2022-06-01 Reader's Digest

JUNE 2022 WHEN WILL
YOUR CAR
Dad Jokes
FOR SALE The Future of Tech
By CHRIS STOKEL-WALKER
From MCSWEENEY’S
13
How to Talk
Even if You Things
Disagree About
America’s
From the book I NEVER National
THOUGHT OF IT THAT WAY Parks

Life Advice By EMILY
from GOODMAN
MARGARET
ATWOOD

From the book
BURNING
QUESTIONS



A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

Features she sometimes the cold, angry water.
wonders whether Then they became
54 she should keep her separated.
thoughts to herself.
Cover story By Jeff moaG from
By marGaret atwood from men’s journal
THE FUTURE the Book burning questions
OF TECH* 98
76
From self-driving HealtH
cars to space travel, we national interest
answer your questions Flip the ’Script
about where tech- “I Never Thought
nology is heading. Before dialing your
of It That Way”* doctor, try finding
By chris stokel-walker relief with these simple
How to talk to people home remedies that
64 even if you disagree. really work.

Department of wit By mÓnica GuzmÁn By lisa Bendall
from the Book i never
For Sale: My Catalog
thought of it that way
of Dad Jokes*
84 64
Once your kid stops
laughing at “Why didn’t your true stories
Han Solo enjoy his
steak dinner? It was Parenting,
Chewie!” it’s time to Passed Down
move on.
Readers share the
By Gary rudoren from rules and traditions
mcsweeneys.net that made them
the parents they
68 are today.
By reader’s digest readers
inspiration
dale may 88
Advice to the Young*
Drama in real life
One of the world’s most
celebrated writers has Nightmare on
much to share—though Lake Superior

One by one, the three
kayakers capsized in

cover illustration by Tavis Coburn 1

Reader’s Digest Contents

34 Packing Limit, Quotable Quotes
and More
Departments 109 Whoopi Goldberg,
HoW to Mel Brooks, Lin-
4 Dear Reader Manuel Miranda
6 Letters 28 Stop Losing
Your Stuff trusted Friend
World of good
by angela haupt 116 Locals Hangout
11 The Fairy’s from the by Ellen Weinstein
Godmother
washington post The Healthy
EvEryday HEroEs
food for tHougHt 43 An Anti-Migraine
12 Dads on Duty Diet, Calling All
34 Picking Peppers Blood Donors,
by caroline fanning Keeping a
13 tHings Laughter Journal
16 Hey, That’s Me!
36 National Parks: 48 News from the
by andy simmons Made for You World of Medicine

EvEryday miraclEs and Me* Brain Games

18 A Perfect Match by emily goodman 110 Fact or Fiction,
Save the Dates,
by stephen WHErE, oH WHErE? and More
messenger
from the dodo 52 Winding 113 Word Power
Mountain Drive
bEst pEt pals
tHE rd list
20 A Goose Chase
105 Top Gun: Maverick,
WE found a fix James Patterson,
and More
25 Cushion Your
Humor

Life in These United States ���������������������������������������� 22
Humor in Uniform ������������������������������������������������������� 32
All in a Day’s Work ������������������������������������������������������� 40
Laughter, the Best Medicine ������������������������������������� 50

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Reader’s Digest

DEAR READER

A Fight for
the Future

I spent an afternoon with Kyiv Find ways to help at rd.com/ukraine. from top: omer messinger/getty images. tmB studio/mark derse
Mayor Vitali Klitschko a few years
ago for a profile I was writing. At to Germans welcoming refugees into
the time, he was still a professional their homes. That’s what we do at
boxer—a heavyweight champion to RD—focus on the positives. In that
be exact—and only beginning to dab- spirit, we have rounded up a list of or-
ble in politics. He talked about grow- ganizations to consider donating to at
ing up in the Soviet Union, and when rd.com/ukraine. Please check it out.
I asked about his interest in Ukrainian
politics, he explained, “I don’t want to World events like this can bring
be passive. Every citizen should help people together or divide us. Mónica
develop the future of his country.” Guzmán specializes in helping people
bridge those gaps through her work
Klitschko is now fighting for the with Braver Angels, a national orga-
future of his country alongside his nization out to depolarize America.
fellow citizens. The situation unfolded On page 76, she offers tips for talking
during the creation of this issue and to people on the opposite side of the
weighed heavily over everything. political spectrum. It could help you
Reader’s Digest is a place to cel- connect—or reconnect—with a friend
ebrate family and community,
and it was difficult to watch during these times.
Ukrainians have their families Every citizen should help de-
and communities torn apart.
velop the future of their country.
Many of us at RD have Sometimes a conversation is a
found hope in the heart-
warming stories of or- good way to start. RD
dinary people helping
out, from Polish citi- Jason Buhrmester,
zens donating strollers chief content officer
to Ukrainian families
Write to me at

[email protected].

4 June 2022 | Rd.com



LETTERS get out on your own
by lying on your back,
Notes on arms outstretched, and
Past Issues slowly pulling each leg
out of the quicksand.
Where Have All the Nurses Gone? Once loose, gently rock
toward dry terrain. Your
I was made to be a nurse and can’t see body is less dense than
myself in any other profession. Your article quicksand and will float.
about the nursing shortage (March/April) —Ben Zuckerman
came just as the Federal Trade Commission Los Angeles, California
began investigating travel nursing rates.
Capping their pay can only negatively From the Editors:
affect all nurses. Health-care executives The chief ranger at Zion
make millions, and nurses deserve higher National Park describes
wages instead of pay scrutiny. That would a similar method to safely
certainly help the shortage. escape quicksand.

—Nicole Vidak Swanton, Ohio A Century of Stories

Pandemic Silver “Grandmagarten” for I loved the 100th anni- tmb studio
Linings her grandson. It gave versary issue (Febru-
me hope that in spite of ary). As a kid, I was the
These quarantine silver life’s hardships, the hu- nerd who beat everyone
linings (March/April) man spirit will endure. to the vocabulary test—
were a welcome relief. —Susan Davniero and used a pen. Read-
I could see the smiles of Lindenhurst, New York er’s Digest isn’t just a
the senior couple who magazine. It represents
found “A New Chance at I Survived! who we are culturally
Love” during the pan- and the changes we’ve
demic. I felt energized How frightening it must experienced. Thanks
to get outside by the have been for the per- for being there for us.
bicycling family in “The son who was rescued —Paula
Road Less Pedaled.” from quicksand after Elofson-Gardine
I felt the grandmother’s being stuck for 12 hours Lakewood, Colorado
joy in leading virtual (March/April). You can
Everyday Heroes

