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Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers
Let's be frank. People who didn't bother to plan for retirement are a little like those folks suing the tobacco companies because, after years of chain-smoking (surprise, surprise), they got lung cancer. Call me insensitive, but for two decades it's been front page news that "social security checks alone just won't cut-it in retirement". Nevertheless, the majority of retirees seem to be playing pension roulette, depending on the social security checks to get'em through their golden years. And it isn't working. So there's pressure to reform social security again in order to pump up those pension checks. Maybe that's what's gone wrong with America. Everybody's got a bad case of the "it isn't my fault", which can only be cured by a strong dose of "let the government take care of me". That seems to be the impetus behind a new legislative push to reform social security.
Here's what the latest social security reform is all about. The National Council of Senior Citizens has endorsed legislation sponsored by Reps. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Robert Ney (R-OH) that would create a new, more accurate way of calculating cost-of-living adjustments for older Americans. "More than 60 percent of older Americans depend on Social Security for the majority of their income, and it is time that cost-of-living adjustments measure the actual goods and services, such as rising health care cost, that matter to seniors," said NCSC Executive Director Steve Protulis at a press conference with Sanders, Ney, and dozens of other Congressional leaders.
Sure we're got to help our fellow Americans in retirement. But at the same time let's hope this is only a "stop gap" measure for the interim. Because, quite frankly, this legislation only treats the symptoms of the real disease which is poor or non-existent retirement planning. Legislators need to tag something on the legislation to put the spurs into baby boomers so they'll start planning and stop thinking they can rely on a social security check to get by in retirement.
The bill, HR 1422, called the "Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act", would use the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current experimental CPI for the elderly as the measure for adjusting Social Security COLAs for seniors 62 and older. Protulis noted Social Security recipients this year received the lowest cost-of-living increase in 12 years because Social Security COLAs are based on the CPI which does not accurately measure the true cost of living for older Americans. Since 1982, prices for goods and services for the general public have risen 66 percent but prices on goods and services for seniors have risen 72 percent. More importantly, seniors’ medical costs have skyrocketed, rising more than 156 percent.
"The chief federal budgetary function of the CPI is to calculate retirement benefits for the elderly," Protulis said. "The current CPI is fatally flawed in this regard. The BLS itself says the current CPI does not do what it’s supposed to do in the federal budget, show the real inflation rate for the population effected. Over time, even a tenth of a percentage point in a COLA can make a large difference in the income of a person who depends on Social Security for the majority of their retirement."
The way I see it. The proposed reform legislation is necessary. Government should help retirees who are hurting. But that's a short term solution because it only treats the symptoms of poor retirement planning. What this reform legislation needs is a long term strategy, one that stops reinforcing irresponsibility. There needs to be a provision for mandatory retirement planning. After all, it seems that the government is "doing what it can". Now it's up to each citizen to do their part, plan for retirement.
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Doctors Report Longterm Effects of Facelift
Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing has become one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in the field of plastic surgery. According to the results of a recent study reported by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the procedure can produce overall aesthetic results that are satisfying to both the patient and surgeon. The study assessed the long-term efficacy and safety of laser resurfacing using a CO2 laser. This was the first study to show long-term realistic results using lasers, with the lasers correcting about two-thirds of the fine wrinkles on a patient's face.
The reviewers studied primarily full-face procedures, assessing outcomes including facial line reduction, overall aesthetic improvement and complications in the short, medium, and long term. Of the 211 patients reviewed, 202 were women. Almost all of them were Caucasian (206) and five patients were Hispanic. In addition, two-thirds of the patients were between 40 and 60 years of age. "Patient satisfaction was very high with the use of the CO2 laser, with improvements of 40-60 percent", says Rod Rohrich, MD, a co-author of the study.
At one year, all aesthetic regions treated with the CO2 laser, had experienced some relapse. However, 56
percent of the patients experienced improvement in tissues surrounding the orbit of the eye, 59 percent in the tissues around the mouth region, and 61 percent in the forehead. "It should be noted that the face, richly vascularized and dense with skin appendages, is ideally suited for resurfacing," says Dr. Rohrich. "Frequent follow-up, meticulous wound care, and attention to thickened or isolated prolonged red areas is extremely important for minimizing complications."
