Medicare Advantage plans may offer more
Medicare Advantage customers are about to be blitzed with an array of new insurance benefits that stray well beyond the usual coverage of doctor visits and other care. Carpet shampooing, food for a service dog, pest control and rides to a nutritionist are among the new supplemental health benefits that privately-run versions of the government’s Medicare program may offer starting next... READ MORE
Doctors should know what meds cost
It’s the number one reason patients don’t fill their prescriptions: sticker shock. While the price of almost any good or service can be found online, most Americans don’t know what they’ll owe for a prescription medication until they get it. Unexpected costs contribute to the estimated 20 to 30% of prescriptions that are never filled, which can lead to health problems from... READ MORE
Will exercise help you to sleep better?
If you’re over age 60 and don’t sleep well at night, Johns Hopkins University has a study for you. Researchers at Hopkins’ Center for Innovative Care in Aging suspect that light exercise may improve sleep duration and cognitive performance. “Research shows promising evidence for exercise or increased daytime physical activity as an effective way to promote sleep and cognitive... READ MORE
Over 40? Screen for breast cancer
Q: I heard October is breast cancer awareness month. Do both men and women need to check for breast cancer? A: October is indeed breast cancer awareness month, and it is important to take your health into your own hands (literally and metaphorically) by keeping up with annual breast cancer screenings. Although more common in females, breast cancer can develop in men, too. Therefore,... READ MORE
Fantastic reasons to eat pumpkin seeds
Not all pumpkins are orange. They can also be white, yellow or green. They also grow just about everywhere. (Antarctica is the only country where they can’t grow!) One average-sized pumpkin contains about a cup of seeds (about 500 of them). I like to roast mine and sprinkle them with a little dried lime powder and sea salt. These are also excellent when roasted with olive oil and... READ MORE
Help NIH develop a powerful flu vaccine
With flu season on the way, the National Institutes of Health’s Vaccine Research Center is busy. This fall, researchers are testing an investigational flu vaccine that could eventually help develop a universal influenza vaccine. The study, which is currently enrolling healthy adults ages 18 to 70, will test the safety of and response to the vaccine. It requires two vaccine visits... READ MORE
Try this technique for moist, buttery salmon
Cooking en cocotte— cooking beef, lamb, pork and poultry in a covered pot with little to no liquid — concentrates flavor. We were skeptical, however, that the technique would successfully translate to fish. Fish cooks quickly. Would the fish dry out in the dry pot? We gave the technique a shot with fatty salmon fillets and were more than pleasantly surprised. By passing on searing ... READ MORE
Harvard Q & As on metabolism and a-fib
Q: My friend complains that she keeps gaining weight no matter how little she eats because she has a slow metabolism. How much does a person’s metabolism really affect body weight? A: There is a lot of misunderstanding about the impact metabolism has on our health, especially in terms of weight loss. In simple terms, metabolism is the internal process by which our body expends... READ MORE
Issues facing the sandwich generation
In my previous columns, I have written a lot about the younger and older generations and how they can better understand and interact with each other. But there is another generation that I have not discussed before that very much deserves to be recognized: the sandwich generation. The sandwich generation is so named because members of that generation are the “filling” between the... READ MORE
Summer diet tips to stick to this autumn
Over the summer, it’s easier to fill your diet with fresh produce (hello, farmers’ markets) and fit in your daily workout (thanks, longer days). Once the fall rolls around, however, a lot of those healthy summertime habits go by the wayside. But they don’t have to! Here are some warm-weather dieting tips that you should stick with all fall. Get up and get moving Summer heat can... READ MORE
Health 2024
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