Prevention January 2013

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE Tasneem Bhatia, MD, medical director and founder, the Atlanta Center for Holistic & Integrative 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 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 DERMATOLOGY Mary P. Lupo, MD, clinical professor of dermatology, Tulane University 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 Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, fitness research director, Quincy College HEART HEALTH Arthur S. Agatston, MD, associate professor of medicine, University…

J.I. Rodale started Prevention magazine to share important, revolutionary health information. Some 65 years later, Maria Rodale, J.I.’s granddaughter, is renewing that promise as chairman and CEO, and I am thrilled to be the brand’s chief champion. With this issue, we are taking Prevention back to our roots in preventing illness and into the future of health, healing, and happiness. We’re adding more health news, medical breakthroughs, and natural remedies. We’re inviting leading experts to answer your questions, including Drs. Andrew Weil, Sanjay Gupta, Travis Stork, Tasneem Bhatia, and Tieraona Low Dog. And throughout, we’re celebrating life after 40, embracing the 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond as powerful, fruitful, wonderful years to savor and enjoy. Indeed, there is a new section called Your Turn dedicated to sharing the insights that…

As you envision the next year, let your imagination, not your fears, guide your aspirations. Even if you stretch yourself to try something new but stumble, when you get up, you will be all the better for it: A UCLA study revealed that making mistakes enhances learning. Students who spent time before a test answering questions incorrectly and getting feedback scored higher than their peers who spent an equal amount of time studying the set of test questions along with the correct responses. Don’t fear being wrong—erring and learning may actually be the reason to take a chance!…

It’s getting hot in here, and it’s not just you. Up to 80% of women going through menopause get hot flashes, but effective remedies are rare. Now there’s a new option: hypnosis. In a study from Baylor University’s Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory, hot-flash-prone postmenopausal women received weekly training in self-hypnosis. Researchers helped them visualize images of coolness (think walking along a mountain creek) and asked them to practice daily at home. After 12 weeks, the women, on average, reported about 75% fewer hot flashes, and skin-heat sensors they wore measured a 57% reduction in hot-flash severity. Here’s why it works: Hypnosis provides immediate relief by helping you relax, quieting your heart rate. Also, during menopause, your body is in a state of temperature deregulation, says study author Gary Elkins, PhD,…

So despite all your hand washing and good hygiene, you’ve caught a cold. Instead of reaching for a multisymptom “cold remedy,” consider a more targeted treatment that won’t leave you groggy or overmedicated. These three products can help you recover faster and keep your illness from morphing into something worse. 1 CUT YOUR COLD SHORT Cold-Eeze: Zinc lozenges can reduce your sick days. Researchers believe that the zinc ions bind to the same receptors in your throat and chest as the cold virus, which helps keep the bug from spreading. 2 STOP SINUS INFECTIONS Ocean Saline Nasal Spray: By keeping your nasal passages moist, saline can help stop mucus from congealing and causing congestion and prevent germs from turning your cold into a sinus infection. 3 BANISH BRONCHITIS Halo Oral…

When You Wake Medications for thyroid (Synthroid) and osteoporosis (Boniva, Fosamax). Take these about half an hour before breakfast, says Prevention advisory board member Jennifer Reinhold, PharmD, and wait 2 hours before taking supplements, which make these drugs less effective. With Lunch Calcium and magnesium. Break up calcium intake into doses of 500 mg or less, because that’s all your body can use at once, says Heather Mangieri, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. If your first dose is at lunch, you can take the next (if needed) at dinner. It’s good to take vitamin D at the same time, since it aids absorption of the minerals. Before Bed Aspirin for heart health; also statins. People with prehypertension who took aspirin at bedtime had lower blood…