Readers Digest - Health Secrets for Long Life: 1206 Tips for a Healthy Mind and Body

1,206 Tips for a Healthy Mind and Body

Relieve Arthritis with capsaicin gel or cream made from peppers.

Readers Digest

Health Secrets for Long Life

Ward Off Insomnia by drinking cherry juice.

Relax and Lift Spirits by beating a drum.

Delay Mental Decline by playing video games.

Calm IBS with passion-fruit tincture.

Previously published as Health Secrets

Y ou will discover a whole new approach to managing your health in this comprehensive reference book from Readers Digest. Every page outlines useful and often surprising advice about how good health can be enhanced and illness prevented and treated in simple ways that are accessible to all. Youll learn how simple and often unexpected changes or additions to your diet, exercise habits, and daily routine boost your physical and mental health at every stage of life from childhood to old age.

Readers Digest has gathered wide-ranging health tips from around the globe and chosen the best to include in this book. Many have been validated by cutting-edge research but others reflect popular usage, recognizing that conventional medical science does not hold all the answers to our health, and alternative therapies can be equally, or in some instances, more effective. The result is a volume that encompasses everything from special diets to prescription drugs and herbal medicine. It draws on the wisdom of tribal societies as well as top academic institutions to present hard-hitting information on subjects ranging from superfoods to the latest surgical techniques.

By reading this book, you will reap the benefits of the latest scientific thinking and its practical applications. For instance, while potatoes are know as a good source of potassium that help keep blood pressure in check, researchers have discovered that purple potatoes contain high levels of antioxidants that could help reduce blood pressure by up to 4 percent. And youll gain some other intriguing insights as researchers examine traditional remedies and put them to the test. For example, if your mother ever warned you that eating cheese late at night might give you nightmares, she was right. Studies have revealed that cheese contains tyramine, a compound that raises blood pressure, a stress symptom often associated with bad dreams. Wherever possible, the science behind the secret is revealed to help you understand why or how it works.

An added benefit of this books secrets is that many of them are so simple. Did you know, for instance, that brushing your teeth can help prevent a heart attack or that chewing gum has been shown to improve memory? Others, such as putting a bar of soap in your bed to prevent night cramps, might seem a little quirky but are worthy of inclusion because so many people claim they work.

And thats not all. The information about more complex health problems that may affect you and your family from cancer to dementia, from arthritis to heart disease is largely new and different. Rather than giving you well-worn advice on causes and treatments that you can find elsewhere, here is something of more immediate value, such as the lesser-known but typical signs of a heart attack (nausea, sweating, and in women, back pain and light-headedness)information that could be invaluable in an emergency.

Above all, the book provides a holistic view of health, embracing the indisputable truth that symptoms cannot be treated in isolation and effective treatments may have physical, mental, even spiritual dimensions. From proof that acupuncture can alleviate backache or that beta blockers, ordinarily used to lower blood pressure, may also inhibit the spread of cancer cells, the book includes a wealth of insights from a wide range of authoritative sources.

The result is a mix of ancient lore, home remedies, and new scientific discoveries that will entertain, inform and, above all, help you and your family stay fit and healthyfor life.

Mind and body

Readers Digest Health Secrets recognizes the crucial interaction between body and mind, with tips that benefit both physical and mental health, arranged system by system in two main sections.

Section one, Body Health Secrets, includes chapters on key aspects of physical health such as the heart, circulation, bones and muscles, breathing, nutrition, weight control, hormones, teeth, skin and hair health, as well as the aging process.

The second section, Mind Health Secrets, focuses on the brain and nervous system, including ways to keep them healthy, how to boost mood, improve memory, and keep your senses sharp. There is also advice on improving sleep, and how to combat fears, phobias, and addictions as well as advice on coping with the symptoms of illnesses such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

Throughout the book special panels highlight the effects of physical processes on psychological health and well-being, and vice versa. In Body Health Secrets, Mind Power boxes illustrate how certain thought processes affect physical health. For instance, researchers have now discovered that women who suffer from depression have lower bone density and higher levels of blood cortisol, a hormone related to bone loss.

By contrast, other studies show that a positive approach to life boosts health and can even help you live longer. Similarly, in Mind Health Secrets, Body Power boxes explain how certain physical actions help to boost your mood and keep your brain firing on all cylinders. For example, to keep anxiety at bay, it is best to maintain steady levels of blood glucose. Suggested ways to do this include eating breakfast and focusing ones diet on whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

These examples illustrate how interconnected the mind and body is and how simple steps can bring harmony to our physical and mental health.