There is a particular smell that instantly takes me back to the sideyard of the yellow house where I grew up, just off Valley Drive in Syracuse, New York. It's hard to describe because it's just a fleeting whiff on the breeze. I call it my "Easter smell" because it's almost the definition of early spring — it may be a combination of a warming earth, new growth and something ineffable.
A 3-year-old Theo Carle revels in a pile of leaves outside his home in Albany, N.Y. Decades hence, when this particular day is long forgotten, the smell of autumn leaves may revive this same sense of joy.It symbolizes the reawakening of my senses after months of frozen, olfactory limbo. But it's also a kind of time machine: one whiff of it, and I'm right back there, more than 50 years past, in my Sunday best, just back from Easter services with the family, eager to shed my polished shoes and hit the woods out back.
It symbolizes the reawakening of my senses after months of frozen, olfactory limbo. 
Everybody seems to have their version of this. For 60-year-old Beth Huisenga of Oakland, California, catching the scent of wild onions takes her back to the "woods and ponds of northern New Jersey," where, as a pre-teen, she would hunt for edible plants.
A Déjà Vu
For some, the throwback effect can be weirdly specific. For example, when Randy Zotter of Pittsburgh breathes in the smell of freshly-cut grass, it takes him to "August 18, the start of high school summer football practice."
"The smell is not only specific to the day but also a specific location," adds the 72-year-old retired contractor and realtor, "the old Avonworth High School football field" in Ben Avon, Pennsylvania. 
For Helen Keller, who, deprived of sight and sound, depended heavily on her sense of smell, a trigger was petrichor, the smell of approaching rain as it releases essential oils in the earth. "The atmosphere is charged with countless odors," wrote the legendary author and activist. "Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across a thousand miles, and all the years we have lived."
It would seem that our brains are wired to be time machines, using the nose as a fuel intake. And while we're a highly visual species, don't underestimate your sniffer. 
For starters, whereas we have fewer than a half-dozen receptors for vision, we have "literally thousands" charging our sense of smell, explains Theresa White, 57, who chairs the Department of Psychology at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.  
The first connection runs through a bone known as the cribriform plate, straight to the olfactory bulb, part of the brain's limbic system, which is deeply involved in memory and emotion. Because of this "direct wiring," certain smells can instantly arouse strong emotions and deeply-embedded memories.
I Second That Emotion
"You have an enhancement of many memories that happens because of emotionality," says White, whose life's work studying the senses was inspired by Keller's insights, "and so you have that entire system connecting to make smell a powerful part of any memory experience."
While a soothing throwback aroma could be the smell of your mother's spaghetti sauce on the stovetop, it's not surprising that many evocative smells arise from nature, whether it's the oil from a grove of balsam firs (that "Christmas tree" smell) or dying leaves in October.
You have an enhancement of many memories that happens because of emotionality.
In her 2015 book, "Rain: A Natural and Cultural History," author Cynthia Barnett describes how generations of villagers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have managed to capture and bottle the essence of fresh rain.
"Yes! The smell of wet earth right after it rains," echoes San Francisco journalist Farida Jhabvala Romero. "There's nothing like it. I grew up in southern Mexico in tropical weather, and that smell makes me feel like I'm home no matter where I am."
Marketers have caught on to the emotional connection. For example, household air fresheners, once mostly floral scents, now often proffer "Calming Rain" or "Fresh Linen," evoking laundry drying on a clothesline in the backyard breeze of your childhood.
Healthy Smelling
An environmental journal Ambio study suggests that olfaction is one of the most therapeutic aspects of "forest bathing," or immersing oneself in nature, which the authors describe as a "multisensory experience." 
Across all four seasons, the researchers found the smell to be a key driver of feelings of well-being, like comfort and relaxation, reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, high levels of which have been linked to various diseases. Conversely, the authors also found that removing unpleasant smells from the environment also promotes wellness (which makes sense).
The COVID-19 pandemic has jump-started interest among scientists in the connections between olfaction and well-being, as many COVID victims were robbed of their sense of smell, some permanently.
Connection Between Olfaction and Well-Being 
"Olfaction is sort of a general canary in the coal mine or harbinger of neurological deficits," White says, adding that loss of smell can be a precursor to Parkinson's or Alzheimer's Disease.
Olfaction is sort of a general canary in the coal mine or harbinger of neurological deficits.
But olfaction also begins to diminish naturally at around age 40 and often noticeably by age 60. "I would say probably the bulk of people over age 80 experience olfactory loss," says White, "and in many cases, quite severe."
Smells can also conjure up traumatic memories. In perhaps the most perverse line from the film "Apocalypse Now," Robert Duvall's character claims to "love the smell of Napalm in the morning." But in the real world, studies of Vietnam veterans have shown that something as mundane as the stench of diesel fuel can arouse wartime feelings of fear or similar trauma.
"Things that bring back a big emotion are difficult to forget," says White. It's why so many people of the boomer generation remember precisely where we were and what we did when JFK was shot. Or, in the case of Gen-Xer's, it may be when the space shuttle Challenger exploded. "So memory is intrinsic to how we perceive smells," says White.
So what triggers vivid olfactory memories for you, for better or worse? For White, it's the perfume that her Aunt Josephine wore (which White still uses today). It takes her back to when she was seven or eight years old, playing with her aunt's cosmetics. 
In addition to some sadness over her aunt's passing, White adds that the scent makes her feel "pleased to be in her cosmetics — and a little naughty since I shouldn't have been there."


