Published by: AARP

Want to lower your blood pressure? A new study pinpoints exactly what kind of exercise is best for easing blood pressure, and it doesn’t involve running on the treadmill or pumping iron at the gym.

Instead, the study reveals that static isometric exercises like wall sits (also known as wall squats) and planks — which engage muscles without movement — are best for lowering blood pressure.

The new analysis, a systematic review of 270 studies, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), confirms that many types of exercise — including aerobic activity, weight training and high-intensity interval training – help to lower blood pressure, but it found that isometric exercises offer the biggest benefit.

Of the exercises examined, the wall sit was the most effective, the study found.

What are static isometric exercises?

To perform a static isometric exercise, you hold your body in one position until your muscles tire. Examples include wall sits, planks and side planks, glute bridges and heel raises.

Why is isometric exercise best for blood pressure?

When you do any type of exercise, your blood pressure temporarily increases because your heart pumps harder, moving your blood through your arteries more forcefully. If you exercise repetitively, your heart gets stronger, so it can pump blood with less effort, and that can help your resting blood pressure to drop. 

How to get started with isometric exercise

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or other cardiovascular issues, talk to your health care provider before starting an exercise program.

The BJSM study found that just three sessions a week of isometric exercise can lead to a significant reduction in blood pressure. Doing wall sits, for example, lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) by 10 mmHg and diastolic pressure (the bottom number in a reading) by 5 mmHg, the study found.

The post #1 Exercise for Lowering Blood Pressure appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: AARP

You already know it’s important to get your flu vaccine every year, ideally by the end of October. And when you go in for the shot, it’s a great time to make sure you’re up-to-date on all the other immunizations you should be receiving as an adult.

1. Influenza Vaccine

Who needs it: All adults, no matter the age.

2. COVID-19 Vaccine

Who needs it: It’s recommended for everyone 6 months and older, and especially for people 50 and older, who are considered to be at increased risk for complications from a coronavirus infection

3. RSV vaccine

Who needs it: Adults 60 and older should talk to their doctor to see if this new vaccine, which protects against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is a good option for them.

4. Pneumococcal vaccine

Who needs it: Healthy adults 65 and older, or adults 19-64 with certain risk factors (smoking, or health problems, such as chronic lung or heart disease, leukemia, lymphoma, or alcoholism).

5. Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) and/or the Td booster (tetanus, diphtheria)

Who needs it: The Tdap vaccine came out in 2005, and along with protecting against tetanus and diphtheria, like the vaccine it replaced, it includes additional protection against whooping cough, also known as pertussis.

6. Shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine

Who needs it: The CDC recommends that everyone 50 and older get the Shingrix shingles vaccine, even if they had the earlier recommended vaccine, Zostavax — which was much less effective — and even if they’ve already had shingles.

7. Hepatitis A vaccine

Who needs it: People 50 and older who are at high risk for hepatitis A, a disease of the liver. Infections result primarily from travel to another country where hepatitis A virus transmission is common, through close contact with a hepatitis A–A-infected individual, or recreational drug use.

8. Hepatitis B vaccine

Who needs it: Adults 50 and older who are at risk for contracting hepatitis B, a liver infection. Hepatitis B is transmitted when a body fluid (blood, semen, saliva) from a person infected with the hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. This can happen through sexual contact, or contact with blood or open sores (say, from a job that exposes you to human bodily fluids) or sharing anything from a needle to a razor to a toothbrush with an infected person. Other risk factors for infection include being on kidney dialysis, traveling to countries where hepatitis B is common, or having HIV.

The post 8 Vaccines You Need After 50 appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: AARP

Taking a dietary supplement or two (or five) every day isn’t exactly uncommon. About 70 percent of adults age 60 and older reported taking at least one supplement in the past month — be it a multivitamin or a chocolate-flavored calcium chew, a 2017 study published in The Journal of Nutrition found. About 30 percent took at least four. 

Calcium

As we age, our bodies typically don’t absorb vitamins and minerals as well as they used to. The poster child for this is calcium, and a deficiency can lead to bone fractures and, eventually, falls. If you don’t get enough calcium from dairy, leafy greens, and other calcium-rich foods (and women over 50 and men over 70 often don’t, according to the National Institutes of Health), your body sources it from your bones, making them weaker. A lack of consistent, weight-bearing exercise can make this worse.

