The majority associated with leading cause of deaths in America are due to medical health issues, not accidents, regardless of what your mother told you. The National Center for Health Statistics compiles the listing of killers and leading causes of death in America. A number of on the list you can not manage but others you can. There are several things that you can do to minimize getting the risk of the leading causes of death. If you eat right, exercise, don’t smoke, keep your weight under control, and manage your stress, then you are having a big change to live longer and having prolonged life than average American. (more…)

Cancer occurrence rates in a period of time for a given population is expressed in various ways. The incidence rate is a direct measure of the probability of developing cancer and is usually expressed per year. Incidence rates may be crude (all ages) or age specific. Since cancer is very age dependent, age specific rates are usually more informative. Cancer in elderly is more prevalent compare to cancer in younger age. When comparing population groups with different age distributions (such as the United States vs. China), the incidence rate should be age adjusted by multiplying each age-specific rate by the percent of individuals in a population with the same ages and then summing these to produce a single value. For etiological studies, incidence rates tend to be more informative than mortality rates, as they identify all diagnosed cases. (more…)

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality after heart disease and the leading cause of death among women ages 40 to 79 and men ages 60 to 79. Within the 65+ age group, the population 85 years and older is projected to double from 4.3 million in 2005 million by 2030. Life expectancy has increased. More people are treated successfully after a cancer diagnosis, resulting in a greater prevalence of the elderly living with or developing cancer. It is important for all professionals dealing with the elderly to understand what the disease is and how to deal with it. (more…)

Obesity in the elderly is a major health crisis facing our population that may predispose the elderly to the same adverse health outcomes facing the younger, obese population. However, several studies have suggested that the risk of obesity on life span is less in the elderly and may even become insignificant. However, these studies have found an increase in disability in older subjects with obesity. (more…)

Several gene mutations have been shown to cause Parkinson’s Disease, but they account for a small minority of patients and have not been found in most individuals with sporadic Parkinson’s Disease. Epidemiological studies indicate a genetic contribution to the occurrence of sporadic Parkinson’s Disease. The World War II Veteran Twins Registry study shows that genetic factors play a role in sporadic PD when the disease manifests at or before age 50. Using positron emission tomography (PET) with 18 F-DOPA and longitudinal evaluation, 75% concordance of Parkinson’s Disease has been demonstrated in monozygotic twins versus 22% in dizygotic twins. (more…)

Because it expresses my own orientation, I carry in my wallet a membership card to the Society for the Right to Die, which has imprinted on the back a signed statement of my living will.

When the aging process accelerates inexorably, you usually don’t just fail to wake up one morning because of old age. One of the many illnesses that afflict the elderly with increasing frequency will likely be the cause of death and dying. Here is where I feel a living will is important. (more…)

Some researches on relation between exercise and body human health results indicate that in addition to increasing muscle capacity, physical activity can help improve strength, balance, joint mobility, flexibility, agility, the speed with which one walks and physical coordination as a whole. In addition, physical activity has effects favorably on metabolism, blood pressure regulation, and prevention of an excessive increase in weight. (more…)

No matter where you live and in what circumstances, it’s evident that ours is a planet that has been damaged over centuries of human growth and scientific progress. The earth’s resources are limited. For that reason alone, it’s important to protect and preserve what we have from our land to our air to our water supplies. It’s especially important when you consider that surplus of twelve million new lives each year. (more…)