feel great all Winter
December 2013
速
Find Your
Joy
5 Minute Metabolism Boost
Soothing Remedies
Stomachaches Stress & sore muscles
The SUPPLEMENT THaT SToPS CoLdS
Prettier
Skin & Hair naturally
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Contents PhOTOgraPh by JasOn Varney; FOOD sTyLing by M. aLLan schanbacher; PrOP sTyLing by Kira cOrbin FOr JaMes rePs
December
Bite-size treats for all tastes, p. 90
64
Medicine Woman
Learn how Tieraona Low Dog found her path from high school dropout to holistic MD. Plus, her prescription for balanced living. by Janet Ungless
Find Your Joy
70 76 90 100
Maintain your sanity (and your shape) through the hectic holidays. by Bari Lieberman
Gifts of Health & Happiness
Our editors picked 52 gorgeous gifs to help you spread good cheer and good health.
Finger Food Feast
These yummy appetizers are sure to please your crowd. by Lori Powell
True Grit
With a simple shif in atitude, you can retrain your brain to transform life’s bumps into opportunities. by Denise Foley
PREVENTION.COM • DeceMber 2013
3
Contents Strategies for a healthy, joy-filled holiday, p. 70
Juice your water to boost its health cred, p. 28
In Every Issue Meet the Team Editor’s Letter Readers’ Letters Impact Better Than Ever “My Unexpected Source of Calm” Breathing Space Pets Speak your dog’s language. Readers’ Remedies At Your Service Postscript
News 17 23 28 34
Answers Problem Solved! Rotator Cuf Pain Dr. Andrew Weil Dr. Sanjay Gupta Dr. Tasneem Bhatia Dr. Travis Stork Dr. Tieraona Low Dog Dr. Pam Peeke
42 47 48 50 52 54 57
In Focus Five New Ways to Lower Blood Pressure 60 Learn the latest all-natural ways to keep hypertension at bay.
4
DeceMber 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
63 110 114 116 118
70
73 114 52 54 18
26
on our Cover: Photograph by Jason Varney; prop styling by Kira corbin for James reps; food styling by M. allan schanbacher
Warm-Your-Spirit Hot Cocoa
Microwave 1 cup 1% milk in large mug 30 seconds at a time until steaming hot. stir in 3⁄4 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao), 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tsp brown sugar, and a dash of pure vanilla extract. Top with a marshmallow.
•
•
FrOM LeFT: Dan PaTiTucci. chris cOLLins/cOrbis
Health Beauty Fitness Nutrition
6 10 12 14 38
meeT The Team
Our Advisors AlternAtive Medicine Tasneem BhaTia, mD, medical director and founder, the Atlanta center for Holistic & Integrative medicine Tieraona Low Dog, mD, director of the fellowship, the Arizona center for Integrative medicine, University of Arizona anDrew weiL, mD, director, the Arizona center for Integrative medicine; clinical professor of medicine, University of Arizona BotAnicAl Medicine James a. Duke, PhD, author of The Green Pharmacy: The Ultimate Compendium of Natural Remedies from the World’s Foremost Authority on Healing Herbs
derMAtology mary P. LuPo, mD, clinical professor of dermatology, Tulane University School of medicine
diABetes osama hamDy, mD, PhD, medical director, obesity clinical program; director of inpatient management, Joslin diabetes center environMentAl HeAltH shanna h. swan, PhD, professor and vice chair of research and mentoring, department of preventive medicine, Icahn School of medicine at mount Sinai
kevin sPeLman, PhD, distinguished lecturer, maryland University of Integrative Health
FAMily Medicine roB DanoFF, Do, director of combined family medicine/emergency medicine residency programs, Aria Health, Philadelphia
BreAst HeAltH susan m. Love, mD, chief visionary officer, the dr. Susan Love research Foundation; clinical professor of surgery, UcLA School of medicine
Fitness Pam m. Peeke, mD, mPh, president, the Peeke Performance center for Healthy Living; assistant clinical professor of medicine, University of maryland
Prevention works with these leading experts to bring you the best, most authoritative information in every issue. For the complete list, visit prevention.com. have it Your waY! Subscribe to Prevention in your preferred format. For the print magazine, go to prevention.com and hit the subscribe button, or call (800) 813-8070. We are also available on your favorite digital device, including the Nook, Kindle Fire, and iPad. ConneCt with prevention Find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
6
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
wayne L. wesTcoTT, PhD, fitness research director, Quincy college HeArt HeAltH arThur s. agaTsTon, mD, associate professor of medicine, University of miami miller School of medicine sTeven e. nissen, mD, chairman, department of cardiovascular medicine, the cleveland clinic
nUtrition DaviD L. kaTz, mD, mPh, director, Prevention research center, Yale University School of medicine ashLey koFF, rD, creator of the Ashley Koff Approved (AKA) list, a tool to help consumers, media, and health care practitioners make better-quality food choices pAlliAtive cAre ira Byock, mD, director, palliative care service, dartmouth-Hitchcock medical center pHArMAcology JenniFer a. reinhoLD, PharmD, clinical pharmacist; assistant professor in clinical pharmacy, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia WoMen’s HeAltH nancy g. Brinker, founder, Susan G. Komen for the cure marianne J. LegaTo, mD, professor of clinical medicine, columbia University college of Physicians & Surgeons mary Jane minkin, mD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, Yale University School of medicine
The delightfully nourishing hand lotion. eos hand lotions are packed with shea butter, aloe and antioxidants to soften, soothe and keep your hands happy.
AVAILABLE AT
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Editor’s LEttEr
Most holiday seasons, I am the queen of lists—lists for gifs, cards, food…even my lists have lists! Usually the answer to “How are you doing?” is based on how many things I’ve crossed off. Not this time. This year, I’m allowing myself to put down the weight of those holiday expectations and look inward. I want to explore the true meaning of the season and experience joy, warmth, and gratitude. I invite you to join me. Let’s go deeper into our hearts, where there is calm and kindness. We have so much to be grateful for, and we already have so much to give. Let’s go to that quiet place where we know that we are good enough. Yes, good enough, with or without a gif in hand, with or without witty repartee or the right thing to wear. Let’s know that our laughter, smiles, and warm hearts are enough. So my holiday wish: I hope that you, too, find your joy and that it is the light that shines this holiday season.
Anne Alexander Editorial Director P.s. looking ahead to Prevention
in 2014, please share any ideas, stories, or comments with me at suggestions@prevention.com.
10
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
PhotograPh by monica buck; Wardrobe by carla engler for bryan bantry agency; hair and makeuP by Suzanne katz at kramer + kramer; ProP Styling by karin olSen for anderSon hoPkinS; SWeater by J.creW; PantS by gaP; necklace by dana faith
Ode to Joy
Patient Name:
Age:
Address:
Date:
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READERS’ LETTERS
Let’s Talk Your piece on the importance of organic food [September 2013] really convinced my husband and me. He has lost 12 pounds, and his cholesterol has dropped into the mid-200s.
—Gabriela Espinosa
LovE iT
LEAvE iT
SmiLE
Love the October cover. You really don’t need stars to promote health, happiness, and wisdom.
I recommend you not reference studies done by high school students.
I was too busy for love. Now I realize how important it truly is and make time for it every day.
—Yvonne Fee
—Sarah Foye
Editor’s note: As we reported, the study about Wi-Fi’s effects is currently being replicated by scientists. We found the preliminary data interesting (and we applaud those students for their ingenuity and curiosity).
—Tia Tia
SincE you ASkED GET in Touch Q: What’s the latest on arsenic in rice?
—Joanie Elbourn
A: We investigated—see p. 35 to find out how to make safer rice at home. 12
What do you love, what would you leave, and what makes you smile? You can reach us at suggestions @prevention.com, on Twiter @preventionmag, or at facebook.com/preventionmagazine. We’re listening.
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
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december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
Impact
Cold Is Hot! take advantage of winter’s chillier temperatures and move your workout outside to increase your fat burn. a small study found that a type of fat cell known as brown fat can sense the cold. to warm up, these cells release their energy as heat, torching calories and melting that other fat—the kind you want to get rid of. so bundle up and get ready to hit the slopes!
PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
15
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Health
Clean Breakthrough AndreA bricco/corbis
The only virus protection you’ll need
’Tis the season for handshakes, and with recent news about the threat of antibiotic-resistant infections, you might be looking for a powerful weapon to protect yourself fom the superbugs lurking among us. Good news: Simple soap offers your best defense. “You really don’t need antibacterial products,” says Jean Patel, PhD, deputy director of the CDC’s Office of
Antimicrobial Resistance. “Washing your hands with soap and warm water is enough.” Triclosan, the ingredient found in many antibacterial products, isn’t better at fighting germs than its non-antibacterial counterparts—and it may be contributing to the rise of superbugs. Happily, some of the biggest names in personal care products are phasing it out by 2015. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
17
You + Friends = Better Health Hitting that holiday party is likely worth the effort: A new study suggests that time spent with loved ones may help your body fight inflammation. Specifically, people with fewer social ties had significantly higher risks of dying of heart disease and cancer.
“Social isolation is a source of chronic stress that triggers an inflammatory response and causes wear and tear on multiple body systems,” says researcher Yang Claire Yang, PhD, associate professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Get Well, sooner There’s no cure for the common cold, but zinc may come close. Reduce the bug’s duration by nearly 2 days by sucking on zinc lozenges daily from the time your symptoms start until they dissipate, recommends Meenu Singh, PhD, the author of a scientific review published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. It takes at least 75 mg of zinc daily to get the benefit. Below are three lozenges we’re stashing in our desks; take as directed to get the recommended total. Nature’s Way Zinc Lozenges Natural Berry (23 mg) Cold-Eeze Cold Remedy Lozenges (13.3 mg) Quantum Thera Zinc Lozenges (14 mg)
• • • 18
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
The rooT oF deeper sleep men who took 1,500 mg of red ginseng three times daily slept deeper and spent less time tossing and turning, says a recent study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. “The root can help balance stress hormones in a way that primes you for quality sleep,” says Prevention advisor kevin spelman, phd.
From Top: Ariel skelley/GeTTy imAGes. courTesy oF nATure’s WAy brAnds. illusTrATion by clAudiA peArson
health
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Read each label. Use as directed. Keep out of reach of children. *Among OTC cold & flu medicines. ©Procter & Gamble, Inc., 2013.
health
Male-opause You’ve probably heard about low T, a common condition among middle-aged men in which testosterone levels drop significantly enough to cause symptoms like bone loss, increased body fat, and loss of libido. But it turns out the female hormone plays a much larger role than previously thought: That spare tire is actually the result of a drop in estrogen, suggests a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. If you have any of those symptoms, see your doctor for a testosterone test. Meds may help.
50
%
Source: Clinical Nutrition
20
that’s how many weekly glasses of red wine may lower depression risk. abstainers (and those who drank more than seven) didn’t get the same lift. Bonus: Wine protects your heart. Source: BMC Medicine
the household threat to Your WeiGht
A common flame retardant found in everything fom electronics to furniture could be making you pack on the pounds. Recent National Institutes of Health research found that brominated flame retardants (BFRs) can bind to and inhibit an enzyme in your body
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
that metabolizes estrogen, resulting in overly high levels of that hormone. BFRs have been classified in other research as endocrine disrupters, or obesogens, chemicals that can alter the body’s metabolic processes and cause fat accumulation and weight gain.
From Top: mbbirdy. nicholAs eveleiGh
Reduction in stRokes among people who ate at least 25 g a day of soluble fber, found in beans, oatmeal, and many fruits and vegetables
*
Two
love starchY Food? do this!
From Top: cArl TremblAy. spencer suTTon/science source
Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 8 ounces of cold water and drink before eating a high-carb meal. this may keep your blood sugar from spiking, says a new study.
Medical BreakthrouGh
Good-bye, colonoscopy
The dreaded colonoscopy may one day be a thing of the past. German researchers have created a supersensitive system that allows scientists to zero in on traces of cancerous mutations in stool samples. Though it’ll be years before this new screening is available to doctors, it’ll be worth the wait: since cancerous tumor cells are released in solid waste long before they can be spotted in the blood, this tool has the potential to catch cancer earlier. until then, schedule a colonoscopy when you turn 50, or earlier if you have a family history of the disease.
