Articles written by John C. Schieszer
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Appreciation for Alaskans who volunteer
If you have a special talent or skill that may benefit a charity or organization, then now may be the ideal to offer your services or ask how you can be of help. April is National Volunteer Month and...
Battling Alzheimer's using vaccinations, ultrasound
Vaccinations may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease There now may be new steps a person can take to lower their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Getting your recommended routine vaccinations may provide hidden health benefits, according...
Boosting brain health and mood with chocolate
If you would characterize your relationship with chocolate as complicated, you're not alone. Sweet, velvety and smooth, chocolate thrills the senses, making it very popular, especially at Valentine's...
Keep your Alaska winter going swimmingly
In the dark winter months, swimming can be enjoyable and an outstanding full-body workout. Further, it can be an effective way of building and maintaining muscle strength. The water provides a...
Lowering your blood pressure without medicines
An estimated 80% of older adults in the U.S. have high blood pressure. Maintaining healthy blood pressure can protect against serious conditions like heart failure, heart attacks and strokes. Now, a...
Robotic glove custom made for stroke survivors
A first-of-its-kind robotic glove currently is lending a hand and providing hope to piano players who have suffered a disabling stroke. After suffering a stroke, everyday tasks can be extremely...
For health and flavor, bring on the berries
The Mediterranean diet is ranked as one of the most healthful diets on the planet. The name derives from the geographical region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, which includes Spain, Italy,...
COVID hybrid immunity, booster, free tests
Hybrid immunity may be the best protection Analyzing data from controlled studies throughout the world, researchers discovered people with hybrid immunity are the most protected against severe illness and reinfection. Hybrid immunity occurs when...
Turning to Tina Turner for transformation
Music therapy now is moving into a new realm thanks to smartphones. A music app has been developed that provides therapy by consoling, relaxing and uplifting users. Music has the potential to change...
Swimming offers bright lights and positive energy
Swimming is the fourth most popular sports activity in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). However, it is much more popular in Alaska than many other states for a...
Was 'breakthrough' Alzheimer's drug oversold?
A lot of hype about an alleged breakthrough drug for Alzheimer’s disease may leave some families disappointed yet again. On Sept. 27, 2022, pharmaceutical company Eisai in Tokyo and biotechnology firm Biogen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, issued a p...
Long COVID, vaccines and antibody tests
Here is some good news for older adults who are worried about long COVID. A new study has found that most people infected with the SARS-CoV2 virus recover within 12 months, regardless of the severity. The study showed that 75% recovered at the...
Combating Seasonal Affective Disorder before it starts
Combating seasonal affective disorder (SAD) requires a multi-prong approach that may include light therapy, psychotherapy, antidepressant medications, or vitamin D. Known as "the winter blues,"...
Significant barriers for older Alaskan renters
Gayle Slentz has lived in Alaska for more than 30 years. Now, she is moving from Craig, Alaska to Tucson, Arizona, to live with her sister Kris and brother-in-law Ken Howell. Slentz, age 67, cannot manage her home on her own and the rental market in...
Combating chronic pain in a safer manner
Dissolving implant to replace drugs For the first time, researchers have come up with a dissolving implantable device that relieves pain without drugs. The new device has the potential to provide an alternative to opioids and other highly addictive...
Genetics, Alzheimer's, cancer factor into COVID vulnerability
Everyone has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new study by researchers at the University of Groningen, Netherlands has found that some individuals weathered the stress of the pandemic better than others, in part, due to their genetics....
Playing through golf season around Alaska
Alaska for the first time is getting a USGA championship. Anchorage Golf Course will host the 60th U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championship, July 30-Aug. 4, 2022. It will mark the first time the USGA...
COVID update: Early detection, 'long COVID', more
Wearable device for COVID early detection University of Texas at Dallas bioengineers in collaboration with EnLiSense LLC have come up with a wearable sensor that can detect two key biomarkers of infection in human sweat, a significant step toward...
Transportation on the comeback for Interior seniors
Ride sharing and van service for older adults in Alaska has taken a terrible beating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many transportation services in much of the state were cut back or eliminated. Now, as the pandemic is winding down, ride services are...
COVID update: Masks, tests, cancer patients
Masks facts and Fiction The issue of wearing a mask is different for older adults who have several medical conditions they are managing. It is not a matter of choice but of necessity. Now, scientists have a better idea of what masks can and cannot...
COVID update: Vaccine recommendations, COVID-somnia
COVID-somnia is taking its toll A new survey commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has found that more than half of Americans (56%) say they have experienced “COVID-somnia,” an increase in sleep disturbances, since the beg...
Alaska's swimming pools are open and fantastic
You could say swimming pools in Alaska in the time of COVID are doing swimmingly. Keeping healthy with a safe workout through water aerobics or lap swimming does more than build muscles, it keeps...
COVID vaccinations save lives, study confirms
Vaccination is more than 90% effective at preventing deaths from the Delta variant of COVID-19, according to the first country-level data on mortality. Researchers found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 90% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca...
Senior ride services on the Kenai, Kodiak
Traveling in the dark can be treacherous this time of year, but now many transportation systems are being kicked into motion. The COVID-19 pandemic left many stranded at home for weeks and months at...
Transportation options in Anchorage, Chugiak
The transportation options this winter around Alaska are expanding and more user-friendly than ever before. Senior Voice will be looking at different transportation systems and schedules this winter. In Anchorage, People Mover is a division of the...
