Pneumonia in the Elderly

For healthy adults with no underlying illnesses, pneumonia does not generally cause alarm, as it can be treated appropriately.

Spotlight of the Week

Story at-a-glance

• Pneumonia in seniors is often asymptomatic, a result of their weakened immune response. One of the most dangerous strains for the elderly is streptococcus or pneumococcal bacteria strain, which accounts for 40,000 pneumonia deaths per year
• Pneumonia in the elderly should not be taken lightly. Pneumonia caused by this bacteria strain can come on suddenly, and may lead to lung damage, bacteremia, and meningitis

By Dr Mercola

For healthy adults with no underlying illnesses, pneumonia does not generally cause alarm, as it can be treated appropriately.

However, the same cannot be said for the elderly. In fact, this condition is the fourth leading cause of mortality among seniors – 90 percent of all pneumonia deaths occur in the older population.1 But what makes elderly people more susceptible to this illness?

Why Do Seniors Become Susceptible to Pneumonia?

According to Dr. Joseph Mylotte, an internist and professor of medicine at the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo, there are several reasons why seniors become more prone to pneumonia than younger populations.

One is that they often suffer from debilitating and life-threatening conditions, such as heart disease, which make them more vulnerable to the infection.

Elderly people also typically have poor immune system response, so their bodies do not tolerate infections as well as before. "Some virulent organisms can cause infection in younger people, but the infections can be worse in older people," Mylotte said.2

Pneumonia in seniors is often asymptomatic, a result of their weakened immune response. For example, young people may develop and cough up sputum (mucus and saliva) when they have pneumonia – an unpleasant but healthy response, as it means the body is working naturally to clear up the lungs.

But the elderly tend to lose lung capacity as they age, making it difficult for them to cough productively. This causes the sputum to build up instead of being expelled.3What’s more, elderly people are used to feeling sick more often, making them less likely to feel the symptoms.

The Dangers of Pneumonia in Seniors

Mylotte says that even if the infection is localized to the lung, pneumonia’s effects are widespread, and may cause life-threatening complications like kidney failure, like bacteremia (infection spreading to the bloodstream), and low blood pressure.

The pus in the alveoli may also spread to implanted medical devices, such as a replaced valve or pacemaker.

There are numerous organisms that can cause pneumonia in the elderly, but the most common ones are those from bacteria or viruses. One of the most dangerous strains for the elderly is streptococcus or pneumococcal bacteria strain, which accounts for 40,000 pneumonia deaths per year.

Pneumonia caused by this bacteria strain can come on suddenly, and may lead to lung damage, bacteremia, and meningitis.

Certain factors can increase an elderly person’s risk for pneumonia. One is suffering from certain ailments, like diabetes, HIV, Parkinson’s disease, or lung conditions like asthma, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).4 Other risk factors include:5

•Alcoholism

•Immunosuppression

•Being over 70 years old

•Staying in nursing homes

Pneumonia in the elderly should not be taken lightly because, again, it is deadly. In fact, the medical community considers it as severe as a heart attack. Treating pneumonia in elderly people is also tricky, as conventional medications (which are already riddled with side effects) for this illness can be difficult to administer, as the kidney and the liver’s ability to metabolize medications changes with old age.

Elderly are more sensitive to dosages and prone to effects, such as stomach upset. Some seniors are also taking a cocktail of medications for other illnesses, which can affect their prescription.

http://articles.mercola.com/pneumonia/pneumonia-in-elderly.aspx?

More About Pneumonia

• Pneumonia: An Introduction
• What is Pneumonia?
• Is Pneumonia Contagious?
• How Long Does Pneumonia Last?
• Types of Pneumonia
• Causes of Pneumonia
• Symptoms of Pneumonia
• Treatment and Remedies for Pneumonia
• Pneumonia in Children
• Pneumonia in the Elderly
• Bronchitis vs Pneumonia

Why Do Some People Get a Charley Horse?

