Managing chronic conditions Archive

There are lots of dubious claims and mysterious ingredients, but yes, by trapping water, moisturizing can help with dry skin.

Dry skin by itself isn't a medical worry, although serious cases can result in cracks and fissures that invite infection and inflammation. The real issue is discomfort — dry skin can be sore, tender to the touch, and often itchy (although not all itchy skin is dry). There's also the red, rough, scaly appearance lamented in many advertisements for moisturizers.

This is one problem that hasn't suffered from lack of attention: there are dozens of creams and lotions for dry skin. They are sold as moisturizers, which is more of a marketing term than a medical or scientific one. Indeed, routine skin care is a realm where there's little science to be found. Well-controlled studies of ingredients are few and far between. Companies keep information about ingredients proprietary and are careful to limit claims for what the products do to stay within FDA rules.

Q. My family has squabbled about oats for some time. Some members say that to get the biggest health benefit from oats you need to eat them raw, at room temperature, and moistened with water. Others say they should be cooked. Does cooking take something beneficial out of oats? Can you bring us some peace at breakfast time?

A. Eating a bowl of raw oats "moistened with water" doesn't sound all that appetizing. And I am not sure it makes sense from a nutrition perspective. Normal cooking takes little away from oats. In fact, cooking helps release some nutrients that your body can't extract from raw oats.

There are no official fitness guidelines for older adults, but the basic exercises for senior are the same at every age.

The average 65-year-old can expect to reach her 85th birthday, and the average 75-year-old will live to age 87. How we'll celebrate those birthdays — as the life of the party or immobilized on the sidelines — has a lot to do with how we spend our time today. Although none of us can be certain that we'll be spared debilitating disorders that could rob us of our mobility, there's no doubt that regular exercise will help improve our ability to function at almost any age or level of fitness.

Q. I am starting to have trouble reading. But I have heard that wearing glasses to help me read will make my eyesight worse. Is that true?

A. This is a common question. Many people believe that glasses can make eyesight worse, but that's more myth than reality.

The CDC’s Guideline on Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain helps doctors and patients manage treatment at safe levels and avoid dependence. Any plan to taper medication dosage should be personalized to the patient’s needs.

News briefs

If you haven't talked to your doctor lately about your blood pressure, it may be time for a check-up. The definition of high blood pressure (hypertension) changed in November 2017, when the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of the condition. High blood pressure used to be diagnosed at a measurement of 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher. Now these authorities state that if your blood pressure is 130/80 mm Hg or higher, you have hypertension. A normal blood pressure measurement is the same as it was before: less than 120/80 mm Hg. What if your blood pressure is in between normal and the new hypertension threshold? That's considered "elevated," something that should be watched and addressed with exercise, a healthy diet low in salt, limited alcohol intake (no more than one drink per day for women, one or two drinks per day for men), and weight loss as needed. The new guidelines are based on evidence that having a systolic (top) measurement from 130 to 139 and a diastolic (bottom) measurement from 80 to 89 doubles the risk for having a heart attack, stroke, or other complications.

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Regularly eating whole grains can help you lower “bad” cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. A diet rich in whole grains also “is associated with a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and certain types of cancer,” says Dr. Qi Sun, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

In a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Sun and colleagues reported that eating whole grains may even extend your life. Sun used the diet information of more than 100,000 men and women whose health was followed for more than 20 years. The study found that those who regularly ate whole grains had a 9% lower overall death rate and a 15% lower death rate from heart disease.

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Safety, socializing, and helpful services enhance your ability to stay at home longer.

Living alone in our older years can be a challenge and a risk. There's no one in the house to call paramedics if you get hurt, and there's no one sitting at the dinner table for conversation or companionship. Isolation can lead to a decline in thinking skills and to an increased risk for depression.

While there are many tools to help you reduce the risks of living alone, implementing them may be easier said than done. "The misconception is that any acceptance of help is somehow the beginning of a slippery slope into dependence and losing control of your life," says Barbara Moscowitz, a geriatric social worker at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "We need to reframe what will help us remain independent and accept the tools to help us. Make a choice to enhance your ability to live alone. See assets and positives, not signs of weakness."