My mother always reminded her kids that people judge you by the company you keep. The admonition was meant primarily for my brother who tended to prefer the company of neighborhood rowdies ? the kids who ran around with their shirttail hanging out, their knickers not pulled up, their hair uncombed, and used inappropriate language like ?gosh? and ?gee whiz.? (Yes, yes, I know. But that was back in the Dark Ages.) She was right ? people do judge you by people with whom you a...

Menopause: a time to enjoy life.

A fairly common illness nowadays is hypertension or in common man's language high blood pressure. It is this blood pressure that is responsible for making sure that the blood travels in our heart, arteries and veins. When someone has high blood pressure it means that the heart has to work at a much faster pace to ensure the blood reaches the whole body. This is a fatal illness which can result in a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure or blindness.

As Canadians live longer and pay more attention to diet and healthy lifestyles, those in middle to upper ages want to ?add life to years?, not just years to life. One way for aging well is to consume colour-rich plants (i.e., mixed vegetables, varied fruits and particularly different brightly coloured berries). Why is coloring a good guide for food selection? Science teaches us that vivid colours in plants like berries come from pigments provided by Nature to ward of...

Many people will go out of their way to avoid talking about illness, death, and money where their aging parents are concerned. The reality is we all get older and eventually need help from others. The more prepared you are today, the easier it will be for everyone down the road. If you haven't had these discussions with your parents it may be time to start laying the groundwork. What Important Estate Planning Documents Are Needed? A Will - Decisions regarding your asset...

Exercise is important for every one of all ages and it is just as important to seniors as it is for everyone else. Of course exercise helps regulate body functions and that includes sleep, for seniors in particular exercise at the appropriate times of day is a wonderful and natural aid for helping with insomnia. When the body ages sleep patterns change and what many people tend to think of as insomnia is actually just a natural change in the body. The definition of insomni...

Hot flash symptoms strike 85% of women entering menopause and may continue on the average of 1-2 years after their last period. There is also a hefty percentage of women who will face further hot flash symptoms for more than a couple of years. And an unfortunate handful of women actually experiencing the effects for the rest of their lives. One thing is for sure - the intensity of hot flash symptoms seems to decrease as time passes. Overall, this speed bump in life is rather ...

Menopause is a perfectly natural occurrence that indicates the end of a woman's menstrual periods. It occurs when the ovaries stop producing sex hormones, which leads to the menopause symptoms like hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings. It also occurs when the ovaries are removed surgically or the ovaries stop functioning for any reason. This is known as ?surgical menopause,? but the symptoms and treatment are the same. Older women often have misconceptions and myths a...

As our population is growing older many of us are faced with some serious care giving responsibilities. A very common challenge is caring for an elderly or disabled family member who struggles to get and out of a chair. As simple as it seems that becomes a major problem. When a person needs someone close by to help them into and out of a chair many times during the day and evening, you will become frantic for a solution to that problem. Do as tens of thousands of ...

The mental and physical decline that accompanies the aging process ? is it inevitable? Or is it a result of cultural influences and how we live? Gerontologist John W. Rowe, MD, believes, as do many other experts, that 70 percent of the aging process is controllable with wise lifestyle choices. The remaining 30% is the result of heredity. I agree with Dr. Rowe, but I believe he is conservative in his estimation. Based on my own personal experience, I am convinced that th...