The Way to Better DNA Men with early-stage prostate cancer who adopted a diet heavy in fuits, vegetables, and whole grains, exercised daily, and reduced stress with meditation and yoga actually lengthened their telomeres by 10% in 5 years, says The Lancet Oncology. Telomeres, attached to your chromosomes, are a measure of genetic health and shorten due to disease and aging. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
21
Beauty
gallery Stock
Healthier Hair—Now You know that heat styling can damage your hair, but how hot is too hot? “Keratin breaks down above 293°F, leaving hair brittle,” says chemist Ali N. Syed, PhD, vice president of research at hair product company Uberliss. “And hair starts to deteriorate at 475°F.” Worse, since the temp of your tools can fluctuate, it’s tough to know how much heat your strands are subjected to. But you don’t need to give up your favorite hairstyles. Read on for three healthier hot tools.
PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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Continued from previous page
Try these tools to downgrade damage and upgrade your look.
Go Wavy T3 BodyWaver ($149; ulta.com)
A ring of ceramic heaters keeps heat consistent, meaning no scorching spots.
You’re doing it wrong: removing eye Makeup Only 27% of prevention.com readers use makeup remover to take off their eye makeup. Oops! Avoid scrubbing this delicate area with an easy no-tug trick: Press a cotton pad with remover to your lids, then wait 30 seconds. “It just needs time to loosen the pigments,” says Ni’Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist in New York City. the secret ingredient:
copper Get Dry Harry Josh Pro Tools Pro Dryer 2000 ($300; hairenvy.com)
The 80 mph airflow cuts our drying time in half (compared with the average 32 mph).
Go Sleek GVP Black Flat Iron ($50; sallybeauty.com)
With a low setting of 140°F, this is one of the safest irons out there. 24
Shown to reduce inflammation and boost collagen, copper is the new hottest thing in skin care. Find it in the Iluminage
Skin Rejuvenating Pillowcase ($60; bergdorf goodman.com),
which has the element woven into the fabric and was shown to reduce wrinkles in 4 weeks. apply
Kiehl’s Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Cream ($52; kiehls.com) with copper
to enhance the effects.
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
levi brown (hair toolS). michael a. keller/corbiS (penny). illuStration by bee
beauty
It’s Time for an Oil Change 1. Coconut Antibacterial oil extracted What it is:
fom the meat of mature coconuts What it’s best for: This oil penetrates the hair shaf better than others, strengthening strands fom within. Use as an overnight treatment. Where to find it: RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream ($18; rmsbeauty.com)
2. Marula An oil derived fom the What it is:
fuit of marula trees What it’s best for: Vitamin C fades spots, and fatty acids reduce acne. Where to find it: Acure Marula Oil ($16; rodales.com)
3. Argan
What it is: An oil pressed fom
the kernels of the argan tree What it’s best for: Rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, this oil is a moisturizing powerhouse. Apply anywhere that needs extra hydration (skin, hair, cuticles). Where to find it: Kahina 100% Organic Argan Oil ($36; kahina givingbeauty.com)
Skin-Makeover Masks
TRANSFORM YOuR SKIN WITH THESE FAST-ACTING FACIAlS.
For SoFTEr SKIN…
For a radIaNT glow…
For ClEaN PorES…
Ancienne Nourishing Honey Mask ($130; fresh.com)
Visible Difference Peel & Reveal Revitalizing Mask ($36; elizabetharden.com)
Roth Therapeutic Sulfur Masque ($40; sephora.com)
try: Fresh Crème
26
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
try: Elizabeth Arden
try: Peter Thomas
From top: Studio r. Schmitz/the Food paSSionateS/corbiS. levi brown
beauty
Make Your Features Pop Try these tricks, courtesy of New York City–based makeup artist laura Geller, to enhance your own natural beauty.
1.
Line your jaWLine
use a full brush to sweep contouring powder just under your jaw.
1. contouring powder two shades darker than foundation 2. highlighting powder a shade lighter than skin 3. blush and shadow brushes
2.
4.
Swipe contouring powder from mid-ear to the apple; apply highlighter above the cheekbone.
Apply the contouring shade to your eye’s crease, and highlight under your brows.
define your cheeks
illuStrationS by bee
*
Your tool kit
Lift your Lids
3.
5.
sLim your nose
bLend, bLend, bLend
Contour each side of your nose, then swipe highlighting powder down the center.
use a clean, large brush to turn harsh lines into subtle shadows.
PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
27
Fitness Juice Your Water If tap isn’t doing it for your taste buds, wake up your water with the Citrus Zinger ($17; zinganything.com), a BPA-fee bottle that makes naturally flavoring your H2O a breeze. Just place half a lemon (oranges work, too) into the citrus press on the bottom, twist it shut, and voilà—the juice and nutrients seep into your water while seeds and pulp stay put. Need 24,500 more reasons to ditch regular plastic bottles? Researchers found about that many chemicals in a single container.
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december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
the one-Word anSWer
OppOsite page, frOm left: chris cOllins/cOrbis. phOtOgraph by levi brOwn; fOOd styling by matthew vOhr. this page, frOm tOp: cOurtesy Of xbOx. radius images/alamy
What’S the moSt effective Way to fight off cravingS? walking
Your 24/7 Fitness Trainerdetects The new Xbox One ($499.99; xbox.com)
microfluctuations of blood flow in your face to estimate heart rate, completely hands-fee and fom up to 10 feet away. So when you’re sweating it out, you’ll know if your performance is on target. It also tracks the quality of your movement and provides real-time tips and corrections to increase results.
Sculpt a Stronger core How? With 10-second plank intervals. “It’s a safer, more tolerable way to extend the total training time, giving your core a challenge without putting your back at risk of injury,” says Stuart McGill, PhD, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
taking a brisk 15-minute walk can curb even the most drool-inducing chocolate craving, finds a new study published in Appetite. the brief exercise was shown to reduce cravings even among women who’d refrained from the treat for a week. “focusing on walking can distract your mind from thoughts of sweets,” says study coauthor hwajung Oh, phd. “it may also help by reducing stress and boredom, which have been linked to cravings.”
10
Hold foR
seconds Rest 10 seconds; repeat 5 times
PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
29
fitneSS
The $10 Workout Tool
tip
keep arms in line with ears to help prevent chest from sinking too far forward.
For a cheap, DIY training tool, look no further than your local hardware store. The PVC pipe is a lightweight plastic tube—normally used for plumbing—that has all sorts of cool, handy fitness uses. Here are three of them.
your form: Hold the •pipeimprove lengthwise along your spine during
exercises like lunges to ensure that your head and back stay in proper alignment throughout the movement. BooSt moBility: Mimicking barbell exercises with the superlight pipe is a safe way to practice full range of motion without the fear of injury, says Los Angeles–based fitness trainer Ashley Borden. challenge your core: Holding the pipe above your head during exercises like overhead squats (pictured) changes your center of gravity, forcing your core to keep you stable.
•
Power Up Your Playlist Your playlist can do more than motivate you during workouts: A consistent, steady beat can help you run longer and more efficiently, according to new Dutch research. And picking up your step rate just 10%—say, fom 150 beats per minute to 165—can reduce stress behind 30
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
the kneecap by 14%, says a University of Wisconsin–Madison study. (A quick turnover causes shorter steps, reducing impact.) To achieve both goals, use the app Cruise Control: Run ($4.99; iTunes). It changes the beat of any music on your smartphone to match a steady cadence.
phOtOgraph by chris fanning; wardrObe styling by matthew simOnelli
•
*
coffee! 350 mg: that’s how much caffeine—just over two big cups’ worth—has been shown to help reduce muscle soreness when taken before a workout. Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
definition: Sweatworking Meeting to network over exercise—such as a walk, run, or group fitness class—instead of grabbing drinks or dinner. The shared experience creates a trusting bond without happy hour’s calories (and verbal slipups).
Jack Up Calorie Burn
frOm tOp: JasOn schneider. anders wenngren
TRy THEsE fuN VARIATIONs Of AN OLd-sCHOOL fAVORITE. dO EACH MOVE fOR 1 MINuTE, REsTINg 15 sECONds AfTER EACH EXERCIsE.
1. CLAssIC
2. PLANk
3. CLAPPINg
4. TwIsTEd
5. sTAR
Stand with feet together, arms next to body at sides. Jump legs out while bringing arms out and over head.
Start in push-up position. Jump feet out a few inches, then back together, keeping abs tight and back flat.
Stand with arms out to sides at shoulder height. Jump legs out while clapping hands together in font of chest.
Do a classic jumping jack, rotating body 90 degrees with each jump (so you face center, lef, center, right).
Start in a squat. Jump up, extending arms and legs out to sides, creating an X shape with body in air.
Expert: Will Lanier, general manager and CrossFit coach at Brick New York fitness studio PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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a d ve r tise m e n t
GIVE YOUR SKIN RELIEF FROM ECZEMA! Your skin is a reflection of your internal health. A daily skincare regimen is as important as sleep, exercise, and a balanced diet to keep your skin looking and feeling its best. Make it a priority to learn about your skin type and skin concerns. Skin Concern: Eczema Eczema is the most common type of skin inflammation. It appears as itching and redness of skin accompanied by tiny bumps and blisters, and affects the skin’s ability to keep moisture in and irritants out. Skin Relief: Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Creme Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Crème is specially formulated to protect and soothe skin irritation and itching due to eczema. Gentle enough for both adults and children, it is clinically proven to: • Improve hydration and the look of irritated skin • Reduce skin redness • Relieve itchiness
Eczema Care and Prevention More tips to prevent or reduce eczema: • Go easy on the soap, as it can leave skin dry and susceptible to outbreaks • Put on moisturizer immediately after your bath or shower • Use fragrance-free soaps, lotions, and detergents
Skin Science That Shows
For more ways to treat your skin with care, visit Eucerinus.com
eczema relief is free
of sTeroiDs, fragrance anD DYes
Introducing a daily moisturizer that soothes and protects eczema-prone skin. Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Creme. Clinically proven formula with oatmeal and licorice extract Long-lasting relief for skin with eczema Dermatologist-recommended brand Visit our Skin Solution Center at EucerinUS.com
Eucerin. Skin Science That Shows.
Like your fish fesh? Chances are, that “fesh” fillet on ice in your grocery store wasn’t just pulled out of the water—it’s likely been fozen and thawed several times over, according to a recent report by Oceana. For the 34
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
best-quality fish, head to the feezer aisle. Look for labels that say “flashfozen,” “individually quick fozen,” or “fozen at sea,” which mean the fish is processed shortly afer being caught. It’s usually cheaper, too.
gallery Stock
Nutrition Dinner on Ice
don’t wash Your ChiCken!
illuStration by jaSon Schneider. image Source/getty imageS
Time to update your poultry prep—90% of Americans wash their chicken, whether out of habit or good ol’ germophobia. But dousing that bird—or any raw meat—spreads dangerous bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter all over your sink and hands, according to food-safety researchers fom Drexel University. It’s also an unnecessary step, since cooking meat to the right temperature kills off all pathogens. Bye-bye, bird bath.
Clean Up Your Rice Arsenic is a scary substance, so it makes sense to be concerned when reading about its rampant presence in rice. (Rice slurps up arsenic fom soil, both naturally occurring and fom agricultural pollutants.) Many experts have concerns about long-term regular rice consumption, but the grain recently got a vote of confidence fom the FDA, which found that arsenic won’t cause immediate, short-term health problems. We found a way to cut risk even further: Cook each cup of brown rice in 6 cups of water, simmer until tender, and pour off extra water. Source: Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of food safety at the Center for Science in the Public Interest
10 minuTes
That’s how little meditation was needed to reduce food cravings through guided imagery. Source: Appetite PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
35
nutrition
Don’t Ditch Those Peels Farm to table? More like supermarket to trash. The average US family tosses 25% of their food. Save peels, save money. stems and sauté in olive oil until slightly tender for a colorful veggie side dish, or add to soups and stir-fies. Perk: These stems are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and the amino acid glutamine, which helps strengthen the immune system.
and B vitamins. kiwifruit Peels: Add
an entire kiwi to your smoothie, skin and all. Perk: Kiwi skin triples your fiber intake!
calcium, along with lots of vitamin C.
