HOPE FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION
New Treatment Keeps Miss Edna Driving
By Joyce Gamewell, Ph.D.

Edna Alexander is too busy to accept the limitations of deteriorating vision. This intensely active 90-year-old wants to complete the writing of her PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization) sisterhood's 100-year history. Besides, she has to drive to church and do her errands. In her words, "My mountain west of Colorado Springs doesn't have bus service." Most important, Edna is focusing all of the energy of her diminutive frame on successfully winning the battle against age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

ARMD is the leading cause of blindness in the United States for persons over the age of 65. Ten percent of those over age 52 and a third of those over age 75 are affected. With ARMD, central vision is impaired, meaning sufferers can not read without magnifiers, thread needles or do other tasks requiring neat vision. Distance vision is also impacted, creating problems in enjoying scenery, sporting events and even television. Driving becomes impossible.

It was the loss of driving privileges that moved Edna to action. In 1999, she contacted the Macular Degeneration Center of Colorado Springs, one of five treatment centers participating in the Macular Degeneration Foundation's Electrophysiology Research Initiative. Traditional medicine offered little to treat her condition. The Macular Degeneration Center, however, recommended micro-current stimulation (MCS), a treatment that can dramatically improve visual acuity in people suffering from all types of ARMD.

MCS is a non-invasive, inexpensive treatment adopted from an FDA-approved therapy. It is widely used for pain control, by plastic surgeons to facilitate healing without scars, and by orthopedists and neurologists to heal bones and nerves. During macular degeneration treatments, approximately 200 micro amps of electricity are applied to eight energy points around the eye. Repeated treatments have been shown to be safe, causing no damage to the retina. There is no discomfort to the patient and no side effects. Preliminary studies by the Macular Degeneration Foundation indicates that MCS improves both visual acuity and color perception. Patients sustain their visual improvements by administering booster treatments at home twice each day using a small, portable therapy unit included as part of the treatment package.

In addition to MCS treatments, Edna and other patients at the Macular Degeneration Center receive eye-brain retraining. That's because 80 percent of sight is due to the brain's interpretation of what it "sees." When a person begins to lost sight, the brain becomes lazy. With improved sight, the brain must be retrained to do its interpretation. Like MCS treatments, eye-brain retraining exercises must be practiced every day for maximum effectiveness.

Edna began her MCS treatment in September 1999. At that time, her eyesight was 20/200 and 20/80. In February 2000, her eyesight was 20/150 and 20/50. With new glasses, her sight is 20/40, making it legal for her to drive. Her next goal is to buy a new car when she passes her driver's license test on her 94th birthday. Unrealistic? Not if she continues her at-home MCS treatments.

Edna's positive outlook, determination and willingness to participate in a new treatment method give her the opportunity to be independent and productive far into the future.

For more information, visit www.maculardegencenter.com or call 719-573-7337.

YOUR MONEY - INVESTMENT RIP-OFFS
Five Ways to Protect Yourself

Pricey day-trading seminars, high-yielding promissory notes and investments in vaitical settlements are just a few of the many schemes designed to separate older Americans from their life savings. Here are five ways to avoid fiscal disaster.

1. Don't do business with strangers. Strangers who call and ask for your money should be considered disreputable until proven otherwise.
2. Don't be nice or naïve. Reject appeals to your loneliness, your ego or your inexperience - particularly if you are an elderly widow. Avoid pressure to make an immediate decision. Being rude is better than being sorry.
3. Reject fear as a motivating influence. Your feat of outliving your savings or being wiped out by a catastrophe makes you a prime target. Talk with family or a trusted advisor before you invest.
4. Stay in charge of your money. The promise to handle everything so that you don't have to worry is your signal to examine the deal very closely. Insist on regular written statements and reports. Make sure you understand what you're buying and the risks involved.
5. Report suspected fraud immediately. Call your state securities agency and file a complaint if you think something is wrong or if you can't get satisfactory answers. Things will only get worse if you hesitate due to embarrassment or feat of being viewed incompetent.

For more information and protection against investor fraud, call the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) at 202-737-0900. Or visit www.nasaa.org

TRAVEL & ENTERTAINMENT
Travel with your grandchildren

Perhaps you're lucky enough to share independent adventures with grandchildren living nearby. Or you've already experienced the joy of introducing your grandchild to a favorite vacation spot, your ancestral home or your college alma mater. If, however, you're looking for a special opportunity, here are a couple of exciting options.

