Author: Jack von der Heide
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Health Issues and Square Dancing
Health Issues and Square Dancing
Here is an article that talks about
dancing and
memory.
At the bottom of this page you will find links to
other pages
on the internet regarding dancing and health.
Rx for the Mind: Mind Games
A new study says playing games and doing puzzles wards off dementia,
supporting the use-it-or-lose-it theory.
Excerpt By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
 |
WEDNESDAY, June 18 (HealthDayNews) — If you don’t use your mind
regularly through activities such as reading, doing puzzles or playing
a musical instrument, you risk losing some of your cognitive abilities
as you age.
That’s the message from a new study appearing in the June 19 issue
of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York
City found seniors who participated in mind-stimulating leisure
activities had a lower risk of developing the brain disease dementia.
“Subjects whose levels were in the top third of the cognitive
activity level had almost a 65 percent reduced risk of dementia,” says
study author Dr. Joe Verghese, an assistant professor of neurology at
Albert Einstein College.
The researchers measured cognitive activity levels by asking 469
people over the age of 75 what leisure activities they participated in,
and how often. All of the study participants lived in the Bronx, one of
New York City’s five boroughs.
Participating in a cognitive-stimulating activity one day a week
translated into one point on the cognitive activity level scale.
The researchers asked about a variety of activities, including
playing board games or cards, reading, writing for pleasure, playing a
musical instrument, doing crossword puzzles, participating in group
discussion, dancing, doing housework, walking, swimming, biking,
babysitting and participating in group exercise.
The cognitive activities that showed the greatest risk reduction
were reading, board games or cards, and playing a musical instrument.
Writing and participating in group discussions didn’t reduce the risk
of dementia. Physical activities, with the exception of dancing, didn’t
appear to greatly reduce the risk of dementia.
Every year, for an average of five years, the study participants
were evaluated. During the study period, 121 study volunteers developed
dementia.
By comparing those who developed dementia with those who didn’t, the
researchers found that for one point on the cognitive activity level
scale, there was a 7 percent reduction in the risk of dementia. People
in the highest third had a score of 11 points or higher. That means
they participated in mind-stimulating activities more than once a day
each week. Their risk of developing dementia was 63 percent lower than
people who scored in the lowest third of the cognitive activity level
scale.
Verghese says the researchers weren’t able to include past history
of these activities in this study.
One reason people might have scored low on the cognitive activity
level scale, according to Verghese, is that they could have the
beginnings of dementia, but not show outward signs of the disease. To
control for this possibility, Verghese and his colleagues re-examined
the data, excluding anyone who developed dementia in the first seven
years of the study, and the results still held true.
Dr. Joseph Coyle, who wrote an accompanying editorial, says this
study provides a remarkable contrast to more complex dementia research
that focuses on the specific changes that occur in the brain as
dementia develops. He says after looking at that complexities in some
of that research, it’s hard to believe that something as simple as
playing cards could ward off dementia.
Nevertheless, he says, the results of this study are convincing.
“Effortful mental activities may forestall the onset of dementia,” says
Coyle, a professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Harvard Medical
School.
Exactly how it occurs isn’t yet known, he says. But “participating
in these activities that use the brain may stimulate neurons to work
around the damage associated with the early stages of dementia,” he
says.
So for now, both experts say it’s a good idea to engage in
activities that stimulate your mind throughout your life.
More information
For more information on dementia, go to the National Institute on Aging. To
learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, visit the Alzheimer’s Association.
Check these web links out for more articles about health
and
dancing (Links valid as of November 22, 2012):
Click
here to go to NE Journal of Medicine for the 2003 article
“Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly”
Click here
to go to NE Journal of Medicine a pdf article from 2003
“Walking Compared with Vigorous Exercise for the Prevention of
Cardiovascular Events in Women”
Click
here to go to Healthscout.com for an article on exercise activities
that lift your mood.
Click
here to go to Healthscout.com were you can find another article
about the benefits
of health and dancing.
Click
here to go to webmd.com for an article on the unworkout, 7 ways to
get fit while having fun.
Click here to
see a
letter from the Mayo Clinic and Article by Dr. Arron Blackburn
Click
here
to see msn’s webmd article about square dancing being good for body and
mind.
Click
here
to see article Dance Your Way To Health
Click
here
to see article on dancing from UT-Houston Medical School
Click
here to see MIT article on square dancing thriving and their
athletics
department giving physical education credit. Note-Summer 2003
issue.
Click here
to see Go Ask Alice response to the benefits of dancing and your
wellness.