Potato Peels: Make
CelerY leaVes: Chop
squash seeds: Wash
“potato skins” by tossing in olive oil and roasting until crisp. Sprinkle with Parmesan and fesh chives. Perk: The peel is the most nutritious part of a white potato—full of fiber, iron, potassium,
and add these bright, flavorful bits to chicken salad. Perk: Compared with celery stalks, leaves have about five times more of the boneprotecting nutrients magnesium and
well, then season with olive oil, salt, and curry powder. Bake until crisp and golden. Perk: Squash seeds contain good fats, protein, and heart-healthy potassium and magnesium.
>
Source: Dana White, RD
Weird Stuff Mandy Is Eating
Mandy Oaklander, Prevention’s senior writer
36
wild alaskan salmon bacon doesn’t fry up crisp like its piggy counterpart, but it wins with just 1 g of fat and 13 g of protein for two strips. it’s quite sea salty, but it has no nitrates. i’m hooked ($29 per pkg; vitalchoice.com).
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
levi brown; Food Styling by matthew vohr. illuStration by mick brownField
Chard stems: Chop
Sugar When It’s Really Worth It
From leFt: colin erricSon/StockFood. eiSing Studio/StockFood. richard jung photography/StockFood
Save room for holiday sweets by steering clear of these savory sugar bombs. (Find out where else sugar is hiding with Prevention’s The Sugar Smart Diet, due out this month.)
Cranberry sauce
A standard helping of cranberry sauce can cost you nearly 30 g of sugar (and that’s before adding fuit juice, a common cranberry sauce costar). When making this dish, substitute a few tablespoons of raw honey for the usual cup of sugar called for, cutting overall added sugar fom 216 g to about 64 g for the batch.
Glazed Carrots
Carrots are nature’s candy, but that doesn’t stop holiday recipes fom drenching them in brown sugar. Glazed carrots can pack 26 g of the sweet stuff. Replace ⅓ cup brown sugar with 2 tablespoons honey and you can shave off an extra 10 g. (Even better: Go easy on the honey and savor the vegetable’s natural sweetness.)
stuffing
It sounds strictly savory, but stuffing has been known to pack sugar, too. One culprit might be the bread, which ofen includes hidden sugars: A single slice can run you 5 g, plus nearly 50 g of fast-digested carbs. Make your own with quality whole grain bread without lots of sugar listed on the ingredient label.
PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
37
BeTTeR ThAn eveR
Yoga kept Alyssa Dinowitz centered and open to experiencing love and joy.
Alyssa Dinowitz enjoyed the rush of checking off her never-ending to-do list until a life-changing event forced her to slow down. 38
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
ALYSSA’S STORY In my early 40s, everything felt as though it was going according to plan: I was married to a wonderful guy, had two amazing kids, taught 10 yoga classes a week at local gyms and hotels, and had started my own inspirational clothing line. I was moving through life at warp speed—busy but happily juggling my roles as wife, mom, and entrepreneur. It seemed that there would always be another fun project to take on—and that I would be able to handle it with ease and aplomb.
photograph by brandon Sullivan; hair, makeup, and wardrobe by Shauna thibault
My Unexpected Source of Calm
Chronic Dry Eye (CDE) is a disease with potential consequences for your eyes The symptoms of CDE disease— dryness, stinging, itching, burning, a gritty or sandy sensation, sensitivity to light, excessive tearing, blurry vision, or difficulty seeing at night— can limit your ability to perform daily activities that involve your eyes. And over time, if not managed properly CDE may worsen and have potential consequences for your eyes—damage to the eye surface, increased risk of eye infection, and effects on your vision. The good news is that there are management options available for CDE. If you have questions about CDE disease, it’s important to make an appointment to talk with your eye doctor.
“My dry, gritty-feeling eyes make it difficult to focus. I have to talk to my eye doctor about what can help.”
Answer 6 CDE Questions
MyDryEyes.com and make an appointment with your eye doctor. © 2012 Allergan, Inc., Irvine, CA 92612, U.S.A.
APC53ST12
BeTTeR ThAn eveR
I drew inspiration and strength in my daily life fom my mother, who had battled breast cancer four times over the course of 14 years—and won! She was a fighter and brought that attitude to her chemotherapy treatments. What could have been a place of gloom instead became a place of love, light, and laughter, thanks to her positive outlook and thoughtful compassion for others, despite her own condition. The cancer recurred during the summer of 2009, when she was 77 years old, and we honestly didn’t think anything of it; she’d beaten it before. It would be tough, but I felt certain that with her experience, strong support base, and excellent medical team, she’d win again. But then, when I least expected it, life took a disastrous detour. My mother and father were over for dinner, visiting their grandkids, and my mother was having difficulty breathing. She blamed it on her asthma, but my husband, Marc, an orthopedic surgeon, wasn’t buying it. He checked her vital signs and found that she was in atrial fibrillation. By the time my husband and father got her into the ER, she was in full cardiac arrest. She remained in the hospital for the next 3 weeks. Time suddenly foze. I gave up my teaching to spend every possible moment with my mother. Over the next 2 months, she was in and out of the hospital, and we eventually moved her into hospice care. I tried to stay strong 40
december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
ALYSSA DInOWITZ phoenix
Age: 45 Health challenge: grief Lightbulb moment: discovered that healing began when she faced raw emotions head-on Biggest benefit: Finding more meaning and compassion in her own life by giving back to others who are experiencing loss
for her, but each night when I’d get home fom visiting her, I would do five or six yoga poses I found calming, such as Downward-Facing Dog and Cat/Cow Pose, and then take a hot shower. It was all I could do not to fall apart. She passed away in early September of that year.
community healing
Two weeks afer my mother passed, I went back to the hospital to visit with the chemotherapy patients whom my mother and I had befiended. I remember walking through the doors, holding tightly to a batch of cookies, trying not to cry. I don’t know what compelled me to go back so quickly; I think I just wasn’t ready to face my feelings alone. As painful as it initially felt, I kept going back, week afer week, and slowly I was able to open up and
truly begin to heal. There’s no way to face grief except head-on. Cancer is horrible, and death is horrible, but being honest about my feelings allowed me to connect with people going through similar experiences, opening my eyes to the humbling fact that I’m not the only one who’s lost a loved one. I could easily have been stuck in a numbing state of self-pity, but spending time with the patients and their families helped keep me grounded.
calming yoga
I learned to stay present despite the pain by drawing on my yoga practice in a new way. Yoga had always been a special part of my relationship with my mom. She introduced me to it when I was a fifh grader—I’d come home fom school fazzled, and she’d take me through a Sun Salutation and tell me to meditate. I thought she was a crazy hippie, but I did it, and it always made me feel better. While working through my grief, I reflected on those early experiences and gained new insight into what
my mother was really trying to teach me: Slow down, stop working to exhaustion, take the time to connect with others, send good vibes out into the world, and make each moment meaningful. I didn’t go back to teaching yoga classes at gyms; now I teach community yoga classes for fee. Yoga is no longer just a workout for me; it’s my source of spiritual calm and mental fortitude. It’s where I heal, where I find support, and how I remember the special moments I shared with my mother. It brings me joy to share it with others. My life has changed so much through this painful journey. I didn’t expect my mother to die. But grief, just like other life challenges, causes you to refocus your priorities. Afer a lot of soul-searching, I’ve come to understand that my time should be spent giving back. In turn, it’s made me a better wife, a better mom, a better yoga teacher, and a better human. And I have my mom to thank for the beautiful lesson. —As told to Bari Lieberman
Cancer Confdantes
while spending time with her mother in chemotherapy, alyssa dinowitz noticed how laughter, jokes, and hugs turned the gloomy chemo lounge into a place of warmth and joy. afer her mother passed, dinowitz created chemo companions, a nonprofit organization that provides support, friendship, and nourishment to those undergoing cancer treatment. learn how you can donate your time or money at chemocompanions.org. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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Problem Solved! Rotator Cuff Pain by Catherine Winters
what it is
if raising your arm above or behind your head triggers a stabbing or shocklike pain in your shoulder area, you could have rotator cuff tendinitis. “the pain worsens with activity and could even wake you from sleep,” says William Levine, MD, director of the sports medicine department of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University Medical Center. though younger adults can develop it, it’s estimated that more than half of people over age 65 will have rotator cuff pain. Lifing your arms over your head— when painting walls, for example, or playing tennis—puts you at risk. Sleeping with your arm over your head and carrying heavy bags on your shoulder can also cause rotator cuff problems. Mild cases can improve within weeks, but it may take months for people with severe pain to feel beter. “Don’t lif your arm repeatedly until things setle down,” advises orthopedist Eric Riccheti, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic.
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DECEMbER 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
MEL yatES/gEtty iMagES
why it happens
answers
tens
iLLUStRatioN by j.D. kiNg. photogRaph by Ray LEgo/gEtty iMagES
Short for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, tENS uses electrodes to deliver a pulsed electrical current—imagine a
pins-and-needles sensation—to the shoulder. “tENS stimulates nerve endings so your brain doesn’t perceive the pain,” says gary Calabrese, a physical therapist at the Cleveland Clinic. tENS may also release pain-easing chemicals called endorphins. the treatment doesn’t quell inflammation, but it “can help you exercise a litle more efficiently,” says Calabrese.
rotator Cuff pain
ultrasound/ heat
heat increases blood flow to tissue, easing inflammation and speeding healing. it also improves flexibility and relaxes muscle spasms so it’s easier to do the exercises that improve your shoulder’s range of motion and strength. “Ultrasound warms up tissue prety deeply and quickly,” says Calabrese. your therapist might also apply a moist heating pad to your shoulder for 15 to 20 minutes before exercise; you can do this at home as well.
Ice
Use the cold stuff at the very first twinge to lessen inflammation, decrease swelling, and reduce pain, advises Calabrese. apply ice for 12 to 15 minutes every other hour, using an ice pack, a bag of frozen peas, or an ice-filled plastic bag. (Cover skin with a towel to prevent frostbite if you use a bag.) as the pain subsides, apply ice three times a day until you’re completely pain-free. PREVENTION.COM • DECEMbER 2013
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answers
rotator Cuff pain
aCupunCture
Rotator cuff tendinitis causes shoulder stiffness, so improving range of motion with stretches that target the shoulder muscles is crucial. Calabrese has patients perform 50 daily reps of exercises, including the pendulum, in which you bend over and let your affected arm dangle as you make circles with it. he also recommends the wall slide: Run the hand on your injured side up and down a wall as though you’re washing the wall. yoga
an easy yoga pose can reduce pain by 90%, says Loren M. Fishman, MD, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Columbia University Medical Center. interlock your fingers and press your palms together, then place your hands and forearms against a wall, forming a triangle. Rest the top of your skull against
44
DECEMbER 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
the wall in the center of the triangle. Walk your feet about 24 inches away from the wall. Lower your chest and press your elbows and forearms into the wall. pull your shoulders back, down, and away. hold for 45 seconds or so. Stand up straight. Lif your affected arm sideways above your head and then (still lifed) in front of you. try this pose daily for 2 to 3 weeks.
iLLUStRatioN by j.D. kiNg. photogRaph by jiM CoopER/gEtty iMagES
Stretching
in one study, 52 athletes with rotator cuff pain got biweekly acupuncture treatments for 4 weeks, which slashed their pain by 50%. “Qi [energy] or blood flow blockages cause pain,” says David kato, the owner of Lincoln Square acupuncture in Chicago. “acupuncture can free these blockages and improve your circulation so that inflammation and pain lessen.”