A Nasal Déjà Vu?

Craig Miller

Even the most-studied, widely prescribed drugs can have unwanted side effects, like stomach upset, drowsiness and fatigue. It's the price we pay to address more serious medical issues. Some medications, though, can cause unexpected and unusual side effects very different than those listed at the top of the box or pamphlet, says pharmacist Suzy Cohen, author of Drug Muggers: What Medications Are Robbing Your Body of Essential Nutrients and How to Restore Them.
Below, we list some of these unexpected side effects and suggest alternatives for those who might experience them. They are generally rare and non-life-threatening, but speak to your doctor or pharmacist and read consumer advisories for all your prescriptions to learn more.
"If you need a medication for a life-threatening infection or a progressive, disabling disease," Cohen says, "consider that and don't just deny yourself medication because of a rare side effect. The odds are you are not going to suffer a bizarre side effect, especially if you start at lower dosages and test the waters before diving in head first."
Drug: Ambien
Unexpected side effect: sleep driving or eating 
Like sleepwalking, sleep driving involves driving somewhere with no memory of the activity. Within a few days of starting to take this widely used sleep aid to treat insomnia, some people will sleep drive, carry on complex conversations, perform routine daily tasks, have sex or eat while asleep, with no memory of the experiences.
The behaviors often occur in the morning, because Ambien remains in your bloodstream even after you wake, says Zara Risoldi Cochrane, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. "For some people, these blood levels are high enough to cause carryover effects," she says, including, in some cases, sleep driving.
The rate of occurrence has not been measured, but it is believed to be rare. "The FDA has received about 700 reports of sleep driving in the 20 years since Ambien was approved," Cochrane says
"The changes are different in women and men," Dr. Ellis Unger of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Drug Evaluation recently told ABCNews.com. "We don't understand why yet, but women are more susceptible to next-morning impairment." In January, the agency advised doctors to reduce the prescribed dose of Ambien for women from 10 mg to 5, and from 12.5 mg to 6.25 mg for extended-release products like Ambien CR. As an alternative, you could consider over-the-counter sleep aids or ask your doctor about adjusting your Ambien dosage.
Drug: Lorazepam
Unexpected side effect: déjà vu
Fewer than 5 percent of people who take this anti-anxiety medication or others in the class of drugs known as benzodiazepines — like Xanax, Librium, Tranxene and Valium— will experience this odd effect, Cohen says.
This form of déjà vu, however, is not exactly what you'd expect. "It's not the feeling that you've done this before or been here before," Cohen says. "It's more like a feeling that is hard to put your finger on, like a flashback to a certain time or place. Maybe you suddenly imagine or dream you are back in your childhood, for example." (This effect has also been linked, in rare cases, to the antiviral medication amantadine.)
The cause is unclear. "Epilepsy, anxiety and other psychiatric disorders are associated with déjà vu," Cochrane says, "suggesting that this effect may sometimes be a symptom of an underlying disease rather than a drug side effect." Taking lorazepam in conjunction with drugs that affect neurotransmitters such as dopamine may bring on or intensify the effect.
If you experience déjà vu, talk to your doctor about switching to a different class of anti-anxiety drugs or consider natural anti-anxiety herbs, like Valerian root, passionflower, hops or glycine powder.
Drugs: Requip and Mirapex
Unexpected side effect: compulsive gambling 
Requip and Mirapex are prescribed to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms, as well as restless leg syndrome and leg cramps. They work by activating dopamine receptors in people who have a shortage of the neurotransmitter, which influences both movement and mood. But for 5 to 10 percent of users, the increased dopamine effect can spur unexpected and unwanted reactions.
"Too much dopamine turns on our pleasure center," Cohen says. "This 'passion' hormone causes uncontrollable urges like gambling and having sex and is most often seen in young males." If this happens to you, Cohen advises, talk to your doctor about switching to natural remedies or supplements to treat leg cramps or restless leg syndrome, including folate, iron and magnesium. If you've been taking Requip to address Parkinson's symptoms, she says, your physician may be able to switch you to a drug such as Sinemet.
Drug: Viagra
Unexpected side effect: color blindness
Its commercials are so widely aired that many of us may be able to recite the popular erectile-dysfunction drug's most common side effects by heart. But most users are unaware that in rare cases, it can also cause a type of color blindness, usually involving a difficulty distinguishing blue and green. The effect is usually temporary, although in isolated incidents, the drug has caused brief or long-term total vision loss. The effect appears to be caused by an interruption of blood flow to the optic nerve.
If you experience this effect, you should look into one of several natural treatments for improved sexual function, including yohimbe, maca root and ginseng. "Viagra and similar drugs are just short-term fixes," Cohen says. "They do nothing for the underlying cause, which is usually testosterone deficiency." If you discover that you or your partner has testosterone deficiency, she says, "Drug therapy such as testosterone replacement would be ideal in terms of a long-term solution."
Drug: Dapsone
Unexpected side effect: carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms 
This antibiotic is often taken by people with compromised immune systems – including HIV patients and those with leprosy or skin conditions – to prevent infections. But 1 to 5 percent of users may experience a scary and disturbing disorder known as acquired methemoglobinemia, which involves breathing difficulty, cyanosis (gray or blue skin), abnormal heart rhythm, chest pain and weakness. These symptoms are typical of carbon-monoxide poisoning. The big difference: There's no carbon monoxide involved and the effect is not life-threatening.
In methemoglobinemia, Cohen explains, red blood cells contain methemoglobin (a form of hemoglobin) at levels higher than 1 percent. This elevated level of methemoglobin can prevent hemoglobin from releasing oxygen effectively to body tissues. Severe episodes may require treatment, including a blood transfusion. But in most cases of acquired methemoglobinemia, no action needs to be taken, except to cease using the drug, according to the National Institutes of Health. Alternative medications include Bactrim DS or Mepron, which have a lower risk of this rare condition.
 


