Healthy aging and longevity Archive

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is less common in summer, but a seasonal pattern of depressive symptoms can occur despite exposure to many hours of daylight. Many summertime SAD symptoms resemble overall depression markers, but eating and sleeping patterns can deviate. People can combat summertime SAD by sticking with antidepressants and psychotherapy, maintaining routines, exercising, and taking a break from social media.

With home monitors, smart watches, and other wearable tech, patients are increasingly bringing their own data to physical exams. Learn the benefits and drawbacks of all of this data—and when/if it can help with health recommendations.

In the spring of 2021, the 21st Century Cures Act began requiring health care providers to make almost all patient information available in electronic medical records, without charge or delay. This information includes all notes health care providers jot down about patient visits, medical tests, procedures, and hospitalizations. Reading these notes may make some patients feel anxious, or even offended if a doctor uses language that comes across as judgmental. But studies suggest that note reading helps many people manage their health and catch mistakes in their medical records.

There is no way to prepare for the many shades of grief, which can lead to illness as well as distress. While each person navigates grief differently, the experience of others and broad advice on how to cope may offer comfort.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and rates are rising, particularly in younger people. It can be prevented with screening tests; there are several different types of tests that are performed in different ways, and guidelines for when testing should begin and how often people should be tested.

Despite how it may sometimes seem, the COVID-19 pandemic is very much still with us. This is a good time to pause and assess where we are now and what you need to know about vaccines, boosters, and other measures to help you stay well.

Weight stigma is discrimination based on a person's weight, and it can lead to poor health and increased weight gain. One way to combat weight stigma is to use person-first language, and it's also important for health care providers to make sure they are not perpetuating this stigma when dealing with patients.

In a study published online Feb. 14, 2022, by the journal Heart, people ages 65 or older who exercised at least 20 minutes per day—especially men ages 70 to 75—had fewer heart attacks and a lower risk of premature death, compared with people who didn't exercise.

Among people with chronic heartburn, sleeping on the left side appears to help backed-up stomach acid leave the esophagus faster than sleeping on the right side or back, according to a study in the February 2022 issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology.