Resistance (exercise) need not be futile
With apologies to the Borg on “Star Trek,” it turns out that the collective was wrong about resistance. It’s far from futile. A review out of the University of Limerick says that if you’re depressed or anxious, resistance exercises effectively ease those feelings. The researchers looked at 12 studies and concluded that resistance exercise provides measurable emotional benefits, likely from their impact on blood circulation and neural firing in the brain and from the increase in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) that they trigger.
Depression and anxiety are difficult to treat. Johns Hopkins Medicine says that depressive symptoms return for up to 33 percent of people using antidepressants and a study in Mental Health Clinician found that about 50 percent of folks with generalized anxiety disorder don’t see positive results from initial treatment with antidepressants. Resistance exercises using your body weight and stretchy/resistance bands offer a good alternative.
According to Harvard Health, one study found that 10 weeks of body-weight exercises by folks who haven’t been doing resistance exercise improves aerobic capacity by 33 percent, core muscle endurance by 11 percent and lower-body power by 6 percent.
The ABCS of AMD
Eleven million people in the U.S. have age-related macular degeneration (AMD); it’s the leading cause of vision loss. Dry AMD happens when the macula thins over several years. Wet AMD, less common than dry AMD, is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the eye. Dry AMD can turn into wet AMD.
Signs of developing AMD include mild blurriness in your central vision and, in later stages, straight lines may look wavy or crooked, colors may dim and you may have trouble seeing in low light.
Regular dilated eye exams can detect AMD before symptoms are severe. It’s also smart to have yearly retinal imaging if you’re age 50-plus. Wet AMD treatments to stop progression include a vitamin mix plus eye injections of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). And there are now injectable drugs for latestage dry AMD that slow progression.
The AREDS-2 nutritional supplement delays or prevents intermediate AMD from advancing. AREDS-2 contains 500 milligrams of vitamin C, 400 IU of vitamin E, 2 milligrams of copper, 80 milligrams of zinc, 10 milligrams of lutein, 2 milligrams of zeaxanthin and beta carotene.