5 Unexpected Side Effects of Common Medications

Linda Melone

(This article appeared previously on ThePoconos.com.)
I used to ask my nephew Matt to steer me toward new music, but lately I’ve given up and just listen to the artists I grew up with — a sure sign of aging, no doubt.
So after preordering the “new” Beatles release, Live at the Hollywood Bowl, online, I also purchased Bonnie Raitt’s 20th album, Dig in Deep, after seeing the singer-songwriter on The Tavis Smiley Show last week.
Smiley asked Raitt how the music has changed for her over time — what it’s like to sing a song like Angel from Montgomery, first recorded it in 1971, today, at the age of 66.
“There are songs that make me remember the woman I was,” Raitt replied. “They take on all these different meanings” as you age.
A Favorite Age?
Smiley then mentioned a teaser question a friend had posed at a dinner party: If you could go back to any age of your life, what age would it be?
Smiley, who is 51, said he considered reprising 26, 35 and 42 — all significant years for him, for unspecified reasons. But as he thought about it, he realized he preferred to stay where he is.
“I’ve finally gotten comfortable with the fact that aging is cool,” he said. “Every day offers a new opportunity.”
How about you? Would you, like Smiley, stay put? If not, what year would you choose to replay?
The age when you fell in love or got married? Maybe, but not if the relationship ended or the marriage failed.
The age when your child was born? Perhaps — but would you really want to revisit the sleepless nights and diapers?
Before Losses
It would be great to return to an age when everyone you loved was still alive — for me, that would mean pre-1975, to include my father. But would I then have to relive the subsequent years of death and assorted debacles — literally déjà vu all over again?
Also, in retrospect, I tend to be disapproving of my younger self’s behavior. If I went back, would I still be as impatient, impulsive and self-absorbed?
This time around, could I stop mindlessly criticizing my parents, teachers and other authority figures? Be kinder to an awkward girl that everyone picked on in high school? Appreciate what I had and stop bitching about what I didn’t?
It’s taken years of effort (not to mention therapy) to work through some of my many character flaws. Could I go back to an earlier time in life while preserving these hard-won fruits of maturity?
My Conclusion
Taking the game at its simplest, and assuming I could return in an uncomplicated way to a particular time of my life with no negative consequences,  I settled on age 25. That’s how old I was when I spent a year in Europe with my first husband.
We quit our jobs, stored our possessions and flew to Amsterdam to begin 12 months of travel and cultural immersion. As winter crept in, we headed south, ending up in a tiny apartment in Malaga, Spain, for five months. I took Spanish lessons; shopped daily, string bag in hand, for whatever was fresh in the market; learned to dismember and cook a squid and gawked at the Mediterranean from a bougainvillea-draped patio.
Better Now
Raitt, meanwhile, agreed with Smiley that she prefers her life today over fantasies of previous ages. Her father, the musical-comedy star John Raitt, had told her to enjoy her 60s.
“My dad said, ‘If I could go back, I’d be 60 again,’” Raitt said with a laugh.
Maybe these really are the good old days.
Readers: We'd love to hear from you. Please tell Next Avenue on Facebook what age you would most like to be and why. Thanks!


Which Age Would You Go Back to If You Could?

Jacqueline Damian

While visiting my 86-year-old mother a couple years ago, I discovered a recurring monthly $25 charge on her credit card statement that she couldn’t  explain. (At the time she was living alone in her own apartment —  fortunately, she now lives with my sister and her family.)
 
After hours of trying to help her remember what the fee was for and researching where the charge was coming from, I figured out that my mom had signed up for a “free” credit report which was now costing her $25 a month.
Mom's Unending $25 Monthly Charges
While I was talking to a customer service person at the credit report company during my effort to cancel the fee and get a refund, I learned that mom had actually gone through the process of signing up, getting charged $25 per month, canceling it herself, then forgetting the entire ordeal and signing up a second time, proceeding to get billed $25 per month for a “free” credit report all over again.
(MORE: 5 Steps to Combat Elder Abuse)
The $25-a-month charge had gone on for several months each time. In the words of famed Yankee catcher Yogi Berra: Déjà vu all over again.
About Mom: She has been diagnosed with dementia; she can remember pretty clearly what happened 50 years ago, but five minutes ago is a challenge. Physically, she is in pretty great shape for an eightysomething; she still plays an occasional round of golf and enjoys dancing at the senior center. She’s also sharp mentally in many ways —  she taught me a card game not long ago and beat me at it practically every time we played. And she’s a regular computer user, emailing friends, surfing the web and Skyping with me.
 
