Centenarian Lorna Austin was a woman of few words on Wednesday, and her memory may not be the sharpest, but friends and family who helped her celebrate her milestone were full of stories of how lively she was in her younger years.

Their recollections also shared a similar theme—that of a woman whose life focused on the love of her family.

During an intimate party held at her Christ Church home, the Guyanese-born mother of three was mostly quiet as a fuss was made about her.

Her daughter, Betty-June Leacock, told the media that the day was a special one for her and her family.

“She is actually only the second [centenarian] that I have encountered. I am still in awe of my own mum as a centenarian and I think it has been a wonderful day so far. I feel blessed to have my mom at 100 years and for others to come and share in the experience,” she told the media as she indicated her mother was in good health.

Her brother Nigel Austin mirrored those sentiments, adding, “She is an example of what perseverance and resolve are all about… a perfect example of that. I hope to be able to follow in those footsteps.”

He spoke about some of his mother’s life experiences, including studying in England, doing secretarial work at The Barbados Advocate, and being a secretary for the late Sir William Arthur Lewis during his time as President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

However, he said it was her love for her late husband, Leo Austin, that meant the most to her during her lifetime, and she felt the weight of his passing in 1996.

“Daddy always had like this umbrella over her to protect her; he had her like in a bubble. Anything she wanted, Daddy took care of. She was devastated when he passed. “We were really worried about her,” Austin recalled.

“Over time, she bounced back and at that age, she then decided to embrace technology. She got onto the computer, learned how to use [it], communicated with all of her friends overseas via email, [and] took all of the bookings for the apartments, which she rented out, via email.

“I know the days where she would say ‘Nigel, when you come over I want you to look at the computer for me, I am not getting online’ or ‘there is an email I want to send but these attachments are not going’. She was fascinated all of the time with technology. Then when cell phones came about, where we could take pictures and so on, up till now she is still amazed about how you could take photographs on a cell phone.”

The centenarian’s best friend, Norma Odle, spoke about their friendship.

“We had great times together [and] always kept close together. As the children came on, I even remember Old Year’s Night when Leo and Lorna would bring the kids over to my house with my kids, and the four of us, my husband and I and Lorna and Leo, would go dancing, [and] bring back home the top hats for the children the next morning.

“We had some beautiful times together… never left each other out. Since my husband died 28 years ago, Leo passed the year after him, and Lorna and I kept very close always,” she said.

Odle said that while Austin no longer remembered her, the love she had for her close friend had not faded.

“She doesn’t know me now but I am still close in heart with her…. I love her very much,” she said.

Representatives from the Barbados Association of Retired Persons as well as the National Union of Public Workers paid tribute to Austin during the celebrations.

The centenarian has three children and five grandchildren, most of whom still live in Barbados. (SB)

The post Austin showered with praise on 100th birthday appeared first on Barbados Today.

Centenarian Lorna Austin was a woman of few words on Wednesday, and her memory may not be the sharpest, but friends and family who helped her celebrate her milestone were full of stories of how lively she was in her younger years.

Their recollections also shared a similar theme – that of a woman whose life focused on the love for her family.

During an intimate party held at her Christ Church home, the Guyanese-born mother of three was mostly quiet as a fuss was made of her.

Her daughter Betty-June Leacock told the media that the day was a special one for her and her family.

“She is actually only the second [centenarian] that I have encountered. I am still in awe of my own mum as a centenarian and I think it has been a wonderful day so far. I feel blessed to have my mom at 100 years and for others to come and share in the experience,” she told the media as she indicated her mother was in good health.

Her brother Nigel Austin mirrored those sentiments, adding: “She is an example of what perseverance and resolve is all about… a perfect example of that. I hope to be able to follow in those footsteps.”

He spoke about some of his mother’s life experiences, including studying in England, doing secretarial work at The Barbados Advocate, and being a secretary for the late Sir William Arthur Lewis during his time as President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

However, he said it was the love for her late husband, Leo Austin that meant the most to her during her lifetime and she felt the weight of his passing in 1996.

“Daddy always had like this umbrella over her to protect her, had her like in a bubble. Anything she wanted, Daddy took care of. She was devastated when he passed…. We were really worried about her,” Austin recalled.

“Over time, she bounced back and at that age, she then decided to embrace technology. She got onto the computer, learned how to use [it], communicated with all of her friends overseas via email, [and] took all of the bookings for the apartments, which she rented out, via email.

