5 Eyebrow Mistakes You’re Probably Making

The shape and shading of your eyebrows can make or break a look. “When your brows are on point, you put your best face forward,” says Zoey Van Jones, founder of the Zoey Van Jones Brow Studio in Los Angeles. But what you might think is perfecting your brows could be making them look worse. Here, Van Jones shares the five most common eyebrow blunders she sees, and the best way to correct them.

Using one color to fill in the whole brow

To create a more natural-looking full brow, try using two shades to fill them in. Since the front half of the brow is usually already pretty full, the tail (from the arch to the end) should always be filled in with a darker shade so it matches the front. Start from the arch to the end of the brow with the darker shade, then fill in the front half with a slightly lighter hue. This makes the brow look even all the way across in a very natural way. Try Zoey Van Jones Brow Shadow Duo ($22; birchbox.com), which pairs two complimentary shades in one compact.

Filling in brows from the inside out

As mentioned above, most women need more definition on the second half of their brows—but they tend to fill in the front of the brow first. When that happens, they usually end up over-shading and are left with a brow that makes them look like they’re pissed (RBF anyone?). Instead, start at the end of the brow with a heavier hand then ease up on the pressure as you get closer to the inside. This is also a good trick if you’re using a pencil to shade and want to achieve the look of using two colors.

RELATED: 4 Ways to Get Bolder, Thicker Eyebrows

Tweezing bare brows

As tempting as it is to pull out the tweezers when your skin is fresh out of the shower, don’t do it! Always fill in your brows before taking a tweezer to them. When your brows are “naked,” every hair can start to look like a stray, and that’s when you over-pluck. When plucking, make sure you use tweezers with an angled tip like the Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer ($16; sephora.com) to get the best grip on hairs without causing pain.

Using the old pencil trick to find your starting point

By now you’ve probably tried (or at least heard of) placing a pencil on the outside of your nose to find the perfect spot to start your brows. But that trick has been around for years, and brow shape trends have evolved since then. Instead of placing the pencil on the outside of your nose, hold it on top of the highest point of your nostril—for most this would be right where your nostril connects to your nose. Point it straight up in line with your eyebrows; this is where the hair should start. If that spot’s bare, fill it in lightly with a shadow or pencil like Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz ($21; sephora.com), using the spooley to buff out the color after making strokes.

RELATED: These Before-and-After Photos Prove Good Eyebrows Change Everything

Threading

Beauty fads come and go, and in the eyebrow department, that would be threading. While it’s great for the upper lip, it pulls out too much hair too quickly for the precision that’s needed on eyebrows. Instead, if you want someone to groom your brows for you, then have a reputable esthetician tweeze or wax your brows.

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Worldwide Boost in Breast-Feeding Could Save 800,000 Lives: Study

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — If nearly all women worldwide breast-fed their infants and young children, there would be about 800,000 fewer children’s deaths and 20,000 fewer breast cancer deaths a year, researchers report.

That decrease in children’s deaths is equivalent to 13 percent of all deaths in children younger than 2 years of age, the study authors reported in a two-part series published online Jan. 28 in The Lancet.

The researchers also said that current breast-feeding practices cost the world’s economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

“There is a widespread misconception that the benefits of breast-feeding only relate to poor countries. Nothing could be further from the truth,” series author Cesar Victora, of Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, said in a journal news release.

“Our work for this series clearly shows that breast-feeding saves lives and money in all countries, rich and poor alike. Therefore, the importance of tackling the issue globally is greater than ever,” Victora added.

Only one in five children in high-income countries is breast-fed for 12 months, the researchers said. And, only one in three children in low- and middle-income countries is exclusively breast-fed for the first 6 months.

This means that millions of children and women don’t receive the full benefits offered by breast-feeding, which has been shown to be healthy for both mothers and children, the study authors said.

In a detailed worldwide analysis, the researchers identified a number of benefits of breast-feeding. For example, breast-feeding lowers the risk of sudden infant death in high-income countries by more than one-third, they said.

The study also found that breast-feeding could prevent about half of all cases of diarrhea and one-third of respiratory infections in low- and middle-income countries.

Breast-feeding reportedly also boosts children’s intelligence and may protect them against obesity and diabetes later in life, the researchers said. Among mothers, long-term breast-feeding reduces the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, the researchers added.

The investigators also estimated that poorer thinking skills among children who aren’t breast-fed cost the global economy about $302 billion in 2012. The loss in high-income countries alone was $231 billion, the study concluded.

Increasing breast-feeding rates for infants younger than 6 months to 90 percent in the United States, China and Brazil, and to 45 percent in the United Kingdom, would lower treatment costs of common childhood illnesses — such as pneumonia, diarrhea and asthma. This could save health care systems about $2.5 billion in the United States, $29.5 million in the United Kingdom, $224 million in China and $6 million in Brazil, according to the study.

Despite the many benefits of breast-feeding, rates are low, especially in high-income countries, the study showed.

“Breast-feeding is one of the few positive health behaviors that is more common in poor than richer countries, and within poor countries, is more frequent among poor mothers,” Victora explained.

“The stark reality is that in the absence of breast-feeding, the rich-poor gap in child survival would be even wider. Our findings should reassure policymakers that a rapid return on investment is realistic and feasible, and won’t need a generation to be realized,” he said in the news release.

Reasons for low breast-feeding rates include poor promotion and support of breast-feeding, and aggressive marketing and rising sales of infant formula, the study authors said.

“There is a widespread misconception that breast-milk can be replaced with artificial products without detrimental consequences,” Victora said.

“The evidence outlined in the series, contributed by some of the leading experts in the field, leaves no doubt that the decision not to breast-feed has major long-term negative effects on the health, nutrition and development of children and on women’s health,” Victora concluded.

More information

The U.S. Office on Women’s Health has more on breast-feeding.

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Sleepless Nights Might Raise Women’s Type 2 Diabetes Risk

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Women who have chronic sleep problems may have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Harvard researchers report.

Problems such as trouble falling or staying asleep, getting less than six hours of sleep, frequent snoring, sleep apnea or rotating shift work appear to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, the researchers said. They found that women who reported trouble falling or staying asleep all or most of the time had 45 percent greater odds of developing type 2 diabetes.

Women who had four sleep problems had more than four times the odds of developing type 2 diabetes, the researchers said.

“Women with sleeping difficulty, especially when also having other conditions, should be aware of potential higher risk of diabetes,” said lead researcher Dr. Yanping Li, a research scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

“Doctors should pay more attention to the potential diabetes risk of women who have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep,” she said.

Dr. Joel Zonszein, director of the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, emphasized that the new findings only show an association between sleep problems and type 2 diabetes, not a cause-and-effect relationship.

However, he said it’s plausible that disrupted sleep could increase the risk of type 2 diabetes because sleep problems play havoc with the body’s hormones.

“Not sleeping well affects the circadian rhythm regulated by hormones that are so important for metabolism and involved in control of blood sugar. Thus, it is not surprising that sleep disorders are associated with obesity and diabetes,” said Zonszein, who was not part of the study.

The report was published Jan. 28 in the journal Diabetologia.

For the study, Li and her colleagues collected data on more than 133,000 U.S. women who took part in the Nurses’ Health Study between 2000 and 2014. At the start of the study, none of the women had diabetes, heart disease or cancer.

Over 10 years of follow-up, more than 6,400 women developed type 2 diabetes. Women with one sleep problem had a 45 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the researchers found.

For each additional problem, the risk increased again — twice for two sleep problems, three times for three problems and four times for four problems, Li said.

When the researchers took into account other factors, the risk for diabetes dropped. For example, looking at women with sleep problems who weren’t obese or didn’t have high blood pressure or depression, the risk was 44 percent. The risk decreased to 33 percent after reviewing revised data on weight, the study said.

“People who sleep well are healthier,” Zonszein said. People who are depressed, stressed by work or who are obese will likely develop more diabetes, he said.

“In our industrialized society this is common,” Zonszein said. “Many people don’t get a good sleep as they are watching TV, or are in front of a computer, or a smartphone screen all day and all night,” he said. “We have lost our natural good sleep that consists of work during the day, evening relaxation and a good night’s sleep.”