Postmenopausal women are especially at risk for weak bones. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone due to the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis; for men, it’s up to 1 in 4. A woman’s chance of fracturing a hip is about the same as her risk of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer combined. But a hip fracture is more likely to be fatal for men. So it’s not just women who should mind their calcium intake.

Because of this, you should try to get as much calcium as you can from healthful foods — dairy, broccoli, kale, salmon, sardines, and various calcium-fortified grains — and take a calcium supplement only if your doctor says you’re not getting enough from your diet.

Vitamin D

Calcium works best when it’s taken alongside vitamin D, which assists in its absorption from the gut. Vitamin D, like calcium, is crucial for bone health. It also supports the immune and nervous systems and may even benefit the heart.

A vitamin D deficiency is often the result of two things that are becoming more common among Americans: obesity and not enough exposure to sunlight. Safe sun exposure is key, of course, because too much can cause skin cancer.

Even if you’re getting enough sunshine, it might not do the trick, because the aging process interferes with the skin’s ability to make vitamin D. Having darker skin does too. People with Crohn’s disease and celiac disease are also more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin B12

Remember how aging makes it harder for the body to use calcium? And to make vitamin D?

When it comes to vitamin B12, older adults are also at a disadvantage. That’s because aging impacts the body’s ability to absorb this essential nutrient, which plays an important role in regulating blood, nerve, and genetic health, according to the NIH.

Older adults who are vegetarian or vegan, who take the antidiabetic medication metformin, or who take gastric acid inhibitors to treat certain digestion problems are even more likely to be B12-deficient. And just like with vitamin D, people with Crohn’s or celiac disease are also more likely to have a B12 deficiency.

If you do have a vitamin B12 deficiency — and it’s estimated that between 3 and 43 percent of older adults do — you will be more likely to develop anemia. A B12 deficiency can also lead to neuropathy or nerve damage (which may feel like tingling or numbness in your hands or feet), balance issues, depression, confusion, poor memory, and even dementia-like symptoms.

The post The 3 Supplements You Might Actually Need After 50 appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: AARP

If you want to keep your body strong and healthy in the second half of life, you might need some new routines. Here’s what you’re up against and why you should treat your most vulnerable body parts with care.

1. Your eyes

Even if you have perfect vision, an eye exam every one to three years should be part of your routine starting at age 55.

2. Your teeth and gums

As people get older, there is more gum recession and bone loss, and that can expose some root surfaces.  But these surfaces aren’t covered with enamel, the hard outer coating that protects the top of the tooth, so they become more susceptible to decay.

After 50, you may also make less saliva, which dissolves the acids made from breaking down food, making them less damaging to teeth. Or you may be prescribed one of the hundreds of medications known to cause dry mouth, which also puts teeth at risk.

To keep your teeth and gums healthy for the long haul, it is recommended to double down on your oral hygiene. If you’re on a drug that causes dry mouth, ask your doctor if you can take a smaller dose or a different drug. And avoid chewing ice, as tooth enamel can chip.

3. Your feet

Calluses on the soles develop from foot abnormalities that make it difficult to walk. Similarly, bony lumps called bunions form due to long-term pressure on the big toe joint. Such problems not only make your feet smart but can lead to knee, hip, and back problems.

Forty to 60 are the prime ages for plantar fasciitis, inflammation of the tissue band (fascia) that connects the heel bone to the toes. It typically comes from overstressing the fascia due to the force of activity and hard surfaces.

What to do: Wear supportive shoes — even around the house. If you’re not supporting and protecting the foot, then you’re going to get arch problems, heel pain, and Achilles tendinitis.

Sidestep other foot ills by having your feet measured. Many people don’t realize that feet can get bigger with age and suffer from shoes that are too tight.

4.  Your pelvic floor

You might think of the pelvic floor — the muscles that stretch from the pubic bone back to the tailbone at the bottom of the pelvis — as a female concern. But it’s just as important to men.

The pelvic floor muscles hold up your bowel, your bladder, and your uterus, if you’re a woman, and your prostate, if you’re a man. A strong pelvic floor is also essential to sexual arousal and orgasm.

One in 4 women experience pelvic floor disorders, often as a result of childbirth, though they may emerge long after the kids have grown. Weakened pelvic muscles can lead to urinary or fecal incontinence, pain, and prolapse when organs drop down and even protrude outside the vaginal canal. Men can also experience incontinence, particularly after prostate cancer treatment.

