The Senior Scene

February was American Heart Month, the time to remind everyone that heart disease — still the leading cause of death in American women and men — is preventable.
Uncontrolled blood pressure is the primary cause of the strokes and heart attacks that take the lives of so many. In fact, an American dies from stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases every 40 seconds.
A healthy heart means a healthy life. Here are seven of the most effective things you can start doing today to help your heart, according to Uma Krishnan, MD, a cardiologist who practices at MultiCare Health System.
1. Visit your doctor for a heart check. Your doctor will ask about your personal and family history and your lifestyle to help assess the risk of heart disease. She should also perform blood pressure, waist measurement and body mass index tests. And she will draw blood to test your sugar, cholesterol and blood fats (triglycerides) levels, which can give indications before symptoms develop.
2. If you smoke, stop. Get help to develop a stop-smoking plan that will work for you, such as MultiCare’s QuitSmart Tobacco Cessation Plan: www.multicare.org/tobacco-cessation
3. Try heart-healthy eating. If you are overweight, eating well will help reduce your weight, cholesterol and other body fats.
4. Determine your body mass index (BMI). BMI measures body fat based on height and weight, which will show whether you are within a healthy range. Search online for “BMI calculator” to easily determine your measurement.
5. Get a move on! Just 30 minutes of daily, moderate activity protects your heart and your health. Try walking briskly, raking leaves, cleaning house, dancing or lifting light weights.
6. Lower your blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, work with your doctor to find ways to lower it.
7. Control your blood sugar (glucose) level. If you have diabetes, it is vital to control your blood sugar level. Aiming for 100 mg/dL or lower is recommended. Diabetes increases a woman’s risk of heart attack even more than it does for men, including silent heart attacks that occur without symptoms.

Source: MultiCare Health System

Like most people, you’ve probably experienced the misery and discomfort of a cold, the flu, food poisoning or diarrhea. Maybe you go to great lengths to keep yourself healthy, from following the latest diet advice to researching supplements and over-the-counter remedies.
But are you practicing the one simple, easy, no-cost strategy that has been proven to reduce germs by nearly half? Are you washing your hands?
If you haven’t been washing your hands often enough, it might be time to start. Here’s what you need to know to make the most of your time at the sink.

Is it just a myth?

Your mother used to nag you about it, and you see the signs in every restroom. You know you should be washing your hands frequently. But what is the reasoning behind this advice?
As we go about the day, our hands come into contact with hundreds or thousands of objects and surfaces that have also been touched by many other people, leaving behind bacteria and viruses. While not all of these germs will make you sick, the ones that do are more often transmitted via the hands than through the air.
So at least in this case, Mom was right: Infectious germs can quickly make it to your hands during common activities such as sneezing, changing a diaper or touching raw food. The easy solution? Just wash ‘em!

When should you do it?

Be sure to wash frequently throughout the day, especially at times like these:
• Before preparing food.
• Before eating.
• Before inserting contact lenses.
• Before and after treating wounds, giving medicine, or caring for a sick or injured person.
• After preparing food, especially raw meat or poultry.
• After using the toilet or changing a diaper.
• After touching an animal or animal waste.
• After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing.
• After shaking hands with others.
• After handling garbage.

How should you

do it?

If possible, use clean running water and soap. Keep these tips in mind:
• Research has shown that water temperature doesn’t play a role in whether germs are removed. When washing, cold water will do just as well as warm.
• Be sure not to use stagnant water. Rinsing from a fresh source helps to remove germs.
• Apply liquid, bar or powder soap. Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective than regular soap, and might lead to the development of resistant strains of bacteria.
• After turning on the tap, rub vigorously for at least 60 seconds. Remember to scrub the backs of your hands, wrists and nooks and crannies such as between your fingers and under your nails.
• Dry your hands thoroughly.
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.
If you follow this time-tested wisdom, you might just find yourself healthier than ever before — with very little effort.

Source: MultiCare Health System

The leading cause of poor vision and legal blindness after the age of 60 is Age-Related Macular Degeneration, also known as AMD. The macula is an area in the back of the eye that acts like the film of a camera, and is responsible for your reading and fine detailed vision.
The macula ages in two ways:
• The dry form, which is the most common form, can take years to develop and treatment for these patients is simply a diet rich in antioxidants. The National Eye Institute Age-Related Eye Disease Study found that taking a specific high dose formula of antioxidants and zinc can benefit people with intermediate AMD.
• The wet form is when abnormal blood vessels grow behind the macula, which break and bleed. If left untreated, scar tissue will develop, causing permanent distortion or blind spots in your vision. The good news is that there is treatment for wet AMD. Medications are delivered to the back of the eye to stop blood and fluid from leaking into the retina. Many people have improvement in vision. Unfortunately, there is no cure for wet macular degeneration so when the medication wears off, another treatment may be needed.
Symptoms of AMD are blurred central vision, dark or faded areas, and distortion. Those diagnosed with macular degeneration do not go completely blind, as it does not usually affecy your side vision. Symptoms of AMD do not occur until vision is affected; therefore, it may be important to have a dilated eye exam every year after the age of 60.
Since there is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, early prevention and detection is critical and may be vision-saving. Daily use of an Amsler grid is a way to detect and report any significant changes to your vision.
Dr. Brenda Myers-Powell, who wrote this article, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Her clinic, Retina Specialists Northwest, is in Federal Way.