Protect yourself from cancer by adding these anti-cancer foods to your diet.
By Eric Metcalf
Medically reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD
An anti-cancer diet is an important strategy you can use to reduce your risk of cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends, for example, that you eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily and eat the right amount of food to stay at a healthy weight. In addition, researchers are finding that certain foods may be particularly useful in protecting you from cancer. Make room in your diet for the following foods and drinks to fight cancer.
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I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Active Lifestyles for People With Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence shouldn't keep you from activities you love. Learning bladder control and other techniques for preventing urine leakage can help calm your worries.
By Katherine Lee
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
Living with urinary incontinence, whether caused by an overactive bladder or compromised bladder control, can cause people to shy away from their favorite pastimes out of fear that they’ll have an accident. However, there are ways to handle your fears, lower your risk of involuntary urine leakage, and stay socially active.
Dealing With Emotional Effects of Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence can leave patients feeling a range of emotions, including embarrassment, distress, and helplessness. They may feel isolated and unable to participate in social activities.
One of the most effective ways to deal with emotions related to a condition is to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. However, many people with urinary incontinence ignore warning signs or postpone visiting their doctor. On average, people wait seven years before seeking help.
Continue reading http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/urinary-incontinence/active-lifestyles-with-urinary-incontinence.aspx
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
By Katherine Lee
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
Living with urinary incontinence, whether caused by an overactive bladder or compromised bladder control, can cause people to shy away from their favorite pastimes out of fear that they’ll have an accident. However, there are ways to handle your fears, lower your risk of involuntary urine leakage, and stay socially active.
Dealing With Emotional Effects of Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence can leave patients feeling a range of emotions, including embarrassment, distress, and helplessness. They may feel isolated and unable to participate in social activities.
One of the most effective ways to deal with emotions related to a condition is to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. However, many people with urinary incontinence ignore warning signs or postpone visiting their doctor. On average, people wait seven years before seeking help.
Continue reading http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/urinary-incontinence/active-lifestyles-with-urinary-incontinence.aspx
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Osteoporosis Awareness
Help Slow Bone Loss as You Age
Making a few easy lifestyle changes can help protect against bone loss as you get older. Find out about osteopenia, the first stage of bone loss, and how to keep your bones strong to lower your chances of developing more-serious osteoporosis. Avoiding carbonated drinks and engaging in weight-bearing exercises such as weight training and walking are two simple lifestyle changes that can help prevent osteoporosis. Learn how to slow bone loss. Continue reading at everyday health
Everyday Health
Verlia Caldwell, Pres.
Visit us at icareforyouhomecare if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Making a few easy lifestyle changes can help protect against bone loss as you get older. Find out about osteopenia, the first stage of bone loss, and how to keep your bones strong to lower your chances of developing more-serious osteoporosis. Avoiding carbonated drinks and engaging in weight-bearing exercises such as weight training and walking are two simple lifestyle changes that can help prevent osteoporosis. Learn how to slow bone loss. Continue reading at everyday health
Everyday Health
Verlia Caldwell, Pres.
Visit us at icareforyouhomecare if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Stress of Caregiving Hurts Boomers’ Health, Jobs
‘Triple-decker-sandwich generation’ seeing higher rate of depression than earlier generation
By Cindy Chan
Epoch Times Staff
Related articles: World > North America
OTTAWA—Between caring for elderly parents, raising children, and looking after their own busy lives, baby boomers have a higher rate of depression than the previous generation, says an expert.
Dr. Richard Earle, managing director at the Canadian Institute of Stress, describes the world’s boomers as a “triple-decker-sandwich generation,” a term generally referring to those born during the approximately two-decades of strong employment and economic growth in the post-World War II era.
“What we’re noticing at the Canadian Institute of Stress and throughout the research literature is a significant rise in mood disorders, including depression, in that baby boomer age group, which is 46 to 64,” said Dr. Earle.
In Canada, about 10 percent of baby boomers are still raising children while looking after—or just beginning to look after—elderly parents, he said.