Strengthening your body’s core is also vital. Abdominal muscles, hip muscles, and spinal muscles connect to and support the pelvic floor, and vice versa, allowing it to work at its best.

5. Your hips and knees

The knees and hips are weight-bearing joints. They’re subjected to a lot more stress than your shoulder or elbow. And having a knee or a hip that’s causing you pain diminishes every aspect of your life.

Unfortunately, hip and knee pain are common after 50 and often lead to surgery. Active people who play a lot of sports are prone to knee injuries and those injuries can result in premature arthritis.

Other factors like obesity can also play a role. Carrying extra weight seems to predispose our joints to wear out, not just because there’s more stress on the joint, but because having a lot of fatty tissue on your body predisposes you to inflammation, and that inflammation seems to attack hip and knees.

Arthroscopic surgery to trim or reconstruct damaged cartilage and remove fragments of bone or cartilage may offer relief from knee pain or alleviate symptoms of problems that damage the cartilage and the soft tissues around the hip joint.

Many people will eventually need a joint replacement in their later years. Fortunately, surgery is increasingly common — and safe — and often can be done at surgical centers, allowing you to go home the same day.

6. Your ears

Just 2 percent of Americans ages 45 to 54 have serious hearing loss. But that changes over time, rising to half of the people 75 and older.

Hearing changes may be imperceptible year to year, and it takes the average person seven years to seek help, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America. But addressing hearing loss early on may lead to less precipitous declines and lower risks for depression and dementia, both of which can be linked to poor hearing.

Another reason to care for your ears: They play a crucial role in preserving your balance and preventing falls, which become more common and risky as you age.

The post 6 Body Parts You Shouldn’t Ignore After 50 appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: AARP

Taking a dietary supplement or two (or five) every day isn’t exactly uncommon. About 70 percent of adults age 60 and older reported taking at least one supplement in the past month — be it a multivitamin or a chocolate-flavored calcium chew, a 2017 study published in The Journal of Nutrition found. About 30 percent took at least four. 

Research from AARP found that share to be even higher: 78 percent of adults 50 and older who participated in a 2021 survey said they are currently taking vitamins or supplements. Among adults 65 and older, the percentage shoots up to 83.

But what’s really worth taking? And what should be left on the grocery store shelf?

“In most cases, it is person-specific,” says Lingtak-Neander Chan, professor of pharmacy at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in Seattle. The decision, he says, should be based on “underlying health conditions, diet, access to food, and other individual factors.”

The majority of older adults can get the nutrients they need from foods in a varied, healthy diet. That said, if you’re worried you’re missing the nutritional mark — your doctor can test you for a deficiency — calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12 are three supplements worth considering, Chan says.

That’s right, only three. But they’re mighty important.

Calcium

As we age, our bodies typically don’t absorb vitamins and minerals as well as they used to. The poster child for this is calcium, and a deficiency can lead to bone fractures and, eventually, falls. If you don’t get enough calcium from dairy, leafy greens, and other calcium-rich foods (and women over 50 and men over 70 often don’t, according to the National Institutes of Health), your body sources it from your bones, making them weaker. A lack of consistent, weight-bearing exercise can make this worse.

Postmenopausal women are especially at risk for weak bones. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 1 in 2 women over 50 will break a bone due to the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis; for men, it’s up to 1 in 4. A woman’s chance of fracturing a hip is about the same as her risk of developing breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer combined. But a hip fracture is more likely to be fatal for men. So it’s not just women who should mind their calcium intake.

When it comes to supplements, calcium can be found in multivitamin pills and chews; there are also supplements that contain only calcium or that pair it with one other nutrient, like vitamin D.

Vitamin D

Calcium works best when it’s taken alongside vitamin D, which assists in its absorption from the gut. Vitamin D, like calcium, is crucial for bone health. It also supports the immune and nervous systems and may even benefit the heart.

A vitamin D deficiency is often the result of two things that are becoming more common among Americans: obesity and not enough exposure to sunlight. (Sorry, sunlight through a window doesn’t count.) Safe sun exposure is key, of course, because too much can cause skin cancer.

One word of advice: If you take a vitamin D supplement, take it with food for optimal absorption, ideally with a meal or snack that contains a bit of fat.

Vitamin B12

Remember how aging makes it harder for the body to use calcium? And to make vitamin D?

When it comes to vitamin B12, older adults are also at a disadvantage. That’s because aging impacts the body’s ability to absorb this essential nutrient, which plays an important role in regulating blood, nerve, and genetic health, according to the NIH.

