Use this power of nature to benefit your health and home.

Since ancient times, people have used essential oils and plants to improve their health and lives, and to enhance spiritual reflection. Today, mounting scientific evidence and research show that some essential oils can be effectively and safely integrated into many aspects of daily life such as cooking, household cleaning, personal hygiene, and many other purposes with extraordinary benefits. And using natural essential oils instead of synthetically manufactured chemicals can dramatically reduce exposure to toxic products in your life and home.

These oils have gained popularity for their unique purported benefits: 

Frankincense is a holy anointing oil used to augment meditation and raise spiritual awareness. Sacred frankincense, the king of essential oils, has a grounding, uplifting, and inspiring aroma.

The potent fragrance of frankincense—a combination of pine, lemon, and woody, earthy scents—can be used as aromatherapy. Its sweet, woody aroma is soothing and enhances mood by diminishing stress and anxiety and improving concentration and memory. Frankincense can help with inflammation and sleep. Studies show that it can improve asthma and prevent gum disease, and it is often added to skin creams.

Myrrh oil has a smoky, sweet, sometimes bitter smell. Myrrh is the most crucial ingredient in holy oil used in religious rituals and ceremonies. When diffused, the soothing scent is known to stabilize emotions, lift negative moods, promote the feeling of being grounded, and encourage a sense of spiritual awakening. Myrrh relieves stress, promotes mental focus, and supports spiritual opening.

Myrrh diffused with frankincense has an earthy and intoxicating aroma and is used for its meditative quality. However, occasionally, myrrh is blended with citrus oils to produce a more elevated scent. These lighter blends are used to help promote inspiration and emotional insight.

Cedarwood essential oil brings wisdom, protection, and abundance. Cedarwood, with its sweet and woody fragrance, is used in aromatherapy applications and is characterized as warm, comforting, and promotes stress relief. Its refreshing quality is known to enhance concentration and its soothing sent is reputed to reduce harmful stress and ease tension, which rests the body and clears the mind.

 Cedarwood oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties, and is a popular ingredient added to insect repellent, deodorant, and shampoo, giving these products a woodsy scent. Cedarwood oil helps with sleep and anxiety, and can be used as aromatherapy and a topical treatment mixed with a carrier oil.

Sandalwood is known to quiet the mind, supporting a feeling of peace. A noted mood enhancer, this essence facilitates all related benefits, from reduced tension and anxiety to enhanced feelings of harmony. The smell of Sandalwood complements meditation practices by promoting a sense of spiritual well-being. As a calming oil, it is further reputed to promote relaxation. Incorporating the soothing fragrance of Sandalwood into our aromatherapy practices will add a serene grounding influence promoting the feeling of a calm body at peace.

Sandalwood is one of the world’s most expensive essential oils, prized for its fragrance, which is described as soft and sweet, rich, woody, and balsamic.

Lavender calms and relaxes both body and mind. When used in aromatherapy, this mild sedative reduces stress by decreasing cortisol levels that contribute to the stress hormone. Lavender promotes a sense of relaxation, emotional stability, and mental clarity, inspires focus, and enhances the sense of enlightenment. Lavender can help with stress, pain, and sleep.

You can add lavender to a diffuser as aromatherapy, water to create a room spray or body spritzer, or base oil to make a soothing scented body oil.

Ylang Ylang is known for its captivating and exotic floral bouquet. Its pleasant floral scent, both delicate and powerful, makes it an ideal ingredient for aromatherapy applications. It can naturally help relax, promote tranquility, and create a sense of calm. With a delightful, bright, spicy, and stimulating scent, Ylang Ylang oil is a popular ingredient and blends well with lavender and sandalwood essential oils.

Rosemary adds to the flavor of various recipes. But rosemary oil has additional benefits like improving brain function, promoting hair growth, reducing pain and stress, lifting mood, and reducing joint inflammation. Rosemary oil is safe for aromatherapy and topically on the skin with a carrier.

Sage helps to stimulate and clarify the mind while presenting a balancing, uplifting, and soothing effect to ease negative moods. It enhances memory, too. Sage is valued in traditional medicine and is used to treat various ailments, including coughs, asthma, bronchitis, angina, inflammation, depression, and digestive and circulation disorders.

With so many essential oils available, you can adapt them to your specific needs and desires, making them a popular choice for those seeking the best natural solutions in the modern era. Clearly, the ancients understood that essential oils are a unique gift meant to be used. Our ancestors knew that a simple herbal infusion’s power supports spiritual, emotional, and physical health.

Nancy J. Schaaf, RN, BSN, MEd, is a retired registered nurse and educator. Her articles have been published in numerous national, regional, and Canadian magazines. Schaaf enjoys writing, reading, traveling, exercise classes, and playing with her toy poodle, Lettie.

 Read More by Nancy Schaaf

Aromatherapy tips for using essential oils:

• For immediate benefit you can simply inhale the scent by waving the bottle under your nose and taking a deep breath.

• Use an electronic diffuser designed to disperse a fine mist of essential oils, gently filling the air with fragrance.

• Mix a few drops with a carrier oil such as coconut, avocado, or grape seed oil to apply directly to your skin. Never apply undiluted essential oils to your skin.

• Mix a few drops with Epsom salts to add to your bath for a relaxing time out.

The post Discover Essential Oils appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

Philosopher Immanuel Kant called music “the quickening art,” and the music affects a kind of magical transformation on Henry. His dementia is set aside. A man who wasn’t there in one moment is suddenly very present, very alive, very much a singular being with personality and passion. He had appeared lost to his dementia but was very much alive inside, and music woke him from his mental slumber.

The power of music is evident to anyone who watches the video of Henry. We know that it works but don’t really know why or how it works. How does music perform this magic? Why is it that the arts, in general, possess this transformative power. I’ve been struggling with these questions for close to two decades now.

My early thinking on the subject was influenced by the work of Ellen Dissanayake and Denis Dutton,** who argue that aesthetic sensibilities are evolved instincts possessed by all human beings. The human capacity to make art and appreciate beauty, they believe, have been shaped by natural selection. An aesthetic sensibility is a fundamental characteristic of human behavior. We are hard-wired for art.

As the field of neuroscience blossomed in the 1990s, researchers began exploring the neurological basis for aesthetic experiences, seeking to understand how the human brain processed art and how art, in turn, shapes the nature of individual brains. Neuroscientist Semir Zeki dubbed this new sub-field “neuroaesthetics” in 1999. The evolutionary perspective of art was complemented by a deeper understanding of how the human brain works and why it is so sensitive to artistic expression.

The scientific study of the arts has been robust but disorganized. The NeuroArts Blueprint Initiative, launched in 2019, is striving to wed the disciplines of science, technology, and the arts. Their mission is to “cultivate an ecosystem for neuroarts—the transdisciplinary study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the body, brain, and behavior, and how this knowledge is translated into specific practices that advance health and well-being around the world.”