“Then it’s not just a sandwich generation—it’s a triple-decker sandwich because they’re looking after husband or wife and job and the rest of it.”
Research shows that as many as 4 in 10 boomers are experiencing an unusually high level of stress, which can lead to depression, Dr. Earle said.
About 32 percent say they’ve had to cancel travel plans, 34 percent have dropped personal hobbies and interests, and well over 70 percent say the balancing act is interfering with their ability to fulfill responsibilities at work.
There are emotional impacts as well—a feeling of not being able to find pleasure from things they used to enjoy, Dr. Earle explained, “and within that, not being able to concentrate, to focus on what they’re doing, making decisions, and certainly sleep disturbance.”
In Canada, boomers are defined as those born between 1947 and 1966. They number more than 8 million and make up about a quarter of the population.
Statistics on American boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are almost identical, except that the United States has about 80 million baby boomers and they are reporting slightly higher impact on their jobs than Canadians due to stress from home, Dr. Earle said.
He noted that baby boomer issues and the increase in the rate of depression are much the same worldwide, including in such diverse places as Japan, the Middle East, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, India, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Everywhere, “the core of the problem is very similar”—juggling the demands of caring for parents and children are causing stress.
In particular, Japan has an extremely low birthrate and a significantly older average age than almost any other country, Dr. Earle said. “You have fewer younger people to take care of more older people.” Japan has also been dealing with the boomer depression issue longer than other countries.
As the first wave of boomers turns 65, their needs have been prompting services and research interest in every area from health and lifestyle to leisure and travel, from art and technology to financial services, and economic planning.
A recent study by the U.S.-based Hartford Financial Services Group, a major provider of employee-assistance programs, found that more than 80 percent of boomers report feeling moderate to high levels of stress from providing care or support to children, spouses, and/or parents.
Moreover, 46.6 percent said they felt worried about how caregiving is impacting their job, with 68 percent saying they missed work or left work early due to caregiving duties in the last six months.
University of Waterloo and Royal Bank of Canada launched a retirement research center last month, noted as the first collaborative approach of its kind between academic researchers and the financial services industry aimed at providing solutions and advice to boomers for retirement planning and living.
At last week’s 2010 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences held at Montreal’s Concordia University, University of Montreal professor Jacques Légaré presented a paper showing that aging boomers will have to either pay for their own care or find support from sources outside their immediate family circle.
Professor Légaré said that about 70 percent of elderly care currently comes from spouses or children. However, today’s boomers have fewer children to care for them. In addition, the rise in divorce, common-law unions, and blended families means that many boomers may not have a partner to rely on within a stable relationship as they age.
Meanwhile, average life expectancies are rising, putting further demands on society and boomers to create new support systems for tomorrow’s seniors.
The Canadian Institute of Stress is a charitable organization founded 30 years ago by Hungarian-Canadian Dr. Hans Selye, known as “the father of the stress field,” who published the world’s first scientific paper to identify and define stress in 1936.
The institute tracks trends in research literature and provides education to the public, health care professionals, and workplaces in Canada, and other countries on earlier detection of stress problems and methods for controlling stress.
“There are so many things that catch our attention, quite challenging, disturbing things happening in this world,” said Dr. Earle. “[But] the world will work out well to the extent that we look after ourselves and our families in a more informed way.”
He recommends that baby boomers “get refocused back on one’s own family situation and basically on ourselves—not in a selfish way, but in a self-maintaining way.” Continue reading at
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
By Cindy Chan
Epoch Times Staff
Related articles: World > North America
OTTAWA—Between caring for elderly parents, raising children, and looking after their own busy lives, baby boomers have a higher rate of depression than the previous generation, says an expert.
Dr. Richard Earle, managing director at the Canadian Institute of Stress, describes the world’s boomers as a “triple-decker-sandwich generation,” a term generally referring to those born during the approximately two-decades of strong employment and economic growth in the post-World War II era.
