Health & Illness

Osteoporosis is also known as porous bone or brittle bone. It generally begins without any symptoms or pain, and is often called the "silent disease". This silent disease is becoming a major public health threat. In the United States alone, ten million people have osteoporosis, eighty percent of them women. Eighteen million more people are at risk for the disease. People who have osteoporosis do not usually know they have the disease until they experience a fracture. Fractures most often occur in the wrist, hip or spine, but they can happen in any bone of the body.

Do you remember the Tin Man in the movie The Wizard of Oz? He got caught in a rainstorm and couldn't get to his oil can. Eventually, he rusted up and could hardly move. People who have arthritis at times feel like the Tin Man. There are many forms of arthritis. The term, in fact, refers to over 100 different conditions. The word arthritis means inflammation of the joints. All forms of arthritis affect the joints and other connective tissues in the body, such as ligaments and tendons. Arthritis affects an estimated 40 million Americans, the majority of them suffering from osteoarthritis.

Even those of us who keep fit and eat a balanced diet sometimes become ill. It's part of life. It is important to be aware and informed of potential health problems, so that when they arise, we can care for ourselves properly. In this series, the Senior Center will provide information about various medical conditions in a question and answer format, based on interviews with physicians. According to the American Diabetes Association, almost 16 million Americans have diabetes. The following questions and answers are based on an interview with Dr.

It's a common occurrence. You meet a new neighbor by the apartment mailboxes. Just as you're chatting, another neighbor comes by and you want to introduce them. BLANK. You can't remember either one's name! You tell the plumber you'll leave the key at your neighbor's house because you have to be at work. The sink has been blocked all week and you're having guests over for the weekend. As you leave the house you're busy planning your workday and how you'll avoid the traffic jams they've just announced over the radio.

"The older we get, the more reasons there seem to be for feeling sad. Most of us have retired, losing the day-to-day routine of work that has filled our days for years. Our children are grown, and some of them have moved far away. Many of us have lost our parents, and now, we are beginning to face the reality that we are going to lose siblings, friends and even spouses as the years go by." Have you ever felt that way? No one can deny that loss creates sadness. It is totally appropriate to react with deep sadness to the major losses in one's life. But where is the line drawn between the sadness of loss or grief and depression that needs the attention of a doctor? There are people who think that depression is something that happens to you as you age, just as your skin begins to wrinkle or you tire more easily.

Old people use medical services much more than any other segment of the population. Yet many of them are dissatisfied with their family doctor or go "shopping" and continuously try a new specialist, a different type of treatment or alternatively, due to lack of trust, stop going to any doctor. Yet there are some very competent, well-trained and empathetic doctors available in every community. Some of them are general practitioners and some have specialized in geriatric medicine. A physician who has certain characteristics is most likely to succeed with the older patient.

My father can't eat. He can't keep anything down. A sip of water, a bite of bread. Even an ice cube pressed to his lips makes him gag violently. But the doctors don't know what's causing his terrible nausea. They claim it's not the cancerous tumor in his kidney. My parents had just moved from New York to Florida when my father got sick. He began to lose weight and feel nauseous. A few weeks later, the doctors discovered tumors in his thymoma gland and in his kidney. They operated on the thymoma. The surgeon insists the operation was a success.

Age is venerated in China. The older a person, the more respect he or she receives. The Chinese believe that the elderly come to the point that their lives resonate with the harmony of the universe, the Tao. If you visit China and go for an early morning stroll in a nearby park, you will see thousands of people doing their morning exercises. Most of these people will be practicing Tai Chi, the dance-like martial art and health exercise. Many are in their seventies and eighties. Some are even older. Tai Chi is a relatively recent newcomer to the shores of the United States, arriving approximately forty years ago.

As a senior, you must shop around to find the right teacher, someone who is sensitive to your special needs. There are many excellent teachers of Tai Chi who do not know how to teach seniors. An older teacher is probably better than a young one. He or she probably understands your needs. Find out how long the teacher has studied Tai Chi. Does he or she have any credentials? Certification? It is equally important that the teacher has a background in working with people such as a high school teacher or a psychologist. Steer clear of teachers who emphasize the martial arts aspects of Tai Chi.

Dear WholeFamily Counselor: My mother seems to be at an early stage of Alzheimer's, though the doctor says it is too soon to tell. She used to keep an immaculate home, but now it's often dirty and when I try to hire help, she often cancels them (though the first time I brought someone in, she let her work). There are other ways I have tried to offer to help her, such as making doctor appointments, but she insists she doesn't need help. My father is not much help.

As I sat by your bedside, I thought about Two books you bought me. One of them, A Little Princess, was inscribed, "To my little princess." I was ten. The other, True Gift, was inscribed, "To my daughter, who has grit in abundance." I was seventeen. The lesson I learned from the first book was that a true princess knows how to give. The lesson I learned from the second book was to fight for life.