Readers Digest February2020

67 FEBRUARY 2020

All-New WHAT YOUR

JOKES! WANTS YOU

15 SignsThat Accidents That
Kindness
Is Trending CHANGED
HISTORY
Inspiration from TWITTER
An RD ORIGINAL

The Best Routine
for Your Brain

From THE NEW YORK TIMES

See You Later,
Procrastination

By LISA FIELDS

“My Wife Died
at the Emergency

Room Door”

From BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE

WHAT PAIN?

*Among OTC pain medicines. Use as directed. ©2019 GSK group of companies or its licensor.

Reader’s Digest

CONTENTS

Features 82 94

58 inspiration drama in real life

cover story Kindness: Pass It On! How Is He Still Alive?

WHAT YOUR A poignant Twitter The skewer that
PET WANTS conversation reveals impaled Xavier
YOU TO KNOW the power of random Cunningham below
acts of decency. his eye must have
Science continues to sliced into vital arteries.
uncover your animal’s 88
most fascinating by bonnie munday
secrets. first person
102
by krista carothers and Falling in Love,
jen mccaffery By the Book who knew?

70 A new couple bonded Accidents That
over literature—then Changed History
national interest one of them stopped
reading. Where would Altering the course
Losing Laura the story end? of human events
takes a grand idea
The author’s wife by karla marie-rose derus and careful execution—
was having an asthma adapted from the new most of the time. But
attack, so she took her- york times at these fateful points,
self to the emergency plans went out the
room. Why was she window.
left to die just outside
the hospital doors? by jacopo della quercia

by peter demarco from
boston globe magazine

brian rea 88

rd.com | february 2020 1

Reader’s Digest Contents 10

Departments buff strickland

4 Dear Reader
6 Letters
8 Photo Contest

everyday heroes

10 A Safe Home
for Women

by jody l. rohlena

14 Crime and
Compassion

by andy simmons

i won!

16 The National
Best Bagger
Championship

quotable quotes

18 Paul McCartney,
Sonia Sotomayor,
Jennifer Garner

how to

22 Say Goodbye to
Procrastinating

by lisa fields

On the Cover

Photograph by Greg Murray

What Your Pet Wants You to Know....................................58
Accidents That Changed History.................................... 102
The Best Routine for Your Brain .......................................112
See You Later, Procrastination...........................................22
“My Wife Died at the Emergency Room Door”................70
67 All-New Jokes! ......................................20, 38, 50, 55, 92
15 Signs That Kindness Is Trending...................................82

2 february 2020

112

from top: matthew cohen. marinad_37/shutterstock. karidesign/shutterstock the food on Humor
your plate
20
26 I Am Chocolate Life in These
United States
by kate lowenstein
and daniel gritzer 38
Humor in
news from the Uniform
world of medicine
50
30 Exercise and
Sleep, and More Medicine

13 things 55
Laugh Lines
34 Eye-Opening
Facts About Tears 92
All in a
by jen mccaffery Day’s Work

everyday miracles Section

40 Long-Lost Sisters 112 Wake Up
Your Brain
by cheryl charles
by juli fraga
we found a fix adapted from the
new york times
43 Build the Perfect
Snowman, and 116 Brain Games
More 118 Word Power
124 Photo Finish
life well lived
Send letters to [email protected] or Letters, Reader’s Digest, PO Box 6100,
52 You’re Never Too Harlan, Iowa 51593-1600. Include your full name, address, e-mail, and daytime
Old to Learn phone number. We may edit letters and use them in all print and electronic
media. Contribute your True Stories at rd.com/stories. If we publish one in a
by steve lopez from print edition of Reader’sDigest, we’ll pay you $100. To submit humor items, visit
the los angeles times rd.com/submit, or write to us at Jokes, 44 South Broadway, 7th Floor, White
Plains, NY 10601. We’ll pay you $25 for any joke, gag, or funny quote and $100
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specify otherwise in writing. Please include your full name and address in your
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and Fishing Requests for permission to reprint any material from Reader’s Digest should be
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rd.com 3

Reader’s Digest

DEAR READER

Superdog!

H ere are nine things you need Sadie knows what you’re thinking right now. matthew cohen (2)
to know about our dog Sadie.
1. Sure, every dog is special 6. How do we know that? She told us
to its owner, blah blah. But Sadie— one night in her sleep, murmuring as
I’m sorry, Sadie is more special. she replayed epic tales of nipping the
last cow through the gate of a rugged
2. For example, will your dog live Queensland ranch.
to 39? Sadie will. Let’s look at the
evidence: Her ear-shattering yaps of 7. Sadie is as good with words as she
“Feed me! Feed me!” whenever her is at herding you where you were al-
food pantry opens have grown in ready going. How many words does she
power and intensity every year. So she know? A lot more than the average dog,
is clearly not close to her prime. Yet who our cover story says knows 165.
she is 16! I’ll be dead before she is.
8. For example, she suggested the
3. If you are a close reader of this headline for this story.
column, you know that our other dog,
Steph Curry, is really good at blazing 9. She knows more than words.
through the forest at a million miles an When she hears “Off the couch, you
hour without a clue why. But believe it knucklehead!” she gets the true mean-
or not, Sadie is five times better at her ing: “Sure, I have to get down, but
job: obsessive, irrational herding.
when he leaves the room, I get
4. In our home, Sadie patrols back up again. After all, knuckle-
all movement from room to head is a term of affection!”
room. And you should see her
work our backyard parties. No A challenge: If your dog is as
wayward guest has ever smart as our Sadie, I’ll grant you
disappeared into the
neighboring forest. a year’s subscription. Write
to me and prove it!
5. She’s good at it
because in a previous Bruce Kelley,
life Sadie corralled editor-in-chief
cattle in Australia.
Write to me at
[email protected].