I am delighted that I will be able to contribute to this cultivation of a neuroarts ecosystem. I’ve been invited to serve on a new Health and Science Committee set up by Encore Creativity, the nation’s largest choral singing group for older adults. Encore’s goals are to use our growing understanding about science of the arts to improve the health of their singers and to help them flourish as they age.

With this new assignment, I need to update and expand my thinking about the power of the arts to promote human well-being. Here are some of the points that I find compelling and provocative:

1. The power of the arts derives from basic physics. Art is grounded in sensory stimuli that, at its base, are forms of energy. When energy of any kind enters the brain, it has the power to alter the structure and function of our mind.

Susan Magsamen, co-director of the NeuroArts Blueprint, makes the same point in her new book, Your Brain on Art. She says that “all stimuli that we encounter—visual, auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, olfactory, and others—change the structure and function of cells within our brains and bodies. And they do so in fundamental ways.”

2. We are hard-wired for the arts. We thrive as a species because of our creativity and adaptability. We have used the arts to shape our environments, and the environments we create, in turn, shape our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

3. The arts engage multiple types of energy that interact holistically with the multiple systems that animate our bodies and brains. The arts, therefore, are particularly effective at addressing complex, multi-faceted disorders and diseases.

4. The arts are fun. We enjoy the arts. Art is play. The arts are intimately linked to positive emotions. This alone contributes to flourishing. But further, the therapeutic benefits embedded in the arts pleasure are easily endured. We are happy to take the medicine on a regular basis because it’s so enjoyable and fulfilling.

5. The arts can inspire wonder and awe, pulling us out of our egocentric self-absorption, and sweeping us into a mystical sense of unity with forces grander than our individual selves.

Taking this fifth point to heart, I suspect we will never fully understand why the arts are such powerful healers. Often, just recognizing that they work is enough. We shouldn’t forgo effective treatments just because we don’t understand how or why they work. How did the voice of Cab Calloway pull Henry out of his dementia?

It’s magic! That may be all the answer we really need.

Michael C. Patterson helped provide funding for Gene Cohen’s Creative Aging research when running AARP’s Staying Sharp brain health program. With Cohen, Patterson started and led the board research committee for the National Center for Creative Aging. Patterson now produces and hosts the MINDRAMP podcast, and publishes a weekly newsletter featuring new research reports that shed light on issues pertaining to successful aging.

Read more by Michael C. Patterson

More Resources:

Listen to Michael’s MINDRAMP podcast interviews with Dan Cohen, the champion of personalized music featured in Alive Inside.

Watch the full Alive Inside documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9IHUPamCB4

** Ellen Dissanayake wrote What is Art For? (1988) and Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes from and Why? (1992). Denis Dutton wrote The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution (2010).

Read Gene Cohen’s Creative Aging research at https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/NEA-Creativity-and-Aging-Cohen-study.pdf.

The post Alive Inside—Our Brains are Hardwired for Art appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

I hope to cultivate greater peace of mind as I live out the last few years of my life. Many aspects of our lives spin out of control, but we should, at least, be capable of managing the workings of our minds. I have recently discovered two important concepts that, when merged, provide a mind management strategy for achieving greater clarity and equanimity.

The first concept was initially proposed by the medieval Christian mystic Meister Eckhart, and is captured by his term “Gelassenheit,” which is often translated as “releasement.” The root word is lassen, which means to let something happen, to allow, or to leave something be. Eckhart used the word to describe his mystical approach to Catholic worship, which involved letting go of intellectual and scholarly approaches to finding God. and replace them with direct experience of the divine. He extricated himself from religious doctrine and adoration of written scriptures and opened himself to intuitive experience of the divine. Gelassenheit, more generally, describes the dynamic interplay between a polarity of opposites—a letting go of one thing automatically opens the door to the embrace of something else.

The second strategy is the hemisphere hypothesis, a broad and robust area of inquiry by the scholar and philosopher Iain McGilchrist.* The key point for my purposes is that the two hemispheres of our brain are semi-independent and think in very different ways. When the two hemispheres collaborate under the guidance of the right hemisphere (RH), which sees the big picture of direct experience, our minds operate well. Unfortunately, the left hemisphere (LH), which creates a virtual reality representation of reality, has come to dominate modern civilization. Consequently, we become confused and conflicted because our view of reality is distorted and detached from real experience.

Combining the gelassenheit process with the guidance of the hemisphere hypothesis provides us with a reasonable game plan for cultivating greater peace of mind. I’ll call it the “hemispheric gelassenheit” strategy. In broad terms, the strategy is to release our mind from the virtual reality distortions of the LH, as we open our minds to direct experience of real life as mediated by the RH. How might we put the hemispheric gelassenheit into action?

Fortunately, there are a few simple, straight forward activities that rebalance hemispheric influence in favor of the RH. Aerobic exercise does the trick. When you hike, jog, swim, bike, or engage in any kind of continuous exertion, your LH shuts down so your RH can focus on the body’s interaction with the environment. Experiencing the awe of the natural world also brings RH sensibilities to center stage. Playfulness and creativity, listening to music, dancing all quiet the LH and engage the RH.

Alan Watts, who masterfully brought Eastern wisdom to Western audiences, quipped that, “We need to lose our minds to come to our senses.” We don’t, of course, need to lose our entire mind. The trick to finding peace of mind, or enlightenment, is to quiet the LH chatter and let the RH pay full attention to direct sensual engagement with real experience. Stop living inside our rational brains and return to direct experience of life.

There are also structured disciplines that are designed to practice the hemispheric gelassenheit. Regular meditation practice, for example, trains the mind to let go of LH chatter and to ground ourselves in the direct experience of breathing, or feeling our body, which engages the RH.

Zen koans are training techniques designed to stimulate insight by being inscrutable. To a question such as “What is the meaning of life?” a Zen master might respond with the question, “What is the sound of one hand clapping? or the statement “Wash your rice bowl.” The LH can’t make sense of these koans using logic and literalism and eventually the RH, which is more comfortable with ambiguity, takes over. The RH may then recognize that thinking about the meaning of life is a fruitless endeavor. The meaning of life is found in living life. You are already doing it. This is it!

There also appear to be more dramatic and rapid-fire methods of achieving the hemispheric gelassenheit. I believe, for example, that people who experience a so-called mystical experience are, in fact, suddenly thrust into a new state-of-consiousness, one nearly devoid of LH influence.

Neuroantomist Jill Bolte Taylor, for example, suffered a LH stroke and for eight years lived exclusively through her RH. She says, “my consciousness shifted into a perception that I was at one with the universe. Since that time, I have come to understand how it is that we are capable of having a ‘mystical’ or ‘metaphysical’ experience—relative to our brain anatomy.”