Click here to
see the Toe Dragger Project “Square Dancing for a Healthily Lifestyle”
Click here to see
article by Bryant A. Stamford, PH.D. and Lee Walker, M.D.
Click here to see AARP’s article “Let’s Dance to Health”
Click
here to see an article on square dancing. (Not health specific, but
good PR
for square dancing)
Click here to
see UK square dancing health benefits.
Click
here to see Wall Street Journal article that mentions
save-squaredancing.com
Click
here to see Wall Street Journal article that is not health
specific, but good PR.
Click
here for information on book Rhythmic Activities and Dance.
Click here for general
dance information.
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For Physical & Mental Exercise, Plus Sociability.
Try Western Square Dancing.
It’s Friendship Set To Music
Are you interested in an activity that is drug and alcohol free and generally conducted in a smoke free environment. Where you can make many new friends and at the same time have fun, forget your troubles and get some exercise?
Modern Western Square Dancing may be just the activity you have been missing. According to a 1994 Mayo Clinic Health Letter
“dancing can burn as many calories as walking, swimming or riding a bicycle. During a half-hour of dancing you can burn between 200 and 400 calories. One factor that determines how many calories youll expend is the distance you travel. In, one study, researchers attached pedometers to square dancers and found that each person covered five miles in a single evening. Regular exercise can lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol profile. Experts typically recommend 30 – 40 minutes of continuous activity three or four times a week. Dancing may not provide all the conditioning you need, but it can help. The degree of cardiovascular conditioning depends on how vigorously you dance, how long you dance continuously, and how regularly you do it. The side to side movements of many dances strengthens your weight bearing bones (tibia, fibula and femur) and can help prevent or slow loss of bone mass (osteoporosis). If youre recovering from heart or knee surgery, movement may be part of your rehabilitation. Dancing is a positive alternative to aerobic dancing or jogging. And finally, Square Dancing contains a social component that solitary fitness endeavors dont. It gives you an opportunity to develop strong social ties that contribute to self-esteem and a positive outlook.
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If your doctor has advised you to start an aerobic exercise program, Square Dancing can be a fun part of it. Square Dancing enhances blood flow and gets your heart and lungs working. Just be sure to get your doctor’s permission if you have a medical condition.
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This pastime is a perfect way to forget your troubles, because it is virtually impossible to think of anything else while you square dance. This is because of the mental requirements of this activity. I feel sure you agree that keeping your mind sharp is essential in today’s world.
So what are these mental requirements? Let’s take a quick look.
Modern Western Square Dancing consists of layers, or levels of dance. At the bottom, where we all start, is Basic & Mainstream. There are 71 different movements at this level. I’ll try to define a movement later. Some dancers never advance beyond this level. The next level is called Plus and consists of 29 additional moves. That puts us at 100 movements some having nuances. Most Square Dancers achieve and dance at this level.
Before continuing up the ladder let me try defining what I call a move. It is simply a combination of arm, hand and or foot movement, and is known as a call. Foot movements are basically walking, preferably with a shuffling or sliding step. Each step normally takes one beat of music. A call can take anywhere from one beat to 32 beats or even more. The tough part requires that you execute any call without stopping to think how to do it. Occasionally, you may have to “stack” several calls in your mind and remember the order in which to execute them. Of course you are not dancing alone, seven other people are in your square and all must remember what to do.
Some clubs dance “APD” or all position. This makes it a little more difficult since the male and female requirements differ.
The next level up is Advanced. While there are two levels, A-1(46 calls) & A-2 (37calls), Advancedis usually considered to be one level APD.
If you want to go still higher there is Challenge level. You will learn more about that level just as soon as you master the 183 calls at any position.
If you can walk you can probably learn to Square Dance. It does take time and practice however. Of course it’s all called Square Dancing and whether its a dance, a workshop or class it provides some excellent mental and physical exercise.
Square Dancing will add ten years to your life, a surprising new study shows.
Dr. Arron Blackburn states “Its clear that square dancing is the perfect exercise. It combines all positive aspects of intense physical exercise with none of the negative elements.” Dr. Blackburn said square dancing is a low impact activity requiring constant movement and quick directional changes that help keep the body in shape. The study was based on their physical examination which indicated that both female and male square dancers could expect to live well into their 80’s. Square dance movements raise heart rates like many good aerobic exercises should. All the quick changes of direction loosen and tone up the muscles–but not so severally as to cause injury. In square dancing, when youre not moving, youre clapping hands and tapping your feet, which all contributes to long term fitness. “You dont see a lot of 55 year old basketball players, but thats just the age when square dancers are hitting their peak”, Dr. Blackburn said
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SENIORS
Click here for health information directed at you. |
If you have read this far and you are not a Square Dancer, I hope I have peaked your interest. If so find a club near you and get started. If you’re from West Virginia click here to find a Western Square Dance Club near you and contact them.