4 february 2020

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Reader’s Digest

LETTERS
Notes on the
November issue

Your cover story has given me renewed a pot of tea, watching
hope and enthusiasm for this country the birds from her
of mixed peoples and cultures. From my big picture window,
island state of Hawaii, I see that the spirit and talking about life.
of aloha—loosely translated as “love, I don’t remember any
peace, and compassion”—exists in every of the specific topics
state. Aloha to all! of our conversations.
However, I do remem-
—Robert Samuel hashimoto Mililani, Hawaii ber her patience, her
wisdom, and her love.
The award of “Nicest I nominated the Maury She passed away over
Place” to Columbiana, Loontjens Memorial 25 years ago, and I still
Ohio, made me very Library in Narragansett, miss her. What I would
proud to have been Rhode Island. We give for just one more
raised there. At age 75, feel so fortunate to cup of tea.
I don’t think I am the represent our state. —Gwen brooks
only one who still It was a real boost to Dublin, Ohio
thinks of Columbiana the staff’s morale and
as “The Biggest Little to all the supporters Inside the “Top
Town in Ohio.” I was trying to get the town Doctor” Racket
never quite sure what the library it deserves
it meant, but your despite an ongoing I complimented my
article fleshes it out: battle for funding. So neighbor for being on
big in generosity, many communities our state’s “Best Doc-
kindness, tolerance, with so much kindness! tors” listing in a maga-
heart, and pride. —Suzan amoruso zine. He explained to
—Bud Schmidt Narragansett, me the methodology for
Myrtle Point, Oregon Rhode Island deciding which doctors
are worthy of inclusion:
“They ask our mothers.”
—ahava podhorcer
West Orange, New Jersey

6 february 2020

Live Long & Prosper she also likes foods SOUNDING SMART
that are two syllables,
I followed your advice not one or three. ✦ “How to Sound Smarter,
to “hit the (cold) —Joe pascuzzi with Expert Help” sug-
showers.” I am not Havre de Grace, gests that we “simply” use
saying I am completely Maryland “about the same distance”
healed, but I have seen instead of “equidistant.”
amazing health bene- Correction I disagree. It is not simpler
fits in just seven days: to use four words and
fewer symptoms of In our story “Live six syllables than to use
rhinitis, dizziness Long & Prosper,” we one word of four syllables.
alleviated, more en- incorrectly stated that My advice: Read a lot,
ergy. Additional bene- your monthly Social increase your vocabulary,
fits: short showers Security benefits will and use only words you
(brrr ... too cold), almost double if you understand. Sound
saving water and heat- retire at age 67 instead smarter by being smarter.
ing. Plus, I don’t sing of 62. Your benefits
in the shower (brrr ... will actually be 30 per- —Markell Raphaelson West
too cold), for which cent higher. And if
my wife is grateful. you wait until age 70, laurel, maryland
—hirendra your payments will
majumdar be 24 percent higher ✦ While reading about
Fremont, California than they would have people with periphrasis,
been at age 67. the tendency to use large
Brain Games words to appear smarter,
I was reminded of a quote
Regarding the “Bacon by Nicky Gumbel: “Knowl-
or Eggs?” game, Gwen edge is like underwear. It
likes foods that are five is useful to have it, but not
letters long, but it necessary to show it off.”
should be noted that
—James M. Reed

hoover, alabama

artur szczybylo/shutterstock IT’S NOT MY FAULT!

We wrote something clever for this box, but the dog
ate our copy. OK, that was a lame cop-out, but you’ve
probably heard worse. We want to know about the
worst excuse you’ve ever heard or delivered, funny or
not. Go to rd.com/excuses to share and see terms.
Come on, you’ve got no excuse not to.

rd.com 7

Reader’s Digest clockwise from top left: angelo merendino. kelsey smith/offset. kiselev andrey valerevich/shutterstock.
abbey benson/shutterstock. ahturner/shutterstock
PHOTO CONTEST

“Family Is ...”

When you think “family,” what’s the image you see? Do you have a great
photo of it? Maybe it’s from a vacation with the kids. Or maybe it’s Thanks-
giving with the neighbors you’ve loved for decades. Or maybe your image is
more evocative—a shot of your laundry on the clothesline or the eyes of your
grandmother in full glow. Share an award-worthy picture of your very personal
concept of family and explain what makes that view so special, and you could
win $500. Submit your photos and see terms at RD.COM/PHOTOCONTEST.

8 february 2020 | rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

EVERYDAY HEROES

A Safe Home
for Women

A random chat on an airplane led to a life-changing idea

By Jody L. Rohlena

If you don’t want anyone to talk to One was “How do you get the girls?”
you on a plane, hold a Bible in your “That’s easy,” he replied. “We send
lap. That’s a trick Kathrine Lee uses
to get some quiet time between semi- scouts to malls and other places
nars and speaking engagements in where kids hang out and look for girls
her career as a life coach and business with daddy issues.”
strategist. But it didn’t work the day a
handsome man sat next to her and Kathrine says that was the moment
started chatting. He was charming, she knew why she’d been seated next
and before long, Kathrine, a married to this man. God had put him there to
mother of three, was wondering which let her know there were girls out there
of her single girlfriends she’d set him who needed help. “I didn’t have a fa-
up with. Then she asked him, “So what ther in my life. I should have been one
do you do?” of those statistics,” she says.

He owned a pornography company, For years, she’d had a vision of
he told her. He thought it would be creating a foundation that would do
funny to get the church lady to like some good in the world. She even had
him, then tell her what he did for a a name: Pure Hope, which is what her
living and watch her squirm. Instead, name—Kathrine Nadine—means in
Kathrine started asking him questions. different languages. She’d just been
waiting for a sign about who needed
her help. Now she had it.

10 february 2020 | rd.com Photograph by Buff Strickland

Kathrine Lee (left),
Susan Kovaka, and
resident therapy
dog Hope on the
steps of Hope Home

Reader’s Digest Everyday Heroes

When she got home, she started sat down and said she had not eaten
looking into the pornography busi- with a family since she was 14 years
ness. She learned that many of the old,” says Susan Kovaka, the program
workers are there because someone director. She lives in the home with
tricked or coerced them. It’s called sex the women, as does a licensed coun-
trafficking, and its henchmen snare selor and a therapy dog named Hope.
hundreds of thousands of victims
every year in the United States alone. The women come from around the
The average mark is only 12 years old. country. Some are referrals; some have
According to the Department of Jus- just left rehab. They learn how to shop
tice, human trafficking is the fastest- on a budget and plan meals and other
growing crime in the world. life skills no one ever taught them.
They learn to care for horses and other
“My heart got broken wide open,” animals. Most attend classes to get
says Kathrine. their GEDs, having missed school for
most of their lives, then go to college
Her husband, Michael Lee, shared or some kind of job training. Two of the
her determination to help. In time, interns, as residents are called, recently
their dream began to take shape: a graduated from cosmetology school.
home for women who got out of “the
life.” Through friends, they found just The women can live in Hope Home
the place in Mount Vernon, Texas. With as long as they need to; most stay
the proceeds from the sale of their 18 months to two years, though the
house in California and donations connection lasts a lifetime. “We tell
(many from business clients and those them, ‘We want to be invited to your
who come to Kathrine’s motivational wedding and the birth of your first kid,
seminars), they opened Hope Home. and we want to see you at Christmas,’”
says Kovaka.
“It’s a dark issue,” says Kathrine.
“But when you bring light into the “Anna,” one of Hope Home’s current
darkness, it’s no longer dark.” interns, was trafficked at age 12. Now
27, she’s about to start college and
At Hope Home, each woman has a wants to be a computer programmer.
room of her own. Residents come to- “For the first time in my life, I can see
gether to cook and eat meals at a table that I will have a normal life. I will be
adorned with candles and cloth nap- able to get a good job, support myself,
kins. It’s the ordinary-seeming mo- and have a great future,” she says.
ments that are the ones most worth
celebrating, says Kathrine, who calls Even though she made all this hap-
it “doing the pots and pans of life.” pen, Kathrine deflects any attention
that comes her way and points it at the
“My favorite memory here is the women, saying, “I really, truly, with all
first time I set the table for a family- my heart believe they’re the heroes.” RD
style dinner, and a woman in her 30s

12 february 2020 | rd.com

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Reader’s Digest Everyday Heroes

Crime and The cops peeked inside her bag.
“All we saw was containers of food.

