HealthyLife Articles

Tag: aging

Going Gray Because Of Stress?

SUCCESS OVER STRESS

Many people joke about stress causing gray hair. But new evidence suggests this old “myth” is actually true. The body’s stress response, known as fight-or-flight, plays a part in making hair turn gray sooner.

Why hair has color

Your hair contains special stem cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes live in the hair follicle at the hair root. They make pigment, or color, that gives your hair its natural hue.

The natural aging process causes melanocytes to disappear, leading to gray hair. Once gone, melanocytes don’t come back.

Stress and going gray

Researchers say that certain kinds of stress may cause hair to turn gray. It happens because certain nerves that work with the fight-or-flight response affect the body – including hair follicles.

These fight-or-flight nerves release a chemical called norepinephrine directly into the follicle. Then, the norepinephrine forces the melanocyte stem cells to leave.

Without these stem cells, the hair follicle can’t produce new color. So, the hair turns gray or white.

Manage stress

Stress can be hard on your health – not just your hair. If you have high stress often, talk with your doctor about it.

Source: National Institutes of Health

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Keeping An Eye Out For Cataracts

SELF-CARE CORNER

Most people will have cataracts by the age of 80. But they don’t have to mean loss of vision. They are treatable.

What is a cataract?

A normal lens inside the eye is clear. Cataracts happen when the proteins in the eye’s lens start to break down. Then they clump together. This causes cloudiness and problems with your vision.

Cataracts may occur with normal aging. But they can also happen after an eye injury or if you had eye surgery.

Signs of cataracts

People often notice changes in vision when cataracts start to form. These changes include:

* Blurry or distorted vision

* Being sensitive to light

* Seeing a “halo” around lights

* Seeing double

* Trouble seeing at night or in dimly lit rooms

* Seeing colors as dull or yellow-tinted

Prevention

The best way to help prevent cataracts is with eye sun protection. Wear sunglasses that block out 100 percent of UV rays when you’re outside during the day. Not all sunglasses offer 100 percent UV protection. Check the packaging to be sure. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to keep sun off your face.

Smoking increases the risk for cataracts, so quit smoking. Get help quitting if you need it.

Finally, get a dilated eye exam regularly. Ask your eye care specialist or doctor how often you need one.

Seeing a doctor

If you think you might have cataracts, talk to a doctor. You may need an eye exam from an optometrist or ophthalmologist. During the exam, your eye care specialist can perform tests to look for cataracts.

Treatment options

If your doctor finds cataracts, don’t panic. There are ways to treat them.

First, your doctor may recommend new glasses or contacts for mild symptoms. You may also find that using brighter lights or a magnifying lens is helpful for reading or working.

If your cataracts are interfering with life, you may need surgery. Cataracts surgery involves putting a new artificial lens in the eye. It is a safe surgical procedure and works well for most people.

Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology, National Eye Institute

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Be Healthy At Each Cycle Of Life. Recycle Along The Way.

Home Safety

* Being healthy at each cycle of life includes healthy eating, exercising, getting quality sleep, and avoiding smoking and secondhand smoke. It also includes getting health tests and vaccines that you need.

* Re-use paper bags.

* Buy recycled products and items that come in recycled packaging.

* Donate usable items to others instead of adding them to the trash.

* Rely less on disposable products used for eating, cleaning, and grooming. Use rechargeable batteries.

* Recycle paper, newspapers, junk mail, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and plastic. Follow the recycling rules of your city. If you do not have home recycling, take items to a recycling collection center. To find one near you, call 800.CLEAN.UP (253.2687) or visitearth911.com. Involve the whole family in recycling. Recycle at your place of work. Encourage coworkers to do the same.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Long-Term Care Insurance

Medical Care

Long-term care insurance is meant to cover the cost of nursing home care and long-term home health care. Medicare and private health insurances do not cover these costs. This kind of insurance is not government regulated. You may want to purchase this for yourself. Your children may want to purchase it for you to protect themselves from having to pay for your long-term care or to protect their future inheritance.

Find out more about long-term care insurance from:

* LongTermCare.gov athttp://longtermcare.gov. Learn the basics of long-term care and ways to pay for it. Use the LTC PathFinder tool to get information on long-term care insurance that is most relevant and useful to you now.

* National Advisory Center for Long-Term Care Insurance atwww.longtermcareinsurance.org. Get help from an unbiased long-term care insurance advisor. Ask for multi-company comparative quotes for long-term care insurance.

* Consider a policy that starts paying on the 90th day instead of day 1. The difference in price can be 30%. Do this only if you can afford the long-term care center’s cost for the first 3 months on your own.

* Check Moody’s and Standard & Poors at your local library. Look for insurers rated “A” or better.

* Read the complete policy coverage. Consult an attorney or knowledgeable person to review it with you.

* Pay premiums, by check, directly to the insurance company. Never pay in cash.

* Fill out the policy application yourself or with a friend or relative. Don’t allow someone to do it for you.

* Be cautious of companies advertised by celebrities.

* Insist on coverage that does not require a hospital stay before going to a nursing home.

