Simply walking may be the best ‘medicine’ for low back pain. The condition, which impacts about 800 million people worldwide, is a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life. Exercise and education are commonly prescribed, but researchers say cost is sometimes a roadblock for patients. In a new study, they looked at whether…

Read More

If you need a mortgage, a good credit score, also called a FICO score, is essential—and it’s within your control. In a nutshell, a credit score is a simplified calculation of your history of paying back debts and making regular payments on loans. If you’re borrowing money to buy a home, lenders want to know…

Read More

A recent New York Times article offers a concise 5-year countdown-to-retirement plan, with the final year of the timeline being the time to –cautiously – consider a reverse mortgage. Offered as a way to make ends meet if you’re planning to stay in your current home, reverse mortgages are a “fourth- or fifth-tier line of…

Read More

The share of older workers in the U.S. has grown significantly since the turn of the century, with 29.5% of workers in 2023 at least 65 years old, compared to 23% in 2000, according to a new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). This occurred as labor force participation by older Americans between…

Read More

Memorial Day means firing up that backyard grill for the season, hopefully under warm, sunny skies. You can be sure to enjoy the day without hazards by taking a few simple precautions, said Dr. Mike Ren, an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Watch out for rising…

Read More

Among the numerous issues that retirement preparation can present to those near the end of their careers, long-term care (LTC) provides an increasingly common discussion point. One potential product that could assist in paying for LTC and its insurance could be a reverse mortgage, according to personal finance publication Kiplinger. LTC is already an expensive…

Read More

Can you tell how long you’ll live? For seniors, how fit you are may offer a clearer forecast of life span than traditional markers such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and smoking, a new study suggests. It included more than 6,500 people, age 70 and older, who had an exercise stress test between…

Read More

Vitamin supplements are a big business, with Americans spending roughly $45 billion out of more than $177 billion worldwide on pills, gummies and powders meant to boost health. About 59 million Americans regularly use some type of vitamin or supplement, spending an average $510 each year. But most folks are wasting that money, experts say.…

Read More

Pregnant women hear a lot of “Do this” and “Don’t do that” advice about what is safe to eat. But one recommendation that’s particularly important involves seafood: During pregnancy, women need to eat enough seafood to gain the health benefits, but not so much to raise the risk of some significant consequences. They also need…

Read More