Senior citizens are most likely to have a “nest egg,” own their home, and/or have excellent credit—all of which make them attractive to con artists.

People who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were generally raised to be polite and trusting. Con artists exploit these traits, knowing that it is difficult or impossible for these individuals to say “no” or just hang up the telephone.

Older Americans are less likely to report fraud because they don’t know who to report it to, are too ashamed at having been scammed or don’t know they have been scammed. Elderly victims may not report crimes, for example, because they are concerned that relatives may think they no longer have the mental capacity to take care of their own financial affairs.

When an elderly victim does report a crime, they often make poor witnesses. Con artists know the effects of age on memory and count on elderly victims not being able to supply enough detailed information to investigators. In addition, the victims’ realization that they have been swindled may take weeks—or, more likely, months—after contact with the fraudster. This extended time frame makes it even more difficult to remember details from the events.

Senior citizens are more interested in and susceptible to products promising increased cognitive function, virility, physical conditioning, anti-cancer properties and so on. In a country where new cures and vaccinations for old diseases have given every American hope for a long and fruitful life, it is not so unbelievable that the con artists’ products can do what they claim.

Telemarketing Fraud
If you are 60 or older—especially if you are an older woman living alone—you may be a special target of people who sell bogus products and services by telephone. Telemarketing scams often involve offers of free prizes, low-cost vitamins and health care products and inexpensive vacations.

It’s very difficult to get your money back if you’ve been cheated over the telephone. Before you buy anything by telephone, remember:

• Don’t buy from an unfamiliar company. Legitimate businesses understand that you will want more information about their company and are happy to comply.
• Always ask for and wait until you receive written material about any offer or charity. If you get brochures about costly investments, ask someone whose financial advice you trust to review them. But, unfortunately, beware—not everything written down is true.
• Obtain a salesperson’s name, business identity, telephone number, street address, mailing address and business license number before you transact business. Some con artists give out false names, telephone numbers, addresses and business license numbers—verify the accuracy of these items.
• Before you give money to a charity or make an investment, find out what percentage of the money is paid in commissions and what percentage actually goes to the charity or investment.
• Don’t pay in advance for services. Pay for services only after they are delivered.
• Always take your time making a decision. Legitimate companies won’t pressure you to make a snap decision.
• Don’t pay for a “free” prize. If a caller tells you the payment is for taxes, he or she is violating federal law.
• Never send money or give out personal information such as credit card numbers and expiration dates, bank account numbers, dates of birth or social security numbers to unfamiliar companies or unknown persons.
• If you have been victimized once, be wary of persons who call offering to help you recover your losses for a fee paid in advance.

If you have information about a fraud, report it to state, local or federal law enforcement agencies.

Unhealthy eating and lack of physical activity increase the risk of obesity and associated chronic health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. In New York City, 57 percent of adults and 39 percent of children are overweight or obese, and one in three adult New Yorkers has either diabetes or pre-diabetes. Obesity has increased significantly in the city in recent years—from 2002-2004, New Yorkers collectively gained 10 million pounds, and this trend continued through 2007. Obesity-related health problems account for almost 20 percent of Medicaid and Medicare expenditures.

When asked in a 2004 survey, 14 percent of New Yorkers reported eating no fruits or vegetables at all on the previous day. The majority of U.S. adults eat more than two times their recommended daily amount of salt and consume too much saturated fat. Eating more fruits and vegetables is one way to protect against many chronic conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Reducing the amount of high-sodium and high-fat foods consumed can help prevent high blood pressure and heart disease.

Americans consume about 250 more calories per day than 30 years ago: about half of these extra calories come from increased consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks.

Only one-quarter of New Yorkers report engaging in physical activity 30 minutes per day, four days per week. Being physically active is important for weight management—creating a healthy balance between calories consumed and burned—and for preventing a variety of chronic conditions and diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

Free Fitness Programs
Shape Up New York is a free family fitness program offered at parks sites, community centers and housing sites around New York City. Fitness classes are open to adults and children. Classes cover activities such as step aerobics, fitness walking, light weights, stretching and toning exercises.