“What we’re noticing at the Canadian Institute of Stress and throughout the research literature is a significant rise in mood disorders, including depression, in that baby boomer age group, which is 46 to 64,” said Dr. Earle.
In Canada, about 10 percent of baby boomers are still raising children while looking after—or just beginning to look after—elderly parents, he said.
“Then it’s not just a sandwich generation—it’s a triple-decker sandwich because they’re looking after husband or wife and job and the rest of it.”
Research shows that as many as 4 in 10 boomers are experiencing an unusually high level of stress, which can lead to depression, Dr. Earle said.
About 32 percent say they’ve had to cancel travel plans, 34 percent have dropped personal hobbies and interests, and well over 70 percent say the balancing act is interfering with their ability to fulfill responsibilities at work.
There are emotional impacts as well—a feeling of not being able to find pleasure from things they used to enjoy, Dr. Earle explained, “and within that, not being able to concentrate, to focus on what they’re doing, making decisions, and certainly sleep disturbance.”
In Canada, boomers are defined as those born between 1947 and 1966. They number more than 8 million and make up about a quarter of the population.
Statistics on American boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are almost identical, except that the United States has about 80 million baby boomers and they are reporting slightly higher impact on their jobs than Canadians due to stress from home, Dr. Earle said.
He noted that baby boomer issues and the increase in the rate of depression are much the same worldwide, including in such diverse places as Japan, the Middle East, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, India, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Everywhere, “the core of the problem is very similar”—juggling the demands of caring for parents and children are causing stress.
In particular, Japan has an extremely low birthrate and a significantly older average age than almost any other country, Dr. Earle said. “You have fewer younger people to take care of more older people.” Japan has also been dealing with the boomer depression issue longer than other countries.
As the first wave of boomers turns 65, their needs have been prompting services and research interest in every area from health and lifestyle to leisure and travel, from art and technology to financial services, and economic planning.
A recent study by the U.S.-based Hartford Financial Services Group, a major provider of employee-assistance programs, found that more than 80 percent of boomers report feeling moderate to high levels of stress from providing care or support to children, spouses, and/or parents.
Moreover, 46.6 percent said they felt worried about how caregiving is impacting their job, with 68 percent saying they missed work or left work early due to caregiving duties in the last six months.
University of Waterloo and Royal Bank of Canada launched a retirement research center last month, noted as the first collaborative approach of its kind between academic researchers and the financial services industry aimed at providing solutions and advice to boomers for retirement planning and living.
At last week’s 2010 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences held at Montreal’s Concordia University, University of Montreal professor Jacques Légaré presented a paper showing that aging boomers will have to either pay for their own care or find support from sources outside their immediate family circle.
Professor Légaré said that about 70 percent of elderly care currently comes from spouses or children. However, today’s boomers have fewer children to care for them. In addition, the rise in divorce, common-law unions, and blended families means that many boomers may not have a partner to rely on within a stable relationship as they age.
Meanwhile, average life expectancies are rising, putting further demands on society and boomers to create new support systems for tomorrow’s seniors.
The Canadian Institute of Stress is a charitable organization founded 30 years ago by Hungarian-Canadian Dr. Hans Selye, known as “the father of the stress field,” who published the world’s first scientific paper to identify and define stress in 1936.
The institute tracks trends in research literature and provides education to the public, health care professionals, and workplaces in Canada, and other countries on earlier detection of stress problems and methods for controlling stress.
“There are so many things that catch our attention, quite challenging, disturbing things happening in this world,” said Dr. Earle. “[But] the world will work out well to the extent that we look after ourselves and our families in a more informed way.”
He recommends that baby boomers “get refocused back on one’s own family situation and basically on ourselves—not in a selfish way, but in a self-maintaining way.” Continue reading at
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Caffeine May Slow Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, Restore Cognitive Function, According to New Evidence
ScienceDaily (May 18, 2010) — Although caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug worldwide, its potential beneficial effect for maintenance of proper brain functioning has only recently begun to be adequately appreciated. Substantial evidence from epidemiological studies and fundamental research in animal models suggests that caffeine may be protective against the cognitive decline seen in dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
of Alzheimer's Disease, "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases," sheds new light on this topic and presents key findings.