A charley horse, or muscle cramp particularly in your calf muscles, is an incredibly common condition that results in your muscles becoming tight, stiff and extremely painful. If you're an adult, there's a good chance you've had one at some point (and likely multiple points) during your lifetime.

August 26, 2016 

Story at-a-glance

• A muscle cramp in your calf muscle is known as a charley horse in North America
• A charley horse may be caused by low levels of magnesium, potassium or calcium
• Dehydration, poor circulation in your legs, strenuous exercise and certain medications may also trigger a charley horse

By Dr. Mercola

A charley horse, or muscle cramp particularly in your calf muscles, is an incredibly common condition that results in your muscles becoming tight, stiff and extremely painful. If you're an adult, there's a good chance you've had one at some point (and likely multiple points) during your lifetime.

In case you're a trivia buff and wondering why these muscle cramps are referred to as "charley horses" (a name that's primarily used in North America), it's said to be a tribute to Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourne, an 1880s-era baseball pitcher who often suffered from muscle cramps during games.1

Another version states the term came from a lame work horse named Charley who limped around doing various jobs around the baseball park (also in the 1880s).

Whenever a baseball player would get injured or have a cramp in the lower legs, thus limping around like Charley the horse, teammates would call the player "Charley Horse."2 Regardless of the name's origin, the pain of a charley horse is unmistakable and can be excruciating.

What Causes a Charley Horse?

According to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, about 1 in every 3 adults is affected by muscle cramps in their lower limbs. In many cases, the pain is temporary and goes away on its own, but for some the cramps interfere with sleep, quality of life and daily activities.3

In one study of more than 500 people aged 60 years and older, 31 percent reported being woken up by muscle cramps and 15 percent had cramps more than three times a month.4 Anyone can get a charley horse, but they're most common in the following populations and scenarios:5

• During exercise
• At nighttime, especially in the elderly
• In pregnant women
• In people with neurological disease
• During kidney dialysis

It's not clear what triggers a charley horse to occur, but it is thought the cramp may be related to a rapidly firing nerve (up to 150 electrical dischargers per second), which causes the muscle to tense up, as opposed to an issue with the muscle tissue itself.6,7

Many medications are also associated with muscle cramps, including statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, ACE inhibitors (blood pressure drugs), certain asthma drugs, diuretics and more.8 In addition, the following factors may also increase your risk of a charley horse:

• Poor blood circulation in your legs
• Muscle fatigue
• Dehydration
• Mineral deficiencies, including magnesium, potassium or calcium

Is Magnesium Deficiency Causing Your Charley Horses?

By some estimates, up to 80 percent of Americans are not getting enough magnesium and may be deficient. Other research shows only about 25 percent of U.S. adults are getting the recommended daily amount of 310 to 320 milligrams (mg) for women and 400 to 420 for men.9

Magnesium is often thought of primarily as a mineral for your heart and bones, but this is misleading. Researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins, indicating that its role in human health and disease may have been vastly underestimated.10

Further, if you suffer from charley horses, low levels of magnesium could be to blame. Magnesium is necessary for activating muscles and nerves, and a key sign of ongoing magnesium deficiency can be muscle contractions and cramps like charley horses.

Magnesium deficiency may be particularly problematic for your muscles in the presence of an overabundance of calcium. Americans in general tend to have a higher calcium-to-magnesium ratio in their diet, averaging about 3.5-to-1.

If you have too much calcium and not enough magnesium, your muscles will tend to go into spasm. According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, a medical and naturopathic doctor:

"What happens is the muscle and nerve function that magnesium is responsible for is diminished. If you don't have enough magnesium, your muscles go into spasm.

Calcium causes muscle to contract. If you had a balance, the muscles would do their thing. They'd relax, contract and create their activity."

This underscores the importance of eating a nutritious diet, which will naturally give you optimal amounts of the minerals and other nutrients your body needs.

