Welcome back to your weekly dose of wellness, helping you make tomorrow a little better than today . Below you’ll find several compelling health and wellness articles as always. But first …
Middle age is often said to start at around age 35 to 40 and end around age 55 to 60. But there is no official definition of middle age. What we can be sure of is that whatever it’s been thought of in the past, it’s changing. As I write:
“What people perceive as the range of middle age has shifted older in recent decades with the rise in life expectancy, the increasing average age of humans on the planet, and the growing number of ‘older’ people who make a point of staying active well beyond their youth.”
Our individual view of the age range for middle age also changes as we get older. When I was a young adult, 50 seemed old to me, and 70 was ancient. I’m 61 now, and I’ve got some things to say about this whole “old person” category I’ve supposedly entered into.
Read: What Exactly is Middle Age? by Robert Roy Britt
YOUR FEEDBACK
“Your personal experience resonates deeply with many, as the daily battle with body anxiety takes a toll on self-esteem and daily activities. The comparison culture and societal emphasis on appearance contribute to a toxic cycle that traps individuals in a constant struggle to meet unrealistic standards.”
— Chloe, re: Body Anxiety: The Deadly Epidemic Nobody is Talking About by Giana Porpiglia, LMHC
“I’m delighted to say that after several trips to the emergency dept. and nearly 2 years of painfully drawn-out investigations, the Cardio rehabilitation team here in London have finally put me on their Exercise program for 8 weeks. Hopefully this will keep me off statins and the rest!”
— Andy Read re: Most New Drugs Suffer from Moderate to Severe Ineffectiveness by Robert Roy Britt
“It’s scary how difficult it is to get help, and even more scary to think about just how many of us need it. Waiting times here in the UK are no different, and the help, when it finally arrives, is often completely inappropriate.”
—Liz Barrett re: The Intolerable Wait in Line for Mental Health Care by Annie Foley
HEALTHY READING
A selection of this week’s other informative and insightful articles:
The Mindfulness Gap: Why Doesn’t Science See the Life-Altering Changes I Experience?
For his depression, this physician and wellness coach has found mindfulness meditation sessions “almost always lead to the dissipation of the residual anxiety all the other tools in my wellness tool chest could not vanquish.” Scientific studies offer faint praise to mindfulness as a remedy for anxiety and depression — hardly the results he experiences — but those findings don’t tell the whole story.
— By Eric J. Kort MD
Will Medicare Negotiations with Pharmaceuticals Really Cut Drug Prices?
Negotiations on prices of drugs like Xarelto and Enbrel are set to begin this fall. But this professor of public health has doubts about whether Medicare and the federal govt can overcome obstacles put up by the pharmaceutical industry.
— By Simon F. Haeder
Inhaling Laughing Gas Isn’t All Fun and Games
Recreational nitrous oxide use is rising in several countries. But side effects of the popular party drug range from irreversible neurological harm, psychiatric symptoms, and personality changes to damage to the mouth, nose, lungs, and the central nervous system. Oh yeah, and death.
— By Annie Foley
Free Prescriptions for Fruits and Vegetables Improves Health of People with Chronic Diseases
The health of people with diabetes, hypertension and obesity improved when they could get free fruits and vegetables with a prescription from their doctors and other health professionals.
— By Kurt Hager and Fang Fang Zhang
RANDOM BIT OF WISDOM
“I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.” —Lucille Ball
If you like what you see, please follow Wise & Well on Medium. Meanwhile, I hope we’ve helped you make tomorrow a little better than today. — Rob