When we think of our health, hearing is not something we often give more than a passing thought to…until we are having difficulty. Or until our partners, family and neighbors complain at our increasingly loud TV’s and stereos. Think about this…how many times did you go to a concert, only to leave and feel like you could not hear?  One of our readers forwarded this information, and I think it’s important enough to share with you. After you have read it, go get your hearing tested. The results may surprise you.

 Of particular interest is that Baby Boomers are leading the most active – and most noisy – lifestyle of any generation so far. And there seems to be a clear indication that Boomers suffer from a significantly higher degree of hearing loss than their parents.  From 1971 to 1990, hearing problems among those between the ages 45 and 64 jumped 26 percent, according to a National Health Interview Survey. There was also a 17 percent increase in the 18 to 44 age group. In California, where researchers surveyed 5,000 people, the rate of impairment jumped 150 percent between 1965 and 1994 among those in their 50s. 

Paired with the fact that the Baby Boomers will live longer than any generation before them, hearing impairment in people over 55 is expected to reach new levels in severity and prevalence in the coming decades (Hear-it AISBL, 2005).
Phonak, a leading hearing aid manufacturer, has a quick test on its Web site to help determine if you have a hearing loss and helps refer folks to hearing professionals in their local areas.

The company also sponsors a worldwide hearing initiative, Hear the World to educate the public about the importance of hearing, the social and emotional implications of hearing loss, and the available solutions for those with hearing impariment.

A new study was just published by the Archives of Ophthalmology which showed that smoking contributes to ones risk of developing Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD).

ARMD is particularly disturbing because it is progressive, there is no known cure and no way to reverse the loss of vision. It tends to run in families – for example, it affects my mother as well as all of her siblings. It is also more common in women.
What can you do?

• See your eye doctor (either an ophthalmologists or optometrists) for a check up.
• There are various vitamin/antioxidant preparations available which appear to slow the development and progression. It should contain vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, zinc oxide and copper.
• There is evidence that supplements containing lutein and zeaxanthin (in addition to the above) can also be helpful.
• Stop Smoking!

For further resources on ARMD:

• National Eye Institute
• Macular Degeneration Foundation
• Mayo Clinic – Macular Degeneration

I don’t know about you, I swear that the print on the screen is getting smaller!

Of course, for a few years now (and especially since having Lasik done), I’ve been using reading glasses, but sometimes I just want to take a quick peak at the screen without having to find where I left yet another pair of glasses. (Do you keep them all over the house and in the car like I do?)

So this morning, I hit something on my keyboard and the print on the screen got larger. I had no idea what I did, so as usual, I googled the problem.

I don’t know about on Macs, but on a PC all you need to do (which was not what I did to begin with, but it still works) is hit:

• Control and the plus or minus sign to make the print (actually the entire page including graphics) larger or smaller.

Very cool!

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™
ActingYourAge!

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 30 – Older adults who smoke are twice as likely to have age related macular degeneration (AMD) than their non-smoking peers, according to findings from the largest study to look at this association in a British population.

Smoking is known to be a risk factor for AMD, lead author Dr. Jennifer R. Evans and colleagues, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, note. However, the strength of the association among adults 75 years of age and older in the UK was unclear.

To investigate, the researchers analyzed data from 516 case patients and 4364 controls drawn from 49 general practices across Britain.

Current smoking status raised the risk of AMD by 2.15-fold compared with non-smoking, according to the report in the May issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Virtually no excess risk was seen in ex-smokers, especially those who had stopped more than 20 years previously.

Based on these findings, the authors estimate that 28,000 cases of AMD among older adults in the UK may be attributable to smoking.

“An increased risk of AMD, which is the most commonly occurring cause of blindness in the UK, is yet another reason for people to stop smoking and governments to develop public health campaigns against this hazard,” the researchers emphasize.

Br J Ophthalmol 2005;89:550-553.

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For more information about Age Related Macular Degenerations (ARMD) click here.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen, LLC