* Resist high pressure insurance agents or claims that their long-term care insurance is endorsed by the government.

Be cautious before you purchase a policy. Ask the following questions:

* Will the policy cover home health care? Does this include “aides” or housekeeping coverage or just “skilled” care?

* Does the policy cover Alzheimer’s disease, specifically?

* Must you be medically ill to receive benefits? What about custodial care?

* Does the coverage include nursing home custodial care, adult day care, or other community-based services?

* Does the policy require a prior hospital stay before entering a nursing home?

* Are there exclusions for “pre-existing” illnesses? Are there waiting periods?

* How long is a stay in a nursing home covered? (The average stay is just under 4 years.)

* How much will the nursing home be paid on a daily basis from this policy? What is the daily charge of the nursing home? You will have to pay the difference between the insurance coverage and what the nursing home charges.

* If premiums are being paid, is there a guarantee that the policy can be renewed?

* Is the policy one that can’t be canceled?

* Will your coverage keep up with inflation?

* Are premiums waived while getting benefits?

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Find Your Balance

SELF-CARE CORNER

Good balance is essential for healthy aging. The ability to maintain and recover your equilibrium as you move helps protect you from injury and falls.

Your independence depends on your ability to balance. Almost every activity necessary for daily life relies on safe movement. As people age, preserving balance protects quality of life and their confidence to move without fear.

Activities that require balance

Balance is a foundational skill that impacts almost every type of movement:

* Walking

* Housework

* Picking up kids or pets

* Getting up and down from the floor, bed, couch, or commode

* Cooking

* Navigating uneven or unexpected surfaces

* Shopping and carrying groceries

* Lifting, moving, and reaching for items

Factors that impact balance

Your brain uses information from your eyes, ears, and other body parts to constantly adjust your position in space. Anything that impacts these systems may negatively affect balance:

* Lack of physical activity

* Inner ear problems

* Lack of sleep

* Lack of strength

* Decline in coordination

* Vision changes due to cataracts, glaucoma, etc.

* Cognitive conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease

If you are concerned about your balance, talk to your doctor. It may be a sign of a more serious condition.

Improve balance

* Practice standing on one foot. Stay near a wall for support, but gradually challenge yourself to balance longer and with less support as you are able.

* Try walking heel to toe along a straight line.

* Use a wobble board. This strengthens your balance, muscles, and coordination.

* Go up and down stairs.

* Side step back and forth across a room.

* Do calf raises. Using a wall or chair for support, rise up on the ball mounds of your feet and slowly lower back down. Do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.

* Take yoga or tai chi classes.

* Lift weights to increase strength and preserve the muscle necessary to balance well.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
How Aging Affects Memory

Brain & Nervous System

Many people are afraid that growing old means losing the ability to think, reason, or remember.

Some short-term memory loss does come with aging. You may, for example, forget where you put your keys or not remember the name of a person you just met. This is normal. Memory lapses that interfere with your normal activities, though, are not a normal part of aging. Nor is confusion.

People who have changes in personality, behavior, or skills may have a brain or nervous system condition. These problems could also be a side effect of certain medicines, too much alcohol, or depression. This chapter gives information on common brain and nervous conditions in older persons.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
How Aging Affects The Eyes

Eye Conditions

Growing older does not always mean you see poorly. But you may not see as well as you did before. Common changes that affect your eyes are:

* “Aging Eyes.” The medical term for this is presbyopia (prez-bee-OH-pea-ah). This comes on slowly after age 40. Close objects or small print are harder to see. You may have to hold reading materials at arm’s length. You may get headaches or “tired eyes” while you read or do other close work. Presbyopia can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

* The need for more light in order to see clearly. With aging, the pupil in the eye is unable to open as wide or to adapt to light as fast as it did before. This can make it harder to see in the dark. It can make it harder to tell one color from another. Blues can look like different shades of gray. To help with this, add more and brighter lights in places around the house, such as at work counters, stairways, and favorite reading places. This may help you see better and can sometimes prevent accidents. Also, don’t wear tinted glasses or sunglasses at night, especially when you drive.

Signs & Symptoms and What It Could Be

Signs & Symptoms: Sudden loss of all or part of vision, especially in one eye with sudden weakness or numbness on one side.

What It Could Be: Stroke

What to Do: Get immediate care. Call 9-1-1.

Signs & Symptoms: Vision loss after head or eye injury. Sudden vision loss or blurred vision, and seeing dark spots, or flashes of light all of a sudden.

What It Could Be: Detached or torn retina.

What to Do: Get immediate care.

Signs & Symptoms: Severe pain in and above the eye. Eye redness, swollen upper eyelid. Dilated and fixed pupil. Very blurred vision, halos around lights.

What It Could Be: Angle-closure glaucoma.

What to Do: Get immediate care.

Signs & Symptoms: Object or chemical in the eye.

What It Could Be: Eye irritation or injury.

See “Eye Irritations & Injuries” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Gradual loss of side vision. Blurred vision. Halos around lights. Poor night vision.

What It Could Be: Open-angle or chronic glaucoma.

