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Brain health is constantly in the news – for good reason. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, a number that is estimated to triple to 14 million by the year 2060. Navigating what is good and bad for your brain health can be tricky, especially given how much advice exists from so many different sources. This article will serve to outline what you should and shouldn’t do to help promote your brain health and reduce your risk for developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.   While these tips can apply to anyone at any age, it especially matters once you’ve entered retirement age. The CDC states that symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease tend to appear beginning around 60 years old, increasing as we age. Normal aging is associated with structural changes to the gray and white matter of the brain – meaning, there is a natural progression to brain deterioration that happens to almost everyone. However, diseases like Alzheimer’s – which is characterized by progressive memory loss, impaired thinking, disorientation and changes in personality and mood – are on the severe end of the brain degeneration spectrum and are theorized to be caused by certain lifestyle and risk factors. Making lifestyle changes now, no matter your age, can potentially prevent or reverse certain brain processes that may lead to Alzheimer’s.   What are some things I can do to help my brain health? Taking steps toward preserving, protecting and improving your brain health can be as easy as changing one small habit, including incorporating the following tips:   1.      Exercise Maintaining an active lifestyle is vital in preventing cognitive decline. Participating in activities such as light aerobics, dance, tai chi or even a simple walk around your

Osteoporosis, which means porous bone, is a chronic disease characterized by the weakening of bones and significant reductions in bone density, which is the amount of bone minerals in the bone tissue itself. This can result in an increased risk of fractures and other fall-related injuries. Even mild stress can fracture an osteoporotic bone that has become very brittle.  Women have a higher risk of developing osteoporosis once they reach menopause due to hormonal changes. What you can do for healthy bones While there are many risk factors, there are some methods you can use to strengthen your bones and reduce your risk of developing osteoporosis. Read on to learn more about the top 7 ways you can maintain your bone health. 1.      Watch what you eat Making sure you get a variety of nutrients from your food not only helps your overall health, but it can contribute toward building stronger bones and maintaining normal bone density. The two most critical nutrients for bone health are calcium and vitamin D. Other important vitamins for bone health include vitamin C and vitamin K. Foods that are rich in calcium such as dairy products (milk, cheese and yogurt) and plant-based sources (like almonds, beans, tofu or kale) are the best sources. Sources of vitamin D include exposure to sunlight and consumption of certain foods and supplements. Since there are very few foods that contain vitamin D, your best sources include fatty fish like wild-caught mackerel, salmon and tuna or foods where vitamin D has been added, such as dairy products, orange juice and fortified cereals. Many of these nutrients can be found in a diet made up of dark leafy green vegetables and a variety of colorful fruits. Some research has correlated a higher intake of fruits and vegetables with higher bone

Do you often feel tense? Has it become difficult to bend down and tie your shoes due to stiff joints? Are you often worried about falling? If so, chair yoga is the ideal exercise to add to your daily routine. The stabilized motions of chair yoga are known to alleviate some of the most common aches and pains, while improving strength and mobility. Once you begin practicing chair yoga, you’ll start to feel a sense of ease and relaxation flow through your body. Over time, you’ll notice the tension that once overtook your muscles and joints begins to release, and basic skills, such as bending over to tie your shoes, are once again possible. Chair yoga can be practiced by anyone struggling with balance, strength and flexibility. Adding a chair into your practice provides extra support, so you can complete basic stretches and enhance your overall quality of life. About chair yoga Chair yoga is derived from traditional yoga, an ancient practice with poses that date back over 5,000 years. Many, if not all, traditional yoga poses can be replicated and altered to accommodate a chair, making it possible, enjoyable and suitable for all levels of experience. This simple, yet effective, modification of incorporating a chair provides extra security and stability while transitioning through poses. Chair yoga allows you to make gradual improvements to your strength, balance and flexibility, and reduces the risk of losing your balance which is more common when practicing traditional yoga. Put your mind to rest knowing that if you struggle with balance and strength, you’ll always have the chair to hold on to. When you feel confident enough, you can begin to remove the chair from certain poses and flow through movements on your own. It’s important to take your time, listen to your body