The mission of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS) is to support its members in their efforts to provide the highest quality patient care and maintain professional and ethical standards through education, research, and advocacy of socioeconomic and other professional activities. For those interested in cosmetic surgery, the society provides a Plastic Surgery Information Service at 1-800-635-0635. The service offers information about surgeon qualifications, consumer information, and lists plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons is headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA.
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Telomerase Update on Life Extension
Researchers at UC San Francisco have determined that telomerase, the enzyme brought to fame last year when scientists demonstrated that its insertion into normal cells extended the healthy life span of the cells indefinitely, can wield its power in an unexpected way.
The finding, reported in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could bolster efforts aimed at manipulating the enzyme for therapeutic purposes, whether to prompt cell division in order to replenish stocks of healthy cells, as is needed in bone marrow transplants, or to interrupt the excessive cell proliferation that occurs in cancer cells.
Telomerase synthesizes telomeres, snippets of DNA on the ends of chromosomes that function in part like the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, preventing the gene-bearing, threadlike spindles from unraveling. With each cycle of cell division, the tips of telomeres drop off, until the chemical bookends become so eroded that the chromosomes become unstable, a condition that signals cells to stop
dividing. This natural control on cell division is known as the Hayflick limit. Cancers develop when cells increasingly ignore or override such signals of chromosome impairment.
Until now, evidence has suggested that the ability of
telomerase to extend the life span of cells lay in its
capacity to lengthen telomeres. In the current study, a collaboration by the laboratories of Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at UCSF and Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop, MD, chancellor of UCSF, researchers have
determined that telomerase can extend the life span of human
fibroblast cells without lengthening telomeres.
"The finding was quite extraordinary," said Blackburn.
"Previous evidence has suggested that telomere length is
crucial to determining the life span of cells. But in cells
in which we activated the telomerase enzyme, we observed
cells thriving despite the fact that their telomeres were
very short." The finding does not suggest that telomere length is not
important to cell life span. Rather, it reveals a new
factor contributing to chromosome stability, and offers a
new direction for potentially manipulating the enzyme for
therapeutic purposes.
The study was led by postdoctoral fellow He Wang, PhD, in
Blackburn's lab, and Jiyue Zhu, in Bishop's lab. The UCSF study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the G.W. Hooper Foundation and the Leukemia Society of America.
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Vitamin Deficient Elders Risk Hip Fracture
Post-menopausal women who lack vitamin D run an increased risk of hip fracture according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. In a group of women with osteoporosis hospitalized for hip fracture, 50 percent were found to have a previously undetected vitamin D deficiency.
The study, "Occult Vitamin D Deficiency in Postmenopausal US Women with Acute Hip Fracture," (M.S. LeBoff, L. Kohlmeier, S. Hurwitz, J. Franklin, J. Wright, and J. Glowacki) appears in the April 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers studied a group of 98 postmenopausal women. Thirty of the women had experienced hip fractures caused by osteoporosis. The other 68 had been hospitalized for elective joint replacement. All the participants answered questions regarding their lifestyle, reproductive history, calcium in their diet, and physical activity.
Fifty percent of the women with hip fractures were deficient in vitamin D. Thirty-six percent had elevated levels of a hormone which can stimulate loss of calcium from bone. 82 percent had calcium in their urine, suggesting
inappropriate calcium loss. Blood levels of calcium were lower in the women with hip fractures.
"We know that a calcium-rich diet and regular weight-bearing exercise can help prevent osteoporosis. This new research suggests that an adequate intake of vitamin D, which the body uses to help absorb calcium, may help women to reduce their risk of hip fracture, even when osteoporosis is present," observed Dr. Evan C. Hadley, NIA Associate Director for geriatrics research. The NIA (National Institute on Aging) helped sponsor the study. "Osteoporosis leads to more than 300,000 hip fractures each year, causing pain, frequent disability, and costly hospitalizations or long-term care. In many older persons, levels of vitamin D in the blood are low because elders tend to eat less or spend less time in the sun. Sunshine stimulates the body's own production of vitamin D.
