Health

As King Charles III, at age 74, assumes British throne, here’s what to know about his health

Published

2 years ago

May 9, 2023

As King Charles III, at age 74, assumes British throne, here’s what to know about his health

On Could 6, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, fastidiously positioned the long-lasting St. Edward’s Crown atop King Charles III’s head as the brand new king solemnly sat within the 700-year-old Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey whereas greedy a golden scepter in every hand.

It was the primary time in 70 years for a monarch to be topped within the U.Okay. because the coronation of his late mom, Queen Elizabeth II, who shared an virtually similar pose, sporting the identical crown in 1953.

When his mom died on Sept. 8, 2022, he grew to become the oldest monarch to take the British throne.

KING CHARLES HONORED WITH UNIQUE DISPLAY OF GNOMES ALL OVER UK WOMAN’S YARD

The king is now 74 (he’ll flip 75 on Nov. 14, 2023) — and plenty of marvel if the monarch will take pleasure in the identical longevity as his mother and father did.

“I count on King Charles’ reign to be an extended one,” Dr. June McKoy, professor of medication, preventive drugs and medical schooling at Northwestern College Feinberg Faculty of Drugs in Chicago, Illinois, advised Fox Information Digital.

King Charles III is topped with St Edward’s Crown throughout his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, on Could 6, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool through REUTERS)

“That he’s beginning his reign in his 70s won’t stop him from doing in addition to a monarch in his 40s,” added McKoy, who’s an educational geriatrician.

She really helpful that older adults be individually assessed and never by chronology as they age.

“To make sure, King Charles has been an incredible steward of his well being and he’ll profit from that stewardship.”

Longevity genes?

King Charles III comes from a household of “lengthy livers” on each his mom’s and father’s facet, so it’s probably he inherited their genes, McKoy stated.

“The most recent science on the genetics of longevity means that, for many of us, lower than 20% of it’s handed down by way of the generations, that means the opposite 80% is life-style and luck,” Andrew Steele, PhD, creator of “Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older With out Getting Outdated,” advised Fox Information Digital.

“There does appear to be a extra vital genetic element in the case of distinctive longevity.”

“Nonetheless, there does appear to be a extra vital genetic element in the case of distinctive longevity — the kid or sibling of somebody who lives to 100 is 10 occasions as probably to take action themselves as somebody from the overall inhabitants,” added Steele, a biologist primarily based in Berlin, Germany.

Charles’ father lived to 99, his mom lived to 96 and his grandmother, the queen’s mom, lived to 101 — so he could also be fortunate sufficient to have some longevity genes in his DNA, he added.

King Charles III with Queen Elizabeth II on Buckingham Palace balcony at Platinum Jubilee

King Charles III took the throne after Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8, 2022, on the age of 96. He’s now 74. (Chris Jackson)

“Wealth is thought to correlate with lengthy life, too, so despite the fact that he ascended to the throne at age 73 — the oldest in British historical past — he is nonetheless acquired a shot at a decently lengthy reign,” Steele stated in an e mail.

Charlies turned 74 in November 2022. (Not one of the medical consultants interviewed for this text straight examined King Charles III.)

Charles’ posture

Prince Harry, Charles’ youngest son, wrote in his bombshell memoir, “Spare,” that his father used to carry out handstands in Balmoral Citadel to alleviate power again and neck ache from previous polo accidents.

“Prescribed by his physio, these workouts had been the one efficient treatment for the fixed ache in Pa’s neck and again,” Harry wrote.

FOR KING CHARLES’ CORONATION, WORLD’S LONGEST SERVING BRASS BAND PLAYER, 95, CAN TOOT HIS OWN HORN

“He carried out them day by day, in a pair of boxers, propped in opposition to a door or hanging from a bar like a talented acrobat.”

Charles aggravated the situation when he fell off a horse at Windsor two years later.

After lacking the Royal Ascot, one in all Britain’s most well-known horse races, due to a herniated disc in his backbone in 1991, Charles aggravated the situation when he fell off a horse at Windsor two years later, in keeping with a Each day Mail report.

Specialists speculate that his trademark stroll along with his fingers interlocked collectively behind his again is a intelligent approach to relieve his again ache.

“On one other observe, there was some concentrate on his posture and its implications for osteoporosis,” McKoy advised Fox Information Digital.

BE WELL: KEEP YOUR BONES STRONG TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS

“Provided that osteoporosis causes a lower in bone density and weakening of the bones, it could possibly trigger top loss,” she added.

A stooped posture would possibly symbolize top loss, she stated — however this may be regular or irregular relying on the person circumstances.

King Charles III holding the Sword of State during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey

King Charles III holding the Sword of State throughout his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, on Could 6, 2023. (Victoria Jones/Pool through REUTERS)

As a part of the traditional technique of getting old, individuals sometimes lose roughly 1 centimeter, or 0.5 inch, of top each 10 years — which tends to speed up in our 70s, McKoy stated.

She additionally stated, “Top lack of [two] inches or extra just isn’t thought of regular and will immediate a go to to the doctor.”

Sport accidents

King Charles suffered many accidents whereas taking part in polo and searching, together with a pivotal fall throughout a polo match in 1990 that resulted in fracturing his proper arm.