People who have spontaneous mystical experiences consistently report feeling a dissolution of self and a happy merging with some greater and grander conception of existence.

Modern research into psychedelics is now making a mystical experience available to anyone who manages to arrange a guided trip on psilocybin or other psychedelic drugs. Serious researchers are reporting numerous medical and emotional benefits that regularly result from the use of psilocybin. These include the dissolution of self, and a profound sense of meaning and purpose brought about by unity with something larger than ourselves. This sounds like a hemispheric gelassenheit to me. The mystical experience of a psilocybin trip leaves people with a deep sense of calm, with peace of mind.

I am convinced that the hemispheric gelassenheit strategy can help individuals find greater peace of mind. And further, I believe the strategy could help us move society toward greater sanity and peace. The strategy would involve freeing ourselves from destructive LH approaches to political, economic, and social concerns, and replacing them with kinder, more compassionate RH approaches. But this is a topic for another time.

*The hemisphere hypothesis and its myriad implications is expounded by Iain McGilchrist in his two majestic books: The Master & His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World (2009), and The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World (2021). You can learn more about McGilchrist at his website: https://channelmcgilchrist.com/.

Michael C. Patterson is an author, teacher and consultant who specializes in promoting successful longevity, living long, and living well. He explores his ideas about the hemispheric gelassenheit on the MIND OVER MUDDLE series of the MINDRAMP Podcasts. Learn more about Patterson’s work with MINDRAMP at www.mindramp.org.

The post Hemishperic Gelassenheit appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

“If you want to retain post-orthodontic positioning, you need to wear some sort of retention for life. That’s a key fact,” says Seattle dentist Dr. Frank Calvo. If you don’t, he adds, “There tends to be a memory, and the teeth will migrate back to where they were.”

Dr. Calvo knows that quite well. He also wore braces as a teenager and, like most of us back then, he wasn’t told to continue using a retainer. At 62, he’s doing it all again, this time with Invisalign®. There’s no age limit on orthodontic work, and it’s not just about aesthetics.

“Everybody thinks that they just want a pretty smile,” says orthodontist Dr. Greg Vaughn. But misaligned and crowded teeth, he says, “can affect the function of your bite, the wear pattern of your teeth. It can lead to fractures, root canals, loss of teeth, and gum infections.”

In their Seattle and Bellevue orthodontic practice, Dr. Vaughn and his wife, Dr. Paola Leone, see patients ranging from five to 87 years old. “There’s no age that’s not the right age to do something that’s important for you,” says Dr. Leone.

Orthodontic treatment works by using continual pressure from braces or aligners, over time, to move teeth. Depending on the complexity of the problem to be treated, patients may choose options such as metal braces (smaller and more comfortable than in the past); ceramic, tooth-colored braces; lingual braces, which go behind the teeth; or clear aligners that go over the teeth. Invisalign®, the original clear aligner, is the most common, and there are other brands as well. The orthodontist will determine whether patients are eligible for specific options.

Dr. Leone says that most of their adult patients choose Invisalign®; It opens the door, she says, for people who didn’t want to be treated. “It’s much less intrusive for their life schedule,” says Dr. Vaughn. “There are no food restrictions, and they can take them out for a party.” Also, most people can’t tell you’re wearing them.

Key to success with Invisalign® is patient motivation and compliance. The aligners should be worn for about 22 hours a day during treatment and must be taken out to eat or to drink anything other than water. Patients need to brush and floss before putting them back in. Treatment generally takes 12 to 24 months, but it is possible to speed up the movement of teeth. At their practice, Drs. Leone and Vaughn offer photobiomodulation, which uses infrared light to facilitate bone remodeling on a molecular level. “We use it on some of our more complicated aligner treatments,” says Dr. Leone. “Patients are truly grateful for shortening treatment time.” And, she says, that helps increase compliance.

Orthodontic treatment is the centerpiece for success in both health and aesthetic results. Before doing cosmetic or restorative work such as veneers or implants, Dr. Calvo looks at the entire picture to come up with the least invasive plan. It often starts with realigning teeth, and for that, he sends patients to a specialist.

“We evaluate the current condition,” says Dr. Vaughn. “The dentist will send someone to us and we may have to do something like idealize the space so there can be implants.”

When restoration and repair are needed, it can be a team approach between orthodontists, dentists, periodontists, and endodontists. “We’re the quarterbacks,” says Dr. Vaughn. “We’re the guy who pours the foundation for the house. You don’t want to add a beautiful kitchen if the foundation isn’t right, and you can run into problems if the bite isn’t right.”

Orthodontic work can prevent costly and painful procedures later on. Kathy Herigstad, of Seattle, had some crooked teeth as a child, but her parents couldn’t afford braces. Seven years ago, at 56, her dentist expressed concern that crowded teeth were causing early signs of gum inflammation and bleeding. And that could lead to gum transplants to save her teeth.

“I didn’t care so much about the cosmetics of it, but when it started to become an issue with gum erosion, it was time,” says Herigstad. “I didn’t want to end up in the periodontist’s office and have a lot of expensive work to save my teeth.”

She chose Invisalign®. Her practitioner scanned her mouth, making a 3D impression in a digital format for a custom fit. For the next year and a half Herigstad always carried a small travel kit with a tiny toothbrush, paste, and floss. She also learned to keep her aligner case with her at all times, after wrapping the aligners in a napkin and nearly throwing them away at a restaurant. It was all part of making a commitment, she says. “When you enter into it, it’s like a marriage with your mouth.”

She spoke with a bit of a lisp at first, but after about a month, Herigstad barely noticed she was wearing the aligners. Now, at 63, her gums are safe. And the aesthetics are great, too. “It really opened up my smile more. I hadn’t realized how self-conscious I was about that overlapping and crowding of my teeth. It gives me more confidence.”

The price for orthodontic treatment can range from approximately $3,500 to as much as $9,000, depending on what needs to be done. And, interestingly, those fees haven’t increased much in decades. “My parents paid the same amount for my braces, in 1972, as my orthodontist charges now,” says Dr. Calvo.

“THERE’S NO AGE LIMIT ON ORTHODONTIC WORK, AND IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT AESTHETICS”

If you’re thinking about dental work, Dr. Calvo suggests that you look at your smile in photos, figure out what you don’t like and want to change, then ask your dentist about options. Don’t hesitate to get a second opinion.

When choosing an orthodontist, look for a practitioner who is comfortable treating older adults. Ask your dentist for a recommendation. Be prepared to commit to whatever treatment you choose, including wearing your retainer. The result will be worth it.

“It will make you look younger and healthier,” says Dr. Calvo. “And you actually are.”

Priscilla Charlie Hinckley has been a writer and producer in Seattle television and video for 35 years, with a primary interest in stories covering health and medicine, women’s and children’s issues, social justice, and education. She enjoys taking a lighthearted approach to serious topics.