Compassion We didn’t see anything else,” Cuevas
told CBS New York.

“I’m hungry,” she explained quietly.

Caught red-handed, the woman

no doubt expected to be cuffed and

By Andy Simmons hauled off to jail for the crime of being

hungry while poor. But the cops had

A s temperatures approached other ideas. “We’ll pay for her food,”
90 degrees in New York City last Sojo told the surprised security guard.
July 4th, three police officers
There’d been no discussion among

ducked into a Whole Foods Market the three men, no need to see whether

to get something cold to drink. What they were all in. It went unsaid. In-

they walked into was a heated human stead, they picked up the woman’s

drama. bag and escorted her to a cash register,

Once inside, the cops, Lt. Louis where each chipped in $10 to pay the

Sojo and Officers Esanidy Cuevas and tab. She would not be arrested today.

Michael Rivera, were approached by All the woman could do was weep

a store security guard who asked for in gratitude. Covering her face with a

help with a suspected shoplifter. The kerchief and drying her eyes, she re-

woman in question didn’t have the peated, “Thank you, thank you.”

look of a career criminal. She was ob- She wasn’t the only one touched by

viously scared, and her cheeks were this act of compassion. “It was a very

wet with tears. beautiful, genuine moment,” says Paul

Bozymowski, who was at the

store. He was so taken by what

he’d witnessed that he posted a

photo on Twitter for all to see.

But attention was never what

the officers sought. They were

driven by a far more common courtesy paul bozymowski

emotion. As Sojo told CNN,

“When you look at someone’s

face and see that they need

you and they’re actually hun-

gry, it’s pretty difficult as a hu-

Three New York City police officers paid for this man being to walk away from
woman’s groceries rather than arresting her. something like this.” RD

14 february 2020 | rd.com



Reader’s Digest

I WON!

The National

BEST
BAGGER

Championship

dwayne campbell,
age 32,

Des Moines, Iowa

OK, spill it. What’s your Does it drive you crazy lot more. They like
bag-packing secret? when people pack their when I sack their
I use the analogy of own groceries? groceries because
building a house. I We’re professionals. there’s a story behind
like to put all my boxes They take away from it. And then their kids
in first, which are my what we try to strive come in and they’re
walls. Then after that, for: customer service. like, Hey, when you
the heavy items: canned get older and you sack
goods and dairy. And How do you feel about groceries, you could
then after them, I put people who bring their be a better bagger
all my light items on own grocery bags? than this guy. You
top. That way, nothing I actually like the know: Strive to be
gets crushed. reusable bags because better. RD
they’re easier to pack
I bet your sock drawer than the plastic that we Campbell took his
and closet are perfectly give them normally. family on vacation to
organized too. Memphis, Tennessee,
I’ve got my clothes all Now that you’re with the $10,000 he
lined up, not by color national champ, do won for “bagging” the
but by style. So all my you get bigger tips? championship.
work clothes together, People notice me a
all my nice shirts
together, all my pants
together. My sock
drawer, not so much.

16 february 2020 | rd.com illustration by John Cuneo

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QUOTABLE QUOTES

I believe that when people die, they
zoom into the people who love them. This idea that it

just ends and don’t speak of them—that’s wrong.

—Martin Short, actor

A surplus of effort could overcome a deficit of confidence.

—Sonia Sotomayor, supreme court justice

We know what people want to hear because when we play
a Beatles song, all the cell phones come on and it looks like a galaxy

of stars, and when we do a new song, it looks like a black hole.

—Paul McCartney, musician

If people concentrated on the really important things in life,
there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.

—Doug Larson, journalist

Nothing looks better in your 50s than sunscreen in your 20s.

—Jennifer Garner, actor

short sotomayor mccartney garner

from left: david fisher. richard shotwell/invision/ap. tom nicholson (all shutterstock) “Life is short” really means “Do something.”

—Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author

If you go through life without connecting to people,
how much could you call that a life?

—Tom Hiddleston, actor

Whoever said revenge is sweet
never tasted the yumminess of forget-about-it.

—Karen Salmansohn, author

POINT TO PONDER

When you lead with your nice foot forward, you will win,
every time. It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow,

but it comes back to you when you need it. We live
in an age of instant gratification, of immediate likes,
and it is uncomfortable to have to wait to see the dividends

of your kindness. But I promise you it will appear
exactly when you need it.
—Kristen Bell, actor

adichie bell hiddleston 19

LIFE

in these
United States

At the doctor’s office, A friend was due to I love overhearing
a 20-something man give birth around the
was trying to make an same time that her old- pet owners talking to
appointment for a est daughter was due their dogs. Recently, I
Mrs. Brown. Try as he to give birth to her first was petting a pup who
might, he just could baby. On the morning seemed happy until
not remember her my friend went into he suddenly growled
first name. Frustrated, labor, I happened to at me. Alarmed, I
he left. A few minutes drive by her house, got up and left. As
later, I passed him wondering what she’d I turned a corner, I
outside the office on had. A sign on the front heard his owner qui-
the phone. porch gave me my etly reproach him:
answer: “It’s an Uncle!” “You always do this,
“Hey, Dad,” he said. —Pam Lester Oscar. You drive away
“What’s Mom’s first Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania all your friends.”
name?” — @juliagalef
—James Secor
West Memphis, Arkansas

Trying to get online
at my mother-in-law’s,
I scrolled through
various Internet access
names. One neighbor’s
Wi-Fi really stood out:
“You Kids Get Off
My LAN!”
—Nancy Lawson
New Hope, Pennsylvania

20 february 2020 Cartoon by Jon Carter

Reader’s Digest

Our cat, Ceremony, is mostly referred to “Yes,” I answered.

as Cat. When we have a visitor, though, we “Maybe I have that.”
revert to her real name so that we can say, I shook my head.
“Come in, but don’t stand on Ceremony.” “No. He’s afraid to
leave the house. You