It makes me proud that
a fellow Detroiter came
up with an idea to help

6 June 2022

Reader’s Digest

both the homeless and experience in nature TIPPING THE SCALES
the environment. How is worth a thousand
many people could fig- nature facts.” From the Editors:
ure out how to turn re- —Stacie Hagwood Our March/April 2022
cycled potato chip bags Garner, North Carolina article “Know How
into insulated sleeping Much to Tip” generated
bags (March/April) as Growing Hope a robust response from
Eradajere Oleita did? I both sides of the table.
applaud her brilliance. All of Jane Goodall’s Here is a sampling.
—James Lanctot reasons to be optimistic
Indianapolis, Indiana about the future ✦✦ As a server and bar-
(March/April) con- tender, I take exception
The Fight to Save firmed what I already to your tipping advice.
Texas’s Spectacular know to be true, as sung Pre-pandemic, 15 to 20
Coral Reefs by Luke Bryan in “Most percent was normal.
People Are Good.” I be- Now, it does nothing to
Clint Moore’s encounter moan public discourse offset our financial loss
with a manta ray in the that insists we are all from years of closings
Gulf of Mexico (Febru- mad or mad (either def- and limited service. Sug-
ary) reminded me of a inition of the word)—I gesting that 10 to 15 per-
quote from environmen- know we’re not. cent is acceptable is even
tal educator David So- —John Mick II more outlandish. Fortu-
bel: “One transcendent Evanston, Illinois nately my customers tip
well to keep us afloat.
101cats/getty images We’re on the Prowl...
—David Smith
...for your wildest animal tales! America’s Best
Pet Pals is Reader’s Digest’s nationwide search for Bel air, maryland
stories that make you laugh, cry, or purr. We’re
especially looking for hero pets, so if your best ✦✦ The new guidelines are
canine friend suddenly turned into Superdog, good to note. I wish there
we want to hear about it. Many unlikely pet pals— was also a note for compa-
from a poodle and a white-tailed deer to a first nies that give huge raises
grader and some chicks—have been featured in to higher-ups while ex-
Reader’s Digest, on pecting most of the work-
RD.com, and on force to get by on less
our social media so during record inflation.
far. See terms and Being more generous to
submit your story at that labor pool, too, would
rd.com/petpals. help everyone tip better.

—Bharat I. Desai

east longmeadow,
massachusetts

Rd.com 7

DVERT EMENT

B UT W M ’S H TH

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Xȁ ƧȌȁɨƵrsƊtǞȌȁ ɩǞtǘ hȌƊȁ ɐȁƮƵȁ ƊȁƮ àǘƊt tȌ ȁȌɩ ƦȌɐt ²trƵss ÇrǞȁƊrɯ
ǘƵr ƮƊɐǐǘtƵr hƊǿǞƵ RƵss XȁƧȌȁtǞȁƵȁƧƵ

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Reader’s Digest

World of

GOOD

Reasons to Smile

Craig Hudson The Fairy’s
Godmother

S hould you find yourself wan-
dering in Alexandria, Virginia, be
sure to cast your gaze down. You
just might spot a two-inch door at the
base of a stone wall, or a vivid teal por-
tal on a tree in front of a frozen custard
shop. These “fairy doors” are the cre-
ation of Kate Young, 30, for the express
use of fairies. Young, got the idea a few
years ago after becoming enchanted
by a small door in a tree with a stone
path and a bridge. So she erected her
own tiny structures, about 100 of them
in total. One favorite, a tiny post office
installed against a dogwood, collected
around 100 letters from children asking,
“Who are you?” “What are you?” “I am a
fairy real estate agent,” she says. “I build
the houses, and the fairies move in.” RD

adapted from during tHe pandemiC, an artist
filled Her neigHborHood witH fairy doors

by tara baHrampour from tHe wasHington post
(november 26, 2021)

Rd.com | June 2022 11

Reader’s Digest

EVERYDAY HEROES

Dads on Duty

When gang violence spiked, parents at a Louisiana
high school said “Not on our watch”

By Caroline Fanning

O n thursday, September He contacted Michael La’Fitte, a fel-
16, 2021, just weeks into low activist, who had an 11th-grade
the school year, two daughter at Southwood. That Sunday,
groups of boys brawled the two held an emergency meet-
across the courtyard ing with parents and the principal.
at Southwood High By the end of the four-hour session,
School in Shreveport, Louisiana. The a group of the fathers in attendance
following day, two groups of girls had decided it was time to make their
picked up where the boys had left off. presence known on campus.
In a mere two days, 23 students were
in police custody. One was charged “We’re dads,” La’Fitte told CBS
with battery for allegedly hitting an News. “The best people to take care
assistant principal. Another student of our kids are who? Are us.”
was charged with threatening a re-
source officer and a staff member. That’s how Dads on Duty was born.
Its goal: Make sure the kids are safe.
When a school administrator told Around 40 men organized into six-
her former classmate Craig Lee, a person shifts with two shifts on cam-
business owner and community pus every day. They started the day
activist, that gang tensions were ris- after the meeting. The dads are busi-
ing, Lee wanted to do something. ness owners, truck drivers, chefs, and
financial advisers who sacrifice their

12 June 2022 | Rd.com Photograph by Justin Clemons

World of Good

Rev. George McCain (from left),
David Telsee, Torian Walters,
Michael Morgan, and Craig Lee,
along with other dads, helped
bring peace to Southwood High.

Reader’s Digest World of Good

own schedules and commitments. Dads on Duty to make sure every
Some are fathers of kids at the school, student feels as if someone is invested
while others are uncles, grandfathers, in their success.
brothers, and men like Lee, who
doesn’t have a child at Southwood That means taking an interest in
but wants the youth in his community home lives, engaging in dialogue
to know they have an entire village about entrepreneurship and alter-
behind them. natives to gang culture, sponsoring
essay contests, and, ultimately, mak-
Now, anyone who wants to enter ing sure every kid has an adult they
the school with rage and a closed fist trust to turn to in times of crisis.
will have to dodge boisterous papa
bears, big smiles, positive affirma- The dads aren’t meant to replace
tions, and a plethora of awful dad security guards or disciplinarians. If
jokes. It’s hard to be a tough guy when they do see a fight, they get security
or an assistant principal on the scene
THE DADS MAKE SURE ASAP. Their presence is meant to be
EVERY KID HAS AN more preventive than reactionary.
ADULT TO TURN TO
IN TIMES OF CRISIS. For instance, one day after school,
Dad on Duty Mike Morgan noticed
somebody’s uncle has just tricked you that a student who’d been bullied was
into checking your shoelaces for the milling about outside with friends.
umpteenth time only to find that they Morgan suspected they were lying
are not, in fact, untied. in wait for the student’s tormentor.
Morgan found the bully and steered
Since Dads on Duty arrived on him clear of the area, likely avoiding
campus, fights have drastically de- an assault. It was a situation requiring
clined, and gang battles have stopped more delicacy and a personal invest-
completely. ment than law enforcement or secu-
rity might have offered.
“The school has been happy, you
can feel it,” said one student. The Shreveport dads have already
partnered with fathers in other parts
Another told the Washington Post, of the country who’ve followed their
“They interact with all the kids like example. Groups in Henderson,
we’re their own children.” Nevada; Little Rock, Arkansas; and
Jackson, Mississippi, have formed ver-
But it’s not just corny jokes and sions of Dads on Duty, Lee says.
bubbly good mornings that have
healed Southwood. It’s the Positive As La’Fitte told People, the more the
Presence Promotion, developed by merrier. “We’d like this to be the same
as the PTA—something that is in every
school in every county.” RD

14 June 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest World of Good

Hey,
That’s Me!