Guest editors Alexandre de Mendonça, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Rodrigo A. Cunha, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of Coimbra and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal, have assembled a group of international experts to explore the effects of caffeine on the brain. The resulting collection of original studies conveys multiple perspectives on topics ranging from molecular targets of caffeine, neurophysiological modifications and adaptations, to the potential mechanisms underlying the behavioral and neuroprotective actions of caffeine in distinct brain pathologies.
"Epidemiological studies first revealed an inverse association between the chronic consumption of caffeine and the incidence of Parkinson's disease," according to Mendonça and Cunha. "This was paralleled by animal studies of Parkinson's disease showing that caffeine prevented motor deficits as well as neurodegeneration "Later a few epidemiological studies showed that the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Again, this was paralleled by animal studies showing that chronic caffeine administration prevented memory deterioration and neurodegeneration in animal models of aging and of Alzheimer's disease."
Key findings presented in "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases":
Multiple beneficial effects of caffeine to normalize brain
"Epidemiological studies first revealed an inverse association between the chronic consumption of caffeine and the incidence of Parkinson's disease," according to Mendonça and Cunha. "This was paralleled by animal studies of Parkinson's disease showing that caffeine prevented motor deficits as well as neurodegeneration "Later a few epidemiological studies showed that the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Again, this was paralleled by animal studies showing that chronic caffeine administration prevented memory deterioration and neurodegeneration in animal models of aging and of Alzheimer's disease."
Key findings presented in "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases":
Multiple beneficial effects of caffeine to normalize brain function and prevent its degeneration
Caffeine's neuroprotective profile and its ability to reduce amyloid-beta production
Caffeine as a candidate disease-modifying agent for Alzheimer's disease
Positive impact of caffeine on cognition and memory performance
Identification of adenosine A2A receptors as the main target for neuroprotection afforded by caffeine consumption
Confirmation of data through valuable meta-analyses presented
Epidemiological studies corroborated by meta-analysis suggesting that caffeine may be protective against Parkinson's disease
Several methodological issues must be solved before advancing to decisive clinical trials
Mendonça and Cunha also observe that "the daily follow-up of patients with AD has taught us that improvement of daily living may be a more significant indicator of amelioration than slight improvements in objective measures of memory performance. One of the most prevalent complications of AD is depression of mood, and the recent observations that caffeine might be a mood normalizer are of particular interest."
The supplement was funded by the Associação Industrial e Comercial do Café, while leaving full scientific independence to all contributors. The entire issue has been made available on a no-fee basis at http://iospress.metapress.com/content/t13614762731/.
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
of Alzheimer's Disease, "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases," sheds new light on this topic and presents key findings.
Guest editors Alexandre de Mendonça, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Rodrigo A. Cunha, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of Coimbra and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal, have assembled a group of international experts to explore the effects of caffeine on the brain. The resulting collection of original studies conveys multiple perspectives on topics ranging from molecular targets of caffeine, neurophysiological modifications and adaptations, to the potential mechanisms underlying the behavioral and neuroprotective actions of caffeine in distinct brain pathologies.
"Epidemiological studies first revealed an inverse association between the chronic consumption of caffeine and the incidence of Parkinson's disease," according to Mendonça and Cunha. "This was paralleled by animal studies of Parkinson's disease showing that caffeine prevented motor deficits as well as neurodegeneration "Later a few epidemiological studies showed that the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Again, this was paralleled by animal studies showing that chronic caffeine administration prevented memory deterioration and neurodegeneration in animal models of aging and of Alzheimer's disease."