But her short-term memory problem can wreak havoc.
(MORE: When Alzheimer's Strikes: Losing Your Money Mind)
America's Financial Elder Abuse Epidemic
That’s why I started to worry about how safe she was online. My mother had responded to the “free” credit report offer twice, after all. What if someone really sinister sent her a phishing email asking her to enter her credit card number in some scam, I wondered. Would she know what was happening?
According to The Wall Street Journal, “The fleecing of older Americans is becoming an epidemic…One in every five Americans age 65 or older has been abused financially.”
After a lot of thought and planning, my computer programmer son, John, and I came up with what we hope can protect not only my mom but elderly mothers and fathers across America, and their families.
(MORE: Top Tips to Protect Seniors Against Financial Scams)
 
Creating an iPad App to Help
We created an iPad app called Simplicity Center ($4.99) designed to help provide seniors with a simple and safe Internet experience.
 
Simplicity Center lets them stay connected to friends and loved ones online while reducing the chance they’ll be pounced on by crooks by limiting the people with whom they can communicate using email and IM. The app can also be set up to allow its user to visit only predetermined websites.
It’s especially aimed at making the Internet safer for seniors with age-related challenges including memory loss or dementia by protecting them from online predators, phishing and spam.
 
The way it works: A loved one, friend or caregiver acts as the administrator and sets up the features to meet the specific needs of the user.
 
If the administrator restricts the user to the Simplicity Center alone (using iPad’s built-in Guided Access feature), then the entire online experience is handled through the app, allowing controlled access to email and the web, limiting exposure to unwanted, and sometimes predatory, email and websites. The administrator can also create calendar events and reminders and set up an address book of the user’s trusted contacts.
Will Simplicity Center solve the epidemic of financial elder abuse? Unfortunately, there is no single solution that can solve that problem. But I hope the app can help some of us put up roadblocks and give families and other caregivers a little more peace of mind.
 
John Kuefler is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Callahan Creek, a marketing agency in Lawrence, Kansas, and co-founder of The Simplicity Center.


Inventing an App to Stem Online Elder Abuse

John Kuefler

It's déjà vu all over again. This summer, just like last year, lobster prices have taken a nosedive in a saturated market and have turned the extravagant treat into a bargain. Experts in the seafood industry believe that the crustacean glut is a result of warmer water temperatures this past winter and spring. Whatever the reason, supply is outstripping demand and once again consumers are on the winning side of the equation.
The wholesale — or "boat" — price of lobsters has crashed from a peak of about $10 a pound in 2006 to just over $2.20 today, with retail prices for Maine lobsters around $5 to $8 a pound. (They are cheapest in New England because of lower transportation costs.)
One of the best ways to enjoy these succulent critters is by making New England lobster rolls. Traditionally, this classic dish is made by toasting a top-split hot dog bun, then stuffing it with chunks of fresh lobster meat tossed in a light mayonnaise dressing. It’s one of summer’s most savory indulgences — as well as the perfect meal for one (or two), since it’s just as easy to cook a single lobster as it is a large batch.
The key to success is starting with live lobsters and cooking them just before using. Precooked meat doesn’t absorb the dressing, but it will when it’s warm, and the tenderness and briny-sweet flavor is hard to top. And for some people — me, for instance — there’s a hedonistic pleasure in cracking the shells and picking out the meat. This can take a while, but I find it relaxing. If you can do it outdoors (it does get a little messy) on a warm, sunny day — perhaps while sipping a glass of wine — you might forget about time.
The great debate about cooking lobster is whether to boil or steam it. Some people swear that boiling robs some of the taste and that steaming preserves the natural juices. Others insist that salted water is the best way to bring out the meat’s flavor. After many years of cooking and eating lobsters (and being a New Englander), I must say that I prefer boiling. To me, it’s the quickest and simplest method and I’ve always found that the meat comes out more easily from the shell.
Take advantage of this season’s low prices and bumper crop, and treat yourself to this simple yet self-indulgent menu while everything is at its peak. The combination of fresh lobster, corn and blueberries is a New England taste trifecta.
(MORE: Poached Salmon in Ravigote Sauce)
Lobster Lore
A lobster can live to be 100 years old and grow to three feet in length.Lobsters must be alive before they are cooked. When dead, they release a gastric enzyme that begins to deteriorate the meat.Prime lobsters are called “selects.” A “cull” is a lobster that is not entirely intact — it may be missing one or two claws or the claws may be underdeveloped.A large lobster is not necessarily the tastiest, since the meat can be tougher in a bigger specimen. A 1- to 1¼-pound lobster is usually your best choice. A one-pounder is also referred to as a “chicken.”It takes five to seven years for a lobster to grow to legal size in the ocean (at least eight inches and about a pound in weight).Menu
New England Lobster Rolls With Tarragon
Herbed Corn-on-the-Cob
Blueberry Turnovers
Wine suggestion: The fruity overtones of a well-chilled dry rosé from France's Rhône Valley or California's Sonoma County perfectly complements the briny flavor of the lobster.
(MORE: How to Drink More Wine — Smartly and Healthfully)
New England Lobster Rolls With Tarragon
This version of the New England classic is simple yet succulent. The lobster is showcased in a simple mayonnaise-based dressing with lime juice and fresh tarragon. As a salad, it’s delicious over greens.
2 servings
1/4 cup mayonnaise (lowfat okay)
1 tablespoon sour cream (lowfat okay)
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound cooked lobster meat (from two 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound lobsters)
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
2 split hot dog rolls
Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice and 1 teaspoon of fresh (or 1/2 teaspoon of dried) tarragon in small bowl and mix well. Season to taste with pepper.Place the lobster meat (see note below for cooking instructions) in a medium bowl. Add the tarragon mayonnaise, celery, chives and remaining tarragon, and toss to blend.Lightly toast the hot dog rolls. Using a small spoon, fill the rolls with the lobster mixture, being careful not to break them, and serve right away.Nutritional breakdown for the 4 oz. of cooked lobster meat in one roll (from the USDA and food writer and cookbook author in Newtown, Conn. 