By Andy Simmons

A my Jandrisevits knows the Amy Jandrisevits wants every kid to have courtesy rick swearingen, Mortensen PhotograPhy
value of a good doll. “Dolls
have a power we don’t com- a doll they can identify with.
pletely understand,” she told The
Today Show. It’s a conclusion she Word spread, and soon Jandrisevits
came to while working as a pediatric was making dolls for children with
oncology social worker using dolls to scars, birthmarks, facial deformities,
help her young clients adapt to their tracheotomies—in short, a doll that
changing medical situations. Many of looked like them. She quit her job and
the kids saw themselves in those dolls. started a nonprofit, A Doll Like Me.
But for the kids missing a limb or who
had lost their hair, there were none Working out of her home in Mil-
they could relate to. waukee, from photos sent by parents
or caregivers, it takes Jandrisevits
So, seven years ago, when a friend roughly seven hours to craft each
revealed that her child was transgen- doll. A GoFundMe page helps her off-
der, Jandrisevits, now 49, knew what set costs and allows her to donate her
might help the youth through this po- services. She hasn’t charged for a doll
tentially challenging period. “It’s hard since she began her nonprofit.
to tell a kid, ‘You are perfect the way
you are,’ and to build self-esteem that In all, she’s made more than
way, but never offer them anything 400  dolls. The waiting list is long,
that looks like them,” she says. but Jandrisevits is unbowed. As she
explains on her GoFundMe page,
Jandrisevits went about changing “Every kid, regardless of gender, eth-
that. She crafted a doll by hand—using nicity, age, medical issue, or body
fabric, stitching, and markers—that type, should look into the sweet face
resembled her friend’s child and sent of a doll and see their own.” RD
it off. After the friend posted a photo
online of the happy child and doll,
another woman asked Jandrisevits to
make a doll that looked like her baby,
who was missing a leg.

16 June 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

EVERYDAY MIRACLES

A Perfect Match

By Stephen Messenger

from The DoDo

A s an only child, Nicole Renae But when Renae was 14, her father
often felt lonely in her youth. got a new job that came with a dev-
But that all changed when she astating caveat: He’d be working from
turned ten. For her birthday, Renae’s home, and the house needed to be
grandmother surprised her with an free of audible distractions.
adorable gray puppy named Chloe.
“Chloe was very yappy,” Renae says.
From the very start, the two were “I was just a kid, so I didn’t have any
inseparable. “She was my best friend,” choice in the matter. I didn’t want to
Renae says. Every ounce of love Renae get rid of my dog. I just felt so sick and
gave, the little dog returned tenfold. sad about it.”

“She was such a sweet dog,” Renae With no easier option, the family
says. “She’d lick your face forever if surrendered Chloe to a humane soci-
you didn’t stop her.” ety. Though they were optimistic that

18 june 2022 illustration by Ben Kirchner

World of Good

the dog would find a new home with Renae had seen Chloe last, so the
people who loved her, they couldn’t notion seemed to be little more than
know for sure. wishful thinking.

“I called the humane society to try “My whole family thought I was
to find out what happened to her,” nuts,” Renae says.
Renae says, “but they couldn’t tell me
anything. So I never knew.” “THE NUMBERS
WERE A MATCH.
In time, Renae grew up, got mar- I FELT LIKE I’D WON
ried, and had a child of her own. But THE LOTTERY.”
her family didn’t feel quite complete.
Remembering the joy that having a But her mom realized there was a
dog had brought her as a kid, Renae way to test the theory: Their Chloe
wanted her daughter to experience had been microchipped as a puppy.
the same. She had it in her mind that They found the ID number, then Re-
she would adopt a puppy, but then nae took her new Chloe to the vet to
one day she saw a post on Facebook be scanned. Sure enough, she also
about a senior dog that needed a new had a microchip.
home. The dog in the photograph
looked a lot like Chloe—she was even “The numbers were a match,” Renae
named Chloe. In an instant it was de- says. “I felt like I’d won the lottery.”
cided: She would adopt this older dog.
After years of thinking she’d never
When she met Chloe, Renae was see her dog again, Renae is overjoyed
struck with an uncanny feeling. The to have her back. “I get so excited to
dog seemed so familiar. And Chloe come home and see her,” she says.
appeared to feel the same way about
Renae. “She ran up to me and started As for Chloe, “she’s made herself
licking my face,” she says. Chloe re- right at home,” Renae says. And why
minded Renae so much of her old dog shouldn’t she? “She knows that she’ll
that the emotion overwhelmed her. be with me forever.” RD

“I was crying,” Renae says. “I just TheDoDo.com (February 8, 2018), copyrighT © 2018 by
knew in my heart that it was her.” The DoDo

Still, eight years had passed since

Shepherd’s Delight

A car crash in northern Idaho last year sent Tilly, a two-year-old border collie
mix, flying from his owners’ vehicle. Tilly took off running and disappeared,

but he was found days later on a nearby farm, happily herding sheep.

WashingTonposT.com

Rd.com 19

Reader’s Digest

World of Good

BEST PET PALS

A Goose Chase

Wichita, Kansas

G ertie, our white Chinese goose,
with her companion, Vinnie, a
brown Toulouse goose, has laid

a clutch of eggs every spring for the past

nine years. Gertie faithfully sits on

Can your them every spring, but, sadly, the
pet top eggs never hatch.
Gertie’s story?
Last spring, Gertie injured
See terms and her leg and was very upset that
submit your story at she couldn’t roam free while she
healed—her eggs needed her! My
rd.com /petpals.

teenage son went down to the shore-

line of the lake behind our house and

carefully scooped up the eggs in her nest

and brought them to her.

Weeks later, a miracle happened: An

egg hatched! But the gosling peeking out

from under Gertie’s wing didn’t resemble

either of its parents. It was a Canada gos-

ling like the ones that live on the lake.

