If you listen to what Deepak Chopra has to say then the Power of Positive Thinking does have a positive effect on ones well being. If you listen to medical doctors positive thinking does not make a difference in how a person gets well or recuperates from a sickness. Doctors are of the opinion that positive thinking is not “real” medicine whereas Deepak Chopra states that positive thinking can act as a medicine as proven with the placebo effect. When given a sugar pill in place of a prescription drug, an average of 30% of subjects will show a positive response.  This is a good article. What do you think?KJ

Can positive thinking make you well?

By Deepak Chopra,

(CNN) — Observers may have noticed recently that mainstream medicine is taking a harder line against positive thinking.

Surveys of the leading research in the field conclude that recovery rates from cancer, for example, are not higher among patients who take a positive attitude about fighting their disease. Studies that show the reverse have been small and, according to their critics, flawed in serious ways.

Anyone would be forgiven for throwing up their hands. This seems like another example of dueling data, where one study’s findings are contradicted by the next study, leaving the public in a state of confusion. Continue reading The Power of Positive Thinking

Yep it happens to a lot of us at this time of year. Your are feeling a little moody, your concentration seems to be difficult to maintain, you want to sleep more and your eating habits have changed, your anxiety level is up and it happens at this time every year. It is lack of sunlight folks. It turns out it is fairly easy to treat and there are no side effects. The treatment is bright light therapy. Sitting under a full spectrum light for 30 minutes a day will relieve you of the symptoms  and it is as effective as any medicine in restoring well being. The article below explains in detail. KJ

Seasonal Affective Disorder Affecting Many This Time of Year

With the change of seasons upon us, millions of Americans are facing another year of seasonal affective disorder—actual major depression that seems to be triggered by the reduction in the exposure to sunlight that is typical during the fall and winter months.

The symptoms of seasonal affective disorder include low mood, inability to concentrate, changes in sleep patterns (with people sometimes sleeping much more), changes in appetite (with appetite actually increased, in some cases), low energy and tearfulness. But they can also include low self-esteem, loss of interest in activities that one had found pleasurable and even suicidal ideation. Continue reading

ATTENTION all baby boomers. Start getting 30 minutes of exercise daily to keep your blood sugar down or run the risk of developing diabetes which will double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes it is not too late to start an exercise ritual. Research has found that people with diabetes have a high risk of suffering some sort of dementia, including Alzheimer’s later in life. The following article is informative and gives a number of exercise tips for persons with type 2 diabetes.KJ

Diabetes doubles Alzheimer’s risk

People with diabetes are at increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke at an early age, but that’s not the only worry. Diabetes appears to dramatically increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia later in life, according to a new study conducted in Japan.

In the study, which included more than 1,000 men and women over age 60, researchers found that people with diabetes were twice as likely as the other study participants to develop Alzheimer’s disease within 15 years. They were also 1.75 times more likely to develop dementia of any kind. Continue reading

The University of New Hampshire conducted a study and found that overweight elderly people have less leg strength and power than those people that have what is considered normal weight. Overweight persons have a higher risk of being disabled and losing independence and contradicts the popular image of the bird-thin elder being at greatest risk of becoming disabled due to loss of muscle mass. The article is another good reminder that us boomers whether we be men or women must take care of our health to obtain the healthy longevity that we all desire.KJ

Study: Overweight older women have less leg strength, power

DURHAM, N.H. – A new study from the University of New Hampshire finds that the leg strength and power of overweight older women is significantly less than that of normal-weight older women, increasing their risk for disability and loss of independence. With more Americans aging and becoming overweight or obese, the study, published recently in the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, dispels the popular image of the bird-thin elder being at greatest risk of becoming disabled due to loss of muscle mass.

"That’s the chorus that’s been sung for the last 20 years," says lead author Dain LaRoche, assistant professor of kinesiology at UNH. "But with two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese and the elderly population expected to double by year 2030, we are going to see a large portion of people who are disabled due to the concurrent gaining of weight and loss of strength."Continue reading

Fruits and vegetables with white flesh like pears and apples will stave off the chances of experiencing a stroke. According to researchers in the Netherlands there is a link between the risk of stoke and fruits and vegetables of certain colors. Researchers found that the risk of stroke was 52 percent lower for people with a high intake of white fruits and vegetables, compared with people who ate few foods in that color group. So an apple a day may in fact increase longevity and maintain healthy aging.KJ

Try Upping ‘White’ Fruits to Avoid Stroke

The old adage that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a good one to follow, according to a new Dutch study. The researchers found that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables with white flesh, such as apples and pears, may protect you against stroke.

"To prevent stroke, it may be useful to consume considerable amounts of white fruits and vegetables," Linda M. Oude Griep, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in human nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, said in a statement. "For example, eating one apple a day is an easy way to increase white fruits and vegetable intake." Continue reading