The Foundation for Grandparenting offers Grandparent/Grandchild Summer Camp in New York's Adirondack Mountains. This year, camping sessions are scheduled for July 9-14 and July 16-21. An added plus is the opportunity to meet with Dr. and Mrs. Kornhaber to discuss grandparenting issues. For details and an online registration form, visit www.grandparenting.org and click on "Summer Camp."

Or visit Elderhostel offers fascinating intergenerational programs with unique educational emphases. Locate the choices you're looking for in the "Special Program Categories" page in each of the online U.S. and Canada catalogs. If you prefer, call Elderhostel toll free at 1-877-426-8056.

Don't wait. Discover your strengths, honor your potential, listen to the dreams and fears of your grandchildren, and exchange the wisdom of shared experiences. Include a grandchild in your travel plans this year.

ALTERNATIVE HEALTH CARE STRATEGIES FOR SENIORS
Relax Your Way to Good Health
By: Eugene Dawson, Jr., Ph.D

Thirty years of research at Harvard Medical School indicates that intentionally seeking a state of deep relaxation can trigger a number of positive physiological mechanisms. These mechanisms - dubbed the "relaxation response" by Dr. Herbert Benson, founding president of Harvard's Mind/Body Institute - can help counteract the negative effects of stress.

This special relaxation technique can be learned by anyone. It requires no special talents or equipment. Simply defined, the relaxation response is a state of psychological and physiological rest acquired through repetitive mental or physical actions. In practice, these techniques involve the use of repetitive prayer, words, sounds or phrases while consciously eliminating distracting thoughts.

The results can be dramatic: decreased muscle tension, lowered heart rate and blood pressure, a deeper breathing pattern, calming of the stomach and a peaceful mood. Added to a program of good nutrition and exercise, the relaxation response is effective therapy for hypertension, irregular heart rhythms, many forms of chronic pain, insomnia, the symptoms of cancer and AIDS, anxiety and depression.

Medication is the easiest technique. However, yoga, tai chi, Qigong and hypnotherapy can be useful tools as well. Whatever method you use, the trick or to find a regular time and place to spend 10-20 minutes, once or twice each day, practicing the healing effects of total relaxation.

For more information, read The Relaxation Response or The Wellness Book: A Comprehensive Guide to Treating Stress-Related Illness, both by Benson. For a basic meditation routine, visit www.coun.unic.ca/peraonal/relax.html (Personal Counseling and Resources).

COMING TO TERMS WITH CHOICES

Alternative medicine consists of techniques, treatments and medical systems that are unfamiliar to many Americans. The following are some of the methodologies covered by the umbrella term "alternative".

Ayurvedic: An ancient system of holistic medicine and healing from India. It focuses on treating the whole person with diet, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations.

Complementary: The use of "non-conventional" treatments as a complement to already prescribed conventional medical care.

Holistic: Treating the whole person with a combination of conventional medicine and medical practices o different cultures.

Homeopathic: Based on the concept of "like cures like", homeopathy uses extremely diluted substances to stimulate the body's self-heating mechanisms.

Naturopathic: Uses natural therapies to stimulate the body's healing ability. Based on treating the whole person, doing no harm and treating the cause.

Osteopathic based on the relationship of body structure to organ function, the skeletal muscular system is the focus of treatment.

Supplements…. A safe and sane approach

According to an ABC News report, 80 percent of the world's population uses herbs as part of primary health care. So why is it that Americans are getting sick and dying from taking dietary and herbal supplements.

As is often the case, abuse of a few supplements creates bad news for the entire industry. A recent Washington Post survey identified five drugs that are taking us to emergency rooms: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB). The body-building supplement; Ephedra for weight loss; Ginseng, an energy booster; St. John's Wort, an antidepressant; and Melatonin, a sleep aid.

But there are hundreds of supplements and herbal products on the market. Even the strongest of supplement critics acknowledges that herbal remedies can be useful and safe when taken responsibly. The problem is that supplement "junkies" often abandon common sense, with attitudes ranging from "if a little is good, a lot is better," to "if it wasn't safe, the government wouldn't allow the product to be sold." The truth is that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate most herbal preparations. That means potency and purity can vary significantly.

Reasonable rules are important to ensure safe and sane usage.