Our guess is that a Canada goose laid

eggs near Gertie’s, and one got mixed

in. Nevertheless, Vinnie and Gertie love

courtesy tammy ritchie the Canada gosling we named Mayble

as their own. While Gertie was recover-

ing, Vinnie happily took over lots of early

parenting duties, such as swimming and

exploring with Mayble. This blended

family is quite the sight on the lake. RD

—Nominated by Tammy Ritchie

Rd.com | June 2022 21

Reader’s Digest

LIFE

in these
United States

My neighbor was on a These posts on Reddit pregnant and saw
mission trip to South and boredpanda.com someone I knew at a
America, so his wife beg the question: What restaurant. They said,
attended a dinner is it about food that “OMG, what are you
party alone. When the causes our brain syn- having?” And I said,
woman seated next apses to misfire? “Chicken.”
to her asked why her ✦✦Once when I was a
husband hadn’t come waitress, a guy asked An angry woman
along, my friend ex- me for extra mashed
plained, “He’s been potatoes. I replied, sitting next to me in
on the Amazon for “They’re mashed as a diner called over
four days.” much as they can our waitress and said,
mash them.” “I don’t know what
The woman was ✦✦Someone told me: kind of ruse you’re
impressed. “Really? “You shouldn’t drink trying to perpetrate.
Whatever is he carbonated water, it’s I’ve had soup du jour
buying?” full of carbs.” before, and (points
—Valerie Childress ✦✦I was eight months to bowl), this isn’t it.”
Arp, Texas — @amyselwyn

22 June 2022 Cartoon by © Dave Coverly/speedbump.com

World of Good

I was taking a shower “Why are they stealing our trash?!”
when my three-year- (My kid, horrified that the garbagemen
old granddaughter are doing their job.)
walked in on me in all
my glory. “Grandma,” — @momsense_ensues
she said, stunned,
FabioFilzi/getty images “you don’t have your SCENES FROM Marriage is having sepa-
glasses on.” A MARRIAGE rate tubes of toothpaste
—Alice Horne because your spouse
Springfield, Missouri Are you a June bride- or squeezes it wrong.
groom-to-be? Partake in — @mom_tho
For me, dying is a lot like wisdom from those who
going camping. I don’t have come before you: 12% of marriage is
want to do it. disagreeing on which
—Comedian Phil Wang Welcome to marriage, plastic containers are
you’ll now provide full recyclable.
My uncle is a frugal details about the quality — @SladeWentworth
man. He once told the of your sleep, the num-
woman at the movie ber of times you peed, Marriage is just your
theater box office that and any areas of pain be- spouse perpetually
since he couldn’t re- fore you even open your standing in front of the
member if he’d seen eyes in the morning. kitchen drawer or cabi-
the film, he wouldn’t — @MumInBits net you need to open.
buy a ticket until he — @copymama
was sure. And with Sleeping under separate
that, he marched in- blankets should have Got a funny story
side and found a seat. been the marriage about friends or fam-
advice everybody gave ily? It could be worth
A half hour later, the me a year and a half ago. $$$. For details, go to
manager, followed by — @iSmashFizzle rd.com/submit.
two police officers,
collared him. As they Marriage is just listening
escorted him out, my to your husband talk
uncle shouted, “I’m about what he wants
still not sure whether to grill on the weekend.
I saw this!” — @ThisOneSayz
—Mary Ann Vergetis
West Bend, Wisconsin 70% of marriage is
yelling “what” from
a different room.
— @mommajessiec

Rd.com 23



Reader’s Digest

We Found a

FIX

Help, Hacks,
& How to

1 Travel
Cushion Your
Packing Limit

You’ve just arrived at the checked
bag counter and—drat!—your
suitcase is over the weight max-
imum. Now you have to pop
it open and put on a fashion
show for fellow passengers as
you layer on three sweaters.
Next time you fly, bring
a zippered pillowcase.
Pillows aren’t usually con-
sidered a personal item by
most airlines, so you can
pack a few extra outfits
inside one instead of
dealing with a carry-on
or an overweight lug-
gage fee. Just make
sure to check your
airline’s pillow policy
before you fly.

TMB STUDIO From RD.com, tasteofhome.com, and familyhandyman.com

Photographs by K. Synold Rd.com | June 2022 25

2 HOME
Corks for Starting,
Not Stopping
If you have a firepit in the
backyard or a camping trip
coming up soon, start
saving wine corks in a
Mason jar. Fill the remain-
der of the jar with just
enough rubbing alcohol to
submerge the corks, but
leave enough space at the
top of the jar for them to
swell. In a few days, each
cork will make an excellent
upcycled firestarter.

3 GardEninG 4 EntErtaininG
Water Straight Party Pictures
to the Roots Just because guests aren’t

Trying to grow something special in huddling around the big screen to
your garden and need to make sure the watch the Super Bowl or the ball drop
roots are getting enough to drink for on New Year’s Eve doesn’t mean you
optimal nourishment? Poke a few holes can’t use your TV during a gathering.
in the bottom of some plastic bottles Instead of leaving a big black void
and bury them alongside your plants, in the middle of the room, play a loop
leaving the caps just above ground of an appropriate movie or video:
level. You can funnel water directly Runaway Bride for a bridal shower,
from the hose into the bottles and It’s A Wonderful Life or the Yule log
down to your plants’ roots—no trickle- for Christmas, Sixteen Candles for
down effect needed. Plus, you’ll save a birthday, etc. All on mute or low
water since you won’t be spraying the volume, of course, so your guests
entire yard. Be sure to pull the bottles can still mingle—it might even give
out at the end of the season. them something to chat about.

26 June 2022

We Found a Fix Reader’s Digest

5 ClEAning
Another Reason to Always Keep Lemons Around
Try to hand-wash your cheese grater, and suddenly the kitchen
sponge is shredded like a block of cheddar. Scrub it down with half
a lemon instead: The lemon juice and pulp will loosen any debris stuck
in the grates. All you’ll need to finish the job is a thorough rinse.

6 TECH 7FOOD
Test Your Remote Keep Food Cold Outdoors
Control Batteries If you’re serving chilled foods
with Your Smartphone under the sun, put a zip-top bag
of ice at the bottom of the dish,
Are the batteries done? Is the remote cover it with lettuce, and serve
done? I am certainly done. If you’ve al- your culinary creation on top.
ready replaced the remote’s batteries You’ll keep your shrimp or dev-
once and still can’t get it to work, open iled eggs safe to eat through a
your phone’s front-facing camera and sultry afternoon.
point the remote directly at it. If you
see a red light emit from the front, that
means the infrared signal, undetectable
to the naked eye, is working. So the
problem is the batteries, not the remote.

8 AUTO
Cool Off a Hot Car
Get into the car on a hot summer day

and you can practically choke on the heat
trapped inside. Lower the passenger
window and quickly flap the driver
door open and shut a few times
to push out the bulk of the
hot air. It’ll give your
AC a fighting chance
and get you on
the road more
quickly. RD

Rd.com 27

Reader’s Digest

HOW TO

Stop Losing
Your Stuff

Can’t find your keys—again? Cognitive experts
can help you stop searching (and stressing).

By Angela Haupt

from The WashingTon PosT

28 June 2022

We Found a Fix

TMB STUDIO S asha Bradford doesn’t That’s not necessarily a bad thing,
have time to lose things. he says; we could be busy ponder-
She’s a working mom with ing something productive, such as a
lots of hobbies, and when work task or what to make for dinner.
she misplaces her keys or Or there could be another innocu-
leaves her purse at a restaurant, she ous factor at play: “It might be that I
becomes frustrated and irritable. mindfully put something down some-
where—maybe it’s a book I’m read-
“It impacts me greatly,” says Brad- ing—and I know I won’t be able to get
ford, 35, a Washington, DC-based fed- back to it for a few days,” he says. “And
eral contracting officer. Bradford has then I can’t remember where I put it.”
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disor- This is a perfectly normal example of
der (ADHD), which, she says, makes “transience,” or the decreasing acces-
her “prone to put things places and sibility of memory over time.
not remember where I put them.”
Schacter, author of The Seven Sins
Her angst is probably familiar to of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and
anyone whose phone is MIA a dozen Remembers, has tried to train himself
times a day, or who can’t find the TV to keep track of where he puts his
remote until ten minutes after a favor- reading glasses and car keys, to the
ite show has begun. Such lapses might point that he sets them down only in
be accompanied by a nagging fear: Is certain places and would notice if he
something wrong with me? strayed from that routine.