“I know the days where she would say ‘Nigel, when you come over I want you to look at the computer for me, I am not getting online’ or ‘there is an email I want to send but these attachments are not going’. She was fascinated all of the time with technology. Then when cell phones came about, where we could take pictures and so on, up till now she is still amazed about how you could take photographs on a cell phone.”

The centenarian’s best friend Norma Odle spoke about their friendship.

“We had great times together [and] always kept close together. As the children came on, I even remember Old Year’s Night when Leo and Lorna would bring the kids over to my house with my kids, and the four of us, my husband and I and Lorna and Leo, would go dancing, [and] bring back home the top hats for the children the next morning.

“We had some beautiful times together… never left each other out. Since my husband died 28 years ago, Leo passed the year after him, and Lorna and I kept very close always,” she said.

Odle said that while Austin no longer remembered her, the love she had for her close friend has not faded.

“She doesn’t know me now but I am still close in heart with her…. I love her very much,” she said.

Representatives from the Barbados Association of Retired Persons as well as the National Union of Public Workers paid tribute to Austin during the celebrations.

The centenarian has three children and five grandchildren, most of whom still live in Barbados. (SB)

The post Austin showered with praise on 100th birthday appeared first on Barbados Today.

What do Prince Harry, Miley Cyrus, Elon Musk, Harry Styles and Kristen Bell all have in common?

Aside from being rich and famous, these individuals have been open about their use of psychedelic drugs, touting benefits such as spiritual growth, the curbing of grief and reduced stress, anxiety and depression.

During a recent online chat with trauma expert Gabor Maté, Prince Harry admitted that psychedelic drugs helped him acknowledge the death of his mother, Princess Diana, and to move forward from that trauma.

PRINCE HARRY ADMITS PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS HELPED HIM 'DEAL WITH THE TRAUMAS' OF THE PAST

In an interview with Anderson Cooper of "60 Minutes" right after his book, "Spare," came out, the Duke of Sussex also said, "I would never recommend people to do this recreationally. But doing it with the right people if you are suffering from a huge amount of loss, grief or trauma — then these things have a way of working as a medicine," Prince Harry admitted.

"For me, they cleared the windscreen, the windshield, the misery of loss," he also said. "They cleared away this idea that I had in my head that — that my mother, that I needed to cry to prove to my mother that I missed her. When in fact, all she wanted was for me to be happy."

Celebrities are far from the only ones who have embraced psychedelics (also known as hallucinogens). 

An estimated 5.5 million U.S. adults use them, according to a 2022 study from Columbia University — despite the fact that these substances are largely illegal.

Why are so many people turning to these drugs, and what should everyone know about the risks and benefits involved? Here's some key information.

Psychedelic drugs are defined as "a class of psychoactive substances that produce changes in perception, mood and cognitive processes," according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF). 

"Psychedelics affect all the senses, altering a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions. They can also cause a person to hallucinate — seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted."

Some of the most common types of psychedelics include LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide, also known as acid), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), DMT (dimenthyltryptamine), MDMA (ecstasy), ayahuasca, 2C-B, mesacaline, NBOMe (N-methoxybenzyl) and ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.

Some psychedelics are found in nature, derived from trees, plants and seeds. Others are synthetically created in laboratories.

Psychedelics aren’t new. For centuries, civilizations around the world have embraced them for medicinal use and for their mystical and spiritual properties. 

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Today, a growing number of people (famous or not) are turning to the drugs for both recreational use and to curb depression, anxiety and other mental health issues — and in many cases, they’re breaking laws along the way.

With so many celebs and high-profile people sharing their psychedelic stories, it begs the question of how they’re getting access to these still-illicit substances.

Dr. Farah Khorassani, associate clinical professor at the School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California, Irvine, pointed out that most "regular" people don't have access to these drugs, as they are not approved by the FDA for medical use.

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The doctor surmises that people using these drugs in the U.S. may be doing so in the rare areas where psychedelic-assisted therapy is being conducted, or they could be enrolled in clinical trials. Or, illegal purchase is also possible. 

"If someone decides to buy a psychedelic on the street, it's important to remember that these substances aren't regulated, and they carry the risk of adulteration and contamination with other illicit substances," the associate clinical professor pointed out.

There are also "psychedelic retreats" in places like Mexico, Jamaica and Costa Rica, but these are not generally accessible to the masses, she said.

In 1973, the U.S. federal government classified psychedelics as a schedule 1 substance, which means they have "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse."

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Since then, ketamine and esketamine have been the only psychedelic drugs to gain FDA approval for use by medical practitioners across the U.S., although they’re still illegal for recreational use. 