End-of-Summer Delight: New England Lobster Roll

Kathy Kingsley


	“The cult of equity is dying.” That single sentence recently written by Bill Gross, the legendary bond guru and founder of the mutual fund behemoth Pimco, has sent shivers through investors. That’s because, to paraphrase the old E.F. Hutton line: When Gross talks, people listen.

	So I want to tell you what he meant and whether you should give up on stocks (“equity” is just another word for “stock”), as some have interpreted Gross’s words.
	Gross was referring to the investment gospel of the 1990s when financial advisers and money writers urged Americans to stash their retirement savings in stocks for superior long-term performance. Despite periodic swoons, the historical return of stocks more than compensated for the risk. For example, from 1946 to 1996 stocks rewarded patient investors with an average annual gain of about 10 percent. Bonds managed to do only about half as well.
	(MORE: Is There a Safe, Smart Investment These Days?)
	In the past decade or so, however, trust in the paradigm of lush stock returns has been badly battered. Financial scandals, from the Enron bankruptcy to the recent Peregrine Financial fraud, have eroded the equities-for-the-long-haul narrative. And small investors increasingly believe that the stock market is rigged against them in favor of insiders.
	The Lost Decade for Stocks
	But the main culprit behind the mistrust of equities has been performance. Over the past 10 years — what some money pundits have called “the lost decade” for stocks — the Standard & Poor’s 500 equity index had an average annual return of 6.34 percent, versus an 8.97 percent return for the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Government Long Bond index. Over the past five years, the average annual returns for those indices were just 1.13 percent for stocks and 12.25 percent for bonds.
	Get used to it, says Gross. He believes stocks will continue to struggle, primarily because the economy is burdened with an enormous debt overhang, U.S. wages are on a four-decade-long decline and corporate profits are at peak levels. The notion that the best days for equities are behind us is reinforced by the baffling swirl of current events: A slowing U.S. economy. The fiscal cliff. The fight for the White House. Europe’s ongoing crisis. China’s economy sinking into a soft patch.
	 
	So is it time to break up with equities? Or, in the words of Neal Sedaka’s classic song “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do,” should we be making up again?
	In the making-up camp: Seth J. Masters, chief investment officer at Bernstein Global Wealth Management, who disagrees with Gross. In a position paper, “The Case for the 20,000 Dow,” Masters estimates that investors can reasonably expect an 8 percent average annual return from stocks over the next 10 years. (The Dow has been hovering slightly above 13,100 lately.)
	Among his supporting evidence is this striking set of numbers: Between 1901 and the beginning of the recent credit crisis, there have been 11 decade-long rolling periods in which bonds beat stocks — and, after each one, stocks outperformed bonds by an average of 5.8 percent.
	“Some experts argue that the world has entered a ‘new normal’ condition in which stocks have permanently lost their return edge,” says Masters. “We’ve heard this before. It was wrong then and we think it’s wrong now, too.”
	Advice for Your Retirement
	So what are you supposed to do to save for your retirement (after pounding your head against the wall)? After all, here are two savvy finance mavens offering vastly different perspectives on the risks and rewards of stocks.
	I have three reactions.
	My first reaction to this debate is that timing matters. Over long periods of time, stocks should outperform bonds because they’ll reward investors for their extra risk.
	Even if stocks beat bonds over the very long haul, however, what really counts is your own time frame: When do you plan on tapping retirement savings? Five years from now? A decade?
	“Equities are an ugly asset class, one that is more likely than almost any other to lose investors a significant amount of money at those times when they can least afford it,” says Ben Inker, head of asset allocation at GMO, the Boston-based money manager. ”It is the reason why equities have been priced to deliver good returns historically,” he adds, in Reports of the Death of Equities Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Explaining Equity Returns.
	(MORE: How to Steer Clear of Investment Scams)
	So you may want to assign a much higher probability of a potential equity bust around the time you stop working full-time. You don’t want to see your retirement savings vaporize because of a dramatic market drop.
	My second reaction is that there is a more fruitful way to look at the debate between Gross and Masters.
	Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at the Progressive Policy Institute, notes that Gross's pessism is likely to be proven right in a world of slow innovation. However, Masters’s optimism is likely to be rewarded if the pace and impact of innovation steps up. For instance, advances in information technology could raise productivity in health care and education over the next decade. “In this view of the world, an investment in the stock market becomes a bet on innovation,” says Mandel.
	Personally, I think we’re on the cusp of a wave of major breakthroughs. Information technologies are poised to transform the way we work and organize the workplace. It will be a "déjà vu all over again" moment for those who went through the introduction of the Internet at work.
	No one knows for sure, of course, which is why it’s essential to keep your retirement savings diversified. Splitting your portfolio among stocks, bonds and what financial pros call “cash” (money market funds and bank CDs, for example) won’t protect your portfolio in the short run during the depths of a major financial catastrophe. The diversification will, however, smooth out your portfolio’s performance over time.
	And that leads to my third and final reaction to Gross’s prognostication: The big message for anyone in their 50s or 60s saving for retirement is that you should become increasingly conservative with your investments, putting more of your portfolio into bonds as you age.