Probably not, experts agree. “It’s a Sometimes, when we’re operating
common occurrence and certainly an- on autopilot and not truly focused
noying,” says Daniel Schacter, a pro- on our surroundings, even the best of
fessor of psychology and director of intentions might not suffice, Schacter
the Schacter Memory Lab at Harvard says. But for the most part, he thinks
University. “Most of the time, losing people can overcome the tendency to
things results from absentminded- misplace things.
ness. That’s a breakdown at the inter-
Sasha Bradford has learned to
face of attention and memory, where adapt, in part by writing down where
we’re focused on something other she has stored items and by setting
than the object we’re going to specific goals. For example, she says,
“Every time I travel, I typically forget
lose—be it the TV remote or a phone or lose something. So now I think of
or glasses,” he says. “We’re thinking one thing that’s really important to re-
about something else, and then we member, and I focus on that.” She also
never really encode the information coaches herself not to panic when an
into memory about where we’ve put item goes astray.
the object, because we have other
concerns occupying our attention.”

Photographs by K. Synold Rd.com 29

Reader’s Digest

If, like Bradford, you have ADHD, overlooking the fact that the problem
you’ve probably struggled with way- has existed since they were teens.
ward objects throughout your life,
says Stephanie Moulton Sarkis, a If you’re afraid you’ve developed
psychotherapist based in Tampa who a problem that could indicate cogni-
specializes in the condition. To deter- tive decline, he suggests turning to
mine whether you need help, consider a trusted confidant: “Reach out to a
the intensity, frequency, and duration friend or family member—and they
of the tendency to lose things: “Which may tell you that you’ve been losing
means, how much is it impacting your your keys all your life,” he says. “What
day-to-day life?” we’re really looking for is a change
from past performance.”
Sometimes, people who have ADHD
report that losing things affects their A new tendency to misplace things,
work or relationships; for example, or an increase in severity, can indi-
cate you need to see a doctor. More
TAKE A PICTURE OF than half of patients who begin
THOSE SPOTS WHERE experiencing memory problems have
YOU STORE EASY-TO- a non-dementia cause that can be
effectively treated, Jicha says, such as
LOSE OBJECTS. thyroid problems or a lack of sleep.
Sometimes medication is causing
if they can’t find their keys and are the forgetfulness, or vision or hearing
late to the office or a dinner party, troubles could be behind it.
they could anger their coworkers or
friends. In that case, Sarkis says, it’s Here is some advice from experts
worth being evaluated by a doctor. about how to overcome a tendency to
There are many effective medications misplace things:
that can “make it so your brain is able
to put something back where it be- When you put something down, say its
longs,” she says.
location. One way to be more mindful
Many people ask Gregory Jicha, of where your things are is to verbal-
director of clinical trials at the Uni- ize where you put them, says Mareen
versity of Kentucky’s Sanders-Brown Dennis, an assistant professor of psy-
Center on Aging, whether they should chiatry at the University of Kentucky
be worried about misplacing items. College of Medicine. “You’d say, ‘I’m
Often, it’s simply a normal part of ag- setting my mouse to the right of my
ing. Still, some worry it’s a harbinger computer.’ And saying that, either in
of Alzheimer’s disease, Jicha says, your mind or out loud, focuses your
attention on where you put it,” up-
ping the odds that you’ll remember its
location later.

30 June 2022 | Rd.com

We Found a Fix

Make up a song or rhyme. Turn keep- also fobs you can put in your wallet or
ing track of your items into an oppor- purse that will ring like a phone when
tunity to be creative. You could make you press a button on either another
up a rhyme, or sub in your own lyrics fob or a phone app.
to a catchy song. “I’ve got a few people
that use the tune ‘Head, Shoulders, Set up a routine. Dennis coaches her
Knees and Toes,’” Dennis says. “That patients with ADHD to make a “home
one works really well. I’ve had some- for everything.” That might mean
body sing, ‘My remote is sitting by the placing a basket by your front door
lamp. By the lamp.’” where you drop your keys and wal-
let immediately upon entering your
Take pictures. Ever wander around home, or designating one drawer
the parking lot because you can’t find as the scissors drawer. Then, at the
your car? Take a picture of your park- end of the day, “scan the areas where
ing spot, suggests Susan Whitbourne, you’ve been, find the items that need
a professor emerita of psychological to be taken back home, and return
and brain sciences at the University them to their spots,” she says.
of Massachusetts, Amherst. The same
advice applies to lots of things: Photo- Take a breath. If you’ve misplaced
graph all those spots where you store something, “give your brain a minute
easy-to-lose objects, and when you or two,” Jicha says. “[The location] will
can’t find them, pull up the photo. come, in the vast majority of cases.”

Make your belongings stand out. Den- Be kind to yourself. It’s certainly un-
nis recommends designating a color derstandable if you’re frustrated with
that you love and using that color key your tendency to misplace things. But
ring and phone case, “so that, when if you keep beating yourself up about
you’re scanning, you’re always look- it, it could “become a self-fulfilling
ing for your favorite color.” You could prophecy, and you start to think that
also put reflective tape on the TV re- you’re losing it, that there’s something
mote, which will make it easier to find wrong with you, and you get anxious
when it inevitably vanishes. about that,” Whitbourne says. When
your thoughts spiral in such a man-
Invest in technology. There are many ner, you’re even less likely to be able
gadgets designed to keep track of to focus and keep track of your pos-
items: You can attach an Apple AirTag sessions. So, remember to give your-
to a product you often misplace, for self a break. RD
example, and an app will guide you
to its location, Sarkis says. There are The WashingTon PosT (February 10, 2022), CoPyrighT
© 2022 by The WashingTon PosT

We Found a Fix

Humor in

UNIFORM

The U.S. Strategic He politely ex- we slept as “my racks.” Mark Lynch/cartoonstock.coM
plained, “Einfarht and One time when we
Command detects ausfahrt are German
and deters foreign for entrance and exit.” were all whispering
attacks. So last year, —David Kinnett in the bathroom
when it tweeted Franklin, Indiana while making “head
“;l;;gmlxzssaw,” the calls,” she surprised
Twittersphere went In basic training, us by yelling, “Why
into overdrive. Had our drill instructor do I hear voices in
StratCom been made it clear that my head?”
hacked? Was it a everything we recruits
coded message? used belonged to her. —source: gcfL.net
Neither. The Com- For instance, she
mand’s Twitter referred to our foot- Your funny military
manager was working lockers as “my trash,” story could be worth
from home when he and the racks where $$$. For details, go to
stepped away from rd.com/submit.
his computer. His
young son found
the open Twitter
account and sent
his first tweet.

source: oMaha WorLd-heraLd

Driving on the German
Autobahn for the first
time, we kept passing
signs for Einfahrt and
Ausfahrt. “Those must
be huge cities,” I said
to my sergeant.

