Active Senior Living

Maintaining Mental Health

As people age there is a natural fear that they will experience a decrease in brain function, learning skills and memory. There are some simple steps you can take to maintain healthy brain function well into your senior years.

Mental Health Tips

Most mental health improvement strategies fall into one of these four categories:

• Physical Exercise
• Mental Exercise
• Good Nutrition
• Stress Management

Read the details of how to integrate these simple steps into your lifestyle on the Sharp Brains Blog. The Sharp Brains site also offers more useful articles on brain fitness.

For some quick tips on Brain Health take a look at The Brain Ready Blog. This site covers all facets of mental health including diet, disease, and mental performance.

The Alzheimer’s Association offers suggestions for Brain Maintenance on their site. Also, don’t forget to look at the Brain Health section on the AARP site.

Crossword Puzzles, Memory and Mental Health

A common tip for maintaining mental sharpness is to keep your mind active. Crossword Puzzles and Sudoku are an easy way of integrating some daily mental challenges into your lifestyle.

A Look at the Benefits and Drawbacks of Drinking Green Tea.

The consumption of Green Tea (camellia sinensis) has long been a staple in Oriental cultures. Recently, people in the west have started to follow suit largely due to the health improvement claims being made with regards to drinking green tea. In addition to the wide variety of green teas available, there are many flavoured green teas, supplements and health care products coming onto the market. With green tea mania at such a high level, is there objective medical evidence to support the health claims?

Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

Take a look at this long list of health benefits that have been associated with drinking green tea.

• Dieting - Helps with Weight Loss.
• Cholesterol - Lowers Total Cholesterol Levels.
• Skin Care - Improves Skin Health.
• Energy - Increases Your Energy Level.
• Parkinson’s - Delays the onset of Parkinson’s disease.
• Immunity - Improves overall immunity levels and lessens your chances of getting a cold, throat infection or flu.
• Arthritis - May prevent and reduce the severity of Arthritis.
• Coronary Disease - Provides therapeutic benefits to patients at risk for heart attacks or stroke.
• Diabetes – Prevents or slows the progression of Diabetes.
• Cancer - May prevent the occurance of some forms of cancer.
• Osteoporosis - Slows down the onset of osteoporosis.
• Dental Hygiene - Destroys plaque forming bacteria in your mouth and prevents tooth decay.
• Alzheimer’s Disease – May delay Alzeimer’s Disease.
• Digestion - Provides a natural remedy for stomach upset.

Medical Evidence of Green Tea’s Benefits

With such a long list of health benefit claims is there any wonder that everyone seems to be drinking green tea. Could this really be a magic solution to what ails us? Extensive research is still ongoing concerning most of these medical claims. Scientists agree that green tea is rich in antioxidants having almost 10 times the levels found in fresh fruits and vegetables. The main antioxident that provides these benefits is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). A large number of research efforts are underway to verify or disprove these claims. Early results look promising. Take a look at this collection of online information on Green Tea and judge for yourself whether the hype is justified.

Green Tea - Useful Website Links

Drinking Green Tea

Although there clearly seems to be room for more research on the subject, evidence is starting to accumulate that drinking green tea can be beneficial to your health for at least some conditions.

If you do decide to start drinking green tea make sure to consult your doctor to clear yourself of any possible medical side effects. Green tea does contain a significant amount of caffeine. If you are pregnant, suffer from certain medical conditions particularly high blood pressure, insomnia, asthma, high cholesterol or have a heart condition, get medical clearance first.

Finally, here’s a link to some tips on brewing a good cup of green tea: Top 10 mistakes when making green tea.

There is also a book entitled The Complete Guide To Green Tea, available in a downloadable format. This comprehensive guide covers virtually everything you need to know on the subject. Read about the different types of teas, how to prepare a perfect cup of tea, even a guide to making iced green tea. Just click on the image for more information.

Even if it turns out that green tea does not provide all the health benefits being claimed, just remember this ancient Chinese proverb: “Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one”.

Are you prepared if your parents or even you have a medical emergency?

You bring a family member to a hospital emergency room. The nurse or doctor starts asking you questions. They need information to provide the best and safest treatment possible? How ready are you to handle this emergency situation?

10 Medical Emergency Situation Things To Know

The Mayo Clinic has put together a list of 10 things you should know or make sure someone else knows when you bring someone to an emergency room.

1. Patient’s Doctor’s Name
2. Patient’s Birth Date
3. Known Allergies
4. Specific Patient’s Wishes
5. Medical Problems
6. Current Medication
7. Religeous Beliefs
8. Insurance Coverage
9. History of Medical Procedures
10. General Lifestyle

You can go to the Mayo Clinic Site for more information on the list.