By Sheldon S. Zinberg

There’s an old saying, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”

As we get older, our joints get stiffer and stiffer. Our muscles and tendons tend to tighten and our ligaments undergo increasing fibrosis—they might even become calcified. This makes them harder and less elastic. Together with arthritic changes in our joints, this tightening process leaves us less flexible and more prone to injury. When we twist an ankle or fall we have a greater likelihood of tearing ligaments and developing a fracture…all because of the lack of flexibility. This lack of flexibility even impairs our balance making a fall more likely. Even worse, perhaps we’re unable to avoid an oncoming car when we're driving or crossing the street. Why? Because we can't turn to look in both directions very well.

You Can and Must Fix It!

By Sheldon S.Zinberg, M.D.

Many boomers and even some seniors are harboring a potentially deadly disease and don’t even know it.  It’s called Hepatitis C.  It’s a very sneaky disease because it can be slowly progressive without producing significant symptoms; and end up causing liver cancer–one of the fastest-growing causes of cancer death.  Aside from being the leading cause of liver cancer, Hepatitis C is a real killer, leading to cirrhosis, liver failure, and many liver transplants. The good news is that Hepatitis C can be treated with newer medicines; but first, it has to be diagnosed by a screening blood test.

Most of us know that there are different types of viral hepatitis caused by different viruses. The two kinds that most boomers and seniors are familiar with are Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B—but the alphabet of liver viruses is growing and growing.

By Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Millions of Americans suffer from chronic low back pain, especially older adults. We’ve tried everything from acupuncture and Chiropractor therapy to surgery, only to have the symptoms persist or to recur after what seemed like effective therapy. While a number of different treatments have claimed to be successful, none are supported by solid data. Now, studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Journal Watch-General Medicine have shown that “supervised and structured” exercises can really help chronic low back pain in patients without significant spine pathology…That’s most of us with chronic low back pain.

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Previously, I described the potential virtues of an aspirin a day in terms of decreasing the growth of certain cancers and also decreasing the mortality rate associated with cancer – particularly colon cancer. However, I emphasized that “aspirin is not a cure-all”. Again, it’s important to appreciate that aspirin therapy is not for everyone. You must check with your doctor before going on a regular regimen of a baby aspirin daily or every other day.

What Will Keep the Doctor Away?

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

This used to be and still might be a joke; but the value of an age-old drug (aspirin) is being newly appreciated. We’ve all known how aspirin has been used to treat fevers, swollen joints, headache, pain, and even more recently vascular disease (including heart attacks and stroke prevention). But now we are being increasingly informed that aspirin is good for cancer. Well…a study published in the March 21, 2012, edition of the prestigious journal, Lancet, seems to think so.