Japan’s Okinawa Island – The Healthiest Place on Earth

April 2, 2012

Oddity Central

By Sumitra

“It’s really not that odd. The people living on Okinawa eat real food and have no stress – thus they live long lives. We can all learn a lot by studying the people living on this island.” –KTRN

I used to think that there were only a handful of people over the age of 100 in the world. How wrong was I! The Japanese island of Okinawa alone has about 457 of them. It is considered to be the healthiest place in the world, where the average life expectancy of an Okinawan woman is 86, and man’s is 78. Not only do they live long lives, they live very healthy and happy ones too. A fine example is 96-year-old martial artist Seikichi Uehara, who, at his age, defeated a thirty-something ex-boxing champion. And also Nabi Kinjo, the 105-year-old woman who hunted down a poisonous snake and killed it with a fly swatter.

The Okinawans’ secret, I’ve come to understand, lies in two things – their food, and their attitude towards life. As a happy bunch of people, the elders seem to have no worry etched on their faces, stress seems to be a foreign concept to them. An 88-year-old farmer who still works 11-hour days at the field, says, “I hardly ever get angry. I enjoy life because I’m happy at work and I think that’s the medicine for a long life.” I completely agree, and I wish I could look at life the way this brilliant guy does…

Most of the over-85-years-old elderly I’ve ever met seem to be waiting to die, sick of dealing with their physical pains and of struggling to survive on small pensions, but not the Okinawans. They have a child-like zeal towards life, wanting to live more. Even a 100-year-old woman says she would like to live a few more years to spend with her grandchildren. As the old Okinawan saying goes, “At 70 you are still a child, at 80 a young man or woman. And if at 90 someone from Heaven invites you over, tell him: ‘Just go away, and come back when I am 100.’” I think that perfectly illustrates their philosophy on life.

Click here for the full report.

Commonly Prescribed Drugs And Hospitals Are Killing And Harming The Elderly

March 29, 2012

Natural News

By Tony Isaacs

“Stop taking pharmaceutical drugs – doctor’s order.” –KTRN

Prescription drugs and the combination of those drugs and other medications are taking a heavy toll on elderly Americans, leading to risky hospitalizations, mental decline and death. And some of those drugs are worse than others.

A study published last November in the New England Journal of Medicine found that blood thinners and diabetes drugs caused most of the emergency hospital visits for drug reactions among people over 65 years of age in the United States. According to the study, just four medications – used alone or in combination – were responsible for two-thirds of the emergency hospitalizations among older adults.

At the top of the list was the blood thinner wayfarin, also known as Coumadin, which accounted for 33 percent of emergency hospital visits. Insulin injections came in second on the list, accounting for 14 percent of the visits. Aspirin, clopidogrel and other antiplatelet drugs prescribed to prevent blood clotting were third with 13 percent and just behind them were oral hypoglycemic drugs for diabetes which were responsible for 11 percent of the visits.

Last July, another study reported in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that over half the elderly were regularly prescribed dozens of painkillers, antihistamines and psychiatric medications called anticholinergics which lead to mental decline and death. Researchers found that those taking more than one anticholinergic drug scored lower on tests of cognitive function than those who were not using any such drugs, and that the death rate for the heavy users during the course of the study was 68 percent higher.

Click here for the full report.

Falls In Elderly Linked To Anti-Depressants

January 23, 2012

Natural News

By Mike Adams

Falls are the leading cause of accidental death in the elderly population of adults over 65 years of age. A recent study found that elderly people who suffer from dementia are more likely to suffer falls if they are given anti-depressants.

Selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are frequently prescribed to dementia patients, who often also experience depression. The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology reported that the risk of elderly injuring themselves from falls was TRIPLED after they were given SSRIs. This class of drugs includes the popular depression drugs Prozac and Paxil, which have long been considered first-line therapy for treatment of depression in older adults.

