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The Startling Risks in Screening Guidelines for Older Women
As a vital, sassy senior, you face unique challenges regarding your health, especially outdated screening guidelines that don’t fully address your needs. While screenings for conditions like heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer are a starting point, these guidelines often lead to treatments that may not always be in your best interest or the best solution. So, we’ll explore the gaps in these screening practices and highlight preventive and alternative approaches that can also support a positive health outcome for older women. How Screening Guidelines Are Failing Older Women We all agree that screening is a fundamental tool for the early detection of serious conditions, but many guidelines for older women…
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Underdiagnosis in Older Women and How Research Gaps Impact Healthcare
Did you know that older women are often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed for conditions like chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, and heart disease? That’s right—it’s all in your head, Missy! Underdiagnosis is a growing concern in healthcare for older women, primarily due to gaps in medical research. These gaps contribute to missed or delayed diagnoses, leaving women vulnerable to untreated conditions. In this post, we’ll discuss the reasons behind underdiagnosis in older women and what steps you can take to ensure better healthcare outcomes. Why Underdiagnosis Happens More in Older Women Indeed, despite improvements in healthcare, older women still suffer from incorrect diagnoses disproportionately because many medical conditions present differently in women…
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Hidden Risks in Medication for Older Women
Have you ever been warned about the hidden risks of your medications, or were they kept out of sight? Medications can be instrumental in managing chronic conditions and improving the quality of life for us older gals, but a significant issue remains. Older women have been underrepresented in clinical trials, leading to medications that aren’t adequately tested for our needs. This exclusion can result in unexpected and harmful side effects. In this post, we’ll explore why older women are at greater risk for adverse drug reactions and what we can do to protect ourselves in a healthcare system that doesn’t always consider our unique needs. Why Older Women Face Higher…
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The Surprising Ways Pets Boost Senior Wellness and Mindfulness
As we age, the pursuit of wellness and mindfulness becomes increasingly vital to living a fulfilling and balanced life. But did you know that one of the most unexpected allies in this venture could be a loyal furry friend? For many seniors, pet ownership is more than just companionship—it’s a pathway to improved physical health, enhanced emotional well-being, and a more mindful, purpose-driven life. In this post, we’ll explore the surprising and powerful ways that pets can help seniors stay active, present, and emotionally resilient. From boosting physical fitness to cultivating deeper connections with the present moment, pets offer a range of benefits that can transform senior years into some…
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Stay Razor Sharp and Supercharge Your Cognitive Health Now
Is the flood of health advice overwhelming you—especially when it comes to brain-boosting foods for cognitive health? Every day, we’re bombarded with conflicting messages. One diet promises to boost brainpower, while another claims to do the opposite. But in the thick of all this noise, the truth remains that food is medicine for your brain—whole foods. Aging is like a rosebud in partial bloom. You don’t rush it. You let the petals unfold as they will, and what’s wrong with that anyway? You don’t have to lose your mind over it. You feed it, water it, fertilize it, and preserve it. Your brain is the command center of your body,…
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Unleashing a Fearless New Purpose After 60s, 70s, and Beyond
Society often expects us to slow down as we age, but I believe this is the perfect time to embrace a fearless approach to life. It’s time we redefine what it means to age—focusing on living with purpose and embracing new possibilities after 60. Are we preprogrammed to fall in line with our societal and cultural patterns, living a cookie-cutter life: education, employment, retirement, and slowing down? Boom! What about purpose, passion, and possibilities? These patterns certainly influenced me, and I can’t recall being taught in any classroom how to write my own paycheck or create anything that led to self-sufficiency. Growing up was devoid of encouragement in this direction.…
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Do the Hard Stuff—Feel Better! My 60s Health Overhaul
Why wait for tomorrow when you can start improving your health today? Every age is the right age to feel vital. “I’m too young to feel like a wet mop. What the heck is going on?” I was in my early 60s and felt exhausted all the time. I was walking around in a fog, feeling sleepy and tired. Press a button and pop—jack-in-the-box anxiety? “Okay, Cindy, time for a doctor’s visit. It’s been a long time.” My lab results, surprisingly, were normal, except for “high cholesterol,” or so was the diagnosis. Instruction from the doctor was to eat more fiber and get a colonoscopy and mammogram—sigh! I felt like…
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Is Depression the Invisible Monster in Your Mind?
“You say you’re ‘depressed’ – all I see is resilience. You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn’t mean you’re defective – it just means you’re human.”—By David Mitchell What If Imagine A Different Reality You Are Not Broken As the above quote states, “You are allowed to feel messed up,” so permit yourself to ‘feel.’ There’s no such thing as feeling happy all the time. Feelings will ebb throughout the day. There’s a word for that, and it’s called normal. Understanding Your Feelings You have to figure out where these feelings are coming from. What is your diet like, and how do you feel after…
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Is There More to Life Than Science Tells Us?
I often feared Him, constantly feeling His vigilant eyes on me. In my mind’s eye, He was an old man with a flowing white beard, His hand gripping firmly around a weather-beaten walking stick. And he ruled over the world from a brilliant golden throne. How and where did I perceive this image? In my catechism class, among other wide-eyed little urchins like me. We hung on to every scolding word that was hurled out of the teacher’s mouth like a raging wildfire. I still envision her wielding her long, bony finger as if pointing it directly at me. Whose vigilant eyes were these? They were the eyes of God.…
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How to Triumph Over Depression, Anxiety, and Emotional Turmoil
Even in the throes of my teenage years, energy seemed to elude me more often than not. I was 16, nodding off in the middle of a packed movie theater—not exactly what you’d call normal for someone my age. What was wrong? More on that later, but first, I want to introduce you to Uma Naidoo, MD, a board-certified nutritional psychiatrist and nutritional specialist at Harvard Medical School. The national bestseller, This Is Your Brain on Food,[1] is the surprising science of nutritional psychiatry we’re exploring. Did you know that apple cider vinegar, yogurt, and pickled vegetables can help with anxiety, while deli meats, bacon, and sausage can cause depression?…
Vital Sassy Seniors
Wellness and Passion for a Purposeful Life