After it didn’t heal as soon as he had surgical procedure, he had a second operation to repair it three months later, partly attributable to concern the damage wouldn’t permit him to correctly salute, per a Each day Mail report.

Charles retired from polo in 2005 when he was 57, after taking part in the sport for over 40 years.

In 2001, Charles was knocked unconscious quickly when he fell head-first from his horse throughout a charity match at Cirencester Park in Gloucestershire, England, in keeping with a BBC report.

He retired from polo in 2005 when he was 57, after taking part in the sport for over 40 years, as his biography on his official web site stated.

‘Attention-grabbing pair of arms’

“He has an fascinating pair of arms for a child,” Queen Elizabeth wrote to her former music instructor shortly after her son Charles was born.

“They’re moderately giant, however with high-quality lengthy fingers fairly in contrast to mine and positively in contrast to his father’s.”

Charles himself referred to them as “sausage fingers” after Prince William’s delivery, in keeping with Howard Hodgson’s biography “Charles, The Man Who Will Be King.”

King Charles laughs in a navy suit and light pink tie while in Manchester

King Charles is proven throughout a lighter second. The king is 74 years previous. (PAUL ELLIS/POOL/AFP)

“Dactylitis is a situation the place the digits get swollen like sausages, sometimes seen within the toes and related to ankylosing spondylitis,” Dr. Nilanjana Bose, a board-certified rheumatologist at Lonestar Rheumatology in Houston, Texas, advised Fox Information Digital.

It’s essential to look at the hand to tell apart if the swelling is arising from the joint, the tendon sheath or the mushy tissue, added Dr. Amy Kehl, rheumatologist with Windfall Saint John’s Doctor Companions and workers doctor at Cedars Sinai in Southern California.

Bose stated the look of Charles’ arms may very well be his “baseline” and never suggestive of any underlying illness.

The look of Charles’ arms may very well be his “baseline” and never suggestive of any underlying illness, stated one professional.

“True dactylitis is most classically noticed in sufferers with a sort of inflammatory arthritis often known as spondyloarthritis,” Kehl advised Fox Information Digital.

One instance of any such arthritis, she stated, is psoriatic arthritis, which is usually recognized by inspecting the affected person.

King Charles III during his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London.

King Charles III throughout his coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, London, this previous weekend. (Yui Mok/Pool through REUTERS)

There are a number of medical circumstances that may trigger swollen fingers, together with different sorts of arthritis — similar to rheumatoid arthritis, gout, autoimmune causes — like lupus, sarcoidosis or sickle cell illness, or infections, similar to Lyme illness, syphilis and tuberculosis.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

“Sometimes a rheumatologist can order extra diagnostic testing together with lab testing or imaging research of the joints if the analysis is unclear,” Kehl stated.

“The standard remedy is geared towards the underlying kind of inflammatory arthritis and the diploma of symptomatology of the person affected person.”

‘Working royal’

“Understanding the biology of people that make it to distinctive ages may very well be an essential approach to uncover medicines that may assist us all dwell longer and more healthy,” Steele famous.

“For instance, whereas ladies dwell longer than males, we all know that long-lived males have a tendency to take action in higher well being,” he added.

Steele additionally stated he hoped that “Charles will likely be a ‘working royal’ for a while but.”

Health

Jennifer Hudson Lost 80-Lbs Without Depriving Herself—Learn Her Secrets

Published

6 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Jennifer Hudson Lost 80-Lbs Without Depriving Herself—Learn Her Secrets

Jennifer Hudson’s Weight Loss: How She Shed 80-Lbs Naturally | Woman’s World

Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login

Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.

Use escape to exit the menu.

Health

Kennedy’s Plan for the Drug Crisis: A Network of ‘Healing Farms’

Published

13 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Kennedy’s Plan for the Drug Crisis: A Network of ‘Healing Farms’

Though Mr. Kennedy’s embrace of recovery farms may be novel, the concept stretches back almost a century. In 1935, the government opened the United States Narcotic Farm in Lexington, Ky., to research and treat addiction. Over the years, residents included Chet Baker and William S. Burroughs (who portrayed the institution in his novel, “Junkie: Confessions of an Unredeemed Drug Addict”). The program had high relapse rates and was tainted by drug experiments on human subjects. By 1975, as local treatment centers began to proliferate around the country, the program closed.

In America, therapeutic communities for addiction treatment became popular in the 1960s and ’70s. Some, like Synanon, became notorious for cultlike, abusive environments. There are now perhaps 3,000 worldwide, researchers estimate, including one that Mr. Kennedy has also praised — San Patrignano, an Italian program whose centerpiece is a highly regarded bakery, staffed by residents.

“If we do go down the road of large government-funded therapeutic communities, I’d want to see some oversight to ensure they live up to modern standards,” said Dr. Sabet, who is now president of the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions. “We should get rid of the false dichotomy, too, between these approaches and medications, since we know they can work together for some people.”

Should Mr. Kennedy be confirmed, his authority to establish healing farms would be uncertain. Building federal treatment farms in “depressed rural areas,” as he said in his documentary, presumably on public land, would hit political and legal roadblocks. Fully legalizing and taxing cannabis to pay for the farms would require congressional action.

