{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1", "title": "Ě첩ĚĺÓý Posts by Beverly Merz Feed", "home_page_url": "/authors/beverly-merz", "feed_url": "/authors/beverly-merz/feed/json", "language": "en-US", "icon": "/img/logos/hhp-logo-mark-lg.jpg", "items": [{ "id": "/blog/this-is-your-brain-on-alcohol-2017071412000", "title": "This is your brain on alcohol", "url": "/blog/this-is-your-brain-on-alcohol-2017071412000", "content_html": "It's no secret that alcohol affects our brains. Although excessive drinking is linked to an increased risk of dementia, decades of observational studies have indicated that moderate drinking has few ill effects. However, a recent British study seems to have bad news for moderate drinkers.", "summary": "It's no secret that alcohol affects our brains. Although excessive drinking is linked to an increased risk of dementia, decades of observational studies have indicated that moderate drinking has few ill effects. However, a recent British study seems to have bad news for moderate drinkers.", "date_published": "2017-07-14T00:00:00-04:00", "date_modified": "2017-07-14T00:00:00-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/9206/conversions/iStock-514457134-1-Copy-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Mind & Mood","Alcohol","Heart Health","Nutrition" ] }, { "id": "/blog/binge-drinking-continues-to-rise-particularly-among-women-and-seniors-2017041811603", "title": "Binge drinking continues to rise — particularly among women and seniors", "url": "/blog/binge-drinking-continues-to-rise-particularly-among-women-and-seniors-2017041811603", "content_html": "Data from several surveys indicate that the percentage of women who drink has been increasing for decades. The numerous health effects associated with alcohol consumption mean that women should be especially attentive to how much they drink.", "summary": "Data from several surveys indicate that the percentage of women who drink has been increasing for decades. The numerous health effects associated with alcohol consumption mean that women should be especially attentive to how much they drink.", "date_published": "2017-04-18T14:00:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2017-04-18T14:00:52-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/9134/conversions/iStock-621850638-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Addiction","Women's Health" ] }, { "id": "/blog/easy-way-eat-healthier-summer-find-farmers-market-201606239872", "title": "An easy way to eat healthier this summer: Find a farmers’ market", "url": "/blog/easy-way-eat-healthier-summer-find-farmers-market-201606239872", "content_html": "Farmers’ Markets hold many benefits for you and your community. The produce is fresher, and there are no “center” aisles to tempt your sweet tooth. Many farmers’ markets even offer cooking classes to increase your dinnertime variety. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health saw a decrease in soda consumption and an increase in vegetable consumption among those who frequented farmers’ markets this past year.", "summary": "Farmers’ Markets hold many benefits for you and your community. The produce is fresher, and there are no “center” aisles to tempt your sweet tooth. Many farmers’ markets even offer cooking classes to increase your dinnertime variety. Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health saw a decrease in soda consumption and an increase in vegetable consumption among those who frequented farmers’ markets this past year.", "date_published": "2016-06-23T13:30:11-04:00", "date_modified": "2016-06-23T13:30:11-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8901/conversions/Farmers-market-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ ] }, { "id": "/blog/decline-in-dementia-rate-offers-cautious-hope-201603099251", "title": "Decline in dementia rate offers “cautious hope”", "url": "/blog/decline-in-dementia-rate-offers-cautious-hope-201603099251", "content_html": "Last year, the Alzheimer’s Association predicted that rates of dementia would continue to rise. However, a report recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that rates of dementia have actually dropped steadily over the past three decades. Whether the drop in rates applies to everyone, and whether it will continue, remain to be seen. But the evidence also confirms that there’s quite a lot you can do to lower your dementia risk.", "summary": "Last year, the Alzheimer’s Association predicted that rates of dementia would continue to rise. However, a report recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that rates of dementia have actually dropped steadily over the past three decades. Whether the drop in rates applies to everyone, and whether it will continue, remain to be seen. But the evidence also confirms that there’s quite a lot you can do to lower your dementia