The post Orthodontics at Any Age appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

A week later, lying on a blanket while an instructor explained that this class was about doing less and making the movement lazy, I was skeptical. I was also in pain. For the last 20 years, three herniated disks at the base of my spine had made it painful to lie on a solid surface. The scientist in me was a little worried that there might be what I thought of as a “woowoo” element to the practice—some kind of magical thinking.

But I was determined to give it a fair trial. By the third lesson, the back pain that had dogged me for two decades had faded to barely noticeable discomfort. I was hooked.

As for my concern about the “woowoo factor,” a little research quickly dispelled that notion. There is nothing mystical about the Feldenkrais Method. Its creator, Moshe Feldenkrais, held degrees in physical and electrical engineering as well as physics. He was also an expert in the martial arts. He was fascinated by the intersection of these fields—the mechanics of the movement of the human body. This fascination led to his “Awareness Through Movement” technique, which combines gentle, mindful movements with focused, playful experimentation designed to release muscle tension, increase joint mobility, and eliminate habitual, dysfunctional patterns of movement.

What to Expect

If you’ve taken other exercise classes, you’ll notice right away that the language of Feldenkrais is different. Feldenkrais instructors don’t give orders. Instead, they invite students to explore a movement to the extent that is comfortable for them. They use phrases like, “Begin to think about how you might…” and admonish students not to push the movement past the point of comfort. In fact, the Feldenkrais Method holds that if you can’t do the movement at all, simply imagining it at first may help the brain to figure out how to organize it.

Be ready to do a lot of thinking when you walk into a Feldenkrais lesson. Awareness Through Movement is as much about the awareness as it is about the movement. What changes in the lower back when you move your leg in this way? Where does the movement initiate? Is it easier on the left or the right? Most lessons end with a return to the first movement in the lesson, to see what has changed over the course of the session. First time students are often startled to find that their range of motion has increased quite dramatically.

The stand-alone nature of Feldenkrais lessons, coupled with the focus on not pushing limits makes it a more accessible practice than yoga or martial arts. No matter your fitness level, Feldenkrais meets you where you are. There are plenty of active lessons to challenge adventurous students, but also hundreds of lessons that can be done while seated in a chair or standing.

The Benefits

In the short term, the Feldenkrais Method will give you a collection of movements that serve as a sort of personalized medicine chest. Instead of immediately reaching for aspirin for a sore back or shoulder, you may spend 10 minutes playing with part of a Feldenkrais lesson targeting the area.

As for the long-term benefits, my Feldenkrais instructor often expresses frustration at the number of people who have unnecessary hip or knee replacements that could be avoided by regularly practicing simple, gentle movements to keep those joints moving smoothly. The awareness of how we move, and how our bodies are stacked up in space, also naturally increases balance, making falls less likely. Still, people of all ages do fall, and one of the areas the Feldenkrais Method focuses on is how to fall safely and how to get yourself up from the ground.

Finally, there is an undeniable element of fun in the method. Babies learn to crawl, stand, and walk by playful experimentation. Feldenkrais brings this spirit of playfulness back into movement. Sure, I can get out of bed by sitting on the edge of the bed and standing up, but sometimes, just for fun, I use one of the Feldenkrais rolling-over lessons, crossing one leg over my body, allowing the weight of that leg to pull the rest of my body over so that my foot lands on the floor, and suddenly I’m standing. Sometimes I’ll use the lesson where we learned to use the weight of both legs to pop up effortlessly from lying down to sitting. I don’t have any problem getting up from the floor, but sometimes it’s just more fun to use the Feldenkrais “spiraling up” method. Do I look silly? Maybe. But maybe, one day I’ll take a fall on a patch of ice and, instead of lying there hoping to be rescued, I’ll roll myself over, pop up to sitting and spiral up to my feet. And that is the genius of the Feldenkrais Method. It’s all fun and games, until you need it.

Basic Movements to Get You Started

Read carefully before moving on to the movements:

• Each of these movements should be very small—only an inch or two—and performed very slowly, with full attention to the experience. What does your shoulder blade do? Where can you feel traces of the movement?

• Repeat one movement three times, then rest completely before moving on to the next movement.

• If you experience any discomfort with the movement, make the movement smaller, or simply think your way through the movement without actually performing it.

The Movements:

Sitting in a comfortable posture, slowly raise the right shoulder, then return to the neutral position.

Slowly lower the right shoulder, then return to the neutral position.

Combine these movements, slowly raising the shoulder and then lowering it in one smooth movement, then return to the neutral position.

Move the right shoulder slightly backward, then return to the neutral position.

Move the right shoulder slightly forward, then return to the neutral position.

Combine these two movements, shifting the shoulder slightly back and then forward in one smooth movement, then return to the neutral position.

Here’s the tricky part: Combine all four movements, moving the shoulder through a small circle—up, forward, down, back, and then return to the neutral position.

Try reversing the circle. Which one is easier?

While resting, consider: Do you feel any difference between the left and right shoulders? Is one higher than the other? More relaxed? There’s no right answer. Just notice what you feel.

Repeat these movements with the left shoulder, noting whether you find it easier, harder or the same.

W. R. Shaw lives and writes in the Pacific NW. When she’s not writing, she’s often found rescuing rattlesnakes from yards and rural highways.

The post Do Less and Move More with the Feldenkrais Method appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

Two miles from our home near Seattle I pleaded with my husband, “Turn around. I can’t do this.” Moaning in pain, my vision blurred as my pain scale hit an 8 and threatened to end our 2,000-mile road trip. Angry nerves fired, burning throughout my body. My chest filled with heartache.

My husband and I were on our way to California to help our newly homeless family. They were victims of the worst wildfire in California’s history and we longed to hug, console, and support them. I released my car seat to recline but it was blocked by a treasured antique, a third generation, Grandma Rickliff heirloom chest. It still wore its original stain and smelled musty. Each drawer had separate keyholes trimmed with cord-like rope, hand carved out of wood. I longed to see my sister-in-law’s face and resettle the chest into a world where they had lost everything, except their lives.

Sobbing, I screamed, “Who am I?” Slowly, over 26 years, fibromyalgia changed me, making me a stranger to myself and my husband. The disorder caused widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied with fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. Prescription drugs and pain relievers never worked, and I feared the side effects. Yoga proved helpful, but I couldn’t afford the time for desired results. When a massage therapist laid hands on me, the positive effect was often immediate, but the euphoria proved fleeting.

Just days before the trip, I began experimenting with CBD-active terpenes (with no THC). Now, with my thinking obscured, my husband thought for me. “Why don’t you double the CBD?” he asked.

