She Inspired ‘A League of Their Own.’ At 95, She’s Far From Done.
NYT - Maybelle Blair was one of more than 600 women to join the baseball league, created in 1943 in response to World War II. As young men were drafted, fears spread that the war would be the demise of professional baseball and its ballparks. So women played instead. The league folded in 1954 and was brought back to life in the 1992 movie “A League of Their Own.” Amazon Prime will have its own version in a new TV series under the same title in August.
Blair played with the league for only the 1948 season, but it was one of many boundary-breaking moments in her life. She went on to a 37-year career at Northrop Corporation (now known as Northrop Grumman) where she became the third female manager in the company. Blair has been instrumental in promoting the league’s story and women in baseball and is a founding director of the International Women’s Baseball Center in Rockford, Ill.
New Study Examines The Role Honey Could Play In Treating Alzheimer's
Tasting Table - The Nutrients study, "Honeys as Possible Sources of Cholinesterase Inhibitors," looked at 19 different types of honey to determine their possible efficacy in helping to prevent the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease, and the results were extremely promising.
Polyphenols are organic chemical compounds which are found in plants and natural products like honey, according to Medical News Today. Polyphenols are often lauded for their antioxidant properties. Honey's polyphenols aren't just antioxidant rich, however, they're also anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and have shown positive effects relative to memory. As the study notes: "It has also been demonstrated that honey may play a key role in memory enhancement and may also be used as an agent preventing dementia." Thyme and goldenrod honey were singled out.
After 79 years of marriage, couple share their secrets of lasting love
WAPO - Hubert Malicote kissed June Napier for the first time nearly 81 years ago as they sat on a living room couch. In his teenage mind, he thought he blew it.
“I got up real quick, and I thought, what have I done?” said Hubert, now 99.
It turns out, Hubert didn’t blow it at all: The two have been married for nearly 80 years — and according to both husband and wife, they are still smitten with each other. Through the entirety of their decades-long marriage, the couple claim they have never quarreled. Not even once.
Quarreling might be in the eye of the beholder, but the fact that this is how they describe their marriage is telling.
The secret to their lasting love, they said, is two things they agreed to early on: They always share a kiss before bedtime, and whenever a disagreement arises, they take a timeout from each other before talking it through.
You Won’t Live Longer by Diet or Exercise Alone, Study Says
NYT - Sprawling new research showed that healthy eating and regular workouts do not, in isolation, stave off later health issues. They need to be done together.
Observation - this is not new to those of us who have at times tried to do one without the other.
A Neurologist’s Tips to Protect Your Memory
NYT - As we age, our memory declines. This is an ingrained assumption for many of us; however, according to neuroscientist Dr. Richard Restak, a George Washington Hospital University School of Medicine and Health, decline is not inevitable.
The author of more than 20 books on the mind, Dr. Restak has decades’ worth of experience in guiding patients with memory. “The Complete Guide to Memory: The Science of Strengthening Your Mind,” Dr. Restak’s latest book, includes tools such as mental exercises, sleep habits and diet that can help boost memory.
Observation - Not a book commercial here but keeping your brain and body active is key to aging with a quality of life.
New program provides music therapy for dementia patients
New Dementia Prevention Method May Be Behavioral, Not Prescribed
NYT - As experimental drugs prove ineffective against increasing dementia cases in the U.S., researchers argue that improving eyesight can have an effect.
Observation - It is interesting how non-pharma solutions are now being talked about more frequently. That is why social prescribing fits in this conversation as well.
Text Messaging Can Help Reduce Hazardous Drinking Among Older Adults
NewsWise - At first sounds like a texting and drinking by driving scenario. Researchers collected and compared data from 731 participants in order to test the effectiveness of 12 weeks of text messaging designed to reduce hazardous drinking. A sample: ‘As you age, you metabolize alcohol more slowly. That means you suffer worse consequences with fewer drinks in your system;’ and ‘Feeling tired or run down and blaming it on age? It might be the alcohol. Many people confuse the negative effects of alcohol for ‘normal aging.’"
They claim that text messaging to reduce hazardous drinking is effective across all age groups, including those 50 and older.
Daily coffee drinkers have better chance at longer life span: report
The Hill - Drinking a mug of coffee each day may have benefits beyond an energy boost, as new research shows moderate consumption of the beverage is associated with a longer life span.
Researchers analyzed consumption of both unsweetened, sugar-sweetened — with about a teaspoon of sugar — and artificially sweetened coffee and found consumers of unsweetened and sugar-sweetened coffee were around 30 percent less likely to die from any cause throughout the study window. Moderate consumption was defined as up to 3.5 cups a day.
One roommate is 85, the other is 27. Such arrangements are growing.
WAPO - About 18 percent of Americans live in multigenerational households — meaning two or more adult generations — according to a study from Pew Research Center published this year. Such arrangements have quadrupled in the United States since the 1970s, with about 60 million U.S. residents now living with adults who are of a different generation, according to the study.
Contributing to that trend is that more young people are priced out of the housing market and more seniors want to age in place, said Donna Butts, executive director of Generations United, a D.C.-based organization that focuses on programs and policies that connect generations.
“Sometimes, just having somebody around to walk the dog and have a meal with a few times a week can make a huge difference for an older adult,” said Butts, noting that issues of loneliness and isolation doubled for seniors during the coronavirus pandemic.
Observation - surprised my friend from Silvernest missed this media opp.
Why optimists live longer than the rest of us
WAPO - This might be easier said than done for some. If you’re someone who isn’t naturally optimistic, the best chance to improve your longevity entails living a healthy lifestyle by staying physically active, eating a healthy diet, managing stress and getting a good night’s sleep. Add to this cultivating a more optimistic mind-set and you might further increase your chances for a long life.
New drugs may not be the best answer to Alzheimer’s
McKnight’s - Focusing on the treatment of hypertension and hearing loss, instead of the development of high-priced drugs, might be a better way to address Alzheimer’s disease, according to the chairman of the Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention and Care. Read News York Times take on same study.
Observation - I have been reading more studies that show just how hearing and vision loss can serve to isolate and alienate people, quickening decline and likelihood of memory issues. I’m all on board for less drugs.
Like Music? Like my Pages!
I have started performing locally in the Charlotte region. It’s all about the followers when venues book you. Could you like and follow my Facebook and Instagram pages? Thanks.
FACEBOOK - TONYC LIVE - https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyCirilloMusicINSTAGRAM - TONYC LIVE - https://www.instagram.com/tonyclive/Like what you read?
Like what you read?