MATURE MARKET HEADLINES updated 9/3/99
Mr. Modem's Internet Guide for Seniors
For those seeking a step-by-step guide to the Internet, there's a new, humorous, easy-to-use resource. Internet guru and columnist, Richard Sherman has published "Mr. Modem's Internet Guide for Seniors", a user-friendly tool for surfing the World Wide Web. Sherman, known on the speakers' circuit as a "techno-humorist" has written the guide for people who are missing out on all the Net has to offer because they are petrified to turn on a computer. Readers will find plenty of helpful tips and techniques, all laced with the author's brand of anxiety-reducing humor.
Many of the senior adults who have been helped via Sherman's syndicated computer column are now enjoying quality relationships over the Internet, participating in support groups for parenting or substance abuse, making friends and developing business and professional relationships. "Family members are healing old wounds, adult children are now able to check on the health of their parents through e-mail ... all without expensive phone bills. No more guilt from meaning to write letters more often ... it's the best of both worlds. Grandparents are now able to enjoy photos of grandchildren from far away, through e-mail."
Topics addressed by the author include the ABC's of e-mail, Internet Chat, Newsgroups, WebTV, Browsers and Search Engines, Shopping Online, a list of helpful websites for seniors, and a forecast of the Internet's future. Since adults are one of the fastest growing groups of computer users, Sherman says "It's no longer a matter of wondering if they should learn how to use the computer." It's all just a matter of how and when. "It's for all these people that I wrote this book."
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Matters of the Aging Heart in Today's Elders
Like the song says "Fairy tales can come true, it could happen to you, ... if you are young at heart." What seems to keep an elder's heart ticking more than anything else is "a little love and attention". Older people who lack social support may be at increased risk of heart disease, says a new research study reported by the Center for the Advancement of Health. Scientists from the University of Utah’s Department of Psychology and Health Psychology Program in Salt Lake City studied 67 women and men to learn how cardiovascular health is related to age and social support. "We found that social support moderated age-related differences in blood pressure and age predicted higher resting blood pressure but only for individuals low in social support," said Bert Uchino, head of the study.
In this study, 36 women and 31 men were recruited from the community. They ranged in age from 20 to 70, with an average of 38.3 years. None had histories of heart problems or psychological disorders. Smokers and heavy drinkers were excluded. Researchers measured participants’ blood pressures and administered a 40-item questionnaire designed to reveal levels of social support. They completed surveys relating to neuroticism, extraversion, aggression, depression, stress, life satisfaction, and their health behaviors. The scientists report the results of their study in the latest issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Age clearly predicted increased blood pressure, as measured both in resting systolic and diastolic forms. However, the relationship held true only in individuals who were low in social support. People who were approximately 50 years and older with plenty of social outlets exhibited nearly identical blood pressures as those who were decades younger.
Of people low in social support, diastolic blood pressure averaged about 63 for young people, 74 for older people. In individuals with strong social support, the average for young participants was 67, for older ones, 68. None of the other variables revealed how social support prolonged the cardiovascular youthfulness of the middle-aged and older adults. The answer to this question is critical for designing interventions especially because even slight decreases in blood pressure can lower the chance of heart disease.
The National Institute on Aging and the University of Utah supported this work.
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Medicare Reform: Its Voices and Refrains
Future retirees will face drastically reduced Social Security benefits under legislation introduced in the Congress to partially privatize the social-insurance system, says the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, a Washington-based advocacy group.
"For all the good intentions which may have gone into this bill, the privatization plan it proposes will shred the six-decade-old Social Security safety net and leave millions of retirees in future decades on the edge of poverty," says Martha McSteen, president of the 5.5 million member National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
The new plan would divert Social Security payroll taxes from each American worker into private-market investment accounts. "The Congressional Research Service has concluded that average wage earners retiring under the plan in 2025 will have guaranteed benefits 33 percent lower than under Social Security today," McSteen noted, "and average earners retiring in 2070 will face benefits reductions of up to 48 percent." "Even with bull markets stretching for as far as the eye can see, it will be nearly impossible for many low and modest-wage workers to make up those deep losses through their privatized accounts," McSteen said.
"While the bill does call for a minimum poverty-level benefit, to receive the full benefit you must have 40 years of work," McSteen pointed out. "That is a condition almost impossible to fulfill for most low-income workers and for women in particular, who traditionally spend less years in the labor force and often must leave their employment for extended periods to care for their family.
The September/October 1999 issue of "Secure Retirement" focuses on the continuing debate over Social Security and Medicare reform. Readers will find articles on two reform plans for Medicare, and an overview of both the conservative and liberal positions on Social Security privatization. "Secure Retirement" is published by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM). The NCPSSM website is located at: www.ncpssm.org
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Age Trends Create Emphasis on Cosmetic Dentistry
As we enter the 21st century, the care of a rapidly aging population may be the greatest challenge the dental profession will face in the coming years, says the American Dental Association. More than 50,000 Americans per day are reaching the age of 50 years. By 2020, the segment of the U.S. population aged 65 to 74 years is expected to grow 74 percent.
