It’s never too late to become healthier
The psychotherapist and author Dr. David Richo once wrote, “a healthy person is not perfect but perfectible, not a done deal but a work in progress.” Turns out, that’s true even for folks over 60 who have obesity.
A study published in Clinical Endocrinology found that when folks 60 to 78 enrolled in a hospital-based weightloss program, they lost as much — or more — weight and did so more quickly than obese folks under age 60 who followed the same diet, exercise and emotional support routines. Participants who were over 60 lost 7.3 percent of their body weight in around 34 months, while younger folks shed 6.9 percent in 41 months. The average participant had a body mass index of just over 40 (what’s called morbid obesity) to begin with.
So, if you’re one of the more than 40 percent of older folks in the U.S. who are obese, don’t give up on yourself. By losing weight, you can reduce your risk for — or the severity of — many obesity-related health challenges, such as Type 2 diabetes, most cancers, most cardiovascular diseases, asthma, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis and chronic back pain.
Talk to your doctor about taking steps to shed excess pounds through programs that help you make changes to your nutrition and activity level and provide psychological counseling and support groups. You can see great success at any age.
POST-COVID nerve pain
One “long haul” effect of COVID-19 that docs have been struggling to understand is the persistence of chronic pain or numbness in hands and feet.
Now a new study, published in the journal Radiology, suggests two causes of this lingering symptom. The body’s own immune response to the virus may trigger widespread inflammation that attacks the nerves, or the sensations may be caused by reaction to blood thinners. In that case, blood collects outside of the blood vessels, forming a hematoma, and puts pressure on the nerves.
Knowing these potential causes can allow doctors to more accurately determine which treatments will be most effective.
The researchers, from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, also stress the importance of knowing where in the body the pain originates. That’s possible using advanced imaging technology. They suggest anyone with such POST-COVID nerve sensations see about having ultra-high-resolution ultrasound and magnetic resonance neurography.