Dietary Supplements Are Not Drugs

I received a call in a late evening few days ago from an elderly family friend. She told me that she just got a bottle of “colon health” from pharmacy for prolonged constipation and asking if this drug would work well? After I said that this product is a supplement, not a drug, and she may not expect a quick resolution for her current situation, she was in a disbelieve. Then, she asked “what is a supplement?” Dietary supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbs, botanicals, enzymes, amino acids, or other dietary ingredients. You take these products by mouth in pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid form to supplement your diet. Most people don't need to take vitamin supplements and are able to get all the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a healthy, balanced diet. Dietary supplements are not drugs. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Dietary supplements are intended to supplement the diets of special needs or deficits, but not to replace the balance of the variety of foods important to a healthy diet. Quality food intake is the best source for nutrition and well-being. Go to qualitylifeforum.net to learn more about regulatory background, differences between OTC drugs and supplements, and considerations for supplement use. Feel free to contact RN@QualityLifeForum.net for your health coaching needs.

Body Image and Self-Care After Mid-Life

Body image is the perception that a person has of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result from that perception. Your appearance and body shape changes naturally with age. Practice self-care means managing your health, your diet, and thinking about what your body and mind needs. Self-care consists of intentional measures that you take to care for your physical, mental and emotional health. It’s a collection of choices, habits and actions that you are responsible to make and that impact your health, preventing or caring for illnesses. Body image is an important indicator of self-care.

Go to www.qualitylifeforum.net March 2019 post to learn more.

Food Safety and H. pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) is a gram-negative bacterium that has infected human gastrointestinal (GI) system in more than half of the world's population. 

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is more common in the older population and may cause significant complications with severe morbidity and mortality. It is an important cause of peptic ulcers, chronic gastritis and stomach cancer. Among the risk factors for acquisition of H. pylori infection, poor socioeconomic status, poor sanitization and hygiene practices, and contaminated food and water, are the most significant ones. 

To learn more about H. pylori, go to www.qualitylifeforum.net  coaching February, 2019 for details in epidemiology, symptoms, risk factors, treatment, prevention, food safety and awareness of elderly self-neglect.

H. pylori infection is prevalent in aging population. The majority of infected individuals remain asymptomatic throughout the life but 10%-20% develops peptic ulcer disease and 1% gastric malignancies. It is treatable with antibiotics. Food safety, water sanitation, and personal hygiene are important for prevention.

Empty Nest

The holidays are over; the Christmas tree is taken down and the New Year’s party is cleaned up. It’s mid-winter. It’s cold. It’s quiet at home with some emptiness feelings. You feel the pain; letting go can be painful. 

Since there is nowhere to go, let’s sit down and stay warm for a little casual chat -  I love wild lives, from big cats to small birds. On a spring day a couple of years ago, I noticed a Dove’s nest on the cypress tree outside of my window. I was delighted. A bird nest is a symbol of home, which represents love, commitment and efforts for raising a family. Since, a lot had happened there in the past breeding seasons -  lost egg and un-hatched egg, nest attacks by predator, nest re-built, successful broods, full nesting cycle parenting, the growth of the young chicks, their brave moments leaving the nest, fledgling, and gone into the nature . I want to share the stories with you, of the same dove couple who had two broods last year.

To read the full story and watch my authentic photo documentary on the doves' nest life, go to  qualitylifeforum.net. 

Best Wishes for the New Year.

A Special Holiday Gift

 Click and go to www.qualitylifeforum.net for more great content.

It is end of the year and the holidays are just in the corner. You may try to think gift ideas for your aging loved ones (i.e., parents or grandparents).  It is hard to find out what they need and to decide what to do for them. They don’t care about new iPhones or laptop updates, they don’t need another sweater or coat, they can’t eat too heavy, they may have limitations to travel, they don’t have much use for the gift certificate and they may forget or give it away……

The answer: The most valuable gifts for aging loved ones are HEALTH and your love. Trust me on this.  Get your loved ones with the healthy aging coaching package - this is the best gift idea! QualityLifeForum.net provides healthy aging coaching can benefit your aging loved ones with guided support and well-being nurturing.  Your love and care for their health will be truly appreciated.

The goals for healthy aging coaching:

1. Mindset transformation toward wellness with inspired self-care motivation
2. Taking actions to make small steps for healthy living improvement and engage in continuity
3. Enjoy quality of life in the golden years with the best personal potential

The main benefits from healthy aging coaching:

• Mindset and behavioral transformation/actions toward health life style improvement
• Educate the aging process and share health updates; retrain healthy aging awareness
• A compassionate approach for learning at self-paced comfort
• Provide a trustworthy health resource with continuous personal support
• Overcome aging challenges with natural healing power whenever possible
• Develop strategies to help prevent or slow down existing disease conditions/process with self-care confidence/competence
• Effective listening and interactive approach to engage wellness commitment
• Relieve stress and worries from working class family members
• Coaching program is customized for 1:1 (a single senior) or 1:2 (senior couple to join the together, as healthy living is a family affair) at reasonable price
• A bonus holiday gift and an introductory health coaching session provided for added value
• Free access to QualityLifeForum.net for cyber coaching
• Maximize quality of life potential in the golden years

Coaching theme, duration, and price:

This gift package is a 12 weeks coaching focusing on healthy aging, featuring the triple-high (high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol) risk reduction with self-motivation inspiration, behavioral transformation, and practical tips/tracking tools, as well as review and follow up for continuity. The metabolism slowdown and other factors in the aging process could contribute to the triple-high risks.  These three conditions are closely inter-related, as well as relating to a broad range of psycho-social-physical challenges among the aging population, including but not limit to cognitive fitness, mental (loneliness, emptiness, social isolation, toxic thoughts, depression, etc) and physical health conditions (cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, hormonal, hearing and vision limitations, etc). Healthy aging coaching will provide holistic support with loving compassion. The cost is reasonably priced at $550 for a single or $1,050 for a couple, with a bonus health gift and an introductory coaching session included.

