Preventive care Archive

If you're looking for gifts to give or donate, climate-conscious gifts come in many guises and fit no-cost, low-cost, or big budgets. Gifts can directly support the environment, trim waste and fossil fuel use, or offer creative ways to connect, reuse, recyle — and possibly regift.

Pickleball continues to soar in popularity, especially among older adults. Unfortunately, more playing can lead to court-related injuries, the most common being strains and sprains in the legs and knees, and wrist sprains and fractures from falls. Pickleball injury prevention is threefold: performing lower-body strength exercises, such as lunges, squats, and heel raises, at least twice a week; doing a dynamic warm-up before playing; and working on agility and balance, which can help improve footwork and reduce the risk of falling.

Dietary choices can influence weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels, all factors that can determine a person's risk for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Adopting certain eating habits can help manage these factors. These include reducing the intake of saturated fat and refined sugar that are included in many processed foods, eating more healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and following a plant-based diet like the Mediterranean or DASH diet.

Many people end up taking a long list of medications when they might be able to safely reduce the number of daily pills. Reviewing medications with their specialists and primary care doctor can help determine which drugs may be reduced or perhaps discontinued.

A small randomized trial in 2023 found that taking two 250-mg capsules of curcumin four times a day was as effective at relieving dyspepsia symptoms as taking one daily 20-mg dose of the heartburn medication omeprazole (Prilosec, Zegerid).

Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and feasting on foods high in natural compounds called purines may trigger gout in some people. Purine-rich foods that might be found on a holiday buffet include roast beef, brisket, lamb or pork chops, veal, chicken liver, turkey, trout, haddock, scallops, oysters, mussels, lobster, shrimp, or crab. While it's not necessary to completely shun alcohol and foods high in purines, doctors advise limiting them and sticking to a plant-based diet when possible, even during the holidays.

Abruptly stopping a medication can be risky and even life-threatening. For example, suddenly discontinuing certain drugs can cause a rebound effect, meaning that symptoms or problems that were controlled—such as high blood pressure or heartburn—can return with a vengeance. Stopping some medications, such as prescription painkillers or antidepressants, might result in withdrawal symptoms. Before quitting any drug cold turkey, it's important to consult with a doctor to make sure that it's safe.

Products that encourage healthy eating or exercise can make good holiday gifts for family and friends. Examples include cooking gadgets (such as a food chopper or high-quality knife), a gift basket of fresh fruit or Mediterranean-inspired treats, or home workout equipment (such as dumbbells, resistance bands, or sports-related gear).