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Laterlife Healthwise - 68
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Healthwise is a regular column written especially for laterlife.com members and visitors by Helen Franks, journalist and author. Welcome to healthwise 68. Helen has specialised in writing about health and ageing and is a member of the Guild of Health Writers. She has written for a variety of newspapers and magazines including the Guardian, Times, Observer, Woman, Family Circle, Vogue and Choice. Helen has also written several books including Getting Older Slowly Your Guide to Successful Ageing and Bone Boosters co-authored with Diana Moran of TV Green Goddess fame. For previous articles in the healthwise series visit 'more healthwise' Don't forget to take a look at Helen's separate talkback page too. |
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That’s the message of this year's flu campaign aimed at the over 65s and children aged over six months with asthma, diabetes or weakened immunity due to disease or treatment. If you are 65 years or older, or suffer from illnesses such as asthma, diabetes or serious heart or kidney disease you are particularly at risk from flu, and should make an appointment with your GP for a free annual flu jab. Flu is highly infectious. A sneeze can carry the flu virus and, travelling at 80 miles per hour, can reach distances of up to 30 feet away. Touching objects such as toys that have been coughed or sneezed on can also pass on flu.
Last year three out of ten people aged over 65 still did not have
their flu jab. It only takes a minute to get the jab, but this will
protect you, your child or grandchild for 12 months. And no, you can’t
get flu from the jab itself. But if you have a serious allergy to
hens' eggs or if you have ever had a serious allergic reaction to the
flu vaccine, you shouldn't get the flu jab vaccination. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be doubly embarrassing. The abdominal pain and passing of wind can lead to leakage of faeces. Other causes of leakage, a truly taboo subject, are ageing, some drugs, and a leftover effect after childbirth. When faecal overflow occurs in older people, it is often due to constipation, as the anal muscle becomes weaker with age and leakage can result. Some medications for indigestion and ulcers can cause diarrhoea, so check with the GP if that happens. There are drugs and other treatments that can improve the situation. For further information see:
www.embarrassing Limit your consumption of liver says the Food Standards Agency. Otherwise you risk developing osteoporosis, the brittle bone condition associated with post menopause. This is because liver is a particularly rich source of vitamin A, containing much higher amounts than other foods. Too much vitamin A over a long period can cause fractures. The advice is addressed to people who eat liver regularly, that is more than once a week. They should not increase this amount and should avoid taking vitamin A supplements. Anyone at risk of osteoporosis is warned not to consume more than 1.5mg of vitamin A per day.
We’re talking liver pate as well as liver and onions, remember. For
people who eat liver only occasionally, consuming more than one
portion a week would not be cause for concern, because the risk
relates to regular consumption over many years. Patients with eye problems could be referred to their local high street optician instead of going to the hospital for check-ups, under new plans for the NHS. Symptoms such as low vision, glaucoma, cataracts and age-related macular degeneration would be referred on after initial consultation.
Even better news is that a gene has been discovered that identifies
people at risk of age-related macular degeneration. It has been found
by researchers at Pittsburgh University and could lead to a simple
test that might save sight in the future.
Essential medical reference that's a must for every home. Published in association with the BMA, it includes comprehensive coverage of every important aspect of health and medicine, as well as user-friendly charts for at-a-glance information and easy reference. Also lists the best medical websites...
This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized frameworks for storing and recalling information on demand.
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Ever forgotten where you left your keys, or walked into a room and completely forgot what you walked in there for in the first place? Or forgot the name of the person you were just introduced to? It’s the short-term memory you are struggling with. Is it part of the ageing process? Unfortunately, yes, which is why, with a population growing older by the minute, claims for herbal remedies abound and sudoku and crossword puzzles multiply in our newspapers as ways to exercise the mind. Do they work? Exercises of any kind certainly do if undertaken regularly. Herbal remedies mostly do no harm, but are generally untested. Gingko biloba is one of the herbs recommended by herbal specialists, and also ginseng. A brand recently acquired by Potter’s Herbal Medicines combines both. It’s called Actimind and Potter’s say it has been ‘clinically proven to help improve working memory in the short term, by maintaining clear thinking and assisting in the recall and retention of facts’. Priced at ?9.99 for 30 capsules, Actimind is available from Boots, Holland & Barrett, independent pharmacies and health food stores.
So you think heart attacks only happen to other people? A new survey by H·E·A·R·T UK, the cholesterol charity, reveals that nearly 4 out of 5 adults over the age of 45 are not concerned about their risk of a heart attack in the future. Britons believe they're more likely to die from old age than from any other cause when, in fact, coronary heart disease is the country's biggest killer To raise awareness of CHD and its associated risk factors, H·E·A·R·T UK has published a booklet called "So you think heart attacks only happen to other people?", designed to improve understanding of heart health. The charity has also launched www.heartuk.org.uk - a website that provides consumers with a fast and accurate assessment of their risk of a heart attack.
Although we cannot stop getting older, we can make lifestyle changes
to reduce risk of a heart attack, such as giving up smoking, doing
regular exercise, losing weight and eating healthily. Smoking is the
most preventable risk factor and it alone accounts for around 30,000
deaths from CHD in the UK each year. Warm, humid environments make house dust mites thrive – in beds especially, since we sweat around a third of a litre of water as we sleep every night. A double bed can contain 2 million of the beasts.
Allergy UK are launching a new series of cartoon booklets available
free of charge during Indoor Allergy Week, starting November 14th. Log
on to www.allergyuk.org
In edition 67:- In edition 67 of healthwise Helen covers 8 new topics: New NHS campaign raises awareness of invisible killer NHS ads raising awareness of the health risks of second hand smoke to adults
Everyone over 65 is now entitled to the pneumo jab.
Forget plasters - choose a spray The new way to stop minor bleeding...
Help the Aged has found a big gap in NHS care.
Mock acupuncture for headaches?
Back pain affects four out of five people at some time in their lives
Have you ever wished hearing aids could be as stylish as glasses?
Four million women and men in the UK suffer from bladder weakness
Index to all previous Healthwise editions For books on Health visit the Amazon Family and Health Section. Don't forget if you buy books or videos from Amazon by linking from laterlife, you generate money for Charity.
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