Author: Diane Archer

Diane Archer

Diane Archer is the founder and CEO of JustCareUSA.org, a digital platform for baby boomers and carers. She began her career in health advocacy in 1989 as the founder and president of the Medicare Rights Center.

The New York Times reports on nutritional psychiatrists who advise people to eat as little processed foods, meat and dairy products as possible in order to ease anxiety and mild depression. Is it possible that how you feel turns on what you eat? For your mental health, nutritional psychiatrists recommend you feed your brain a rainbow of natural foods. Dr. Drew Ramsey, a nutritional psychiatrist, recommends eating oysters because they have vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. According to some studies, B12 can keep your brain from shrinking. And, you are at risk for suicide and depression without adequate omega-3 fatty…

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Older adults are taking medical marijuana to ease pain and anxiety. But, as Dr. Marc Manseau has previously reported on Just Care, there is little to no scientific evidence that weed helps any mental illness, and it can be addictive. In fact, there are studies showing that cannabis can make depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder worse. Now, Paula Span reports for The New York Times that older adults are increasingly smoking and vaping marijuana as well as taking marijuana edibles and using other marijuana products, including salves, oils, tinctures, and patches, despite the lack of scientific evidence that they…

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By Diane Archer JustCareUSA.org Smoking is the top cause for preventable death in the US. If you smoke, the good news is that it’s never too late to quit smoking, even if you are over 65. The only question is how best to quit smoking. Harvard Health offers expert advice. No matter how long you have been smoking, quitting smoking reduces your health risks. Very quickly, your blood pressure and your circulation improve. You also lower your risk of getting lung cancer. That’s why Medicare pays for counseling to help you quit smoking. Moreover, you can save a bunch of…

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By Diane Archer JustCareUSA.org Liz Szabo reports in The New York Times that older Americans are popping supplements like candy. Doctors may recommend certain vitamins like vitamin D and folic acid, and dozens of others are marketed widely. But, the evidence suggests that most of these supplements offer no health benefits for otherwise healthy individuals and that some ingredients in some supplements do harm. Should you be taking vitamins? If you are otherwise healthy, speak with your doctor. You should likely skip the vitamin pills and instead eat a balanced diet. The preponderance of independent studies on almost all supplements…

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Diane Archer JustCareUSA.org Over the last several years, an increasing number of doctors are helping patients make informed decisions about their treatments to improve the quality of their care. Rather than telling patients and their families which treatment they should get for a disease, infection or health condition, doctors are working with patients and their families to choose the right treatment for them. Because the Affordable Care Act encourages shared decision-making about health care, it is getting greater attention. Health-care decisions should be about people’s priorities and goals, given the risks and benefits of different treatments. What is most important…

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Diane Archer JustCareUSA.org A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that most Americans have hearts that are “older” than they are. Their hearts could be older because of bad habits: smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure, affecting cardiovascular systems. Knowing your heart age helps you understand your risk for a heart attack or stroke. On average, the hearts of adults in the United States are 7 years older than they should be. Men’s hearts are eight years older and women’s hearts are five years older. You can click here to use a heart age predictor and find…

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Diane Archer JustCareUSA.org In October 2015, there were as many as 3,000 generic drugs waiting to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. FDA underfunding may explain it in part. So might incomplete information on applications by their manufacturers as the FDA claims. But, whatever the reason, the result is that we end up paying high drug prices, (though some generic drug prices are sky high.) Generics can cost as little as 20 percent of what brand-name drugs cost; they can also cost a lot more. Around 8 out of 10 prescriptions are for generic drugs but they account…

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