Light therapy shows promise for seniors' depression

The bright-light therapy often used to fight the "winter blues" may also ease major depression symptoms in older adults, a small clinical trial suggests.

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• "Dr. Funshine" prescribes laughter yoga for seniors
• Internet time tied to teen depression symptoms
• Video game addiction may worsen anxiety
• Do video games fuel mental health problems?
• Toronto summit to weigh the social strains of obesity discrimination
• Exhaustion shouldn't be ignored, experts warn
• University of Alberta researcher uncovers a trigger for anxiety
• Living alone can be hazardous to your health, studies show
• Study links older depression drugs to heart risk

Scientists closing in on Alzheimer's tests

U.S. researchers are closing in on tests that can detect biological signs of Alzheimer's disease, an advance that would improve diagnosis and help in the search for treatments for the mind-robbing disease...

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• Researchers identify Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome gene
• Controversial stem-cell treatment could help child's life
• New blood test could detect Alzheimer's
• Scientists find gene clue to 130 brain diseases
• Alzheimer's study finds HDL good for brain, too
• Living alone can be hazardous to your health, studies show
• Walking may help to slow progression of Alzheimer's: Study
• Bilingualism delays onset of Alzheimer's: Study

Fitness takes trauma out of tumbles

Erica Wuensch has strong core muscles from exercising for more than 30 years, but she still slipped and fell on unseen ice on a sidewalk, fracturing both elbows.

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• The fountain of youth within
• Exercise, vitamin D tied to fewer falls
• Living alone can be hazardous to your health, studies show
• Serious falls among seniors on the rise: Report
• Secrets to aging gracefully
• Falling for vitamin D
• Over 65? Take lots of vitamin D to prevent a fall
• Get ready for the big boom as Canada’s seniors shape society

Watch grandpa's gait for longevity clues: Study

If you want to know how long grandpa is going to live, check his pace of walking. A report appearing in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association found a strong correlation between walking...

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• Eating orange and dark green vegetables linked to longer life
• Having Y chromosome shouldn't mean quicker death: Doctor
• Want to live longer? Eat less. And here's why
• Golden years shining brighter: Canadian seniors living longer, better
• Southern Africa life expectancy rising slightly: UN
• U.S. longevity rates rising more slowly than Canada, others
• Long life goes hand in hand with a firm grip
• Genes could determine if you have what it takes to live to 100

One-fourth of boomers can't name early sign of Alzheimer's

A quarter of baby boomers can't name a single early sign of Alzheimer's disease, according to a national survey being released Tuesday.

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• Video: Ignorance about Alzheimer's
• Scientists find gene clue to 130 brain diseases
• Alzheimer's study finds HDL good for brain, too
• Living alone can be hazardous to your health, studies show
• Walking may help to slow progression of Alzheimer's: Study
• Bilingualism delays onset of Alzheimer's: Study
• Smoking increases Alzheimer's risk, study finds

Bodily and mental awareness was her path to good health

Back in the ’70s Sheila Southon loved ashtanga yoga. She loved the observances, restraints, purification and meditation that it offered and practised faithfully while concentrating on her own personal...

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• Stretching is important to your fitness regime
• Indian MP pushes compulsory yoga in schools
• The fountain of youth within
• Focusing on breathing can improve performance
• For yoga master at 92, there is only the dance
• "Dr. Funshine" prescribes laughter yoga for seniors
• It’s never too late to ease into an active lifestyle

Exercise, vitamin D tied to fewer falls

Vitamin D supplementation and exercise may help prevent older men and women from falling, suggests a new review of 54 studies by the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF).

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• Food addiction frontier looms
• Nutrition a vital link in staying healthy
• North Americans get plenty of calcium, vitamin D: Report
• Choosing apples over cookies may help bone health
• Aging is inevitable, but brittle bones are not
• 'Everyone should be on vitamin D'
• Listen to your body to spark change
• Screen all over 50, new bone guidelines say

Canadian researchers help link moms’ rheumatoid arthritis to unborn children

Janine Pigeon has had rheumatoid arthritis for half her life and was happy to act as a research subject in a study of the disease. But she said she was stunned to learn she may have inherited it from ...

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Alzheimer's study finds HDL good for brain, too

In addition to being good for the heart, high levels of so-called "good" cholesterol may protect against Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

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• Walking may help to slow progression of Alzheimer's: Study
• Bilingualism delays onset of Alzheimer's: Study
• Living alone can be hazardous to your health, studies show
• Golden years shining brighter: Canadian seniors living longer, better
• Smoking increases Alzheimer's risk, study finds
• Experts call for early diagnosis of Alzheimer's in Asia
• Vitamin B12 linked to reduced Alzheimer's risk
• Alzheimer's: The current research
• Emerging Alzheimer's tests raise ethical debate
• Failure of Alzheimer’s drugs casts doubt on treatment theory

Nutrition a vital link in staying healthy

The good news is that it is never too late to begin changes to your nutrition and lifestyle to help improve your health.

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• Gallery: Tips to make healthy eating fun
• Gallery: Antioxidants
• Gallery: Immunity-enhancing tips
• Dream diets can be food for thought
• High-protein diets more deceptive than effective
• Bon egg, bad egg: the heart risk debate
• Why mixing two popular diets may yield the best cholesterol results
• Are we scorning corn but too sweet on sugar?
• Beat the binge

Living alone can be hazardous to your health, studies show

Living alone can mean more freedom to do what you want, when you want, but solo dwellers also are more prone to unhealthy habits that increase their risk of serious illness or mortality compared to ...

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• "Dr. Funshine" prescribes laughter yoga for seniors
• It’s never too late to ease into an active lifestyle
• The fountain of youth within
• Flout flu at your peril, warns new poll
• Exer-games better than thumb games
• Serious falls among seniors on the rise: Report
• Golden years shining brighter: Canadian seniors living longer, better
• Elderly women twice as likely to die with daughters-in-law, study finds
• Long life goes hand in hand with a firm grip

The fountain of youth within

The best anti-aging strategy is exercise, says kinesiology expert Russ Hepple, noting how its benefits - reduced risk of chronic disease, better balance and strength - slows the march of time.

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• It’s never too late to ease into an active lifestyle
• Boomers fight aging with exercise
• For kids, make fitness fun
• A workout fit for you
• Getting fit in midlife, better late than never
• Women and strength training: weighty issues
• Safety tips for weightlifters of all ages, abilities