Shape Up New York is designed to encourage the development of healthy lifestyles and help improve participant self-esteem through energizing physical activity in a non-competitive environment. The program is sponsored jointly by the City’s Health and Parks Departments.

Below is a list of a few of Manhattan’s Shape Up sites:
Alfred E. Smith Recreation Center
80 Catherine St.
212-285-0300

Recreation Center 54
348 E. 54th St.
212-754-5411

Hamilton Fish Recreation
128 Pitt St.
(212-387-7687

Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center
2180 1st Ave.
212-860-1383

Healthy School Ideas
With over 40 percent of New York City’s youth overweight or obese, it is important that schools promote healthy eating and regular exercise. Student success depends on a blend of academic skills, good health and physical and mental fitness.

Unfortunately, foods and beverages sold for fundraisers are often high in fat, sugar, salt and calories. Unhealthy food or beverage fundraisers send confusing and contradictory health messages, increase the availability of junk food in schools and teach kids to compromise their health for a profit.

Conversely, healthy food and non-food fundraisers send clear health messages and help change the school environment; increase the health of the students, school staff and parents; and help everyone make a profit.

Healthy Fundraiser Ideas
Sell produce (e.g., holiday baskets, Parent-Teacher Conference sale, concession stand, etc.)
Hold a student vs. faculty or student vs. alumni sporting event
Have an -athon (e.g., walk, dance, bike, hula hoop)
Offer evening parent classes (e.g., aerobics, dance)

It’s the same story every year: After weeks of indulging in cookies, cake, giant meals and more drinks than you can remember, the holidays have ended and you feel like a beached whale. Hence, one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions: Get in shape.

But just because you start the year strong doesn’t mean it stays that way. Work, family, money and life in general tend to get in the way as the cycle repeats itself. Just as it is the most common resolution, the “get in shape” mantra is usually broken.

This year, instead of falling prey to the usual routine, we asked some expert fitness trainers to share their tips and thoughts on how to first, get back to the gym, and second, stay there once you do.

The experts all said three basic things: If you haven’t been working out, start slow and build up; bring a like-minded buddy to help motivate you; and, if you can, get a trainer. They also said that part of getting fit is taking care of yourself. “It’s not just what you do in the gym, you have to sleep, eat well and cut out stress,” said Matthew Cole, director of Sculpt New York. “You need to maintain the health of all your faculties.”
What to do when you get there
There are a few approaches to getting in shape. The first is to take classes. Antonio Sini, owner of Nimble Fitness, recommends starting with Pilates, a dance class like salsa or tango and low impact yoga. “Learning some basic yoga moves is a great way to also take some exercise home,” he said.

For David Barton, owner of David Barton Gym, the key for newbies is to start weight lifting slowly. “Strength training gives you the most results whether you have a little or a lot of time,” he said. “If time is limited, concentrate on the major muscle groups and do as many big compound movements as you can.” He added that 20 to 30 minutes of proper movement can be highly effective. Just make sure to not overtax yourself; just because you can manage to lift the heavy weights doesn’t mean you should.

Trainers
The first step in choosing a trainer is making sure they are right for you, your workout speed and your goals. “Most people don’t see the results they want and that’s why they quit,” said Barton. “A trainer will vary your workout at just the right time to outsmart your body’s natural flab-harboring tendencies so you can achieve your dream body.”  Cole said that if you can’t afford a personal trainer, make sure to bring a friend to help motivate you to go to the gym and to work harder.

Eating
“Food is a huge part of exercise and how it can benefit you,” said Sini. “It’s super important that people understand nutrition.” The first thing to understand is your body—are you trying to lose fat, gain muscle, tone or just feel more in shape? “You don’t want to work out on a completely empty stomach, so have an apple or breakfast bar an hour before,” said Sini. “But you don’t want to eat within 45 minutes of exercise, since the blood leaves your stomach and goes to your muscles.” The best approach: munch on a piece of fruit or plain yogurt an hour before working out, drink water during and have a light meal 45 minutes afterward.

“After you work out, your body wants to absorb nutrients and it’s one of the best times to eat,” said Sini. But, he added, “It has to be the best food, like something high in protein light in carbs and low in fat.”