Eating plenty of organic leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds every day, and drinking fresh green vegetable juice will help keep your magnesium stores replenished. In addition, Epsom salt is a magnesium sulfate that can absorb into your body through your skin.

Soaking in a bath with Epsom salts is an excellent way to not only help prevent magnesium deficiency but also to soothe and relieve the pain of a charley horse.

Low Potassium Levels May Also Trigger a Charley Horse

Potassium, a mineral and electrolyte, is essential for your cells, tissues and organs to function properly. It plays a vital role in heart health, digestive and muscular function, bone health and more. One of the symptoms of low potassium levels is muscle cramps.

While potassium is found in many foods commonly consumed in the U.S. — including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, salmon, sardines and nuts — only 2 percent of U.S. adults get the recommended daily amount of 4,700 mg.11

This is especially problematic because potassium is a nutrient that needs to be kept in proper balance with sodium in your blood. If you consume too much sodium, which is common if you eat a lot of processed foods, you'll have an increased need for potassium.

Others who are at particular risk of low potassium, or hypokalemia, are those with chronic malabsorption syndromes, such as Crohn's disease, or those taking heart medicine (particularly loop diuretics).12 However, anyone who eats a poor diet — an excess of processed foods and not enough fresh, whole foods — is potentially at risk of inadequate potassium levels and related muscle cramps.

Green vegetable juicing is an excellent way to ensure you're getting enough nutrients for optimal health, including about 300 mg to 400 mg of potassium per cup. Some additional rich sources of potassium are:

• Lima beans (955 mg/cup)
• Winter squash (896 mg/cup)
• Cooked spinach (839 mg/cup)
• Avocado (500 mg per medium)

Too Little Calcium May Trigger Muscle Cramps

While too much calcium in the absence of magnesium can be problematic for muscle cramps, so too can a calcium deficiency. Low blood levels of calcium (as well as magnesium) may increase the excitability of nerve endings and the muscles they stimulate.13

This may be a trigger for muscle cramps, especially in the elderly and during pregnancy. If you're deficient in vitamin D, meanwhile, your body may have inadequate calcium absorption, again predisposing you to muscle cramps.

It's very important to maintain a proper balance of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and also vitamin K2, as these four nutrients perform an intricate dance together, with one supporting the other. If you're calcium deficient, your best bet is to increase consumption of foods high in calcium before opting for a supplement. This is because many high-calcium foods also contain naturally high amounts of vitamin K2; nature cleverly gives us these two nutrients in combination, so they work optimally.

Good sources of calcium include nuts, seeds and raw, organic, grass-fed dairy especially cheeses, and vegetables, although veggies aren't high in vitamin K2. One exception is fermented vegetables where a starter culture specifically designed to produce ample amounts of vitamin K2 was used.

Homemade bone broth is another excellent source. Simply simmer leftover bones over low heat for an entire day to extract the calcium from the bones. You can use this broth for soups and stews or drink it straight.

What to Do If You Get a Charley Horse

A charley horse often occurs without notice, sometimes waking you up from sound sleep. If you're lying down when the pain starts, stand up and put some weight on your foot. Walking around will help to increase blood circulation to your muscles and possibly help to soothe and relax the cramp.

You can also try a simple stretch. If the cramp is in your calf in the back of your lower leg, pull your toes and foot upward until you feel a stretch in the back of your leg. You can also do this sitting down with your legs outstretched. Put a towel around your feet and gently pull both ends toward you until you feel a stretch.

As mentioned, soaking in an Epsom salt bath may also help to relieve pain (and possibly help with prevention). Massaging the area and applying a heat pack, which will increase blood flow to the area, promoting healing and soothing pain, may also help.

Staying well-hydrated is also important for muscle cramp prevention. You'll want to drink enough pure filtered water so that your urine is pale yellow in color. In addition, performing regular stretching exercises on your legs may help reduce your risk of a charley horse.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2016/08/26/charley-horse-causes.aspx

What Is Cupping, and What Can It Do for You?

