Innehållsförteckning för June 2020 från Prevention

ROOM COUCH. The entire Prevention staff—like many of you—has been staying home, trying to do the right thing for our health and everyone else’s. We’ve all had a lot of new challenges, including how to make a magazine without a single in-person conversation (and, in my case, with a 7-year-old literally hanging on me). I’m not surprised to report that this brilliant staff adapted to working at home, and I’m really proud of what our team has done on Prevention.com. We’ve been covering coronavirus since January, bringing sanity and responsible reporting to this all-new subject. But I miss my coworkers. They’re just as smart, funny, and kind on video calls, but we all know it’s not the same. Meanwhile, my husband is an emergency department nurse, so I’m on edge…

Nearly half of women with fine to medium hair don’t condition regularly, likely to avoid weighing it down—but this is an important step, says Dominic Burg, chief scientist and trichologist for Evolis Professional. Conditioning replenishes the protective outer layer of hair (called the F-layer), which can be lost due to factors like heat styling, hair dye, and sun exposure, leaving strands prone to dryness and breakage. The fix: the new crop of conditioners with formulas tailored to work on your specific hair type. FOR FINE HAIR: A FOAM CONDITIONER Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Foam Conditioner, $6, drugstores FOR MEDIUM HAIR: A GEL CONDITIONER John Frieda Luxurious Volume Core Restore Protein-Infused Clear Conditioner, $10, amazon.com FOR THICK HAIR: A CONDITIONING MILK Dove Balanced Moisture Milk Gel Conditioner, $5, drugstores FOR…

MOOD-BOOSTING EQUATION: Organize + Support Others + Be Creative SOLUTION: Declutter and donate Decluttering has been a hot topic ever since Marie Kondo hit the scene—and for good reason. Research shows that clutter can make it harder for us to concentrate. But when we can find things easily in our homes or offices and don’t feel overwhelmed by stuff that has no place to live, we’re less anxious. And the mood boost we get from decluttering is heightened if we give the belongings we’re shedding to a person or group that can put them to good use. That’s because when we perform acts of charity or altruism, our feelings of self-esteem rise while our feelings of anger diminish, studies show. This might be connected to the benefits of gratitude. “Gratitude…

As a kid, you probably heard about all the objects you shouldn’t put in your nose, ears, or mouth. Well, here’s an updated list: the Dr. Streicher guide to things you shouldn’t put in, or near, your vagina! JADE EGG Despite what you may have heard, a jade egg inserted in your vagina will not balance your hormones, increase bladder control, or regulate menstrual cycles. The only thing it does is deplete your bank account by about $66. While these eggs are probably harmless (unless they happen to get stuck in your vagina), they’re only one example of products recently touted by Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand, Goop. After the California Food, Drug, and Medical Device Task Force dinged it for making false claims about these eggs, Goop paid $145,000 in…

Say your best friend needed a kidney transplant and you’d gladly donate yours—but your blood types were incompatible. You might discover that you were a perfect match for a stranger one town over. The best way to help your pal: become a link in a kidney-transplant chain. With nearly 100,000 Americans on a waiting list for a kidney, most transplant centers now arrange for donors who aren’t matches for their siblings, spouses, and friends to pay it forward to an ill stranger. “Instead of donating to your loved one, you donate in honor of them,” says surgeon Jayme Locke, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Transplant Institute at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, which boasts the longest kidney transplant chain in the United States right now, with…

Be Safe About Sunscreen… Most sunscreen recipes shared online tap the same few ingredients, including coconut oil, essential oils, shea butter, and beeswax—none of which work, according to a 2019 report in the journal Health Communication. “These ingredients offer minimal scientifically proven broad-spectrum protection from UV radiation,” says study author Lara B. McKenzie, Ph.D., principal investigator in the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH. And even when DIYers use UV-shielding superstar zinc oxide, the efficacy is sketchy. “There’s a lot of chemistry involved in making a sunscreen that you can’t replicate in your kitchen,” says McKenzie. “Commercial ones are perfectly mixed and tested to make sure they protect as promised.” That includes SPF value, water resistance, and…