Losing this pattern disturbs a normal physiological process in which certain hormones normally raise blood sugar levels before we are ready to work, he said.

“These hormones include glucagon, epinephrine, growth hormone and cortisol, which all work in tandem with insulin and play an important role in regulation of sugar, and this normal hormonal ‘rhythm-icity’ is lost in our society, and certainly may be a cause of diabetes and obesity,” Zonszein said.

More information

To learn more about type 2 diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association.

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Higher Fiber Intake May Improve Lung Function

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Eating a fiber-rich diet may help protect you against lung disease, a new study suggests.

“Lung disease is an important public health problem, so it’s important to identify modifiable risk factors for prevention,” study author Corrine Hanson, an associate professor of medical nutrition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said in a journal news release.

“However, beyond smoking very few preventative strategies have been identified. Increasing fiber intake may be a practical and effective way for people to have an impact on their risk of lung disease,” she added.

The findings were published recently in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Researchers looked at federal government data from almost 2,000 American adults. They were between 40 and 79 years old.

The researchers found that 68 percent of those who had the highest fiber consumption (about 18 grams or more daily) had normal lung function compared to 50 percent for those with the lowest fiber intake. And, only 15 percent of those who ate a lot of fiber had airway restriction, but 30 percent of those with the lowest fiber intake did, the study showed.

People with the highest fiber consumption also did better on two important breathing tests. They had larger lung capacity and could exhale more air in one second, the study said.

Although the study found a link between fiber consumption and better lung health, it wasn’t designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

But, if the findings are confirmed in future studies, public health campaigns may one day “target diet and fiber as safe and inexpensive ways of preventing lung disease,” Hanson said.

Previous research has suggested a diet high in fiber protects against heart disease and diabetes, and that fiber reduces inflammation in the body, the researchers said.

More information

The American Academy of Family Physicians offers tips for boosting dietary fiber.

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Mental Disorders Increasing for Younger Smokers

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Although fewer Americans are smoking, the rates of psychiatric disorders among those who do — particularly more recent smokers — are on the rise, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed data from 25,000 people born in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and found that the national smoking rate has been falling since the 1960s. But the percentage of nicotine-dependent smokers has been rising.

The study also found that the risk of substance-use disorders increased among all smokers with each decade, whether or not they were nicotine-dependent.

But nicotine-dependent smokers who began smoking in the 1980s were more likely than older smokers to have psychiatric conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder or antisocial personality disorder, according to the study. It was published Jan. 26 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

“Our study confirms that recent smokers, though a relatively smaller group than those who started smoking decades ago, are more vulnerable to psychiatric and substance use disorders,” lead author Ardesheer Talati, an assistant professor of clinical neurobiology at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, said in a university news release.

“These findings suggest that today’s adolescent and young adult smokers may benefit from mental health screening so that any related psychiatric or substance use problems can be identified and addressed early,” Talati added.

Study co-author Katherine Keyes is an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. She said: “These findings also have implications for ongoing nationwide efforts to support smoking cessation efforts.

“Given that mental health problems are also predictive of unsuccessful efforts to reduce or quit smoking, these findings suggest that cessation efforts that treat both withdrawal from nicotine and underlying mental health conditions are increasingly crucial,” she added.

Further studies are needed to learn more about possible links between biological and genetic factors and mental health and substance use problems in smokers, the researchers said.

More information

The American Cancer Society offers a guide to quitting smoking.

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Should You Cut Nightshade Veggies From Your Diet?

Photo: Getty Images

As a sports nutritionist who works with pro athletes, I fully expected to be bombarded with questions after Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen’s personal chef told Boston.com all about the power couple’s strict diet. But instead, most of my clients had just one question: “Why don’t they eat nightshades?”

Even if you’re not familiar with the term “nightshades,” you’re probably very familiar the produce that falls into this category. Think tomatoes, peppers, eggplant—foods most of us would consider super healthy. So why are they a dietary no-no for Brady and Bündchen? Here’s the lowdown on the controversial veggies, and why you probably don’t need to nix them.

