I’m going to get personal here: just the talk of Alzheimer’s disease starts my heart racing. I’d seen the effects of this ailment in the 1980’s, when a close friend’s mother developed it. Since then, I’ve commiserated with other friends when their parents and elders were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

But…. the disease is not part of the normal process of aging. And there is a difference between Alzheimer’s and the age-related memory loss that everyone experiences as the years progress.

I’m going to explore the differences in the next postings. African Americans need to get educated because we have high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. All three are risk factors for Alzheimer’s. In fact, the Alzheimer’s Association calls the disease “an emerging public health crisis” in our community.

You know I’m big on self-education. Start learning about the disease by reading the report African Americans and Alzheimer’s disease on the Alzheimer’s Association website.

I don’t have a study to back me up, but I’m convinced that stress and worry are two of the biggest barriers to overall health and well being. I’m talking about shouldering the burden of daily tasks and responsibilities that occupy our time and leave us without time to wind down.

These tips on relieving stress come from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. The site has informative articles on mind-body therapies that can help ease stress, and other physical ailments.

1. Be completely present for whatever you are doing.
2. Include something you consider beautiful in your life on a daily basis.
3. As often as possible, participate in activities you enjoy.
4. Keep your pace relaxed.
5. Take a break after meals to relax.
6. Go outside once a day and enjoy the simple things in life.
7. Take notice of the tension in your body during the day. Breath deeply and stretch anytime your body feels tense.
8. When you catch your mind racing and worrying, breathe deeply and gently shift your focus to something in the moment.
9. Wear comfortable loose clothing.
10. Don’t hold your feelings in day after day. Find a safe place where you can express and embrace them.

In my church’s latest newsletter, editors included 10 stress-busting tips from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. Thus I found a wonderful resource for those who believe that one’s spiritual health can influence one’s physical health.

The Center’s channel for laypeople has information on everything from complementary and alternative health, to traditional Chinese medicine to Reiki. The page of personal stories is my favorite; folks post their experiences using alternative therapies to help healing and to ease some chronic conditions.

This URL is one for the blog roll. And I can see the Center is going to become a favorite health resource.

For years, we’ve been warned that exposure to sunlight is prescription for skin cancer. Now, though, some physicians are saying that limited amounts of sunshine can help prevent breast, endometrial and other serious cancers.

Why the change? Sunshine is the best source of vitamin D, the nutrient that researchers believe helps protect against cancer, and possibly heart attack and multiple sclerosis.

For example, a study of 1,200 Nebraska women found those who took regular doses of vitamin D had a 60 percent lower incidence of breast, lung and colon cancers when compared to women who didn’t. Other research, while not completely supporting this finding, does suggest that vitamin D can help prevent colon-rectal cancer.

Here’s the problem, though. Ultraviolet B rays that help produce vitamin D can also cause skin cancer. That’s why many dermatologists advocate wearing sunscreen, which limits the body’s ability to produce Vitamin D.

There is a solution. Take an oral supplement. Dr. Jeanine Downie, a dermatologist from Montclair, N.J. says it’s the safest way to get vitamin D.

“Melanoma is now increasing at an alarming rate,” she says, adding that by 2010, an estimated 1 out of 50 people will have skin cancer. “The safer and effective way of getting Vitamin D is through vitamins, food and milk.”

How much should you take? Right now, the recommended daily dose is between 200 to 800 international units, depending on your age. But some researchers are saying that dose is too low now that we are decreasing our time in the sun. Taking more than 2,000 IU can be dangerous.

For more information about skin cancer, you can visit Downie’s website. If you want to read more about a benefit of vitamin D, this article at webmd.com talks about the role of the nutrient in controlling pain. For information about recommended doses, read the information on vitamin D at www.medlineplus.gov

Researchers say a dramatic increase in the number of strokes among middle-aged women is another consequence of the nation’s obesity epidemic, the Associated Press reported today.

Data from the latest National Health and Nutrition Surveys, gathered from 1999 to 2004, showed two percent of women aged 35 to 54 reported having a stroke. In the previous survey, which was conducted from 1988 to 1994, only half a percent of respondents had the ailment.

