With the Olympics nearing an end, of course there has been controversy. I was interested in what people thought about the Chinese Gymnasts and the age controversy. I have been watching it pretty closely.

Now maybe because I am getting older, but I tend to notice that 16 year olds look more like 18-20 years olds and not younger. When I saw the pictures of the gymnasts from China, my first thought is, “there is no way these girls are 16 years old.”

THURSDAY, July 24 (HealthDay News) -- The reason healthy adults sleep less in their 60s than they did in their 20s might simply be because people need less sleep as they age, new research suggests.

If true, the observation could mean that what many elderly people interpret as insomnia could be a completely normal reflection of an age-related shift in their internal clock.

(HealthDay News) -- Osteoporosis -- caused when the body can't replace bone calcium as fast as it is lost -- is common as people age, particularly among women.

More than 1.5 million Americans each year sustain a bone fracture related to osteoporosis.

Here are common risk factors for osteoporosis, courtesy of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

* Getting older.
* Not doing enough weight-bearing exercises.
* Insufficient estrogen levels after menopause.
* Not getting enough calcium or vitamin D in your diet.
* Certain hormonal imbalances.

Infertility can wreck emotional havoc and stress on one’s life. However, the only way to overcome infertility is to become informed.

Infertility is diagnosed as the inability for a woman to get pregnancy after one year of trying or a woman who is able to become pregnant but suffers from repeated miscarriages.

While a male and his sperm may be the targets to blame, it is now known that females are just as likely to be the cause of a couple’s infertility.

I feel like a big old (hey, less of the 'old'!) hypocrite here for extolling the benefits of Yoga. Simply because I haven't the patience for it myself. I'm probably a prime candidate for needing yoga - I can't settle down, it's hard for me to watch a movie or veg out and my mind races a lot. What I need to do, what I can put on the back-burner, who needs what and on and on.

CHICAGO - It turns out the golden years really are golden. Eye-opening new research finds the happiest Americans are the oldest, and older adults are more socially active than the stereotype of the lonely senior suggests. The two go hand-in-hand: Being social can help keep away the blues. "The good news is that with age comes happiness," said study author Yang Yang, a University of Chicago sociologist. "Life gets better in one's perception as one ages."

(HealthDay News) - Getting older leads to many changes involving your senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.

Here are common ways that aging impacts the senses, courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine:

* Parts of the ear begin to deteriorate as you get older, potentially affecting your hearing and balance.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- People suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have twice the risk of dying from heart attack or stroke, Australian researchers report.

The degenerative eye disease is the most common cause of untreatable blindness among older adults in developed countries and affects the center of the retina at the back of the eye, which is essential for tasks such as reading and driving.

Can thyroid deficiency show up as women get older? Find out what Dr. Friedman has to say about Hashimoto’s disease by listening on the EmpowHer podcast.

Are young people at risk for heart disease?