RELATED: 21 Worthless Foods a Nutritionist Will Immediately Cut From Your Diet

What are nightshades?

Nightshades include a diverse group of plants (more than 2,000 species!) that belong to a specific botanical family called Solanaceae. They include potatoes, artichokes, okra, cayenne, and paprika.

Why do they get a bad rap?

The plants have been a subject of debate among nutritionists for years because they contain chemical compounds called alkaloids that are thought to cause inflammation in the body. As a result, some practitioners believe eating the plants could potentially lead to joint pain, digestive problems, sleep disturbances, premature aging, and chronic diseases.

Nightshades continue to be controversial because there’s a lack of solid research about the true impact of alkaloid substances on joints and the nervous and immune systems. Plus, the amount of alkaloids in most nightshades is pretty small. And if you steam, boil, or bake them, the alkaloid content drops by about 40 to 50%. It’s also worth noting that veggies in this family are hardly unhealthy. Nightshades are loaded with important nutrients and antioxidants.

RELATED: 20 Healthy Foods That Can Make You Feel Gross

Could they be problematic for athletes?

Some people believe nightshades affect enzymes related to nervous system and muscle function, which may interfere with muscle recovery. But many athletes I’ve worked with who took a break from nightshades didn’t experience any difference in performance, muscle recovery, or pain levels.

Is it worth trying a nightshade-free diet?

As with any major diet decision, the answer really depends on your body. If you have a chronic inflammatory condition (like rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis), an autoimmune illness (such as lupus, celiac, MS, or psoriasis), or your body is just sensitive to nightshades, eliminating them may be right for you, but try it systematically. Without making any other changes to your diet, cut out nightshades for two to three weeks, and monitor how you feel. If you notice changes in your body (like reduced bloating, fatigue, brain fog, aches, or pains) which return after you reintroduce nightshades to your diet, you may have a sensitivity. In that case, consider partnering with a nutritionist. She or he can help you avoid problem foods without being overly restrictive or compromising your nutrient intake.

RELATED: Eating Healthy and Still Not Losing Weight? This Might Be Why

However, if you regularly eat nightshades and feel great, there’s really no reason to ditch these nutritious foods. I’m no stranger to food sensitivities, but I personally feel fantastic after eating meals that include raw or cooked tomatoes, oven-roasted eggplant, and cayenne. However, I don’t eat them every single day or in huge quantities. The key is simply maintaining a healthy, balanced, and varied diet.

In short: Rather than mimicking Tom and Gisele, tune into your own body. It will rarely steer you wrong.

What’s your take on this topic? Chat with us on Twitter by mentioning @goodhealth and @CynthiaSass.

Cynthia Sass is a nutritionist and registered dietitian with master’s degrees in both nutrition science and public health. Frequently seen on national TV, she’s Health’s contributing nutrition editor, and privately counsels clients in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is currently the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Yankees, previously consulted for three other professional sports teams, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics. Sass is a three-time New York Times best-selling author, and her brand new book is Slim Down Now: Shed Pounds and Inches with Real Food, Real Fast. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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Zika Vaccine Efforts Get Boost From Prior Research

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Efforts to create a Zika vaccine are getting a leg up from lessons learned during earlier battles against other mosquito-borne viruses, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.

Researchers are working on two potential vaccines, each based on earlier vaccines created in response to prior outbreaks of West Nile virus and dengue, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a morning news conference.

“It is to our advantage that we already have existing vaccine platforms to use as a sort of jumping-off point,” Fauci said.

A Zika vaccine could be ready for clinical trial by later this year, but Fauci warned that it will likely take years before the vaccine is ready for market.

“It is important to understand that we will not have a widely available safe and effective Zika vaccine this year, and probably not even in the next few years,” he said.

There have been no outbreaks in the United States so far of Zika virus, but limited U.S. outbreaks are “possible” and “even likely” given that the same sort of aggressive, day-biting mosquito that spreads Zika is present in the southern United States, said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, Schuchat emphasized that the main health concern at this point is for pregnant women who are exposed to the virus.

“Increasing lines of evidence suggest that some women who are infected with Zika during their pregnancy may go on to deliver a baby with a serious brain injury,” Schuchat said.

