Aging Untold: How to take charge of your annual checkup
(Aging Untold) — On this episode of Aging Untold, your doctor orders a long list of routine tests — what matters most now and what can wait.
Plus, cooking for one: simple ways to keep real nutrition on your plate when meals start to feel like a chore.
Then, why a cholesterol pill isn’t a free pass, and the daily habits that can help a statin work better for your heart.
And a gift from the 1940s sparked a lifelong love of trains. Take a look inside the basement model railroad a farmer in North Carolina is still building today.
How to take charge of your annual checkup — and stop feeling overwhelmed
When you go for an annual checkup, you can find yourself facing a long list of labs, screenings and scans. That can feel overwhelming.
Knowing the right questions to ask before you walk into your next appointment will help you prepare to be an empowered participant in your own health care.
“Take the time before you go to think about what it is you’re expecting, so that you can be proactive and think about it now,” Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said. “It used to be that the doctors just told us what to do and we would just do it. It needs to be a partnership and you need to have some say in it.”
Rogers said patients should also ask the doctor why the tests are being done.
Simple solutions when cooking feels like a chore
Preparing a meal for yourself can feel like a chore, especially when you’re cooking for one.
That can lead to poor nutrition as well as isolation.
There is no need to judge yourself if you find meal prep difficult.
The Aging Untold experts are offering creative solutions that can help you maintain healthy eating habits while enjoying the social connection that meals provide.
Statins alone won’t lower cholesterol without lifestyle changes, cardiologist says
The American Heart Association says statins are the most effective lipid-lowering medications for most people with high cholesterol, but a cardiologist says the drugs are not a substitute for healthy habits.
Dr. Stephen Kopecky, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, said statins do not work well for patients who do not make lifestyle changes.
“If someone comes to me and says, ‘Doc, give me this statin so I can eat what I want or do what I want with my lifestyle,’ I say, ‘It doesn’t work that way,’” he said.
Farmer builds intricate model train, miniature town in basement
In the basement of a home on a sprawling 199-acre cattle farm in North Carolina, you will find a tiny town with what is considered to be one of the most intricate model train displays in the Carolinas.
A lifelong passion for steam engines inspired Harry Jenkins to build it.
His dad introduced him to the hobby in the 1940s, and Jenkins still has the first train he ever received.
When Jenkins and his wife built their home in 2000, he negotiated the space for his miniature town and trains, but he admits that he could use even more space as he continues to build.
Read the full article and take a look at the impressive display.
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