Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Prevention

A Vitamin A It has antioxidant properties and helps your body regulate your immune system. Vitamin A is fat soluble, so having it with a healthy fat like olive oil or avocado can help your body absorb more of it. B Selenium This powerful antioxidant helps fight oxidative stress and inflammation, key players in your body’s ability to fight off sickness. Eating just a small amount of this food delivers 100% of your daily needs. C Vitamin C It’s no secret that vitamin C is a cornerstone of strong immunity. It helps produce white blood cells to fight germs and supports the immune system overall. Load up on a variety of this in-season fruit. D Probiotics You need good bacteria to promote a healthy gut microbiome—important, since much of your…

1 MYTH : If you have unexplained weight gain and fatigue, it’s most likely a thyroid problem. MYTHBUSTER While these symptoms can point to a thyroid issue, “weight gain and fatigue can result from other factors such as diet, lifestyle, stress, and poor sleep,” says Mihail Zilbermint, M.D., M.B.A., an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The thyroid releases hormones that help regulate many bodily functions, and when it puts out too much of them, that’s known as hyperthyroidism. When it secretes too little (hypothyroidism), you may gain weight and feel fatigued. Ask your doctor for a thorough evaluation, advises Dr. Zilbermint, especially if you’ve noticed a heart rate shift; unexplained weight changes; difficulty sleeping or staying awake; sensitivity to cold or heat; jitteriness or…

Between the chaos of the holidays, shorter days, and colder weather, it makes sense that we may feel a bit blah and wiped out at times. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to have the same amount of energy or interests as in other seasons, and that just doesn’t really make any sense,” says Kari Leibowitz, Ph.D., a health psychologist and the author of the new book How to Winter. “There’s a huge difference in daylight and temperature between summer and winter, and we are animals.” That is to say, just as other mammals change their behavior in the winter, it makes sense for us to do so as well. But that doesn’t mean hibernating like a bear until the trees bud again. Take these steps to make…

Medical intuition is a muscle we can all strengthen. This requires acknowledging sometimes irrational emotional hunches and then synthesizing them with focused, rational, and discriminating cognitive analysis, says Helen Marlo, Ph.D., dean of the School of Psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA. Keep these tips in mind: 1 SEPARATE ANXIETY FROM ILLNESS It’s tempting to let Dr. Google fuel concerns, Marlo says. If your mind spins after you read up on symptoms online, it could be anxiety talking, not intuition. If you consistently think you have conditions it turns out you don’t have, consider meeting with a qualified counselor to explore these thoughts and help you distinguish between anxiety and genuine bodily signals. 2 CHECK IN WITH YOUR BODY Get to know what “normal” feels like.…

IT’S HEARTBREAKING TO WATCH A PARENT WITH ALZHEIMER’S LOSE THEIR MEMORY, speech, and ability to take care of themselves. The degenerative brain disease has no cure, and it’s only natural to think, If Mom has it, does that mean I will get it too? The answer depends on many factors, including genetic ones: “There are around five dozen different genes that, alone or in combination, pose a slightly higher, or slightly lower, risk in terms of people developing Alzheimer’s,” says James Noble, M.D., an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. But even if you have a gene that raises your risk a bit, it doesn’t mean you’re destined to develop the disease, he adds. With late-onset Alzheimer’s, which generally appears at age 65 or older and…

ACTIVE 30 MIN. TOTAL 1 HR. 25 MIN. PLUS COOLING SERVES 12 TO 16 6 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats2 tsp baking powder1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg½ tsp kosher salt⅛ tsp ground cloves4 large eggs1¾ cups unsweetened applesauce1¾ cups milk⅓ cup pure maple syrup1 Tbsp grated peeled fresh ginger1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract3 small Gala apples, cored and cut into ½-in. pieces (about 3½ cups)1 cup raw pecans, chopped, divided 1. Heat oven to 375°F and lightly oil 9-by13-in. baking dish. In bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. 2. In large bowl, beat eggs, then whisk in applesauce, milk, maple syrup, ginger, vanilla, and 6 Tbsp oil to combine. 3. Add dry ingredients and stir until…

1 A good night’s sleep improves the functioning of which of these? A Brain  B Heart C Immune system D All of the above 2 Sleep plays a role in weight management. A True B False 3 Snoring can be a sign of a serious medical condition. A True B False 4 Your body prefers to get this many hours of sleep per night. A 5 to 6 B 7 to 9 C 8 to 10 5 Which doesn’t support good sleep hygiene? A Going to bed and waking up at the same times each day. B Taking a magnesium supplement for relaxation. C Napping during the day to make up for missed nighttime sleep. ANSWERS 1 THINK OF YOUR BODY AS A COMPUTER that needs to power down overnight…