SERVES 4 1 Heat grill to medium-high. In a bowl, combine 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp olive oil, and ½ tsp each salt and pepper. 20¢ 2 Add 1½ lbs pork loin (cut into 1-in. pieces) and toss to combine. $7.49 3 Cut 1 medium red onion into 8 wedges, then cut each wedge in half. In a bowl, toss onion and ½ small pineapple (cored and cut into 1-in. pieces) with 1 Tbsp olive oil. 11¢ 4 Thread pork, onion, and pineapple onto skewers and grill, turning occasionally, until pork is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. NUTRITION (per serving): 420 cal, 35 g pro, 18 g carb, 1 g fiber, 12.5 g sugars (3.5 g added sugars), 23 g fat…

SPRUCE UP THE YARD Sweating through a day of gardening or yard work counts as a workout, says Ryan Maciel, CSCS, R.D.N., Precision Nutrition’s head nutrition coach for elite athletes and organizations. When you need a break from traditional exercise, tackle some outdoor chores. DUST OFF YOUR BIKE The power it takes to propel yourself forward works out your muscles and gets your heart rate up—and it’s a bit easier on your joints than running or walking on pavement. It can also help strengthen your bones: Pushing the pedals pulls on muscles, which then pull on bones to increase bone density. HIT THE TRAILS Hiking or jogging on a wooded trail can be a workout for your body and your mind. “We’re immersing ourselves in nature, so stress hormones go…

80% of chronic-headache patients are female. Fluctuating hormones are thought to make women more prone to migraine pain. Chances are you’ve experienced the ouchy throb of a headache now and then. But if your head tends to pound for 15 or more days a month, you meet the definition of having chronic headaches and should see your doctor. The most likely diagnosis is a headache disorder such as migraine, tension, or cluster headaches, which occur when abnormal signaling in the brain triggers frequent headaches as opposed to episodic ones. A doctor will also ask about symptoms like dizziness, weakness, fever, coughing, sneezing, and pain that worsens when lying down to rule out other causes such as meningitis, thyroid disorders, and cancer. Here’s how to ease pain or keep it away.…

Having bad breath really stinks. Chronic halitosis can be caused by many things: dry mouth, gastric reflux, sinus infections—even the keto diet. But the most common culprit is periodontal disease, says Sally Cram, D.D.S., a periodontist in Washington, DC, and a spokesperson for the American Dental Association. These OTC products promise to keep your breath sweet throughout the day. Here’s what the experts say. THERAPEUTIC RINSES WHAT THEY ARE: Unlike commercial mouthwashes, therapeutic rinses are alcohol-free. They contain ingredients such as zinc, sodium chlorite, and chlorhexidine to kill bacteria. WHAT WE KNOW: Bad breath is often caused by bacteria, which tend to breed in the spots between teeth that regular brushing can’t reach, says Ruchi Sahota, D.D.S., consumer adviser for the American Dental Association. Research has shown that the ingredients…

You’ve probably heard of retinol—or the prescription version, retinoids—touted by skin experts as the gold-standard ingredient for wrinkle reduction. Now it may have found its plant-based equal in bakuchiol, an antioxidant derived from the Indian babchi plant. More research is needed, but the ingredient shows promise: “A study has shown that applying bakuchiol topically twice a day for 12 weeks reduces wrinkles and hyperpigmentation comparable to retinol applied once a day, with less stinging and scaling, common side effects of retinol,” says Danusia Wnek, chemist at the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab, a Prevention partner. Because bakuchiol has been found to cause less irritation than retinol, it may be a good option for those who have sensitive skin or have experienced negative side effects from retinol.…

