Aging, Depression and Heart Disease

There may be a link between depression and heart disease according to a study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University. The findings suggest that chronic depression may play a key role in starting the cascade that can lead to the buildup of plaques clogging coronary arteries.

Researchers have apparently connected an increase in two immune system proteins essential for inflammation to a latent viral infection and proposed a chain of events that might accelerate cardiovascular disease.

Ronald Glaser, a professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics at Ohio State University, said, “To me, this suggests a new way of thinking about how these diseases develop. We carry around these latent herpes viruses in our bodies virtually all our lives and periodically they can hurt us, inducing biological events that could lead to an increased risk of atherosclerosis.”

Glaser, head of Ohio State’s Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, has focused for years on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of eight different herpes viruses that can remain dormant in the body for a lifetime.

“Perhaps more than 90 percent of the people in North America have been infected by EBV by the time they’re adults,” Glaser said. “Virtually everybody in the country is carrying this virus.”

Increased stress and depression, coupled with aging, can also trigger the latent virus to reactivate and begin reproducing inside cells.

“People need to remember how important depression is, and that when they’re depressed, it can reactivate these viruses, starting the cascade that leads to inflammation, perhaps increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to Glaser.

“So treating depression is very important,” he said.

The next time a doctor tries to tell you “It’s all in your head,” be sure to ask the physician what impact that could have on your heart.

Wakin' Up with Whoopi!

This baby boomer diva woke up with Whoopi on Monday. I normally switch between Whoopi and the Tom Joyner Morning Show but on this particular day, I was cruisin’ down the highway with Whoopi, Cubby and the rest of the crew. It was around 7am and I was beginning a four-hour road trip to Columbia, South Carolina for a television interview.

Suddenly, I heard newest host of The View invite listeners to call in and ask any questions they had for her guest psychic, Joan Marie Whelan. Of course, you know I had to call in. I mean, what else did I have to do for the next four hours other than listen to the radio and talk on my cell phone?

I don’t know if I was more surprised that I got through right away----or by the answers the psychic gave me to my questions.

Now I have to tell you right up front that I don’t believe in psychics---but I do believe dreams can come true!

Give a listen: http://www.whoopi.com/audio.html

Click on hour #3

Baby Boomer Message: "Show us you know us!"

Hallmark has become the latest major retailer to stand up and take notice of the demographic with the most spending power. The company is launching a new line of greeting cards called Journeys. These cards are supposed to be designed with baby boomers in mind. Their slogan is: New cards with real words for real life.

Does this mean Hallmark has finally figured out that like isn’t hunky dory all the time and that we, as baby boomers, may want to express our sentiments about issues like divorce, depression, job loss, aging parents, etc with empowering messages of hope and encouragement? All they would have to do is read my book Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age and know that we go through many journeys as we age. Another thing--Has Hallmark finally realized that baby boomer women love to buy cards and will buy them for any and every occasion?

The Maxine Cards, introduced by Hallmark, do serve some purpose but I don't think the vast majority of baby boomer women want to be depicted with that image. Some of us as classy divas and should have cards representing OUR IMAGE.

I have been invited to visit the Hallmark Headquarters next month to take a sneak peak at the new card lineup and to offer feedback and input. Am I going? Absolutely! And I’m taking you with me. Well, not literally. But I will take your ideas if you want to share them.

Hallmark now joins Ann Taylor in making an effort to reach out and show us that they really do know us.

Why Black Women Don't Exercise

It’s a HAIR thing!

That’s right. Our hair keeps us from working out at a pace and level we should be in order to shed those unwanted pounds.

Let me break it down for you. Yesterday, I spent close to a $100 (including tip) getting my hair to look like a Baby Boomer Diva hairstyle should look. Now, if I turn around and exercise in the next 24 hours like I know I should, I will have wasted my money. The body perspiration will sweat the curls right out of my head and I will end up having to spend even more money to restore my hair back to its Beauty Salon Look. I need to keep my hairdo for at least a week. In the meantime, I’ll just cut back on my food intake---which means I’ll eat like a bird---until I decide it's OK to hit the gym once again. Blame it on menopause or whatever! but my body has just got to understand that sacrifices must be made for MY HAIR.

