Tag Archives: chronic diseases

Frailty Debilitates and Kills

While frailty seems obvious enough, science lacks a universally agreed upon method of evaluating frailty. The Frailty Index (FI) is commonly used to evaluating frailty in a clinical setting. Researchers calculate FI as the number of deficits a patient exhibits divided by the total number of deficits considered. For example, if a doctor finds that a patient exhibits five of 20 deficits that older people often commonly have, the FI for that patient would be 5/20 = 0.25. Deficits include symptoms or signs of chronic diseases or disabilities or social problems based on a patient examination or laboratory data.
more

A Dozen Benefits of Restful Sleep

Sleep is vital for lifelong health and well-being. But do you realize just how beneficial sleep can be? The following list includes twelve potential benefits of regular, adequate, restful sleep. Repair of worn or broken tissues – It doesn’t take much imagination that realize that your body needs time to repair worn parts. Sleep provides…
more

Live Longer, Live Better

Will greater longevity lead to lower quality of life due to chronic diseases, frailty, and disability? James Fries, a researcher at Stanford University, thought that seniors with healthier lifestyles would live longer yet have less cumulative disability than those with less healthy lifestyles. Beginning in 1984, Fries and his colleagues studied 523 men and women…
more

Is your blood pressure too high?

You can’t go very far these days without hearing about blood pressure. It’s a big health concern, especially for older people and African Americans. High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) predisposes you to a raft of serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and erectile dysfunction. You can reduce your risk of hypertension…
more