HEALTH

WELLNESS--Staying active is one of the most important things you can do for your health as you get older. Active seniors enjoy greater mobility, moods, and independence than older adults who adopt a sedentary lifestyle.

WELLNESS--Every weekday for six weeks this fall, I had radiation treatment for early-stage breast cancer. This journey has been a lesson in our broken social and economic systems.

WELLNESS--By now, you’ve probably read a horror story or two about vaping. It’s in the news every day ― you can’t miss it.

WELLNESS-I’ve never put much weight on standardized tests. As far as I’m concerned, SAT exams are a better measure of how many prep courses you can afford, and IQ tests don’t really translate to real-world intelligence. For years, I dumped standardized personality tests into this same bucket.

WELLNESS--Nearly 50,000 members of the United Auto Workers began striking recently, demanding that General Motors pay them their fair share of the billions in profits the company raked in last year.

WELLNESS--Watch out, older Americans and people with disabilities! President Trump just announced a plan to give corporate health insurers more control over your health care.

WELLNESS--Does your brain feel tired, lethargic or overtaxed at times?

Do you feel that your brain cannot comprehend and sulks in your tiresome routine? Is focusing difficult for you paired with a weak memory?

WELLNESS--The thought of having ovarian cysts likely sounds terrifying, especially if you’ve never dealt with one before.

WELLNESS-Sleep is essential for our bodies to function. When we can’t get the rest we need, our emotional, mental and physical state can be so profoundly affected that it can be dangerous.

WELLNESS--The cost of healthcare increases every year leaving many people struggling to pay for rising insurance premiums and medical bills. In just two years (between 2015 and 2017), the cost of healthcare rose 14 percent. 

WELLNESS--In recent years, bipolar disorder has been discussed more openly. More public figures have been candid about their experience with the condition, including Demi Lovato, Mariah Carey, Russell Brand and Catherine Zeta-Jones. And the conversation around mental health only continues to grow.

WELLNESS--Getting (and staying) asleep during oven-hot weather can sometimes feel like more work than, well, your job. You know an easy solution to staying cool and sleeping better would be to toss your covers ― yet no matter how sweaty and uncomfortable you get, you can’t bring yourself to go entirely free of a sheet or blanket.

WELLNESS--You’ve probably heard remarks like, “She could drink me under the table” or “He is a total lightweight.” Those comments, which come with (dubious) connotations of strength and weakness, are rooted in the concept of alcohol tolerance. 

WELLNESS--Los Angeles used to have some of the worst air quality in not just the country, but the world. One smog event in 1943 was so thick and toxic that Californians worried it was a chemical attack.

WELLNESS--Planning to travel abroad this summer? Before you go, keep in mind that Medicare usually does not cover health care services or supplies while you’re traveling outside the United States.

WELLNESS--The Food and Drug Administration approved the program Natural Cycles in August as a legitimate “method of contraceptive to prevent pregnancy” ― the first app-based fertility tracker to get the agency’s stamp of approval.

WELLNESS--It is no secret that addiction recovery can be one of the hardest things to do, but those who suffer from a co-occurring mental illness may have a more difficult time staying sober than those who do not.

WELLNESS--Can a supplement really make you smarter?

A quick online search for “mental clarity supplements” will turn up tons of products, such as Neurohacker Collective’s “Qualia Mind,” WTHN’s “Fully Charged,” and Bulletproof’s “Unfair Advantage,” just to name a few. These supplements claim to improve focus, sharpen thinking, boost productivity and fight fatigue.

WELLNESS--If you get injured or have surgery, your doctor may prescribe opioids, a class of drugs used to treat pain.

Although opioids can be an important part of treatment, they carry serious risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose, especially if used continuously. This is true even for seniors and other people with Medicare coverage.

WELLNESS--For most “Game Of Thrones” fans, “The Long Night” was much, much longer than they had bargained for. It was so long, in fact, that fans across the country couldn’t unwind and fall asleep afterward.

WELLNESS--I’ve spent the past three years in therapy for trauma. I do a type of therapy called Somatic Experiencing that’s highly effective and has turned my entire life around.