Are Stocks Dead?

Chris Farrell

"You can observe a lot by just watching."
"It's like déjà vu all over again." 
"It ain't over till it's over."
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra's reputation as a lovable dispenser of sneakily clever malapropisms sometimes outshines his brilliance on the baseball diamond. In 19 seasons catching for the vaunted New York Yankees, Berra won the Most Valuable Player award three times, a rare achievement, and earned 10 World Series rings.
Yogi Berra circa 1950'sHow many people, even casual baseball fans, remember?
Sean Mullin is about to remind them. It Ain't Over, Mullin's documentary on Berra, who died in 2015 at 90, is a heartwarming profile of Berra's life in full. The movie, currently in limited theatrical release, excels at showing that the lovable public personality and fiercely competitive player was also a devoted family man.
One of the film's most passionate sources (and defenders of Berra's baseball legacy) is the sports journalist Lindsay Berra, Yogi's eldest grandchild and an executive producer on the documentary.
Rediscovering Grampa Yogi
Over Zoom, Lindsay Berra, 45, sporting a "Yogi" T-shirt in Yankees' white and navy blue, spoke with Next Avenue about the impact her grandfather had on her life and how the documentary has brought her closer to him. This interview has been edited for clarity and space.
Next Avenue: Seeing your grandfather not recognized for his full body of work, did that affect how you look at people who were his age and older?
Lindsay Berra: I've always been a very curious, what's-your-story kind of person. My parents got divorced when I was five, and my grandmother and grandfather kind of became like second parents to me. I would go to a lot of places with them and meet a lot of people who were their age. You don't get to be 80 years old on this planet without having gone through some stuff.
So I would sit down with someone. Even when I was like 15, I'd be like, 'Where did you grow up? What did you do? What have you been doing for the last 80 years?' I don't think I ever really viewed someone as their current state. I always wanted to know where they came from.
My mother's father was an army captain who had two Purple Hearts. He was shot in the chest and went back out and then lost a leg in World War II. My grandfather's wooden leg was very much a constant reminder of all the places he had been before I entered his life. So I don't think I ever really looked at folks as dropping onto the planet at 72. (Laughs)
Lessons from My Grandparents
Spending so much time with your grandparents, how did that shape who you are now?
I say all the time I was really truly blessed and lucky. So many people lose their grandparents when they're [young], and they really only think of their grandparents as people they visit on the holidays, who slip cash into their back pockets when their parents aren't looking. That was not the relationship that I had with my grandparents.
Yogi Berra with his granddaughter, Lindsay, and his wife, Carmen. I had my grandmother until I was 37, and my Grampa Yogi until I was 39. My mother's mom passed before I was born. And my mom's dad, the World War II vet, he died when I was 19. I wish I had had the opportunity to get to know them the way I got to know my grandparents — less as granddaughter and grandparent and more as equals and peers and friends.
You learn so much about where people came from. It just gives you a lot of perspective on how you move through the world and how you should treat people. You kind of understand that everybody comes to every situation with a whole list of stuff that you don't know about.
Working on this movie and now talking about it, has that changed how you view your grandparents?
I'm just more and more amazed by Grampa's reach. So many people either met him one time and had this interaction that somehow made an impact or who never met him but were still impacted and inspired by him in some way.
I can't tell you the thousands of people I've met who say, "Oh my God, you're Yogi Berra's granddaughter! I loved your grandfather!" And they mean love, l-o-v-e, in the same sense of the word as I mean it when I say I loved my grandfather. That's the thing that keeps amazing me: how many people actually loved him.
We always say that he was an example of how to live your life. The love he put into the world came back to him in spades. And it's making me tear up right now. That's an incredible thing to see and I'm reminded of that constantly talking about the film.
Lindsay Berra, in the new documentary “It Ain’t Over.”Has it been difficult to work on this movie and now to talk about it so much?
You saw I just teared up a little bit ago. It happens a lot. And I'm always surprised how close to the surface those emotions are. I'm not sad-crying. I love remembering them, so it's fine. It just makes me feel like they're still here, you know, which is nice.
Not many people have a deep relationship with their grandparents. To have that and for it to touch you so deeply, that's a real gift.
"We always say that he was an example of how to live your life. The love he put into the world came back to him in spades."
It is. This makes me sound like a crazy person, but since we're going here, I'll just tell you. The media schedule is nuts. There's a lot going on, and I have a real job. It's already difficult and we're just at the beginning.
A week ago, I was just really stressed out about the schedule, and I walked into my kitchen. We have one of those birdbath things that gets hot, doesn't freeze — my boyfriend's obsessed with the songbirds. So, I walk downstairs and there's a red male cardinal and a yellow female cardinal right outside our kitchen window on the birdbath looking at me. And I don't know if it's an Italian thing or a Catholic thing, but cardinals are dead people. They come back, that's a thing.
So to see the red cardinal and the female cardinal, the yellow one, together — you don't see that all that often just out in the neighborhood. And to have them there both, they were just looking at me. I was like, "Oh my God. Hi, guys." It was totally Grammy and Grampa telling me everything was gonna be OK. (Laughs.)