32 June 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

FOOD The common bell pepper, a lunch box tmb studio. sommail/getty images (peppers)
favorite with not even a hint of heat,
for Thought comes in yellow, red, orange, and
purple varieties, as well as green—
Picking which is often an unripe yellow, red,
Peppers orange, or purple pepper. PadrÓn and
shishito peppers are both hot and
P eppers, especially chilis, not, depending on the specific one
are at the center of dishes you’re eating. And then there are the
around the world, from truly hot peppers with which some
China and India to Ghana people have what you might call a
and Uganda to Spain and love/heat relationship: habanero, ja-
Italy and, of course, to lapeño, ghost pepper, and thousands
Mexico, where they originated. In fact, of others.
all peppers emanated from the Ameri-
cas, but courtesy of Columbus’s trav- Capsaicin, the compound that
els between the New World and Spain makes hot peppers spicy, protects the
in the 1500s—and then Portuguese plants from mammalian predators
explorers’ bringing them from Brazil that, in chewing, crush up the seeds
to India—they spread far and wide. in a way that’s not useful for growing
Today, these colorful, flavorful vege- new plants. Birds, on the other hand,
tables are so deeply incorporated into swallow the seeds whole, fly them
global cuisines that it’s hard to imag- to new locales, and excrete them. It
ine what these chili-centric food tradi- makes for an effective seed-spreading
tions might have been like pre-pepper. system, and since birds are unable to
perceive heat at all, they have no issue
Peppers range from sweet to spicy doing this with the spicier varieties.
to somewhere beguilingly in between.
When humans consume capsaicin,
we experience spiciness as if it’s in-
flicting damage on us: pain, redness,
swelling. But that excruciating feel-
ing on your lips, tongue, and throat
is a mirage. Capsaicin causes pain
receptors to send signals to the brain
that say damage is being inflicted on
the body even though it isn’t. The
response is entirely an illusion that
sends your body into five-alarm ac-
tion, a hurt so good that we subject
ourselves again and again. RD

34 June 2022 Photograph by K. Synold

We Found a Fix

EASY MUHAMMARA

Muhammara is a dip that
originated in Aleppo,
Syria. Delicious with pita
and crackers and as part
of a larger spread of
snacks, this version whips
up rapidly with the use
of jarred roasted red pep-
pers and a food processor.

In a food processor,
pulse 3/4 cup lightly
toasted walnuts until
coarsely ground. Transfer
walnuts to a medium
mixing bowl. Drain the
roasted red peppers from
one 12-ounce jar, add
them to the food proces-
sor, and pulse to a coarse
puree. Add to the walnuts
along with 1/4 cup toasted
bread crumbs, 2 table-
spoons extra-virgin olive
oil, 2 tablespoons fresh
lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon
Aleppo chili peppers (or
other mild chili powder),
and 1/4 teaspoon ground
cumin. Season with salt
and pepper and mix thor-
oughly. Serve as a dip,
crumbling some larger
pieces of toasted walnuts
on top and drizzling with
additional olive oil.

Rd.com 35

Reader’s Digest

13 THINGS

National Parks:
Made for You and Me

By Emily Goodman

36 June 2022 1 While the term
“national park”
conjures images
of the American West,
there are national park
units in every U.S. state
and territory. Together
they welcome about
300 million visitors
each year and span
some 85 million acres,
almost 55 million of
which are in Alaska.

2 There are more
than 400 sites in
the National Park
System, though that
includes far more than
what we traditionally
think of as “parks,”

illustration by Serge Bloch

We Found a Fix

such as parkways and 4 Rules about what in California and
rivers. Strictly speaking, you can and can- Mount Rainier in
there are 63 national not do in national Washington. But
parks (California has parks differ from site to Yellowstone, which
the most, with nine), site. Activities that are turned 150 this year,
but there are also na- prohibited at national was the world’s first
tional historic parks, parks, such as hunting national park. Today,
national military parks, and fishing, are allowed more than 100 coun-
and other designations. on some national pre- tries have national
A few are thoroughly serves. Many national parks and preserves.
unique. Among them: parks allow the scatter- The largest by area is
the White House. ing of ashes (the Grand in Greenland, though a
Canyon is a notable whopping 97 percent of
3 The National exception), though, like the Galapagos Islands
Park Service (NPS) Hitchcock, you need to is a national park.
oversees all 400+ obtain NPS permission.
of these sites, so Alfred The same goes for cou- 7 Yellowstone is
Hitchcock in 1958 ples who wish to marry home to some of
needed the agency’s inside a national park. the most pristine
permission to shoot aquatic ecosystems
part of his film North 5 Additions to in the country as well
by Northwest at Mount the National Park as more than half the
Rushmore (which is a System generally world’s geysers. Other
national memorial). require acts of Con- record-setters include
Despite initially grant- gress, but presidents Mammoth Cave Na-
ing him permission, can name new national tional Park in Kentucky,
the NPS later revoked monuments. Of the which has the longest
Hitchcock’s permit in 63 national parks, only known cave system in
the midst of filming, one is named after a the world; White Sands
objecting to the chase president: Theodore National Park in New
scene across the presi- Roosevelt National Mexico, where you’ll
dential faces. (Hitch- Park in North Dakota. find the world’s largest
cock had promised gypsum dunefield; and
he would not tread 6 It was another Sequoia and Kings
upon the sculpture.) president who Canyon National Parks
He ended up filming created the NPS in in California, home of
the remainder of the 1916: Woodrow Wilson. the biggest and second-
movie on a mock-up Parks that predate the biggest tree in the
of the monument. NPS include Yosemite world, respectively.

Rd.com 37

Reader’s Digest We Found a Fix

8 Among the hard- immediate families into 12 Want to
est parks to access any park free of charge explore one
are Dry Tortugas all year long. of the tradi-
in Florida (off Key tionally less-crowded
West) and Isle Royale in 10 On a few days national parks? North
Michigan (surrounded each year, the Cascades in Washing-
by Lake Superior), both national parks ton, Lassen Volcanic
accessible only by boat are free to all: Martin in California, Congaree
or seaplane. But one of Luther King Jr. Day in South Carolina, Big
the hardest to explore (the third Monday of Bend in Texas, and
is Gates of the Arctic in January), the first day Great Basin in Nevada
Alaska, our northern- of National Park Week are among the least vis-
most national park. It (held in April, usually ited—at least for now!
has no roads, no trails, in conjunction with
no campsites, and— Earth Day), the anni- 13 The newest
perhaps most frighten- versary of the Great national park
ing—no cell service. American Outdoors is New River
Act (August 4), National Gorge in West Virginia.
9 The NPS employs Public Lands Day (Though, ironically, the
20,000 workers (September 24), and New River is thought
but relies on Veterans Day (usually to be the oldest river in
more than ten times November 11). North America.) Other
that many volunteers: recent additions to
279,000 in 2019. A big 11That said, only the roster include the
perk for volunteers is about a quarter Dwight D. Eisenhower
free admission. Those of the parks Memorial in Washing-
with more than 250 ser- charge admission. That ton, DC, the Medgar
vice hours are exempt money remains within and Myrlie Evers Home
from any entrance fees, the NPS, and at least National Monument in
as are members of the 80 percent of it stays Mississippi, and Camp
military, the families of in the park where it Nelson National Monu-
fallen service members was collected, funding ment in Kentucky.
(Gold Star families), things such as visitor But more are surely
and all children under access and habitat res- coming, as the National
age 15. And thanks to a toration. Supplement- Parks Conservation
federal youth initiative ing those funds are Association’s goal is
called Every Kid Out- the official NPS budget to protect 30 percent
doors, fourth graders of $3.5 billion, as well of America’s lands and
get their entire as private donations. waters by 2030. RD