Ketamine is widely used as a treatment for depression and pain management.

Some states have been working toward legalizing more psychedelics. 

In the state of Oregon, it is now legal for adults to take psilocybin (magic mushrooms) for mental health treatments.

Other states and cities — including some parts of California, Washington, Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington, D.C. — have decriminalized magic mushrooms, which means people can use them recreationally without penalty, though they’re not yet FDA-approved for medical use.

In November 2022, Colorado passed the Natural Medicine Health Act, which legalized the supervised use of five psychedelic substances that come from plants or fungus for people 21 years of age and over.

A handful of other states are also taking steps toward wider legalization.

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Dr. William Prueitt, a Yale psychiatry resident with Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut, believes the FDA is starting to recognize the promise of psychedelic therapies for treating mental health conditions. 

"Psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapies have been granted breakthrough therapy status by the FDA for major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), respectively," he told Fox News Digital in an email.

"These medicines are both currently undergoing trials for FDA approval, which so far have shown positive results."

While Prince Harry has said he used hallucinogenic drugs to heal from trauma — namely, the death of his mother, Princess Diana — actress Kristen Bell has talked about using magic mushrooms after she heard they could help with depression.

Chelsea Handler said she takes them as a daily mood-booster. Boxer Mike Tyson once told Reuters that magic mushrooms helped him overcome suicidal tendencies.

Numerous studies appear to support the use of psychedelics as a mental health tool. Research by Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, suggests that psychedelic treatment with psilocybin (magic mushrooms), when combined with psychotherapy, can relieve major depressive symptoms for up to a year.

Dr. Alan Davis, director of the Center for Psychedelic Drug Research and Education at The Ohio State University, has done extensive research on the use of psychedelic therapy to treat mental health problems.

This year, his team launched OSU’s first clinical trial on psychedelic therapy for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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"These people are going through a pretty intensive psychotherapy process, and psychedelics are just one part of that," Dr. Davis told Fox News Digital in an interview. 

"In our clinical trials, we've seen that psychedelics can be effective for treating depression, anxiety and PTSD. We've also seen some evidence that it can help with addiction issues, OCD and social anxiety."

At Numinus Wellness, a psychedelic therapy provider with locations in Utah, Arizona and Canada, doctors prescribe ketamine for mental health therapy. 

"It allows patients to get to the root cause of problems faster than with traditional talk therapy or antidepressant medications," Dr. Reid Robison, chief clinical officer at Numinus, told Fox News Digital via email. 

"By opening your mind with the help of psychedelics, you are able to feel deeper, listen more intently and speak more freely."

Dr. Robinson claims that patients given a single dose of ketamine experienced a rapid reduction in depressive symptoms during the first 24 hours — with effects lasting up to seven days.

Psychedelics are not for everyone, doctors say — and they carry risks that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Without the right preparation and supervision, psychedelics can create what Dr. Davis calls "challenging experiences." For some people, the drugs could cause them to relive traumatic memories from their past — potentially triggering severe anxiety.

"If that’s not done in a supportive environment, it can lead to panic, paranoia and other challenges," Dr. Davis said. "It's critical that psychedelics are used in a safe, therapeutic setting to minimize those risks."

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In particular, he noted that psychedelics can be dangerous for those who have a genetic predisposition to psychotic disorders — for instance, someone who has a family member with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. 

In those cases, the drugs could trigger a psychotic episode.

There is also the risk of developing hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder.

That's when someone experiences visual flashbacks for anywhere from a few days to over a year after the psychedelic experience.

Dr. Khorassani of the University of California, Irvine, warned that psychedelics have the potential to cause adverse effects in the central and peripheral nervous system.

"Because most psychedelics are classic hallucinogens or dissociative drugs, they can induce unpleasant feelings such as paranoia, psychosis, disorientation and loss of coordination," she told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"It is rare for these symptoms to persist. Other physiologic effects such as nausea, numbness, increased heart rate and blood pressure, high body temperatures and increased muscle tension are also possible." 

For these reasons, she said people with cardiovascular disorders should steer clear.

At Numinus, Dr. Robinson said his team will not treat individuals who are not candidates for psychedelic treatment. That includes pregnant women, those with a history of epilepsy or another seizure disorder, or patients with severe cardiovascular disease — including uncontrolled blood pressure, heart failure, coronary artery disease or previous heart attack or stroke.

Tracy Wright of Fox News Digital contributed reporting. 

