Wellness

In late April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released findings showing a 15 percent increase in autism spectrum disorder over previous estimates. But Arizona bucked this trend by reporting a slight decrease.

In 2014, the Alzheimer’s Association designated June Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month in order to support those with Alzheimer’s and those caring for them, in addition to promoting early detection. This year, the monthlong observance culminates on the summer solstice, June 21, with The Longest Day, an event offering individuals and groups the opportunity to host private or public events in order to raise money and awareness to support the organization’s continuing service.

Have you ever just wished for a crystal ball, an opportunity to peer into the future for a concrete fact to help make a decision? Does this 60-minute window give me enough time to make a connecting flight? Should I travel ahead of schedule based on the weather forecast of treacherous driving conditions?

Today, more than 5 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias in the United States, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. About 80 percent live at home and are cared for by about 15 million unpaid, informal caregivers — often spouses or adult children. And while impacts on patients include medical and psychological problems, reduced quality of life and high costs for care, impacts on caregivers can be severe.

If my 20-year-old self could see me now — living in the Valley of the Sun, where it is bathing suit season 10 months of the year, and surrounded by women ... Wait, let me explain.

From the fear and endless jargon to the paperwork and financial questions, being diagnosed with cancer is an overwhelming experience. Creating a support and information network is often an important first step, and now Valley cancer patients and their families have one additional resource to turn to.

When Janet Arnold, the Creative Aging coordinator for Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS), showed up for a Memory Cafe event in Surprise, she wasn’t sure what to expect. But it turned out to be an emotional experience.

Raise your right hand (put your smartphone down first) and repeat after me: “I am ready for a digital detox.”

When it comes to weather, Minnesota is the opposite of Arizona. In the depths of winter, Minnesota residents hunker down in their homes and wait for the spring thaw to comfortably enjoy the great outdoors. Of course, here in Arizona, we hunker down in the summer months when temperatures can get as high as 120 degrees and wait for the coolness of fall and winter. One thing both places have in common, though, is that extreme temperatures can take a toll on older adults.

The Valley could have one of the first synagogues in the nation to go vegan.

During the summer when temperatures are high, children’s levels of physical activity can drop, which can have several negative effects.

If you can finish this advertising jingle — “When it says Libby’s, Libby’s, Libby’s on the label, label, label, you will...” — you are most likely a baby boomer and can remember canned mush posing as vegetables that you could not even get the dog to eat.

The first mitzvah in the Torah is “to be fruitful and multiply.” Yet, throughout the Bible there are stories of women dealing with infertility; three of the four matriarchs had infertility struggles. But today’s technology offers hope to all women who are having difficulty conceiving.

Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) announced the development of a new treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.