— @7upislemonade (Kieron Callaghan) just like to stay home.”
—Jeff Peterson

San Francisco, California

Let’s face it—social me- As we watched a

dia is one big accident program about a man Parenting is like being

waiting to happen: with agoraphobia, a juggler except all the

✦ Accidentally my wife asked, “Is that balls are screaming.

connected my Fitbit a disability?” — @KALVINMACLEOD

abramova elena/shutterstock (bacon), olllikeballoon/shutterstock (arms+legs) account to Facebook

and now everyone

knows I only walked SUNDAY MORNING? WHY, YES, I’M FREE
13 steps yesterday.
— @TheCatWhisprer Thom S. Rainer, the founder of Church Answers, an
✦ Accidentally
changed my Facebook online community for church leaders, asked ministers
status to “Single” and
and churchgoers alike to share the best excuses

they’ve heard for skipping church:

my mother-in-law ✦ “I couldn’t get the lid ✦ “My wife cooked

posted, “WOO-HOO!” off the peanut butter.” bacon for breakfast,
— @Brianhope and our entire
comedy ✦ “The church is too family smelled like
✦ I accidentally posted close to drive and too bacon.”
far to walk.”

“Happy Buttday” ✦ “Both of my girl- ✦ “The worship
instead of “Happy friends attend church leader pulls up
Birthday” on a there.”
Facebook friend’s wall. his pants too
— @Parkerlawyer ✦ “The pastor often. It’s
stays in the Bible too distracting.”

much.” ✦ “I always get

Your funny story ✦ “The pastor is too hemorrhoids on
could be worth $$$. attractive. When I Sundays.”
see him preaching, I
✦ “Someone called

For details, go to have impure thoughts me ‘brother’ instead

rd.com/submit. and I am distracted.” of using my name.”

rd.com 21

Reader’s Digest

HOW TO

Say Goodbye
to Procrastinating

If you’ve made a resolution to stop
stalling on to-dos, read this—now

By Lisa Fields

22 february 2020 Photographs by Rebecca Simpson Steele

stylist: mae lander L ooking at his pile of unpaid advancing their careers, taking care
bills always makes Giuseppe Del of their health, and planning their
Giudice feel uneasy. More often finances.
than not, Del Giudice leaves his paper-
work undone and sweeps the floor or At the end of the day—or month!—
watches TV instead, waiting until the most people get their tasks done
last moment to write the monthly on time, but around 20 percent are
checks. Sometimes he incurs late fees chronic procrastinators at home and
because of his habit of putting things at work. One big factor for them is fear
off, but in many ways the emotional of failure, of not living up to expecta-
toll is worse. tions. Kelli Saginak, a 57-year-old
functional health coach from Wis-
“The longer the bills go unpaid,” consin, procrastinated about looking
says Del Giudice, 58, “the more my for a new job for years. That inability
anxiety soars.” to take action only confirmed her be-
lief that she would never do any bet-
Everyone procrastinates. “It’s part ter. “It’s totally fear of judgment,” says
of the human condition,” says pro- Saginak. “If I don’t take the risk, de-
crastination researcher Tim Pychyl, cide, or commit, I don’t have to face
a psychology professor at Carleton the judgment. Yet it’s simply me judg-
University. “One of the ways we cope ing myself.”
is avoidance, and that’s what procras-
tination comes down to: We want to Some people embrace procras-
feel good now. The way to do that is tination, believing that they thrive
avoid the task.” under pressure. But researchers have
debunked that notion. “I did an ex-
You can procrastinate on nearly periment several years ago, putting
anything, even enjoyable tasks such procrastinators under restrictions of
as planning a vacation. “Some people time,” says Joseph Ferrari, a psychol-
procrastinate cleaning. Some people ogy professor at DePaul University.
procrastinate by cleaning,” says Piers “They did worse than nonprocrasti-
Steel, a management professor at the nators, but they thought they did bet-
University of Calgary. ter. They made more errors. They took
longer.”
“One that almost everyone procras-
tinates on is their wills,” says Steel. Whatever the motivation (or lack
“Seventy to 80 percent of people, thereof), procrastination is usually not
when they pass away, have no will or going to be good for you. Delaying a
an out-of-date or incomplete will. It diet or exercise program may increase
leaves terrible situations.” But death your risk of heart disease. Not having
isn’t actually the ultimate avoidance seen the doctor when your illness was
trigger. Research has shown that the easier to treat may shorten your life.
top tasks people delay are cleaning,

rd.com 23

Reader’s Digest How to Say Goodbye to Procrastinating

Just thinking about what you haven’t There’s one bit of good news: Peo-
done may cause discomfort. “Pro- ple tend to procrastinate less as they
crastinators experience higher levels age. “As you grow older, the illusion
of stress, both from leaving things to of our immortality does get stripped
the last minute and from their own away,” Steel says. “It becomes clearer:
negative and self-critical feelings How many summers do we have left?
about their procrastination,” says Ten? Fifteen? They’re really finite.
Fuschia Sirois, a psychology lecturer What are you going to do with each of
at the University of Sheffield. “Some those summers?”
of the research has shown that this
stress increases their vulnerability For those of us in need of motiva-
for catching colds and experiencing tion, the best advice might be to think
digestion issues, insomnia, migraines, small.
and muscle tension.”
“We used to believe behaviors fol-
One of the most commonly pro- low attitude, but if you can prime the
crastinated activities: going to bed. pump with a little bit of progress, that
The excuses are usually the same: motivates you,” Pychyl says. So if you
“I deserve to unwind” or “I want to have been procrastinating on starting
rescue the day by doing some of the an exercise routine, just put on your
things I didn’t get done earlier.” But walking shoes. If you’ve been putting
bedtime procrastination can lead to off a work project, reread your boss’s
sleep deprivation, which in turn can notes about it.
bring about obesity, heart disease,
and many other health issues. Next, try sending yourself signals
to prompt action. For instance, you
ONE BIT OF GOOD might put your lights on a timed dim-
NEWS: PEOPLE TEND mer switch to encourage a consistent
TO PROCRASTINATE bedtime. Joel Anderson, a philosophy
LESS AS THEY AGE. researcher-lecturer at Utrecht Univer-
sity, crafted an experiment around this
concept, and it worked on most of his
subjects. “They formed an intention,”
Anderson says. “ ‘When the lights start
to dim, I’ll start going to bed.’ ”

Finally, reward yourself for each
step you take toward your goal. After
you’ve gone to the gym, take a relax-
ing bath. After you’ve paid the bills,
watch your favorite TV show. (But
don’t try to convince yourself it will
work the other way around!) RD

24 february 2020 | rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

the I am, and have always been, a from top: quang ho/shutterstock (drip). kumruen jittima/shutterstock (pod)
symbol of indulgence, love, rich-
FOOD ness, and joy. Lucky kids wear me
ON YOUR smeared across their mouths and on
PLATE their fingertips as a sign of the ultimate
childhood satisfaction. I’m the iconic
I Am Chocolate ... Valentine’s Day gift for celebrating
romance, yet also the go-to salve for
Sweet, the rejected or dejected any day of the
But with a year. But prepare for your chocolate-
Dark Side loving hearts to break just a bit, folks.
My life story is not entirely sweet.
By Kate Lowenstein
and Daniel Gritzer It is hot and epic, which is only fit-
ting given that I am native to the equa-
26 february 2020 torial regions of the Americas and
have been around for many millennia.
I come from a small evergreen tree in
the genus Theobroma (“food of the
gods” in Greek) that grows football-
shaped pods—not on its branches,
like most fruit trees, but on the trunk.
The pods have leathery skins that
cover a slimy, sweet-sour flesh and
house roughly 40 seeds each.

