ageing | Silver Magazine

Health

The power of your immune system

The immune system strives to protect us from infections and to stop tumours in their tracks. Its job, simply put, is to keep us alive. You can look at the immune system as a gift from nature. It works hard to fend off all types of insults to our system. But it’s a two-way deal. If we want all the benefits of a high-functioning immune system, we need to look after it so it can look after us. To help our immune system, we need to eat right and exercise smart. We also need to identify and ignore some myths. Our bodies need fuel and our immune system is no different. IRON deficiency is the most common deficiency in the world. More than 20% of the world’s population has an iron deficiency—and women are more likely to be affected than men, according to Statistics Canada. Iron deficiency leads to less cell-mediated immunity,

David Whittaker January 27, 2021

Health

Smartphones and healthcare

Already smartphones, from iPhone to Android, are playing a key role in our health and they’re going to play an even bigger role. Smartphones today are packed with all kinds of sensors, advanced software and cameras that are getting better every day, including many smartphones that use LiDAR (Light emitting Radar) such as that found in the new iPhone 12 Pro and coming to other smartphones. If you have an Apple Watch then you’ve got yet another health device that can connect with your iPhone for even more health monitoring. Right now, most smartphones can check your blood pressure, monitor heart rate and in some cases with a smartwatch, monitor your blood oxygen level (Apple Watch only for now.) But the uses for healthcare are developing rapidly. One app from skincare company Marianna can look at blemishes and skin conditions and recommend products. They use Artificial Intelligence to analyze photos.

Giles Crouch December 23, 2020

Longevity

4 Truths About Active Older People and the Pandemic

Life spans are getting longer, and the pandemic is greatly affecting older people (and their younger counterparts). Two retired lawyers in New York, Karen Wagner and Erica Baird have recently launched an online community for people who are retiring or are now retired but want to stay active in their second phase of life, which as well know, can be very productive and active indeed! They recently revealed what they found to be truths about older people when it comes to the pandemic and participating in society. Here’s what they put forward. Older people are people, too. According to the World Health Organization, ageism affects at least 600 million people worldwide. Ageism, the last acceptable ‘ism,’ serves only to legitimize stereotypes of older people and leads to views, such as those articulated during the pandemic, that maybe the pandemic is not so bad if it only affects older people (which

Alex Hurst November 18, 2020

Health

Top 8 Hormones for longevity

Maintaining the proper balance of these eight hormone help you fight aging and feel younger longer. Do you have lifeless hair, dull skin, and weak nails? These are all signs of aging. If you want to turn back the clock, I suggest starting your anti-aging regimen with an inside look at your hormones. They affect everything from immune response and inflammation to cellular growth and tissuerepair. Let’s address each of the top eight hormones that impact our appearance and discuss methods you can use to achieve the healthy balance necessary for radiant, youthful- looking skin. The countdown begins: EIGHT: Testosterone Excessive testosterone, in women or men, may result in acne on the face, chest or back. With age, women tend to experience an increase in androgen (a male sex hormone) levels and a decline in estrogen. Men tend to experience the opposite—an increase in estrogen and a decline in testosterone, which causes the skin to dry out. If a testosterone deficiency is suspected, herbs such as tribulus terresteris, stress management and weight-bearing exercises may help to restore optimal levels for both men and women. You can also ask your health practitioner about bioidentical testosterone cream. SEVEN: DHEA Dry skin is a problem that

Dr. Natasha Turner October 26, 2020

Health

Magnesium; what you need to know

Few people give thought to what happens inside the body, deep down at the cellular level. We have trillions of cells performing many jobs and we take most for granted. Like breathing, they simply happen. Most of our cells are so small that we can’t see them with the naked eye, but despite their size, each performs many complex biochemical reactions every millisecond—reactions that are made possible only with the right nutrients, cofactors, and plenty of oxygen. When you consider magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in the human body — after calcium, sodium, and potassium—it seems ensuring healthy magnesium levels would be a dietary priority. However, if you don’t realize the importance of something, it tends to disappear from view. Approximately 24-35 grams of magnesium are stored in the human body: 60% is located in the bones, 39% in the muscles and soft tissues, and 1% in the

Alex Hurst September 18, 2020

Mind

5 ways to boost your brain health according to science

As we move into our 50’s, we want to stay smart as well as fit. Keeping your brain healthy is just as important as your body. Here’s 5 things scientists say you should do. Exercise Daily: Sure it may seem obvious and we tend to think exercise is just good for our bodies. But it’s also good for the brain! A study by the Mayo Clinic in Germany found exercise increases our oxygen uptake, which is good for the brain. It showed exercise reduces cognitive decline. All you need is 20-30 minutes a day; even a brisk walk helps. A good cup of tea: Not coffee, tea. From orange pekoe to green tea, teas are just great for the old noggin. Coffee can help ward off Alzheimers, but tea is good for brain connections and neuroplasticity according to research. Proper thing what? Good heart health: Turns out, looking after the

Alex Hurst September 14, 2020

Health

Latest national poll shows primary seniors health issues

Research by the Brain Project shows the top health concerns of Canadian seniors in 2020, including dementia, brain research and residential care. With the impact of COVID-19 on senior living centres across Canada being so high, it’s no surprise that the whole issue of seniors health and care has become increasingly important to Canadians, especially their children who are often left to struggle with maintaining care, contact and negotiating a complex health care system. Recent research released bu the Baycrest Foundation along with support from the Yogen Fruz Brain project highlighted residential care (92%) and dementia (905) as the two primary areas that need to be addressed by governments across Canada. Social Isolation (85% and well-being / lifestyle support (84%) were not far behind. Even younger generations, who were also surveyed, had similar concerns. Where 18-34 years olds (87%) and 35-54 year olds (88%) agreed with the overall findings, especially

Alex Hurst September 10, 2020

Fitness

The importance of staying in motion

Take the first five minutes of the day to help you stay supple and strong. In fact, you don’t even have to get out of bed. My 80 year-old mother bent down to reach into the depths of a cupboard to retrieve a wayward item that had fallen off the shelf. Her spine stiffened and her hand shot to her low back. “Ouch, my back!” she exclaimed. Wincing with pain, she returned to an upright position. “I guess I’m getting old,” she said. As someone who studies posture and skeletal alignment, I desperately wanted to say something helpful in that moment that would change her perspective on aging and restore her hope for the future. I wished she’d had a user’s manual we could reference to figure out where she’d gone wrong and protect her from injuring herself in the future. I searched for words to lift her spirits, but I came up

Suzanne Bechard August 24, 2020

Mind

Saucha and the art of purification

Saucha is the first of the Niyamas, the personal code of ethics from Yoga Philosophy. The Niyamas introduce us to ways of practicing Yoga off our mats. As with the Yamas, or how we interact socially with the world around us (see the last five articles from Yoga Corner), now we move within, looking at new ideas for how we can better practice self-care. The Sanskrit word Saucha translates as purity or cleanliness. In exploring this path, we find ways to purify ourselves: through our environment, our physical bodies and even our thoughts. In looking at the space around us, it’s clear how clutter and excess stuff slow us down. Do yourself a big favour and clean out your closets. How long do you spend in the morning deciding what to wear because you can’t actually see all your clothes? Same with the fridge. You dig around only to discover three

Lisa Greenbaum August 21, 2020