Blog Posts by ThirdAge.com

Woman in Bed

The actress Julianne Moore recently sounded off about celebrity magazines. "They encourage young women and some middle-aged women to be interested in somebody else's narrative rather than their own," she told More magazine. "I don't want my daughter or her friends to be interested in Jessica Simpson. I want them to be interested in what's happening in their own lives." The message goes way beyond pop culture.

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When I think about my own daughter and all the other "young women" who are the theme of this International Women's Day, I realize that I want to take Moore's message a step further: there are situations when resistance takes more than choosing to ignore a magazine story and more than the actions of any one woman. The contraceptive furor of recent weeks highlights the forces that are trying to impose another narrative - theirs - on us.

In the century since Margaret Sanger

You might be tempted to reach for a heating pad because it feels good, but within the first 24 to 48 hours chill out. Ice reduces the inflammation. After 48 hours, you can add heat alternating with ice. Keep in mind, though, a just-released study questions the effectiveness of ice for the relief of sore muscle pain.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness month. ThirdAge spoke with Andrew Spiegel, CEO of the Colon Cancer Alliance about the disease that is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women in this country.

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First, Spiegel shared some several important facts about colon cancer: "Almost 150,000 people are diagnosed each year and more than 50,000 will die from this disease. And although it is often thought of as a disease of older men, it affects both men and women equally."

He also pointed out that in its earlier and more curable stages, colon cancer has few symptoms."Unfortunately the number one symptom is no symptom," explains Spiegel, whose mother died of the disease. "Far too often we hear of cases where people find out they have colon cancer when it is in an advanced stage." But he also noted colon cancer is different from other cancers in one very significant way. "It

Maddy

When I got the phone call from my stepdad, I was shaken to my core and honestly thought, "This is it."

My mother wasn't doing well, he reported. She was so tired that she couldn't lift her head off the couch. "This has been going on for a while now, but I thought it would pass," he confided. Frantic with worry, he was afraid she might be dying and was reaching out for my help.

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What had happened? My mom was 82, an independent, strong-minded, optimistic woman who enjoys a game of duplicate bridge and her regular four o'clock shot of Jack Daniels. She hates physical exercise and considers bridge her "competitive sport" of choice - "I'm getting mental flexibility," she always jokes. "I don't need to do any of that other stuff." Consequently, she had put on quite a few pounds in recent years but mostly pooh-poohed it.

She also pooh-poohed doctors. "I don't trust them," she'd

Mature Woman

Nearly four in ten women over 65 live alone. Well, is that such a bad thing? Not really. A recent study by the MacArthur Foundation established that older women who are living on their own are more likely to age well, remain independent and report enjoying life. Another study, from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, found one third of all adults age between the ages of 46 and 64 were divorced, separated or have never been married. Of course living alone can sometimes be lonely, but social scientists say there are real perks. Here are the positives about being on your own:

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You Don't Have To Compromise: When it comes to food, sleep, your fitness routine, choice of entertainment, and how you want to keep your home decorated and organized, the choice is yours.

You Have A Greater Sense Of Self-Sufficiency:Until you find yourself living alone, you may not know how capable you are of

Julianne Moore

The HBO movie "Game Change," with Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, hasn't even aired yet (it will on March 10), but it's already stirred up more than its share of controversy.

In other words, it's much like Palin herself.

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The 2008 vice-presidential nominee, who roared out of almost nowhere to instant political superstardom, was a polarizing figure from the beginning. People, it seemed, either loved her or hated her.

She had thousands of people cheering her at appearances across the country." One of her most famous quotes - "I love those hockey moms. You know what they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is? Lipstick" - lived on in red-state "Hockey Mom" bumper stickers. At the other end of the political spectrum, commentators mocked her lack of foreign-policy knowledge, and some called her "Caribou Barbie."

And Tina Fey's "Saturday Night Live"

Everyone wants to live in a community where they feel comfortable. For Boomers, that should be easy, since there are so many of us. But if you live in a very small town (limited opportunities) or a frenetic city (emphasis on casual dating among younger people), you might find yourself thinking about a different place to live. Here are some suggestions. Whether you are looking for a new dating life, a different job, or a stimulating place to retire, there's probably something here for you.

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Kirstie Alley

How does she look? That was the question friends, colleagues and my daughter-n-law asked when I said I was talking to Kirstie Alley. And the answer is that Kirstie, 62, looks good, curvy but trim, and the TV favorite who has had her shares of ups and downs appears definitely on an upswing these days.

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Currently she is appearing as the Poise Fairy (Mother: Tooth Fairy, Father: Wood Nymph, Best Friend: Santa) who, in a series of lighthearted commercials, is trying to educate women about LBL (light bladder leakage.) Outfitted with lavender wings, the Fairy advises "Don't get freakin 'cause your leakin.'" And sprinkles (pun intended) some advice on picking the right pads, not period pads but Poise brand products that quickly absorb wetness and odor.

"I do not suffer from LBL," Kirstie admits. "In fact, when my girlfriends would say they laugh so hard when they are with me they wet their

Green Tea

If you enjoy the soothing experience of sipping a hot cup of tea, it turns out you are doing your body some favors, too. Throughout history, tea has been used as a tool for improving health in many different ways. In recent years, Western research has confirmed that drinking tea has many physical and emotional benefits, from improving heart health to increasing happiness. Because of tea's healing properties, including antioxidant-rich flavonoids, there are a number of surprising ways that tea can enhance your mind, body, and overall well-being.

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Here are 7 things tea can do:

Fight Cancer. Research on green tea has shown that it can be a powerful protector against cancer. Specifically, green tea may be protective against cancers of the lung, bladder, esophagus, breast, pancreas, prostate, colon, stomach and skin. This effect happens after the tea is digested by enzymes in the gut, which