Category: Good Health Equals Happiness

For those of us suffering from any degree of claustrophobia, just thinking about that dreaded MRI machine could bring on a panic attack. My first experience with the Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine (MRI) followed a routine stress test. It was open-sided, but no one told me in advance that the top is placed so close… Continue reading How Does a Claustrophobic Survive an MRI?

Remember dreading those yearly physicals when you were a kid – and the accompanying vaccinations? Oh, how I hated to go to the doctor, and I’m sure my children weren’t too fond of those visits either. We were always told that those “shots” would keep us healthy, words which mean very little to a child.… Continue reading 5 Vaccinations Seniors Should Get

  Do you want to be kept alive by artificial means?  Do you have strong feelings about some medications? How do you feel about breathing tubes? Do you want to be in charge of your health, or are you willing to turn all decisions over to your children or other family members? Those are all… Continue reading Why You Should Have a Living Will

With the Summer Olympics going on in Rio, the news has been full of stories about the Zika virus and its horrible effects on people.  Brazil is one of several countries with active cases of the virus, along with much of Latin America, the Caribbean and parts of the United States.  Eventually, the virus will… Continue reading How to Protect Yourself from the Zika Virus

It’s summer, and that means mosquito season! Those pesky insects just seem to move in and take over, at least in Southwest Florida. Warm weather helps mosquito eggs hatch, and those babies become adults in less than a week, ready to wreak havoc on humans. The annoyance of itchy bites, along with the fear of… Continue reading How Many Ways Can You Kill a Mosquito?

When I was young, I wondered why so many people liked the taste of beer. It just didn’t interest me at all. But beer aficionados have been around forever. In his book, “Tasting Beer,” Randy Mosher says the Sumerians in the Middle East were the first great civilization and they loved their beer, which they… Continue reading Break Open that Brew! It’s Good for You.

My husband was prescribed cholesterol-reducing statins by his physician for several years. He didn’t care for the side effects and began researching the various statin medications. By the time a low dose of Crestor was prescribed for me, Jym was 100% opposed to them and badgered me to read all the material he had collected.… Continue reading Statins for Cholesterol: To Do Or Not to Do

  Jim and I are always “losing” things. Ok, it’s just temporary misplacing them but when you need the car keys or wallet and can’t find them, it seems like disaster looms.  We all go through those moments and unfortunately, they do increase in number with age.  I prefer to think of it as my… Continue reading Is It Normal Forgetfulness Or Should I be Concerned?

When it comes to germs and bacteria, it only recently occurred to me when I began working out at our new center that a gym is the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of nasties. The often confined quarters, coupled with sweaty bodies, can create staph germs on the gym equipment and locker room surfaces… Continue reading Don’t Let the Gym Germs Get You

Why I never took diabetes seriously when I was younger is a mystery to me now.  My father had it. One of my brothers has it, and one of my daughters and a son are diabetic.  For some reason, I seemed to think I was immune, even though I carried glucose numbers on the high… Continue reading How You Can Fight Diabetes after 60 and Win