Guest: Steven N. Austad, PhD 


  Host: Mary Leuchars, MD 



  
    We assume that we know the answer to the question, Why does the body age? In short, we age, and eventually die, because we live. But what can we learn from studying aging on a cellular level? Host Dr. Mary Leuchars talks with Dr. Steven Austad, professor of cellular and structural biology at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and research chair of the American Federation for Aging Research, about why humans age, why we age, how to extend longevity, and the ramifications of extending our lives.

Why Do We Age?

As our population grows older, new medical innovations serve to preserve the symbiosis of the body and mind. Are novel therapies for Alzheimer's on the horizon? How do we approach joint replacement surgery for an active 92-year-old? What about research frontiers focused on promoting longevity? ReachMD gathers top medical experts and opinion leaders for a month-long discussion of geriatric medicine and the aging process.

Science & Medicine

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Medicine

Health

Alternative Health

Self-Help

Sexuality

Fitness & Nutrition

Guest: Rajagopal Sekhar, MD 



  
    Clinicians are still working to understand the mechanisms behind age-related declines and what interventions might help promote healthy aging. Could supplementation with the nutritional compounds glycine and n-acetylcysteine (GlyNAC) play a role by improving intracellular antioxidant levels? Dr. Rajagopal Sekhar shares the latest clinical data on GlyNAC supplementation in older adults.

GlyNAC and Healthy Aging: A Review of New Clinical Data

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD 


Guest: Slavica Janeva, MD 



  Despite the increasing number of elderly patients diagnosed with breast cancer, few clinical trials focus on this age group. That’s why Dr. Slavica Janeva's team focused on the impacts of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival rates in this patient population, the results of which may change clinical practice paradigms moving forward, as he discusses with Dr. Matt Birnholz.

Monitoring Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Elderly Women with Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Host: Dr. Andrew Wilner 


Guest: Daniel E. Kremens, MD, JD 


Guest: Michael S. Okun, MD 



  Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects roughly one million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide. It is a progressive neurologic disorder characterized by motor and nonmotor symptoms. Key motor symptoms include resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability. Nonmotor symptoms include psychosis, depression, anxiety, impulse control disorders, cognitive impairment, and sleep disturbances. Significant progress has been made in the management of motor and nonmotor symptoms experienced by patients with PD. This activity will examine advances in pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions that are improving patient outcomes for this incurable condition.   

Strategies for Improving Outcomes in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP 



  
    Several studies have shown that therapy dogs help to reduce people’s pain levels and anxiety. Therapy dogs have also been found to increase patients’ physical, mental, emotional and social states and improve their quality of life. Host Dr. Brian McDonough talks with David Frei, co-creator of Angel on a Leash, a charity supporting therapy dog programs that serve health care facilities, about how therapy dogs bring comfort, affection and happiness to people in confined living situations. Frei is the former host of The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and expert analyst for The National Dog Show on NBC Thanksgiving Day.

Best in Show: The Health Benefits of Therapy Dogs

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP 



  
    Out of the approximately 340,000 hip fractures that occur in the US each year, 9 out of 10 of them happen to people older than 65. Hip fractures in an older population can result in significant complications including pneumonia and blood clots, among others. Host Dr. Brian McDonough sits down with Dr. Derek Donegan, Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in the Division of Orthopedic Trauma at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to talk about some of the challenges physicians face when treating hip fractures in elderly patients.

Why Do We Age?

Download our free app to listen on your phone