You may have heard the famous saying, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” But do you really know how important your diet can be in helping you achieve your short or long-term health goals? One of your health goals may be to lower your body’s inflammation levels, which is linked to many chronic diseases. That inflammation can cause adverse symptoms throughout your body and may predispose you for other diseases such as cancer. This article will explain how your diet may help you lower your inflammation levels. However, always be sure to check in with a doctor or registered dietitian before beginning a new diet. What is inflammation? Inflammation has a few definitions depending on where it is found in the body. The more commonly known definition is swelling that occurs due to an external injury, causing redness in the affected area. However, internal inflammation can be a bit more sinister and harder to diagnose since your symptoms may be vague or transient. Inflammation within your body is your body’s natural defense mechanism. Your immune system recognizes an invader, whether it’s an irritant, allergen, pathogen or damaged cells, and builds the immune response to fight the invader with specialized immune cells. The inflammatory response is simply a sign your body is trying to protect itself, and is not necessarily a bad thing for short periods of time. For example, your body would not be able to heal a cut or scrape without the inflammatory immune response. However, when your body’s inflammation lasts for an extended period of time, you can develop secondary effects from it. Chronic inflammation can be caused by things like autoimmune diseases, hepatitis or asthma. It can also lead to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, type 2 diabetes or heart disease. Monitoring your

When you think of balance, you might think of balancing your commitments, juggling responsibilities or how you maintained a work-life balance in your career days. However, most adults don’t prioritize their physical balance until a serious health event occurs – like after they’ve already experienced a fall. Read on to learn more about why you should start thinking about your physical balance and learn some tips and tricks to improve it and reduce falls. How does improving your physical fitness lead to better balance and reduced risk of falls? As we age, our bodies begin to lose some of the protective mechanisms that exist to help us maintain our balance. The fat pads on our feet can start to deteriorate, making it more difficult to stay upright. Vestibular problems can develop in the ear, causing dizziness and vertigo, which can make it feel like the room is constantly spinning. Health conditions can also impact balance. For example, type 2 diabetes can lead to neuropathy, or numbness, in the feet and toes, reducing our control over our feet. However, you can take steps toward reducing some of these bodily changes by participating in certain exercises and making lifestyle changes. Strengthening your leg and core muscles, improving your flexibility and maintaining the range of motion in your joints can all contribute to reducing your risk of falls. Tips and tricks to improve your balance:   1. In-home exercise Asking your doctor which exercises he or she recommends is a good start toward improving your balance. Your doctor might recommend activities such as standing on one leg for 30 seconds at a time, doing squats while holding on to a countertop or balance bar or doing heel-to-toe steps on the ground that emulate a tightrope walk.   2. Fitness practices Certain fitness practices

If you’ve just been diagnosed with prediabetes, you may have questions about whether this is a permanent diagnosis or what this means for your long-term health. It might surprise you to learn that over 100 million Americans are living with some form of diabetes or prediabetes, which roughly translates to almost ten percent of our population. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), one in three adults in Arizona have prediabetes and one in 10 Arizonans have diabetes. Without intervention, ADHS states that prediabetes is likely to transition to type 2 diabetes within five years. In this article, we’ll break down exactly what prediabetes is and which steps you can take to prevent it from progressing to type 2 diabetes. However, this information should not be taken as medical advice and if you think you may have prediabetes, or have already received a diagnosis, you should consult with your doctor.   What is prediabetes? Before someone develops type 2 diabetes, they most likely have had prediabetes, which the American Diabetes Association defines as when blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be considered diabetes. The difference between prediabetes and type 2 diabetes is that prediabetes can be reversible and typically shows little to no symptoms. That means you can only really be diagnosed with prediabetes through designated tests. You may have also heard about type 1 diabetes, though there’s no relation between that and prediabetes. Type 1 diabetes is something that you typically develop during childhood or early adolescence, and is considered an autoimmune condition rather than something that is influenced by lifestyle or other medical conditions. However, type 2 diabetes is by far the most common form of diabetes in adults, accounting for over 95 percent of adult cases in the