A simple urine test could detect pancreatic and prostate cancer with up to a 99% rate of accuracy, says a team of researchers from the Surface & Nano Materials Division of the Korea Institute of Materials Science.

Dr. Ho Sang Jung, lead author of the study, said cancer urine contains cancer metabolites and is different from normal urine. 

The study, recently published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, aimed to determine whether urine tests could detect those cancer metabolites, which are released by cancer cells to promote tumor growth.

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After the urine sample was placed on a test strip, the researchers used a special type of light scattering technique that generated a "fingerprint spectrum of chemicals," which detected the cancer metabolites.

Dr. Jung said the tests can detect cancer at various stages. 

"The purpose of developing this kind of technology is to screen the cancer patient before they go to the hospital," he told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"We are not sure that the test strip can differentiate cancer at very early stages, but at least it can suggest the possibility of cancer status — so the patient may then go to the hospital for a precise medical checkup."

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Dr. James Anaissie, a urologist with Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas, who was not involved in the study, is optimistic about the future of this technology — but he’s not jumping completely on board just yet.

"If the test is as reliable as they say it is, it may have an important role in screening, as the current PSA [prostate-specific antigen] blood test we use is notoriously unreliable," he told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"There is a big need for something like this."

Also, from a clinical perspective, urine testing is much easier than blood testing, the doctor said.

However, Anaissie remains a bit skeptical. 

"Although they report excellent sensitivity and specificity for prostate cancer, the data to support this is only available upon request of the research team, and they have almost no tables demonstrating these findings, which I would consider standard for studies of this nature," he said. 

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"For example, were the patients diagnosed with prostate cancer in severe stages, where it’s obvious they have prostate cancer even without any urine tests?" said Dr. Anaissie. 

"Was it just as accurate for low-grade and high-grade cancers? Whenever I hear about exciting new technology, I’m always receptive, but with a raised eyebrow."

Urine screenings can be used by anyone, said Dr. Jung. The end goal is for this type of technology to be available for at-home testing.

He foresees several possible practical uses, including screening for cancer before going to the hospital, monitoring for cancer recurrence after treatment, or supplementary testing in addition to blood work.

The study authors recognize some limitations of the research.

"It was hard to get enough urine samples from cancer patients," said Dr. Jung. 

His team used 100 samples in the study and is continuously collecting more from hospitals throughout Korea.

Also, because this is a new technology, it still has not been approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea for commercial use.

Anaissie also points out that more studies are needed to see if the test works when there is a urinary tract infection or blood in the urine, which is not uncommon in patients with prostate cancer.

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"Technology like this takes a long time to go from the lab’s proof of concept to everyday use, and a lot of people are going to try to pick it apart to make sure it’s safe and reliable," Anaissie said.

"The last thing you want is a screening test that ends up having a lot of false negatives. If it can survive the scrutiny, then it has the potential to revolutionize prostate cancer screening."

The researchers’ ultimate goal is for the urine screenings to extend eventually to other types of cancers, such as lung cancer and colorectal cancer. 

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"We are currently developing a system that can classify four cancer types — pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer — simultaneously," Jung told Fox News Digital. 

He expects the follow-up study to be published sometime this year. 

Pancreatic cancer makes up around 3% of cancer diagnoses in the U.S. and 7% of deaths, per the American Cancer Society (ACS). 

Men are slightly more susceptible than women.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among American men, with about one in 41 dying of the disease (via the ACS).

The news comes nearly a year after the announcement that Willis would be stepping away from acting due to a diagnosis of aphasia, a language disorder that impacts the ability to speak, read and write.

A study by researchers with New York City's Columbia University found that one in every 10 adults over 65 has some form of dementia. 

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While most people are familiar with Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common type, FTD is likely not as well-known.

FTD, as defined by Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, is "a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost. This causes the lobes to shrink. FTD can affect behavior, personality, language and movement."

FTD typically affects men and women between 40 and 65 years of age.

While symptoms of FTD can vary depending on what part of the brain is affected, most people with the condition experience some common symptoms, as listed on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website. 

Behavior or personality changes are often the most obvious indicators. These may include public outbursts or socially inappropriate actions.

People with FTD also tend to have impaired judgment, a lack of empathy and lower self-awareness, Johns Hopkins states. 

Others may notice sufferers losing interest in activities they used to enjoy or withdrawing emotionally from friends and family members.

This type of dementia is also marked by a reduced ability to understand or formulate language.

People may struggle to remember the names of objects, string words into sentences or even recall the meanings of words they used to know. 

They may have trouble planning and organizing — and find that they are easily distracted.

