Physical activity and mental stimulation are both vital for protecting mental skills. A modest amount of aerobic exercise is sufficient to produce positive cognitive results. For mental activity, doctors recommend activities requiring active engagement.
Stay away from foods with high sodium content, including canned soup, breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, poultry, and sandwiches. To cut out sodium, read food labels and eat less restaurant and packaged foods. Stick to fresh foods.
Peripheral artery disease has four main risk factors: smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes. The more risk factors one accumulates, the higher the risk, and the severity of risk factors increases risk.
Older adults with hearing loss may be at risk for cognitive problems. Research shows that people with hearing loss have a 24% greater risk for cognitive impairment than do people with normal hearing.
For people with diabetes and several blocked heart arteries, rerouting blood flow around clogged arteries with bypass surgery may result in fewer heart attacks and deaths than opening the arteries by inserting stent through the blockages.
In November 2012 the FDA approved a new treatment for people with rheumatoid arthritis called tofacitinib (Xeljanz). Unlike previous biologic treatments, the new drug is a pill, not an injection, and it targets another type of inflammatory molecule.
Vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene, zinc, and copper appear to discourage the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Vitamin B supplements might reduce the risk of developing AMD. It’s best to get the vitamins and antioxidants from food.
Frequent and long-term use of pain relievers, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), may be a risk factor for hearing loss. Researchers say the drugs may damage the cochlea, the snail-shaped hearing mechanism in the inner ear.
Parents’ resistance to the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine for their daughters has increased over time, surveys suggest. And there’s been a big jump in the number who cite safety concerns with the vaccine. The HPV vaccine protects against virus types that cause most cases of cervical cancer. It also prevents some cases of genital warts. The study was based on two national surveys. Parents’ answers on the 2010 survey showed about 25% of teen girls had received all 3 doses of the HPV vaccine. That was up from 16% in 2008. But the percentage of parents who said they did not intend to get the vaccine for their daughters increased from 40% to 44%. Some said that it wasn’t needed or that their daughters were not sexually active. About 16% cited safety concerns, up from 4.5% in 2008. That puzzled researchers, who said the vaccine is very safe and side effects are mild.