Had a “senior moment” lately? You know, those sudden, momentary lapses when you just can’t seem to remember the most common things. For most of us, we will experience what physicians term normal cognitive aging. Now, Columbia University researchers say that elevated blood glucose levels that occur naturally when we age may contribute to age-related cognitive decline. “This is news even for people without diabetes since blood glucose levels tend to rise as we grow older. Whether through physical exercise, diet or drugs, our research suggests that improving glucose metabolism could help some of us avert the cognitive slide that occurs in many of us as we age,” reported the lead investigator. Although regularly checking your blood sugar level isn’t recommended for non-diabetics, daily exercise is recommended for everyone (especially diabetics) because it contributes to normalization of blood glucose.
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Tags: age, blood, cognitive, columbia, diabetes, exercise, glucose, lapse, memory, senior, senior moment, sugar
Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
January 5th, 2009 at 4:58 am
I need more information concerning CVA (strokes) and side effects caused by high sugar, high chloesterol, and down cline from major strokes. Any symtoms to watch for and informational sites I can visit to educate myself. I have a father who has had a major stroke with the left side affected and declining health. In April, 2008 he had a gangrene gall bladder removed. It became gangrene because the nursing home kept saying he had indigestion and reflux. This was true but when I saw him throwing up green, I knew the gall bladder was in trouble. They refused to send him to the hospital until I just said fine I’ll transport him. With the help of a CNA I got my father cleaned up and ready to transport before the headnurse called the attending physician who said if I was that concerned to call an ambulance. Thank God they did. After getting him to the hospital they still did not want to do anything because of the health records sent by the nursing home. I insisted they do a cat scan which they finally agreed to, they immediately knew he was in serious trouble.
They called in a surgeon and Dad was admitted and set up for an operation. He stayed in ICU five days but was sent back to the nursing home where his condition continued to be grave. I had him back and forth to the surgeon who finally said he didn’t think any one in Woodstock or the Woodstock hospital could help him so we (my sister and myself) transported him to Winchester University Hospital in Winchester, VA. They worked on him for hours and found he had blood clots which could have killed him. He stayed in that hospital for a week and was put on anticoagulants and watched carefully. I’m concerned nursing homes only see one side and although this is one of the best nursing homes I could find I still have problems getting them to see he has issues. I just had to talk to a whole board of nurses to tell them he had an ear infection which was very obivious. He won’t complain to them but when you see the ear bleeding and full of pus with a foul odor it doesn’t take a doctor to figure there is a problem. I just need as much help as possible to watch for any signs or indications that my father is having more health issues. I hope your website can be of help to me and anyone who has a loved one that needs 24 hour around the clock care.
January 5th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Hi Dorothy,
I strongly suggest that you get in touch with the state ombudsman program in your state and find out who the ombudsman is for your dads nursing home. An ombudsman is someone who has been trained by the state to investigate nursing home complaints and it is a volunteer program. You need all the eyes and ears you can get to make sure your dad is getting the care he needs. Good luck, Dede
January 5th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Thanks for the information, I have a 97 yr old mother and she has diabetes, she now has gangrene in the toes. The Dr. said that they just customarily just cut the leg off just under the knee to make sure that they get it all. It is a dry gangrene and another Dr. said to soak the toes 2 times daily and dry them extremely well and the gangrene will eventially fall off. Have you heard anything like that? Mary (a concerned daughter)
January 5th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Hi Mary,
Depending on the severity of your mother’s diabetes, an amputation may be needed. There are many factors to consider, including whether she has enough blood flow going to her feet. Your mother’s physician may have ordered some tests to look at blood flow already. You should speak to a doctor you feel comfortable with, and it’s fine to seek a second opinion. Prior to an amputation, the doctor may refer you to a vascular surgeon and orthopedic surgeon. In regards to dry gangrene specifically – yes, often times there’s no treatment necessary – the gangrenous portion will eventually fall off by itself. Good luck.