At a recent press conference, Phelps said he gets it done before most meets, and Olympic gymnast Alexander Naddour claims it's a 'secret' that keeps him...

August 26, 2016 

Story at-a-glance

• Cupping is an ancient medical treatment; its Chinese roots date back to 300 or 400 A.D. Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures also have ancient records of the practice
• In cupping, suction cups of varying sizes are attached to the body. The suction draws stagnant blood to the surface of the skin and improves blood circulation through the tissues, which can speed healing
• Research has found cupping may benefit conditions such as chronic neck and shoulder pain, arthritis of the knee, herpes zoster, facial paralysis and cervical spondylosis

By Dr. Mercola

Olympic swimming fans everywhere are talking about cupping these days: a discussion brought on by Michael Phelps' and Cody Miller's purple-dotted shoulders.1Olympic gymnast Alex Naddour has also been seen sporting the hickey-like marks, and many other world-class athletes admit to using cupping.

According to Reuters,2 sales of cupping therapy equipment rose by 20 percent in the three days following Phelps' big win.

The International Cupping Therapy Association also reported a "50 percent increase of healthcare practitioners seeking out their cupping certificates" during that same timeframe. Acupuncture physicians have also reported an increase in inquiries about the treatment.3

What Is Cupping?

Cupping is an ancient medical treatment; its Chinese roots date back to 300 or 400 A.D. Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures also have ancient records of the practice.

Cupping is still regularly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Chinese hospitals and elsewhere. Suction cups of varying sizes are attached to the body, and the suction draws blood to the surface of the skin. Hence, the bruise-like marks.

The treatment is said to improve blood circulation, thereby speeding up healing, reducing pain and easing muscle soreness. According to Dr. Houman Danesh, a pain management specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, cupping helps "jumpstart the body's natural healing process."

Phelps and Naddour both swear by the treatment. At a recent press conference, Phelps said he gets cupping done before most meets,4 and Naddour told USA Today5 that cupping has been a "secret … that keeps me healthy. It's been better than any money I've spent on anything else."

Does Cupping Work for Pain?

While some media outlets have derided the athletes for promoting quackery, studies tend to support its use. For example, a 2014 review6 of 16 studies done on cupping suggests it can indeed be beneficial for pain. According to the authors:

"Cupping combined with acupuncture was superior to acupuncture alone on post-treatment pain intensity … Results from other single studies showed significant benefit of cupping compared with conventional drugs or usual care …

This review suggests a potential positive short-term effect of cupping therapy on reducing pain intensity compared with no treatment, heat therapy, usual care or conventional drugs."

Cupping May Offer Relief for Many Painful Conditions

A study7 published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine earlier this year found cupping significantly reduced chronic neck and shoulder pain, compared to no intervention.

In the cupping group, the intensity of the neck pain was reduced from a severity score of 9.7 to 3.6. Among controls, pain was reduced from 9.7 to 9.5. The study also evaluated measurable physical effects, including changes in skin surface temperature and blood pressure.

Both measurements showed statistically significant improvements among those who received cupping. An earlier study8 comparing cupping to progressive muscle relaxation found both treatments provided similar pain relief for patients with chronic neck pain after 12 weeks.

However, those who received cupping did report significantly greater "wellbeing" and higher pressure pain thresholds compared to those who practiced progressive muscle relaxation. Research9 published in 2012 also reported beneficial results on patients with arthritic knee pain.

A meta-analysis10 of 550 studies published in PLOS One that same year found cupping "is of potential benefit for pain conditions, herpes zoster, cough and dyspnea." According to the authors:

"Meta-analysis showed cupping therapy combined with other TCM treatments was significantly superior to other treatments alone in increasing the number of cured patients with herpes zoster, facial paralysis, acne and cervical spondylosis. No serious adverse effects were reported in the trials."

