Medical | Fab after Fifty | Information and inspiration for women over 50

Ten weeks without sugar: 22 lbs gone and less arthritic pain! Mary’s story…

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Article by Mary W. Walters The last week in June I stopped eating sugar – by which I mean all sugars aside from the sugar that occurs naturally in raw fruits, vegetables, a few other foods, and in trace amounts in whole grain products like bread and crackers (which I don’t eat too much of). I also cut out sweeteners — my thinking being that if I didn’t get rid of “fake” sugar, I’d never get over sugar. When I went on this no-sugar program, I was the heaviest I have ever been in my life, and forty pounds heavier than that. Since I quit smoking about ten years ago, I’d been gaining and gaining and gaining. (Why has nobody made the connection between the increasing obesity problem and the fact that the number of smokers is...
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Contact Options For Ageing Eyes

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Article by Aaron Beard. We often need to wear glasses for the first time once we reach our 50s, and I have memories of all my grandparents and older relatives wearing bifocal glasses, but I hadn’t appreciated that it is possible to have bi-focal contact lenses as well as bi-focal glasses. Aaron Beard explores the options for addressing midlife eye issues. Dealing with eye deterioration The body changes in virtually innumerable ways as people grow older, and while some of these changes are impossible to address, many others are possible to deal. One example of a physical byproduct of aging that can be addressed with relative ease is deterioration in eye strength and comfort. While young people often enjoy lengthy periods of time without any changes in...
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Do we take enough care of our eyes? Top tips for summer eye care.

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Article by Fabafterfifty How many of us actually have an annual eye test? Eye care and addressing potential problems as early as possible is even more important as we get a little older. New research reveals that 41% of Brits avoid having an annual eye test, and that summer holidays are a major cause of stress for glasses and contact lens wearers. Robert Morris, Medical Director at specialist eye hospital group Optegra, says: “People who wear glasses or contacts have daily frustrations, but summer holidays really do heighten the stress. The good news is there are solutions. Annual eye check-up vital to expose early warnings “It is concerning, however, that so many are avoiding getting their eyes tested. Like your car’s MOT, an annual check-up is vital to expose...
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Living with Crohn’s disease – my story

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Article by Ceri Wheeldon I have lived with crohn’s disease for nearly 25 years.I was 28 when I was first diagnosed. There is no cure for Crohn’s and nobody seems to know what causes it. It is an inflammatory bowel disease and is extremely debilitating. At the time of my diagnosis my weight had plummeted to less than 7 stone. I was extremely weak (but still going to work every day – even though my employer frequently sent me home) and repeated visits to my GP over a 10 month period had resulted in my being told I had everything from a gastric bug and food poisoning to depression. My argument that I was not depressed but simply hadn’t the energy to put one foot in front of the other, especially as visits to the loo...
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Me, my mum and Parkinson’s

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Article by Gillian Wilson. My 83 year old mum, struggling as Parkinson’s disease gradually erodes her independence, is a remarkable lady! Born in Kent, she went to Grammar school, then worked as a secretary. She married her childhood sweetheart in 1949 and had me in 1954. Mum always worked, finally teaching secretarial skills. Dad left the Navy and became a teacher at the same college. They studied bricklaying at night school so they could build their own bungalow. Shaped like a cross, it was only one inch out of true corner to corner! This shows real skill and my mum built every single one of the 16 corners! In her 50’s and 60’s Mum was builder’s mate! Over the years they remodelled an old...
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A Mini Guide to Depression

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Article by Caroline Carr. This week is Depression Awareness Week, so here are a few important points: Depression can come on suddenly, as the result of a trauma or stressful event, or it can build up for years, and a person may experience it once, or have bouts over a period of time. Some people feel sad and gloomy for months or years. In some cases, it never really goes away. It is likely to be the result of a combination of some of the following: life circumstances – what has occurred, and what is occurring in the person’s life, the type of personality a person has, and how they deal with things generally, whether or not depression runs in the family, genes and DNA Different types...
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Say Goodbye to Glasses with Clarivu

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Guest Article. Total vision correction procedure to keep you seeing and looking fab after 50! Always reaching for your glasses to read the paper? And then a different set to drive or watch TV? Fed up of losing your specs several times a day? You are not alone! More and more people in the UK are suffering from presbyopia – the natural hardening of the eyes’ lens – which can lead to long and short sighted vision, and can make increasing reliance on glasses a necessary nuisance. But thanks to leading eye care experts Optegra, there is a solution. Clarivu™ Total Vision Correction is making a dramatic difference as it means you may never have to wear glasses again. Most common eye complaints which can...
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Burning Questions On Sun Protection, Skin Cancer & Vitamin D

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By Mr. Paul Banwell Mr. Paul Banwell is one of the UK’s leading plastic surgeons and world-wide authority on skin cancer. He has a specialist interest in skin cancer and is the Head of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Unit (MASCU) at the Queen Victoria Hospital. Q: Can Nutrition Boost Levels of Sun Protection? A good diet with plenty of healthy fruit and vegetables will ensure maximum benefit from antioxidants – try goji berries or blueberry smoothies for a tasty antioxidant fix that will help to strengthen skin. It has also been shown that oral Vitamin D might be beneficial to guard against melanoma, a potentially lethal form of skin cancer. A large clinical trial is currently looking at a variety of lifestyle factors...
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Overweight and obese women at greater risk of breast cancer recurrence says new study

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Article by Dr Sarah Rawlings “We already know there is a link between being overweight and risk of breast cancer. This study strongly suggests that being overweight at the time of diagnosis increases a woman’s risk of recurrence. “We now need to prove whether losing weight after a breast cancer diagnosis can improve women’s outcome so we can help them at that point. Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life can help to reduce the risk of many diseases and improve general health.” Overweight and obese women at greater risk of breast cancer recurrence even after chemotherapy dose adjustment Vienna, Austria: Women who are overweight or obese when they are diagnosed with breast cancer are at higher risk of cancer recurrence or related death than are leaner...
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How chatting on the phone could save your mother’s life

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Article by Fabafterfifty The average woman will spend the equivalent of four-and-a-half months of her life chatting on the phone – to her mum, it emerged yesterday. Research revealed most women make at least one call a day to their mum with the conversation lasting 21 minutes. Incredibly, one in ten ring their mother at least three times a day, spending a total of 63 minutes chatting. By contrast poor old dad is lucky to grab a brief chat with his daughter once every couple of days, with the call ending after just 15 minutes. Topics of conversation with mum range from health issues and money worries to what’s happening in EastEnders. Gossip about other family members, work, food and shopping also features prominently, it emerged. The timescale was calculated...
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Ten weeks without sugar: 22 lbs gone and less arthritic pain! Mary’s story…

Contact Options For Ageing Eyes

Living with Crohn’s disease – my story

Me, my mum and Parkinson’s

A Mini Guide to Depression

Say Goodbye to Glasses with Clarivu

Burning Questions On Sun Protection, Skin Cancer & Vitamin D

Overweight and obese women at greater risk of breast cancer recurrence says new study

How chatting on the phone could save your mother’s life

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