38 June 2022 | Rd.com

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Reader’s Digest

All insisted he was doing
in a Day’s only 85. “Why do you
think that?” I asked.
WORK
He yelled back, “My
speedometer only goes
to 85, and I had the gas
pedal pushed all the
way to the floor!”

Source: policeone.com

“May I make a suggestion?” “Health-care workers

I began to have doubts problem?” I asked him. are really stressed dave carpenter
about how math is “I don’t know what these days,” I observed
taught in this country as my nurse in the
when a young cook to put on the fourth hospital shut off an
at my pizzeria said he third.” annoying and pointless
had a problem. “A cus- —Robert Kearney machine alarm.
tomer called, asking Rancho Cordova,
for a pie that’s a third California “The beeping all the
cheese, a third pepper- time from these things
oni, and a third combi- I pulled over a 17-year- doesn’t help,” she
nation,” he said. old for speeding. When agreed. “Especially
I told him I’d clocked when you read that.”
“So, what’s the him at 101 mph, he She pointed to the
monitor instructions
that read, “Press OK,
then run.”
—Carolyn Fritschle
Boise, Idaho

The flight from Moscow
to Irkutsk, Siberia, is
a long one, so I was
lucky to nab a window
seat in an exit row.
But as the Aeroflot jet
gained altitude, I be-
gan to feel an icy draft

40 June 2022

We Found a Fix

on my legs and noticed The five-year-old that I babysit
that the exit door was is convinced I pay his mom
not properly closed. to let me hang out with him.
Alarmed, I pointed
out the problem to a —source: reddIt.com
flight attendant. She
zoom-zoom/Getty ImaGes promptly took care THE ART from a museum in Den-
of the situation: She OF DOING mark. The cash was to
brought me a blanket. NOTHING be used as part of an art
—Cecil Taylor piece to illustrate income
Marshall, Texas Italian artist Salvatore disparity. Haaning had a
Garau created an art- better idea: He produced
Scene: A graphic de- work that must be seen two blank canvases titled
signer calling a client. to be believed. Only, you Take the Money and Run.
GD: Hi, I’m just updat- can’t see it. It’s invisible. “The work is that I have
ing the copy for your Still, that didn’t stop taken their money,”
form and was wonder- Garau from successfully he says.
ing if you meant to say selling the nonexistent
“programs” for the artwork to someone who source: smIthsonIan maGazIne
third request. saw enough there to
Client: What I sent shell out $18,300. The When electric keyboard
along was accurate. new owner went home player Johnny Green-
I wrote and edited it with very real instruc- wood joined the rock
myself. Just copy it tions: The work, which is, group Radiohead, he
over exactly as it says! to repeat, invisible, must knew that lead singer
GD: “Please indicate be displayed in a five-by- Thom Yorke had fired a
which pogroms you’ve five-foot space free of previous keyboardist for
attended.” obstruction. playing too loudly. He
Client: Yeah, that came up with a novel
should be “programs.” source: artnet.com way to stay employed:
He turned off his instru-
source: clIentsfromhell.com Not to be outdone, Dan- ment. During months of
ish artist Jens Haaning rehearsals, he says, “I’d
Your funny work received an $84,000 loan pretend to play ... and
story could be worth $$$. Thom would say, ‘I can’t
For details, see page 2 or quite hear what you’re
go to rd.com/submit. doing, but I think you’re
adding a really interest-
ing texture.’”

source: nPr

Rd.com 41

®

New Homeowner First Steps
Organization
Home Security

Reader’s Digest

The

HEALTHY

illustrations by James Steinberg An Anti-

Migraine

Diet

What you eat—and don’t
eat—can help stave off
debilitating headaches

By Jen Babakhan,
Lisa Marie Conklin,
and Jessica Migala

Christy Nielson, 49, re-
members getting her first
migraine when she was in
third grade. She curled up in
the back of the school bus with
excruciating pain, not able to
find the words to tell her par-
ents what it felt like when she
got home. When she hit puberty, the
migraines got worse. By her early 20s,
she assumed that severe headaches
were an unavoidable part of her life.
It wasn’t until years later that she

Rd.com | june 2022 43

Reader’s Digest The Healthy

finally found a cure ... in her kitchen. One common trigger is food, Nora Carol PhotograPhy/getty images (Notebook), Cera ProPPer (illustratioN)
Migraine is a neurological disease and some common dietary triggers
include alcohol, salt, sugar, chocolate,
that has a number of symptoms, and caffeine. But there are many oth-
including moderate-to-severe throb- ers, and scientists continue to iden-
bing head pain that can stick around tify more. Last year, for instance, a
for anywhere from four hours to Brazilian study looked at some com-
several days. According to the Ameri- mon fruits and vegetables to see their
can Migraine Foundation, nearly impact on headaches. They found that
40 million people in the United States watermelons were the most common
experience these headaches. While migraine trigger among the produce
migraines can occur partly because they studied, bringing on a headache
of genetic factors, attacks may hap- within minutes in about 30 percent of
pen seemingly at random, set off by a the study participants.
trigger in the environment. “Every-
one’s brain works slightly differently, Another little-known trigger is
but we know in general triggers can bread. Gluten in foods such as crack-
cause a hyperexcitability to the cortex ers, pasta, and seasoning mixes may
of the brain,” says Danielle Wilhour, cause digestion woes (and be danger-
MD, an assistant professor in the De- ous for people with celiac disease),
partment of Neurology at the Univer- but for some, headaches can also be a
sity of Colorado School of Medicine. symptom of gluten sensitivity. Gluten

i tried it...