Yogi in Full

Pete Croatto

You are a healthy person. You eat right and exercise. Whether you are still working or have retired, you are active, and — aside from the occasional cold — not much slows you down.
So you really don’t need a flu shot.
Or do you?
If Dr. Susan Rehm were to speak in a less professional, more shaming tone than she did during a recent interview with me, she might respond as I would be tempted to: Get a clue, people.
This is what Rehm, vice chair of the department of infectious disease at the Cleveland Clinic, actually said: “(The flu) is not a cold, it’s not a nuisance, it’s a very serious illness. And we’re very fortunate to have a vaccine. When we are getting vaccinated against flu we are not only doing something for ourselves, we are doing something for others that may help keep them healthier."
I do, however, want to address the two studies that made news last month suggesting that taking statins for high cholesterol might make the flu vaccine less effective.
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, where they were published, included an editorial by Dr. Robert L. Atmar and Dr. Wendy A. Keitel, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. They said the findings that the flu vaccine might not work as well in people who take statins is "biologically plausible" and "raise important questions about the use of these important medications." Among those questions: Should doctors stop prescribing statins around the time patients get the flu shot or advise against the flu shots with such patients?
"In our opinion, the answer to all of these questions is no. Instead, the results of these studies should be viewed as hypothesis generating and should prompt further investigations" into the matter, the physicians wrote.
Protecting the Vulnerable
So why is it so important for you to get a flu shot soon if you haven't already?
Influenza, a virus that affects the respiratory system, can lead to serious complications, including bacterial pneumonia, dehydration and heart muscle problems such as myocarditis.
Those most vulnerable to complications or death from the flu are the very old and the very young. Infants under 6 months must go without any protection because they cannot get the vaccine. Pregnant women and people with fragile immune systems and chronic health conditions are also particularly susceptible.
Which means that you don’t have to be a nurse in an ICU to be an unwitting agent of the virus.
You need a flu shot if:
You ever take a train, bus or planeYou visit your grandchildrenYou stop in to check on an elderly neighborYou attend church, synagogue or mosqueYou go to workYou go to the grocery store, pharmacy or mallYou don’t need a flu shot if:
You live high on a mountain, by yourself, never coming into contact with another living soulEspecially for Caregivers
Seasonal influenza-related illness kills thousands of people each year, most of them age 65 and above, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The exact numbers are unknown, in part because the government does not mandate reporting of flu-related deaths for adults. In the 2014-15 flu season, 147 children died from the disease or from complications of it.
The best way for those most likely to get sick to protect themselves is to get the vaccine, Rehm said. The second-best way is for the people around them to be free from the virus.
“It is extraordinarily relevant to caregivers,” she said, “whether one is a family member, a neighbor, a nurse or anyone who works with vulnerable people.”
What Type of Immunization Is Best?
When it comes to the vaccine, there may be several choices for you.
The trivalent variety protects against two A virus strains and one B virus. The quadrivalent vaccine protects against two A viruses and two B viruses.
A standard-dose trivalent shot is available for people of varying ages.A high-dose trivalent shot is available for those 65 and older. It has been shown to improve protection by as much as 25 percent, Rehm said.A quadrivalent shot is available for varying ages.A quadrivalent nasal spray vaccine is available for people ages 2 through 49.Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine of some kind, the CDC says.
Rehm said that the most important thing to keep in mind is to get any age-appropriate version of the vaccine and get it as soon as you can. Don’t step out of a vaccination line at the pharmacy that is offering trivalent shots, for example, with the intention of finding a quadrivalent shot. Get the vaccine at work if you can.
How Closely Does the Vaccine Match?
The flu virus is constantly changing. Each year, it will be different from the year before, and the changes are somewhat unpredictable, Rehm said. In addition, since the vaccines must be manufactured more than six months before the flu season actually begins, there can what researchers call “drift,” or a change in the strains that are making people sick.
That’s what happened in the 2014-15 season. “The vaccine was not as active as we wanted it to be,” Rehm said.
And how does this year look so far?
“The reality is, it’s only in retrospect that we will know how good it will be. But based on the viruses that have been circulating, it looks like it is going to be a better match,” Rehm said.
Even if you get a vaccine and still get sick, your illness is likely to be milder than it would have been if you had not gotten the shot, the CDC says.
For more information about the vaccines available see the CDC’s Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine.
 
 