Cortisone Shots
if other therapies fail, your doctor may try a cortisone injection. if the shot provides long-lasting relief, it may be worth geting another in the future. however, if the effects wear off quickly, “it’s probably not worth repeating,” says Dr. Riccheti. your doctor will limit the injections to three or four in a shoulder per year. More frequent cortisone injections may have negative side effects, such as weakening of the rotator cuff tendons or the cartilage in the shoulder joint. iLLUStRatioN by j.D. kiNg. photogRaph by tERRy viNE/gEtty iMagES
surgery
if you’ve tried other therapies for 6 months and still hurt, consider surgery, advises Dr. Levine. Surgery involves removing any bone spurs and the inflamed bursa. Sometimes the surgeon finds and repairs a tendon tear. the outpatient surgery, done under anesthesia, lasts up to 2 hours. Rehab can start immediately, with recovery taking from 2 to 6 weeks. Rehab following a tear repair may not begin for 2 to 6 weeks; recovery can take 6 to 12 months.
strengthening
When you can’t use your shoulders, muscles weaken. once range of motion improves, Calabrese has patients strengthen their rotator cuff muscles starting with 1-pound dumbbells and slowly increasing to 5 pounds. “Low weights and high reps let people adapt to the weight without stressing tendons or muscles,” he says. Exercise Rx: up to 50 reps of three to five exercises, spread throughout the day. “the more you work
your muscles, the stronger your shoulder will get,” Calabrese explains.
PREVENTION.COM • DECEMbER 2013
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answers
Q glenn glasser
N
ootropics, a class of “smart drugs” and supplements that claim cognitive enhancement, are increasingly being taken to optimize performance. Enthusiasts say that they improve memory, boost concentration, and enhance productivity, but little scientific evidence exists to support such claims, and, for most, longterm safety has yet to be established. In addition, concerns about abuse, dependence, and addiction have not yet been adequately addressed.
Dr. anDrew weil • The inTegraTive mD
Is it safe to take natural “smart drugs” to improve memory and focus?
“Long-term safety has not been established.”
Misha Geller
ChiCago
The most widely accepted way to keep your mind nimble is to take on new mental challenges. One of the most promising methods is to study a language, which draws on “fluid intelligence,” among the first aspects of brain function to be affected by age. Regular meditation and short naps can also help. If you insist on a pill to support healthy cognition, the best is supplemental fish oil. Omega-3 fats are necessary for proper brain function, and most people in our
part of the world are deficient. Omega-3s help maintain nerve cell structure, limit inappropriate inflammation, and may benefit nerve signal transmission. Look for a molecularly distilled, concentrated product with 700 to 1,000 mg of EPA and 200 to 500 mg of DHA. Take that amount (or double) daily with your largest meal. andrew weil, MD, is founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona.
send your questions for Dr. Weil to askdrweil@prevention.com PREVENTION.COM • December 2013
47
answers
Dr. sanjay gupta • the neurosurgeon
Q
My girlfriend swears she’s a more creative person because she’s a lefy. Is she right?
“Some sports give lefies an edge.”
Jerome Wold Brooklyn, ny
turn out to be righties. There must be some evolutionary reason why 10% of the population are lefies. Perhaps being lef-handed conferred some advantage during fighting, for example. Certain sports give lefies an edge, too, including tennis, fencing, and baseball, because lefies can more easily foil their right-handed opponents. Lef-handed soccer players are also lef-footed, which gives them a leg up on their competition. Lefies do tend to have more accidents
than righties, because the world is designed to better suit right-handed people—driving, in most countries, is a perfect example. And a slightly higher percentage of lef-handed people have learning disorders. As keyboard use becomes more universal and forces us to use both hands equally, I predict that handedness will become less important. sanjay Gupta, MD, is chief medical correspondent for CNN and a practicing neurosurgeon at Emory Clinic in Atlanta.
Send your questions for Dr. Gupta to askdrgupta@prevention.com
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December 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
braD trent
I
t’s true that throughout history, many creative people, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, were lef-handed—but there’s no concrete scientific evidence that lefies hold any creative edge. We now know that for lefies and righties alike, the lef side of the brain is dominant for language and other functions associated with ingenuity. The truth is, we don’t know much about handedness. Many people who carry the gene for lef-handedness actually
answers
Dr. tasneem bhatia • the energy Doctor
Q
I ofen need a pick-me-up. Do energy drinks really work?
“In Ayurveda, dates are an energy booster.”
Nikki Paulus Banning, Ca
fix is usually followed by plummeting blood sugar—which will have you reaching for another lif. Even if you’re not caffeine-sensitive, you can easily overdo it. Most of these drinks contain anywhere fom 70 to 200 mg of caffeine per serving (equivalent to one to two 1-ounce espressos), which can trigger heart palpitations, the jitters, and insomnia. That sets you up for needing a fix the next day, too. One popular brand has 62 g
of sugar—the same as nearly two candy bars! If you reach for an energy drink daily, talk with your doctor about finding the cause of your fatigue. For an occasional lif, take a brisk walk or eat a piece of fuit. In Ayurveda, dates are a natural energy booster. Add some to your favorite smoothie recipe for your own healthier energy drink.
Send your questions for Dr. bhatia to askdrtaz@prevention.com
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December 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
Tasneem BhaTia, MD, is
medical director and founder of the Atlanta Center for Holistic & Integrative Medicine.
LanDria Voigt
W
ill a dose of caffeine and sugar—the getup-and-go ingredients in most energy drinks— give you a jolt? Yes, temporarily, and having one occasionally is fine. But you shouldn’t be relying on chemical stimulants to keep you up every day. For one, they can cause a steep rise and fall in insulin levels, triggering inflammation, potential hormone imbalances, and moodiness. That boost you get fom a caffeine-sugar
answers
Dr. Travis sTork • The er DocTor
Q
Could my eye twitching be a sign of something serious?
“Think of that twitch as your body telling you to slow down.”
Sarah Nelson AtlAntA
beyond an eye twitch, including high blood pressure. Scientists aren’t sure why, but high stress levels can cause a part of your brain in charge of muscle control (the basal ganglia) to function abnormally. This can cause the nerves around your eye lid to essentially misfire. So if you’re feeling rundown, think of that twitch as a reminder to take care of yourself. Get enough sleep, and don’t overdose on caffeine or alcohol—factors that put extra stress on your body
send your questions for Dr. stork to askdrstork@prevention.com
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December 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
and may worsen the twitch. Consider making time for some mind body wellness, whether that’s yoga, meditation, or a massage. If you get your stress level in check, odds are good that the blepharospasm will stop. If it persists or is accompanied by concerning symptoms, see your doctor to verify the diagnosis and discuss possible treatments. Travis sTork, MD, is an ER
physician, cohost of TV’s The Doctors, and the author of The Lean Belly Prescription.
jeff lipsky
M
ost ofen it’s a medical phenomenon known as benign essen tial blepharospasm, in which the eyelid muscles twitch involuntarily for an unpredictable length of time. It’s usually harmless—but annoying! I don’t like to be too dismissive of blepharo spasm, however, because it’s ofen a result of fatigue and stress (if not caused by a direct irri tant). Chronic fatigue and stress can take a serious toll on your health in ways that go
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answers
Dr. tieraona low Dog • home remeDy
Soothe Sore Muscles Chilly weather magnifies muscle and joint aches. Try this warming, fagrant massage oil—it’s perfect for soothing the pain. Do not apply it to broken skin or near your eyes, and keep your fingers away fom the eye area afer touching the oil. Before using this preparation, dab a few drops on the inside of your arm to test for sensitivities.
Tieraona Low Dog, MD, is the
author of Life Is Your Best Medicine.
ginger-eucalyptus massage oil
2 c almond or olive oil 2 Tbsp dried coarsely ground ginger 24 drops eucalyptus essential oil Place almond oil and ginger in slow cooker and cook 6 to 8 hours on low, stirring and checking hourly to make sure oil is not burning. turn off heat and let cool. strain through cheesecloth, and then pour into glass jar with lid. add essential oil and cover. apply to skin as desired. send your questions for dr. Low dog to askdrlowdog@prevention.com
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december 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
Find a ginger salve recipe in Prevention’s iPad edition.
miana jun. Portrait courtesy of tieraona Low dog
use to ease tense, sore muscles or as a warming foot rub.
Coming Soon!
“A Miraculous Gift!”
That’s what Nora said afer losing 16 pounds and 11 inches in just 4 weeks. “I’ve never lost weight this quickly with so little effort.” Reserve your copy of The Sugar Smart Diet at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, or wherever quality books are sold. For more on how to get smart about sugar and to order the book, go to prevention.com/sugarsmart.
answers
Q
Dr. Pam Peeke • healthy living CoaCh
My friends socialize over trendy but fatening meals. How can I stay slim?
“It’s about being together, not the food.”
Leonarda Walker Los AngeLes
matthew rakola
T
oday’s food trends favor fesh, organic veggies and fuits, grass-fed beef, and fee-range poultry— along with roasted pork belly, duck-fat-fied potatoes, and growlers of craf beer. Being fiends with a gourmet cook or having foodie fiends can be a mixed, if delectable, blessing, especially when those gourmands aren’t focused on their waistlines—or yours. With some wise management, here’s how you can edge your favorite foodies
into delicious (not belly-busting) dishes. Your Challenge
Your fiend loves to show off her cooking talents, but her dishes have several-thousandcalorie price tags. aDaPt & aDjust
Appeal to her ego. Tell her that you’re trying to shed pounds but want to do so deliciously—can she help? Chefs will fall over themselves to show you new ways to use herbs and spices, infused vinegars, broths, anchovies, Sriracha, and
other powerful flavors to help you reduce fat and calories without sacrificing taste. (I’ll bet she cooks that way for herself. The Institute of Food Technologists found that 42% of foodies—more than twice the percentage of less-foodfocused folks—count calories. How do you think she stays so slim?) Your Challenge
You’ve asked your neighbor not to bring fattening dishes to potlucks you host, but she keeps doing it.
Send your questions for dr. Peeke to askdrpeeke@prevention.com PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
57
answers
Dr. Pam Peeke • healthy living CoaCh
aDaPt & aDjust
Your Challenge
Steer clear of resentment. She’s probably not taunting you on purpose, at least not consciously. Consider that she may be subconsciously afaid of what might happen to your relationship if you slim down. So don’t succumb to mind games, especially with yourself. Be honest. Start your sentences with I feel and I need. Be kind, clear, and firm. Be confident that she cares about you and wants to help.
Food isn’t the issue—your fiends prefer to drink their highbrow calories. aDaPt & aDjust
Grab the keys. The designated driver never gets pressured to say yes to one more elderberry martini or biodynamic Shiraz. Sip one designer cocktail, then switch to club soda with lime, knowing that you’ll keep everyone safe. Your Challenge
You favor very simple
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food but must attend business dinners booked at restaurants where chefs prepare adventurous, high-fat fare. aDaPt & aDjust
Fake it till you make it. Grab a hard-boiled egg or a handful of nuts before you go, and then try something new. A risk-taking palate takes a while to develop. Once it does, you’ll find joy in all kinds of unusual veggies and grains (quinoa and jicama, anyone?). Whole, fesh foods, no
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matter how they’re prepared, tend to have less added salt and sugars than processed foods. A focus on highquality ingredients can help recalibrate your taste buds quickly. When you try a dish you love, search for a recipe so that you can re-create it at home. The entire process—finding those new ingredients, layering on new spices, trying new cooking methods—will help you strengthen your own emerging foodie cred. Your Challenge
Your foodie fiends like to socialize at places heavy on the pork belly, duck confit, and lobster mac ’n’ cheese— high-calorie comfort foods. You swear your pants are tighter the next day! aDaPt & aDjust
Focus on what’s important. (Hint: It’s not the food.) Socializing is something you should never give up—but what you actually do those nights is 100% up to you! To break out of the rich-food rut, make a list of 20 non-food-oriented activities you all would enjoy: movies, walks in the park, museum hopping, shopping, or even go-karts, rollerskating, or paintball—any fun, interesting activity that’s not centered on eating or drinking. Then commit to trying one of these activities every gathering until you’ve broken the caloriebomb restaurant habit together. Pam PeeKe, MD, is assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the author of New York Times best seller The Hunger Fix (Rodale, 2012).