The number one reason African-American women DON’T EXERCISE on a consistent basis is because we don’t want to mess up our hair. If you don’t believe me, just ask my hairdresser.

Registration Underway for the “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now!” Girlfriends’ Retreat

It’s being dubbed as the most exciting weekend gathering of baby boomer women on the planet! Women from around the country are expected to converge on Daytona Beach, Florida March 28-30 2008 for the “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now!” Baby Boomer Girlfriends’ Weekend Retreat. The event, sponsored by BAM Enterprises and Fabulously40.com, is being hosted by the “Diva” of all baby boomers, Beverly Mahone.

“Mature Girls STILL wanna have fun”, says Mahone, “so that’s why this trail-blazing, fun-filled, weekend was created. We want to offer mature women a total empowerment experience because sometimes life can be pretty overwhelming.” Mahone adds that boomer women have grown a lot over the years and have taken on some major responsibilities including: careers, husbands, children---and some of them are even taking care of their own parents in their aging years.

The weekend will include interactive workshops, mini-spas, dance and karaoke contests and the most creative Over 40 Pa-jamming Party, Mahone says, anyone has ever witnessed. A local PBS Station will also be taping a Town Hall Meeting which Mahone will be hosting. The baby boomer author of Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age says, "Every now and then we deserve to have some ME TIME. That's what this Girlfriends Retreat is all about. It's a 'Pamper Me...Spoil Me...Because I Deserve It!' weekend affair”.

For more information on the Girlfriends Retreat and to register, go to: http://www.enjoyyourmenopause.com

Can Ann Taylor Save the Day?

In a recent article by the New York Times, it was announced that Ann Taylor is going to take a stab at designing a clothing line specifically for baby boomer women. That would be for women like ME.

Forth & Towne (a division of Gap, Inc.) tried it a couple of years ago but failed miserably. It was hard for me to associate the Gap with anything but jeans that I could NEVER fit.

I don't understand what's so hard about coming up with a clothing line for boomer women. No, we're not trying to let it all hang out anymore but we're also not ready to be sent into the convent. We have come into our own and the clothes we wear should reflect that. We're classy, some of us are a little sassy and we're sophisticated. If we're in the boardroom, there's a certain type of look we should have with clothing material that won't have us sweating like pigs during a hot flash.

We are not a "one-size/one-style fits all" generation; therefore the clothes should reflect that fact. What may be appealing to a 60-year-old boomer may be way off the mark when it comes to trying to dress a 45-year-old. Keep that in mind, Ms. Taylor.

The New York Times also indicated Boomers spend $43 billion a year on apparel. So it would stand to reason that if Ann Taylor gets it right, she will be handsomely rewarded by the millions of baby boomer women who are eager to look good from head to toe....especially those of us who are Divas.

Baby Boomers ARE Enjoying Sex!

I’ve been saying it all along and now a national survey of sexual attitudes, behaviors and problems among older adults in the United States confirms it. Data from the University of Chicago's National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), presented in the August 23, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that many men and women remain sexually active—participating in vaginal intercourse, oral sex and masturbation—well into their 70s and 80s.

Now this is the kind of survey I can appreciate. Surely I didn’t think my baby boomer husband and his menopausal wife were in the very small minority of couples who are enjoying a healthy and active sex life.

Today’s report also concluded that sexual activity was closely tied to overall health, which makes perfect sense. Older adults who actively exercise and eat healthy have more energy to spare for things like foreplay and sex.

My thanks goes out to the University of Chicago's National Social Life, Health and Aging Project for conducting such a survey and reminding baby boomers like myself that sometimes all you need is some candlelight, a Luther Vandross CD, a Vitamin E capsule and the right attitude for a “Let’s Get it On” kind of night.

To read the entire report: cut and paste this URL in your browser:

http://www.newswise.com:80/articles/view/532575/?sc=dwhn