risk.", "date_published": "2016-03-09T14:00:22-05:00", "date_modified": "2016-03-09T14:00:22-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8819/conversions/falling-rates-of-dementia-blog-image-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Caregiving","Memory","Mental Health" ] }, { "id": "/blog/the-empowering-potential-of-end-of-life-care-201601259047", "title": "The empowering potential of end-of-life care", "url": "/blog/the-empowering-potential-of-end-of-life-care-201601259047", "content_html": "There’s almost always something we can do to improve our health and well-being — even at the end of our lives. Palliative care is designed to improve the quality of life for people with life-threatening illnesses and their families by keeping a person comfortable and making sure his or her values and preferences guide the medical team’s actions. For this reason, good communication with your care team — and your loved ones — is essential, even before you or a loved one has developed a serious illness.", "summary": "There’s almost always something we can do to improve our health and well-being — even at the end of our lives. Palliative care is designed to improve the quality of life for people with life-threatening illnesses and their families by keeping a person comfortable and making sure his or her values and preferences guide the medical team’s actions. For this reason, good communication with your care team — and your loved ones — is essential, even before you or a loved one has developed a serious illness.", "date_published": "2016-01-25T14:26:06-05:00", "date_modified": "2016-01-25T14:26:06-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8782/conversions/end-of-life-blog-photo-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Cancer","Caregiving" ] }, { "id": "/blog/dissolvable-tablets-dont-work-for-people-with-severe-allergies-to-grass-pollen-201507028124", "title": "Dissolvable tablets don’t work for people with severe allergies to grass pollen", "url": "/blog/dissolvable-tablets-dont-work-for-people-with-severe-allergies-to-grass-pollen-201507028124", "content_html": "People with allergies to grass pollen may have cheered last year when the FDA approved a no-needles treatment —a daily tablet you dissolve under your tongue. These tables deliver low doses of grass pollen to the bloodstream. This is done to “teach” the immune system not to wage war on grass pollen. It turns out that these tablets don’t work that well. An analysis of 13 controlled clinical trials", "summary": "People with allergies to grass pollen may have cheered last year when the FDA approved a no-needles treatment —a daily tablet you dissolve under your tongue. These tables deliver low doses of grass pollen to the bloodstream. This is done to “teach” the immune system not to wage war on grass pollen. It turns out that these tablets don’t work that well. An analysis of 13 controlled clinical trials", "date_published": "2015-07-02T16:15:39-04:00", "date_modified": "2015-07-02T16:15:39-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8640/conversions/allergy-grass-pollen-allergies-hay-fever-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Allergies" ] }, { "id": "/blog/oral-appliances-may-work-for-mild-but-not-severe-sleep-apnea-201506058063", "title": "Oral appliances may work for mild but not severe sleep apnea", "url": "/blog/oral-appliances-may-work-for-mild-but-not-severe-sleep-apnea-201506058063", "content_html": "The search for an effective, easy-to-use treatment for sleep apnea has been going on for years. The gold standard is a breathing machine known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A report published online this week by JAMA Internal Medicine describes a mouth-guard-like device that may work for people with mild sleep apnea, but that may not be much help for those with severe sleep apnea. The 18 million Americans with obstructive sleep apnea sufferers are a powerful incentive for device manufacturers, and there are myriad alternatives to CPAP in the marketplace and under development. Swedish researchers tested a custom-fitted mandibular advancement device among people with self-reported sleep apnea. It worked, but a placebo device worked almost as well.", "summary": "The search for an effective, easy-to-use treatment for sleep apnea has been going on for years. The gold standard is a breathing machine known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). A report published online this week by JAMA Internal Medicine describes a mouth-guard-like device that may work for people with mild sleep apnea, but that may not be much help for those with severe sleep apnea. The 18 million Americans with obstructive sleep apnea sufferers are a powerful incentive for device manufacturers, and there are myriad alternatives to CPAP in the marketplace and under development. Swedish researchers tested a custom-fitted mandibular advancement device among people with self-reported sleep apnea. It worked, but a placebo device worked almost as