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 August 10th to August 16th 2012.

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

We Need to Take Action Against Alzheimer's

By Maddy Dychtwald

I’ve been studying aging trends for the past 25 years. The topic, for the most part, has been exhilarating. As Baby Boomers help reinvent traditional notions of retirement, I have to confess that I’m actually excited to see how my own life, and the lives of my colleagues and friends, evolve – something I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have expected 25 years ago.

But there’s one dark cloud looming that could snuff out all prospects for a sunny future: Alzheimer’s disease.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Fun Ways to Get Healthier

By Judy Kirkwood

Afraid to retire or to cut back on work because you want to stay physically and mentally healthy—and avoid becoming a couch potato with a mushy brain? There are a number of activities besides work that have multiple health benefits, which include keeping your brain sharp. Click through to find them:

To see the slideshow, click here.

The Most Crucial Question to Ask a Doctor

By Barbara Bronson Gray, RN

Whether you're looking for a primary care doctor, a specialist, a surgeon or a pediatrician, there's one question most people forget to ask, and it can be a lifesaver: "By the way, who's on call for you? Where will you send me if you're not available?"

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Five Vegetables You Shouldn't Be Eating

By Robin Westen

Okay, so all vegetables if prepared properly are good for you. But there are products that pretend to be vegetable-based and healthy but are really just junk food. What should you avoid?

To see the slideshow, click here.

The Power of Aromatherapy

By Robin Westen

t’s the sweet smell of success for champions of aromatherapy. A growing body of evidence is pointing to the positive effect of essential oils, derived from plant leaves, in treating a wide variety of illnesses from easing tensions and healing wounds, to revitalizing the skin and spirit. Here’s a roundup of the most popular scents:

To see the slideshow, click here.

Watch: How to Avoid Computer Vision Syndrome Here's another addition to our ThirdAge Video Collection. Press play to start learning!

To see the video, click here.

Drug Lengthens Prostate Survival For men with advanced prostate cancer who have had chemotherapy, a new drug has been shown to increase survival by an average of five months. In fact the results were so stunning that the researchers immediately halted the trial so that they could begin giving the drug to participants who had been taking a placebo.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Hospital Discharge Orders Often Not Seen If you or someone you love has a hospital stay coming up, make absolutely certain that you request to see discharge orders when the time comes to go home. That's because healthcare personnel may never look at them or they may never tell you what the doctor wants you to do in terms of follow up care.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Smite Them With Your Shining Smile! Have you noticed that your pearly whites are actually not all that white any longer? You're definitely not alone. To find out why aging teeth take on a yellowish tinge and to learn about solutions, ThirdAge interviewed Dr. Veronica Sanchez. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee, Memphis and serves as an expert in oral care at P&G.

To see the slideshow, click here.

A Safe-House Guide for Caregivers

By Sherri Snelling

If you’re a caregiver, you know how much you worry about home safety for your loved one. One day, you’ll have to deal with your own safety issues. Why not start now? Anyone who’s interested in aging in place should do it. (Aging in place is the term used to describe our desire to stay living in our homes as long and as independently as possible even though we face health challenges and other issues of aging.) Louis Tenenbaum, one of the nation’s most respected CAPS experts (certified aging in place specialists) and the founder of the Aging in Place Institute, took me through a list of safety modifications that are actually beneficial for any age. Here’s what he told me.

To see the slideshow, click here.