Staying motivated
One piece of advice the experts agreed on appears odd, but makes sense when you think about it. Don’t tell your out-of-shape couch potato friends your goal. “Surround yourself with like-minded people,” said Sini. Often, he said, someone who is unmotivated will bash your goal, making it hard to push yourself.

Another way to motivate yourself, he said, is to figure out what will make you happy. “First, look at yourself in the mirror and decide if your goal is to look and feel better physically—if that is going to make you happy, then do it.” He also said it’s easier to keep a more general goal, like fitting into a pair of pants, rather than losing 20 pounds.

Cole also added, “Don’t think about supermodels or what you consider normal; think about you and your own body.” He suggests writing down your life for a day to see what you actually do and how you can incorporate more exercise into a daily routine.

And for those who think of exercise as real work, try Barton’s theory on going to the gym: “For that one hour of my day, that time is all mine. The gym, it’s like my sanctuary.”

The great thing about a new year is starting with a clean slate and looking at the next 12 months with a new set of goals. If you are a smoker, now is a great time to stop.

Let’s face it: Being a smoker in New York isn’t as easy as it used to be. Along with the difficulty of finding a place to smoke, huddling outside in an alley in the rain, snow and freezing temperatures, there is also the cost factor.

Cigarettes can now cost more than $10 a pack. Smoking a pack a day costs $3,650 a year—a nice vacation you are blowing away in smoke.

The most obvious reason to quit smoking is for your health. Smoking affects every organ in your body and is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, leading to 393,000 deaths annually. Tobacco smoke is harmful to smokers and nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking causes many types of cancer, including in the lungs, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach and cervix. It also causes heart disease, stroke, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, cataracts, macular degeneration and hip fractures.

A pregnant smoker is at higher risk of premature delivery and abnormally low birth weight. In addition, a woman who smokes during or after pregnancy increases her infant’s risk of death from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children and even pets, who can develop cancer and lymphomas from inhaling smoke. Cats can develop oral cancer from licking the cancer-causing carcinogens that accumulate on their fur and have a higher risk of developing malignant lymphoma. Dogs have an increased incidence of cancer in the nose and sinus area.

If someone gave you a cocktail at a New Years Eve party and said, “Here’s a great drink; it’s addictive and is made from arsenic, benzene, cadmium, vinyl chloride, formaldehyde and toluene,” would you drink it? Hopefully, you would have the good sense to refuse it. Those chemicals are just a few of those packed into every cigarette.

So why is it so hard to quit smoking? Two reasons. The first is nicotine, a drug found naturally in tobacco that accounts for the physiological problems of smokers. Nicotine is absorbed into your bloodstream and is carried throughout your body, where it can stay three to four days after stopping.

The second component is the psychological aspect of smoking, or the excuses you make for smoking. “I’m bored,” “It helps me relax,” “I’m stressed and  “I only smoke when I go to a bar with my friend” are all excuses I have heard from smokers.

Several ex-smokers who were two- and three-pack-a-day smokers who were able to quit cold turkey without any help seemed to have something in common; they had an illness that scared them.

“I quit when my doctor refused to operate on me for triple bypass surgery unless I quit smoking,” said Mike, a cab driver and former three-pack-a-day smoker. “It was tough, but I did it and I feel so much better. I chewed gum, ate carrots and drank coffee. That was 20 years ago.”

Jim P. a 58-year-old stockbroker, used to smoke two packs a day. He quit when he got pleurisy and thought he was having a heart attack. He shared this thought: “If you believe enough in yourself, you can do anything and you will beat any addiction. You have to believe you have the power to change and that it will be real and permanent.”

For those who can’t do cold turkey, there is help. First, write down the day that you plan to quit and do it. Tell your family and friends, so they can help you keep your commitment. Nicotine replacement therapy in the form of gum and patches are now available over the counter and will provide the nicotine without the harmful chemicals in cigarettes. Prescription medication from your doctor, like Zyban and Chantix, may help you—but remember, there are always side effects to these medications.

