How to have a difficult conversation with a confused older person
“All those sorts of very slight things we can get over, but all together, they then start to become a big problem. And that’s what’s happening to Joe Biden now, isn’t it?” says Carter. The best approach is starting discussions as early as possible. If they need support at work “If you’re a good manager, […]
How to reboot your gut health in 30 days
Research from the American Gut Project found the single best thing you can do for your gut health is to eat 30 different plant foods a week. Leading UK gut experts such as Prof Tim Spector and Dr Megan Rossi, support this advice. It might seem a tall order but the term “plant foods” includes […]
How to master great conversation, even if you’re shy
It’s surprising to me that we don’t talk about talking more, how to do it well or how to use it to help ourselves and others, especially as The World Health Organisation have recently declared loneliness as a “global public health concern” and an even greater concern than obesity. The US surgeon general has even […]
How to know if (and when) you’re going to go bald
Losing hair is an issue many men worry about. That is understandable, because by the age of 70, between 96 and 100 per cent of men will have experienced noticeable hair loss. Around one in five start balding in their 20s, one in three in their 30s. For those who look around at family gatherings […]
Are you overeating? Here’s how to tell – and break the habit
Why do we overeat? Emotional eating is the most common reason for overeating, often because of stress, sadness or low energy. It can also be a symptom of depression. In these cases, food is used as a coping mechanism to deal with problems or difficult emotions. It becomes a survival strategy and people may think […]
Five things that lower your sperm count and how to boost it
Women are so often the focus in conversations about infertility – which is defined as “a failure to establish a pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse”. In reality, when you look at the causes of infertility, a third of the issues are with the woman, a third are due to the men […]
The 9 most common food allergies and how to deal with them
Being allergic to certain food can be debilitating at the best of times and deadly at the worst. According to a new report from the Food Standards Agency, around 30 per cent of adults report having adverse reactions when eating some foods. However, only around six per cent (around 2.4 million people in the UK) […]
The health risks of being a skinny old person – and how to stay strong
Build up the length of your walks slowly Walking is the starting point for someone who wants to strengthen their heart and lungs. Quinn advises against high intensity. “If anyone’s going to suffer a cardiovascular episode, an arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation, it will be someone in that older age bracket – the heart is ageing […]
How to start swimming from scratch or after a break
So how do swimming lessons progress as we get older? Essentially, the core approach to learning to swim or the technique used does not change between adults and children. “It’s your motivation for learning and, crucially, the delivery that may differ to reflect adults’ unique needs,” says Brownlie. “When it comes to technique, adults will […]
‘When I feel depression knocking on the door, I know how to turn it away’
Philip Morgan, 66, reframed his mindset after going through a series of health challenges, including silent strokes (caused by a frontal lobe lesion), a cancer diagnosis, and young-onset vascular dementia. “Life seemed simply hopeless,” he says. “I can now however talk about good ways to overcome hopelessness”. Once sceptical about alternative mind and body practices, […]