Researchers point to obesity as the major factor because it was the only traditional risk condition that had changed enough to account for the increase in strokes.

That increase could have severe consequences for African Americans. Because of the incidence of high-blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes in our community, African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke than are Whites.

For more information about stroke prevention, go to this page at the National Stroke Association website.

You’ve heard it since elementary school: For healthy teeth and strong gums, brush twice a day, floss daily, stay away from sweets and visit the dentist at least twice a year. It’s simple advice, and still the best advice for maintaining overall health.

Here’s how it works. Good oral hygiene helps prevent gum diseases, such as gingivitis and pyorrhea. These diseases are caused by bacteria that can infect other parts of the body.

Don’t think swishing a tooth brush in your mouth will do the job. A thorough cleansing will take at least two minutes. One of my dentists suggested I brush my teeth while walking through the house! It worked.

For the correct way to brush and floss, head over to the American Dental Association’s animated lesson.

Today’s word is Kegel – as in Dr. Arnold Kegel who developed this exercise as a way to treat incontinence after childbirth. Although the exercise is prescribed for anyone with incontinence, it’s also recommended for women who want better orgasms.

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly.

The technique isn’t difficult to learn. You’ll find instructions on the Mayo Clinic website, and on the site of the American Urogynecological Society.

As with any exercise regimen, persistence and practice brings the best results. You’ll probably need about 6 weeks of steady practice before you see initial results. Most sources recommend doing three sets of 10 squeezes per day. That’s 30 squeezes. But the exercise is invisible. You can talk on the telephone, sit at your desk, or watch television and meet your quota.

When the doctor or nurse slips a cuff around your arm, s/he is measuring the push of the blood against the walls of your arteries. Two forces create the push: the heart pumping the blood through the arteries, and the arteries resisting the blood flow.

Blood pressure numbers refer to pressure created by the action of the heart as it pumps. The higher number – systolic – measures the pressure created when the heart contracts. The lower number – diastolic – measures the pressure created when the heart relaxes. A reading of 120/80 (120 over 80) means the systolic pressure is 120, while the diastolic pressure is 80.

A reading of 120/80 or lower is considered healthy. Systolic readings of 120 to 129, and diastolic readings of 80-89 bear watching; they’re considered a precursor to high blood pressure or hypertension. A reading of 140/90 (140 over 90) or higher demands treatment.

For more information, check out “What is High Blood Pressure” at the site for the National Institutes of Health.

A recent study out of Emory University suggests our daughters have come up with their own interpretation of “safe sex.” They try “selective avoidance”: choosing partners who are, they think, free from sexually transmitted diseases.

When researchers questioned 715 African American teens and young women, they found a quarter of the young ladies used the tactic, and a third considered it a viable alternative to a condom or abstinence.

The numbers prove otherwise. There was little difference in STD rates among those who used “selective avoidance,” and those who didn’t.

Admitting that our young daughters, sisters and friends could be sexually active is difficult. But the best defense is a good offense. Many discussions center on pregnancy, but contraception is no protection against an STD.

Here’s why open, honest talk about safe sex is so important. AIDS is now the leading cause of death for African-American women ages 25-34; the third leading cause of death for African-American women ages 35 to 44; and the fourth leading cause of death for African-American women ages 45 to 54. Since it can take years before a person infected with HIV develops AIDS, it’s reasonable to believe that many got the disease when they were teenagers.

There’s nothing wrong with advocating abstinence. And there’s nothing wrong with advocating condom usage if you suspect your teens are or might be having sex.

We still need to take action to stem the toll HIV/AIDS is taking on our community. Each of us should resolve to get tested. Find a location near you by heading over to www.hivtest.org. This website can direct you to local screening centers, and answer questions you might have about the test itself. The site also tells you how to live with the disease if your results are positive, and how to prevent catching it if your results are negative.

Another good site is on HIV/AIDS is www.aids.gov . Take a close look at the Spotlight section on the right-hand side of the page. These links explain medical terminology, and give information on benefit programs. There’s a link to help those who have been discriminated against because of their HIV/AIDS status.