MATURE MARKET HEADLINES POSTED 05/09/97
Critics Give PSA Prostate Test "Two Thumbs Up" ... Again
The ratio of free to total prostate specific antigen (PSA) in a man's
blood may predict at the time of diagnosis whether prostate cancer will be
an aggressive, fast-growing disease or a non-aggressive, slow-growing type
of cancer, according to a 1997 study by John Hopkins University School of Medicine.
This is good news for doctors who want to select the best treatment alternative
for a cancer diagnosed in the early stage. These alternatives include: watch
and wait, surgery,
or radiation therapy. In case you didn't know, PSA is an enzyme produced
by the prostate gland.
Men
whose total PSA levels are high may have a temporary infection, benign
prostate enlargement, or cancer. Studies have found that the rate of increase
in total PSA levels over time is one of the best predictors of whether prostate
cancer is present or not. The bottom line (no pun intended) is that this
test can and does save lives. It should be a routine part of every physical
exam done on adult males.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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You're in the White House now, Bill. It's OK to start inhaling again.
Otherwise, you won't be able to wake-up and smell the coffee. That
seems to be the message being sent to President Clinton by those who think
he's passing the buck on the Medicare issue. Analysts, Robert E. Moffit and
Carrie Gavora, speaking on behalf of The Heritage Foundation, believe that
the President's proposals for Medicare reform do not represent a serious
response to the real problem. That real problem is the fundamental structure of
Medicare.
Neither the President's accounting ploys nor his reliance on a
failed system of price
controls, says Heritage, will exempt younger working Americans from massive
tax increases necessary to stabilize Medicare. Now entering their 50's, these
Baby Boomers are aware that both Medicare and Social Security are in financial
crisis. They're concerned that inaction by America's Number One Boomer has
caused their retirement security to go up in smoke.
Of course, not everyone
seems to agree with this doomsday scenario. In what might be characterized
as the first documented case of corporate dementia, (yes, some ideas
are so nutty that I have to create terms to describe 'em) AARP seems to agree
with the White House. "There is no reason to rush to radical reform proposals
that would undermine the stability of the Social Security program for future
generations", says AARP's leadership.
Seems like the same old routine
of "lets just tell the membership what they want to hear" because AARP's
leadership will be long gone by the time the mess hits the fan. Ironically,
the United Seniors Association and the Social Security's own Advisory Council
seem to disagree with AARP's "no crisis" theory.
For the time being, I guess
all Boomers can do is hope for the best. Afterall, now that the President
is inhaling again, he just might wake up, and smell the Boomers' retirement
dreams going up in smoke.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Elder Power in the 21st Century
Next Fall is turning out to be a watershed season for the promotion of
worldwide Aging. The British Society of Gerontology is convening its annual
conference this September 19-21 on the theme of "Elder Power in the 21st
Century". Proceedings will take place at the Swallow Royal Hotel in Bristol,
England.
Plenary speakers include Professor Andrew Achenbaum (University
of Michigan), Professor Sara Arber (University of Surrey), Jane Campbell
(British Council of Organizations of Disabled People), and Professor Peter
Townsend (University of Bristol). For details on registration, contact Robin
Means, School for Policy Studies, Rodney Lodge, Grange Road, Bristol BS8
4EA. Also, this Fall, the October issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA) will publish a global theme issue on Aging.
The issue
will include an international press conference on global aging in Washington,
DC, also scheduled during October. The idea for the theme issue came from
the editors of
80 major medical journals worldwide who voted Aging the most important issue
to address in JAMA's second global theme issue.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Kardiac Kids is no Error'n Spelling ... but rather Garry Marshall's ...
proposed sitcom about the antics of an elderly softball team. Marshall,
the noted TV producer (Happy Days) and movie director (Pretty
Woman) has proposed a TV sitcom based on his senior softball league.
Marshall presents the sitcom, called "The Kardiac Kids", in the April issue
of New Choices: Living Even Better After 50.
"I've often thought the
antics of my senior softball league could be a possible hit as a sitcom.
While Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley gave me the chance
to wax nostalgic about my childhood, a series about my softball league would
be my shot at growing older with humor," says Marshall.
