Caregiving Archive

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, teaches people to challenge negative thought patterns and change their responses to unsettling situations. It is an effective therapy for many mental health conditions as well as issues like pain or insomnia, and for managing difficult life experiences.

Super-agers are individuals known to maintain peak mental prowess well into their 90s and avoid dementia and Alzheimer's disease. While genetics play a big part in super-agers' cognitive health, adopting healthy lifestyle habits also contributes, and other people might be able to improve their brain health in the same way. These habits include exercising regularly, following a plant-based diet, being social, adopting mentally challenging activities, and getting adequate sleep.

A 2024 study suggests that exposure to high temperatures may increase the risk of an ischemic stroke. High temperatures may trigger dehydration, which can make the blood more viscous and more likely to clot.

The shingles vaccine, Shingrix, can trigger side effects such as a sore arm, achiness, fatigue, and fever. But Shingrix is highly effective at preventing painful shingles rashes and a complication called postherpetic neuralgia, which involves long-lasting nerve pain.

Coffee and other caffeine sources can interact with many common drugs, changing the way they're absorbed, distributed through the body, processed, and excreted. Coffee (even decaf) makes stomach contents more acidic, accounting for some drug interactions, but caffeine is mostly the cause. Medications vulnerable to coffee or caffeine's effects include those for cold or allergy, depression, high blood pressure, asthma, osteoporosis, anemia, Alzheimer's disease, thyroid problems, and insomnia. Drinking coffee and taking medications at separate times is advised.

A 2023 report warns that pickleball and other racquet sports can expose older adults to the risk of eye injuries, but wearing protective, shatterproof eyewear when playing can offer a layer of safety.

Most people experience occasional acute musculoskeletal pain as part of daily living, such as an injury caused by exercising or a minor household accident. Acute pain is short-term and often becomes manageable with home remedies and over-the-counter medication. However, when symptoms persist there is greater chance that it will become chronic pain, which lasts two to three months or longer. That's when medical advice is needed.

Active surveillance (AS) is the most common choice for men facing a diagnosis of low-risk prostate cancer, in which the tumor is confined to the prostate gland and unlikely to grow or spread. Men can potentially continue AS indefinitely until their condition changes. There are situations in which they should move to treatment because the cancer has become more aggressive. Or they may be ready to stop if there has been no cancer progression or they no longer wish to continue with the regular monitoring and testing of AS.

The vast majority of New Year's resolutions are forgotten by February. But people don't have to tie their personal improvement to a calendar date. Reinvention can begin at any time, making any day a fresh opportunity to stretch toward a long-wanted goal. People should break down their one-year goal into a process to accomplish it. Helpful strategies include writing goals down; breaking them into steps; tracking progress; being accountable; and tying progress to an event.