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Eventually, the person with FTD may end up speaking less frequently out of frustration. The condition can also lead to agitation, irritability and drastic mood swings.

Dr. Tiffany Chow, vice president of clinical development and neurology at Alector, Inc. in San Francisco, California, has spent most of her career working with patients and families living with dementia and investigating clinical trials for these illnesses.

"Most people aren’t expecting dementia to start in their 50s," she told Fox News Digital in an email. 

"The earliest signs of FTD can be so subtle that they're often misinterpreted as a ‘midlife crisis,’ which then delays appropriate medical attention."

Dr Chow said that many family members have told her they remember their loved one acting in a way that was uncharacteristic. 

In one example, someone who had handled tax returns capably for the last 25 years was suddenly unable to organize receipts and other paperwork.

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There was also a seasoned camper who found herself unable to set up her tent without help.

"The tricky part is that the change doesn't occur overnight, from normal to consistently disabled," said Dr. Chow. 

"Isolated events are noticed maybe every few months, and it's hard to string those together into a major concern until the changes are seen on a daily basis," Dr. Chow also said.

If a clinician isn’t aware of FTD, there’s a risk it will be misdiagnosed as a midlife crisis or a psychiatric condition such as bipolar affective disorder. 

"One of the big challenges in our field is to get the word out to primary care physicians about this relatively rare cause of dementia," Dr. Chow said. 

The doctor said there are some new checklists and tools available to help patients pinpoint the changes they’re experiencing. Otherwise, there is no single universal screening test for FTD.

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"This is very different from Alzheimer's disease, where memory testing and cerebrospinal fluid tests can help in diagnosing the disease," said Dr. Chow. 

"For FTD, the assessment of changes in frontal lobe functions is more complex, requiring an objective history from someone who can help the clinician understand the person's ‘normal’ level of function and how social skills have changed."

Although there is no universal diagnostic test, there are genetic screenings that can flag someone as more likely to develop FTD. 

Dr. Chow said genetic testing is most helpful in diagnosing behavioral FTD and primary progressive aphasia (PPA), which affects patients’ ability to use language. 

For those cases, up to 40% of the patients share a common genetic mutation.

The first step is to meet with a genetics counselor who can explain the potential consequences of learning the results. 

"Sometimes even the people who should know don't want to know — and we all have to respect that," said Dr. Chow. 

Development efforts are ongoing, including clinical trials, but there is no current FDA-approved treatment for FTD, said Chow.

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"For now, to minimize the risk of FTD or any other dementia, people can adopt overall lifestyle improvements such as heart-healthy choices and avoiding head trauma, which also promotes brain health," the doctor said.

The condition typically progresses over time, Johns Hopkins states on its website. 

Patients can also seek treatments to alleviate symptoms, such as speech therapy or the use of antidepressants. 

Eventually, those with FTD may need full-time care.

Approximately 50,000-60,000 people may have FTD, per data from the Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit group based in Chicago.

In addition to Bruce Willis, other celebrities that have been diagnosed with dementia over the years have included Ronald Reagan, Rita Hayworth, Robin Williams, Casey Kasem and Charlton Heston. 

Patients who get sepsis while hospitalized are 43% more likely to return to the hospital for a stroke or any cardiac event, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. 

The risk rises to 51% for heart failure alone.

The study included more than 2.2 million patients who spent at least two nights in the hospital during a 10-year span — 800,000 of them were diagnosed with sepsis. 

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The patients ranged in age from 19 to 87 years old, with an average age of 64.

Sepsis is "the body’s extreme response to an infection" and is considered a "life-threatening medical emergency," according to the CDC.

The condition occurs when an existing infection spreads throughout the body. 

If it’s not caught and treated early, sepsis can damage tissues and cause organs to shut down. 

Of the 1.7 million adults who develop sepsis in America each year, more than 20% will die in the hospital or go into hospice care, per CDC data.

Dr. Jacob C. Jentzer, director of the cardiac intensive care research unit at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, led the new study. He explained that all participants had prior cardiac disease or cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, kidney disease or diabetes. 

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They knew the risk level was already fairly consistent before considering the added effect of sepsis.

"Patients who survive sepsis are at a substantially higher risk of death and hospitalization for all outcomes, but the risk for cardiovascular events is particularly high," Dr. Jentzer told Fox News Digital. 

Given that cardiovascular disease is still one of the biggest causes of potentially preventable deaths in Americans, he said he sees the sepsis diagnosis as a helpful warning sign.