Give your mouth something to fight the tobacco craving, like sugarless gum, nuts, sunflower seeds or green tea, which is great for weight loss. Go online and join a stop smoking program. Get more exercise and stay away from places where you used to smoke or people who smoke so you won’t be tempted. Some people have had good success with acupuncture, in which a staple is placed in the ear. Others have had success with hypnosis.

Whatever works for you to accomplish you goal, now is the time to do it. Remember, no one dies from cigarette cravings, and the benefits you reap from stopping smoking will add years to your life.

Q. My wife and I recently moved into a retirement community. I’ve noticed a lot of people I’d call alcoholics in this community. Do seniors drink more in these places?

A: I could find no information that demonstrated that residents of retirement communities drink more. However, these developments are, by nature, more social. So, perhaps you’re just seeing more drinking. With more drinking, you’ll always find more people who don’t handle it well.

Alcoholism is a serious problem among seniors. Here are just a few statistics that tell the story:

About 70 percent of hospital admissions for older adults are for illness and accidents related to alcohol.
About half of older adults in nursing homes have an alcohol problem.

Older adults lose an average of 10 years off their lives because of alcohol abuse.

About 80 percent of doctors misdiagnose alcoholism as depression in older women.

The highest growing rate of alcoholism is among 75-year-old widowers.

About 10 percent of patients over age 60 who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease are actually suffering from brain damage caused by alcoholism.

“Alcohol abuse among older adults is something few want to talk about or deal with,” said Charles Curie, former administrator of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Too often, family members are ashamed of the problem and choose not to address it.

“Health care providers tend not to ask older patients about alcohol abuse if it wasn’t a problem in their lives in earlier years,” he said. “Sometimes the symptoms are mistaken for those of dementia, depression or other problems common to older adults. Unfortunately, too many older persons turn to alcohol as a comfort following the death of a spouse, a divorce, retirement or some other major life change, unaware that they are markedly affecting the quality of their lives.”

A few definitions:
Alcoholism is a disease with four symptoms: a craving or compulsion to drink, the inability to limit drinking, high alcohol tolerance and physical dependence.

Alcohol abuse is defined as drinking that causes problems in your life, such as failing at work, getting arrested for drunk driving and hurting someone physically or emotionally. It does not include strong craving, loss of control or physical dependence.

Moderate drinking means consuming up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people. A standard drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

The American Medical Association provides the following list of physical symptoms to diagnose alcoholism. If an older person shows several of these symptoms, there is a high probability of alcoholism.
• Bruises, abrasions and scars in locations that might suggest frequent falls, bumping into objects, physical altercations or other violent behavior
• Cigarette burns on the fingers
• Flushed or florid face
• Jerky eye movement or loss of central vision
• Damage to nerves causing numbness and tingling
• Hypertension, particularly systolic (the first number)
• Gastrointestinal or other bleeding
• Cirrhosis or other evidence of liver impairment, such as swelling in the lower extremities and other signs of fluid retention
• Psoriasis

By Paulette Safdieh

Staying healthy requires more than an impulsive New Year’s resolution and a spanking new gym membership. To nix bad habits for good and maintain positive changes to your body in 2012, fitness experts argue that the first and biggest change starts with the mind.

The philosophies behind yoga, Pilates and meditation share the idea of a mind-body connection. These exercises require a certain awareness of the body that differs from running on the treadmill or breaking a sweat in Zumba class. Instead of counting the calories burned, practitioners believe a mental shift and commitment to change yield the best results.

“We live in a fast-paced, results-oriented society,” said Allan Lokos, founder of the Upper West Side’s Community Meditation Center. “If you stick with certain exercises long enough, you realize one day that you can now handle difficult situations with greater ease than you could have before.”

According to Lokos, 71, newcomers flock to classes as holiday bells start ringing. He says the human body doesn’t know how to differentiate between negative stress and the good stress brought on by the holidays, like shopping, overeating and traveling. People turn to meditation for the pleasant feeling of calm and quiet, but Lokos insists the sessions can be far from carefree.

