aging gracefully Archives - Amazing Health Advances

5 Steps to Keeping the Aging Voice Healthy

The AHA! Team — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 05:34:46 +0000

Morgan deBlecourt via Duke Health – As we get older, gradual voice changes, such as hoarseness or vocal weakness, can take a toll on our ability to communicate. But this doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of aging. Here are a few simple suggestions to help keep your voice healthy and strong for years to come. Your Voice Matters Difficulty communicating can lead to social withdrawal and even depression. While most people understand that hearing loss is an important consideration as we age, it’s just as critical to evaluate and treat voice problems related to getting older. Vocal fold atrophy (or “thinning”), diminished lung power, and overall health decline can contribute to aging voice problems, also known as presbyphonia or presbylaryngis. Duke Health speech pathologist Cristen Paige explains how you can keep your voice in tiptop shape. 1. Be Aware Knowledge is power. Even if you haven’t begun experiencing voice changes, knowing the signs can help you nip them in the bud if they begin. These include being asked to repeat yourself more often, having to strain your voice to be heard, or feeling like you are running out of air as you talk. Being proactive can help you keep your voice stronger in the long run. 2. Maintain Your Overall Health You may be surprised to learn that conditions that affect breathing, like asthma, allergies, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) can affect your voice. Breath is what powers your voice, so maintaining good lung function is vital to keeping your voice strong. Keeping the rest of your body in shape and moving is also important for the voice. Regular exercise helps increase overall stamina, build muscle tone, and improve posture — all of which contribute to a healthier voice. 3. Practice Good Vocal Hygiene As you can imagine, how you treat your throat and larynx (voice box) affects your voice. The larynx should stay moist and flexible, so drink six to eight glasses of water a day. Limit caffeine and alcohol, which dry out your throat. Incorporate “wet snacks — things like grapes, melons, cucumbers — that have a lot of water content,” said Paige. Use a humidifier at home to keep the air moist. And, of course, don’t smoke! 4. Use It or “Lose It” If you are retired or living alone, you may be talking less. But just like the rest of the body, the voice needs exercise to keep it in good shape. Read aloud, talk to pets, join a choir, or sing in the shower. Look for social opportunities and participate in conversation. 5. Voice Therapy Many older adults with voice problems can benefit from professional help. A comprehensive voice evaluation can rule out any other causes for voice issues (like tumors or lesions). Your ENT voice specialist may suggest voice therapy, which is like physical therapy for the voice to improve its function, quality, and stamina. Voice therapy is typically covered by insurance, but check with your provider to confirm. To read the original article click here.

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Feeling Younger Buffers Older Adults from Stress, Protects Against Health Decline

AHA Publisher — Mon, 10 May 2021 07:00:58 +0000

American Psychological Association via EurekAlert – WASHINGTON — People who feel younger have a greater sense of well-being, better cognitive functioning, less inflammation, lower risk of hospitalization and even live longer than their older-feeling peers. A study published by the American Psychological Association suggests one potential reason for the link between subjective age and health: Feeling younger could help buffer middle-aged and older adults against the damaging effects of stress. In the study, published in Psychology and Aging, researchers from the German Centre of Gerontology analyzed three years of data from 5,039 participants in the German Ageing Survey, a longitudinal survey of residents of Germany age 40 and older. The survey included questions about the amount of perceived stress in peoples’ lives and their functional health – how much they were limited in daily activities such as walking, dressing and bathing. Participants also indicated their subjective age by answering the question, “How old do you feel?” The researchers found, on average, participants who reported more stress in their lives experienced a steeper decline in functional health over three years, and that link between stress and functional health decline was stronger for chronologically older participants. However, subjective age seemed to provide a protective buffer. Among people who felt younger than their chronological age, the link between stress and declines in functional health was weaker. That protective effect was strongest among the oldest participants. “Generally, we know that functional health declines with advancing age, but we also know that these age-related functional health trajectories are remarkably varied. As a result, some individuals enter old age and very old age with quite good and intact health resources, whereas others experience a pronounced decline in functional health, which might even result in need for long-term care,” said study lead author Markus Wettstein, PhD, who is now at University of Heidelberg. “Our findings support the role of stress as a risk factor for functional health decline, particularly among older individuals, as well as the health-supporting and stress-buffering role of a younger subjective age.” The results suggest that interventions that aim to help people feel younger could reduce the harm caused by stress and improve health among older adults, according to the researchers – though further study is needed to help determine what kind of interventions would work best. For example, Wettstein said, messaging campaigns to counteract ageism and negative age stereotypes and to promote positive views on aging could help people feel younger. In addition, more general stress-reduction interventions and stress management training could prevent functional health loss among older adults, according to Wettstein. Finally, more research is needed to figure out the ideal gap between subjective and chronological age, according to Wettstein, as previous research has suggested that it’s helpful to feel younger up to a point but that benefits decrease as the gap between subjective and chronological age increases. “Feeling younger to some extent might be adaptive for functional health outcomes, whereas ‘feeling too young’ might be less adaptive or even maladaptive,” he said. To read the original article click here.

