Here’s help for keeping your symptoms in check as summer creeps in: Cool off—quick. “Rosacea is greatly aggravated by heat,” says Richard Odom, MD, a professor of clinical dermatology at the University of California San Francisco. “Patients not only cite more frequent bouts of redness, but they also last longer.” When you feel your face heating up, grab a cold drink, suck on some ice, or apply a cold compress to your face to bring your skin’s temperature down....
But no matter how far away you live from Boston, you might be feeling overwhelmed and asking the same question: What should I do? We spoke to Harvard psychologist William Pollack, PhD, a member of the Men’s Health advisory board, about how to weather the emotions that often follow the bombings in Boston and events like it. Trust the pros.In a time of tragedy, it’s important to gather reasonable information, says Pollack....
CHERRY JUICEHow much:Best time to sip:Beverage benefits:Here’s how 2½ cups Every day for a week leading up to (as well as the day of) any athletic event like a race. Endurance athletes who drank cherry juice before running a marathon felt less pain afterward than those who didn’t. Phytochemicals in the drink appear to ease inflammation. (Cherry juice can also help you sleep 90 more minutes a night. .) FAT-FREE MILKBest time to sip:How much:Beverage benefits: Right after strength-training 2 to 4 cups The protein in the milk helps repair muscles you’ve exerted....
When it comes to preventing dry skin, doctors rave about moisturizers with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), originally derived from milk, fruit, or sugarcane. AHA moisturizers do double duty. “They remove dry, dead, crusty, scaly skin, and they trap moisture in your skin,” says Susan C. Taylor, MD, assistant clinical professor of medicine in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia. “Some over-the-counter AHA products are better than others,” says Karen S....
Cholesterol is essential for good health. “Cholesterol is important for cell function,” says Prediman K. Shah, MD, director of the Oppenheimer Atherosclerosis Research Center and Atherosclerosis Prevention and Treatment Center at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles. Cholesterol makes up every cell in our body, so ridding ourselves of it completely is not an option. “Essentially, our body makes and gives us all we need,” adds Fred Pescatore, MD, an integrative physician in New York City....
[sidebar]Over the years, we have learned much about the essentials of a loving relationship by observing Louie. Louie has been our faithful companion. He tells us (with his doggie voice and actions) that he is delighted to see us, that he missed us and that he loves us. When we come home from work or play, he shivers, howling a gurgling sound and wags his tail uncontrollably. Imagine if your actions and the actions of your spouse lifted your spirits and made you feel just as delighted to see each other as the actions of your dog!...
Drinking lots of soft drinks and beer is guaranteed to cause problems, but your saliva also contains tiny air bubbles that travel to your stomach with every swallow. Some people naturally swallow excessive air when they eat or drink, and patients who have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) tend to belch more frequently because they swallow often to drive stomach acid out of the throat, says William J. Snape Jr, MD....
Ready to start one of your own? Here’s how: Start simple. It’s a good idea to begin with approachable cookbooks for your crowd, says Grant Bremer, founder of the Greenlight Cookbook Club in Brooklyn. Pick something that doesn’t require too much special equipment or training before diving into the deep end. We like Donna Hay’s Fresh and Light ($40; donnahay.com) for a healthy, summer-ready spin on classic dishes. 2. Grow bold....
Good news for the 170 million people worldwide who have hepatitis C—help might be a cup of green tea away. A flavonoid found in the potent beverage inhibits the hepatitis C virus from entering liver cells, a new study in the journal Hepatology found. That’s particularly helpful for the many patients who don’t respond to standard treatment, as well as people undergoing liver transplants because of the disease, who have a high risk of being reinfected....
And while many bacteria are harmless, others actually keep you healthy. “Probiotics are bacteria that have beneficial properties to humans,” says Matthew L. Mintz, MD*, clinical associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and a physician in Bethesda, MD. “They live naturally in or on our bodies and can help maintain health and prevent damage.” As you may know, your digestive tract is especially ripe with bacteria, and the good kind —a....
Cell phones are dangerous to use in hospitals because they can interfere with medical equipment. Verdict: JURY’S OUT. There’s a chance that a cell phone call in the wrong spot can cause ventilators, syringe pumps, or even pacemakers to pulse incorrectly, according to a 2007 Dutch study. The researchers tested modern cell phones that use wireless Internet signals. After placing the phones just a few centimeters from devices, researchers found that 43% of the phones caused electromagnetic interference with critical care equipment—and a third of those instances could be potentially life-threatening to patients....
If you’re unsure what’s triggering your sciatica, try all three routines and note which one helps the most. For the best results, do your stretches daily before you get out of bed in the morning, or at night before you fall asleep. If you’d prefer, you can also do these stretches on the floor. Cause of Sciatic Pain: Herniated disc The following two stretches help create distance between the bulging discs in the spine, taking pressure off the sciatic nerve....
The answer is a bit complicated, since “nervous breakdown” isn’t a phrase that you’ll find written on a contemporary’s medical chart. In the past, it was used as a catchall diagnosis that could mean someone had one of any number of psychiatric disorders. The common thread is that whatever was going on rendered them unable to function normally, at least for a period of time. Modern mental health professionals no longer use the vague phrase “nervous breakdown,” and their goal is to identify the specific issue (such as major depression, panic disorder, or schizophrenia, among other possibilities) that caused what they might refer to as an “emotional health crisis,” “mental health crisis,” or “mental breakdown,” says Heather Senior Monroe, MSW, LCSW, a social worker and director of program development at Newport Academy, a mental health treatment center....
This is one of our favorite 60-second moves. It carves leaner, stronger legs, and lifts your butt, and—because it works the largest muscles in your body—it also burns calories and spikes your metabolism. MORE: A New Way To Tone Your Thighs
Grapefruit Juice Grapefruit juice negatively interacts with more than 50 medications, including statins. Since the effects of the citrus juice last more than 24 hours, simply taking your meds at a different time won’t solve the problem. Pomegranate Juice An enzyme found in pomegranate juice can break down several blood pressure prescriptions. MORE: Hidden Danger: OTC Drugs and Driving Milk, Soy Milk, Milk-Based Smoothies Calcium can interfere with the effectiveness of thyroid medication....
ShazamBest for: Playlist JunkiesLove your instructor’s tunes? Shazam’s new auto-tracking feature identifies and tags every song played over the next hour, giving you one-touch access to your favorites on iTunes. (free) Charity MilesBest for: Do-Good AdventurersLog workouts and earn donations for organizations like Stand Up to Cancer: 25 cents for every mile you walk/run and 10 cents for every mile cycled. (free) MovesBest for: Data-Curious WalkersIt uses your phone’s motion processor to keep tabs on distance, steps, and calories burned....