As a result, says Jeff Morley, D.D.S., the ability to make patients look younger will have tremendous implications for the future of oral care. "The dental profession’s traditional role centered around the eradication of disease ... now finds itself on the threshold of enhancement of appearance." This includes cavity reduction, educating the public about the importance of good oral hygiene and the strides made toward reducing the number of teeth lost to gum disease.
Dr. Morley noted that society places an increasing priority on a healthy and attractive smile, and as a result, the value of one’s teeth has taken on a greater importance. "Advances in the area of cosmetic dentistry," he explained, "now offer the dental profession new opportunities in restorative procedures that have the potential to reverse the signs of dental aging, thereby making patients look younger."
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Osteoporosis Is Preventable Says Chinese Medical Team
Medical researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have concluded that osteoporosis can be prevented. That's good news because an epidemic of osteoporosis is occurring in Hong Kong.
Fifty percent of postmenopausal women are osteoporotic, according to the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The health care expenditure for treating and rehabilitating such fractures currently account for 2% of the total hospital budget in Hong Kong. In addition, the total number of hip fractures is projected to double by the year 2020, presenting a major burden to the health care system in Hong Kong.
In Caucasians, say the researchers, the vitamin D receptor genotype 'BB' is shown to cause osteoporosis. However, only 1% of Hong Kong Chinese have this genotype. The Estrogen Receptor genotype 'PP' is also related to osteoporosis in Caucasians. However, only 1% of Chinese have this genotype. Despite the low genetic susceptibility, osteoporosis has become 300% more prevalent in the last 30 years.
Recent research indicates that lifestyle changes in Hong Kong are associated with this high rate of osteoporosis. For example, the Hong Kong diet with high animal protein, high salt and low calcium is detrimental to bones. In addition, the dietary calcium intake for Hong Kong residents is 400mg per day, less than 50% of that in Caucasians. Moreover, in those elders whose dietary calcium intake lowest (25%) the rate of fractured hip and spine was 200% higher than normal.
The adoption of a sedentary life-style can best account for the recent epidemic of osteoporosis in Hong Kong Chinese. To attain the highest peak bone density and to prevent bone loss, good nutrition should be coupled with exercise. Less than 5% of the Hong Kong population perform recreational exercise regularly. CUHK research shows that elderly who do not walk outdoors every day are twice as likely to fall and fracture their hip than active elders. As a result of these findings, CUHK is investigating the health benefits of proper diet, prescription drugs, and exercise such as Tai Chi.
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Investigating Health Benefits of Red Wine
While red wine has been reported to aid in the prevention of coronary heart disease and some cancers, no one has studied whether its alcohol content might offset any benefits, says University of Florida researcher Susan Percival.
Percival, who specializes in nutrition and immunity, conducted a study to find out if red wine affects the immune system. Her research shows that the circulating white blood cells that fight infection are not helped, or hurt, by red wine. "There's been a lot of publicity lately on the health benefits of red wine, but we also know that alcohol suppresses the immune system". "So we wanted to find out whether red wine had a suppressive effect on immunity."
What Percival suggests "is that there's something in red wine that prevents suppression of the immune system. So it's OK to drink a glass of red wine. You can get the benefits without any apparent harm on immunity." Percival said there are many different compounds in red wine and in grapes that could be contributing to the results, but she has not yet pinpointed which specific compound aids in maintaining normal immunity.
Percival said she found the comparison of muscadine and cabernet inconclusive. Tests of enzymes in the liver, which detoxifies alcohol for the body, showed some differences between how the liver processed the two wines. Percival said she hopes to do further studies to determine whether
muscadine might have greater protective effects because of its greater concentration of antioxidants.
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Cenestin Offers Alternative ERT for Menopause
40 million women currently qualify to take estrogen for relief of menopausal symptoms, says the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Within the next decade, another 20 million female baby boomers will qualify for some type of Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT). Until recently, however, the alternatives for relief from menopausal symptoms were rather limited.
Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc has recently introduced a prescription medication, Cenestin, for the treatment of hot flashes, night sweats, and other symptoms of menopause. What's unique about Cenestin is that it's a slow release estrogen product that is 100% synthesized from soy and yam plants. Traditional menopause treatments are derived from horse urine.
In addition to the offering Cenestin, Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc also plans to initiate a national patient education program, educational tools such as a brochure titled "A Guide to Menopause", and an educational website on the Internet at www.cenestin.com
As with any prescription drug therapy, Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc offers the following precautions. Women may experience side effects when taking estrogens. In the Cenestin clinical trial, the most frequently reported adverse effects were headache and insomnia. In addition, pregnant women should not use hormone replacement therapy because of the possible risk to the fetus. If a woman has not had a hysterectomy, taking estrogen alone may increase the chance for uterine cancer.
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