The high risk of falls following treatment with older anti-depressant medications is well established, as these drugs have long been shown to cause unpleasant and dangerous side effects in elderly such as dizziness and unsteadiness.

Click here for the full report from Natural News.

Top 15 Killers Of Americans

January 11. 2012

CNN

By Madison Park

The leading killers of Americans continue to be non-infectious diseases like heart disease, strokes and lung diseases.

But one of the perpetual causes of death fell off the top 15 list this year: Homicides.

“Most of the changes were positive,” said Sherry Murphy, a statistician at the National Center of Health Statistics and one of the authors of the annual mortality report. “Homicides fell from among the 15 leading causes for the first time since 1965.”

The rest of the common killers remained fairly consistent compared with 2009, according to the report released Wednesday. The death rate in the United States dropped slightly from 749.6 deaths per 100,000 in 2009 to 746.2 deaths per 100,000.

The life expectancy in the United States inched up a tiny bit from 78.6 years in 2009 to 78.7 years in 2010.

The leading causes of death in 2010 remained nearly the same as in 2009 – kidney diseases became the 8th leading cause of death –- it had been 9th in the previous year. It swapped spots with flu and pneumonia.

The 15th leading killer is pneumonitis due to solids and liquids, an illness more likely to strike the elderly. This is inflammation of the lungs due to inhaling substance inside the lung such as dust, mold or inhalants.

Click here for the full report from CNN.

Why The Elderly Are More Creative

October 13, 2011

The Huffington Post

By: Rhoda P. Curtis

The impulse to create art, music, poetry, literature is a basic human impulse. As humans, we are hard-wired for creativity, and this impulse does not deteriorate as we age.

When we consider the basic impulse to paint on the walls of caves, we see that the impulse to record impressions of the world through art has existed before the written word. This is documented in caves with prehistoric paintings in France, Spain, in China, Korea, Japan; or on stones in the U.S. by native artists; in sand paintings and dream paintings by native artists in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea; on bone in Alaska, in Newfoundland; in ice in Finland, Siberia. This impulse is part of our human heritage.

Not only do we find a continuum in the expression of the creative impulse, we find that there is a desire to communicate an impression of the exterior world. In the process of this communication, the interior voice of the artist is revealed. This is true in all fields of art, including weaving, music and the making of musical instruments.

Humans, as well as other animals, are hard-wired for creativity, but only the human animal engages a process that creates a product. The nature of the creative process is so basic to all human endeavors that we have lost respect for its importance. We take it for granted in the same way we take our sense of smell and taste — it is just as basic. We are not only hard-wired for creativity, we are hard-wired for the process, and this does not change as we age.

When teachers use B.F. Skinner’s theory of behavioral psychology — which involves imitation and repetition by rote in order to acquire results that can be measured and tested — students don’t use the creative ability with which they are born. When students are not encouraged to use their innate creative ability, they learn to become submissive and accept directions without question. While this may be a useful training device in some situations, it is not useful for preparing citizens for innovative, responsible, creative solutions to economic and political problems.

The creative process encompasses the common human impulse to explore, test, evaluate and test again. Consider the way young children learn to walk, to use a pencil, pen or drawing tools.

The child stands, tests out stability, takes a few tentative steps, sits down, stands up again, evaluates what happened and tries again. This formula of try, test, evaluate, try again also applies to other forms of human endeavor. A good cook puts ingredients together in a pot or bowl, adds some known (or unknown) spices, tastes the combination and either throws it out and starts over, or continues depending on how it tastes. The evaluative part of this process is the most important.

All learning processes are creative. Yet, as we age, the effort to acknowledge our creative urge becomes harder and harder to encourage. Throughout our lives, we are barraged by negative judgments, which we internalize. We are continually told that our work (whatever it is) isn’t good enough, isn’t competitive, isn’t likely to win first prize. It’s easier to tell ourselves, “Ah, well, I’m never going to be good enough to have a gallery show; why bother? Might as well just forget about it.”

