How to find and use your best time of day

By Mirel Ketchiff
Posted on March 08, 2018

Most people’s mental energy is a roller coaster, said Chris Bailey, the author of The Productivity Project. “There are certain hours when you naturally have much more drive than at other times,” he said. The tricky thing is that the time of day when mental energy peaks is different for everyone. Fortunately, your highs tend to occur at about the same times every day, so you can... READ MORE

Do men suffer more, or just kvetch more?

By Dr. Robert Shmerling
Posted on March 07, 2018

Q: Do men really suffer more with the flu than women? A: I’d never heard of “man flu,” but according to a new study of the topic, the term is so ubiquitous that it has been included in the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries as “a cold or similar minor ailment as experienced by a man who is regarded as exaggerating the severity of the symptoms.” As commonly used, the term... READ MORE

Wishes don’t come true by themselves

By Mary Kane
Posted on March 05, 2018

Family, doctors need to know what you want As a nurse, Kim Von Asten of Dousman, Wis., knows it’s important to document how you want to be cared for at the end of your life, or when you can no longer speak for yourself because of a major illness or accident. She has seen too many families agonizing at a hospital bedside, trying to decide whether a loved one would want to be taken off... READ MORE

Raising awareness of dementia

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on March 05, 2018

It began with forgetting appointments and the slow erosion of remembering names, before losing the keys only to find them in the freezer. Eventually, like many Alzheimer’s patients, Anita Dahan began to walk out of her home in Rockville, Md., wandering the neighborhood lost and afraid to ask for help. Married 52 years to her husband Fernand, “she made my life heaven on earth,”... READ MORE

Care for hip fracture patients with dementia

By Carol Sorgen
Posted on February 21, 2018

Since 1983, researchers in the Division of Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, have been gathering data on more than 2,000 hip fracture patients with the goal of identifying promising ways to improve their recovery. The University of Maryland and the National Institute on Aging are currently recruiting participants for a pilot study that will evaluate a home-based... READ MORE

Safely using over-the-counter pain meds

By Priscilla Harrison
Posted on February 16, 2018

Q: Are over-the-counter acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications safe for older adults? A: Yes, non-prescription over-the-counter (OTC) medications are generally safe for older adults, but should still be used cautiously in some individuals. Options for OTC pain management can be broken down into two categories: acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory... READ MORE

Facing violence and guilt in relationships

By Helen Oxenberg
Posted on February 16, 2018

Dear Solutions: I’m very concerned about my granddaughter, who is considering marrying her boyfriend. She is confiding in me and asked me, “Can someone love you and still hit you at the same time?” She says she knows her boyfriend loves her and wants to marry her, but when he gets very angry he lashes out at her physically. They’re making wedding plans, but she says that... READ MORE

Comforting lentil soup doesn’t need meat

By Melissa D’Arabian
Posted on February 15, 2018

Rich bean soups are classic winter comfort food. They are filling, healthy and inexpensive, making them a worthy addition to the menu rotation. The downside to dried bean cookery is the time it takes to soak and then cook beans. Canned beans are a reasonable substitute, although they cost more than three times the price of their dried, bagged counterparts. An easy, money-saving... READ MORE

K2 can prevent, and fight, prostate cancer

By Suzy Cohen
Posted on February 15, 2018

Couples have plans, but after the C word is dropped, those plans change to unite a couple in the medical process. After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most widespread cancer among men, affecting one in seven every single year. Prostate cancer is also the third-leading cause of cancer death, after lung and colorectal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The good news... READ MORE

When carpal tunnel pain requires surgery

By Jay Smith, M.D.
Posted on February 14, 2018

Dear Mayo Clinic: I have carpal tunnel syndrome that used to bother me only at night. Wearing a splint helped, but now my symptoms are noticeable throughout the day as well. Does this mean surgery is inevitable, or are there other things I can do to help lessen the tingling and numbness it’s causing? Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pressure on the median nerve that’s in... READ MORE