Key findings presented in "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases":
Multiple beneficial effects of caffeine to normalize brain
"Epidemiological studies first revealed an inverse association between the chronic consumption of caffeine and the incidence of Parkinson's disease," according to Mendonça and Cunha. "This was paralleled by animal studies of Parkinson's disease showing that caffeine prevented motor deficits as well as neurodegeneration "Later a few epidemiological studies showed that the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Again, this was paralleled by animal studies showing that chronic caffeine administration prevented memory deterioration and neurodegeneration in animal models of aging and of Alzheimer's disease."
Key findings presented in "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases":
Multiple beneficial effects of caffeine to normalize brain function and prevent its degeneration
Caffeine's neuroprotective profile and its ability to reduce amyloid-beta production
Caffeine as a candidate disease-modifying agent for Alzheimer's disease
Positive impact of caffeine on cognition and memory performance
Identification of adenosine A2A receptors as the main target for neuroprotection afforded by caffeine consumption
Confirmation of data through valuable meta-analyses presented
Epidemiological studies corroborated by meta-analysis suggesting that caffeine may be protective against Parkinson's disease
Several methodological issues must be solved before advancing to decisive clinical trials
Mendonça and Cunha also observe that "the daily follow-up of patients with AD has taught us that improvement of daily living may be a more significant indicator of amelioration than slight improvements in objective measures of memory performance. One of the most prevalent complications of AD is depression of mood, and the recent observations that caffeine might be a mood normalizer are of particular interest."
The supplement was funded by the Associação Industrial e Comercial do Café, while leaving full scientific independence to all contributors. The entire issue has been made available on a no-fee basis at http://iospress.metapress.com/content/t13614762731/.
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Is ageing a disease?
BY KATE KELLAND, HEALTH AND SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS MAY 19, 2010
It's clear that the simple fact of growing older - chronological ageing - is relentless and unstoppable. But experts studying the science of ageing say it's time for a fresh look at the biological process.
LONDON -- Is ageing a disease?
It's clear that the simple fact of growing older - chronological ageing - is relentless and unstoppable. But experts studying the science of ageing say it's time for a fresh look at the biological process - one which recognises it as a condition that can be manipulated, treated and delayed.
Taking this new approach would turn the search for drugs to fight age-related diseases on its head, they say, and could speed the path to market of drugs that treat multiple illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's at the same time.
"If ageing is seen as a disease, it changes how we respond to it. For example, it becomes the duty of doctors to treat it," say something as general as ageing.
"Because ageing is not viewed as a disease, the whole process of
bringing drugs to market can't be applied to drugs that treat ageing. This creates a disincentive to pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs to treat it," said Gems.
The ability of humans to live longer and longer lives is being demonstrated in abundance across the world.
Average life expectancies extended by as much as 30 years in developed countries during the 20th century and experts expect the same or more to happen again in this century.
A study published last year by Danish researchers estimated that more than half of all babies born in wealthy nations since the year 2000 will live to see their 100th birthdays.
"THERE'S ONE THING WE'RE ALL MISSING"
But with greater age comes a heavier burden of age-related disease.
Cases of dementia and Alzheimer's, incurable brain-wasting conditions, are expected to almost double every 20 years to around 66 million in 2030 and over 115 million in 2050.
Diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and the cost of coping with them in ageing populations, are also set to rise dramatically in coming decades in rich and poor countries alike.
Nir Barzilai of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York, says one way of trying to face down this enormous burden of disease is to look at the biggest risk factor common to all of them - ageing.
"There's one thing everybody is missing," he said. "Ageing is common for all of these diseases - and yet we're not investigating the common mechanism for all of them. We are just looking at the specific diseases."
To try to reverse that, Barzilai and many other scientists around the world are studying the genes of the very old and starting to find the genetic mechanisms, or pathways, that help them beat off the dementias, cancers, heart diseases and other age-related illnesses that bring down others who die younger.
By finding the genes thought to help determine longevity, scientists think they may be able to mimic their action to not only extend life span, but, crucially, extend health span.
It is ... looking increasingly likely that pharmacological manipulation of these ... pathways could form the basis of new preventative medicines for diseases ageing, and ageing itself," said Andrew Dillin of the Salk Institute in California and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Gems says institutional and ideological barriers are standing in the way - and a major one is the longstanding traditional view that ageing is not a disease, but a natural, benign process that should not be interfered with.
