Mild Psych Problems Hike Risk of Later Disability from MedPage Today

By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today

People do not have to be severely depressed or anxious to be at increased risk for physical or mental disability, researchers found, as even mild distress led to serious loss of function for some study participants.

Analysis of data on more than 17,000 individuals in Sweden indicated that mild psychological distress approximately doubled the likelihood of a subsequent diagnosis of somatic or psychiatric disability (hazard ratios 1.7 and 2.2, respectively, P<0.05, relative to no distress), reported Dheeraj Rai, MBBS, of the University of Bristol in England, and colleagues.

The development of cost-effective psychosocial or medical interventions for people with mild psychological distress may be a priority worth pursuing as it may reduce the disability burden, improve health outcomes and generate significant societal savings," Rai and colleagues wrote online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
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7 Ways to Ease Into Yoga; Expert Guide to Get Started - AARP Bulletin

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by: Carol Krucoff | from: AARP Bulletin

Have you resolved to exercise and get healthier in the new year? Health and medical experts say you might want to try yoga.

In fact, a 2008 Harris poll of a cross section of 5,000 Americans found that 6.1 percent — which would translate to nearly 14 million adults — say their doctor or therapist recommended yoga to them.

Yoga is an ancient healing practice that has become increasingly popular in our modern, stressful world as a powerful way to stretch and strengthen the body, relax and calm the mind, enhance energy and lift the spirit. Doctors often recommend yoga to people over 50 because it can help lower blood pressure, ease pain and improve balance. But people stick with the ancient practice because they find it improves their mood, reduces stress and, simply put, makes them happier.

Unfortunately, many yoga instructors are not trained to adapt the practice to older bodies. And America's booming interest in yoga has lead to an increase in classes that are called yoga, but are actually "yoga-flavored" exercise classes taught by instructors whose yoga training may be limited to a weekend workshop.

Unless a yoga teacher creates a safe class designed for older adults, this practice meant to heal may cause harm. To safely reap the many benefits of yoga, it's important to understand these seven essential yoga facts: Full Article with Facts & Illustrations

The Crying Game: Does shedding tears help shed stress? | Medicare Solutions Blog

By Lucy Dylan in Medicare Solutions Blog

If you’re like me, you love a good cry every once in a while. Every so often, when you’re overwhelmed with emotions and stress, crying can bring you a sense of relief and calmness.

Did you know that crying actually has some health benefits?

There are three different varieties of tears that your body secretes on a regular basis.

First is the reflex tear, which protects your eyes from bad particles and dust, especially when they’ve been irritated by smoke, chemicals, and other types of gas. These tears are comprised of 98 percent water, and act as a sort of shield for the eye.

The next type of tear is continual, which keeps the eyes and nose lubricated and healthy. Continual tears contain lysozyme, an antibacterial chemical that protects the eye from infections.

The third type is emotional tears, which release stress hormones in the body. Whenever you have an emotional cry, your body releases prolactin, a major stress hormone, and other stress hormones. Thus, after your crying session, your heart rate and breathing will slow down and you will grow calmer. Prolactin actually helps create tears as well: women tend to have higher levels of prolactin than men, which could explain why women are more likely to cry than men. However, prolactin is also released through sweat, and men tend to sweat more than women, so this does not mean that women are naturally more stressed out than men.

According to Dr. Judith Orloff, emotional tears encourage productions of endorphins in your body, leaving you feeling much more happy and relieved than before your cry. In fact, Dr. Orloff actually recommends crying to her patients to improve their emotional well being.
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How to Know and Be in Flow

by Mike Kirkeberg

Older and wiser than I have been before, I hope I have learned a few things. As I age and sometimes have to work harder to stay fit and in tune with myself, more and more I realize that I don’t want – and can’t spare – any wasted time. Does this fit for you?

I want to use my time as often as I can doing things that really connect me with my self. I think the baby boomer generation has always been like this, and, at least for me, it has developed into something that feels pretty important in my life.

You have all probably heard of Mihály Csíkszentmihályi and his theory of flow. His books have described it as a feeling of timelessness, challenge, and yet ease. In a sense it can be a home grown peak experience. I created a video that delves briefly into what it takes to get to the flow experience, and what it is to be in it. I’m not an expert. I am just interested and wanted to share what I’ve learned with you.