I was likely first grown 5,000 years
ago in current-day Ecuador—for booze.
(Yes, my flesh can be fermented into an
alcoholic beverage.) But soon enough,
my seeds—aka cacao beans—became
the forever focus. The Mayans, among
others, dried, roasted, and cracked
them into cacao nibs, which they then
ground into cocoa flour and blended
with water to make a drink. One early
European colonizer who tasted the
mix (which included spicy chile pep-
pers, fragrant flowers, and sometimes

cornmeal) said I was “more a drink for With 2% milk, at least half of adults
pigs than a drink for humanity.” In time, had a lower desire to eat
he grew to enjoy the beverage, eating
his words as aristocrats across Europe than before breakfast for 3 1/2 hours.
took to drinking a similar blend made
with rose water, egg yolks, or almonds—
emulating the Mayans after all.

Beyond satisfying the early human
sweet tooth, cacao beans have turned
out to be full of fiber, antioxidants,
monounsaturated fat, flavanols, and
other compounds that studious 21st-
century humans know are important
to overall health. My flavanols in par-
ticular are good for lowering blood
pressure, though if that were your
main objective, you’d be best off eat-
ing entirely unsweetened dark choco-
late, and who wants to do that? Even
my bitterest compound, theobromine,
is suspected of being good for the
heart and brain. Yet beware: That’s
what can poison your dog if she raids
your chocolate stash.

I was almost exclusively available to
the upper classes until the Industrial
Revolution, when someone finally
brought the hydraulic press to bear
on cacao beans. Manufacturers could
then force the vegetable fat out of my
nibs and produce cocoa butter, which
permitted cooks to more easily create
indulgences such as chocolate bars,
truffles, and cakes.

To be perfectly honest, however,
I didn’t really become a treat for the
masses as a result of technology. To
this day, I am a product of labor and
hardship. Since my pods ripen at

10 Reader’s Digest

LAYERS MAGICAL
MEXICAN HOT
OF WHEAT CHOCOLATE

IN EVERY BITE To make the treat
known as champur-
rado, add ½ cup masa pixel-shot/shutterstock
harina (Mexican corn flour,
available at well-stocked supermarkets
and Latin grocers) to a medium sauce-
pan. Set over medium heat and add
1 quart cold water a little at a time,
whisking for a smooth mixture. Raise
heat to bring to a simmer, then lower
heat to maintain it. Add in 3 ounces dark
chocolate; ¼ teaspoon ground cinna-
mon; a pinch each ground allspice,
cayenne pepper, and salt; and 3 table-
spoons granulated sugar, brown sugar,
or honey—all while whisking and scrap-
ing to prevent scorching. When choco-
late is thick and creamy, after about
5 minutes, add more salt and/or sweet-
ener to taste. As drink cools and thick-
ens, thin with hot water as necessary.

irregular times and are attached to
my tree by a delicate stem that would
be damaged by a machine, all my har-
vesting and processing must be done
by hand. It was Mayan and Aztec com-
moners, almost always women and
children, who toiled so that royalty,
priests, and celebrated warriors could
indulge in me. Once Spanish and Por-
tuguese colonizers realized that cacao
was an agricultural gold mine, they
relied on the transatlantic slave trade
to populate their cacao plantations
in places such as Brazil. Shamefully,

The Food on Your Plate SILENCE

the story continues today, as much of YOUR
the mass-market chocolate you buy
at the grocers is produced by the more GROWL
than 2 million 12-to-18-year-old West
African children who migrate alone
across borders to labor, often not paid at
all, for cacao farmers in Ivory Coast and
Ghana, the biggest chocolate-growing
countries in the world.

If you’ve lost your sweet tooth at the
thought of this unsavory background,
there are ways to consume me with a
freer conscience. Look for labels on
chocolate that indicate ethical labor
standards: Fairtrade, Utz, and Rainfor-
est Alliance (though the organizations
admit that audits of supply chains for
child workers are imperfect).

One brand, Tony’s Chocolonely, is
explicitly devoted to the goal of eradi-
cating slave labor in the chocolate in-
dustry. Founded by a Dutch journalist
who once tried to get himself arrested
for “supporting” child slavery—i.e.,
buying chocolate from the local
store—it has become a leading brand
in the Netherlands and is now avail-
able in the United States. You can
purchase Tony’s Chocolonely prod-
ucts online and in select retail outlets.
Sure, it will cost more than your aver-
age chocolate: $2.25 for a 1.8-ounce
bar. But it may not leave as sour a taste
in your mouth, ethically speaking. RD

Kate Lowenstein is a health editor
currently at Vice; Daniel Gritzer is
the culinary director of the cooking
site Serious Eats.

Reader’s Digest

Women Have
Younger Brains
than Men

News From the Just like the body’s
metabolism, the brain’s
WORLD OF metabolism tends to
MEDICINE slow with age. In a
study of more than
SUBSTITUTING CHICKEN 200 adults ages 20 to 82
FOR BEEF DOESN’T LOWER with no brain damage
CHOLESTEROL or disease, researchers
used positron-emission
If you’re trying to reduce your cholesterol, tomography (PET)
cutting back on red meat is a good idea— scans of the brain to
but don’t replace it with white meat, says measure each indi-
a new study in the American Journal of vidual’s “metabolic
Clinical Nutrition. Researchers compared brain age.” They found
LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels among that at any given time,
three groups of people over a three-month women’s brains are an
period: one ate mostly lean beef, one mostly average of 3.8 years
lean chicken or turkey, and one mostly younger than their
plant proteins. Only the plant-based diet biological age while
reduced LDL. men’s brains are an
average of 2.4 years
older. “This could
mean that the reason
women don’t experi-
ence as much cognitive
decline in later years
is because their brains
are effectively younger,”
says one of the study’s
authors. “We’re cur-
rently working on a
study to confirm that.”