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In Focus
HealtH
Five New Ways to Lower Blood Pressure the latest expert advice on how to keep hypertension at bay
I
f you don’t have high blood pressure now, odds are you will. About 31% of adult Americans have hypertension, but more than 66% of people over age 60 do, because blood pressure tends to increase with age. You might not know you have it, however—
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there aren’t any symptoms. “Your first clue may be a heart attack,” says David Katz, MD, director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center and the author of Disease-Proof: The Remarkable Truth about What Makes Us Well. “That’s why hypertension is called the silent killer.”
Justin Lambert/getty images
by Caroline Hwang
A few simple things can bring those important numbers in line. The usual advice still holds—cut down on salt, quit smoking, eat lots of fuits and vegetables, and do cardio exercise— but some of the new recommendations are even easier to follow. eat low-Fat, low-sugar yogurt.
People who ate one or more 6-ounce servings of yogurt twice a week over 14 years were about 31% less likely to develop high blood pressure than people who didn’t eat yogurt, found a recent study. lIFt weIgHts. In a study, women who
pumped iron cut systolic blood pressure (SBP; the first number) by 5 points and diastolic (DBP; the second) by 9 points—and the effects lasted longer afer the workout than for women who did cardio. Get the best of both worlds by doing both kinds of exercise, alternating days. DrInk Faux reD wIne. A recent study found that nonalcoholic red wine lowers blood pressure (SBP by 5.8 points and DBP by 2.3 points) afer 4 weeks. But any antioxidant-rich food or beverage will do, says Nieca Goldberg, MD, medical director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at NYU Langone Medical Center. enjoy a lIttle sun. Keeping up your levels of vitamin D by exposing your face, arms, and legs to the sun about
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Blood pressure by the numbers
new blood pressure guidelines may be released soon. critics say current categories are based on the average, not what’s healthiest: studies have found that stroke and heart disease risk can rise at blood pressures as low as 115/70. but until then, what’s called normal blood pressure is under 120/80, prehypertension is 120/80 to 139/89, and hypertension is 140/90 or higher.
15 minutes 3 days a week might lower your blood pressure if you’re deficient. “Vitamin D helps arteries relax and improves their functioning,” says Arshed Quyyumi, MD, a professor of cardiology at Emory University School of Medicine. His study found that D-deficient people who’d reached normal levels 6 months later saw their blood pressures go down an average of 4.6 points. No sun for you? Ask your doc to recommend a supplement. Hang wItH pals. Loneliness boosts SBP an average of 3 points a year over 5 years, found a 2010 study. “Take your social relationships seriously,” says Louise Hawkley, PhD, the study author and a senior research scientist at the University of Chicago. PREVENTION.COM • December 2013
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Breathing Space
“You will fnd as you look back upon your life that the moments that stand out, the moments when you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love.” —Henry Drummond, Scottish writer and lecturer
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MEDiCinE
How tierAonA low dog found Her HoliStic md wHo blendS trAditionAl
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WoMan
pAtH from HigH ScHool dropout to HeAling witH modern medicine by Janet
Ungless
l pHotogrApHS by Ryan
Heffernan
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i
t is said that the powwow, a sacred Early Struggles social gathering where tribes thank As Dr. Low Dog discovered, the medithe spirits for a bountiful harvest cine road has magnificent scenery but or call upon their protection in no highway signs offering direction, preparation for battle, could not hap- no neon lights flashing Danger Ahead. pen without a drum. Drums, Native There are detours and dead ends. Our Americans believe, carry the heartbeat only navigational tool is our soul’s of Mother Earth, calling the nations GPS—a deep understanding that the mind and spirit aren’t separate fom and spirits together. “When I was a little girl,” recalls Pre- the body. They must be nourished to vention advisor Tieraona Low Dog, MD, experience wholeness. Her early years were both happy and “my grandma Jo—my greatest inspiration—took me to a powwow at Medicine challenging, with summer days filled Lodge in Kansas.” Jo was one-quarter with catching perch and catfish on the Comanche, and these gatherings were dock with Grandma Jo, whom she depowerful for her. They were transforma- scribes as beautiful, tall, and proud: “She showed me what it was to be a tive for Dr. Low Dog as well. Jo would say, “Baby”—that’s what she strong woman.” But as a child, Dr. Low Dog also struggled with called her granddaughdyslexia, a learning dister when she was young— Science ability that made school “when you are born into so stressful that she didn’t the world, you are set and nature spend much time studyupon a path, and that path ing. Instead, she was out is your medicine road. are woven experiencing life in naThe way you think, the together like ture. “Please don’t get me way you treat other people, wrong, books and classthe way you feed yourself, a beautiful rooms are wonderful,” the way you move in the tapestry she says, “but I recognized world will determine your health and well-being.” inside of me. that it was also necessary to honor my own experiThat early experience at the powwow informed what Dr. Low ence in the world. I’ve told my children Dog would do later in life, she says. Now, many times, ‘There are some things I as director of the fellowship at the Arizo- cannot teach you. Some things can only na Center for Integrative Medicine, she be learned through a lived experience. is one of a handful of MDs who integrate You are going to have to figure out what traditional medicine into medical prac- is right for you, because there is nobody tice. “It is in the stuff of our everyday else in this world just like you.’ ” When she started skipping classes and lives that we find the answers to becomdabbling in drugs, the well-meaning ing healthy and whole,” she says.
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adults in her life mischaracterized her as irresponsible, and her confidence and self-esteem withered. She dropped out of school at 16 and searched for direction in the ceremonies of the Plains tribes, particularly the Lakota and Comanche, which are part of her Native American heritage. Afer traveling through Oklahoma and South Dakota, working at odd jobs along the way, she wound up in Richmond, VA, where her meager earnings were enough to allow her to open a small leather shop. There, a midwife who’d requested a custom-made medicine pouch eventually took her on as an apprentice and encouraged her when she wanted to attend massage school.
as a young girl, applying poultices of salt and sage to her puppy’s injured paw—and she dove deeper into herbal medicine. Native American culture holds that the body has a great capacity for self-healing if we nourish it with what it needs and if, as Dr. Low Dog puts it, we don’t get in the way too much: “That has infused the way I practice medicine.”
good at Something
At 17, Dr. Low Dog began studying martial arts and credits tae kwon do with disciplining her mind and giving her focus. “It gave me confidence and a deep sense of calm and internal quiet,” says Dr. Low Dog, now a third-degree black belt. “As I watched my body do things I never thought it could, I realized that with hard work and determination, I could accomplish anything.” For the first time, she felt really good at something. Her family had always used folk and herbal remedies—she herself had displayed a gif for natural healing
Tieraona Low Dog journals on her New Mexico ranch.
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Finding her path
Afer her first marriage fell apart, a close fiend suggested she do a vision quest, a Native American ritual. Afer months of preparation, Dr. Low Dog went out in the desert in solitude for 3 days and 2 nights without food or water. “I thought I went out there in search of my life,” she recalls, “but by the second night, I realized I was seeking something different, a death of sorts—letting go of my attachments: the shame, the blame, the sorrow of my life. I had to let that part of me die before the woman inside could be born.” At dawn on the third day, lying in her circle and looking up at the sky, Dr. Low Dog felt profoundly whole and at peace. “Since that first vision quest, I’ve never run fom discomfort,” she says. “I’ve learned to lean into it.” Over the next few years, Dr. Low Dog earned her GED, and “all kinds of doors opened for me,” she writes in her book Life Is Your Best Medicine. Afer completing her undergraduate studies, she was accepted into the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, graduating in 1996 as Outstanding Senior Medical School Student. Dr. Low Dog’s practice today is a reflection of her varied life experiences. “All the experiences I have encountered along my path have led me to where I 68
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Dr. Low Dog's native roots have brought her peace.
am today,” she says. “I love both science and nature. They are woven together in a beautiful tapestry inside of me. I am so honored that people have allowed me to enter into their lives for a time, that they trust me to partner with them to find a path that will allow them to feel more whole and healthy. Part of the challenge as a physician is to find the best place to engage somebody. For some, it’s the body. For others, the spirit is the doorway—you nourish the spirit, and soon they want to start moving more and eating better, because they see how all is interconnected.” Dr. Low Dog’s spirit is awakened each day at her ranch—appropriately named Medicine Lodge Ranch—nestled on several hundred acres, 7,500
feet above sea level, in northern New Mexico. She lives there with her husband of 10 years and their horses, chickens, cats, and dogs. The property is flanked on three sides by the magnificent wilderness of the Santa Fe
National Forest, and she has her own gardens, too: one medicinal herb patch and another for vegetables. “I live in paradise,” she says. “When I think of it all, I feel calm and centered, and my heart is filled with gratitude.”
The Low Dog Rx
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resilient people are able to gather their strength and resources to overcome adversity and get through those
dark, dreary days. it means that when we fall down, we are able to get back up again. We are most able to do this when we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually nourished. When women tell me they’re too busy to exercise, cook, or make time for themselves, i use it as an opportunity to explore what’s really important to them. because if you’re too busy to do those things that will lessen your chance of chronic illness, then i’d say it’s probably time to reevaluate and reprioritize your life.
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people are so busy that they don’t make time to go outside for a walk or a picnic. they forget that their Dna,
the very essence of who they are, calls for them to be in the green: to be by the water, in the mountains or the desert, to be in nature. We did not evolve in concrete and glass. We didn’t! We evolved in nature, and it comforts us. i promise that if you’d make time to be outside in nature, even for just a couple of hours each month, your spirit would be soothed and lifed.
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people also don’t make enough time to play. When you watch children at play, you see in their eyes and imaginations that everything is possible. Wow.
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i would love to see people go out and spend 3 days by themselves in a tent with food and water— but no
iphone, no books, no journal or pen, and nobody to talk with. it would be life changing: to know that you can be alone with your own thoughts and at peace with your own company. For many, it’s not the wild creatures of the forest that frighten us; it’s the demons of our own minds.
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afer 32 years of listening to people as a health practitioner, i’d say the
vast majority don’t really like themselves. Women especially are so critical: I don’t like my hair. I can never please my husband. I’m too fat. I’m not a good mother. the list goes on and on. i used to tell people to go home, write down three litle words, and tape them to the bathroom mirror. then when you go to brush your teeth or wash your hands, you’ll see it: I am enough. For whatever I need to do, I AM ENOUGH. PREVENTION.COM • DECEMbEr 2013
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set yourself up for Joy These five strategies will save your sanity and your spirits— even when the holidays get hectic.
anna WilliamS
by Bari Lieberman
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D
ben Shaul
on’t you want to be the kind of woman who can get through crazy times with an enviable, unflappable inner glow that seems to say, “It doesn’t matter if dessert gets ruined or my to-do list is 7,000 items long,” because you’re, well, happy? That’s who we all want to be during the holidays, and with these simple solutions, anyone can do it—including you. You’ll soothe stress, feel your best, and learn to enjoy each moment. Most important, you’ll make room for what the season is all about: joy.
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1. use mantras to stay in the moment
Even if you finished gif shopping in October and have a feezer full of prebaked cookies by Thanksgiving, stress can cause minor annoyances to pile up. To stay calm and avoid losing your cool, try a little self-talk. These affirmations fom Gabrielle Bernstein, the author of New York Times best seller May Cause Miracles, can help you refame grating situations with gratitude. you’re stuck in Line
I’m grateful for this moment to collect my thoughts. tHe cLerk is rude
I forgive you, and I release you. you ruined dessert
I let go of expectations.
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patitucci photo
you didn’t get tHe Present you wanted
2. reboot your Metabolism (and your mood) Working out isn’t just exercise, it’s also your “me” time. So when your day gets packed and those trips to the gym drop off the schedule, it’s not just your body but also your spirits that take a hit. Our fix? This 5-minute total-body routine created by Adam Rosante, founder of
the People’s Bootcamp in New York. Do it twice and you’ll torch 100 calories. How to do it: perform each exercise
for 60 seconds, moving as quickly as you can without sacrificing form. rest 20 seconds afer each move.
HigH-knee JumP roPe
targets: legs, core, arms While pretending to jump rope, raise right knee as high as you can (pictured), then repeat with lef knee, circling wrists, as though swinging a rope. continue alternating knees with each jump.
cLaP-uP
targets: arms, shoulders, core, chest Start in push-up position, arms straight (drop knees to floor to modify). extend lef arm forward at shoulder height, palm facing in, as if clapping someone’s hand across from you (pictured). return lef hand to floor and repeat on right side. perform a push-up. that’s 1 rep.