Cupping Therapy 101

Myofascial decompression therapy is the name given to the cupping treatment among athletic trainers. In the video above, you can see Phelps getting the cups placed along his back using a hand-held air pump that extracts the air from the cup once it's placed on the skin.

TCM practitioners will typically use glass cups. Oil is first applied to the skin to prevent excessive friction and pain as the flesh is sucked into the cup. When using glass cups, the vacuum is created by lighting a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol and holding it inside the cup.

The fire burns out the oxygen inside the cup, so when the flame is removed and the cup placed on the skin, the resulting vacuum creates suction. If the suction is too strong, you can ease it by gently pressing a finger near the rim of the cup, letting in a little bit of air.

The cups can be left in place or slowly moved around, the latter of which is referred to as cupping massage; the effect being similar to that of a deep tissue massage. Cups are typically left on for three to five minutes. The resulting welts will typically vanish in a couple of days, much like a regular bruise.

Cupping May Influence Your Innate Immune Response

Leonid Kalichman, Ph.D., a senior lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, has written more than 150 papers on physiotherapy and rheumatology. He believes that by causing localized inflammation, cupping helps trigger cytokine production that modulate your immune system response.¹¹

In a recent review paper on cupping research, published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Kalichman and his co-author Efgeni Rozenfeld note that:¹²

"Mechanically, cupping increases blood circulation, whereas physiologically it activates the immune system and stimulates the mechanosensitive fibers, thus leading to a reduction in pain.

There is initial scientific evidence that dry cupping is able to reduce musculoskeletal pain. Since cupping is an inexpensive, noninvasive and low-risk (if performed by a trained practitioner) therapeutic modality, we believe that it should be included in the arsenal of musculoskeletal medicine."

Anecdotal Reports

While more research may help explain the exact mechanisms behind cupping's healing power, many patients are satisfied knowing it works for them — regardless of the how or why. As noted by Jessica MacLean, acting director of the International Cupping Therapy Association:¹³

"When people get the treatment and they recover really fast, they don't care about the scientific evidence — they just care that it works."

The following anecdotal success story was reported by Desert News Utah:¹⁴

"It works for 33-year-old Maria, who was at Master Lu's … for acupuncture and cupping therapy for several herniated discs in her lower back. She said she's tried many options, but the pain gets so bad at times, she can't move. 'As soon as I had it done, it was immediate relief,' she said. 'I never went back to anything else.'

Maria … injured her back lifting and moving a lot of boxes. She said that in addition to immediate and long-lasting pain relief, the acupuncture and cupping procedure is 'relaxing' to go through. She will have about three appointments within the week and then not need to return ntil pain flares up again from overuse, Lu said."

Are You Ready to Try Cupping?

Cupping is easy to do and vacuum sets can be purchased online for as little as $30. However, I would strongly recommend going to a trained TCM practitioner. Licensed doctors of TCM have a minimum of 3,000 hours of training and know how to perform cupping safely and effectively.

Care to avoid excessive suction must be taken when treating certain areas of the body. While your back and thighs can safely handle heavy suction, it could be risky to cup certain areas of your neck, for example, unless you know what you're doing.

Cupping is also not done on your head or face, so if you have a headache, you would typically treat your neck, shoulder and/or back muscles; the cups would NOT be placed on the temples or forehead. Cupping is also contraindicated for certain serious health conditions.

So, could cupping work for you? You'll simply have to try it before writing it off. Studies and anecdotal evidence suggest cupping can be a helpful adjunct to other therapies for pain. In some cases it may even work as a stand-alone treatment, although this is not the norm. The good news is, if it works, you'll notice a difference. And if it doesn't, no harm will come to you.

The procedure itself is typically painless (provided excessive suction is not used), and the bruises — which indicate that stagnant blood has been drawn from the tissue to the surface — will typically disappear within days. If blood stagnation is not an issue, you will not experience any bruising at all.

http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2016/08/26/cupping-therapy.aspx