Why hadn’t I thought of that? The directions were to increase the dose until the CBD became effective, perhaps another dose would work. I pulled the tincture from my purse and gently squirted a lemon-flavored second dose under my tongue. With the limited studies I had assessed, I doubted it would work. I thought of it a bit like snake oil, but I had nothing to lose. It was the role of the dice.

We continued on our journey south. I noticed a difference after about 30 minutes and was able to stop shifting and rest as the pain was alleviating. When I opened my eyes, I focused on the scenic beauty of Oregon.

As we rolled into our hotel in Medford, golden light warmed the car, and I gently started stretching out my muscles with little pain. No, I did not want to go dancing but I was moving, my pain levels were tolerable, enough so that we walked to a quaint Chinese restaurant for dinner. Before turning down the bed I dosed myself with another dropper of CBD. By morning, my pain levels were down to a two or three. I remained comfortable for the remainder of the trip. I had my life back.

One and a half years later, my pain is controlled, and I enjoy most activities. I climb stairs without limitations, and I can stand for prolonged periods of time. I am seldom edgy from pain, and I can function at a computer.

One more thing happened that I didn’t expect. My sleeping patterns changed. I was falling asleep effortlessly and remaining asleep throughout the night like during my childhood. It was a revolutionary experience, clearly not a placebo effect.

As I continue to benefit from CBD, I have studied and learned a great deal. All CBD products are not equal. The Food and Drug Administration is in the process of determining guidelines for CBD. Until they do, we need to assume responsibility for what we are using and it’s important to educate ourselves. Here is a little of what I’ve learned and some tips and places to start:

1. Only Purchase CBD from a Reputable Source: If you live in Western Washington, most Washington State licensed cannabis stores are very knowledgeable about their products and can be an excellent source of information. Most pharmacies carry CBD products and pharmacists can help identify known drug interactions. CBD products do not require a prescription. The Internet can be a valuable resource to compare and purchase products. Remember that only doctors and pharmacists can offer medical advice or suggest products for specific ailments. It is always important to check with your doctor before starting any hemp- or cannabis-derived product.

2. Get a Certificate of Analysis: When purchasing any CBD product, always ask for a third-party Certificate of Analysis (CoA). A third-party CoA means that the product has been reviewed by an independent laboratory. Look specifically to see if the product has been tested for pesticides and heavy metals. If a brand cannot provide a third-party CoA, move on.

3. Always Review the Label: We’ve all been told how important it is to read the labels. When buying CBD products, it’s essential. Look for an expiration date, the amount of CBD/Phyto cannabinoids, and check for other ingredients.

4. Check THC Levels: THC is the chemical responsible for marijuana’s psychological effects. Federally legal CBD products can contain from zero up to 0.3% THC. Washington State products can contain higher levels, which may not be legal in other states. It is important to know how THC affects you, especially if you plan to operate a vehicle, or if you have balance issues. Start with zero or very low THC. I always choose a product that is 100% THC-free.

5. Consider the “Entourage Effect”: While CBD and THC are the primary cannabinoids that can produce a therapeutic effect, the “entourage effect” theory posits that a combination of chemicals, especially terpenes, play a key role in helping to realize the plant’s full therapeutic benefits. Terpenes are organic, aromatic hydrocarbons that can be found in thousands of plants around the world. I use a product with more than 40 terpenes to achieve homeostasis.

6. Quality is Important: Remember, generally you get what you pay for. It is true of many purchases and, certainly, CBD.

7. Safety First: It bears repeating—check with your doctor before starting a hemp- or cannabis-derived product, especially if you are taking other medications.

8. Try, Try Again: Finally, if you do try CBD, be patient. If it doesn’t work, try a different brand. If your pain is local, try a topical. Although both tinctures and capsules are good for overall pain, tinctures allow more flexibility for dosing than capsules do.

After a lifetime of leadership in senior communities and hospice, Debbie Van Straten is now a published author. Her stories on aging define elderhood as a stage of life as unique and special as childhood or adulthood. She lives in Bremerton, Wash.

The post CBD Gave Me Life without Pain appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

It begins. We are in our ’56 Chevy, black, its fins as yet restrained, heading for Fleetwood, Penn., on an early Sunday afternoon. We will be met with a massive meal, simple, albeit multitudinous, and by Anna, my Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother. But first, the journey. My mother reads aloud from Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows. Hills and pastures glide by. The characters of Mr. Toad, Rat, and Mole and their adventures assembled the scaffold of my imagination. This was reading—Mother’s voice, the evocation of different worlds, an aperçu, a journey.

                                                           ***

For me, it’s been a year of reading. As part of a pandemic-forced restructuring of my days, I turned, even more avidly, to books for entertainment, inspiration, and those old escorts of truth and beauty. The books described here could as easily have been others, with other slants. Mine are, however, books chosen for this moment. You will have lists of your own. I keep thinking, though, that the rage to read, my “Lesewut,” was, as I developed, not consistently considered a virtue to be encouraged or, even possibly, endured. As I grew older, Anna would pull puzzling comments out of such thin air—“I pity you so, honey dear” or, more forcefully, “You read too much!” What did she mean and were the two related? This would have been the mid-’60s, when cultural expectations of young womanhood were planted in the loam of fervent, if aggrieved, domesticity when reading might be thought excessive and subversive.

What was reading to her? I remember the Sunday Morning Call, its innards spilling to reveal the Parade insert, with its gossip bits and bleeding inks, the expanded comics, the myriad circulars. Then there was the Life and Look magazines, National Geographic, and Readers’ Digest, bringing the larger world into the Fleetwood living room and spread in tidy fans on coffee tables. Did we ever discuss books? Even the question got at something underneath the “You read too much” admonition—that divide between generations—her fears, my liberation; her caution, my sometimes careless curiosity.

The “facts” of her life I knew barely, released in bits by my mother, whose attachment to personal histories was, at best, vague. What I do know: Anna was born toward the end of the 19th century, completed the eighth grade, survived poverty, a pandemic, depression, and was married three times. Endlessly curious about her life, my questions would be met with, “What do you want to know that for?” What was to be avoided in the disclosures of one’s history?

                                                           ***

Writing this in early December 2020, the pandemic hurtling through the holidays, an intransigent president refusing to concede, the earth’s dire problems worsening, how kind to offer to the roiling soul historical perspective. Jill Lepore has written These Truths, a 788-page history of America, partially in response to the present, intense divisiveness among “We the People.”

“I wrote this book because writing an American history from beginning to end and across that divide hasn’t been attempted in a long time,” says Lepore. “ . . . One reason it’s important is that understanding history as a form of inquiry—not as something easy or comforting, but as something demanding and exhausting—was central to the nation’s founding.”

These Truths explore the historic simultaneity of the truths our freedoms are predicated on—slavery, genocide, hypocrisies straining to be justified. We do not live in the worst of times—we live in our times. Reading and re-reading history, a continuous examination from shifting points of view can feel like a tour through shock and ensuing shame to grief and then, one hopes, reckoning.

