The stakes are high as boomers retire and put greater demands on the health-care system. In 2017, the U.S. population will hit a tipping point. For the first time, people age 65 and older will outnumber those under 18, according to the National Institute on Aging. This shift is known as “The Silver Tsunami.”
The nutrition aisle of your local supermarket can make you dizzy. Row upon row, bottle after bottle of tablets and capsules promise health, youth, vigor, longevity, energy, regularity — even better sex. How do you choose one from another? How much should you take? Should children take a daily multivitamin? Do supplements even work?
If you’re unlucky enough to get Lou Gehrig’s disease (aka, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS), treatment options are few. One drug, Riluzole, has been shown to marginally increase survival. Other drugs can be used to manage ALS symptoms, but there is no cure.
There’s a paradox in Oregon’s hunger picture: Families who are short on food may end up overweight. That’s because dollars stretch farther on “high-energy” foods (noodles, bread and other carbs) than on “high-nutrient” foods (fresh fruit, fish, poultry and other vitamin- and protein-rich items).
Researchers at Oregon State University are investigating these and other advancements in health care. But, before innovations can wind up in your medicine cabinet or in a doctor’s hands, they need to pass through a landscape that is foreign to most scientists: business and government regulation.
As the world warms, insects and pathogens are on the move. Heat waves are getting hotter and more frequent. Algal blooms are increasing in frequency, intensity and duration, posing risks to drinking water and shellfish consumption. Wildfires are putting more particulates into the air, leading to increases in asthma and hospital admissions for respiratory distress.