The doctor expected to find a higher risk among sepsis patients, but one finding did surprise him. 

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"It was a bit unexpected that some of the lower-risk groups were the ones that had the strongest effect from sepsis," he said.

"If you have patients who are fairly high-risk already and the risk goes up a little bit, that's obviously bad — but not quite as bad as having someone who otherwise might do well, and then seeing that they have a much higher risk," Dr. Jentzer said.

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The key takeaway, he said, is awareness and prevention. 

Even after full recovery, someone who survived sepsis should take steps to minimize other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. 

"The fact that these patients survived sepsis makes it at least as important, if not more important, to monitor those factors," Dr. Jentzer noted. 

"It's key that they have all the essential medicines and make sure all the different components of cardiovascular risk — like blood pressure and lipids and other things — are very well-controlled," he said. 

Beyond creating difficulty in opening jars, turning doorknobs or even shaking someone's hand, a lack of grip strength could be a warning sign of a shorter life, according to a new study published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.

It's been shown that after age 60, grip strength can decline by up to 25%. Dr. Mark Peterson, an associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Michigan, was curious about the relationship between grip strength and the aging process.

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"There have been many studies showing that people with muscle weakness are at a higher risk for diseases and tend to die earlier than stronger people, but until now, there hasn’t been a great explanation for that link — aside from assuming that people who lead healthier lives are known to live longer," Peterson told Fox News Digital. 

"We were interested in exploring a cellular biological link between the measure of strength and the negative consequences that arise during aging."

For the study, researchers evaluated 43,000 men and women who were at least 51 years old, with an average age of 70. 

Every other year during an eight-year span, the participants visited a research lab to squeeze a muscle strength testing tool called a dynamometer, which measures grip strength in pounds.

The study found that those with weaker grips demonstrated "DNA methylation age acceleration" — which means they showed signs of aging faster than did those with stronger grips.

Peterson said he expected to see this link between weakness and faster aging — but he was a bit surprised by how strong the association was. 

"We’ve been using the new tagline, ‘Weakness is the new smoking,’" he said. 

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"It sounds like an exaggeration, but it's really not. There’s enough data to back up that claim."

Ideally, Dr. Peterson said doctors should do grip testing during routine office visits as a measure of functional strength.

If someone already has a weak grip, working on making those muscles stronger won’t magically add years to their life, Peterson said.

In other words, weak grip strength is an indicator of accelerated aging — but doesn’t cause it.

As the doctor explained, grip strength is correlated to overall body strength — so if your grip is strong, there’s a good chance your arms, legs, stomach and other body parts are also strong.

Conversely, a person with a weak grip likely has weakness in other areas.

"If somebody has weak grip strength, it should be a red flag that they have a high risk for age-related chronic diseases," Dr. Peterson said. 

"I won’t claim that if you improve your grip strength, you’ll also improve your health, because that is definitely not true," he said. "The solution is not to improve grip strength, but to do all the things in life that are important for improving the overall robustness of the body."

That means focusing on things such as healthy nutrition and regular physical activity. 

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Strength training is particularly important for middle-aged and older adults, as they tend to have less lean muscle mass. 

"Overall strength is a very powerful way to ward off functional decline with age, which is highly associated with things like osteoporosis, falls, fractures, dementia, cardiovascular disease and diabetes," Dr. Peterson added. 

"Your biology ages slower with healthy behaviors," he said.

While grip strength exercises might not be a guaranteed health booster, they can make daily life easier and more enjoyable. 

If a weak grip is keeping you from doing the activities you need or want to do — whether it’s golfing, carrying a child or shoveling snow — there are things you can do to bolster those muscles.

Brittany Ferri, Ph.D., an occupational therapist outside Rochester, New York, notes that grip strength is especially important for older people who need to use mobility devices like walkers, wheelchairs or canes.

"Grip strength can mean the difference between propelling a wheelchair on your own and requiring a caregiver to do it for you, which is a huge step between independence or dependence for somebody whose mobility is severely limited," Ferri told Fox News Digital.

To strengthen one's grip, Ferri recommends squeezing a stress ball throughout the day. She prefers the kind with some sand in them, as they offer a bit of resistance.

Therapy putty is another option. 

"It looks pretty similar to play dough, but has a much tougher texture and offers more resistance," Ferri explained. "You can squeeze it, stretch it out, roll it into a ball, separate it into two pieces — all of that will help with grip strength."

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In a pinch, a tight rubber band can also help work the hand muscles. 

Place the band around all fingers on both hands and then spread the hands and fingers apart as wide as possible.