                                                             ***

Speaking of the past, Ruth Franklin’s New Yorker review of Maria Dahvana Headley’s new translation of Beowulf is intriguingly subtitled, “A ‘Beowulf’ for Our Moment.” She reminds us that this 8th century oral, Anglo-Saxon poem, not written down until the early 11th century, gives stark proof of the raw materials of fear, hunger, violence, and awe that constitute humankind. Beowulf extols the masculine delights in drink and war; its women pour the mead and tidy up the carnage. Headley reimagines Beowulf from a feminist perspective and retains the blood and gore. What is this dark tale to our moment? I think of the transgressions of the past four years—to name a few: Eddie Gallagher, the Iraq vet Navy Seal on trial for stabbing to death a wounded, 17-year-old ISIS prisoner, and his presidential pardon. I think of Charlottesville, the Confederacy, and QAnon. The shooting and looting that co-opted the Black Lives Matter demonstrations. I think of Trump ordering Lafayette Square cleared of peaceful protesters with tear gas, concussion grenades, and police—those on horseback; those behind their shields, while he lumbered toward St. John’s Church to make his unnatural photo op with the Bible. The primitive, the violent, the unexamined, the hubristic, the endlessness of it all.

Prior to this new translation, Headley’s 2018 novel, The Mere Wife reimagines the Beowulf epic from the monster’s mother’s point of view. Dana, the mother, an Iraq vet, has been kidnapped and raped. Returning stateside to her childhood home, she gives birth, in a cave, to Grendel. Upturning the monster trope, Grendel becomes the boy, Gren. It is how he is perceived that is more the danger than the boy himself, suggesting the tragedies of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, and all those slain, perceived as “other.” Headley turns her focus on contemporary social justice issues—the struggles between rich and poor, Black and white, the damaged and the whole.

We hash and re-hash the archetypal mysteries. I read, reflect, turn my gaze to a pad of paper, and jot down notes, ideas.  And then I think of my friend, Bob.

For Bob, Beowulf had become a foundational text, discovered in a visit to The British Library.  Standing before the original copy, he felt himself pulled into a visceral embrace with history. This prompted his frequent re-reading of the tale in various iterations, and, in turn, forming a reading circle. One summer afternoon, we were summoned; it was the very year that the posthumous Tolkien translation had been published. We gathered at Seattle’s Saint Mark’s Cathedral, a majestic structure overlooking Lake Union and the mountains.

I remember the delight of such a gathering more than passages read or insights gleaned. It was endearing that we, a group of Bob’s friends, mostly strangers to each other, had agreed to this, flinging out the burly syllables, the dark, archaic tropes, the clustered consonants—“Hwæt!,” Beowulf begins.
Our circle reminded me, conversely, how ephemeral reading is, and that the popularity of book clubs stands in opposition to this feature. Offsetting ephemera, dissilient thoughts interrupt moments of reflection.

                                                             ***

For my grandmother Anna, I wonder how she valued language? The world did not remove itself from her through language, which, after all, has been likened to a finger pointing to the moon, and not the moon itself. Hers was the moon—in the perfectly groomed rows of zinnias and gerbera daisies from the narrow sidewalk to the garden shed. It was in her food—piles of it, redolent of harvest bounty, roast and potatoes, endive salad with hot bacon dressing, shoofly pie, apple pie, chicken pot pie, mounds of fragrant savories. Hers was a manifest world, bringing her closer to lived life than what a preoccupation with language ever could.

She procured from local farmers, extolling seasonal fare before it was in fashion, and built meals from memories of a childhood in the family hotel, situated at a crossroad between farm-to-market. She eschewed praise and recipes. All of it was expected when it was, in truth, a miracle. My reading has nothing to do with this, and yet, there prevails a transmigration of her lived experience to my reading. How I love my time spent with the great chefs, restaurateurs, and renowned food writers like M.F.K. Fisher, Ruth Reichl, Calvin Trillin, Anthony Bourdain, Alice Waters. This is a rich canon of individuals who teach us the relationship between the riches of the earth and the vibrant sweep of cultures, all in the universal language of food.

Reading leads us onto avenues of dark truths and resulting shame, delights, and succor. I imagine Anna savoring this amuse-bouche from Pavarotti: “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” “Hwæt!”

A practicing Buddhist for more than 30 years, Hollis Giammatteo has sought experiences that challenge her practice, from teaching writing to working with the elderly. She co-founded The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, and was a resident playwright for The Rhode Island Feminist Theatre. Hollis has published in a variety of magazines and her memoir, The Shelf Life of Ashes, was released in 2016 by She Writes Press.

The post Pandemic Reading: In Memory of 2020 appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

While non-experts use the words telehealth and telemedicine interchangeably, they are not the same. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, “telemedicine is the practice of using technology to deliver care at a distance. A physician in one location … to deliver care to a patient at a distant site. Telehealth refers broadly to electronic and telecommunications technologies and services used to provide care and service at a distance.” It’s important to note that during the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services lifted some limitations on telehealth reimbursements.

Simon Katumu, a primary care provider with Pacific Medical Centers (PacMed), notes a definite rise in this model of care. “During the pandemic, we’ve used telehealth much more, utilizing tools such as telephone consultations, Zoom meetings, and PacMed’s MyChart.” The latter offers online access to a variety of services including test results, prescription renewals, and virtual appointments with a health-care provider.

The benefits of using these tools are clear. “They help reduce exposure in the pandemic and are also convenient,” says Katumu. “We’ve seen great benefits for our patients.”

He says that initially, the thought was that older patients may not warm up to this technology but that hasn’t been the case. “They can do it or get assistance from someone who’s tech-savvy. It hasn’t been much of a problem.”

Katumu acknowledges there are limitations to tech. “We can’t draw blood virtually. We can’t complete physical examinations, like listen to hearts and lungs. So, it’s not a replacement for face-to-face care but it is a great addition to our toolkit.”

Security is also an issue when sharing sensitive medical information remotely. PacMed is partnering with Providence to use a dedicated, secure portal for patient visits through Zoom. The enhanced measures include encryption, meeting identifications, and verification to ensure that the patient’s telehealth visit is a private and secure experience. Even so, patients are advised to have secure systems at home and to find out what security measures are in place with their particular health care providers.

Another model of care that reduces trips to the doctor is mobile urgent care. “We like to say we’re bringing back the house call,” says Valerie Rose, community engagement manager with DispatchHealth, a new company in Washington state that provides advanced medical care for urgent and non-emergency medical needs. “We do an initial risk-assessment by phone,” she explains. “Within 90 minutes a care team arrives, which includes a physician’s assistant or nurse practitioner along with a medical technician.”

DispatchHealth offers a variety of services to all ages, from flu shots to stitches, and is especially appealing to older folks, Rose says. “There is no travel, no exposure, and most services are covered by insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.”