If you take supplements, tell your doctor what and how much
Read the literature and get recommendations from your doctor or a license alternative medicine practitioner BEFORE you take supplements.
Rely on brand names from reputable suppliers.
Never exceed dosage limits for the product.
To learn more about the safe use of supplements, visit the "alternative medicine" section of your library or bookstore. Look for books and articles by Dr. Kenneth Pellitier and Dr. Andrew Weil, both of whom are respected authorities in the field.

PURSUIT OF WELLNESS
How to Find the best medicine

With so much media attention and debate, you're probably wondering if alternative medicine is for you. You may not be sure what alternative medicine is. What you do know is that you want to be more active in health care decisions - more empowered to care for yourself.

These guidelines, from Mary and Michael Morton's book, Five Steps to Selecting the Best Alternative Medicine, offers a practical approach to becoming your own wellness advocate.

Learn your options. Your doctor, other sufferers, libraries, the Internet, medical and health information services, advocacy groups and professional organizations can help you learn about your condition and treatment options.
Get good referrals. Use more than one referral source. Ask family, friends, health food stores, support groups, alternative health care schools and referral services to recommend an alternative practitioner.
Screen the candidates. Check out your referrals by asking questions of the provider's office staff. Ask about expertise, personality, training and professional associations.
Interview the provider. Arrange an interview before you make an appointment. Trust your instincts about his or her personality and approach. Be prepared to ask questions and share what you've learned and what you're looking for.
Form a partnership. Good health care partnerships involve mutual care and respect, honest communication and a shared commitment to healing. A treatment contract is also recommended, covering what the provider will do, what you are expected to do, agreed-upon treatment and an estimate of time to reach your goals.
These articles are for information only and are not intended to represent qualified medical advice. Consult with your physician or health care practitioner for specific guidance for your particular condition.

PRACTICAL TALK ON RETIREMENT ISSUES
The earnings limit on Social Security
By Crispin Sargent, CSA

On April 7, President Clinton signed into law the "Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2000." This legislation eliminates the Social Security earnings test that required beneficiaries age 65 through 69 to give back one dollar for every three earned above the annual earnings limit, which in 2000 was $17,000. Essentially, this law transforms Social Security from a benefit based on retiring from work to a benefit based on reaching normal retirement age.

And beneficiaries who have already reached normal retirement age were not forgotten. These retirees are now eligible for refunds because of deductions made since January 1, 2000. Refund checks are scheduled to be mailed in May or June of this year.

Here is a summary of the provisions of the new law:

There is no earnings limit for normal age retirees.
Reduction in benefits for early retirement (ages 62-65) still applies, as does the earnings limit of $10,800. Benefit reduction equals 5/9 (0.56) percent for each month before normal retirement age.
Medicare benefits still kick in on the first day of the month you turn 65.
Individuals age 65-69 can postpone taking Social Security benefits in order to get higher benefits at age 70 and beyond.
For questions about retirement benefits, contact your CSA.

CENTENARIAN SALUTE

George Dawson
By Marie Dykes

"Ever since I turned 100, life has been busy".

For more than 70 years, George Dawson worked at breaking horses, driving spikes for the railroads, building levees on the Mississippi, and laboring on farms and in a sawmill. Today at 102, he is a full-time student, living his dream of learning to read. Even more remarkable, he is the author of a new book, Life is So Good.

Co-author Richard Glaubman, an elementary school teacher from Washington, remembers meeting George for the first time. "I had some misconceptions about age, so I didn't expect this very healthy man with this strong voice. He was doing just fine. He had a memory as good as anybody's could be, and he was so at peace with himself and what he was doing."

The book was Glaubman's idea, but the voice that urges you to turn the page is Dawson's. He never went to school because, as the eldest child, he had to work to help support the family. Although his life choices were limited by his inability to read or write, his remembrances are captured with a refreshing lack of bitterness at lost opportunities. George simply filtered his experiences, good and bad, through his father's oft-repeated credo: "Life is good, and I do believe it's getting better."

From buckboard wagons to space travel, from illiterate farm worker to published author, George shares a captivating story of his own journey, the people he met and the lessons he learned along the way. In the end, Dawson says to his new-found friend and collaborator, Richard Glaubman, "Son, people think 100 years is a long time. Most folks just don't understand. My life hasn't been so long at all; seems short to me. It's all gone by so fast. Life is good and it gets better every day."

Don't miss this incredible book. Ask for it at your local bookstore, or order it online at www.bn.com