The self-reported health of the newly retired improves so much that most feel eight years younger, a new European study suggests.

This happy news was true of most everyone except a small minority — only 2 percent — who had experienced “ideal” conditions in their working life, anyway.

“The results really say three things: That work puts an extra burden on the health of older workers, that the effects of this extra burden are largely relieved by retirement and, finally, that both the extra burden and the relief are larger when working conditions are poor,” said Hugo Westerlund, lead author of a study published online Nov. 9 in The Lancet. “This indicates that there is a need to provide opportunities for older workers to decrease the demands in their work out of concern for their health and well-being.”

But of course, added Westerlund, who is head of epidemiology at the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University in Sweden, “not all older workers suffer from poor perceived health. Many are indeed eminently healthy and fit for work. But sooner or later, everyone has to slow down because of old age catching up.”
This study looked at what the same 15,000 French workers, most of them men, had to say about their own health up to seven years pre-retirement and up to seven years post-retirement.

As participants got closer to retirement age, their perception of their own health declined, but went up again during the first year of retirement.

Those who reported being in poorer health declined from 19.2 percent in the year prior to retirement to 14.3 percent by the end of the first year after retiring. According to the researchers, that means post-retirement levels of poor health fell to levels last seen eight years previously.

The changes were seen in both men and women, across different occupations, and lasted through the first seven years of not punching the clock.

Workers who felt worse before retirement and had lower working conditions reported greater improvements as soon as they retired, the team found.

“Those who had low job satisfaction — a lot of burden for little satisfaction — those were the ones complaining of their health,” said Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. “People with more authority or better education, a better sense of control over what they were doing and less demand were much less likely to complain,” he added.

“That’s not really surprising,” he said. “An old study of English civil-service workers in Britain found that those who felt they had a lot of responsibility but little control over their workplace were more likely to develop heart disease,” he added. “You can work hard but if you feel like you’re not at the mercy of a job, you still have the illusion of control. That’s an important illusion to maintain.”

A major question is whether these European findings apply to conditions in the United States.

“It’s a little bit difficult to apply directly to our workforce but … we can draw some conclusions about keeping a strong and healthy workforce through the life span,” said Angie Hochhalter, assistant professor of internal medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and research scientist in geriatrics at Scott & White in Temple, Texas.

“We know that we need strong health care but also mental services because, in [the study], those people with depression really saw a dramatic change after retirement,” she explained.
Source: HealthDay News

When Wrinkles Appear: Tips for the Beauty of Self-Acceptance

In a culture that values super-model-Barbie-doll-celebrity-of-the-moment ideals, how does a woman cope when dealing with a round belly, gray hair and flabby arms?

A recent issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource looks at American cultural pressure on youthful appearance and offers ways to accept the changes of aging — wrinkles and all.

At any age, those bad moments in front of the mirror can seep into a woman’s psyche, leading to low self-esteem, emotional distress, anxiety, depression and eating disorders. The inevitable changes of aging lead to a whole new set of challenges. The changes, from wrinkles to weight gain, are normal and natural. But in the United States, they often are seen as disastrous.

Accepting the changes that come with an aging body creates a solid foundation for self-esteem and contentment. Consider these ways to develop the beauty of self-acceptance:

• Remember that self-worth is more than appearance: Seeing oneself as a whole person, rather than a collection of parts that need improvement, can boost self-worth. Consider the people you admire most. Are their bodies perfect? Does it matter?

• Emphasize good health: Regular exercise and healthy eating promote physical and emotional well-being.

• Say yes to a sex life: Anxiety about appearance may cause women to withdraw from intimacy. But sexual intimacy reduces stress, improves sleep and supports connectedness.

• Appreciate the body as it is: A body that runs, walks, dances, works, laughs or dreams is to be admired — no matter what shape it is.

• Think positively: Renaming body parts can help change negative self perceptions. Consider “soft belly” instead of “fat stomach.” Spend time with others who accept their body size and appearance.

• Spend time and energy on affirming activities: Affirmation may come from a session of stretching or yoga, or cooking a meal for an older relative.

Many women find that aging brings a newfound sense of self-acceptance and freedom from the need to conform to social standards. When women feel good about themselves, they carry a sense of confidence and openness that makes them beautiful inside and out.

Study: Lack Of Insurance Killing Many Veterans

Harvard Medical School researchers estimated in a new report that more than 2,000 U.S. military veterans under 65 died last year because they didn’t have health benefits.

The researchers said in a statement that that number is more than 14 times the number of U.S. troops that died in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died since the war began in 2001.
The group, Physicians for a National Health Program, said neither health care reform bill pending in Congress would change the situation for most veterans.

One of the authors, Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, said in a statement that most uninsured veterans are too poor to afford health coverage, but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid or VA care.

The researchers came up with their numbers by using a recent report published in the American Journal of Public Health that claimed being uninsured raised a person’s risk of dying by 40 percent. That report claimed lack of health coverage caused 44,798 deaths a year in the United States.