CHANGING ATTITUDES?
All three experts say, however, that the ground is shifting in their direction.
There is now a "groundswell" of specialists in ageing, says Dillin, who are lobbying the world's biggest drug regulator, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to consider redefining ageing as a disease in its own right.
Major scientific research bodies like the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Council in Britain are also under pressure to put more emphasis - and funding - into studying how ageing increases disease risk.
For biogerontologis‰s, as scientists who study the biology of ageing are known, the struggle is to convince people that their goal in unpicking the science behind ageing is no longer life, but healthier life.
"The whole reason that we study the ageing process is not actually to make people live a lot longer, it's to get people to have a more healthy lifespan," said Dillin.
He sees it as a matter of re-educating the public and health authorities to see biological ageing in a new light.
"When we are in the public arena we tell people we're working on the ageing process, the first thing they think is that we want to make a a 100-year-old person live to be 250 - and that's actually the furthest from the truth," he said.
"What I want is for a 60-year-old person who is predisposed to have Alzheimer's to be able to delay that, live to be 80, and get to know their grandchildren."
© Copyright (c) Reuters
Verlia Caldwell, Pres.
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
It's clear that the simple fact of growing older - chronological ageing - is relentless and unstoppable. But experts studying the science of ageing say it's time for a fresh look at the biological process.
LONDON -- Is ageing a disease?
It's clear that the simple fact of growing older - chronological ageing - is relentless and unstoppable. But experts studying the science of ageing say it's time for a fresh look at the biological process - one which recognises it as a condition that can be manipulated, treated and delayed.
Taking this new approach would turn the search for drugs to fight age-related diseases on its head, they say, and could speed the path to market of drugs that treat multiple illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's at the same time.
"If ageing is seen as a disease, it changes how we respond to it. For example, it becomes the duty of doctors to treat it," say something as general as ageing.
"Because ageing is not viewed as a disease, the whole process of
bringing drugs to market can't be applied to drugs that treat ageing. This creates a disincentive to pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs to treat it," said Gems.
The ability of humans to live longer and longer lives is being demonstrated in abundance across the world.
Average life expectancies extended by as much as 30 years in developed countries during the 20th century and experts expect the same or more to happen again in this century.
A study published last year by Danish researchers estimated that more than half of all babies born in wealthy nations since the year 2000 will live to see their 100th birthdays.
"THERE'S ONE THING WE'RE ALL MISSING"
But with greater age comes a heavier burden of age-related disease.
Cases of dementia and Alzheimer's, incurable brain-wasting conditions, are expected to almost double every 20 years to around 66 million in 2030 and over 115 million in 2050.
Diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and the cost of coping with them in ageing populations, are also set to rise dramatically in coming decades in rich and poor countries alike.
Nir Barzilai of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York, says one way of trying to face down this enormous burden of disease is to look at the biggest risk factor common to all of them - ageing.
"There's one thing everybody is missing," he said. "Ageing is common for all of these diseases - and yet we're not investigating the common mechanism for all of them. We are just looking at the specific diseases."
To try to reverse that, Barzilai and many other scientists around the world are studying the genes of the very old and starting to find the genetic mechanisms, or pathways, that help them beat off the dementias, cancers, heart diseases and other age-related illnesses that bring down others who die younger.
By finding the genes thought to help determine longevity, scientists think they may be able to mimic their action to not only extend life span, but, crucially, extend health span.
It is ... looking increasingly likely that pharmacological manipulation of these ... pathways could form the basis of new preventative medicines for diseases ageing, and ageing itself," said Andrew Dillin of the Salk Institute in California and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Gems says institutional and ideological barriers are standing in the way - and a major one is the longstanding traditional view that ageing is not a disease, but a natural, benign process that should not be interfered with.
CHANGING ATTITUDES?
All three experts say, however, that the ground is shifting in their direction.