“When you’re left alone with your body and your mind, all kinds of stuff comes up—and some might not be pleasant,” said Lokos, a two-time author on the topic. “Do I really want to lose weight? Do I really want to quit smoking? You get that clarity and it creates motivation.”

Meditation can help spur positive change—whether it’s dropping a few pounds or throwing out the cigarettes for good—if people have genuine concern for their well-being and the desire to change for themselves, not just because the doctor said so.

Unfortunately, the weight won’t slip off just by sitting in lotus position with your legs crossed a few times a week. To reap the most benefit from meditation, proper activity should be incorporated between the hours spent in the office cubicle. Lokos agrees that exercises like yoga and Pilates maintain a similar philosophy—being attuned to your body, making long-term changes and clearing your mind.

“It’s about sculpting yourself from the inside out, changing your mind’s perspective so your body will fall into place,” said Marissa Antebi, who has been a yoga instructor in Midtown for 11 years. “With any body issues, it’s about how you’re seeing something. You need to become aware of the bad patterns and grow from there.”

For Antebi, 40, January is the busiest time of year. Despite the holiday rush, not all newcomers tap into the endurance needed to stick it out and see results. Antebi suggests starting with something as minor as a walk in the park once a week and building from there.

Attending group sessions provides the support system of fellow classmates, further encouragement to stick with it. Soon enough, you’ll learn how to maintain your health and weight instead of experiencing the fluctuations of fad diets and cleanses.

Pilates instructor Donna Singer, of the Upper East Side’s Center for Movement, said that’s the common ground between yoga and Pilates—it becomes a way of life, not just a method of exercise.

“You become aware of your posture and alignment and understand that you don’t need intense exercise to feel limber, supple and stronger,” said Singer, 42, who opened her first studio with cousin Elle Jardim in 1998. “We don’t play music—we want you to keep your mind on what you’re doing. It encourages you to make positive steps to a healthy lifestyle and continue on that journey outside of the class.”

Pilates helps create strength without the bulk that comes along with weight training. Sessions at Center for Movement, on the Upper East Side and in Scarsdale, focus on flexibility and elongating the body though breathing. The goal is to do the movements correctly, increasing efficiency so fewer repetitions are required.

“As opposed to a spinning class, where you feel sore or you sweat, we teach a method,” said Singer. “After six sessions, you start to see subtle differences, like a flatter stomach and more flexibility. We want to help people meet their resolutions.”

Antebi agrees that sticking to your New Year’s resolution through mid-February can be long enough to earn a pat on the back.

“People get caught up in their goals for the year,” said Antebi. “If you put it on the back burner and just commit to becoming aware of your mind and body, positive changes will come from that.”

First rule about buying books for infants and toddlers: Don’t get hung up on “age appropriate.” Second rule, with apologies to James Carville: It’s the pictures, stupid.

Oh yeah, and the words.

Long before babies start understanding language, they love to look at illustrations. Personally, I probably jumped the gun a bit reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See to my son when he was still in the hospital—though on the other hand, some parents start reading before their child is even born and has a view of the book. Books are gifts filled with lots of fun, and a gift card may provide a fun trip to the store if you are picking for a baby with a big library.

Babies, of course, love the sound of their parents’ voices, and it’s not long before many can sit for surprisingly long periods of time looking and listening to books. When my son was only a few months old, I was expecting to only get through a page or two when I started reading some of the great Dr. Seuss books to him. I was amazed at how enraptured he was by the pictures, leaning forward sitting on my lap with his eyes fixated as dad said the rhymes in the background.
So what are the greatest of the great Seuss works?
Most lyrical? Green Eggs and Ham. Best plot? Horton Hears a Who (don’t get me started on the problems with the movie). Most underrated? One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Honorable mention: Sneetches and Other Stories and The Cat in the Hat. Best short? There’s A Wocket in My Pocket (edited board book version.).
Wocket, apparently, was edited to get rid of the scary Vug under the rug, but other improvements have been made, most notably the addition of this gem of a line: “There’s a Zillow on my pillow that helps me fall asleep.”
One Fish, like many Seuss books, has a little violence, but those pages can easily be skipped. That’s not so easy in some of the others, so if you’re looking for books that are certain not to offend, go with Green Eggs, Sneetches, Wocket or Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

Seuss, in all likelihood, would have had trouble getting published if he were writing today, but if you trust your own parenting abilities and overlook a few things, there is a lot of great fun in there.