Experts do not understand fully the causes of osteoporosis. However, they do know that lack of estrogen which accompanies menopause, diets low in calcium, and lack of exercise contribute to the problem. Eighty percent of older Americans who face the possibility of pain and debilitation from an osteoporosis-related fracture are women. One out of every two women and one in eight men over the age of 50 will have such a fracture sometime in the future. These fractures usually occur in the hip, wrist, and spine.
The researchers propose that vitamin D supplementation at the time of fracture may speed up recovery and reduce risk of fracture in the future. Current Dietary Reference Intake Guidelines contain a daily recommendation of 400 IU of vitamin D for people aged 51 through 70 and 600 IU for those over age 70.
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Herbal Products Complicate Surgery
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is cautioning those who use herbal medications to stop taking these "natural" products prior to having surgery. Recent findings disclose that seven out of ten herbal medicine users never tell their physicians about the herbal products they are taking. That's because they believe "natural" products must be totally safe.
"Just because a medicine is called natural or herbal does not mean it is harmless or completely safe", says ASA president John B. Neeld, Jr., MD. Many of these products are quite potent and can be dangerous, especially if the patient's anesthesiologist or surgeon does not know that the patient is taking them.
Americans will spend about $5 billion this year on herbal products to treat such conditions as depression, to raise their energy level, or to improve their memory. ASA is concerned that while the use of these products grew by 60 percent in a one-year period, they are not subject to Food and Drug Administration testing like prescription drugs.
A number of anesthesiologists have reported significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure in some patients who have been taking herbal medications. At least three herbal products create these problems.
- St. John's Wort
Taken by more than 7 million Americans to treat anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, may intensify or prolong the effects of some narcotic drugs and anesthetic agents.
- Ginko Biloba
Used by nearly 11 million Americans to improve their memory and increase blood circulation. Ginko biloba may reduce platelets, which are needed in order for blood to clot.
- Ginseng
One of the most popular herbal preparations in the world, ginseng is believed to boost vitality, and has been associated with high blood pressure and rapid beating of the heart.
Dr. Neeld advises patients to stop taking herbal medicines at least two to three weeks before surgery. This should be enough time for the herbals to be cleared from the body. If there is not enough time to stop your herbal medication before your surgery, bring the product (in its original container) to the hospital.
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Religion Enhances Mom-Daughter Ties
When religion is an important part of a mother's life, she's likely to feel she has a better relationship with her adult children, and her children are likely to report having a better relationship with her.
That's one of the findings from a study of 867 women and their children, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and conducted over a period of 23 years by University of Michigan researchers. Mothers who attend religious services on a regular basis also report having better relationships with their adult children than moms who rarely or never attend services, but their children are not more likely to report having better relationships with them, report William G. Axinn and Lisa D. Pearce, sociologists at the U-M Institute for Social Research.
Both the mothers and the young adult children were asked whether a series of statements about the quality of their emotional relationship with each other were always, usually, sometimes or never, true. Examples of these statements appear below.
(1) "My mother's ideas about important things in life are ones I can respect."
(2) "My mother accepts and understands me as a person."
(3) "When something is bothering me, I am able to talk it over with my mother."
(4) "I enjoy doing things together with my mother."
The researchers found that the personal importance a mother places on religion is a powerful predictor of the quality of her emotional relationship with her child, starting before that child was born through age 23. Altogether, conclude Pearce and Axinn, the study shows that the effects of religiosity on mother-child relationships are both long-term and enduring.
"Exposure to religious themes such as tolerance, patience, and unconditional love may provide both parents and children with resources to improve their relationships," the researchers suggest, particularly as children move into adolescence. Pearce and Axinn found no differences in the quality of mother-child relationships by religious affiliation, indicating that the type of religion to which
one belongs is not as important as the inner importance that one places on religion for the quality of mother-child relationships.
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AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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