Addiction Archive

A 2023 study suggests that extreme grief after losing a loved one can raise people's systolic blood pressure, posing cardiovascular risks.

Memory loss is a pervasive worry. Dementia will affect an estimated nine million Americans by 2030 and 12 million by 2040. A 2023 study suggests six healthy lifestyle factors can significantly slow memory decline: eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, not drinking alcohol, being socially active, and engaging in brain-challenging activities. Another 2023 study suggests regular Internet use may be linked to a lower risk of dementia.

Research has found that people with more positive attitudes about growing old tend to live longer than those with negative thoughts about aging. They also have a lower risk for diabetes, stroke, cancer, and heart disease and better cognitive functioning. People can maintain a healthy mindset about aging by adopting certain lifestyle habits, such as reducing anxiety, finding purpose in life, seeking challenges, socializing more, and rejecting negative stereotypes about aging.

Accelerated cognitive decline may be more common after a heart attack, probably because the same factors that lead to narrowed heart arteries (the root cause of most heart attacks) can also cause tiny, silent strokes. An accumulation of these strokes shows up as bright areas (called white matter lesions) on an MRI scan. These lesions are markers of typical cognitive changes that occur with age. But people who have heart attacks likely have more white matter lesions and experience even greater cognitive decline.

A 2023 study suggests that eating more magnesium-rich foods contribute to better brain health—especially in women—as people get older. This may lower the risk of dementia.

Hoarding disorder is a mental health condition characterized by an inability to discard certain belongings to the point of unhealthy accumulation. While the types of hoarded items vary and might be useless to others—old clothes, boxes, papers, junk mail, or even spoiled food or garbage—the person hoarding the items is convinced they'll be needed one day. The mere idea of parting with them is extremely distressing. In time, stuff fills the home in mounds of disorganized clutter that jams rooms and hallways and threatens safety. Beyond clutter, signs of hoarding disorder include impaired behavior, such as social isolation, sleep loss, or indecision.

Validation is a valuable communication technique that can help people feel heard and understood. When used correctly it helps us understand  another person's feelings and establishes trust, particularly in situations with heightened emotions.

Simple coping strategies like counting to 10 are often useful to help you avoid an outburst. But as multiple challenges in recent years have amped up stress levels, those strategies may not be enough. So what steps can you take to avoid reaching your boiling point?

Headaches can have many triggers from allergies to stress, or even hunger. Understanding headache triggers can help you avoid one in the future. Here's a look at the most common triggers for each kind of headache.