Power Lunge
targets: thighs, but Start in lunge, right foot a few feet in front of lef foot, lef fingertips reaching toward floor on the inside of right foot, right arm behind body. Jump up, straightening right leg and raising lef knee toward chest, swinging right arm overhead (pictured). return to lunge and immediately go into next jump. Switch sides halfway through set.
3-Point PLank HoP
targets: arms, core Start in push-up position, arms straight. Keep palms flat on floor and jump feet to outside of right hand (pictured), then back to start. repeat on lef side. Jump feet between hands, bringing knees to chest, then back to start. that’s 1 rep.
3. Alleviate aches and pains chriS philpot
It’s hard to bliss out when you’re sore. Post-travel, try the Eye of the Needle Pose, says Katy Steadman of Bernal Yoga in San Francisco. How to do it:
place right ankle on lef knee. lif lef leg to 90 degrees and thread right hand between legs, grabbing lef hand behind lef thigh. pull leg closer to body. hold for 30 seconds; repeat on other side. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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gallery StocK
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4. know when to take a time-out
You know that moment when a conversation just…turns? When someone brings up a touchy topic or a simple chat becomes an inquisition, stay sane (and civil) with these time-out tips fom life coach Sarah Olin, owner of Relax Already Yoga in New York. if you need to end an escaLating conversation:
Gently say to the person, “This is upsetting me. I need time to think about what you’re saying.” Then… duck out discreetLy:
Give yourself at least 10 minutes. Go to the bathroom, where no one will bother you; find the kids and make it your mission to make them laugh; walk the dog—again; or offer to make a last-minute grocery run. if you can’t Leave tHe scene:
Calm your nervous system with this simple technique, which you can do anywhere: Inhale for a count of 5. Hold for a count of 5. Exhale for 5. Hold for 5. Repeat 7 times.
5. focus on the upside of things
The silver lining to all those demands on your time: You’ll burn a ton of calories without even trying.* chopping down a holiday tree or firewood shoveling the driveway for 40 minutes (you’ll burn 125 calories using a snowblower) scrubbing and cleaning the house vigorously for 2 hours, in preparation for the in-laws Parking at the farthest parking spot at the mall (and later walking back to your car with all your shopping bags) Lugging your guests’ suitcases upstairs sprinting between terminals 1 and 3 at chicago’s o’hare international airport to catch a connecting flight
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Gifts of HealtH
& Happiness Some say that the act of giving cultivates generosity in all aspects of your life. make your offerings thoughtful and healthy, inspiring a happy and abundant new year for you and yours. PhotograPhS by Gregor Halenda
Stocking Stuffers: $20-and-under gems gifs from the heart: Handmade treats Splurges: Indulgent finds For a complete shopping guide with more of our favorite gifs, go to prevention.com/shop
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leaf, small-batch blends from sunlight, which can cause teas to lose their nourishing flavors.
combine 4 cups mixed unpited olives, 1 to 2 cups olive oil, 2 sliced lemons, 6 rinsed and dried thyme and rosemary sprigs, and 3/4 tsp hot-pepper flakes. divide into 6 jars (1 cup each) for the perfect on-hand hostess gif. the Lucero taste of Corning Sampler ($36; luceroolive oil.com) offers varieties of vinegar and extra virgin olive oil that can be used as a base for vinaigrete or as a finishing touch that adds taste and richness without salt or buter.
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1. FaIr Quinoa Vodka ($29.99; fairspirit.com) is delightfully mild in flavor and distilled from fair-trade, certified organic quinoa seeds.
jcocochocolate.com), with flavors like edamame sea salt. they’re creative and guilt-free, containing nothing but clean, non-gmo ingredients. 3. Support artisanal beekeepers with the bee raw 4 Cheese Complementing Varietal honey Flight ($45; beeraw .com), which comes elegantly packaged and ready for tasting.
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($265; cowgirlcreamery.com), a collection of organic artisanal cheeses, tasty accompaniments, and even serving tools.
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Sponsor a hive ($1,000; donate.rodaleinstitute.org) through the rodale Institute’s Honeybee conservancy. your generosity will help a honeybee colony of 50,000 bees (plus the plants they pollinate). It’s the sweetest gif you’ll ever give. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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nutrient-rich art you can harvest: Vertical Microgreen Planters ($89.95; williams-sonoma.com) hang on the wall and sprout arugula, basil, and mustard greens—no green thumb required.
Chakra roll-on oils ($12.79 each; auracacia .com) are formulated to balance energy flow in each of the seven chakras. (bonus: they double as prety, natural perfumes.)
Costa rica (from $1,295; eomega.org). these all-inclusive winter retreats include meditation, yoga, massage, and more.
the Coyuchi Unisex Jersey robe ($95; coyuchi .com) is made of the sofest 100% organic coton available. the medium weight makes it comfy year-round.
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pHoto courteSy oF omega InStItute For HolIStIc StudIeS, rHInebeck, ny, eomega.org
the Woodstock temple bells Quintet ($41.95; chimes.com) is patterned afer ancient chinese bells believed to bring prosperity and good luck. the brass bells’ tones can be used to begin and end a meditation—or just remind you to breathe.
1. bring the outdoors inside with the West Elm Faceted terrarium in brass ($29; westelm.com). a healthy addition to any bedroom, the glass vessel is an ideal home for succulents, which add oxygen to the air at night while you sleep; they remove formaldehyde, too. 2. the stunning teaposy Double Walled glass teapot ($69; rodales.com) insulates heat or cold, and the built-in stainless steel filter traps leaves when you’re steeping whole-leaf brews. 3. the abC Farm to table Fennel Pitcher and Chinese asparagus Vase ($85 and $40, respectively; abchome.com) are not only a beautiful way to bring fresh flowers into your home but also have dual functions: take water to the dinner table in the fennel pitcher, and store asparagus upright in the refrigerator in an inch of cold water so the spears last longer.
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Pretzels: Spread slightly warm melted caramel between 2 pretzel crackers. dip 1 side in melted chocolate, sprinkle with flaked sea salt, and chill until set. Have a wine snob—er, wine lover—on your list? EcoVine ($79 for two twobotle orders; ecovinewine.com) is a delivery service specializing in hard-tofind wines made with organic grapes from vineyards around the world.
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and cocoa powder, the bpa-free organic mexican essentials spice kit from Plant brooklyn ($20; plant brooklyn.com) will help the foodie on your list add some kick to her dishes.
1. Spoil your favorite chef with luxurious Five organic Extra Virgin olive oil ($49; ultralavish .com), made from highly prized greek koroneiki olives, which are cold-pressed to preserve nutrients. Its complex, robust flavor sets it apart from supermarket brands, and the beautiful botle is a conversation starter. 2. the Salt Sisters Vanilla Infusion Kit ($30.25; saltsistersonline .com) lets you play in the kitchen and make your own natural vanilla extract. Simply add vodka and beter baking abounds. 3. We dare you to find a tastier nut than Schermer roasted & Salted Pecans ($33; schermer pecans.com). most mixes are high in salt, but one serving of these has only 110 mg—plus vitamins and healthy fats. Just try not to eat the whole bag before you gif it.
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rehydrating Mini Lip glazes Set ($19; aveda.com) keeps lips glossy and healthy with plumping peptides and hydrating pomegranate oil. package these with a box of mistletoe.
the grown-up version of a new box of crayons, the Jane Iredale glamour Eye and Lip Palete ($88; shop.janeiredale.com) has 30 shades for eyes and lips and almost as many good-for-you ingredients, such as pine bark and pomegranate extract.
list: SheaMoisture Coconut & hibiscus Dead Sea Salt Nourishing Soak ($9.99; target) is aromatic and healing, stimulating circulation and sofening skin.
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EoS hand Lotion ($3.99; drugstores) is appropriately palm shaped: once women try the blend of shea buter, aloe, and vitamin c, the lotion never leaves their erstwhile winterchapped hands.
1. the St. John’s Sponge Company Sea Wool Sponge ($15–$25; saintjohnssponge.com) is a sustainably harvested, bacteriaresistant, biodegradable natural sea sponge that gently exfoliates. 2. For the makeup maven on your list: the tarte airbuki bamboo Powder Foundation brush ($26; tarte.com) is an elegant do-it-all kabuki brush made with renewable bamboo and eco-friendly bristles. 3. Library of Flowers bath oil ($28; libraryofflowers.com) hydrates skin with cocoa buter and calms with chamomile. 4. brooklyn grooming anchor afershave tonic ($42; brooklyn grooming.com) features palo santo, a scent used by the Incas to stimulate the immune system, along with cucumber and aloe to soothe skin. 5. Juniper ridge backpacker Colognes ($100–$122 each; juniperridge .com) are unisex, smell delicious, and are made entirely from wildcrafed plants gathered in caruthers canyon, big Sur, cascade glacier, Sierra
($13 each; rikumo.com) makes them absorbent, light, and fast drying.
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Feel good and move freely in the slim-fiting Steel Core Foldover yoga Pant ($75; rodales.com), made of supersof certified organic coton.
the adidas by Stella McCartney yoga bag ($70; adidas.com) is roomy and has adjustable straps, making it a convenient (and chic) way to tote a yoga mat. the hugger Mugger Nature Collection Ultra Mat ($39.95; huggermugger.com) has extra cushioning, so it’s easy on the knees, with plenty of stick to help prevent slips.
dropping excursions with this ultralightweight, compact, wearable, Wi-Fi–enabled Sony hDr-aS30V PoV action Cam ($299.99; sony.com).
the Polar Loop activity Monitor ($100; heart ratemonitorsusa.com) is a waterproof smart bracelet ideal for the fitness freak on your list. It captures activity, calories burned, and sleep and can be synced with a heart-rate sensor.
the runner on your list will love the 110% Play harder overdrive Compression + Ice Kit ($100; 110playharder.com). gradient compression in the socks enhances circulation, and reusable ice inserts stay in place so you can move while you recover.
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1. the cozy rEI therum Down Jacket ($99.50; rei.com) offers maximum warmth without restricting movement. Its high, insulated collar protects the neck from chilly weather, and an inner pocket is perfect for stashing electronics. 2. the sof fleece in the Columbia optic got It Stripe half Zip ($70; columbia
.com) holds in heat and disperses warmth to fight chilly temps, whether you’re skiing or making snow angels. 3. the brooks running adapt glove II ($50; brooksrunning.com) is the ultimate high-tech hand warmer, featuring touchscreen-friendly finger pads and a detachable mini led light to ensure nightime visibility. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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From the health-minded leon restaurants in london come these four Leon Cookbooks ($32 for 4; leonrestaurants.co.uk), guaranteed to show any budding chef the ropes for a healthy kitchen.
the bialeti aeternum Signature Series 11" Deep Sauté with Lid ($69.99; bedbathandbeyond.com) has a pFoafree nonstick coating and goes from stove top to oven for easy one-dish meals.
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Processor ($39.95; cuisinart.com) efficiently chops, grinds, and purees small batches— think pesto and hummus. It’s easy to clean and available in lots of fun colors (including new Iced blue mint).
the bar10der ($39.99; quench products.com) combines 10 essential cocktail tools—including a muddler/reamer and zester for infusing fruity and herbal flavors—into one go-to gadget.
no knife skills? no problem. anyone can chop fresh herbs and mince garlic in a beautiful Vermont-made Wooden herb bowl with Mezzaluna ($60; uncommongoods.com) using a rocking motion that’s easy on the wrists.
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1. ditch the plastic botles with the portable Mastrad Purefizz Soda Maker ($59.99; shopmastrad.com), which carbonates water, juices, and even wine in a sleek stainless steel vessel.
pear.com) are hand carved from fastgrowing fruit trees, so they’re eco, smooth, and gentle on cookware.
Press ($199; rodales.com) brews a bold cup of antioxidant-rich joe that’s environmentally friendly (no disposable pods) and as good as the grounds you choose. 3. roost Fruitwood Serving Utensils ($78 for set of 5; orangeand
protect small-scale farmers and songbird habitats in latin america.
