age category.

Aren’t many of us out there enjoying a second, third or even fourth “chapter” in our dating lives? Aren’t we still sexually active? Shouldn’t we insist on condoms at the very least, or mutually-agreed and mutually-undertaken testing to be sure we’re good to go, should we choose to dispense with protection?

Do you recall the stats that show teens use condoms and (older) adults don’t?

Sourcing Generic Drugs

This opinion piece in the New York Times in May 2019 is absolutely worth your time. It concerns FDA inspections of generic pharmaceuticals produced in India for American drug companies. Specifically, it addresses issues of quality control in medications that may wind up on our medicine cabinet shelves.

While the high cost of prescriptions in the U.S. is a very pressing issue, shouldn’t we insist on assurances of quality on lower-cost alternatives?

Shouldn’t we not oversimplify the many issues involved in improving the healthcare system in the U.S., including prescription drug manufacture and pricing?

Sit Up! (Posture Matters)

Posture? Critical to good health? Well, some of us sure remember our mothers telling us to sit up straight, and we suspect that doing so may alleviate neck or back pain.

I was reminded recently (at Physical Therapy) to pay attention to posture. There’s a great deal of useful information in this guide from Medline Plus on good posture. I was aware of some of the issues around posture, but these were something of a surprise:

Slouching or slumping over can… Wear away at your spine, making it more fragile and prone to injury … Decrease your flexibility … Affect your balance and increase your risk of falling … Make it harder to digest your food … Make it harder to breathe…

Good posture is much, much more important than I realized and I’m going to take the recommendations in the Medline Plus guide immediately. What about you? Do you pay attention to posture?

Pets, Sleep, and Stress

Let’s end on a cuddly note, shall we? It isn’t surprising to learn that caring for a pet and feeling love returned is excellent stress relief, not to mention an effective means to ease loneliness.

I love this brief on the health benefits of sleeping with your dog, which reports that:

On average, people with dogs in their rooms (but not on their beds) maintained 83% sleep efficiency… (80% is generally considered satisfactory.)

Sleeping with a dog in the bed, however, was linked to a slightly lower sleep efficiency: an average of around 80%… people with dogs in their beds woke up more throughout the night than those whose dogs slept elsewhere.

Now, the study on which these results are based is small. Nevertheless, I find that it elicits a smile and sweet memories — both of which, I know, are good for my health.
 

 

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