Gerardo Cardenas

The link between what you eat and how you feel is real, which is great news for people with arthritis. Research suggests that anti-inflammatory diets (low in sugars, carbohydrates and gluten and high in omega-3 fatty acids, olive oils and fiber) can help reduce joint pain and stiffness. Besides a healthful boost, this type of diet almost always leads to some surprising and rapid weight loss, taking pressure off bones and joints. Don’t be intimidated by the mistaken idea that you have to lose 25 lbs, an especially difficult task when joint pain restricts how much exercise you can do. The rule of thumb is that every 1 lb of weight loss reduces the force distributed through the hip, for example, three-fold. A little bit of weight loss has a big impact!

I am often asked about ways to reduce the risk of developing certain neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The following are a few recent questions that have been posed online and through social media, along with my responses, so you, too, can understand the significance of healthy lifestyle choices and early testing to maintain brain health.

By Demetrius M. Maraganore, MD

For the second consecutive year, a volunteer from Illinois has received the highest recognition from AARP Driver Safety, which runs the nation’s largest safe-driving course. George Goodwin, who hails from Downers Grove, a suburb just west of Chicago, received the prestigious Michael Seaton National Volunteer of the Year Award, named after the founder of the AARP Driver Safety program in 1979. Goodwin was selected from AARP Driver Safety’s volunteer force of over 4,200 dedicated individuals throughout all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U. S. Territories for this award.

By Demetrius M. Maraganore, MD

Caregiving is a social and health care issue that has slowly emerged in the public sphere as the Baby Boomer generation has been getting older, and older individuals have increasingly expressed a preference to stay in their own homes and communities, close to family and friends, rather than in costly institutions.

Anybody who provides care for a loved one knows there are tough times – times when you may have to make gut-wrenching decisions. Or times when you have to make deep, radical changes in your own life in order to help and care for those you love.

It’s been a quiet start of the summer for Sarah, my mom. She’s getting used to the new wheelchair we got her for the times when she goes out of the house to doctors’ appointments, church or social occasions. The weather is warm, which means her tired bones don’t hurt as much. She loves summer.

One thing I’ve learned about caring for my mom is how much you change as a caregiver. I am not the same person who started taking care of her in a more intentional, specific way, almost two years ago. My perspective of aging and my view of my own mother have changed - and my perspective of myself has changed as well.

It was one those days of ‘what if’ questions with my mom.