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Finger
Feast by Lori Powell l PhotogRaPhS by Jason Varney
Yum, yummy, and yummier! These crowd-pleasers will satisfy every taste—no plates required.
5
IngREdIEntS & undER
50 caloRIES
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Food STYLing bY m. ALLAn ScHAnbAcHeR. PRoP STYLing bY KiRA coRbin FoR JAmeS RePS
Food
Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta
2 Tbsp pesto evenly over tops of •12 Spread toasted baguete slices (1⁄2" thick). cut
PREP-to-tablE tIME: 35 minutes +
standing time Makes 12
• Heat oven to 425°F. • Arrange 24 grape tomatoes or small cherry tomatoes (about 8 oz) in single layer on small baking sheet coated with olive oil spray. Spray tops and season with salt and pepper. Roast, shaking pan occasionally, until tomatoes are just wilted, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
4 bocconcini (small balls of fresh mozzarella; 11⁄2 oz total) into 6 slices each and divide evenly over toasts. Top evenly with roasted tomatoes, spooning some of the juices remaining in pan over top. garnish each toast with 2 small fresh basil leaves (if desired) and season with freshly ground black pepper.
VEgEtaRIan
• MEdItERRanEan dIEt
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Bacon-Cheddar P otato P oppers PREP-to-tablE tIME: 35 minutes +
cooling time Makes 12
•
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Heat oven to 425°F. Halve 6 small new potatoes (11⁄4”–11⁄2") crosswise and arrange cut side down on small baking sheet coated with olive oil spray. Spray tops and season with salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown on
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0 g SugaR
underside, about 20 minutes. Remove if tender; if not, flip over and roast about 5 minutes longer. Trim botoms, if necessary, to prevent potatoes from rolling, and let cool. (Potatoes can be roasted 8 hours ahead and reheated.) Top potatoes evenly with 3⁄4 oz grated cheddar (about 3 Tbsp) just before serving. bake until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Arrange on serving tray and top evenly with 2 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream, 1 cooked and crumbled slice bacon, and 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives or parsley.
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• low SodIuM • glutEn-fREE • undER 25 caloRIES
decembeR 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
GoatCheeseNut Pops PREP-to-tablE tIME: 20 minutes
Makes 12
•
mix together 1⁄4 cup herbed goat cheese, 2 Tbsp chopped pited dates, and 1 Tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese in bowl. Form into 12 balls (a generous 1 tsp each) with hands. Stir together 2 Tbsp chopped roasted and salted shelled pistachios and 1 tsp crushed pink peppercorns (if desired) in small bowl. Roll cheese balls in nut mixture and coat well. Poke small skewer (about 4") in each ball. Serve on plater or cover loosely and chill overnight. bring to cool room temperature before serving.
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Asian Barbecue Steak Bites PREP-to-tablE tIME:
20 minutes + marinating time Makes 12
•
Whisk together 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 Tbsp each light brown sugar and reduced-sodium soy sauce, and 2 tsp olive oil in shallow bowl. Add 7 oz trimmed skirt steak sliced crosswise into 12 equal pieces. Toss to coat. marinate 20 minutes or chill overnight. Heat broiler. coat small baking sheet lightly with olive oil spray. Trim 2 or 3 scallions and cut into 24 pieces (about 2" long). Transfer meat to cuting board and pour marinade into small saucepan. Top 1 short end of a beef slice with 2 scallion pieces. Roll beef up (to enclose scallions), keeping ends of scallions sticking out of sides. With metal or soaked wooden skewer, pierce beef horizontally through scallions. Repeat to make 12 skewers. broil beef 8" from heat, turning once, 5 to 6 minutes for medium-rare or until desired doneness. cover and let rest briefly. boil reserved marinade until thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange skewers on tray, garnish with additional scallion greens, and drizzle with reserved marinade.
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glutEn-fREE
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• daIRy-fREE
Chili Shrimp Skewers PREP-to-tablE tIME:
20 minutes + marinating time Makes 12
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Stir together 1⁄2 cup sweet or spicy asian chili sauce, 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves, 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, and 11⁄4 tsp minced garlic in medium bowl. Transfer half of the sauce to small bowl and reserve for dipping. Add 12 large peeled and deveined shrimp to bowl with remaining sauce and toss to coat. marinate 20 minutes. Heat broiler. With metal or soaked wooden skewers, pierce each shrimp (discard any remaining marinade) and arrange in single layer on small baking pan coated with olive oil spray. broil 6" from heat until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. garnish shrimp with cilantro sprigs or leaves and serve immediately with lemon slices or wedges and reserved dipping sauce.
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Jerk Chicken on P lantain Chips
PREP-to-tablE tIME: 20 minutes
Makes 12
•
combine 1⁄2 cup pulled cooked chicken breast, 21⁄2 Tbsp jerk sauce (we used busha browne’s Spicy Jerk Sauce), and 11⁄2 tsp olive oil in small saucepan. cook over medium heat, stirring, until heated through, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Trim 2 large scallion greens, split lengthwise, and cut into 12 (1") squares. Arrange 12 plantain chips (11⁄4"–11⁄2" diameter) on serving plater. Smear back of a scallion square with a litle 2% plain greek-style yogurt and place yogurt side down on a chip. Top with a generous 1⁄4 tsp yogurt and about 11⁄2 tsp of the chicken mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make 12 pieces. drizzle lightly with additional jerk sauce just before serving, if desired. Serve immediately.
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0 g Sat fat
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• low caRb
Endive Leaves with Sardines, White Beans, and Orange
PREP-to-tablE tIME: 15 minutes
Makes 12
cut 12 small curls of zest from 1 small orange and reserve, •wrapped in plastic. Remove peel and white pith from orange and,
working over bowl, release segments from membrane with small sharp knife, allowing fruit and juices to fall into bowl. Squeeze membrane to extract any remaining juices. Add 1⁄4 cup rinsed, drained, and slightly mashed canned white beans; 3 canned sardines packed in olive oil, halved or quartered and pated dry; 4 pited olives, sliced; and 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper and gently toss together. Arrange 12 small endive leaves on plater and top evenly with orange mixture. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and garnish with reserved zest curls. Serve immediately.
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0 g Sat fat no cook low SodIuM daIRy-fREE MEdItERRanEan dIEt glutEn-fREE
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Spiced Chickpea-Yogurt D ip PREP-to-tablE tIME: 10 minutes + chilling time
Serves 12
Rinse and drain 1 can (15 oz) •chickpeas (we used goya). Add to food processor with •6 Tbsp 2% plain greek-style
yogurt, 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 11⁄4 tsp minced garlic, and
Almost-Instant Appetizers
Stock your kitchen with these healthy entertaining essentials and you’ll be ready to party whenever guests drop by. 1. Sabra classic guacamole: Full of healthy fat, fiber, and vitamin c 2. wholly classic Mild Salsa: only 10 calories per serving and no preservatives 3. cindy’s kitchen fresh buttermilk Ranch: Lots of creaminess and zing while low in saturated fat 4. tostitos Simply blue corn tortilla chips: made with organic corn 5. ketle brand bakes Sea Salt Potato chips: A baked chip that doesn’t sacrifice flavor or crunch 6. kashi original 7-grain Sea Salt Pita crisps: The mix of good-foryou grains provides 5 g of fiber 7. triscuit hint of Salt: Just 50 mg sodium (and 3 g of fiber) per serving, leaving room for toppings 8. kerrygold Reduced-fat dubliner cheese: made with milk from grass-fed cows; velvety
11⁄2 to 2 tsp Moroccan seasoning (we used mccormick). Season with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. cover and chill until ready to serve. (makes 11⁄2 cups.) Serve with pita chips or crudités for dipping.
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texture with one-third less fat 9. Vermont creamery fresh goat cheese: naturally lower-in-fat cheese with a pleasant, mild tang 10. Mezzeta napa Valley bistro Jalapeño Stuffed olives: marinated in wine for a flavorful twist 11. divina kalamata olive Spread: Supplies good fat and bold flavor 12. Planters nut-rition heart healthy Mix: nutrient packed with 50% less sodium 13. applegate naturals chicken nuggets: crispy, antibiotic-free chicken nibbles 14. bumble bee Superfresh lemon Shrimp with garlic & herbs: Low in calories and carbs— sauté, skewer, and serve 15. amy’s Pesto Pizza: Less sat fat and sodium than in most frozen options; fresh-tasting toppings 16. alexia Mushroom bites with Roasted garlic & olive oil: Fun, nongreasy finger food 17. garden lites buternut Squash Souffle: A sweet and satisfying source of vitamin A; serve with crackers PREVENTION.COM • decembeR 2013
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The way to get through tough times? Start with
advanced gratitude.
micha pawlitzki/getty images
by Denise Foley
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hen the editorial cartoonist Marshall Ramsey put together a list of things he was grateful for, his two Pulitzer Prize nominations didn’t make the cut. In fact, even he admits his gratitude inventory sounds a little crazy: his first job afer college as a high school janitor; the recession that forced him into part-time work; a melanoma diagnosis; all the people who didn’t believe in him. Every one of those terrible twists, he explains, was responsible for a blessing. That job led him to his future wife, the daughter of a fellow janitor; getting laid off gave him the time to launch a second career in book illustration and radio; and his cancer diagnosis spurred him to help save hundreds of lives by organizing a series of runs to raise melanoma awareness. And all those naysayers? Let’s just say they were the ill winds beneath his wings. “A good analogy is if you’re canoeing downstream and you hit a rock, it can either sink you or push you in another direction,” says Ramsey. “If you choose the other direction, it’s a blessing.” Ramsey is a prime example of what might be called advanced gratitude: the ability to identify and appreciate the bad events in your life because of what you’ve gained fom them. It’s far fom a rare experience. Studies have found that gratitude is a prevailing, if counterintuitive, emotion among breast cancer survivors, people with spinal cord injuries, and post-9/11 Americans.
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1. Establish a gratitude baseline Before you achieve advanced gratitude, it helps to get in the habit of being thankful for your good fortune. “If we train ourselves to look for the gifs when life is going well, it will be easier to spot them during the rough times,” says Robert Emmons, PhD, director of the Emmons Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, and arguably the nation’s leading gratitude researcher. Numerous studies have found that people who keep journals or make lists of what they’re thankful for are happier, more optimistic, more energetic, and nicer to other people than those who don’t. Their physical health blossoms, too. In one of his studies, Dr. Emmons found that people who created weekly gratitude lists exercised 90 minutes more, on average, than a control group
justin bailie
W
Clearly, you don’t become grateful for difficulties overnight (and rarely in the throes), but once you do, you’re privy to some amazing alchemy that will allow you to heal what hurts and see the victory that’s ofen at the center of every seeming defeat. It also boosts what one leading expert calls your psychological immune system, and it may even physically alter your brain so that gratitude isn’t just something you feel occasionally but guides how you approach life. And it all starts with making a habit of appreciating what you have, what you’ve lost, and what your life would be like if fate hadn’t nudged you this way or that. Here are three steps to work your way into advanced gratitude.
“If you’re canoeing downstream and you hit a rock, it can either sink you or push you in another direction.”
