Health Headliners of the Week

As we do every week, we've culled the most important articles we brought you based on breaking stories from around the world that can help you and your family stay well. Whether you missed these items the first time they appeared or you caught them and could use a refresher, our goal is to help you stay up-to-date on medical research that can impact your life. Read on for our to stories from March 1st to March 7th, 2013.

We hope you'll like what you find and come back every Friday for a new installment!

Beat the Spring Fever Blues

By Robin Westen

One day the sun is bright and the air is warm, and you think, “Finally, spring is here!” But on the very next day, the weather returns to chilly and bleak. All this bouncing around not only affects us physically with the springtime sniffles, but it can also create an edgy, even down feeling. Take heart. Experts say there are effective ways you can wait out the weather change. Here’s how:

To see the slideshow, click here.

A New Way to Deal with Elder Abuse

By Joy Solomon and Malya Levin

Editor’s note: Elder abuse, which targets people at the most vulnerable time in their life, strips them of health, physical safety, finances, and even adequate nutrition. How do we find elder-abuse victims in our communities? And how can we help them? Here, two elder-abuse experts talk about an innovative, comprehensive program to give victims everything they need to live a safe, comfortable life.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Stay Healthy on Your Cruise Vacation

By Duncan Whitehead

Don't let the recent Carnival Cruise disaster keep you from enjoying a cruise this spring. Most of the time, floating vacations are dreams come true. Still, you need to take some precautions to make sure you stay healthy and safe while at sea. Former luxury yacht purser Duncan Whitehead offers these ten tips:

To read the rest of the article, click here.

The Ten Best Diets

By Robin Westen

Every year around 45 million of us go on a diet and spend $33 billion on weight-loss products doing it. While some work and are considered “healthy,” other diets can put your wellbeing at risk. Recently, U.S. News took a look at popular diets and evaluated them not only in terms of weight loss but also regarding how well they helped to ward off heart disease and diabetes. Here are their top 10 picks:

To read the rest of the article, click here.

6 Smart Steps to Bone Health Although osteoporosis might not sound nearly as scary as cancer or heart disease, it is a serious health condition, especially as we grow older. Loss of bone mass in later years means than bones are thinner and likelier to break in a fall. Depending on how serious the damage is, a woman who falls can suffer a fracture of a hip or other vital body part, as well as traumatic brain injury. Falls have also been linked to loss of independence. But there are several things you can do to maintain your bone health. Here, from the Mayo Clinic, are the experts’ best suggestions:

To see the slideshow, click here.

Watch: Does Sugar Cause Heart Disease? Here's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!

To see the video, click here.

Getting the Most from Your Pharmacist

By Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN

Doctors are usually the first healthcare professionals who come to mind when people have questions about their health. But depending on the question, there is another professional who may be more accessible to you and more knowledgeable about the issue at hand: your pharmacist.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

When Is It Time to Call Hospice?

By Carol Bradley Bursack

A billboard in my city carries a simple message: "Most families say, "Why did we wait so long to call hospice?"

When I talk with our local hospice folks, they say that is the message they hear most often. Yet, I understand why people do wait.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Watch: The Truth About Flossing Here's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!

To see the video, click here.

Howto Sleep Through the Time Change

By Robin Westen

It’s almost time to spring forward (next Sunday, March 10, in fact) and it’s a given that we lose an hour of sleep when switching to daylight savings. For most, it’s not a big deal. On the other hand, for slumber- sensitive Americans, their personal clocks are thrown so out of whack, it takes weeks to get back to normal. But sleep experts say there are practical ways to make the transition without losing too much valuable shut-eye. Here’s how:

To see the slideshow, click here.