My sister was a sculptor and her work definitely merited a public showing, but she continually demurred. Although she lived in an assisted living center whose director wanted to arrange a show, she refused to submit her sculpture for display. She allowed the negative judgments she dealt with all her life to discourage her, and she became almost paralyzed with inertia.

The question always arises, what to do? How do we, as members of the aging population, honor our creativity? The whole idea of trying something different, something new, requires a process of trying, testing, evaluating and trying again. It’s fun, and even when we fail, it is the process that is so rewarding. I have a friend in her 70s who, after retiring from an exhausting executive position in a dot.com company, decided to study painting — watercolor, acrylic and sculptural collage making. She finds the learning process so challenging that it takes her mind off her aches and pains.

We, the aging population, have reached a plateau that allows us to move beyond our self-imposed limitations. We can reach out to children in community schools as volunteers, helping children become better readers; we can become writing coaches for junior high and high school children. There are programs in place in our communities that train volunteers to use the skills they have forgotten they have. We can join the community at large on our own time, expending as little energy or as much as we decide.

What a liberating state to be in. Even with aches and pains, even with low energy, there’s usually a bit left over for self-gratification.

Click here for the full report from The Huffington Post

The Kevin Trudeau Show: 9-10-11

Today, Kevin explains why wheat bread isn’t as good for you as you once thought and why doing a mineral detox is so vital to your long-term health. Plus, hair care expert, Anthony Morrocco, stops by to reveal the disturbing truth about the commercial hair care products you use on a regular basis! You’ll never look at your shampoo the same again!

Self Help:
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Don’t Worry! Social Security Is Safe!

August 2nd, 2011

CNNMoney.com

By: Tami Luhby

Social Security is safe…for now.

The debt ceiling deal hammered out on Sunday doesn’t touch the entitlement program in the first round of spending cuts that total more than $900 billion over 10 years.

What happens after that would remain to be seen. A committee of Republicans and Democrats would be tasked with finding another $1.5 trillion in savings, and changes to Social Security could be part of the deal.

If the committee fails to reach agreement, however, automatic cuts kick in and Social Security would be exempt.

Meanwhile, a whole host of safety net programs could also be whacked as part of the debt agreement, which was approved Monday night by the House. The Senate is scheduled to vote Tuesday.

The largest ones, including Medicaid and food stamps, are also protected in the first round of spending cuts. But others, such as housing assistance, child care subsidies, job training and Head Start, could fall under the knife.

Debt ceiling cost to taxpayers: $1.7 billion

Policymakers have not revealed just what cuts are under discussion, other than $391 billion will come from discretionary spending. Other items that could see their spending curtailed include food inspection, worker safety and highway repair, said Craig Jennings, federal fiscal policy director at OMB Watch, which monitors federal spending.

Everything would be on the table for the Congressional committee to consider later this year. Members could slash spending for the poor, the elderly, the unemployed and the disabled. And they’d likely have to reach the required spending cuts without raising taxes, experts said.

“These programs are vulnerable to deep cuts that won’t allow them to meet caseload even as the need grows,” said Melissa Boteach, an anti-poverty specialist with the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a left-leaning group.

Among the changes to Social Security that the committee would likely consider is reducing the cost-of-living adjustments that recipients receive annually.

Some of the more drastic changes, such as raising the retirement age or amount of wages subject to payroll taxes, would probably not come up because it would take longer than 10 years to see the cost-savings, said David John, senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation. That’s the time-frame the committee would be concerned about.

But other programs would need to be slashed to reach $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions over 10 years. The Social Security change would net only $112 billion, John said.

Federal spending on the 70-plus anti-poverty programs comes to about $700 billion annually, said Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at Heritage. Only a small sliver of it is considered discretionary and thus subject to the initial spending caps.

But all would be up for grabs for the committee. And that means Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, federal unemployment insurance and other assistance programs could get hit hard.