There’s a whole world of greatness outside of Seuss. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is one of the best rhyming books around. Author and illustrator Sandra Boynton has many short, clever board books with engaging pictures. Some of our favorites are Dinosaur’s Binkit, Hippos Go Berserk and Belly Button Book.

Terrific books continue to be written. Road Work Ahead, by Anastasia Suen, illustrated by Jannie Ho, is unlikely to be on your youngest loved one’s shelf. It’s best for truck-lovers, a sizable lot in the tot crowd.

These kids also won’t want to put down Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go, which has drawings of hundreds of vehicles, real and imaginary, including cars shaped liked pickles, pumpkins and pencils. The story is not great but the pictures give readers lots to point out rather than sticking with the text.

If he or she is fascinated with canines, classics like Harry The Dirty Dog and Go Dog Go are must-haves. The Adventures of Taxi Dog, a wonderful story narrated by a mutt rescued by a cab driver, is more recent and a more likely “doesn’t have.”

Dog and Cat, by Matthew Van Fleet, with photographs by Brian Stanton, are beautiful gifts, although the books are almost too enticing for tiny hands grabbing at the activity tabs. Van Fleet’s more recent books, last year’s Heads and, apparently, Moo this year, are a little more sturdy.

Looking for two more to add to the gift bag? Get Tumble Bumble, a lesser-known rhyming book by Felicia Bond, the illustrator of the If You Give a Mouse…series, and Lisa McCourt’s I Love You Stinky Face. It’s much sweeter than the title.

By Robin Brennen

Adopt a Senior Pet Month occurred in November, so it seems a fitting time to chat about health care for our aging pet population. When is your pet considered a member of the AARPets? The answer is “it depends.”

In general, small breed dogs live longer than large breed dogs, and cats live longer than dogs. Therefore, different breeds enter the golden years at different times.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recently came out with a feline life stage guideline that classifies cats between the ages of 11 and 14 as seniors, while those 15 years and older are considered geriatric. These life stages are important to identify to assist the pet owner and the veterinarian in mapping out a plan for wellness aimed at keeping Fluffy alive longer. A similar guide for canine life stages will soon be released.

It is certainly reasonable to expect that health care needs change as a pet ages, just as they do in people. Senior dogs and cats are more prone to osteoarthritis, dental disease, kidney, liver and heart issues, cancer, hormone imbalances, hearing and vision loss and cognitive dysfunction (senility). The challenge is in detecting these issues early enough to intervene and make a difference in the outcome. Cats and dogs are not necessarily forthcoming with complaints of aches and pains and ailments, so we need to be astute at looking for them.

Senior pets need twice-yearly veterinary check-ups at a minimum. The rationale behind this is that changes in health status can occur in a short period of time. Subtle changes in weight, water consumption, appetite, mobility or behavior can be detected through careful questioning by your vet. A thorough physical examination can detect growths, heart murmurs, lung issues, eye problems, organ enlargement, hydration status and joint pain and evaluate oral health.

Diagnostic testing can assist in early detection of many age-related diseases. Your veterinarian may recommend blood work to assess kidney, liver and hormone function, red and white blood cell counts and electrolyte levels. Screening X-rays can highlight organ enlargement and some cancers. Blood pressure monitoring helps establish the presence of hypertension, which can be a symptom of certain diseases.

Subtle changes in any of these measures, even in a pet that appears healthy, can signal early onset of illness. Even if these tests come back normal, they offer valuable insight and a basis of comparison for future tests.

Even perfectly healthy seniors can slow down and appear slightly less enthusiastic about things that thrilled them when they were younger. Their five senses can dull over time, making them less responsive to external stimuli. Keeping the mind sharp and active can slow this progression down. Exercising the mind and body, maintaining their routine and preventing “couch potato” syndrome helps keep your pet stimulated and engaged.