In April 2018, the government began mailing revamped Medicare cards to the almost 60 million individuals enrolled in the program. In January 2019, Medicare announced that all cards were mailed, ending a nearly nine-month rollout process. When you received your new Medicare card, you may not have noticed much of a difference. But, despite their similar appearance, the new Medicare cards have several key advantages over their predecessor. Here are six things you should know about your new Medicare card.   1. Your new Medicare card is designed to keep you safe For years, many have called for Medicare to remove Social Security numbers from cards in order to keep beneficiaries safe. The new cards take this to heart and are designed to reduce the risks of scams and identity theft. This is why the new cards no longer feature your Social Security number. Instead, you have a new 11-digit Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), or Medicare Number. To further protect your personal information and enhance your safety, your new Medicare card no longer includes your gender or requires a signature.   Your New Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) Your new Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), also called a Medicare Number, can be found printed on the front of the card. It consists of numbers 0-9 and a random assortment of uppercase letters. You’ll use this number instead of your Social Security number to verify your identity for things like billing, claim status and eligibility status. You should treat your MBI as Personally Identifiable Information—meaning that you should keep it confidential. Never share your Medicare Number with anyone who contacts you by phone or email, unless you’ve given them permission in advance. Only share your Medicare Number with doctors, pharmacists and other health care providers, along with your insurers and people you give

Whether you’re looking for pain relief, relaxation or other benefits, acupuncture may be just what you need to enhance your personal health and wellness. Rooted in traditional Chinese medicine practices, the popularity of acupuncture has skyrocketed in the last few decades. More and more, people are turning to complementary treatments like acupuncture to supplement their conventional medications, doctor’s visits and other medical care. But, despite this growth in popularity, a question still remains: What can acupuncture do? In this article, we’ll break down some of the many benefits of acupuncture.   What is acupuncture? According to traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture balances the flow of energy known as chi, or qi, which is believed to flow through specific meridians, or pathways, in the body. Disruptions in the balance of chi are said to be responsible for health issues. Inserting very fine needles into points along certain meridians is believed to re-balance your energy flow, improving your overall health. In many parts of the world, acupuncture is considered a first line of treatment before Western medicine is considered. The 2,000-year-old practice of acupuncture first came to the medical forefront in the United States in 1971, when a reporter who had recently visited China wrote a piece in The New York Times about how Chinese doctors helped treat his pain from back surgery using needles. In 1997, the FDA classified acupuncture needles as medical devices, bringing modern standards to this ancient practice. In the years since, researchers all over the world have worked to uncover the benefits and mechanisms of acupuncture.   How does acupuncture work? Despite decades of research, researchers still don’t have a full grasp on how acupuncture works, and new theories are always emerging. The most common Western viewpoint considers acupuncture points as places to stimulate muscles, nerves and connective

Are you feeling stressed, tense or burnt out? Do you have nagging pain or discomfort, perhaps from an injury years ago? For these problems, and others, massage therapy may be the answer. While it’s commonly considered a luxury, a massage is more than just something you’d expect from a trip to the spa—it’s an important treatment that’s been shown to play an important role in reducing stress and improving overall wellbeing. The benefits of massage therapy include: Lowering stress Improving immune function Managing chronic pain Improving emotional health and wellness And more At Sun Health Wellness, our massage services are offered by licensed and trained massage therapists, who specialize in working with you to ensure your needs are met. Whether you’re looking for total relaxation or targeted pain relief, there’s a massage that’s right for you. We specialize in the following forms of massage therapy.   Swedish Best for: Full body-relaxation Swedish massage therapy is the most common, and most popular, form of massage. In fact, outside of English and Dutch speaking counties, Swedish massage is referred to as “classic massage.” The primary goal of Swedish massage is to relax the entire body. Soft, long kneading strokes and light, rhythmic tapping strokes are applied to the topmost layer of muscles. These techniques, along with movement of the joints, help to relieve muscle tension. A Swedish massage can also help increase the flow of oxygen in the blood. This helps flush lactic and uric acids, as well as other metabolic wastes, out of the body tissue, helping your body recover from stress and injury. If you’ve never had a massage before, Swedish massage is a great place to start. It’s gentle enough for beginners, while also being an effective way to achieve stress relief and full-body relaxation.   Deep Tissue Best