There is now a "groundswell" of specialists in ageing, says Dillin, who are lobbying the world's biggest drug regulator, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to consider redefining ageing as a disease in its own right.
Major scientific research bodies like the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Council in Britain are also under pressure to put more emphasis - and funding - into studying how ageing increases disease risk.
For biogerontologis‰s, as scientists who study the biology of ageing are known, the struggle is to convince people that their goal in unpicking the science behind ageing is no longer life, but healthier life.
"The whole reason that we study the ageing process is not actually to make people live a lot longer, it's to get people to have a more healthy lifespan," said Dillin.
He sees it as a matter of re-educating the public and health authorities to see biological ageing in a new light.
"When we are in the public arena we tell people we're working on the ageing process, the first thing they think is that we want to make a a 100-year-old person live to be 250 - and that's actually the furthest from the truth," he said.
"What I want is for a 60-year-old person who is predisposed to have Alzheimer's to be able to delay that, live to be 80, and get to know their grandchildren."
© Copyright (c) Reuters
Verlia Caldwell, Pres.
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
Monday, May 10, 2010
Moms in the middle: 'Sandwich Generation' mothers manage life on overload
BY DEBBIE SWARTZ •DSWARTZ@GANNETT.COM • MAY 8, 2010, 8:35 PM
While they've always been known for making boo-boos better with a kiss, tucking tired children into their beds at night and staying up until the wee hours to bake cupcakes for a party at school, many mothers are finding themselves with another labor of love; caring for their ill or elderly mothers.
For moms like Roxanne St. Ives of Port Crane, taking care of her two children, Thomas, 14, and Penny 12, along with her mother Lucille, is a conscious choice to keep her family together.
"I know she's not being watched by a stranger," St. Ives said. "Plus, she gets to watch the children grow."
Kathee Shaff of Lansing, Joan Mandell of Elmira and dozens of other women across Central New York and the Southern Tier have made similar decisions.
Known as the Sandwich Generation, more and more individuals -- nearly 20 million according to published statistics -- are finding themselves taking care of their children as well as their parents.
The requirements for the job of taking care of ones' children and their ailing mother can be daunting: Superb time management and listening skills, basic first aid training -- and in some cases nursing training -- the ability to feed hungry bellies, administer medication, help with homework, chauffer to appointments, and somehow try find time for their own needs. Continue reading athttp://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100508/NEWS01/5080388/1112/NEWS01/Moms-in-the-middle-Sandwich-Generation-mothers-manage-life-on-overload
Verlia Caldwell, Pres.
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
While they've always been known for making boo-boos better with a kiss, tucking tired children into their beds at night and staying up until the wee hours to bake cupcakes for a party at school, many mothers are finding themselves with another labor of love; caring for their ill or elderly mothers.
For moms like Roxanne St. Ives of Port Crane, taking care of her two children, Thomas, 14, and Penny 12, along with her mother Lucille, is a conscious choice to keep her family together.
"I know she's not being watched by a stranger," St. Ives said. "Plus, she gets to watch the children grow."
Kathee Shaff of Lansing, Joan Mandell of Elmira and dozens of other women across Central New York and the Southern Tier have made similar decisions.
Known as the Sandwich Generation, more and more individuals -- nearly 20 million according to published statistics -- are finding themselves taking care of their children as well as their parents.
The requirements for the job of taking care of ones' children and their ailing mother can be daunting: Superb time management and listening skills, basic first aid training -- and in some cases nursing training -- the ability to feed hungry bellies, administer medication, help with homework, chauffer to appointments, and somehow try find time for their own needs. Continue reading athttp://www.pressconnects.com/article/20100508/NEWS01/5080388/1112/NEWS01/Moms-in-the-middle-Sandwich-Generation-mothers-manage-life-on-overload
Verlia Caldwell, Pres.
Visit us at http://www.icareforyouhomecare.com if you need home care in Charlotte, N.C..
I Care For You Home Care, L.L.C.
1(800) 383-0520
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