That’s why the CDC has issued a health warning urging pregnant women to avoid the more than 20 countries in Central and South America where Zika infection is active, she said. Zika virus also is present in two U.S. territories, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“The virus is spreading throughout the Americas, and we expect more countries to be affected,” Schuchat said.

On Thursday, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan declared that Zika is “spreading explosively.” The WHO will hold an emergency meeting of independent experts on Monday to decide whether the outbreak should be declared an international health emergency.

Brazilian health officials noted a dramatic increase during their country’s Zika outbreak of babies born with microcephaly, an abnormal smallness of the head associated with incomplete brain development and lifelong disability.

CDC lab tests “strongly suggest” a link between Zika virus and at least some of the more than 3,500 babies born with this condition in Brazil last year, Schuchat said.

But Schuchat emphasized that the virus does not present a strong health risk to the average person.

“About four of five people who get infected with Zika never have symptoms at all,” she said. “Those who do get sick usually have very mild symptoms — fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes or conjunctivitis. Symptoms typically last a couple of days, up to a week.”

Schuchat said that “it’s very rare for a person with Zika to get seriously ill or to die” from it.

And, she added, there’s no evidence that the virus lingers in a person’s system, potentially affecting future pregnancies.

Schuchat did note that health authorities in Brazil also have reported an increase in Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle weakness and paralysis lasting as long as a few years. Researchers are now investigating whether there is any link between Zika virus and Guillain-Barre.

Fauci said his researchers are pursing at least two different approaches for a Zika vaccine, each based on earlier outbreaks of other viruses.

One is a DNA-based vaccine using a strategy very similar to one employed in a vaccine for West Nile virus, Fauci said. In this vaccine, a piece of Zika’s genetic structure would be inserted into another harmless virus, and used to prompt an immune response.

Another is a more traditional live attenuated vaccine, building on a similar approach used to create a vaccine for dengue virus, Fauci said.

Health officials are using every outbreak to further their knowledge of mosquito-borne illnesses and create platforms of knowledge from which they can respond quickly to future threats, he explained.

“We need to look at Zika virus in its context, as the latest in a series of mosquito-borne diseases that have expanded their reach in the last 20 years or so,” Fauci said. “There will almost certainly be others. We need vaccine platforms that can be quickly modified for protection against emerging new threats, and we need broad-spectrum antiviral drugs effective against whole classes of viruses.”

The CDC has identified 31 travel-associated cases of Zika virus in the United States, Schuchat said. All of the cases, which are in 11 states and the District of Columbia, involve people becoming infected outside the country and then traveling to the United States.

There also have been 19 lab-confirmed cases of Zika virus in Puerto Rico and one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, she said.

Although health officials view a U.S. outbreak of Zika as likely, the United States enjoys certain advantages that should keep such an outbreak limited to a small area, Schuchat said.

Urban areas in the United States are less congested than they are in other countries of the Americas, making it more difficult for mosquitos to spread disease hopping from one person to the next, she said.

Also, people in the United States are more likely to have their windows shut, thanks to air conditioning, or to have screens on open windows, which keep mosquitos from invading their homes, she added.

More information

For more information on Zika virus, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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CDC Confirms Zika Virus Infection in Minnesota Woman

Getty Images

A case of the Zika virus has been confirmed Wednesday in a Minnesota woman who traveled to Central America, health officials said.

The Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the woman began showing symptoms Jan. 1, after she traveled to Honduras. The woman was not hospitalized and officials say they expect her to make a full recovery.

This is the first Zika virus infection in Minnesota since 2014 and state health officials advised travelers not to panic but to be wary when going to regions where infections are common.

“Zika virus is not a health threat for people in Minnesota, but it is a reminder that anyone traveling to a different part of the world should be mindful of the health issues present in that region,” Minnesota health commissioner Ed Ehlinger said in a statement. “Since some regions where Zika is circulating are popular destinations for Minnesota travelers in the winter, we expected we might see cases of Zika in the state.”

Zika virus has put American travelers on notice, as several cases of infection have been reported in January. The virus, a mosquito-borne disease currently ravaging South America, has been reported to cause birth defects in children.