This holiday gift package offer is time sensitive and space is limited. Registration is available now through 12/24/2017. For detailed coaching plan and how to sign-up, please contact rn@qualitylifeforum.net .

Q & A

1. What the physician, nurse and health coach can do for aging?

• The physician can diagnose and treat aging related illnesses and conditions.
• The nurse can take care of seniors when they are ill.
• The health coach can help seniors to help themselves on the healthy aging journey.

2. What is the role of a health coach?

• Advocate - provide continuity in self-care support and emotional support; transform goals into actions
• Educator - Improve health literacy and self-care confidence/competence; empower self-care decisions/actions based on personal value and best interest
• Helper – To be resourceful, helping patient navigate the health care system and develop illness coping/wellness maintenance strategies and skills
• To be a trusted ally in a unbiased position
• To provide compassionate support to seniors with natural healing power whenever possible
• Health coaching will bridge the gap between physician and patient
• Health coaching is aimed to enhance optimal quality of life and well-being

3. How to the coach and client work together

• Coaching meetings will by phone, scheduled in advance by the coach. 
• Internet and e-mail are also necessary for communications and information sharing use as appropriate.
• Trust, openness and honesty are fundamental for coaching success and achieving results.

Wellness is a skill can be earned and practiced

Aging is a natural process in life, starting from birth. Golden years can be especially vulnerable or enjoyable. Wellness is a skill can be learned and practiced in daily life. QualityLifeForum.net will support the healthy aging wellness journey.

You will feel good for giving and doing something meaningful for your aging loved ones, as they will benefit greatly from your kindness and they may not thinking of doing it for themselves otherwise.  You will be glad for what you did.
Or, you may practice self-compassion and picking this gift for yourself, if you are at risk for high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. Why not?

Happy holidays for all.

Joint Health - Product Guide

 

Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM

Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM supplements are for joint health.

Glucosamine is a natural compound found in healthy cartilage, particularly in the fluid around the joints. For dietary supplements, it is harvested from shells of shellfish or can be made in the laboratory.

Glucosamine may provide modest pain relief for some patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip and spine. Glucosamine is primarily sold as a joint health supplement. Studies show that supplementing glucosamine sulfate will reduce the rate of collagen (joint tissue) degradation and symptoms of osteoarthritis. Glucosamine supplementation cannot cure osteoarthritis, but it can slow the progression of the disease. Glucosamine is very safe to supplement and its most common side-effect is flatulence.

There are two main types: hydrochloride and sulfate. In most studies on treating osteoarthritis, the typical dose was 500 milligrams of glucosamine sulfate, three times a day.

Chondroitin is a major component of cartilage that helps it retain water. It is made by the body naturally. Chondroitin may provide additional pain relief for some people with knee and hand osteoarthritis. The benefit is usually modest (about 8 to 10 percent improvement) and it works slowly (up to 3 months).

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is a source of sulfur, one of the most abundant minerals in the human body. Sulfur is essential in many body functions. It's critical to the production of healthy collagen -- the building block of nails, skin, hair, joints and other connective tissues.

Practical considerations:
1. While the research findings may not be convincing, effectiveness has been reported.
2. It may work slowly and required maintenance for results
3. Glucosamine may be taken alone or with Chondroitin and MSM as combinations.


References:
https://examine.com/supplements/glucosamine/
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/supplement-guide-glucosamine
http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/natural/supplements-herbs/glucosamine-chondroitin-osteoarthritis.php
http://www.nutritionexpress.com/showarticle.aspx?articleid=172

Resources:
To view current product review and ranking, see
https://labdoor.com/rankings/glucosamine
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientreview-807-GLUCOSAMINE


Visit www.qualitylifeforum for more health and wellness topics

Making Selections for Health Improvements:
Shop Amazon is one click away, for your convenience, in Three Easy Steps -
1. Click on Amazon eGift Card (or any product) link, which opens up Amazon the store
2. Search and find the product of your choice from the full on-line selections
3. Place order and check out

Eye Health - Product Guide

Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Two carotenoids, lutein (pronounced loo-teen) and zeaxanthin (pronounced zee-uh-zan-thin), are antioxidants that are located in the eye. Green leafy vegetables, as well as other foods such as eggs, contain these important nutrients. Many studies have shown that lutein and zeaxanthin reduce the risk of chronic eye diseases, including Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and cataracts.

Benefits to Eye Health:Lutein and zeaxanthin filter harmful high-energy blue wavelengths of light and help protect and maintain healthy cells in the eyes. Of the 600 carotenoids found in nature, only these two are deposited in high quantities in the retina (macula) of the eye.

The best natural food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin are green leafy vegetables and other green or yellow vegetables. Among these, cooked kale and cooked spinach top the list, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

If you are not getting enough lutein and zeaxanthin through your diet alone, consider taking daily supplements. Although there is no recommended daily intake for lutein and zeaxanthin, most recent studies show health benefits in taking 10 mg/day of a lutein supplement and 2 mg/day of a zeaxanthin supplement.

References:

American Optometric Association http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/diet-and-nutrition/lutein?sso=y
All about vision http://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/lutein.htm

Resource:
For product review information, see https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/lutein_zeaxanthin_supplements_review/lutein/

Making Selections for Health Improvements

Shop Amazon is one click away, for your convenience, in Three Easy Steps -
1. Click on Amazon eGift Card (or any product) link, which opens up Amazon the store
2. Search and find the product of your choice from the full on-line selections
3. Place order and check out