Articles

Becoming eligible for Original Medicare benefits is one of the changes you’ll experience as you reach retirement age. Millions of seniors rely on Medicare coverage to help pay for everyday medically necessary healthcare expenses like doctor visits and hospital care.  For many Medicare recipients, Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) is available with no premium required…

It’s important for people to get routine dental care throughout life, but especially in their senior years. Everyone should visit their dentist for regular check-ups and have regular cleanings. If you need fillings, extractions or more serious dental work, it’s better to have those procedures done early to avoid infection or complications. If you will…

Pain treatment can be a complicated thing. Pain affects people differently, and response to therapy can vary from person to person. In some cases, simple physical exercises and the application of a hot or cold pack are enough to alleviate pain when stiff joints or muscles are causing discomfort. In other cases, prescription medications may…

Earwax may not be the most pleasant thing to deal with in life, but it is actually a vital part of keeping your ears healthy. Cerumen is the medical terminology used for the waxy substance produced in the ear canal. Everyone’s ears produce cerumen, and along with hair follicles in the ear canal, cerumen helps…

A medical emergency can occur to anyone at any time, but studies show that trips to the emergency room become more common as people get older. In fact, these numbers reveal that over 16 percent of adults in the United States who are 65 and older are treated in hospital emergency rooms annually.  Most people…

Getting to and from medical appointments can be a challenge for seniors. If you need transportation for healthcare services, you may be questioning if Medicare covers the cost. The answer is that it depends on the type of Medicare plan you have, the destination healthcare facility, the medical necessity and whether or not the situation…

X-rays have been used to investigate medical conditions and aid in the diagnosis of healthcare concerns since the early 1900s. In the late 1800s in Germany, Wilhelm Roentgen discovered the effects of current being passed through a cathode-ray tube. Today, having x-rays taken is a common type of test used in doctor’s offices as well…

The gradual loss of hearing that comes with age, also known as presbycusis, makes it difficult for older adults to discern what people are saying, hear voices over the telephone or on TV, and participate in conversations and social settings. Because age-related hearing loss is gradual, you may not realize it is getting worse. The…

Humira is the brand-name of the generic form of the drug adalimumab. It’s a monoclonal antibody that the FDA approved in 2002 to relieve pain and swelling in patients with the following autoimmune conditions:  Rheumatoid arthritis (adults) Juvenile idiopathic arthritis Psoriatic arthritis (adults)  Ankylosing spondylitis (adults) Crohn’s disease Ulcerative colitis Plaque psoriasis Hidradenitis supperativa Uveitis…

Blood glucose is a measure of the level of sugar in your blood. All kinds of foods can create glucose, and while you may only think that only sweet foods containing a lot of natural sugar are to blame, the body actually produces glucose from sources like carbohydrates as well. For many people, diet and…

As people age, it isn’t uncommon to experience a decline in your mobility. Common conditions like arthritis (which can cause stiff and painful joints), heart disease, low or high blood pressure, diabetic neuropathy, or recovering from an injury or surgery can all lead to balance issues, falls, or a loss of mobility.  If you’ve been…

When someone first hears about taking a nuclear stress test, this news by itself can cause stress. Nuclear tests on the human body? The truth, however, is that nuclear stress tests are safe ways to check cardiovascular health. These tests rely on a small amount of radioactive material called a radiotracer that gets mixed with…