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Immunity Genes for E.Coli Found

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Researchers say they’ve identified immune-related genes that might protect people against E. coli illness.

E. coli is a leading cause of bacteria-triggered diarrhea, and it comes from food, the environment or the intestines of people and animals. But while the bug makes some people extremely ill, it has little to no effect on others, the researchers said.

In this study, researchers exposed 30 healthy adults to E. coli and took blood samples to analyze the volunteers’ gene expression — the extent to which some genes are turned on or off.

When the investigators compared participants who became sick and those who remained well, they found significant differences in the activity of 29 immune-related genes.

“Within each group, there were changes in the patients’ gene expression patterns happening throughout the experiment,” study senior author Dr. Ephraim Tsalik, an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, N.C., said in a university news release.

“We found there were differences with the subjects that seemed to predict who would become sick. We interpreted those as signals that show an innate resistance to infection. There may be certain genetic traits that can increase or decrease your chances of being infected after exposure to a pathogen,” he explained.

The study was published recently in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The next step is to look at other types of infections, including viral and respiratory illnesses such as the flu.

“We have found a set of immune-related genes to focus on,” Tsalik said. “Now if we can understand how the expression of these genes imparts this resistance and susceptibility, we might be able to offer new ways to boost your immune system to protect against prevalent infections such as E. coli or better predict who is at greatest risk of getting an infection.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli illness usually appears within an average of three or four days after swallowing the germ. Illness can be severe and include diarrhea, often bloody, and abdominal cramps.

Most people will recover within a week, but in some the illness can progress to kidney failure. Children under the age of 5, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk from E. coli illness, the CDC says.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about E. coli.

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Too Few Older Adults Tell Doctors About Memory Loss: Study

THURSDAY, Jan. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Do you worry that forgetting names, or where you put your keys, might be a sign of impending dementia? If you’re like most older Americans, you don’t bring this up with your doctor, a new study shows.

Researchers who looked at federal government data on more than 10,000 people found that in 2011, only 1 in 4 adults aged 45 or older discussed memory problems with a health care professional during a routine checkup.

In fact, the likelihood that a person would admit to a memory problem in a doctor’s office visit actually declined with advancing age, says a team led by Mary Adams, of On Target Health Data in West Suffield, Conn.

The findings were published Jan. 28 in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.

“Routine checkups are a missed opportunity for assessing and discussing memory problems for the majority of older adults,” Adams said in a journal news release.

Experts agreed that the stigma around memory loss and dementia may hold people back from discussing these issues with their physicians.

“Because dementia is unfortunately an all too common illness, older adults are quite familiar with its heralding signs and symptoms, which they have painfully observed in a long time neighbor or a family member,” said Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, director of geriatric education at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

“This reality leads to denial and avoidance, both on the part of the patient and the physician,” she said. “‘As long as we don’t mention it, maybe it’s just normal aging.'”

But mentioning memory troubles is important, because it doesn’t necessarily have to herald dementia, Wolf-Klein said. “Memory loss may well not be due to dementia, but another highly treatable condition, such as depression,” she noted.

And if it is linked to dementia, recognizing that fact early is crucial, she said.

“Patients can promptly meet with family members and elder law advisers, who can best help them in making individualized decisions for their care, rather than rely on last-minute decisions completed by family members at a time when patients now lack capacity,” Wolf-Klein said.

Dr. Bruce Polsky is chair of the department of medicine at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y. He acknowledged that talking about “memory loss and the possibility of the early development of dementia is a difficult discussion for both the physician and patient, mostly because of the long-term implications.”

But early diagnosis of dementia can be important, he said.

“Even mild memory loss associated with early Alzheimer’s disease may be improved with some of the medicines now available, although these medications do not stop the progression of the disease,” he said. “Lifestyle modifications, such as smoking cessation, may also be of value in some cases.”

“Although it is difficult for individuals to assess whether their own subtle memory loss is ‘normal’ or not, open discussion with their physician and, in some cases, testing may result in answers that could potentially lead to treatment and improved functioning,” according to Polsky.

More information

Find out more about memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease at the Alzheimer’s Association.

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