John Schappi
Diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Washington, DC, resident John Schappi blogs about aging, exercise, diet, pills, supplements, and his life with Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer. Once upon a time, he was addicted to nicotine, alcohol and sex. These days, his passions include gardening, playing bridge, meditating, going to the theater and traveling.
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86 million Americans have pre-diabetes, and 90 percent of us don't even know it. It's an epidemic, and food labels don't help.
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Seniors should not necessarily be prescribed the same dosages as younger patients. When it comes to antibiotics and other medications we need to be careful!
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I saw the play "Freud's Last Session" about an imaginary conversation between the ill and aging Sigmund Freud and the up-and-coming writer C.S. Lewis. It rekindled my own thoughts about assisted suicide.
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I think most of us would do almost anything to avoid the difficult fate of getting Alzheimer's.So, I was interested to see an article about seven simple things we could do NOW to prevent getting the disease later.
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I've been irked by the many hucksters who've promoted coconut oil as an Alzheimer's treatment, without one shred of scientific evidence. All that false hope to all those struggling families.... Makes me crazy! One major promoter seems to be dialing back.
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Loneliness may be more dangerous to our health than being overweight. It increases risk of death by 14 percent. It disrupts sleep and increases inflammation. Luckily, there are things we can do about it.
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If things get bad and my quality of life just doesn't cut it anymore, I don't want to linger on Earth -- miserable, unaware, a burden to family. But the question is -- What to do about it?
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My Parkinson's disease and prostate surgery have left me with several issues, including incontinence and occasional dizziness. Eureka! I stumbled upon an easy, cheap, effective remedy!
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I've taken statin medications for many years to keep my cholesterol in check. Recently, I've wondered if those drugs were creating some memory loss.
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I was mesmerized by "The Roosevelts," a documentary by Ken Burns about TR, FDR, and Eleanor. Since I've been thinking about my own last years, I wondered which of them handled their own final years best.
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We've known for a long while that sodas, especially the sugary ones, carry all kinds of health risks. A new study shows that stroke is now on that list. But coffee? Drink up!
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For many reasons, I knew I needed some new doctors. At 85, I especially wanted a geriatrician to play quarterback for my team. Here's what I did... and why.
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End-of-life subjects are tough for most people, and yet they are so important. I'm getting better at thinking about and discussing them, and want to be sure my kids and grandkids don't have lingering issues when I bite the dust.
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A new study shows Parkinson's patients actually score better on motor skills tests when they think one medicine costs more than another; even if they're identical.
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I used to take lots of supplements. At one point, I was popping a dozen pills a day. Then I cut way back, convinced we need to get our nutrition mostly from food. I make these three exceptions.
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A professional caregiver I know said families often make a big mistake: turning older relatives into invalids. She said the family members mean well, but their "over-caring" efforts often have disastrous results.
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Bidet attachments can be installed on existing toilets without the need for extensive bathroom remodeling. These affordable devices help seniors maintain good personal hygiene, their modesty and their independence.
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I hate being constipated, and I suspect you feel that way, too. Here's my secret recipe that spells R-E-L-I-E-F.
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More and more, I see really positive representations of aging. Here are several recent examples I liked.
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I can't abide the idea of subjecting my family to the emotional strain (and financial drain) of my long slide into demented oblivion. There's are ways to prevent that scenario from happening.