For most healthy adults, Ferri recommends doing grip-strengthening exercises at least a couple of times per week or as often as once a day.

Adopting a healthy lifestyle in Barbados can be achieved without excessive spending.

So says vice-president of the Dietitians of Barbados, Meshell Carrington who said, contrary to popular belief, eating healthy could be achieved at an affordable price.

Speaking during an event hosted by the Alexandra School Alumni Association at the school’s, Queen Street, St Peter, grounds over the weekend, Carrington said ground provisions and legumes were inexpensive, healthy options.

She pointed out that breadfruits could be purchased for around $3, while some legumes were on the market for even cheaper at around $1.60. Foods such as green plantain, yam, sweet potato, cassava, eddoes and brown rice were all available on the local market.

However, Carrington said a 2019 food survey done in Barbados revealed that sugar-sweetened beverages, poultry, ground provisions, rice, bread, cake, sweetbread, pasta, dairy products and fish were the preferred foods of Barbadians.

“The common theme was that the Barbadian diet was characterised by high sugar intake, with most of the sugar coming from added sugars. There are also high intakes of fat and salt and the dietary intake of fibre is inadequate…along with low intakes of fruits and vegetables,” she said.

“Meats are one of the major foods found to be consumed but we don’t need that much meat. People could probably reduce the meat consumption a bit and eat more legumes which are cheaper. Staples are the main source of carbohydrates, provide energy and also provide the body with dietary fibre.”

Additionally, she said a Barbados Food Consumption Survey done in 2000 revealed that on average, Barbadians ate out twice weekly.

Carrington also urged Barbadians to stay away from “ultra-processed” foods. She said a 2015 survey showed that 65 per cent of adults in Barbados were classified as either overweight or obese.

She told the session that the most consumed ultra-processed foods in Barbados included soft drinks, sandwich bread, salt bread, french fries and cereal.

“It [ultra-processed food] is defined as the formulation of ingredients, mostly of exclusive, industrialised use. So they are highly processed and they are typically created by a series of techniques and processes…There is no real nutritional value in them and all they provide are calories,” Carrington cautioned.

“The goal is really trying to get some energy balance, so the energy or calories that you are taking in, needs to equal the energy or calories that are going out. It is necessary to control energy because it is necessary to control weight.”

The dietitian explained that poor diets were the primary causes of hypertension, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Carrington said it remained a concern that a large number of children in Barbados were obese.

“One out of every three children in Barbados between the ages of nine and 10 are either obese or overweight. That’s concerning because the earlier you start the more complications you will have because of the ill effect of the disease,” said Carrington. She also pointed out that 12 per cent of those children had elevated systolic blood pressure. (RB)

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The soaring cost of eggs may be inspiring some people to add a chicken coop or two to their backyard or property. 

The feathery pets, however, come with serious health risks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — so people should go into such an endeavor with eyes wide open.

"Raising any type of animal or bird is always potentially fraught with communicable disease transmission," Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital this week.

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"Proper attention has to be given toward maintaining the good health of these creatures, as well as preventing the spread of microbes they may harbor," added Glatt. He is also a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 

Last year, there were 1,230 illnesses, 225 hospitalizations and two deaths in 49 states and Puerto Rico as part of a CDC investigation into outbreaks linked to backyard poultry, according to its website.

"In 2022, CDC investigated 13 multi-state outbreaks of salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry," Dr. Kathy Benedict, a veterinarian epidemiologist with the CDC, told Fox News Digital. 

"Backyard poultry can be a reservoir for many diseases, which can spread diseases to poultry and/or humans," added Maurice Pitesky, a cooperative extension specialist with University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in Davis, California.

"It is our responsibility to raise the birds in such a manner as to reduce the potential for disease transmission," he added.

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The CDC gives tips on how to stay safe from the harmful germs that chickens can spread.

"Chickens can carry germs like campylobacter, E. coli and salmonella," Benedict of the CDC told Fox News Digital.

These are all bacterial infections. 

Chickens don’t usually get sick from these germs, she said — so "they can look clean and healthy but still spread the germs to people."

People using a chicken coop can also get an infection known as histoplasmosis, said Benedict. 

It's caused by a fungus found in soil that's contaminated with bird poop. 

Experts emphasize the importance of knowing the health risks of one bacterial infection in particular — salmonella — associated with having a chicken coop.

"You can get sick from touching your backyard poultry or anything in their environment and then touching your mouth or food and swallowing salmonella germs," the CDC notes on its website.

