Hands to Help Seniors

Broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts have been shown in several studies to reduce the risk of cancer.  However, researchers say that most people don’t eat enough of them to reap the benefits.  Now nutritional supplement companies are trying to take advantage of this fact by coming up with a pill form of diindolymethane, or DIM, which is the healthful component in these vegetables which may help ward off cancer.  Scientists are starting to get excited about DIM because when it’s been added to cancerous cells in a petri dish, it has slowed the growth rate of the cancer cells, including prostate, breast and colorectal cells.  It’s also been tested on mice and has been shown to slow prostate tumor growth.  Although the verdict is out on DIM pills, this may be a burgeoning market.  

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There are many alternatives to getting rid of a patch of skin cancer or skin cancer patches if they are in their early stages.  There are creams like Aldara which burn away the spots gradually.  For worse cases, dermatologists have typically recommended surgery.  However, recently they have developed a nonsurgical treatment using a small radiation device which is held millimeters from the skin.  It requires multiple treatments but is painless and won’t leave a scar.  The new procedure is called surface electronic brachytherapy or eBx and is causing excitement for those requiring treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers, the most common type of skin cancer.  The American Academy of Dermatology is still taking the official position that surgery is the best option.  However, over time, as the procedure becomes more popular and more data is gathered, this may change.

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There is little that can be done for those suffering from ALS or Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) but a new study has found that a common high blood pressure medication can reduce the risk of you getting it.  In a study which was published in JAMA Neurology, people that have been taking high doses of ACE inhibitors such as Lisinopril and Perindopril for more than four years had a 57% reduction in the risk of getting ALS.  The authors of the study believe that lowering inflammation and blood pressure might protect the brain from this disease.

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It is harder than you might think to figure out when you should start drawing Social Security, particularly if you are married.  There are two books that have recently come out, one which is new and one which is updated, which can help your decision making process.  One is “Get What’s Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security,” by Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Phillip Moeller and Paul Solman.  Another option is “A Social Security Owner’s Manual” by Jim Blankenship.  Both will open your eyes to how benefits are calculated and what decisions you can make to maximize your benefits over the long term

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Baby boomers are retiring at a massive rate, and venture capitalists are taking advantage of this trend, funding startups that are working on innovative items which will appeal so seniors.  For instance, a company called Lively came up with a monitoring system which attaches small sensors to things like the refrigerator and pillbox to notify their son if something was out of their normal patterns.  "I was looking for something that would respect what my parents wanted to do, stay in their home," Phil Dworsky, told Time Magazine.  "But a lot of the things available were intrusive, things like video cameras.  This was the right kind of compromise," he said.  I believe this will be a huge market as most people want to remain in their own homes and independent without feeling like they are being monitored.

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