See “Glaucoma” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Dark or blind spot in center of vision. Blurred or cloudy vision. Straight lines look wavy.

What It Could Be: Macular degeneration.

See “Macular Degeneration” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision. Halos around lights. Problems with glare from lamps or the sun.

What It Could Be: Cataract.

See “Cataracts” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Pus discharge from the eye; the white of the eye and eyelid are red; crusting of the eyelid in the morning; feeling of sand in the eye

What It Could Be: Conjunctivitis (“Pink Eye”).

See “Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Firm lump on eyelid or tender pimple on the edge of the eyelid.

What It Could Be: Stye.

See “Stye” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Seeing spots, specks, wavy lines, or streaks of light.

What It Could Be: Floaters and/or flashes.

See “Floaters and/or flashes” for more information.

Signs & Symptoms: Blurred vision when you look at close objects; headaches; eyestrain.

What It Could Be: “Aging Eyes” or presbyopia.

What to Do: Call eye doctor for an appointment and advice.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Cataract

Eye Conditions

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye.

Get regular eye and physical exams to help detect when cataracts are forming.

Imagine a thick cloud covering the lens of one or both eyes. This is what it is like to have cataracts. You may see glare from lamps or the sun and halos around lights. It is also harder to see at night. Let your doctor know if you have these problems.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness around the world. Vision can be restored, in most cases, with cataract surgery, one of the safest and most common surgeries done.

Consider cataract surgery when a cataract keeps you from doing the things you want to do. Find out more from the American Academy of Ophthalmology ataao.org.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Cataract 2

Eye Conditions

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens or lens capsule of the eye. A cataract blocks or distorts light entering the eye. Vision gradually becomes dull and fuzzy, even in daylight. Most of the time, cataracts occur in both eyes, but only one eye may be affected. If they form in both eyes, one eye can be worse than the other, because each cataract develops at a different rate.

Signs & Symptoms

* Cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, or filmy vision.

* Pupils (normally black) appear milky white.

* Frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions. Better near vision for a while, but only in far-sighted people.

* Sensitivity to light and glazed nighttime vision. This can cause problems when driving at night.

* Blurred or double vision. Changes in the way you see colors.

* Seeing glare from lamps or the sun. Halos may appear around lights.

Causes

* The most common form of cataracts come with aging due to changes in the chemical state of lens proteins. More than half of Americans age 65 and older have a cataract.

* Cataracts can also result from damage to the lens capsule due to trauma; from ionizing radiation or infrared rays; from taking corticosteroid medicines for a long time; and from chemical toxins. Smokers have an increased risk for cataracts. So do persons with diabetes and glaucoma.

Treatment

Treatment includes eye exams, corrective lenses, cataract glasses, and cataract surgery, when needed.

A person who has cataract surgery usually gets an artificial lens at the same time. A plastic disc called an intraocular lens (IOL) is placed in the lens capsule inside the eye.

It takes a couple of months for an eye to heal after cataract surgery. Experts say it is best to wait until your first eye heals before you have surgery on the second eye if it, too, has a cataract.

Questions to Ask

Self-Care / Prevention

To Help Prevent Cataracts

* Limit exposing your eyes to X-rays, microwaves, and infrared radiation.

* Avoid overexposure to sunlight. While outdoors, wear sunglasses with UV block and wear a hat with a brim.

* Wear glasses or goggles that protect your eyes whenever you use strong chemicals, power tools, or other instruments that could result in eye injury.

* Don’t smoke. Avoid heavy drinking.

* Keep other illnesses, such as diabetes, under control.

* Eat foods high in beta-carotene and/or vitamin C, which may help to prevent or delay cataracts. Examples are carrots, cantaloupes, oranges, and broccoli.

To Treat Cataracts

* Be careful about driving at night. Let someone else drive if you can’t see well.

* Wear sunglasses with UV block.

* When indoors, don’t have lighting too bright or pointed directly at you. Install dimmer switches so you can lower the light level. Use table lamps, not ceiling fixtures.

* Use soft, white (not clear) light bulbs.

* Arrange to have light reflect off walls and ceilings.

* Read large print items. Use magnifying glasses, if needed.

* Schedule eye exams as advised by your doctor.

* Wear your prescribed glasses.

Resources

National Eye Institute (NEI)

www.nei.nih.gov

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026
Healthy Aging

Mature Health: Over Age 50

Physical activity is a cornerstone of healthy aging. Studies show people who exercise regularly live longer and may live better, without pain or disability.

If you exercise on a regular basis, good for you! Keep it up! If not, now is the time to start. Check with a doctor before you begin an exercise program. Choose activities you can do and enjoy. Start out slowly and progress slowly. Some exercise is better than no exercise.

Research shows that eating a Mediterranean-style diet has both physical and mental health benefits that support healthy aging. This eating style includes plenty of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, more fish and less processed foods.

Staying mentally active is linked to physical and mental health and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Find ways to lower stress and increase emotional well-being.

Exercise your memory and your mind. Continue to learn new things. Read. Join a club.

© American Institute for Preventive Medicine

January 23, 2026