30 february 2020 | rd.com Photograph by The Voorhes

Common Cold RHEUMATOID
Virus Exposes ARTHRITIS MIGHT
Cancer Cells LEAD TO COPD

from top: mut hardman. chutima chaochaiya. choochin (all shutterstock) EVENING Cancer cells are An analysis of the
EXERCISE MAY dangerous in part medical records of
NOT HURT SLEEP because the immune 50,000 people found
system cannot detect that those who had
A workout late in the them, so the body’s rheumatoid arthri-
day interferes with your natural defenses don’t tis (RA) had a 47 per-
shut-eye—or does it? kick in. But there are cent greater risk of
That’s a common no- viruses that can be used being hospitalized for
tion, but it’s not the as treatment to destroy chronic obstructive
conclusion of a Swiss this invisibility shield. pulmonary disease
review of the highest- When they enter tu- (COPD) than those who
quality studies on the mors, these viruses did not. The prolonged
topic. The analysis replicate like crazy inflammation of RA may
found that although until the tumor cells predispose some peo-
“vigorous” training burst, releasing sub- ple to COPD. Genetics
(activity that leaves stances that allow the also plays a part: An-
you too breathless to cancer to be “seen” other study identified a
speak) within an hour and destroyed by DNA variation that was
of bedtime might be immune cells. In one associated with COPD,
bad for your sleep, small British study, RA, and other auto-
exercising slightly ear- 15 patients with non- immune diseases. RA
lier or more moderately muscle invasive bladder sufferers need to look
has a neutral to benefi- cancer received a dose out for early symptoms
cial effect. That’s good of a common cold virus of COPD, such as
news for people who shortly before they wheezing and cough-
can’t fit a workout into underwent surgery to ing, and avoid risk fac-
other parts of their day. remove their tumors. tors, such as smoking.
In all cases, the virus
successfully increased
cancer cell death; in
one, it appeared to have
completely eradicated
the cancer. Moreover,
it did so without any
significant side effects.

Reader’s Digest News from the World of Medicine

SMALL CALORIE Developing a linavita/shutterstock
CUTS BENEFIT EVEN Stress Vaccine
SLIM PEOPLE
In a recent experiment,
I n a two-year study of normal- a compound derived
weight or slightly overweight from Mycobacte-
adults ages 21 to 50, 143 parti- rium vaccae, a
cipants were put on a diet de- bacterium natu-
signed to reduce their calorie rally found in
intake by 25 percent (the rest soil, turned off
ate their regular diet). For the first the stress-related
month, the dieters were fed at a clini- inflammation
cal center, and for the first six months, they attended response in mice.
regular counseling sessions. With these aids, most
were able to stick to their diets. But once those Researchers hope to
guardrails were removed, the dieters proved unable use this compound
to maintain the same level of calorie restriction. By to develop a “stress
the end of the two years, 26 dieters had dropped out vaccine” that could
altogether; those remaining were able to cut their prevent PTSD.
calorie intake by an average of only 12 percent, or
about 300 calories per person per day. A Painkiller Raises
Cardiac Risk
And yet the study yielded one surprising and en-
couraging result. It turns out that even the smaller A review of data from
reduction of calories produced significant health 6.3 million Danes, most
benefits. The dieters lost an average of 16.5 pounds ages 46 to 56, found
after the two years and reduced their insulin resis- that within 30 days of
tance, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and other starting diclofenac (an
risk factors for cardiovascular problems. They also anti-inflammatory often
had lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of prescribed for arthritis
inflammation that has been associated with heart pain), the risk of stroke,
disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. heart attack, and other
major cardiovascular
William Kraus, MD, the study’s lead author and a problems was 20 per-
distinguished professor of cardiovascular genomics cent higher compared
at Duke University, wasn’t surprised that the weight with those who took
loss offered some benefit to the subjects’ heart acetaminophen or ibu-
health. “But,” he says, “we didn’t expect the degree profen, and 50 percent
of improvement we saw.” higher than those who
took no painkillers. RD

32 february 2020 | rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

13 THINGS 1 Humans make three
different versions
Eye-Opening Facts of tears. Basal tears
About Tears lubricate our eyes,
reflex tears form in re-
By Jen McCaffery sponse to irritants such
as smoke and dirt, and
emotional tears flow
when we’re sad or over-
joyed. All are made of
salt water mixed with
oils, antibodies, and
enzymes, but they each
also contain different
molecules. Emotional
tears, for example,
carry protein-based
hormones, including
leucine-enkephalin,
a natural painkiller
released when the body
is under stress.

2onion tears are
obviously of the
reflex variety—but
what’s the irritant? It
turns out onions se-
crete a compound to
deter predators—aka
some hungry human
wielding a blade—

called lacrimatory
factor. To cut down
on its release, refrig-

erate the onion
before slicing, then
use a sharp knife to
reduce the damage

34 february 2020 Illustration by Serge Bloch

to the onion and the re- a good cry can cause 8 ever wonder
lease of the compound. the release of oxytocin why a cry causes
and endorphins, chemi- your nose to run?
3 The Latin word cals that make us feel Excess tears produced
for a tear, lacrima, better. Crying can also by the lacrimal glands
is at the root of improve people’s sense flow into your tear
scientific tear-minology. of well-being by gener- ducts. From there, they
Tears are generated ating social support, drain into the nasal
in the lacrimal gland, researchers have found. cavity, where they mix
which sits above the with mucus to give you
eye just under the 6 On the other a runny nose.
eyebrow. And the word hand, crying can
lachrymist is used to sometimes make 9 For centuries,
describe someone you feel worse than if people thought
who tears up a lot (also you hadn’t shed a tear. tears were created
known by the unscien- One study found that in the human heart.
tific term crybaby). people who are prone The Old Testament says
to crying in general they’re formed when
4 Actually, while more often feel worse part of the heart weak-
babies cry a lot, after crying during ens and turns into
they don’t produce a movie than people water. In fact, many
tears until they are who rarely cry. people cry in the Bible,
seven or eight months though perhaps none
old, according to the 7 According to explains the situation as
American Academy Entertainment poetically as David does
of Pediatrics. You know Weekly, the biggest in Psalm 56:8, when he
who does shed a lot of Hollywood tearjerker of says to God: “You keep
tears? Studies have all time is Terms of track of all my sorrows.
found that women cry Endearment, about how You have collected all
an average of 3.5 times a family deals with a my tears in your bottle.
a month, almost twice cancer diagnosis. Num- You have recorded each
as much as men. On ber 2: Bambi. According one in your book.”
average, humans pro- to Merriam-Webster, the
duce 15 to 30 gallons term tearjerker debuted 10 In medieval
of tears a year. in 1912, which happens times, crying
to be the same year was perfectly
5 Crying can be the Titanic sank. (The acceptable, even
good for you. Some movie Titanic is 16th on manly. In the Anglo-
studies have shown EW ’s tearjerker list.) Saxon poem Beowulf,