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Super Agers and Youthful Brains: A Current Study

AHA Publisher — Sun, 17 Nov 2019 08:00:36 +0000

Dr. Don Colbert – This current study shows that some people, termed “super-agers” actually maintain youthful brains in structure, network communication, and in function. Have you ever noticed that some people seem to escape brain-aging symptoms such as memory loss more than others? A new study focuses on these “super-agers” and how their brains are structurally different in older age. In fact, this new study was conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators to examine this phenomenon. The study was published in The Journal of Neuroscience and may be important preliminary information for brain-health recommendation moving forward (1). Why does this matter? If scientists can identify structural differences in super-agers, they may be able to unlock the mystery of what habits contribute to the structure of youthful brains. It’s an emerging and interesting science. Here are more details about the study and our tips for healthy aging – you can put them into practice today! Super-Agers and Youthful Brains: The Study Memory Impairment Background: While most older adults experience a gradual decline in memory ability, some researchers have described older adults, termed super-agers, with unusually resilient memories. For many people, aging means a high likelihood of developing memory loss. There are different forms (2). The mildest form is called age-associated memory impairment and it is characterized by the self-perception of memory loss. It is also characterized by a standardized memory test score with a trending decline in objective memory performance compared with younger adults (3). Approximately 40% of people aged 65 or older have age-associated memory impairment in the United States (about 16 million people). Thankfully, only about 1% of them will progress to dementia each year. The next form is called mild cognitive impairment. It represents a more severe form of memory loss. It’s often defined by important memory deficits without functional impairments. Most patients with mild cognitive impairment are able to continue to live independently, but they often show objective memory impairments similar to those seen in people with very mild Alzheimer’s disease (4). About 10% of people aged 65 years or older have mild cognitive impairment, and unfortunately, nearly 15% of them develop Alzheimer’s disease each year. Study Background: However, these investigators were interested in a different group. According to their statements, “Previous research on super-aging has compared people over age 85 to those who are middle-aged,” says Alexandra Touroutoglou, Ph.D., MGH Neurology, co-senior author with Dickerson and Barrett. “Our study is exciting because we focused on people around or just after typical retirement age — mostly in their 60s and 70s — and investigated those who could remember as well as people in their 20s.” The Study: (60–80 years old) based on their performance compared to young adults (18–32 years old) Ninety-one participants (48 males, 43 females) were recruited from the greater Boston area, comprising young adults (ages 18–35; 24 males, 23 females) and elderly adults (ages 60–80; 24 males, 20 females). They were phone screened to ensure MRI scan eligibility and compensated with payment for their completion of the study. All individuals were right-handed native English speakers and had normal or corrected-to-normal vision. No participant reported a history of neurological or psychiatric disorders. Additional exclusionary criteria included MRI safety incompatibility, substance dependence, and CNS-active medications. The team enrolled 44 elderly adults (aged 60-80, 24 males and 20 females) and 47 younger adults (ages 18-35, 24 males and 23 females) for the study. Super-agers were identified as adults in the elderly group that performed as well as those in the young-adult group. These super-agers’ brains were then imaged. The Study Results: Seventeen of the elderly participants performed as super-agers. Imaging studies revealed that these super-agers’ brains had youthful characteristics in structure. Typically, the cortex (the outermost sheet of brain cells that is critical for many thinking abilities) and other parts of the brain shrink with aging. But in super-agers, those regions are comparable in size and structures to those of young adults. The investigators also imaged regions of the brain known as the salience network (involved in identifying information that is important and needs attention quickly for specific situations) and also found it to be similar in size and structure to younger subjects. Further, the scientists found that the size of the brain region was correlated with memory ability. A very strong correlation was found also in the communication of the salience region and other brain networks. Function, structure, and size all mattered. From here, the researchers know that the next steps are to understand how some older adults are able to preserve brain size, structure and function very well into their 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Moving Forward for Youthful Brains and Super-Agers 1. We will continue to study and report on habits that improve brain aging. For now, here are known habits to preserve your brain’s youthfulness: 2. Adequate Daily Hydration (all tissues in your body require fluid to function and age well) 3. Foods that Expedite Aging (specific, processed foods actually age cells) 4. Foods that Slow Aging (high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory foods can keep cells younger) 5. Intermittent Fasting (fasting has known anti-aging benefits) 6. Adequate, High-Quality Sleep (sleep is the only-known time that brains repair themselves) 7. Vitamins and Minerals that affect Hormones (specific vitamins and minerals support healthy hormone levels) 8. Active and Flexible (your body, bones, and arteries become more stiff with each year, but you can turn back time with daily exercise and flexibility routines) Read all the details of these habits at 7 Steps to Healthy Aging. Or, if you want to see how to use anti-aging habits during the course of your day, read: 10 Free Anti-Aging Habits in 24 Hours (Part 1) 10 Free Anti-Aging Habits in 24 Hours (Part 2) Bottom Line This current study shows that some people, termed “super-agers” actually maintain youthful brains in structure, network communication, and in function. There are daily steps you can take to improve the aging of your body and brain. Take a look at the habits listed above, and begin incorporating them into your day, every day, starting today. And stay tuned for more on habits that cause brain shrinkage and expedite aging. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Colbert click here.

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