Plus, there’s the luxury of time. “When was the last time you had 45 minutes of undivided attention with a medical provider?”

In addition, doctor referrals are not needed and it’s not as expensive as a trip to the emergency room. “We are a great adjunct to primary care,” says Rose. DispatchHealth is currently testing and exploring telehealth options in select markets to expand their house call model.

As devastating as COVID-19 is, it has driven innovative ways in which people access medical care. And the genie is unlikely going back in the bottle.

“I do think it’s here to stay,” says PacMed’s Katumu. “I think we’ll maintain what we have at this point and I expect it will grow and expand in the future.”

Connie McDougall is a former news reporter and current freelance writer of nonfiction and personal essays. She lives in Seattle.

The post Health Care in the Age of Coronavirus appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

My first experience with out-of-country medical care happened when a moped accident on a gravel road landed me in the emergency room of a rural clinic in the Bahamas. Two decades later in Costa Rica, I lost a dental filling. My hosts called their dentist and an hour later I was ushered into her clinic for a fix and cleaning that cost less than I paid for a bag of groceries back home. Until recently, I’d been a foreign patient because of travel emergencies. But when pending dental implant surgery not covered by insurance sent me looking for less expensive options, I recalled the modern dental office amenities and gentle efficiency of English-speaking Dr. Viquez in Costa Rica. I searched online for “Costa Rica dentists” and discovered an entire flourishing industry of medical tourism.

International travel in search of a health cure isn’t new. The ancient Greeks traveled distances seeking relief in the temples of Asclepius, the god of medicine. Later, well-heeled American travelers ventured abroad for medical care from exclusive European spas. However, the current U.S. trend of travel for health care is driven by the economics and bureaucracy of the medical system and insurance industry. Patients wanting low cost, high-quality medical care are seeking it in countries previously considered less developed where procedures are offered for far less than in the U.S. And those nations are discovering an untapped tourism market.

Fifty countries now actively cater to the international health traveler, according to Josef Woodman, author of the book and website, Patients Beyond Borders. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Hungary are popular destinations for dental work. Mexico, Costa Rica, and Thailand draw the most international patients for cosmetic surgery. India, Thailand, Singapore, Israel, and Malaysia specialize in invasive surgeries like cardiovascular and orthopedic treatment.

Long known by Arizona snowbirds, medical tourism is a profitable business for some Mexican border towns drawing U.S. residents south for regular dental and vision care. The community of Los Algodones, Mexico, 10 miles from Yuma, AZ, bills itself as “Molar City” with more dentists per capita than anywhere in the world. Drawn by its 350 dental clinics and 150 optical clinics, an estimated 6,000 U.S. citizens cross the border each day from November to March seeking dental and vision care that can cost two-thirds less than it does back home. In December the town even throws a party with food, drink, and live music to welcome its annual influx.

Over the past 15 years, a medical accreditation infrastructure has emerged to both attract and assure patients. Professional organizations such as the Medical Tourism Association and accreditation services like the Joint Commission International inspect, evaluate, and rate facilities and treatment to standardize quality care. The American Journal of Medicine estimates that 800 hospitals across the globe had received JCI accreditation by 2017 with 20 percent more added annually. Countries who actively promote medical tourism have their own national accreditation service such as India’s National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers. And individual hospitals sometimes promote a U.S. hospital affiliation. Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins School of Medicine has partnerships with hospitals in Saudi Arabia, China, and Panama, among other countries.

Some countries and individual facilities specialize in treatments excluded by health insurance plans such as dental implant surgery, vision treatment, cosmetic surgery, infertility treatment, bariatric surgery, and specialty treatments without FDA approval. However, even if insurance covers treatment, high deductible and co-pay requirements can make U.S. treatment cost prohibitive. A good rule of thumb, claims Woodman, is the $6,000 rule. “If your specialist quotes you a price of $6,000 or more for treatment, chances are good that one or more foreign countries can offer you the same procedure and quality for less, even including your travel and lodging expenses.”

Businesses who self-insure their employees’ health care plans are beginning to realize the value of encouraging out-of-country care. Three years ago, in Antigua, Guatemala, I met four vacationing families working for the same Colorado business whose employer annually covered their Guatemalan vacation and medical costs for dental and medical checkups because it was less expensive than offering an insurance plan.

Beyond cost, international medical facilities actively market an improved patient experience. Amenities like low nurse-to-patient ratios; deluxe hospital suites; boutique recuperation resorts; airport and in-town limo transportation and concierge services to make all arrangements during a medical stay are often included as part of the care. For less invasive treatment, the facility’s concierge or a specialized medical tourism travel agent can assist with logistics should you decide to combine treatment with vacation.

Research is important no matter what type of care you may be seeking. Is the out-of-country facility accredited by the Joint Commission International or a national accreditation? How often has the facility performed the surgery? Does the provider speak English, or do you speak the country’s language (including medical terminology)? Will your U.S. doctor share your medical records and coordinate back home aftercare? Do you need a companion to travel and stay with you? Does the facility have a concierge to coordinate logistics?

My search for a dental treatment alternative is increasingly common. The American Journal of Medicine estimates that 1.4 million Americans sought international health care in 2017. The number is expected to increase 25 percent annually, driven by a maturing population and increasing medical costs.

It turns out that an October flight to Hungary for a combination dental surgery and weeklong vacation is equivalent to the price quote provided by my dentist. It’s been decades since I’ve seen charming Budapest. It’s a tantalizing possibility.

Ann Randall is an independent traveler and writer who loves venturing to out-of-the-way locales from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe. A former educator, she now observes international elections and does volunteer work in India. Her articles have appeared in online and print publications and she blogs at PeregrineWoman.com.

Facts and Resources

• Two-thirds of U.S. medical tourists use out of country care for dentistry and cosmetic surgery.
• International medical facilities marketing to U.S. patients are often staffed by physicians and other health professionals trained in the U.S.
• Some travel insurance companies now offer medical tourism options for treatment complications, prepaid medical costs, and trip cancellation.
• Yellow Book is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guide of health information for overseas travel, with an entire chapter is devoted to medical tourism.
• The Treatment Abroad website publishes patient reviews by treatment, country, provider, and facility. See TreatmentAbroad.com. PatientsBeyondBorders.com is another useful reference.

Contemplating Back Surgery? Take Back Your Life

The post A World of Wellness— Medical Tourism is on the Rise appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.

Osteoporosis is a completely silent disease that affects millions of people, yet many of us won’t know we have it until we break a bone. And that will happen to many of us: An estimated one in two women, and one in four men, over age 50 are at risk of a bone fracture. For older adults, those breaks are very serious.