Nutrition is important at this life stage. Matching caloric intake to activity level is vital to maintaining a healthy weight. Older, overweight animals are more prone to diabetes and arthritis. Senior diets are often formulated with reduced calories and restricted in some nutrients as the body’s requirements change over time.

Subtle changes in your pet’s behavior can be a first clue to an underlying problem. Increased thirst or frequency of urination or accidents can be a sign of kidney problems. Decreased appetite can be the first indicator of many issues, including oral pain. Reluctance to use a litter box or go out for a walk can suggest arthritic pain. As a pet owner, you play a key role in early detection.

The golden years can be a great time for you and your pet. With good preventive medicine, you can help your pet grow old gracefully.

Robin Brennen is chief of veterinary services & VP Program Operations at Bideawee.

While department stores dress up their windows and shoppers search for the perfect gifts, those who work in the mental health profession prepare for the holidays in a different way: making sure New Yorkers stay healthy and happy during the holiday season.“The holidays are often markers for people,” said Lisa Brateman, a New York City-based psychotherapist and relationship specialist. “It’s a time when people compare themselves to others, whether in their career or their relationships.”

While the holidays are often expected to be the happiest time of the year, it is a time that can bring on sadness or depression as individuals compare their lives to others or contemplate where they were in their lives in the previous year, Brateman said.

“We’re bombarded this time of year by what it means to have someone. When a person doesn’t have someone, they start to wonder, ‘What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I have that?’” she said.

Images in the media are often to blame for setting these expectations. If someone is feeling lonely during the holidays, Brateman advises that they surround themselves with people they like and not isolate themselves further. For example, a person shouldn’t decide not to attend a party because he or she does not want to go alone.

Janet Pfeiffer, a motivational speaker and president of Pfeiffer Power Seminars, tells her clients to redefine what the holidays mean and create new traditions.

“I worked serving dinner to nursing home residents on Thanksgiving after my marriage ended,” she said. “I never enjoyed Thanksgiving as much as I did then.”

But even people who are not alone during the holidays can experience the holiday blues. Brateman said she often sees her past patients return during the holiday months, and she sees the largest number of new patients during this time than any other part of the year.

“Who to spend time with on Christmas Eve or New Year’s—unless you find a system that works for everyone, that’s a problem that repeatedly comes up every year,” she said. “That’s a matter of handling conflict and outside pressures from family.”

There are many sources of stress and anxiety during the holidays that can trigger depression, said Marty Forth, senior director of teen programs and service for the YMCA of Greater New York, who also oversees the organization’s mental health work.
“What we’ve seen is there’s a lot of stress in the parents or guardians and it manifests itself through them or through the kids,” he said.

The YMCA refers families to mental health services when appropriate, but one thing the organization does during the holidays is work with the families to make their lives easier. For example, they take on Christmas lists and recruit individuals to buy the gifts.

“It’s one less thing to worry about,” Forth said. “Finances are a huge part of the stress.”
Many YMCA locations also provide holiday meals, serving thousands of people with the help of donated food and local volunteers.

In addition to financial stress, overstretched schedules and simply trying to do too much can bring on the blues, Forth said. He advises doing everything in moderation and realizing that you can’t say yes to everything.

Holiday depression and holiday blues should not be confused with Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is a depression that affects people the same time each year, said Brateman. The symptoms are similar to regular depression, and while experts are unsure of the cause, it is often associated with a lack of sunlight.

“Holiday blues are different. The holidays can bring different feelings, but it is not seasonal depression,” she said.

The holidays can be an especially difficult time for someone mourning the loss of a loved one.

“There are a lot more reminders around the holidays, and you feel the loss a lot more,” Brateman said. “Take a moment or an hour to feel those feelings instead of acting busy and pretending you’re not feeling it.”

While holiday depression has many triggers, there are also effective solutions.
“I think one of the most important things is to not base how you feel on what everyone else is doing,” Brateman said. “What’s important is to keep one’s life in perspective.”

