better
health
n e w s
THE' 'KNOW-HOW •
YOU' ' NEED' ' TO' ' STAY ' HEALTHY
I follow the directions on
t ce
cleaning my, contact lenses
closely, yet they Still s\em
irritate d y eyeS. Why?
to
Are you washing your hands thoroughly before you put them in?
An unwashed finger can easily introduce germs and small bits of grit into your eye, says
William Sax, an optometrist at the Cleveland Eye Institute. Scrub with a plain soap such
as Ivory and water before touching your lenses. Stay away from moisturizing soaps and
creams, which can leave a film on the lens and may be the source of some of your
irritation. Lastly, make sure your hands are completely dry before fishing out your
contacts from the case. “Tap water has a lot of microbes that can be introduced into the
eye and lead to infections,” says Sax. —KATHLEEN PARRISH
by the numbers
, 6 0 0
Every day. the
number of kids,
aged 12 to 17 who
start smoking
Portion control is a critical factor in weight loss and maintenance, and portion
control dishes that help you serve correct amounts of food have been
around for years. But most of them are plastic and, well, pretty ugly. So it
was a surprise and a delight when we came across Thinnerware, a new line
that is downright lovely. The dishes use clever design instead of laboratoiy-
like markings to measure serving sizes. Cover the large flower on the plate
with food and you know you have a }£-cup serving. A small flower’s worth of
food is % cup. The bottom ring in the bowls measures % cup. Fill it to the
top ring and you have
1
% cups. See the dishes and their prices at
thinnerw are.com
or request a brochure by calling
801
/
669-0870
between
9
a m and
6
p.m. Mountain Time.
It’s been a long-held belief that
many kids take up smoking to
look older. This is truer than they
realize— smoking rapidly ages skin
by reducing blood flow, causing it
to wrinkle much sooner. Smoking
also does major damage to teeth
and gums, making it more likely
young smokers will develop
premature gum disease and tooth
loss. Talk to your teens, whether
you think they’re smoking or not,
about the dramatic effect the
habit has on their appearance, not
to mention their health. Get more
info about how to have this talk
at
smokefree.gov.
236 NOVEMBER 2009
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: ANDY LYONS