rd.com 35

Reader’s Digest 13 Things

when Beowulf is killed 12 Charles understanding how
by a dragon, his warriors Darwin was the secretion of tears
were “disconsolate/and fascinated by serves as a relief to
wailed aloud for their tears. For his book suffering.”
lord’s decease.” King Ar- The Expression of the
thur was also known to Emotions in Man and 13 As we age,
turn on the waterworks. Animals, the father production
of evolution collected of basal tears
11 Speaking of observations of South slows, which can lead
war, tear gas was African monkeys and to dry eyes. Women
banned on the indigenous Australians going through hor-
battlefield via the and compared them monal changes such
Chemical Weapons with his own kids. as pregnancy or
Convention of 1993, Darwin concluded, menopause are partic-
which was spurred “We must look at ularly susceptible.
by Iraq’s use of chemi- weeping as an inciden- To help the situation,
cal weapons in Iran tal result, as purpose- try lubricating eye
in the 1980s. That said, less as the secretion drops (also called
American law enforce- of tears from a blow artificial tears) or use
ment agencies can outside the eye ... yet warm compresses on
still legally use tear gas this does not present your eyes for a few
for crowd control. any difficulty in our minutes. RD

The World Is a Zoo!

We think of country names as coming from—well, where do they
come from? (Other than Iceland. That one is easy.) It turns out that,

in their native languages, the names of many countries
were inspired by animals. A few top-dog examples:

Albania: Land of the Eagle

Bhutan: Land of the Thunder Dragon

Cameroon: River of Prawns

Kosovo: Field of Blackbirds

Singapore: The Lion City

digg.com

36 february 2020 | rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

“I can defend this hill for another hour, but
then I really need to get to the gym.”

Humor in caller: Sgt. Rodrigues? In the ’50s, I was a zachary kanin/cartoonstock
me: Still the wrong clerk typist at our
UNIFORM number. base headquarters in
caller: Do you have Verdun, France. We
I was awakened late his right number? were a tough group.
one night by a phone There’s a post recall and How tough? Our motto
call from nearby Fort he has to go to work. was “We never retreat,
Meade, in Maryland. me: No, I don’t. we just backspace.”
me: Hello? (Hang up. And ...) —Bill Robbins
caller: Is Sgt. second caller: Is Sgt. Lexington, Kentucky
Rodrigues there? Rodrigues there?
me: Sorry, you have me: No. There’s a post Your funny military
the wrong number. recall and he went to story could be worth
(Hang up. R-i-i-ing!) work. $$$. For details, go to
caller: OK. Thanks. rd.com/submit.
—Howard Graves
Severn, Maryland

38 february 2020 | rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

EVERYDAY MIRACLES

Long-Lost Sisters

By Cheryl Charles

I come from a broken family that we were teenagers we had lost touch.
many would consider dysfunctional By age 19, I had moved away from
at the very least: marriages, divorces, our home in Wisconsin to live on my
etc. After we grew up, my three siblings father’s horse farm in Virginia, where
and I could go years without speaking. I worked ultimately as a veterinary
And that is where this story begins. assistant and a bartender. Jeanne got
married at 18, moved to Chicago, and
My sister Jeanne and I were born became—well, I didn’t know what. We
only 14 months apart, but by the time

40 february 2020 Illustration by Gel Jamlang

lived separate lives in separate states, way to get to her. The crowd started to
and our connection somehow ended. part—even by New York standards, we
must have seemed crazy. And there
Fast-forward about five years. I we were, standing in the middle of a
was 24 and on a trip with my fiancé Manhattan street, facing each other
to New York City, a place I had never and smiling. I couldn’t believe it.
been. It was overwhelming. I was
used to riding my horse to the corner I later asked how she’d known it was
store where everyone knew every- me—she never saw me! She said it was
one and everything going on in the my laugh. I wouldn’t say my laugh is
quiet little cowpoke town of Driver, all that unusual, but I guess to a fam-
Virginia. We had gone to New York ily member it’s infectious. It hits your
to visit my fiancé’s cousin and see heart and resonates in your mind.
the sights. We went to Little Italy, the
Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, and I asked her what she was doing in
several Manhattan clubs. I had never New York, and she said she had come
seen so many taxicabs in one spot in for an opera showing and was there
all my life. for only a week. Neither of us has ever
returned to New York, and both our
During a day of sightseeing, we visits were spontaneous trips planned
were crossing a very busy street just a week earlier.
loaded with people. Everyone was
in a hurry, hustling and bustling. I Since that time, my sister and I
had laughed at something my fiancé have never been separated. We both
said, and I suddenly heard my name moved back to Wisconsin. We talk
yelled from somewhere behind me: daily. Many years have passed, and
“Cheryl!” I froze in my steps in the we are now in our 50s. I truly believe
middle of the road. Tears welled up God played a huge part in bringing us
spontaneously in my eyes. I knew together. But our meeting by chance
without a doubt that it was my sis- wasn’t just a sign. I see it as more of a
ter Jeanne. I yelled back before even lesson, a reminder not to lose touch
turning to look. “Jeanne?” with loved ones. It is too easy to re-
main lost. After our sister-to-sister
It was her. “Oh my God!” I screamed, miracle, I don’t plan to let that hap-
and I began pushing people out of my pen again. RD

What Are the Odds?

J’Aime Brown is one lucky baby. She was born at 7:11 p.m. on July 11.
Her birth weight: 7 pounds 11 ounces.

cnn

rd.com 41



WE Reader’s Digest
FOUND
A FIX 1

9 Tricks to Build a Better
Improve Your Life* Snowman
fun The key to
making a great
snowman? Flat-
tened snowballs.
Jim Sysko, who
helped build
the world’s tallest
snowman in 2008,
says that slightly
flat snowballs
make for a more
stable snowman
(or snowwoman).

karidesign/shutterstock

*From RD.com reporting rd.com | february 2020 43

Reader’s Digest

2 4

Protect Your Dog’s Paws Keep Shower Doors
Spotless Longer
pets If your dog hates snow booties, you can still
protect his feet from rock salt and other winter hazards. cleaning Water-repelling
Apply a wax-based balm to his feet before you go out, sprays (such as Rain-X)
then clean them when you finish your walk. Standard aren’t just great for your
petroleum jelly will work, as will balms from popular car. Applying a coat to
brands such as Musher’s Secret and Burt’s Bees. your shower doors will
prevent the buildup of
mildew and other residue.