Man credits square dancing with helping manage kidney disease
By Marissa Harshman
Columbian Staff Reporter
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Elmer Toops and his wife, Betty, square dance during an event at the Hazel Dell Grange Hall recently. Toops was diagnosed with kidney failure two years ago. Recently, his dialysis provider named him one of the country’s 20 “Champions in Motion” for staying physically active despite his kidney disease.
Elmer Toops, 74, and his wife, Betty, dance at the Hazel Dell Grange. The Toops have square danced for 32 years, even as Elmer endures kidney failure.
Elmer Toops receives a bouquet of roses from his friend RuthAnne Barnard during a square dance at the Hazel Dell Grange recently. Toops and his wife, Betty, are members of the Buzzin’ Bees square dance club in Hazel Dell.
Elmer and Betty Toops danced their first square dance in 1980. In the 32 years that have followed, nothing’s stopped their dancing.
Their two children, now adults, took dance lessons. Weekends concluded with Sunday evening dances. Family vacations included square-dance festivals.
GET MOVING
You can do-si-do your way to better health at these upcoming events:
• Round-dancing lessons with Dorothy Lowder: 3-6 p.m. every Sunday at Clark County Square Dance Center, 10713 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver. First lesson free; $5 per lesson after. 503-232-7544.
• Country line-dance lessons, 6:30- 8 p.m. every Tuesday at Fishers Grange No. 211, 814 N.E. 162nd Ave., Vancouver. Admission is $4. 360-521-8360.
• Square dance with the Buzzin’ Bees, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1 at Hazel Dell Grange No. 1124, 7509 N.E. Hazel Dell Ave., Vancouver. Admission is $6. 360-833-0879.
• Sunday dances, 2-4 p.m. every Sunday at Luepke Senior Center, 1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd., Vancouver. Admission is $3. 360-487-7055.
Not even Elmer’s end-stage renal disease diagnosis two years ago has been able to stop the dancing duo. In fact, Betty believes the dancing is what keeps Elmer healthy after nearly four decades with a disease that has slowly destroyed his kidneys.
“That’s what keeps him going,” she said. “I truly believe it was the square dancing and the physical exercise. That’s why his kidney function went as long as it did.”
Elmer was 35 years old when routine blood work revealed he had Berger’s disease.
Berger’s disease develops when an antibody lodges in the kidneys, hampering their ability to filter waste, water and electrolytes from the blood. Over time, it can lead to blood and protein in one’s urine, high blood pressure, and swollen hands and feet, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Berger’s disease usually progresses slowly over many years, and, for some, leads to end-stage renal (or kidney) disease, according to Mayo Clinic.
That’s ultimately what happened to Elmer, who turned 74 last month.
His kidney function continued to decline until it reached about 10 percent in September 2010. That’s when he started dialysis.
Even with three, four-hour dialysis treatments a week, the Camas couple has kept their dancing routine.
They participate in their club dances twice a month during the fall and winter, and they help teach new dancers the techniques of square dancing. In the summer, they travel to square dance festivals and visit other clubs for dances. For the out-of-town trips, Elmer coordinates with dialysis centers in the area to receive treatment.
In the last few years, as the disease progressed, Elmer has limited the number of dances he does each night. But he’s determined to stick to square dancing despite the diagnosis.
“Other than bad kidneys, there’s nothing wrong with me,” he said.
Besides dialysis, the only other treatment option for renal failure is a kidney transplant. In November 2011, Elmer was added to the transplant list at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland — an opportunity people his age aren’t normally afforded. Elmer credits his good health.
Kendra Weakley, a registered dietitian at Elmer’s dialysis provider, Fresenius Medical Care in Vancouver, said exercise and diet are important for dialysis patients.
People on dialysis get the same benefits from exercise that others do. But the benefits of managed body weight and blood pressure are of particular importance for dialysis patients, she said. Good health helps prevent further complications and keeps dialysis patients out of the hospital, Weakley said.
Fresenius Medical Care recently honored Elmer as a “Champion in Motion,” a national award given to 20 people who demonstrate a commitment to physical fitness and living well, despite chronic kidney disease.
