This weekly newsletter is now renamed from Age Wise to Wise & Well, to align with the publication I recently launched on Medium. You’ll find some of the same content in this newsletter as in the Medium newsletter version, but with a featured story here and without the reader comments included in the Medium version. This newslettter now comes out over the weekend instead of on Thursdays. Onward…
BACK TO SCHOOL (YES, YOU!)
A new study of people 55 and older suggests that learning completely new tasks or skills that require lots of mental energy can greatly improve general memory skills and the ability to pay attention. 33 volunteers were sent back to school for adult ed classes at the University of California, Riverside. Each person studied three previously unfamiliar subjects for three months.
Each person studied three previously unfamiliar subjects for three months, spending roughly seven hours a week in class and seven or eight hours on homework learning things like Spanish, music composition, painting or photography. They took cognitive tests before and after their new education, and again at intervals up to a year later.
Scores after the formal schooling doubled or tripled and then some, and continued to grow a year after school let out, researchers reported in the journal Aging and Mental Health.
“Remarkably, the cognitive scores increased to levels similar to undergraduates [college-age students] taking the same cognitive tests for the first time,” said study leader Rachel Wu, PhD, a UC Riverside associate professor of psychology. “Our finding of continuous cognitive growth in older adulthood is unique, because most studies show only maintenance of cognitive abilities or cognitive decline over time.”
HEALTHY READING
A selection of this week’s other informative and insightful articles:
Are You a Mosquito Magnet?
Some people are, some aren’t. This writer, an MD, waxes on about why her husband is, and she’s not, and what’s to be done. Unless you love mosquitoes, you’ll love this story.
—By Annie Foley
The Mice that Survive with No Microbiome At All
Bacteria are everywhere. Inside your gut. In the air. But not in these totally germ-free, “gnotobiotic “mice,” which scientists have created to unlock answers about how you and I can be healthier and happier. If you read one article this month about the human microbiome, let it be this engrossing piece.
—By Sam Westreich
The Road to Mental Hell is Paved with Good Notifications
A simple notification once caused a passenger jet to fly into the ground. The bells and buzzes from your phone might not be quite so dangerous, but this writer a physician, has some important advice for you.
—By Eric J. Kort
10 Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms You’d Never Think Of
A nurse and recovering alcoholic writes that what seems like a routine hangover is actually alcohol withdrawal, with symptoms that can include anxiety, nightmares and an inability to concentrate. And who needs those?
—By Gillian May
Diet Can Help You Manage Perimenopause and Menopausal Symptoms
Menopause is among the least talked-about conditions that can dramatically change life for half the population. “It’s time to change that and learn from each other how to transition through perimenopause and into menopause with our enthusiasm for life still intact,” writes a scientific researcher and dietician who offers, here, diet strategies for coping.
—By Mandy Willig
The Long Road to Understanding Long Covid
Though the pandemic is winding down, a whopping 7.5% of U.S. adults struggle with Long Covid, annoying and even debilitating symptoms that just won’t go away. Learn the latest findings on the mysteriously long-term, debilitating effects, and what’s being done—direct from an infectious disease doctor.
—By Jan Patterson
RANDOM BIT OF WISDOM
“The middle third of life is just Whac-A-Mole.”
— My wife, with the newfound perspective of pretirement
Until next week, wishing you health and happiness.
—Rob
If you find this newsletter useful, please forward it to someone who might benefit. You can find more of my health and wellness writing on Medium, plus I post health news briefs on Mastodon. And if you want to live a long, healthy, happy life, check out my book, Make Sleep Your Superpower.