What is going on with Medicare? Everytime I hear the government insurance providers name it is all negative. Just recently announced was another round of competitive bidding, which is extremely unfair when nobody even knows who won the previous rounds.

 Obviously some bureaucrats mis judged the enormous expense that Medicaid and Medicare would endure when baby boomers would hit the golden years. Now it seems the U.S. government is just going to slowly dump the program and not only affect those who have come to rely on and expect the insurance but also the millions of people who work for healthcare companies that bill medicare.

 Life will go on, after all this is America and still the most prosperous country in the world. I just wish that bureacrats had more middle class friends to identify with and as a result, would see and understand all the consequences of their actions.

I recently read an article about nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAID’s (aspirin, Ibprofen). http://www.thirdage.com/ebsco/files/13372.html The article links NSAID’s to Gastrointestinal GI problems, kidney failure, & GERD these symptoms are most prolific with seniors. When we age our bodies becomes less effective when it comes to processing and filtering out toxins. Therefore drugs linger in our systems and cause havoc.

Unfortunately more than 1 in 2 seniors 65 and older have arthritis and take NSAID’s regularly to alleviate the pain. What can the millions of Americans who regualarly taks NSAID’s do?

I know that we must educate ourselves about medications that we take or are thinking about taking and have a good understanding of how our bodies process. This links to a useful FDA medication guide for NSAID’s.      http://www.fda.gov/CDER/Drug/infopage/COX2/NSAIDmedguide.pdf 

There are some alternatives, research on Tylenol has suggested that it is safer over the long term. Perhaps some natural remedies that mother nature provides, I understand that Strawberries can help with pain.

If anybody has experience with any alternative remedies please let us know.

I have been seeing a lot of stuff on the internet about crying and more specifically men crying. Is our society full of a bunch of sapps, emotional men that just cry? I don’t think that is the case at all. In fact this article concretes my theory. http://www.thirdage.com/ebsco/files/14240.html?utm_campaign=nl_jokes&utm_term=20080111&utm_source=ta_nl&utm_medium=email

I always feel better after I cry but I certainly would never do it in public. I guess for me it is still a sign of weakness and I must feel ummm “macho or emotionless.” I don’t know why either? I am probably just insecure but it is what it is. None the less check out the article it is good reading.

I read an interesting article on revolutionhealth.com http://www.revolutionhealth.com/news/?id=hd-611491

The article says that those who exhibit four healthy behaviors live an average of 14 years longer than those that exhibit none. Pretty intense that research suggests that four behaviors can ensure that your life extends more than another decade.

So what are the four behaviors?

Not smoking – Regular physical activity – Moderate alcohol consumption – 5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day.

Even more interesting is that the researches said  these four behaviors will remarkably improve the health of middle aged and older individuals. It is never to late to start!  

I would like to vent about RX pills. It seems that everytime I visit my grand parents they are taking more and more pills. I asked my grandma about it and she said that she does not even get all her prescriptions filled that the doc prescribes? This is absolutely disturbing to me, who do doctors really work for? I know it is a generalization but, wow. I read an article about the makers of OxyContin having to pay something like 400 million dollars. I can assure you that is only a small fraction of what they made and continue to make on OxyContin which by the way is better than any Heroin you can get on the street. My half dozen class mates that have died from OxyContin over doses unfortunately can not tell you about that.

Anyway back to the subject of prescriptions. I honestly think that big pharma creates pills knowing that the pill will cause some other disease and wouldn’t you know they have a pill for that too! I have found for some not all but some ailments can be cured with change. Change of lifestyle, habits, diets, etc. Just be skeptical before you start poppin pills.

 See this article about pomegranate juice and impotence! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/30/npotence230.xml

 Smile,

 Cameron

There is a relatively new sleep condition or lack of sleep condition being diagnosed more and more commonly. That is Sleep Apnea, which literally means sleep without breath. I have noticed this phenomenon and now have a better understanding about the importance that sleep has on your health. Studies have shown that lack of sleep can contribute to: brain malfunctioning (lack of focus), depression, high blood pressure, extreme amounts of stress, obesity, etc.

http://www.pur-sleep.com./uploads/SleepingEnemy.pdf   This very informative article about sleep apnea indicates that 1 in 4 adults are “high risk” for sleep apnea. 31% of men and 21% of women over the age of 18 are “high risk.” Based on a 2000 census this means that 50 to 60 million Americans are at risk. Fortunately there is hope with continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP.

 If you have any trouble sleeping do some research and see a doctor. Everyone that I have talked to with sleep apnea tells of a marked improvement in the quality of their life simply by attaining quality uninterrupted sleep. You only have one body and mind treat them as such!

Smile and sleep well!

Cameron 

So I have made a lifestyle change… I have recently decided to eat only healthy foods and it is hard. I rarely eat red meat only on the holidays, prime rib is the ulimate X-mas feast! A few times a year I eat only raw fruits and vegetables with only water to drink. I guess I am pretty healthy. Yet sometimes I wonder what is the point? I suppose only time will tell if I remain healthy and free of illnesses.

 I have recently come across this new sort of fad ORAC Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. All indicate that foods high in ORAC can forestall aging? This is interesting to me… So many people seek this figurative “fountain of youth” and all this time it is in food? I guess the old cliche, “you are what you eat” isn’t so cliche after all. Here is an FDA article about ORAC. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb99/aging0299.htm

Smile & Think Healthy,

 Cameron

I have started this blog because my biggest fear is growing older and being in pain! Nothing terrifies me more so, please any and all health related info is appreciated and will be posted.