“Your life is never the same afterward,” says Dr. Julie Carkin, director of the Strong Bones Program at UW Medicine. She says there’s a crisis in osteoporosis care, and that people are often undertreated for breaks that happen with a fall that’s from no higher than standing height, or as a result of a very low impact. Low-trauma fractures and fragility fractures are indicators of osteoporosis, so just treating the fracture isn’t enough.

“That’s a big warning sign, it’s a bone attack, and if you have one of those you need to get evaluated,” says Carkin. Ideally, she adds, it’s best to assess your risk before a first fracture, “because bone health is a lifelong thing to pay attention to.”

When we’re young, good health and nutrition help build a strong “bone bank.” We reach peak bone mass at around 25 to 30 years old. Then, if we stay healthy, bone density decreases slowly over time. While osteoporosis is a disease and not part of normal aging, we are more at risk as we age. Women take a big hit in bone density after menopause, due to the loss of estrogen. Men, who have a higher peak bone mass than women to begin with, are less at risk until around 70.

Besides age and being female, fixed risk factors for developing osteoporosis include family history, having a small frame, long-term steroid use, and a number of health problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, leukemia, and hyperparathyroidism. Other risk factors are more in our control, such as alcohol use, smoking, Vitamin D deficiency, poor nutrition, low calcium intake, and lack of exercise.

So how do we pay attention to bone health? If you’re a postmenopausal woman over 50, or a man over 70, ask your doctor about getting a DEXA scan (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) if you’ve never had one. It measures bone mineral density in your hip, spine, and forearm, and can detect osteoporosis (or its forerunner, osteopenia) at any stage. “Bone scans are very low radiation—the technician is in the room—there are no needles, and it’s surprisingly precise,” says Carkin.

If you’re diagnosed with bone loss, consider consulting a practice specializing in bone health. Then you, the specialist, and your physician can determine whether it’s time for treatment. First, explains Dr. Chris Shuhart of the Swedish Bone Health and Osteoporosis Program, “I talk to patients about their risk for fracture. There are patients with osteoporosis who are not at risk for fracture. We work on understanding fracture risk to decide on treatment.”

Tools have been developed to help assess fracture risk. For example, FRAX (fracture risk assessment tool) is one of several models that ask a series of questions that determine risk level together with whether there are secondary causes for bone loss that should be addressed, such as kidney disease or a variety of other medications.

Shuhart explains that treatment of the skeleton has two parts: foundational and pharmacologic. Foundational treatment includes calcium, Vitamin D, no smoking, no excessive alcohol use, and correct exercise. Pharmacologic treatment includes two categories of medication: antiresorptive (to stop bone loss) and anabolic (to form bone), and a recently FDA-approved medication that includes both functions. If you do take medication, you must also get enough calcium and Vitamin D to make it effective. “Medications are like a brick mason: they need materials to work with,” says Carkin.

Jane’s mother and aunt both had osteoporosis, so she has always known she could be at risk. She’s had three DEXA scans in the last 10 years, and she’s lost about an inch of her height. “All of a sudden chairs don’t take me high enough—I feel like a child who can’t reach the table,” says Jane. She also cracked a bone while stepping off a sidewalk. She worries constantly about developing a “dowager hump.”

Every Tuesday morning, Jane takes an antiresorptive oral medication. She hasn’t had side effects, but she does have to watch for reflux afterward, waiting 30 minutes to have coffee or food. She’s working with her osteoporosis specialist to track her meds, and to make lifestyle changes that include weight-bearing exercises and swimming. And while she has never been a heavy drinker, “Now I make sure I have only one four-ounce glass of wine a day, max.” Jane’s next bone scan will be in September 2019.

Medications for osteoporosis have been available since the mid-1990s. They reduce the probability of a fracture by about 40 to 50 percent and are commonly used for three to five years. It’s essential to work closely with your doctor to determine which medication will be most effective for you, based on possible interactions and your own health. While some patients may have issues with a particular medication, serious side effects are rare. Bone fractures, on the other hand, are very common, and would be far more debilitating in most cases.

“Treatments generally are effective even when bone density doesn’t increase. As long as it doesn’t decline, patients are protected from fractures,” says Shuhart. However, he adds that if patients don’t take bone-boosting lifestyle steps, too, “medical treatment is probably going to be less effective.”

It’s tough to get people to exercise unless they’re already in the habit. Any exercise is good, but weight-bearing exercises strengthen the skeleton, and anything that improves flexibility and balance, like tai chi, helps prevent falls. Medicare Advantage plans often include free gym access, and senior exercise programs are available in many communities. Before choosing a program, ask if the instructor has specific training in working with people who have osteoporosis.

Victoria has osteoporosis in her spine. She’s in good shape, very active, and a downhill skier, which she’s not ready to give up. Her FRAX evaluation puts her at fairly low risk for fractures in the next 10 years, but she’s being aggressive in her approach to taking care of herself. “While I was disappointed to learn I have osteoporosis, that knowledge also gives me the ability to take action,” says Victoria. She uses a combined approach of medication to prevent bone loss, weight-lifting and balance exercises, and specialized body armor to protect her spine when skiing. Her goal is to extend the years that she can ski, and to continue to live the life she loves in a way that will protect her health. And she’s exploring other options for strengthening her bones. One of those is OsteoStrong, a system of resistance exercise that uses stationary machines.

Brent Jordan, owner of OsteoStrong on Mercer Island, explains that clients use OsteoStrong’s proprietary machines to push or pull against resistance that targets specific muscle/skeletal groups, “putting compression in a controlled manner that provides a trigger.” When a certain trigger point has been met for stress, he says, “the body has no choice but to make that particular system, in this case, the skeletal system, stronger.” Using machines for wrists, hips, core, and spine, clients exert as much pressure as they can, or as much as they feel comfortable doing. OsteoStrong describes this as “self-loading,” meaning no external weights are used in the exercises. The circuit of four machines takes about 10 minutes, once a week. The goal is to build or rebuild bone density; results are measured by comparing yearly bone scans. “I’m very excited about adding OsteoStrong to my regimen,” says Victoria. “Their data is encouraging.”

Whatever way you choose to treat osteoporosis, it’s critical not to ignore it. Get a bone density scan to start. Consult your doctor, or a specialist if you’d like, about fracture risk and underlying problems. (You can find and print a list of questions on the National Osteoporosis Foundation website; search for “doctor visit checklist” at nof.org.) Make a plan for diet, exercise, calcium, and Vitamin D. Keep an open mind about medication. Ask your doctor about the variety of medication types out there, and maybe do some research on your own. Whatever you do, don’t simply wait for a first break that could change your life as you know it.

Priscilla Charlie Hinckley has been a writer and producer in Seattle television and video for 35 years, with a primary interest in stories covering health and medicine, women’s and children’s issues, social justice, and education. She enjoys taking a light-hearted approach to serious topics.

The post No Bad Breaks appeared first on 3rd Act Magazine.