By: Dr. Cynthia Paulis

It’s that time of year again, when friends and family get together to celebrate the holidays and your diet gets ditched as you indulge in all of the wonderful and fattening treats of the season. But before you despair, there is actually one treat that is good for you: dark chocolate.For centuries, chocolate was revered more for its medicinal qualities than its taste. Aztecs reserved chocolate (which was usually consumed in liquid form) for priests and the very wealthy, but it was also given to soldiers because it was believed to make them strong.

When the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés arrived in the court of Aztec ruler Montezuma in 1529, he was impressed by the magical drink and returned to Europe with trunkloads of cocoa beans, writing to the King of Spain that he had found a drink that built up resistance and fought fatigue.

The drink was quickly viewed as a cure-all, with eventually more than 100 medicinal uses for chocolate. In one document dating from 1590, a mixture of cacao beans, maize and herbs was used to reduce fever and panting and treat heart ailments. They even used it in baths, which were thought to cure fatigue in government officials and those who held public office. Maybe that’s what our Congress needs today!

In the 1800s, chocolate was given to pregnant women, since it was believed to help nourish the mother and child. Even Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying, “The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain.” Soon, chocolate had sugar and milk added to it, taking away its medicinal qualities. At one point, Milton Hershey, the founder of Hershey Chocolate Company, advertised his milk chocolate bar as: “Hershey’s: More sustaining than meat.”

So why is dark chocolate so special? Chocolate is made from the cacao bean, which grows on the plant Theobroma cacao. The solid part of the bean is roasted and ground to a powder. Cacao powder, if not too sweetened, has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. The cacao has flavonoids that have antioxidants, enzymes capable of neutralizing the damaging effects of toxins in the body. One ounce of dark chocolate or cocoa has more antioxidants than blueberries, green tea or red wine.

Studies at the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic have shown that these flavonoids can improve blood flow and keep vessels healthy. One square of dark chocolate can benefit the cardiovascular system by enhancing blood flow and lowering blood pressure by two points. It can also prevent the buildup of plaque that can block arteries, and it possesses mild anti-blood clotting effects. Dark chocolate has also been known to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol by as much as five points.

Cocoa may have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels because it consists mainly of good fat, mono or polyunsaturated fat in the form of stearic acid and oleic acid, the same fat that is found in olive oil.

Chocolate and cocoa contain copper, magnesium, iron and potassium, which are essential for good health. An average bar of dark chocolate has 4 percent of the daily requirement of copper, a mineral critical to the absorption of iron and key in skin-strengthening collagen. Copper also helps the heart.

Magnesium reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. One bar of dark chocolate can deliver 12 percent of your daily requirement. Magnesium deficiency can lead to leg cramps, migraines, fatigue, loss of appetite, depression, nausea and vomiting. In addition, an average bar of dark chocolate can deliver up to 7 percent of the amount of iron a body needs. Iron is essential for carrying oxygen to parts of your body. If you are low in iron, you can become anemic, fatigued, irritable and prone to headaches. Chocolate also contains potassium, a key element in lowering blood pressure and preventing strokes.

Chocolate also contains more than 500 natural chemical compounds that are mood-elevating and pleasure-inducing. One of these is theobromine, a mild stimulant similar to caffeine but not as strong. It has been used in medicines as a cough suppressant. Chocolate also releases mood-elevating chemicals known as endorphins and serotonin in your brain. Eating chocolate really does make you feel good!
Chocolate maker Marilyn Maguinness has a less scientific view of its benefits. “It gives you a good feeling when you get chocolate, roses or a box of candy,” she said. “I have heard that the dark chocolate is actually good for women, for their hearts, so I think you should eat chocolate every day.”

Remember that chocolate is still loaded with calories and fat, so limit your consumption to just one square a day. Look for chocolate that is at least 60 percent cacao; the higher the cacao number, the lower the sugar. A 75 percent cacao bar is 25 percent sugar, while a 65 percent cacao bar is 35 percent sugar.

Milk chocolate and white chocolate have no health benefits. Avoid drinking milk with dark chocolate because it binds with the antioxidants, making them unavailable.
When the big man in the red suit comes calling this month, instead of leaving cookies loaded with saturated fats, leave him a few squares of dark chocolate. Don’t forget some carrots for the reindeer, loaded with vitamin A, which are good for their night vision!