Patients who are sick with salmonella often have a fever and diarrheal symptoms with stomach cramps, the CDC says.

The symptoms often begin as early as six hours up to six days after swallowing the bacteria, but most people get better on their own in one week.

Children younger than five, adults who are 65 and older, and people who are immunocompromised are more likely to be at risk for severe disease from salmonella and may require treatment, including hospitalization.

The agency emphasizes that people should always wash their hands with soap and water after the following: handling any chickens; touching their eggs; and touching anything where chickens live and roam. 

But hand sanitizer is a good second-line option if soap and water are not readily available.

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The agency suggests people have a ready supply of hand sanitizer near the chicken coop.

Kissing or snuggling chickens can spread germs to the mouth — which is why the CDC recommends against doing this.

Also, don't eat or drink when around chickens, the CDC says.

Keep chickens, their care supplies such as feed containers, and the specific shoes you wear to care for chickens outside the home. 

"You should also clean the supplies outside the house," the CDC adds on its website.

Kids should also be supervised any time they're around backyard poultry. 

Parents and caregivers should remind them to also wash their hands after handling chickens. 

Children under five years old should not touch chickens. That's because they're at higher risk of getting sick from germs like salmonella.

While "eggs are one of nature’s most nutritious and economical foods," the CDC points out, "eggs can make you sick if you do not handle and cook them properly."

Eggs that stay in the nest for a long time can break or become dirty — so collect eggs as often as you can.

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Broken eggs allow germs to enter the egg more easily through the cracked shell. Any eggs with broken shells should be thrown away. 

For unbroken eggs, "rub off dirt on [these] eggs with fine sandpaper, a brush or a cloth," the CDC notes on its website.

For warm, fresh eggs, avoid washing them with water, "because colder water can pull germs into the egg."

Once you've cleaned the eggs, it's wisest to refrigerate them to keep them fresh and to slow bacterial growth. 

While some people believe that fresh, unwashed eggs can be stored safely at room temperature, refrigerating them will help them last longer. 

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The CDC adds, "Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are firm, and cook egg dishes to an internal temperature of 160°F to kill all germs."

Benedict told Fox News Digital, "CDC’s website has information about how to stay healthy around backyard chickens and how to keep your chickens healthy."

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She noted that the agency also includes FAQs and "a printable infographic for people who have chicken coops."

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.

Dr. Basil Springer

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” – 3 John 2

When one conjures up a visit to Barbados, thoughts of an idyllic paradise spring to mind. Barbados, at Christmas or other times of the year, certainly delivers on that promise time and time again, visit after visit.

During my current visit “back home”, it hasn’t been all relaxation, since a visit from Trinidad to Barbados for me means lots of business activities, errands as well as doctors’ appointments, along with family and friends’ get-togethers and the various parties and social activities associated with the yuletide season.

As I prepare for my return to Trinidad and Tobago to settle into my weekly activities, which include Rotary service activities, shepherding businesses as well as continuing work on writing projects, I reflect on the rich experience of my visit to Bim.

The highlight for me was, of course, Judy’s Christmas/birthday celebrations, reconnecting with my children, grandchildren, and extended members of the Springer, Cozier and Barrow clans. However, an extra delight was spending time with three generations of long-time friends from Canada, with whom I was blessed to work during my consulting days as the founder and managing director of System Caribbean Limited.

From childhood, I have spent much time walking on the beaches of Barbados, and it was marvellous to continue the tradition, this time while communing with nature as well as with friends strolling through the Rockley golf course community.

As I have written in the past, the benefits of walking have been abundant in boosting my holistic health. There is much to gain business-wise, mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually while engaging in this activity, whether solo or with company.

Whatever the setting — along the beach, across the golf course, within botanical gardens, around a park, through the neighbourhood, in hilly terrain — it is often on these journeys that ideas are fertilised and solutions materialise for challenges and opportunities alike.

As we welcome a new year, let’s not only cherish the memories of time spent with family and friends over the holiday season, but let’s also commit to embarking on, and sustaining, a healthy lifestyle.

A good start for 2023 would be to embrace good nutrition, sleep, hugs, prayer and meditation, and exercise (including walking), as we continue to serve our Creator and fellow human beings on this wonderful journey called life.

Now let’s embrace the blessing of a new year in a sound mind and healthy bodies! 

Dr. Basil Springer GCM is a Change-Engine Consultant. His email address is basilgf@marketplaceexcellence.com. His columns may be found at www.nothingbeatsbusiness.com.

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