In the concluding moments of the documentary, Mr. Kennedy invoked Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist whose views on spirituality influenced Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr. Jung, he said, felt that “people who believed in God got better faster and that their recovery was more durable and enduring than people who didn’t.”

Health

Children exposed to higher fluoride levels found to have lower IQs, study reveals

Published

14 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Children exposed to higher fluoride levels found to have lower IQs, study reveals

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

The debate about the benefits and risks of fluoride is ongoing, as RFK Jr. — incoming President Trump’s pick for HHS secretary — pushes to remove it from the U.S. water supply.

“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease,” RFK wrote in a post on X in November.

A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics on Jan. 6 found another correlation between fluoride exposure and children’s IQs.

RFK JR. CALLS FOR REMOVAL OF FLUORIDE FROM DRINKING WATER, SPARKING DEBATE

Study co-author Kyla Taylor, PhD, who is based in North Carolina, noted that fluoridated water has been used “for decades” to reduce dental cavities and improve oral health.

Fluoride exposure has been linked to a variety of negative health effects, yet benefits oral health. (iStock)

“However, there is concern that pregnant women and children are getting fluoride from many sources, including drinking water, water-added foods and beverages, teas, toothpaste, floss and mouthwash, and that their total fluoride exposure is too high and may affect fetal, infant and child neurodevelopment,” she told Fox News Digital.

The new research, led by scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), analyzed 74 epidemiological studies on children’s IQ and fluoride exposure.

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS EPA FURTHER REGULATE FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER DUE TO CONCERNS OVER LOWERED IQ IN KIDS

The studies measured fluoride in drinking water and urine across 10 countries, including Canada, China, Denmark, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. (None were conducted in the U.S.)

The meta-analysis found a “statistically significant association” between higher fluoride exposure and lower children’s IQ scores, according to Taylor.

“[It showed] that the more fluoride a child is exposed to, the more likely that child’s IQ will be lower than if they were not exposed,” she said.

Scientists found a “statistically significant association” between higher fluoride exposure and lower children’s IQ scores. (iStock)

These results were consistent with six previous meta-analyses, all of which reported the same “statistically significant inverse associations” between fluoride exposure and children’s IQs, Taylor emphasized.

The research found that for every 1mg/L increase in urinary fluoride, there was a 1.63-point decrease in IQ.

‘Safe’ exposure levels

The World Health Organization (WHO) has established 1.5mg/L as the “upper safe limit” of fluoride in drinking water.

“There is concern that pregnant women and children are getting fluoride from many sources.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. Public Health Service recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L in drinking water.

“There was not enough data to determine if 0.7 mg/L of fluoride exposure in drinking water affected children’s IQs,” Taylor noted.

FDA BANS RED FOOD DYE DUE TO POTENTIAL CANCER RISK

Higher levels of the chemical can be found in wells and community water serving nearly three million people in the U.S., the researcher noted.

She encouraged pregnant women and parents of small children to be mindful of their total fluoride intake.

little boy filling fresh water from water tap in sports bottle

Nearly three million people have access to wells and community water with fluoride levels above the levels suggested by the World Health Organization. (iStock)

“If their water is fluoridated, they may wish to replace tap water with low-fluoride bottled water, like purified water, and limit exposure from other sources, such as dental products or black tea,” she said.

“Parents can use low-fluoride bottled water to mix with powdered infant formula and limit use of fluoridated toothpaste by young children.”

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.

While the research did not intend to address broader public health implications of water fluoridation in the U.S., Taylor suggested that the findings could help inform future research into the impact of fluoride on children’s health.

Dental health expert shares cautions

In response to this study and other previous research, Dr. Ellie Phillips, DDS, an oral health educator based in Austin, Texas, told Fox News Digital that she does not support water fluoridation.

Mother and her toddler drinking a glass with water from the tap

The study researcher encouraged parents of small children to be mindful of their total fluoride intake. (iStock)

“I join those who vehemently oppose public water fluoridation, and I question why our water supplies are still fluoridated in the 21st century,” she wrote in an email.

“There are non-fluoridated cities and countries where the public enjoy high levels of oral health, which in some cases appear better than those that are fluoridated.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

Phillips called the fluoride debate “confusing” even among dentists, as the American Dental Association (ADA) advocates for fluoride use for cavity prevention through water fluoridation, toothpaste and mouthwash — “sometimes in high concentrations.”

Fluoride is used in water, toothpaste and mouthwash to help prevent cavities. (iStock)

“[But] biologic (holistic) dentists generally encourage their patients to fear fluoride and avoid its use entirely, even if their teeth are ravaged by tooth decay,” she said.

“Topical fluoride is beneficial, while systemic consumption poses risks.”

Advertisement

Phillips encouraged the public to consider varying fluoride compounds, the effect of different concentrations and the “extreme difference” between applying fluoride topically and ingesting it.

“Topical fluoride is beneficial, while systemic consumption poses risks,” she cautioned.

“Individuals must take charge of their own oral health using natural and informed strategies.”

The study received funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Intramural Research Program.