“You have to start talking about these large programs if you want to get to the numbers on the spending side,” said Christian Weller, senior fellow with the Center for American Progress.

But if the committee failed to agree on the larger deficit reduction plan, Social Security would be protected. Spending would be cut automatically, with half coming from the defense budget.

Safety net programs, including Medicaid, federal unemployment benefits and programs for the poor, would be spared. The impact on Medicare would be limited to hospitals and other health care providers, though some argue patients could feel the ripple effects.

Click here for the full report from CNN

The Kevin Trudeau Show: 7-9-11

Today, Kevin explains why wheat bread isn’t as good for you as you once thought and why doing a mineral detox is so vital to your long-term health. Plus, hair care expert, Anthony Morrocco, stops by to reveal the disturbing truth about the commercial hair care products you use on a regular basis! You’ll never look at your shampoo the same again!

Self Help:
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The Fountain of Youth
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Health:
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A New Excuse To Put You On Drugs!
Diet Soda Linked To Heart Risk
Cell Phones DO Cause Tumors

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The Kevin Trudeau Show: 6-29-11

Today, Kevin reveals the gruesome details behind the government’s secret plan to wipe out the elderly population! Plus, find out why wheat bread isn’t as good for you as you once thought and why doing a mineral detox is so vital to your long-term health.

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Elderly Woman Asked to Remove Adult Diaper During TSA Search

June 27th, 2011

NewsHerald.com

By: Lauren Sage Reinlie

A woman has filed a complaint with federal authorities over how her elderly mother was treated at Northwest Florida Regional Airport last weekend.

Jean Weber of Destin filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after her 95-year-old mother was detained and extensively searched last Saturday while trying to board a plane to fly to Michigan to be with family members during the final stages of her battle with leukemia.

Her mother, who was in a wheelchair, was asked to remove an adult diaper in order to complete a pat-down search.

“It’s something I couldn’t imagine happening on American soil,” Weber said Friday. “Here is my mother, 95 years old, 105 pounds, barely able to stand, and then this.”

Sari Koshetz, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration in Miami, said she could not comment on specific cases to protect the privacy of those involved.

“The TSA works with passengers to resolve any security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner,” she said.

Weber’s mother entered the airport’s security checkpoint in a wheelchair because she was not stable enough to walk through, Weber said.

Wheelchairs trigger certain protocols, including pat-downs and possible swabbing for explosives, Koshetz said.

“During any part of the process, if there is an alarm, then we have to resolve that alarm,” she said.

Weber said she did not know whether her mother had triggered an alarm during the 45 minutes they were detained.

She said her mother was first pulled aside into a glass-partitioned area and patted down. Then she was taken to another room to protect her privacy during a more extensive search, Weber said.

Weber said she sat outside the room during the search.

She said security personnel then came out and told her they would need for her mother to remove her Depends diaper because it was soiled and was impeding their search.

Weber wheeled her mother into a bathroom, removed her diaper and returned. Her mother did not have another clean diaper with her, Weber said.

Weber said she wished there were less invasive search methods for an elderly person who is unable to walk through security gates.

“I don’t understand why they have to put them through that kind of procedure,” she said.

Koshetz said the procedures are the same for everyone to ensure national security.

“TSA cannot exempt any group from screening because we know from intelligence that there are terrorists out there that would then exploit that vulnerability,” she said.

Weber filed a complaint through Northwest Florida Regional’s website. She said she received a response from a Homeland Security representative at the airport on Tuesday and spoke to that person on the phone Wednesday.

The representative told her that personnel had followed procedures during the search, Weber said.

“Then I thought, if you’re just following rules and regulations, then the rules and regulations need to be changed,” she said.

Weber said she plans to file additional complaints next week.

“I’m not one to make waves, but dadgummit, this is wrong. People need to know. Next time it could be you.”

Click here for the full report from NewsHerald.com

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