■ When you hold still during a stretch, it’s called static stretching—besides feeling incredible and improving flexibility and range of motion, a move like the forward fold can also help you cope better with stress. 1 Stand with your feet about hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent. 2 Fold forward like a rag doll. Try to be in this position as lazily as possible. 3 Inhale fully through your nose; increase your knee bend slightly to allow for more rib cage expansion. 4 Exhale slowly and fully through your mouth as you try to fold further. You can hug or hold your torso or legs to gently pull yourself in. 5 Hold the stretch for 30 seconds or long as it feels as good. Check me off when you’ve tried the…

SOME ADVICE FOR BRAIN STRENGTH, LIKE EATING A HEALTHY DIET, is pretty straightforward. Other recommendations, however, have become so broad—Do crossword puzzles! Get more sleep!—that you may feel stuck as to how to reap the brain benefits. Here, experts share what to focus on. Cross-train your brain. ■ If you’re on your 500th Wordle, you may want to put the phone down—at least for a bit. When it comes to the benefits of puzzles for brain function, Zaldy S. Tan, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Memory & Healthy Aging Program at Cedars-Sinai, recommends doing other brain boosting activities, not just repeating the same types of exercises. “Brain games, crossword puzzles, and Sudoku are meant to challenge specific areas of the brain, but our minds are complex, and different areas serve…

FIND THE PAIRS Connect each word on the left with its partner on the right. (There’s only one way to match the words using each once.) MISSING LETTERS What single four-letter word will fit into all these words? MATH RIDDLE In a THREE-DIGIT NUMBER, the third digit is FOUR TIMES THE FIRST and the second digit is ONE LESS THAN THE THIRD. Plus, if you add them all up, THE SUM IS GREATER THAN 10. What is the number? VIEW FROM THE TOP Which picture shows what this structure would look like from the top? ANSWERS: Find the Pairs: Coffee mug, navy bean, poster child, mother ship, face time, true blue. Missing Letters: care. Math Riddle: 278. View From the Top: A.…

IF YOU’VE WOKEN UP to discover an unwelcome hair sprouting out of your face or noticed one in the rearview mirror when you have no tweezers—it happens. Here, what makes these whiskers grow and what you can do about it. WHY IS THAT HAIR HERE? ■ It’s normal to have soft peach fuzz on your face throughout adulthood, but terminal hairs, which are longer and thicker, tend to pop up or intensify during times of hormonal change such as pregnancy and menopause. This most commonly happens on the chin, the upper lip, and the sides of the face, says Donna Hart, M.D., of Westlake Dermatology in Cedar Park, TX. The reason these unwelcome visitors may be prevalent in midlife: “As the amount of estrogen in the body decreases, the relative…

YOUR BRAIN ISN’T STAGNANT; THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFETIME, MANY CHANGES occur as a result of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors that accompany emotional, intellectual, and physical milestones, says Dr. Natteru. Use this overview of common milestones to prep for what may be ahead for you or your kids. Childhood ■ You can’t miss the fact that babies stick everything in their mouths and toddlers are eager to explore. As their brains develop, they are forming new connections to help them make sense of the world. After birth, the brain receives info through stimuli—mechanical (touch, texture), chemical (tastes and smells), and visual (e.g., light)—to help sensory pathways, including vision and hearing, develop. Our sensory receptors are constantly activated, “and the brain learns how to interpret all this information from the environment,” says…

NOBODY IS UPBEAT 24/7. But knowing what helps you get back to baseline when you’re down is essential for head-to toe health, as consistently poor mental health can up your risk for chronic diseases. Your anytime mood booster: the right foods. “Specific nutrients play a direct role in hormone and neurotransmitter synthesis, influencing mood-regulating chemicals like serotonin and dopamine,” says Laura Iu, R.D.N., owner of Laura Iu Nutrition in New York City. Plus, certain foods simply make you feel happy when you eat them, says Judy Ho, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist and the author of The New Rules of Attachment. These dishes may just lift your spirits: ■ GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE CAKES WITH RASPBERRIES ACTIVE 15 MIN. TOTAL 30 MIN. PLUS COOLING SERVES 4 Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, whisk…