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Issue
Date: March 18, 2001
Health
Briefs
Safe-sex alert: "We believe older people don't have
sex in our society, but of course they do," says a National
Institute on Aging spokeswoman. Most AIDS education targets
young people, but 10% of Americans diagnosed with AIDS are
age 50 and older. Seniors don't get tested often, so the number
of older people with AIDS may be even higher. Women beyond
the child-bearing years may not think about using any form
of protection. See safe-sex pamphlets at doctors' offices
and senior homes, or find information on the Internet.
Menopausal surge: Menopause is the "springtime of life,"
Christiane Northrup, M.D., writes in a new book, The Wisdom
of Menopause (Bantam $27.95). "It's a surge of life, a chance
to use your intuition, work through loose ends and transform
the second half of your life. The physical symptoms are just
your body telling you what parts need attention." Northrup,
51, author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, says her best
advice is: Don't stop living. "It becomes a self-fulfilling
prophecy. People think they should slow down when they hit
50, when really, they are just beginning to hit their stride."
Free advice: If you don't know which exercises an older
person should do, send for a new book and 48-minute video.
Write: National Institute on Aging, P.O. Box 8057, Gaithersburg,
Md. 20898. The book is free; the video costs $7.
-- Frappa Stout
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