Keeping a Laughter Journal

If you’d asked me how many times I laugh each
day, I’d have guessed once or twice at most—until
I started keeping a laughter journal. For 30 days
I jotted down every time I so much as sniggered.
Turns out, I laugh way more than I thought,
around six times per day. And while I like to think
that I laugh at highbrow jokes, I’m a woman who
cracks up when I hear what sounds like a dirty
word on the radio (Day 8) or when someone trips
in the street (Day 17), though I did feel a little bad
about that. What’s more, I learned that being happy is something you have to
work on. Recognizing what brings you joy won’t change your life, but it might
lighten it a tad. And, sometimes, that’s all you really need. —Charlotte Grainger

44 june 2022

is a protein found in wheat, barley, had always been part of her diet. To-
rye, and some other grains. day, Nielson says her migraines are
gone for good.
Wheat turned out to be the culprit
for Christy Nielson. When prescrip- Foods That Heal
tion drugs began to fail her, Nielson
turned to alternative medicine. She Some of the newest research isn’t
visited Nicola McFadzean Ducharme, looking at what foods can trigger a mi-
a naturopathic doctor in San Di- graine, but which foods and what kinds
ego, who listened to her symptoms of diets can prevent or minimize them.
and tested her for possible aller-
gies. While awaiting the results, the A study published last year by a
doctor put Nielson on an elimina- team of researchers at the National
tion diet, restricting her food intake Institutes of Health and the Univer-
to fruit, vegetables, and meat. “The sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
first weeks of the diet were very dif- found that a diet higher in fish oils
ficult,” Nielson recalls. “But on day 13 rather than vegetable oils helped
it was as though a veil had lifted. The people suffering from frequent mi-
headaches were gone.” The lab results graines to reduce the frequency and
revealed that Nielson had a severe intensity of their headaches. In the
sensitivity to eggs and wheat, which study, those on a diet lower in vege-
table oil (linoleic/omega-6 fatty acids)

Rd.com 45

Reader’s Digest

and higher in fatty fish (omega-3 fatty he’d suffered previously. He has re-
acids) had a 30 to 40 percent reduc- mained migraine-free now for several
tion in total headache hours per day, years. The doctors believe that the diet
severe headache hours per day, and may help both by eliminating triggers
overall headache days per month and by increasing levels of phytonutri-
compared to the control group. ents, which are found in plants.

For some study participants, the Other individuals with migraines
improvement was dramatic. Tanya have found relief by following keto-
Kamka had suffered weekly migraines genic diets, low-fat diets, or low gly-
for most of her life. Then, in her 50s, cemic diets. Clearly, since the food
she joined the NIH diet trial and in- components of these plans differ dra-
creased her intake of fish. As she told matically—ketogenic diets, for exam-
the New York Times, the benefits were ple, are high in fat—and people with
striking. After only a few months, her migraines react to food in very differ-
migraines had practically disap- ent ways, what works for one person
peared. She maintained the dietary may not work for another.
changes after the study ended. “I
haven’t had a migraine, not even a Be a Food Detective
mild one, in over two years,” she says.
If you suspect that food may be con-
For others, relief comes from plants, tributing to your migraines, there
not fish. Last year the British Medi- are several steps you can take. The
cal Journal published a report from National Headache Foundation rec-
a team of New York-based doctors ommends keeping a log of the foods
about a patient who had experienced you have eaten, the time you ate,
remarkable relief from migraines af- and when your headache symptoms
ter switching to a plant-based diet. occurred. After identifying your trig-
The 60-year-old man had suffered ger foods, see if eliminating them
from migraines without much relief from your diet reduces or eliminates
for a dozen years. He’d already tried your headaches. Be careful about
eliminating food triggers. Then he dropping too many foods from your
joined a study on the food-migraine diet without consulting a medical pro-
link and switched to a diet called LIFE fessional. Elimination diets can lead
(Low Inflammatory Foods Everyday), to malnutrition if not done carefully.
which includes a lot of dark, leafy
greens like kale and spinach, as well Alternately, consider adding fish
as blueberries and flaxseed. After oil to your diet or trying to eat more
two months the man reported he was plant-based foods. You can also ex-
experiencing only one migraine a periment with different diets to see
month instead of the 18 to 24 a month if overhauling your eating habits will
banish your migraines for good. RD

46 june 2022

The Healthy

Calling All huge difference, especially right now.
Blood Donors! Here are a few key things to keep in

by Kristine Gasbarre mind, whether you’re someone who
has donated before and has been afraid
to do so again after COVID-19, or a first-
timer in need of a dose of bravery.

FACT: IT’s sAFe To donATe. Blood banks
are required to continuously adapt
to CDC safety protocols. Blood drive
workers frequently sanitize surfaces
and change gloves between donors.

B lood drives at schools and FACT: IT TAkes only about half an hour.
colleges—which make up a “And with one donation—they’ve
large portion of the American saved three lives,” says Kathy Hastings,
Red Cross’s collection sites—have mobile drive coordinator at Commu-
dropped 62 percent. “The need is nity Blood Bank of Northwest Penn-
far greater than the supply,” says Tif- sylvania and Western New York.
fany Taylor, a spokesperson for the
American Red Cross, which supplies FACT: you CAn loCATe your nearest
about 40 percent of the nation’s blood. blood donation opportunity by visit-
“There’s no replacement for blood.” ing redcross.org or downloading the
American Red Cross Blood Donor
And the problem is likely to get app. After your donation, the app will
worse. “As we go into the summer, we store your blood donor card for easy
see a decline in donations,” she says. future access. “Wherever you see a
“Schools are out, people are travel- bloodmobile, you can pull up the app
ing, the weather is nice—so donating and we scan it right in,” Taylor says.
blood drops to the bottom of the list.” The app also enables you to keep
track of your blood pressure, iron, and
That’s why RD is putting out a call more so you can share your readings
for all eligible donors to roll up their with your primary care provider.
sleeves and help replenish the blood
banks. Your donation could make a The app even lets you know which
hospital received your blood. “You
might learn your donation went to a
baby in the NICU,” Taylor says. RD

Rd.com 47

Reader’s Digest

EXERCISE
WON’T
RUIN YOUR
KNEES

News From the It’s commonly thought Voorhes
that your knees will
WORLD OF eventually pay the
MEDICINE price if you engage
in high-impact exercise
By Mark Witten such as jogging and
tennis. But a U.K. study
A NEW WAY TO that tracked the physical
PROTECT YOUR EARS activity of 5,000 people
for up to 12 years found
Exposure to loud noise, such as an ear­ that increased intensity,
splitting concert, is a common cause of frequency, or time
hearing loss. But now we may have a way to spent exercising didn’t
prevent it. A University of Southern Califor­ raise a person’s odds
nia study found that exposure to 100 deci­ of developing knee
bels of sound or more—equivalent to a pain or arthritis. In fact,
power lawn mower or motorcycle—causes regular exercise and
inner ear fluid buildup and nerve cell dam­ stretching can help
age. However, when researchers applied lessen arthritis by
a salt­based solution inside affected ears strengthening the
one hour after noise exposure, the solution muscles around the
drew out the excess fluid, reducing the knee and reducing
damage. After more testing, people exposed inflammation and
to loud noises could be scanned for possible pain in the knee joint.
fluid buildup and treated with a prescrip­ And, as a bonus, losing
tion that might end up saving their hearing. excess weight lightens
the load placed on
knees, extending
the benefits even
further.

48 june 2022