3 5 katherine austin/shutterstock

Rest Your Dough Treat a Cough
cooking For a richer with Oregano
flavor when making
cookies, chill your health “Oregano is
dough for a few a powerhouse of a flu
hours before baking. fighter, since it’s anti-
That will help the bacterial, antifungal, and
moisture and fat an antioxidant,” says Pat-
spread evenly rick Fratellone, MD, who
throughout the practices integrative med-
dough as it bakes. icine in New York. It can
Your cookies will help with cold symptoms,
have a nice, soft too, he says. Take an
center too. oregano capsule twice a
day with meals, or make
oregano tea by pouring
one cup of boiling water
over two teaspoons of
dried oregano and steep
for two to four minutes. If
the taste is too bitter, add
some raw honey. Drink it
twice a day.

44 february 2020

We Found a Fix

6 8

Help Your Wipers Last Dim Your
Computer Monitor
auto If your windshield wipers don’t
seem to be doing their job, it’s possi- money Former Harvard
ble that they’ve picked up some sort Law School energy
of particulate that keeps them from manager Eric Potkin
staying flat on the glass. You’ll have found that reducing your
to replace them eventually, but you computer monitor’s
can buy some time by scraping brightness by 30 percent
off the residue. To do that, run (from 100 to 70) can save
a nail file up and down each up to 20 percent of the
blade thoroughly. overall energy that the
monitor uses.

fotoslaz/shutterstock 7 9

Pick Up Glass Fragments Easily Stay Healthy in
Your Hotel
home Collecting the larger pieces of a broken glass or
dish is usually easy enough, but picking up those tiny travel When you think
slivers and shards can be tricky. One way to do it is to about it, it’s not surpris-
press a slice of soft bread over the area. Just be careful ing that the TV remote
not to cut yourself when you toss the bread in the in a hotel room is often
garbage. crawling with germs, as
numerous health studies
have found. But one of
the dirtiest spots of all
is pretty shocking: It’s
the bathroom counter,
according to bacterial
readings taken from nine
hotels by travelmath.com.
Reduce your risk by dis-
infecting surfaces with
alcohol wipes before
settling in. RD

rd.com 45

The first and only overactive bladder (OAB) treatment in its class.

IS YOUR
BLADDER
ALWAYS
TAKING YOU
ON A TRIP
OF ITS OWN?

Urgency
Frequency
Leakage

USE OF MYRBETRIQ (meer-BEH-trick)

In clinical trials, those taking Myrbetriq Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) is a prescription
made fewer trips to the bathroom and medicine for adults used to treat overactive
had fewer leaks than those not taking bladder (OAB) with symptoms of urgency,
Myrbetriq. Your results may vary. frequency and leakage.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Myrbetriq is not for everyone. Do not take

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR Myrbetriq if you have an allergy to mirabegron
OAB SYMPTOMS BY TALKING or any ingredients in Myrbetriq. Myrbetriq may
cause your blood pressure to increase or make
TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT your blood pressure worse if you have a history
MYRBETRIQ TODAY. of high blood pressure. It is recommended

that your doctor check your blood pressure

while you are taking Myrbetriq. Myrbetriq

may increase your chances of not being

able to empty your bladder. Tell your doctor

right away if you have trouble emptying your

bladder or you have a weak urine stream.

Myrbetriq® is a registered trademark of Astellas Pharma Inc.

All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

©2018 Astellas Pharma US, Inc. All rights reserved. 057-2985-PM

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (continued)

Myrbetriq may cause allergic reactions that increased blood pressure, common cold
may be serious. If you experience swelling of symptoms (nasopharyngitis), dry mouth, flu
the face, lips, throat or tongue, with or without symptoms, urinary tract infection, back pain,
difficulty breathing, stop taking Myrbetriq and dizziness, joint pain, headache, constipation,
tell your doctor right away. sinus irritation, and inflammation of the bladder
(cystitis).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take
including medications for overactive bladder or For further information, please talk to your
other medicines such as thioridazine (Mellaril™ healthcare professional and see Brief
and Mellaril-S™), flecainide (Tambocor®), Summary of Prescribing Information for
propafenone (Rythmol®), digoxin (Lanoxin®) or Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) on the following
solifenacin succinate (VESIcare®). Myrbetriq pages.
may affect the way other medicines work, and
other medicines may affect how Myrbetriq You are encouraged to report negative side
works. effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch
Before taking Myrbetriq, tell your doctor if or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
you have liver or kidney problems. The most
common side effects of Myrbetriq include

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and visit Myrbetriq.com

Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) extended-release tablets 25 mg, 50 mg

Brief Summary based on FDA-approved patient labeling
Read the Patient Information that comes with Myrbetriq® (mirabegron) before you start taking

place of talking with your doctor about your medical condition or treatment.

What is Myrbetriq (meer-BEH-trick)?
Myrbetriq is a prescription medication for adults used to treat the following symptoms due to a
condition called overactive bladder:
• Urge urinary incontinence: a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents
• Urgency: a strong need to urinate right away
• Frequency: urinating often
It is not known if Myrbetriq is safe and effective in children.

Who should not use Myrbetriq?
Do not take Myrbetriq if you have an allergy to mirabegron or any of the ingredients in Myrbetriq.
See the end of this summary for a complete list of ingredients in Myrbetriq.

What should I tell my doctor before taking Myrbetriq?
Before you take Myrbetriq, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
• have liver problems or kidney problems
• have very high uncontrolled blood pressure
• have trouble emptying your bladder or you have a weak urine stream
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Myrbetriq will harm your unborn

baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Myrbetriq passes into your breast milk.

Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take Myrbetriq.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter
medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Myrbetriq may affect the way other medicines work,
and other medicines may affect how Myrbetriq works.
Tell your doctor if you take:
• thioridazine (Mellaril™ or Mellaril-S™)
• ®)
• propafenone (Rythmol®)
• digoxin (Lanoxin®)
• solifenacin succinate (VESIcare®)

How should I take Myrbetriq?
• Take Myrbetriq exactly as your doctor tells you to take it.
• You should take 1 Myrbetriq tablet 1 time a day.
• You should take Myrbetriq with water and swallow the tablet whole.
• Do not chew, break, or crush the tablet.
• You can take Myrbetriq with or without food.
• If you miss a dose of Myrbetriq, begin taking Myrbetriq again the next day. Do not take 2 doses

of Myrbetriq the same day.
• If you take too much Myrbetriq, call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency room

right away.

What are the possible side effects of Myrbetriq?
Myrbetriq may cause serious side effects including:
• increased blood pressure. Myrbetriq may cause your blood pressure to increase or make your

blood pressure worse if you have a history of high blood pressure. It is recommended that your
doctor check your blood pressure while you are taking Myrbetriq.
• inability to empty your bladder (urinary retention). Myrbetriq may increase your chances of not
being able to empty your bladder if you have bladder outlet obstruction or if you are taking