LEAFY GREENS Grill sturdy greens like kale and romaine for a fun salad twist. Pro tip: “Don’t dry kale completely after washing; residual water steams and softens the tough parts while the rest chars,” says Homes. Drizzle with your favorite dressing—Homes’s favorite is a tangy Caesar. SHELLFISH “Grilling oysters eliminates the effort of shucking—they open on their own in just a few minutes!” Homes says. Other shelled seafood, such as clams, shrimp, lobster, and mussels, is also tasty when cooked on the grate. PIZZA DOUGH Avoid cranking up the oven by cooking pizza on the grill. “Make sure the grill is super hot before placing the dough so as to prevent sticking; it’s also helpful to use a pizza peel to remove the pizza,” says Homes. Embrace the season by…

FALSEHOOD MSG in Chinese food causes headaches. This belief can be traced back to a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1968 in which a doctor reported feeling as if he had a hangover after eating Chinese food and suggested that the common seasoning monosodium glutamate (MSG) was the culprit. This lone opinion, with no scientific backup, led to a flood of follow-up letters to the journal about supposed “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome,” and the idea was picked up by mainstream media, including the New York Times. Critics say racism added to the hysteria—MSG is a common ingredient in many foods, including canned soups and KFC chicken, and it occurs naturally in tomatoes and cheese, but no one was suggesting that consumers avoid those. To this day,…

AS SOON AS I READ THE FACEBOOK MESSAGE from my sister-in-law Dixie, I had a bad feeling. My younger brother Michael, who’d just celebrated his 40th birthday, had been admitted to a Dallas hospital’s ICU after throwing up from a vicious headache that had started the night before. He’d fallen into a coma. Hours later, Dixie called me, sobbing. The doctors had told her we should say goodbye—whatever was wrong wasn’t ever going to be right. As she held the phone to his ear, I said I loved him and asked if he could please hold on until I arrived and if he remembered the crickets we used to catch as kids—and then I faced my phone toward the chirping outside in the hot August night air. There was no reply,…

Now more than ever, it’s crucial to stay well. Besides washing your hands regularly and staying inside and away from others when you feel sick, there’s another way to help keep your immune system primed and ready to fight off illness: Fill your belly with immune-supporting foods. Packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and other health-promoting nutrients, these nutritious picks can help keep you strong. LEAFY GREENS Fill up on dark leafy greens like kale, mustard greens, and spinach for a hearty hit of antioxidants. These are also good sources of vitamins A and C, two important immune system supporters. Think beyond salads: Add these greens to pasta or a stir-fry, or sauté them with garlic and your favorite herbs and spices for a healthful side dish. BERRIES Blueberries and blackberries are…

1 Control What You Can There isn’t a universally accepted protocol for pet cancer screening, so preventive care is crucial, says veterinary oncologist Brooke Britton, D.V.M., of BluePearl Veterinary Hospital. Every dog and cat should have at least an annual physical, and as your pet ages, your vet may recommend diagnostic tests like urine checks or blood work to catch any cancer early enough to address it. Just as with the rest of the family, taking care of your pet’s overall health will lower her cancer risk. Spaying or neutering can reduce the incidence of reproductive and breast cancers, and minimizing unprotected exposure to the sun and secondhand smoke is as important for pets as for people. A healthy diet and exercise regimen can also help reduce the risk of…

JUNE ISSUE JUMBLE Use the clues (all related to stories in this magazine!) to fill in the blanks, then unscramble the circled letters to reveal the final answer. 1. Phobias might be treatable with this type of reality 2. The kind of donation in the article “My Brother the Superhero” 3. The June Wellness Moonshot theme What kinds of remedies does Prevention love? FAMILY RIDDLE If Anna’s daughter is my daughter’s mother, who am I to Anna? BERRY GOOD AT MATH What number does each berry represent? MISSING PIECE Which shape will fit in the space? ANSWERS: June Issue Jumble: Virtual, Organ, Cultivate, Natural. Family Riddle: You are Anna’s daughter. Berry Good at Math: Strawberry: 5; Blueberry: 7; Blackberry: 9. Missing Piece: A.…