Why Get a Flu Shot? It's Not All About You

Emily Gurnon

Flu shot season has begun — and if that's news you typically ignore, it's time you started paying attention.
"The risk of complications from influenza increase with age," says Dr. Richard Birkel, senior vice president for healthy aging at the National Council of Aging (NCOA). Our immune system's ability to fight illness decreases as we get older, so even healthy adults face greater risk each year. And while young children and people over 65 remain the most vulnerable to flu, the federal Centers for Disease Control and NCOA recommend that all Americans, six months and up, get vaccinated every year.
(MORE: Caregivers Need Flu Shots, Too)
You need the shot not only to protect yourself, Birkel says, but also to protect others from the flu. "If you’re in your 50s, it’s critical that you get it — if you don’t, you become someone who can pass the flu on to a senior in the family," he explains. "We recommend that everyone in a family get immunized at the same time. It’s the best way to reduce the overall risk for everyone."
This Year, No Excuses, Whatever Your Age
If you're concerned about the vaccine shortages reported in previous years, relax. "There is absolutely no shortage this year," Birkel says. "There’s plenty of vaccine around."
Here are some other facts you need to know:
It's not too early. In fact, September is the ideal time to get vaccinated. "The efficacy peaks in about two months," Birkel points out, "and you’ll get protection through the peak winter season."
A flu shot works. The vaccine is reformulated each year to target the specific strains of flu being detected worldwide by public health monitors. "The vaccine seems to be on target this year," Birkel says, citing encouraging data on its effectiveness from the southern hemisphere, which is coming out of its flu season now. The current vaccine targets two flu strains that were not part of last year's shot, along with H1N1, or swine flu.
It's easy to get. Flu shots may be available at your workplace or at local senior centers. Plus, retail pharmacies in at least 28 states can provide the shot without a prescription or copayment, Birkel says. The American Lung Association's Flu Vaccine Finder can help you track down the nearest locations.
Hate shots? No problem. The flu vaccine is also available as a nasal spray — and through a new, tiny needle that, Birkel says, "feels like a mosquito bite." (The traditional shot, however, is used on anyone over 65.)
You'll help the babies in your life. Children under six months of age cannot be inoculated. "They remain unprotected and vulnerable," Birkel says, "and that’s one reason why other members of the family should get vaccinated. It’s your best way to protect an infant." Others at higher risk include young children, pregnant women and anyone with a chronic health condition, such as heart disease and diabetes.
For Seniors, an Essential
If you're over 65, or are the caregiver for someone that age or older, the shot is crucial. Annually, about 90 percent of flu-related deaths and 60 percent of flu-related hospitalizations occur in people 65+. The number of deaths in the U.S. from the flu can vary widely each year, depending on the season's active strains and the efficacy and use of the vaccine. But in recent years the annual death toll has ranged from a low of 3,000 to a high of 33,000. There were about 250,000 flu-related hospitalizations last season.
You should also be aware that the flu shot now comes in a higher dose designed to compensate for the decline of older adults' immune systems. The more potent vaccine triggers the body to produce more antibodies against the flu virus than the traditional dose. Ask your doctor if the high-dose shot is right for you or the senior(s) in your life. Both versions are free for everyone covered by Medicare.


Yes, You Really Do Need a Flu Shot

Gary Drevitch

Sinus problems affect 1 in 5 American adults each year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Many of us already know that sinus conditions can trigger headaches and congestion, but a new study from Taipei Medical University says the inflammation that causes the pain and pressure of a sinus infection also increases the odds of suffering a stroke — by 34 percent for people with chronic sinusitis and by 39 percent for those with occasional acute infections.
 
(MORE: Your No. 1 Health Enemy May Be Chronic Inflammation)
The linkage of sinusitis to stroke reflects a heightened risk to adults in midlife, since about 37 percent of stroke patients are between 45 and 65, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
 
Sinus infections are most commonly caused by the same viruses associated with the common cold, says Dr. Meera Gupta, assistant professor of allergy and immunology at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. When a virus sets up shop in your sinuses, it produces inflammation that causes the telltale pressure around the nose and eyes. In addition to a headache, the infection can sometimes bring on congestion that lasts about a week, along with thick, discolored mucus and facial or tooth pain.
"Typically, these infections will resolve on their own within 7 to 10 days," Gupta says. In about 2 percent of cases, the infection does not clear in that time, an indication that a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics may have developed.
 
(MORE: Why Oral Health Is the Key to Total Health)
The pain, and the constant need to clear your nose, can be irritating. But the inflammation in your sinus cavities can also be a stroke trigger. Persistent, unchecked inflammation in the body has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular and neurological disease, cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Sinus inflammation, located close to your brain, may also put pressure on its arteries, which could disrupt normal blood flow and lead to a stroke.
 
Taming Your Sinuses
 
To reduce the risk, take steps to tame chronic inflammation in your nasal passages. If the irritation lasts longer than a week see a doctor so that a bacterial infection, if present, can be diagnosed and treated with antibiotics.
For typical inflammation, over-the-counter nasal sprays should suffice, says Dr. James Stankiewicz, chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. "Sprays made from saline or saltwater are sold over the counter and help drainage," he says. "Decongestant sprays, which may be prescription or over the counter, help open the nose to breathe and reduce congestion and drainage. Steroid sprays are usually given via prescription. They reduce inflammation and swelling and promote drainage to help clear the infection." Nasal saline irrigation can also relieve symptoms.
Seasonal allergies are another major cause of sinus inflammation. "Allergies can block normal sinus drainage and predispose a person to developing sinus infections," Stankiewicz says. If you experience congestion or sinus irritation during hay fever season, when the pollen count is high or when exposed to allergens, like animal dander or mold, see your doctor about treatments to alleviate symptoms.
 
(MORE: Silent Strokes and Alzheimer's: Break the Connection)
Why Sinuses Matter
Sinuses can be a gateway which, if breached, can leave you vulnerable to compromised health beyond the proven stroke risk. "Chronic sinus congestion can lead to snoring and sleep apnea, which is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease," Stankiewicz says. "In addition, chronic inflammation in the sinuses associated with allergies can cause lethargy, fatigue and cognitive impairment."
It's important to remember that, while troublesome, sinus infection can usually be treated effectively by your primary care physician, otolaryngologist or allergist. Given what we now know about the connection between our sinuses and our overall health, if you experience irritation for more than 7 to 10 days, see your doctor.


The Surprising Connection Between Your Sinuses and Stroke

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