Older adults who are vegetarian or vegan, who take the antidiabetic medication metformin, or who take gastric acid inhibitors to treat certain digestion problems are even more likely to be B12-deficient. And just like with vitamin D, people with Crohn’s or celiac disease are also more likely to have a B12 deficiency.

If you do have a vitamin B12 deficiency — and it’s estimated that between 3 and 43 percent of older adults do — you will be more likely to develop anemia. A B12 deficiency can also lead to neuropathy or nerve damage (which may feel like tingling or numbness in your hands or feet), balance issues, depression, confusion, poor memory, and even dementia-like symptoms.

The post The 3 Supplements You Might Actually Need After 50 appeared first on C-Medisolutions.

Published by: AARP

There’s a lot to celebrate when you hit the big five-oh. Discounts start to kick in, investments begin to mature, and — how does the saying go? — with age comes wisdom.​​

But for all the money saved and knowledge earned, there’s a small price to pay: It’s time to really tune in to your health.​​

“What we see is that some chronic health conditions are frequently diagnosed starting at age 50,” says Renuka Tipirneni, M.D., an internist and assistant professor in the Division of General Medicine at the University of Michigan.​​

The good news is that many of the conditions that creep up in midlife can be managed. And if they’re caught early and treated promptly, you can “prevent complications that are more serious,” Tipirneni explains.​​

Here’s what you need to look out for after you turn 50.​​

1. High blood pressure

A common condition health care providers see among patients in their 50s is high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.​​

One reason high blood pressure is so prevalent in this age group is that the vascular system changes as we age. Arteries become less elastic, and the pressure inside them builds. The extra weight and stress that often accompany middle age can also contribute to creeping numbers.​​

The good news: High blood pressure is manageable with medication and lifestyle modifications, including diet and exercise. Because the condition often lacks symptoms, it’s easy to miss. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 adults with high blood pressure don’t know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.​​

That’s why Tipirneni recommends getting your blood pressure checked “more regularly” — at least every year — once you hit 50.​​

If you have a blood pressure cuff (they cost about $30), you can check it yourself. And pharmacies and health fairs often offer blood pressure checks for free, Tipirneni points out. Of course, your health care provider can take it for you.​​

What you want to see is a reading at or below 120/80, which is considered normal by the American Heart Association. Anything over 130 on that top number (the systolic reading) is considered high and warrants a conversation with your doctor about possible treatments.

2. High cholesterol

Another contributor to heart disease is high cholesterol, which can build up on the inside of the blood vessels over time and form plaque that slows or blocks blood flow. This plaque can also break loose and cause a blood clot — even a heart attack or stroke.​​

Similar to high blood pressure, your risk for developing high cholesterol increases with age. It also comes with no symptoms or warning signs, which is why it’s important to check your numbers regularly throughout midlife with a routine blood test that can be done at the doctor’s office. Diet and exercise can help lower cholesterol, as can medication.​​

3. Diabetes

While you’re getting your blood checked for cholesterol, your health care provider may also screen you for diabetes — another common condition that creeps up in your 50s and can wreak havoc on your health. More than 34 million Americans have diabetes — the vast majority have type 2 diabetes — and those in middle age are most at risk, according to the CDC.​​

Diabetes can often be managed with lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and physical activity. “Sometimes we need to add some medications as well” to help control blood sugar (glucose) levels, says Kate Lorig, professor emeritus at the Stanford University School of Medicine and a partner at the Self-Management Resource Center.

As with high blood pressure and cholesterol, the warning signs of diabetes are often silent, which is why it’s important to get screened. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to a host of health conditions, including kidney disease, vision loss, and heart disease.

One thing to know: Emerging research has linked COVID-19 with an increased risk of developing diabetes. It’s not yet clear how a coronavirus infection could trigger the condition, though it “might be attributed to the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on organ systems involved in diabetes risk,” the authors of a recent CDC study write. Experts say the link is yet another reason to take precautions that can reduce your risk of coronavirus infection. If you’re concerned about your diabetes risk after COVID-19, talk to your doctor about getting screened.