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2. retrain your own brain Tying thoughts of gratitude to the stressful events in your life may even change your neural pathways. A long-accepted concept in neuropsychology is that “neurons that fire together wire together.” So when your stress neurons fire, make your gratitude neurons do so, too; this helps the two types connect with each other so that when stress hits, it will be easier for you to find something to be grateful for. Gratitude can also counteract the many damaging effects of stress on the body, even improving heart health, found one study published this year in the journal Psychological Science. In research done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, people who regularly practiced loving-kindness meditation, which promotes love and compassion toward oneself and others, improved in one measure of heart health—better tone in their vagus nerve, which extends fom the brain stem to 104
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the gut and regulates heart rate, breathing, and the relaxation response. Responding to the positive is a tough sell for the brain, which is programmed to suss out danger and avoid it, says neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, PhD, the author of Hardwiring Happiness and Buddha’s Brain. “The first rule of the wild is to eat lunch, not be lunch,” he says with a laugh. “But those avoidance systems are organized around opportunities and the response to threats, and they’re generally more ancient than the systems that are organized around reward. We’re more attentive to sticks than to carrots.” This means that to create any lasting changes in the brain—the kinds that will make thankfulness your default emotion, protect you fom the ravages of stress, and increase your resilience—you need to hammer it home by practicing gratitude not only fequently but with considerable emotional intensity. “Try this as a regular practice,” Dr. Hanson says: “Have an experience of gratitude that lasts at least 20 seconds, feeling it in your body, and giving yourself over to it to help it sink into your brain.” Don’t just be thankful for that beautiful sunset, he says: “Sit with it for 20 seconds straight, and be open to the feelings in your body when you see it. Feel the positive emotions related to gratitude that come up—the feeling of being glad that you’re alive, grateful for your connection with other people, your sense of awe. To build up neural encoding, it really helps to feel the emotion in your body—and even allow it to become intense.”
david mayhew/tandemstock.com
who tracked their hassles. And grateful people had less pain, slept an hour longer, and woke up feeling more refeshed, according to other research. But don’t overdo it. Counting your blessings via journaling just three times a week can help you build a strong, positive attitude, but doing it any more than that can backfire, according to studies by University of California, Riverside, researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD. “You just adapt to it so it’s no longer as effective,” she says. “It becomes boring or a chore.”
3. Remember the hard stuff If you have trouble coming up with reasons to be grateful, try the technique Dr. Emmons recommends to help remind you of what you’ve gained fom sorrow, tragedy, and loss. “Think of your worst moments—your sorrows, your losses, your sadness—and then remember where you are now,” says Dr. Emmons, who chronicles his 3-week get-thankful program in his book Gratitude Works! “You got through the worst day of your life, you got through
good, it turns out, is even more effective at making us thankful than remembering our own good fortune. In one study, participants who wrote about ways in which a positive event might not have happened and of how they might never have met their romantic partners felt more positive and happier with their relationships than people who just straightforwardly described the events. “When we remember how difficult life used to be and how far we have come, we set up an explicit contrast in our
the trauma, you got through the trial, you endured the temptation, you survived the bad relationship, you’re making your way out of the dark.” He also encourages imagining a life in which you didn’t meet your spouse, live in your current neighborhood, or encounter the people who became lifelong fiends. That triggers what’s called the George Bailey effect, afer the character in Frank Capra’s film It’s a Wonderful Life who, with help fom an angel-inwaiting named Clarence, learns how terrible life would have been for the people he loves if he’d never been born. Imagining the absence of something
mind, and this contrast is fertile ground for gratefulness,” Dr. Emmons says. It builds up your resilience muscles, too, so you not only cope well, but you’re also able to find the good no matter how hidden it seems to be. “Gratitude is an element of resilience in that it helps us recover fom adversity,” Dr. Emmons says. It’s part of a person’s psychological immune system that helps convert tragedy into opportunity: “The ability to see the elements of one’s life and even life itself as gifs is essential for this. Suffering can be a reason for gratefulness in that it shatters our illusions of self-sufficiency… and teaches us what’s truly important.” PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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because of their injuries, they began to deeply appreciate all the little things they once took for granted, like the sounds of birds outside their windows and the joy of playing with their grandchildren. They realized that they were no longer self-sufficient, which also led them to appreciate the help and support fom family and fiends. Knowing that others are there for you makes you feel loved, says Dr. Emmons. The ability to bounce back after trauma is what psychologists call posttraumatic growth, a positive transformation that can occur when people go through serious stress, such as a chronic illness, an injury, or disaster. “We’re not talking about people being grateful for 106
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the cancer, the injury, or the disaster but for what happens in the afermath, what they’ve gained from struggling through the event,” says psychologist Richard Tedeschi, PhD, of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, who coauthored four books on the ways people change afer trauma. “They tend to go through a process: Who am I, what kind of future do I want, and what makes sense to do with my time here on earth, now that this event has stopped me in my tracks?” There are lessons learned and lives remade better than before. Marshall Ramsey admits that afer his ordeals, he usually threw himself a “pity party.” But over time, he began to notice the pattern: Whatever he thought of as the worst thing that had ever happened to him usually turned into something positive. “Afer getting a cancer diagnosis, I came to appreciate life a lot more. I’ve given my mortality a big old kiss,” he jokes. “So many people who’ve had their melanomas caught come up to me at our runs and say, ‘You saved my life.’ Afer nearly winning the Pulitzer Prize, I got downsized, but I found that when you lose your dream job, you just have another dream. There’s a lot of good that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone part-time. “Now, with this gift of hindsight, when something bad happens and I stop and say, ‘What’s the good in this?’ I’ve found that sometimes, the worst moment of your life turns out to be the best. I’m thankful that I now know that.”
from left: aaron schmidt/tandemstock.com. justin bailie/tandemstock.com
In a 2013 Canadian study of 15 people with spinal cord injuries, most were grateful just to be alive. They had, afer all, faced death. They refamed their post-traumatic lives as a second chance to embark on new adventures. Once they learned to deal with the practical obstacles, many of these people went on to start or finish college, launch new careers, or work as peer counselors for other spinal cord injury patients. They also told the researchers that
It’s part of a person’s psychological immune system that helps convert tragedy into opportunity. PREVENTION.COM • december 2013
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Pets
Decoding Your Dog your dog wishes you’d read this and start speaking his language. by Arden Moore
A
t the park, you encounter a tense, staring canine whose tail is wagging slowly and stiffly. How you respond—and whether or not you get bitten—depends on which of these three personality types you fall into: the clueless, the caretaker, or the controller, says Alice Moon-Fanelli, PhD, a certified applied animal behaviorist in Eastford, CT.
joan vicent cantÓ roig/getty images
Teach him to understand you.
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Pets
•
Clueless: Interprets a wagging tail to mean “I’m fiendly” and approaches head-on Caretaker: Thinks the dog is scared and needs comforting Controller: Believes she can overpower the dog with stern talk The dog’s real message: “Back off or I might bite you.” Respecting a dog’s body posture helps you communicate more effectively.
• •
How Well Do You Speak Dog? Decode your canine’s communications: 1. Barking when the doorbell rings
2. lowering his head when you’re angry
You discover your couch shredded or a puddle (or worse) on the floor. You yell at your dog. He lowers his head and tail and scoots away. You think he feels guilty. Nope. “The pose isn’t guilt—it’s a submissive posture meant to blunt your anger,” says Sophia Yin, 112
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Reward him for siting in place.
DVM, an animal behaviorist and the author of How to Behave So Your ThisDog is a Behaves. dummy caption, this exercise train him: Dogs that get daily and have engaging toys (e.g., one you can stuff with a treat) are less apt to become destructive. House soiling may mean you need to start a consistent potty-training program. 3. Jumping on people
Consider it his doggy display of affection. This behavior is unintentionally rewarded when you yell or wave your hands in protest. “Any attention, good or bad, is still attention in your dog’s mind,” says Dr. Yin. train him: Teach your dog to come when called and then to sit when guests arrive. Reward him with one treat for sitting and additional treats for remaining seated.
oli tennent/gallery stock
Your dog is sounding the alarm, and his barking escalates when you yell at him to be quiet. So acknowledge him by calmly saying, “I’ve got it. Go to your spot.” Then point to a nearby rug or dog bed. train him: Get two fiends. When one rings the doorbell, show your leashed dog a favorite treat and toss it away fom the door while you say, “Go to your spot.” When he does, have your second fiend step on the leash to keep him there—your dog will settle down if everyone is quiet and calm. Then open the door and reward your dog for sitting in his designated spot.
A yearly visit to your family vet is as essential as food and love.
Make an appointment for an annual checkup today. HealthyPetCheckup.org
readers’ remedies
Stomach Stress, Solved Your stomach has a lot to handle this time of year: frazzled nerves, too much food, and travel queasiness. Here’s how to get relief naturally.
If your stomach is in knots… Try valerian root extract.
ÑAmanda Burlin
If you’re bloated… Drink hot water with lime.
—Chantal Gionet
If you have indigestion… Chew a handful of fennel seeds.
—Shilpa Luthra
If you feel nauseated... Try ginger slices— they’re my go-to.
—Sophie Smith
If you ate too much… Sip fresh lemon-balm tea.
These reader tips have been reviewed by roberta Lee, md, vice chair of the department of integrative medicine at beth Israel medical center’s center for Health and Healing, and roxanne b. Sukol, md, mS, staff physician for preventive medicine at the cleveland clinic’s Wellness Institute.
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joHn burgoYne
—Melissa Hunter
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our holiday gift guide (p. 76) is packed with the healthiest, hardest-to-part-with gifts for everyone on your list. For the ultimate stress-free gifting experience, we teamed up with amazon .com and rodales.com to make sure each item is just a click away: prevention.com/shop
a PeeK at our Next issue >the new Super detox:
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your body from within. >Sip your way to health with super smoothies and seasonal soups.
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You can count on the recommendations you find in Prevention Online: prevention.com/customer-service; e-mail: pvncustserv to be checked thoroughly for accuracy and supported by the @cdsfulfillment.com; phone: (800) 813-8070; or mail: Prevention opinions of leading experts and up-to-date research. Customer Service, PO Box 26299, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-6299 Prevention (ISSN 0032-8006) is published monthly by Rodale Inc. Vol. 65, Number 12. Office of publication is 400 S. 10th St., Emmaus, PA 18049; (800) 813-8070. Copyright 2013 by Rodale Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Emmaus, PA, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster (US): Send address changes to Prevention, PO Box 26299, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-6299. In Canada: Postage paid at Gateway, Mississauga, Ontario. Canada Post Publication Mail Agreement Number 40063752. GST#R122988611. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Prevention, 2930 14th Ave., Markham, Ontario L3R 5Z8. All rights reserved. Prevention is a registered trademark of Rodale Inc. Subscribers: If the postal authorities alert us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within 18 months. Reader Preference Service: We occasionally make our mailing list available to other companies whose products or services might interest you. If you prefer not to be included, write to Prevention Customer Service, PO Box 26299, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002-6299. Printed in the USA.
STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION OF Prevention REQUIRED BY ACT OF OCTOBER 23, 1962: SECTION 4369, TITLE 39, UNITED STATES CODE, FILED, October 1, 2013. Prevention is published 12 times a year at 400 South 10th Street, Emmaus, PA 18049, publication and general business offices. 1. The names and addresses of the publisher, editor, and managing editor are: Publisher: Lori Burgess, 733 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017; Editor: Anne Alexander, 400 South 10th Street, Emmaus, PA 18049; Managing Editor: Polly Chevalier, 400 South 10th Street, Emmaus, PA 18049. 2. The owner is: Rodale Inc., 400 South 10th Street, Emmaus, PA 18049. The stockholders thereof being, Rodale Family Trusts—JP Morgan Trust Company as Trustee. 3. The known bond holders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: None.
Average no. of copies each issue during preceding 12 mos.
seP 2013 single issue nearest to filing date
3,544,183
3,478,295
2,596,460
2,547,383
3. Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales, and other paid
231,627
211,218
C. Total Paid Circulation (sum of B1 and B3)
2,828,087
2,758,601
d1, e. Free or nominal rate distribution
152,954
165,940
F. Total distribution (sum of C and e)
2,981,041
2,924,541
559,103
553,729
4,039
25
3,544,183
3,478,295
94.87%
94.33%
A. Total no. Copies (net Press run) B. Paid Circulation 1. Mailed Paid Subscriptions
g. Copies not distributed Single Copy Not Distributed Other Not Distributed h. Total (sum of F and g) i. Percent Paid Publication of the statement of ownership is required. Will be printed in the december issue of this publication. Tom Pogash, evP/CFo, 9/27/2013
PostscriPt
This holiday season, remind yourself that it’s not what you wrap in a box that counts most. The intention you bring and the simplest gifs of time, laughter, love, and friendship are worth far more than anything you could put a bow on. The best gif you can give your loved ones is you. 118 December 2013 • PREVENTION.COM
Dennis welsh
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