Prevention October 2014

Welcome to Prevention ’s annual Love Your Age issue (starting on p. 75), where we get up close on a subject most of us would rather ignore. After all, who wants to age? Who even wants to “age gracefully”? Not us! We are way too busy gathering huge handfuls of rosebuds while we may. We are the generation that is “aging with a vengeance,” as actress and humorist Annabelle Gurwitch says in this issue. To fuel that vengeance, sure, we must pay attention to our bone strength, microbiome diversity, and telomere length. But the real secret to smart aging? Faith, hope, courage, and a huge dollop of attitude. Please join us on Facebook and Twitter (@PreventionMag) to celebrate that spirit on October 1, our annual #LoveYourAge day. See you there! Editorial Director…

In July, we featured a doctor’s battle against a surgical technique called morcellation, which is used to remove fibroids—and, in her case, caused a hidden stage 1 cancer to escalate to stage 4. Her story generated huge traffic and 4,500+ shares, likes, and pins on social media. People filled our site with stories of their own: of survival, death, and decisions they must make about their own surgeries. “I was considering laparoscopy to avoid scars—until I learned about the risks. I applaud these brave doctors’ advocacy despite personal pain,” wrote Kenyka J. GET IN TOUCH We’re listening. You can reach us at suggestions @prevention.com, on Twitter @preventionmag, or at facebook.com/preventionmagazine. MISSED OUT? Catch Amy Reed’s remarkable story at prevention.com/morcellation > MORE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FIBROIDS The symptoms,…

Battling stress is an art—literally. Painting and drawing improve the brain’s ability to bounce back under pressure, even if you’re no Picasso, according to a study from University Hospital Erlangen in Germany. Newly retired adults who blocked off time to paint or draw once a week for 10 weeks demonstrated greater psychological resilience—labspeak for that roll-withthe-punches cool we all dream of having in the face of stress (read: not yelling at your spouse when you’re frustrated about something else). Creating visual art improves the connection between brain regions associated with resilience, likely because it’s an activity that calls for integrating cognitive, motor, and creative skills, the study authors say. Pass the paint, please.…

3 Qs About the New Pelvic Exam Guidelines On our radar: two drugs that could stop the hurt before it happens. The meds, which are injected, use antibodies to block the pain signals and abnormal dilation of blood vessels that can lead to migraines. In one trial, biweekly injections erased attacks in a third of people and cut frequency in half for 70% of them. Per the researchers, these new potions could be out in 3 years. We’ll be impatiently waiting. Source: David Dodick, professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine What new guidelines? The American College of Physicians no longer recommends annual pelvic exams—when your doc manually checks you inside and out—unless you are pregnant or have new symptoms. Then why is my gyno still doing them?…

Computer time is doing a number on our eyes, confirms a new study of people glued to their monitors 7-plus hours a day. Dryness and pain aside, this situation can cause vision trouble, too, says Deeba Chaudri, an optometrist in New York City. Her blueprint for safer screen use: 1. Keep the top of the computer monitor an inch below your line of sight. That way your eye muscles don’t have to do the work of constantly contracting upward. 2. Position the monitor an arm’s length away from your body. Any closer and you’ll blink less (hello, dry eyes). 3. Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to relax your eyes. 4. Illuminate your workspace with a 60-watt bulb—it’s easier on your eyes than fluorescent light and…

2,000 This is the number of steps in a mile for the average person. 6,000 A multicenter study zeroed in on this count as the minimum to ease—and prevent—knee pain in osteoarthritis sufferers. 14,000–18,000 That’s the average number of steps Old Order Amish men and women take per day. 5,000 Walk less than this and you’re considered sedentary. 7,500 Women who tally at least this many each day have a 50% lower incidence of depression. 10,000 This daily total is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced risks of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Source: Catrine Tudor-Locke, director of the Walking Behavior Laboratory PEDOMETER 2.0 The Moves app for iPhone and Android uses your smartphone’s motion sensors to determine how many daily steps you take—just keep your phone in your pocket or purse and it does…