4. Arthritis

One condition that pops up in your 50s but is regularly overlooked or dismissed is arthritis — especially osteoarthritis, which Tipirneni refers to as “the wear-and-tear-type of arthritis” that occurs when the joint cartilage between bones is damaged or breaks down.​​

“It can be very aggravating even younger than age 50, but especially over age 50, we see pain associated with that is coming up more and more,” she says.​​

If you notice joint pain or stiffness from daily activity, talk to your health care provider. You’ll want to make sure it’s not rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease.​​

Treatment for osteoarthritis runs the gamut. Increasing physical activity can help prevent further pain or disability, Tipirneni says. Your health care provider may also recommend over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers to alleviate discomfort.​​

5. Osteoporosis

Women, in particular, need to pay attention to their bone health once they hit 50 — that’s when osteoporosis, or the weakening of the bones, becomes most common. In fact, almost 20 percent of women 50 and older have osteoporosis, the CDC says.​​

That’s because one of the risk factors for osteoporosis is being postmenopausal, explains Lucy McBride, M.D., a Washington, D.C.-based internist. “When you stop making estrogen, your bone density typically goes down,” she says. The average age for menopause among women in the U.S. is 51, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Weight-bearing exercises — walking and upper-body strength training, for example — can help reduce your risk for developing osteoporosis. So can paying attention to your calcium intake and vitamin D levels, both of which are important to bone health.

6. Cancer​

Because advancing age is the biggest risk factor for cancer, keeping up with routine screenings becomes important in your 50s.​​

Women in this age group should get a mammogram at least every two years to screen for breast cancer, and men should talk to their health care providers about prostate cancer screenings. Colon cancer screenings also become more regular — for both men and women.​​

7. Anxiety/depression

Whether it’s teenagers, work, or aging parents that keep you busy in midlife (or all of the above), chances are, you’re stressed. And all that stress can take a toll on your mental health, which in turn affects your physical health.

“Because at the end of the day, your blood pressure, your weight, your cholesterol, your cancer risk — all those biometric [measurements] are rooted in your behaviors. And those behaviors are rooted in your emotional health,” McBride says.​​

About 20 percent of people age 55 or older experience some type of mental health concern, according to the CDC, and anxiety and depression are among the most common. The coronavirus pandemic has only amplified this crisis. During the pandemic, about 4 in 10 American adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorder, a Kaiser Family Foundation poll found. Before the pandemic, this number was 1 in 10.

McBride’s advice? “You really need to make sure you’re bringing your whole self to the doctor” and talking to your health care provider about your stress levels and your relationship with food and alcohol, she says.​​

“Your brain is just like any other organ. We have heart health, we have breast health, we have skin health, and we have kidney health. We also have mental health. It needs to be addressed,” McBride adds.​​

Mind your immune system​

Another thing to bring up with your health care provider once you turn 50 is immunizations.​​

“Vaccines become much more important, because at this age group, our immune systems start to wane a little bit, and so you’re more at risk for infections,” Tipirneni says.​​

In addition to the annual flu shot, your provider may suggest a shot that prevents pneumonia. There’s also a vaccine recommended for adults 50 and older to prevent shingles and complications from the disease.​​

Finally, two vaccines have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, which has been especially deadly in adults 50-plus.​

What’s Good for the Heart Is Good for the Brain

Keeping your numbers in check — we’re talking blood pressure, blood sugar and body weight — is good for the heart, and it’s also important for the brain. Studies have found that high blood pressure in midlife can increase your risk of developing dementia later in life. Diabetes has also been linked to an increased risk of dementia, and both increase a person’s risk of stroke sometimes called a “brain attack.” 

A few other habits that can help protect your brain health as you age: 

• Stay physically active.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Don’t start smoking, and if you do smoke, quit.
• Get symptoms of sleep apnea tested and treated.
• Take the time and steps to manage your stress effectively.

Source: CDC/ Global Council on Brain Health

Warning Signs of Heart Disease

High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are three leading risk factors for heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the U.S.

Do you know the warning signs?

“Most people worry about chest pain,” says Renuka Tipirneni, M.D., an internist and assistant professor in the Division of General Medicine at the University of Michigan. Pain in the chest is an indication that something could be wrong, but there are other symptoms, too, including:

• Unexplained back pain that happens when you exercise
• Pain in the neck, jaw, or throat
• Pain in the upper abdomen
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea, vomiting, fatigue
• Dizziness
• Heart palpitations

If you experience any of these symptoms and are at risk for heart disease, it’s important to get “evaluated emergently,” Tipirneni says.

Source: Renuka Tipirneni, M.D./CDC

The post 7 Common Health Problems That Can Strike After 50 appeared first on C-Medisolutions.