better
HEALTH
m
LONGEVITY
PRESCRIPTION
The 8 Proven Keys
to a
Long. Healthy Life
m m I in u i. 1.1
Institute on Aging fo u n d er
Robert N. Butler, M.D., shares his
expert advice on how to live a
long, healthy life. In
The
Longevity Prescription
(Penguin,
$26), the Pulitzer Prize-w inning
au th o r notes the benefits of
sleeping better, shelving stress,
being active, and eating healthier.
He also o ffers sim ple, do-able
advice about im plem enting each
“ prescription.” O u r favorite?
Adding a vase o f flo w ers to
y o u r w orkspace. He says studies
show that the bloom s can help
you relax and can even boost
y o u r perform ance.
Not milk’s cup of tea
Tea is loaded w ith antioxidants,
low ering heart disease, stroke, and
cancer risk. Just be m indful o f yo u r m ixer.
Lem on o r lim e boosts tea’s antioxidant power,
w hile m ilk reduces it, say researchers from Kngland s O xfo rd
Brookes U niversity. In th e ir study, skim m ilk decreased tea’s
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antioxidants by up to 25 percent, w hole m ilk b y 7 percent.
Bullies are scary— to parents, as well as
kids— but there are effective ways to
protect your child at school. Susan
Swearer, Ph.D., a school psychology
professor at the University of Nebraska,
Lincoln, and co-director of the
university's Bullying Research Network,
offers this advice:
LEARN TO LISTEN Kids who feel they
can tell their parents everything are
more likely to open up about bullying.
NURTURE TALENTS Kids engaged in
extracurricular activities build strong
BEAT
TH E
BULLY
support networks of friends and
mentors who can help with bullying.
WATCH FOR SILENT SYMPTOMS
Headaches, stomachaches, unexplained
illnesses, reluctance or refusal to attend
school, or an unexplained drop in
grades are all warning signs.
TAKE ACTION If your child is being
bullied, urge him to tell you the details.
Take notes to document the abuse;
meet with school authorities. Then,
work with the school to develop an
action plan. Follow up frequently.
knee-j erk reaction
Which shoes would you bet on to ease painful knee arthritis—expensive walking
shoes or your no-name tennies? Score one for counterintuitive responders: the
cheap sneaks! Researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago
tested 31 people with arthritis in their knee by having them wear one of four
different shoes: clogs, “stability shoes,” sneakers with flexible soles, or flip-flops.
To the researchers’ surprise, the clogs and stability shoes actually increased
stress on the knee, while the flip-flops and sneakers reduced it. The lesson:
Soles of shoes should be flexible and fairly low to the ground to reduce stress
on the knees (flip-flops offer scant support and are a falling hazard).
248A
SEPTEMBER 2010 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTOS: (CUP OF TEA AND TENNIS SHOES) VEER: (YOUNG GIRLS) JUPITER IMAGES
