Liberating Relief from Aching,
Stiff or Injured Hands

If you suffer from the pain and frustration of aching hands caused by arthritis, tendon trouble, “pinched” nerves, or injuries, Harvard doctors have great news for you.

Today, more options than ever are now available to you to help ease your pain, strengthen your hands, and help you to once again enable you to do the things you used to take for granted.

Thanks to the strategies and treatments revealed in Harvard’s Healthy Hands Special Report, thousands of men and women have received a new lease on life, free of the limitations that once robbed them of their freedom to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. For example...

“This has been life changing for me.” Stephen had been an active, lifelong athlete when at age 72, arthritis of his thumb made him unable to ride a bike or swing a hammer without pain — let alone pay his beloved softball. But after undergoing a fairly new surgical procedure recommended by his doctor (see page 19), he declared “my grip strength is back and I can throw the ball as hard as I used to!”

“I don’t wake up with numbness, and I can use the keyboard, hold my phone, grip the steering wheel, and get back to my crafts.” Carrie, a 46-year-old physician assistant, could no longer reliably hold medical instruments due to her carpal tunnel syndrome. After the having the procedure described on page 33, she exclaimed “At my two-week check, I had a full range of motion, so I didn’t need hand therapy.”

“It’s been a dramatic improvement. I now have full mobility in all my fingers on both hands...” Scott, now 70, was no stranger to painful hand injuries — but it was the worsening curling of the fingers of both of his hands from Dupuytren’s disease that had him looking for help. Cortisone shots worked for a while, but it was the surgery described on page 29 that provided lasting relief.

 

 

Protect your eyes from declining vision, glaucoma, and AMD. Discover how you can ensure your eyes’ best health...enjoy better vision...and prevent a sight-threatening eye disease. Dear Reader, As we age, our eyes age as well. Our eyes’ lenses become harder and less elastic. It becomes more difficult to read without glasses. We find it increasingly difficult to drive at night. We may experience flashes and floaters. Our eyes are sometimes dry, or teary, or tired. Too frequently our aging eyes become more vulnerable to cataracts and vision-impairing diseases such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or diabetic retinopathy. You can keep your future bright! A new report from Harvard Medical School will show you how to sensibly and seamlessly adjust to common changes...sustain maximum eye health...and prevent and treat serious eye disease. In this awaited guide you’ll discover specific steps you can take to halt worsening vision, ease annoying discomfort, and stimulate lasting eye health. This report provides important and empowering news about the most recent advances in cataract surgery, exciting progress in halting glaucoma, breakthroughs in managing AMD, and much more. End your concern and confusion about declining vision, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and more! If you ask any adult which of their five senses they’d most hate to lose, the answer invariably is their sight. Whether you’re behind the wheel or in front of your computer or just reading this page, you depend on your sight. Your sight both keeps you connected and gives you independence. But like the rest of your body, your eyes change throughout your life. This report will show you how to keep pace with those changes — from the most common to the most sight-threatening. In The Aging Eye, Harvard doctors share strategies and advances to fortify eye health and ward off eye disease. Most of us don’t mind reading glasses (except when we misplace them!). What’s important is retaining our sight and the freedom and fulfillment it ensures. In The Aging Eye you’ll discover steps you can take now to protect your eyes — and your vision — throughout your lifetime. With the report... ...you’ll know what to expect — and do. You’ll be ready for those changes adults can anticipate. You’ll learn why close-up vision weakens over time and the role of new corrective options. You’ll find a technique to halt floaters...a break-through advance to resolve dry eyes without drops...ways to relieve the itch of conjunctivitis...an outpatient procedure for a retinal tear...and more. ...you’ll be on top of advances halting serious eye disease. The report high-lights progress in cataract surgery and replacement lenses. You’ll be alerted to a new sustained-release medication for glaucoma...emerging tools to monitor and manage AMD...and ways to slow effects of diabetic retinopathy. ...you’ll master easy measures to safeguard your sight. The report offers practical ways to boost eye health. You’ll discover two foods better than carrots for your eyes...a vitamin that may help stall cataracts...how to select the right sunglasses...and one change that can cut the risk of AMD in half.

 

Healthy eating for blood sugar control

If you have diabetes, a healthy eating plan for you is not that different from a healthy eating plan for people without diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) echoes the dietary guidelines recommended for the general public — that is, a diet centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (peas and beans), and low-fat dairy products.

However, you'll want to pay special attention to your carbohydrate intake.

Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains provide more nutrition per calorie than refined carbohydrates and tend to be rich in fiber. Your body digests high-fiber foods more slowly — which means a more moderate rise in blood sugar.

For most people with diabetes, carbohydrates should account for about 45% to 55% of the total calories you eat each day. Choose your carbohydrates wisely — ideally, from vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Avoid highly refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, and rice, as well as candy, sugary soft drinks, and sweets. Refined carbohydrates tend to cause sharp spikes in blood sugar, and can boost blood triglyceride levels.

Fiber comes in two forms: insoluble fiber, the kind found in whole grains, and soluble fiber, found in beans, dried peas, oats, and fruits. Soluble fiber in particular appears to lower blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity, which may mean you need less diabetes medicine. And a number of studies suggest that eating plenty of fiber reduces the chances of developing heart disease — and people with diabetes need to do all they can to lower their risk.