According to the CDC, one in four adults sit for more than eight hours a day. While a little rest and relaxation is fine here and there, living a completely sedentary life can be dangerous for your health. Increasing your physical activity at any age can help lower your risk factors for serious health conditions. Even something as simple as a daily walk around the block or a quick fifteen-minute exercise routine can help you live healthy for years to come. Here are seven reasons to move every day for the good of your overall health and wellbeing.   1. Sharper memory and thinking The endorphins released during exercise not only help you feel better—they help you think better, too. Better concentration and mental sharpness are just two of the many cognitive benefits of physical activity. Physical activity has even been shown to stimulate the growth of new brain cells and improve neuronal health by improving the delivery of oxygen and nutrients. Emerging research also shows a link between exercise and the prevention of age-related cognitive decline.   2. Weight loss and maintenance Time and time again, research has shown that inactivity is one of the main risk factors for weight gain and obesity. By increasing your physical activity, you can keep these conditions at bay. Regular exercise increases your metabolic rate, otherwise known as your metabolism. While our metabolisms naturally slow over time, staying active can help maintain a healthy metabolism at any age.   3. More energy Physical activity boosts cardiovascular health, which gives you more endurance throughout the day. More endurance makes it easier to do the tasks that your daily life requires without feeling worn out when all is said and done.   4. Better sleep Turns out that the best way to get a good

Six tips to minimize the risk of falling By Alison Stanton More than a quarter of adults 65 and older fall each year, and falling once doubles their chances of falling again, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And out of every five who fall, one is seriously injured. Many falls, however, are preventable, says Exercise Physiologist Rhonda Zonoozi. In fact, at the Sun Health Center for Health & Wellbeing, Rhonda has helped hundreds of people learn how to improve their balance and minimize their fall risks. Here are some of her tips: Tip 1: Don’t resist the assistive devices Rhonda tells a story about a client who began using a cane to help her walk. Some of the client’s friends teased her when they saw the cane. “She set them straight,” Rhonda says, “pointing out that their eye glasses assisted them with their vision, just like her cane assisted her with walking.” Used properly, assistive devices such as canes, glasses, hearing aids, walkers and countless other devices, can improve our health, safety and quality of life. “It’s common for people to view assistive devices as signs of weakness or a decline in abilities,” Rhonda says. “The exact opposite is true. They can help us stay able-bodied.”  Tip 2: Review medications annually with a doctor or pharmacist Some medications may lead to an increased risk of falling, and some interact with each other. Review everything annually, including over-the-counter medications, herbs and supplements. Tip 3: Keep an eye on your eyes and ears  “It is important to have your eyes and ears checked regularly,” Rhonda says. Even mild hearing loss or impaired vision can increase one’s fall risk. Tip 4: Wear “friendly” footwear Shoes should fit and have good traction. Avoid walking around the house in socks or stockings.

Medication and lifestyle changes can keep bones strong Four fractured bones in just a few years. Multiple emergency room visits. And, strong medications to help with pain.  This was what one 75-year-old patient endured until she sought treatment from Dr. Kelly Krohn, MD, bone specialist and medical director of bone health at The CORE Institute, Arizona’s largest orthopedic practice, specializing in advanced orthopedic and neurological care.  The cause of her misery? Osteoporosis. It’s a common diagnosis, but it can often be missed.  “That story is told over and over again in my clinic all day long,” Dr. Krohn says. “We eventually addressed the underlying problem and put her on treatment, and she hasn’t had any more fractures for the last year and a half.”  Osteoporosis – when the body loses too much bone – affects one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. The disease causes more than 8.9 million fractures a year across the world.  “When you hit menopause as a woman and get older as a man, you remove more bone than you replace every day,” Dr. Krohn explains. “If you live long enough, your bones get fragile. If your bones get fragile and you break something, we call it osteoporosis.” He says it’s a fallacy that people can completely overcome osteoporosis through exercise alone. While exercise is important, patients with osteoporosis can’t grow new bones without medication. The most important thing exercise does is to help reduce the likelihood of falls.   “You can help yourself with weight-bearing exercises and good nutrition, calcium and Vitamin D,” Dr. Krohn says.  In the past two decades, medical advances and new drugs have greatly improved treatment options for osteoporosis patients.  “We have many medications that predominately work by reducing