Among the producer's
casting choices are Dick Van Dyke for the father, Eva Marie Saint for the
mother, Scott Baio for the son and Jami Gertz for the daughter. The 62 year
old Master of Media Mirth plays in the San Fernando Valley's Over the
Hill League as a member of the "Pacemakers" team.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Literacy and Health Status
81% of older patients (60 years or over) in a public hospital
study were found to be illiterate. Great
qualifications for a career in politics. But very problematic when it comes
to recovering from an illness. For example, the study found that these patients
were less likely to know their discharge diagnosis, reasons for taking
medications, and plans for follow-up diagnostic tests and appointments.
Among
patients with diabetes and hypertension, functionally illiterate patients
were much less likely to know the basic steps for managing their disease.
Literacy, then, is a significant factor in the older patient's health status
in hospital settings. Now, Prudential Health Care hopes a new study, in
cooperation with Case Western Reserve University and Emory University, will
help explain the relationship between literacy and health status in managed
care settings, better known as HMO's.
3,000 elderly HMO members are expected
to participate in the study that will take place in Cleveland, Miami, Tampa,
and Houston. The first phase of the study will be completed by early 1998.
Hmmm. Here's my question for the researchers. "How much better, or worse,
will these elders feel when they CAN read their hospital bill".
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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Double Your Brain Power
I know. I know. For some people that still means "zero" (as
in 0 times 2 = 0). Others however, like government employees, might fare
a little better. Let's see, doubling the brain power of federal bureaucrats
could help "belt-way" IQs soar to 10. Okay, so I'm an optimist.
Nevertheless, for most people, the prospect of doubling brain power is
intriguing. According to Jean Marie Stine, author of "Double Your
Brain Power" (Prentice Hall, 1997), the brain is capable of retaining about
100 billion bits of information.
This might explain why men can come up with
so many excuses to avoid those weekend Honey-Do projects. At any rate, Stine
says that the mind can store the equivalent of 500 encyclopedias. The problem
is, most people only use about 10% of the brain, which leaves definite room
for improvement.
If you'd like to double your memory, check out Stine's new
book. You'll find 60 "brain doubling" exercises, hints, techniques, and
strategies. $12.95 (paper). In bookstores this coming May. Check out the
Brain
Quiz below and discover your Personal Learning Style, courtesy of researchers,
David Lewis and James Green of London's Mind Potential Study Group. They
found that some learners approach a new subject from a "top down" perspective,
and others learn best from a "bottom up" perspective.
BRAIN QUIZ
Read each statement, then circle either "a" or "b".
There are no right or wrong answers.
- 1. When learning, do you
a) like to collect data from
several sources at once?
b) like to focus on one source at time?
- 2. When learning, do you
a) like to acquire a little
knowledge about every aspect of the subject?
b) like to gain expertise
in a single aspect?
- 3. When learning, do you
a) like to know all kinds of
interesting details?
b) like to stick to "just the facts"?
- 4. When learning, do you
a) remember general principles best?
b) remember specific facts best?
- 5. When learning from a manual or book, do you
a) like
to first read the sections that interest you most before reading the
rest?
b) like to read through one section at a time, in sequence,
before moving on?
- 6. When learning, do you
a) like working only under general
guidelines?
b) like having detailed instructions?
- 7. When you need information from someone else, do
you
a) like to ask about the bigger issues that give you the
overall picture?
b) like to ask specific questions that give you
a detailed grasp of the specifics?
- 8. When looking for something in a bookstore or library, do
you
a) wander from section to section, stopping to pick up
any book that looks interesting?
b) go straight to your subject
section, select books from there, and leave?
If you circled five or more "a" choices, then you are a "top-down"
learner.
If you circled five or more "b" choices, then you are a "bottom-up"
learner.
Reprinted with permission from "Double Your Brain Power" by Jean
Marie Stine, May 1997, paper. Published by Prentice Hall.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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The Arthritis Cure
I believe it was Ralph Nader who said that Americans don't have solar
energy because greedy utility companies can't sell shares in the sun. If
you get the drift of that argument, you'll understand Dr. Jason Theodosakis'
new book, "The Arthritis Cure".
The author offers compelling research findings
that over-the-counter nutritional supplements offer a cure for osteoarthritis.
Drug companies, says the author, do not promote the natural cures because
there is no money in it. 175 pages plus glossary. 1997. $22.95. Published
by St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth Ave, NY, NY 10010. In book stores
now.
AgeVenture News Service, www.demko.com
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