well.", "date_published": "2015-06-05T17:20:52-04:00", "date_modified": "2015-06-05T17:20:52-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8630/conversions/Man-snoring-loudly-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Stress" ] }, { "id": "/blog/should-alcoholic-drinks-come-with-calorie-labels-201505017971", "title": "Should alcoholic drinks come with calorie labels?", "url": "/blog/should-alcoholic-drinks-come-with-calorie-labels-201505017971", "content_html": "Calorie counts adorn the exterior of cans and bottles of sodas, juices, sports drinks, and many other beverages. Should alcoholic beverages and drinks also come with calorie counts? Yes, argues Dr. Fiona Sim, chair of the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health, in an editorial in The BMJ. She explores well-supported links between alcohol drinking and obesity. Beginning in December 2015, alcohol-related calorie counts will be available in the United States to some people who dine out. The Food and Drug Administration is requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to provide calorie information for food and some alcoholic drinks. The calorie counts may come as a wake-up call for drinkers who are accustomed to thinking of an average drink as containing 100 to 150 calories. That figure may be true for the standard 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits, 12-ounce bottle of beer, or 5-ounce glass of wine, but the “generous pour” at many bars and restaurants often doubles the amount. Moreover, concoctions containing syrups, liqueurs, juices, cream, and other ingredients can send the calories soaring.", "summary": "Calorie counts adorn the exterior of cans and bottles of sodas, juices, sports drinks, and many other beverages. Should alcoholic beverages and drinks also come with calorie counts? Yes, argues Dr. Fiona Sim, chair of the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health, in an editorial in The BMJ. She explores well-supported links between alcohol drinking and obesity. Beginning in December 2015, alcohol-related calorie counts will be available in the United States to some people who dine out. The Food and Drug Administration is requiring restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to provide calorie information for food and some alcoholic drinks. The calorie counts may come as a wake-up call for drinkers who are accustomed to thinking of an average drink as containing 100 to 150 calories. That figure may be true for the standard 1.5-ounce shot of distilled spirits, 12-ounce bottle of beer, or 5-ounce glass of wine, but the “generous pour” at many bars and restaurants often doubles the amount. Moreover, concoctions containing syrups, liqueurs, juices, cream, and other ingredients can send the calories soaring.", "date_published": "2015-05-01T13:00:55-04:00", "date_modified": "2015-05-01T13:00:55-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8614/conversions/fat-man-with-beer-alcohol-beer-belly-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ ] }, { "id": "/blog/precision-medicine-is-coming-but-not-anytime-soon-201503267834", "title": "Precision medicine is coming, but not anytime soon", "url": "/blog/precision-medicine-is-coming-but-not-anytime-soon-201503267834", "content_html": "President Obama’s announcement of a Precision Medicine Initiative was one of the few items in this year’s State of the Union address to garner bipartisan support. And for good reason. Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, offers the promise of health care based on your unique DNA profile and the profiles of a million other individuals. Getting to precision care will require new diagnostic tests. It will also need a new regulatory framework to make sure that technologies aren’t launched before they’ve been proven to be safe and effective, according to a Perspective article in The New England Journal of Medicine. It may take a few years to design this new vetting system and put it in place. In other words, precision medicine is on the horizon, but it isn’t around the corner.", "summary": "President Obama’s announcement of a Precision Medicine Initiative was one of the few items in this year’s State of the Union address to garner bipartisan support. And for good reason. Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, offers the promise of health care based on your unique DNA profile and the profiles of a million other individuals. Getting to precision care will require new diagnostic tests. It will also need a new regulatory framework to make sure that technologies aren’t launched before they’ve been proven to be safe and effective, according to a Perspective article in The New England Journal of Medicine. It may take a few years to design this new vetting system and put it in place. In other words, precision medicine is on the horizon, but it isn’t around the corner.", "date_published": "2015-03-26T15:38:35-04:00", "date_modified": "2015-03-26T15:38:35-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8600/conversions/bigstock-DNA-16977506-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ ] }, { "id": "/blog/sauna-use-linked-longer-life-fewer-fatal-heart-problems-201502257755", "title": "Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems", "url": "/blog/sauna-use-linked-longer-life-fewer-fatal-heart-problems-201502257755", "content_html": "Sitting in a sauna is one way to chase away the cold. A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine makes this pastime even more appealing: regularly spending time in a sauna may help keep the heart healthy and extend life. Among 2,300 middle-aged Finnish men, those who took a sauna bath four or more times a week were less likely to have died over a 20-year period than those who took a sauna once a week or less. Frequent visits to a sauna were also associated with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Sauna baths are generally safe and likely beneficial for people with well-controlled coronary artery disease or mild heart failure, but may not be so hot for those with unstable angina or a recent heart attack. The high temperature in a sauna can boost the heart rate to a level often achieved by moderate-intensity physical exercise. Is sitting in a sauna the equivalent of exercising? No. But exercising and then taking a sauna seems like a very healthy routine.", "summary": "Sitting in a sauna is one way to chase away the cold. A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine makes this pastime even more appealing: regularly spending time in a sauna may help keep the heart healthy and extend life. Among 2,300 middle-aged Finnish men, those who took a sauna bath four or more times a week were less likely to have died over a 20-year period than those who took a sauna once a week or less. Frequent visits to a sauna were also associated with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Sauna baths are generally safe and likely beneficial for people with well-controlled coronary artery disease or mild heart failure, but may not be so hot for those with unstable angina or a recent heart attack. The high temperature in a sauna can boost the heart rate to a level often achieved by moderate-intensity physical exercise. Is sitting in a sauna the equivalent of exercising? No. But exercising and then taking a sauna seems like a very healthy routine.", "date_published": "2015-02-25T16:54:21-05:00", "date_modified": "2015-02-25T16:54:21-05:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8589/conversions/bigstock-Elderly-woman-sitting-sauna-33696371-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Heart Health" ] }, { "id": "/blog/benzodiazepine-use-may-raise-risk-alzheimers-disease-201409107397", "title": "Benzodiazepine use may raise risk of Alzheimer’s disease", "url": "/blog/benzodiazepine-use-may-raise-risk-alzheimers-disease-201409107397", "content_html": "Drugs in the benzodiazepine family have long been used to treat anxiety and sleep problems. They can cause a bit of a brain hangover the next day. Experts have long assumed that people’s heads would clear once they stopped taking the drug. That may not be the case. In a study published last night by the journal BMJ, a team of researchers from France and Canada linked benzodiazepine use to an increased risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, the greater a person’s cumulative dose of benzodiazepines, the higher his or her risk of Alzheimer’s. Taking a benzodiazepine for less than three months had no effect on Alzheimer’s risk. Taking the drug for three to six months raised the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 32%, and taking it for more than six months boosted the risk by 84%. People taking a long-acting benzodiazepine were at greater risk than those on a short-acting one.", "summary": "Drugs in the benzodiazepine family have long been used to treat anxiety and sleep problems. They can cause a bit of a brain hangover the next day. Experts have long assumed that people’s heads would clear once they stopped taking the drug. That may not be the case. In a study published last night by the journal BMJ, a team of researchers from France and Canada linked benzodiazepine use to an increased risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, the greater a person’s cumulative dose of benzodiazepines, the higher his or her risk of Alzheimer’s. Taking a benzodiazepine for less than three months had no effect on Alzheimer’s risk. Taking the drug for three to six months raised the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 32%, and taking it for more than six months boosted the risk by 84%. People taking a long-acting benzodiazepine were at greater risk than those on a short-acting one.", "date_published": "2014-09-10T19:21:03-04:00", "date_modified": "2014-09-10T19:21:03-04:00", "authors": [ { "name": "Beverly Merz" } ], "image": "https://domf5oio6qrcr.cloudfront.net/medialibrary/8546/conversions/sleeping-pills-041812-thumb.jpg", "tags": [ "Mental Health" ] } ] }