Craig Cox
LATEST STORIES
PUMPING IRONY: A Painful Lesson
When we’re laid low by some malady, what would happen if we welcomed the pain rather than trying to escape from it? My recent attempts produced rather mixed results.
PUMPING IRONY: Ageism and Alzheimer’s
Recent research links negative perceptions of aging to dementia, but that’s not the only reason to stay upbeat as you grow old.
PUMPING IRONY: A Matter of Life and Death
A new study reveals a fragmented and inefficient longevity industry. I’m not the only one who hopes it stays that way.
PUMPING IRONY: A Roll of the Dice
With the long-term-care industry collapsing, forcing millions of elderly Americans to choose between higher premiums or a loss of coverage, I’m reminded how little control we have over our futures.
PUMPING IRONY: A Dental Dilemma
New research suggests that poor oral hygiene may contribute to cancer, a conundrum few geezers can afford to address.
PUMPING IRONY: Home Alone?
Like many geezers, I’m determined to avoid institutional housing when I’m too old to fend completely for myself. To do so, however, I may have to become more sociable.
PUMPING IRONY: Sleeping and Forgetting
New research suggests that harmonizing our aging brain waves may help us store new memories for the long-term, but it’s a notion that becomes less useful the older we get.
PUMPING IRONY: To Live Long, Be Happy
The oldest among us aren’t upbeat because they’ve survived; they’ve survived because they’re upbeat.
PUMPING IRONY: There’s a Pill for That
While opioid abuse gets all the headlines, new studies have revealed a more widespread drug epidemic among the Medicare set. And efforts to mitigate it are not encouraging.
PUMPING IRONY: Invisible Man
A trip to the East Coast reminds me why travel can be so hard on geezers.
Pumping Irony: Skin Game
The dermatology industry is booming, powered by unnecessary procedures performed by unlicensed practitioners. And geezers are the primary victims.
PUMPING IRONY: The Hidden Power of Everyday Excursions
Afternoon bicycle trips to the coffee shop may be extending My Lovely Wife’s lifespan — in more ways than one.
PUMPING IRONY: No Pressure
Geezers facing ever stricter demands to lower their blood pressure might want to look beyond the American medical-pharmaceutical complex for guidance.
PUMPING IRONY: DNA and Destiny
For more than a half-century, scientists have wondered why our genes should be kinder to youth than the elderly. A new study suggests genetics may be subject to change as we age.
PUMPING IRONY: Too Weak for Surgery?
With an alarming percentage of elderly Americans going under the knife each year despite a level of frailty that makes survival a dicey affair, surgeons are pondering alternatives.
Pumping Irony: Just Say No
In the past five years, researchers have identified some 500 unnecessary procedures and tests regularly perpetrated on anxious healthcare consumers, yet doctors continue to recommend them and we continue to acquiesce.
PUMPING IRONY: We All Fall Down Sometimes
Frequent tumbles are a way of life — and death — for the elderly. But the latest prevention strategies seem riskier than sprinting down a well-waxed tile floor.
PUMPING IRONY: Life, Interrupted
Little good can come from projecting your lifespan or falling prey to a late-life medical intervention.
PUMPING IRONY: Come to Your Senses
New research suggests that a declining sense of smell, taste, touch, vision, or hearing may lead to an early grave. I’d suggest it’s simply a natural consequence of growing old.
PUMPING IRONY: A Work in Progress?
For many geezers, economic realities have postponed the promise of a placid retirement, which may not be a bad thing.