“I’m not done living yet,” Elmer said. “I want to keep going.”
http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/aug/26/Man-credits-square-dancing-manage-kid/
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Stewart F. House / Special Contributor
Get into the social whirl: Newly single seniors find diversions that forge new bonds
By KATHLEEN GREEN
KATHLEEN GREEN The Dallas Morning News Special Contributor
Published: 12 November 2012 04:36 PM
Senior Living 2012: Resources for seniors in North Texas
These single folks may be old enough to be AARP members, but they’re not sitting at home watching the paint peel.
Some of these seniors have found themselves alone and with unexpected free time due to an empty nest, divorce or a spouse’s death, but whatever the reason, these 55- to 65-year-olds have more opportunities to socialize and stay active than hours in the day. There’s dancing, open-mike nights, musical productions, book clubs, travel groups, volunteer work, investment clubs and more.
By day, Nancy Barr is a legal secretary for the law firm Littler Mendelson in downtown Dallas. At night, she kicks up her heels in a way she never expected: square dancing.
“I would have never in one million years thought I’d enjoy square dancing,” says Barr, 55, of Lake Highlands, who is divorced. “I’m a rock-and-roller type of girl.”
But after Nancy’s friend persuaded her to go on a cruise with some square dance friends in 2009, she loved the group so much that she signed up for dance lessons. Now Nancy is part of the Rebel Rousers with the North Texas Square and Round Dance Association. Nancy gets great exercise and has made a ton of new friends.
“If single guys are looking for a way to meet single women, square dancing is where they should be,” she says. “There are numerous couples who have met through square dancing.”
Jerri Locke, director of the Senior Access Program at Methodist Health System, has seen firsthand how such gatherings and programs for seniors can lead to newfound happiness.
They may first start out in a grief support group after losing a spouse, she says. With time, people forge new bonds through fitness classes, language courses or social events at either of Methodist’s two campuses.
When Locke put together a recent semiformal dance, she was afraid no one would come, but about 300 people showed up.
“It was supposed to be over at 8 or 9. I finally did like at a club and I turned out all the lights and said, ‘This is the last dance. Y’all have got to go home.’”
Those Methodist programs have been a lifesaver for Pleasant Grove resident Roena MacKey, who got more involved after health issues forced her to retire as a warrant confirmation supervisor for the city of Dallas.
“There’s no reason for anyone to sit at home and say, ‘I don’t have anything to do.’ I need to keep busy as much as possible in order to keep my brain running, or otherwise it might collapse on me at any minute,” says MacKey, who is divorced and has five grown children and three grandchildren.
At first, she attended health and education seminars, but now she looks forward to open-mike night at Charlton Methodist.
“You’d be amazed with the people you meet in our age group and how talented we are,” says MacKey, 58. “Since I’ve become this beautiful age and with some limitations, I was looking to find me something to do and to help me to socialize with more people. I sure have made a lot of friends.”
Elexis Rice, a motivational, inspirational and educational speaker, taps into numerous groups around town for her social life.
“There’s a ton of stuff to do in this city that’s age appropriate,” says Rice, 57, of Addison. “I’ll pop in and out of various things,” which have included Meetup.com groups (a website where you can find local groups), an investment club, the blues music scene and dance lessons.
“Dancing is a great way to meet people because you rotate,” she says. “You dance with like 50 different people in the course of the night, even if it’s two minutes or one song.”
Rice — who recently co-wrote Life and Love Extraordinaire: Tales of How People Met Their Soul Mates, including 45 couples she introduced to each other — often coaches her clients on how to get out there and meet potential soul mates.
“Once people get married, have their kids and they’re grown, then they never get their mojo back. So then they just go into hiding,” she says.
For awhile now, Fred Musacchio, 62, has immersed himself in two things he’s always loved: musicals and police work. Musacchio, a retired family lawyer, wanted to be a police officer in his youth but was turned away because of his eyesight. Now he volunteers with the Duncanville Police Department.
Musacchio, who is divorced, also often spends time at the Hopkins Senior Center in Duncanville where he just wrapped a musical production of Virgil’s Wedding. Being in a musical is not such a stretch for Musacchio, who performed in them in high school. His love for guitar has landed him in Billy’s Buckaroos, a group of friends at the senior center who share music together.
“I’ve met a lot of people that I really enjoy conversing with,” Musacchio says.
“Loneliness is a choice,” says Rice. “There are plenty of opportunities here.”
Kathleen Green is a Plano freelance writer.