As part of our regular series on the risks of getting common chronic diseases, this week we look at your risk of developing dementia. The number of people with dementia is steadily increasing, mainly due to population growth and the fact that people are living longer. Alzheimer’s, which is the major cause of dementia affecting 62 per […]
Men and women of the future will be feeling the effects of age-related health problems later in life, according to the Office for National Statistics. Women of the future, on average, will have 64 years to enjoy unfettered good health, although men will have a little less time with the ‘best of health’ coming to an end […]
Now the hay fever season is upon us, millions of people will be coughing and sneezing and wiping their eyes. Around 25 per cent of sufferers can blame birch pollen. These beautiful trees release their pollen in March and early April, depending where you are in the UK and the weather. Grass pollen misery comes […]
Dementia is an issue society can’t escape. According to the Alzheimer’s Society by 2050, the 30pc of people over 65 predicted to develop dementia, will have grown from 800,000 today to 1.7million sufferers. If you then count family members caring for elderly relatives, the illness will directly and indirectly affect more than half of us. […]
Smell is a wonderful sense. It is intimately linked to our taste and our appreciation of foods and drinks. It is also an important sense for our safety, allowing us to detect gas, smoke, rotten food and other toxic chemicals. Reduced sense of smell is called hyposmia. Complete loss of smell is called anosmia. All […]
Read More… from You don’t know what you’ve lost ‘til it’s gone…
Our research has found a link between gum disease and greater rates of cognitive decline in people with early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Periodontitis or gum disease is common in older people and may become more common in Alzheimer’s disease because of a reduced ability to take care of oral hygiene as the disease progresses. Higher levels of antibodies […]
Read More… from Failing to brush your teeth properly could accelerate Alzheimer’s
Now that I am reaching a certain seniority in terms of age, I am aware that there will come a time when self-regulation falters. This is the process expected of us when dealing with our personal affairs. From childhood onwards we are encouraged to develop personal responsibility and this is complicit with mature adulthood. But […]
Read More… from Self-regulation in later life. Doctors get old too!
Most people know that I am a vociferous campaigner against added sugar in our diet. I have been arguing for a sugar tax to be levied on food and beverage companies that lavish their products with refined sugar, and put our health at risk. I strongly believe that added sugar is a leading cause of […]
Read More… from Why I want to drop dead healthy – and I probably will
One in six people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing and the majority are older people who develop hearing loss as a normal part of the ageing process. According to the charity, Action on Hearing Loss, about two million people in the UK have hearing aids, but only 1.4 million use them […]
Hearing loss is not a minor inconvenience in someone’s life. Many patients are desperate and socially isolated by their inability to hear what is going on around them. They are people of all ages united by a common problem – permanent damage to the delicate mechanisms in their ears caused by ageing or by exposure […]