OCTOBER 2023 `100 PAGE 76 DRAMA IN REAL LIFE The Miracle Baby with Half a Heart PAGE 22 LIFE LESSON 7 Ways to Support a Child in Grief PAGE 92 TRAVEL An Unforgettable Journey on a Historic Schooner PAGE 52 HEALTH Latest Arthritis Breakthroughs INSPIRATION Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy and His Barefoot Pioneers PAGE 66 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR BRAIN TO NEVER FORGET PAGE 40 BOOST YOUR MEMORY
Features 40 cover story MAKING MEMORIES How we remember ... and how not to forget. by beth weinhouse 52 health No More Aches Could we (finally) be outsmarting joint pain? by patricia pearson 58 nature Beneath the Sea Ice A dive into sub-zero Arctic waters uncovers long-kept secrets. by meaghan brackenbury 66 inspiration Walking Barefoot A remarkable group helping rural folk break the cycle of poverty. by naorem anuja readersdigest.in 3 CONTENTS PHOTO: MANISH RAJPUT 92 travel Sailing Back in Time An unforgettable journey on the historic Lewis R. French, America’s oldest schooner. by susan nerberg 100 bonus read My Starter Dog Adopting a dog in my 60s was never part of the plan. But Casey changed everything. by rona maynard cover illustration by Emiko Franzen 66 Reader’s Digest 76 drama in real life The Family that Never Gave Up The miraculous recovery of a baby born with only half a heart. by robert kiener 86 my story Planting Seeds of Hope In my darkest days, gardens have offered the promise of new life. by sara b. franklin
4 october 2023 Departments 8 Over to You a world of good 11 Print and Play everyday heroes 12 A Very Caring Family by diane peters smile 14 Stretching the Truth by richard glover good news 16 Wheels for Pets, Friendly Checkout Lanes, SquidPowered Lightbulbs and More by samantha rideout quotable quotes 39 Audrey Hepburn, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Charlie Chaplin and More it happens only in india 124 To Smell a Rat, A Red Card and more by naorem anuja trusted friend 132 Backbone, Metronome by Alex Gorodskoy Better Living life lessons 22 "When is Mum Coming Back?" by sudha umashanker health 28 The Eyes are the Prize by beth weinhouse news from the world of medicine 32 The Trouble with Traffic, A New Therapy for Leukeamia and More by samantha rideout food 34 Hoppy Hour by leila el shennawy 13 things 36 Fascinating Fungi by courtney shea (top ourtesy of premjit ) co singh; (bottom) PETER DAZELEY/GETTY IMAGES 3
review: zadie smith's fraud 122 Queen of her Craft by aditya mani jha Brain Games 126 Brain Teasers 128 Sudoku 129 Word Power 131 Trivia Your story, letter, jokeor anecdote may be used by Trusted Media Brands, Inc. and its licensees worldwide in all print and electronic media, now or hereafter existing, in any language. To the extent that your submissions are incorporated in our publication, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free right to use the same. You warrant that: you are the sole owner of all the rights to the submitted material and have the authority to grant the rights herein without restriction; the material is your original work, and that the material does not infringe or violate any copyright, right of privacy or publicity, or any other right of any third party, or contain any matter that is libelous or otherwise in contravention of the law; to the extent the material shared by you includes any of your personal details, you expressly waive your right to a future claim or enjoinment. In the event of a claim or liability on account of the above warranties, you will be required to indemnify us. We regret that we cannot acknowledge or return unsolicited pitches or submissions. It may also take some time for your submission to be considered; we’ll be in touch if we select your material. Selected items may not be published for six months or more. We reserve the rights to edit and condense your submissions including letters. We may run your item in any section of our magazine, or on www.readersdigest.in, or elsewhere. Not all submissions are compensated, unless specified in the invitation for entries or through express communication by the editorial team. We do not offer kill fees for story commissions that cannot be published in print or on www.readersdigest.in for any reason. Personal information limited to full name and city/town location will be used as part of the credit or by-line of your submission, if published. All other personal contact information is used solely by the editorial team and not shared with any third party. Requests for permission to reprint any material from Reader’s Digest should be sent to [email protected]. Humour 27 Humour in Uniform 48 All in a Day’s Work 73 As Kids See It 90 Life’s Like That 114 Laughter, The Best Medicine (top) india picture; (box) athuristock/getty images NOTE TO OUR READERS From time to time, you will see pages titled ‘An Impact Feature’ or ‘Focus’ in Reader’s Digest.This is no different from an advertisement and the magazine’s editorial staff is not involved in its creation in any way. Culturescape rd recommends 118 Films, Watchlist, and Books studio 121 Sculptor Meera Mukherjee’s Durga by soumitra das 118 readersdigest.in 5 Reader’s Digest
© 2016 Trusted Media Brands, Inc. (Reader’s Digest editorial material). © 2016 Living Media India Ltd. (Living Media editorial material). All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or other languages, is prohibited. Printed and published by Manoj Sharma on behalf of Living Media India Limited. Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18–35 Milestone, Delhi–Mathura Road, Faridabad–121007, (Haryana). Published at F-26, First Floor, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001. Editor: Kai Jabir Friese (responsible for selection of news). TRUSTED MEDIA BRANDS, INC. (formerly RDA Inc.) President and Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Kintzer Editor-in-Chief, International Magazines Bonnie Munday Founders: DeWitt Wallace, 1889–1981; Lila Acheson Wallace, 1889–1984 MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS/CUSTOMER CARE: Email [email protected] Phone/WhatsApp No. +91 8597778778. Mail Subscriptions Reader’s Digest, C-9, Sector 10, Noida, UP—201301, Tel: 0120-2469900. Toll-free No 1800 1800 001 (BSNL customers can call toll free on this number). For bulk subscriptions 0120-4807100 Ext: 4318, Email: alliances@intoday. com. For change of address, enclose the addressed portion of your magazine wrapper. ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Phones Mumbai: 022-69193355; Chennai: 044-28478525; Bengaluru: 080-22212448; Delhi: 0120-4807100; Kolkata: 033-22825398, Fax: 022-66063226, Email [email protected]. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Email [email protected] CORPORATE/EDITORIAL: Address Reader’s Digest, India Today Group, 3rd Floor, Film City 8, Sector 16A, Noida, UP—201301; Phone: 0120-4807100. We edit and fact-check letters. Please provide your telephone number and postal address in all cases. Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReadersDigest.co.in; Instagram: @readersdigestindia; Twitter: @ReadersDigestIN; Website: www.readersdigest.in/ HOW TO REACH US Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie Vice Chairperson Kalli Purie Group Chief Executive Officer Dinesh Bhatia Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa Chief Executive Officer Manoj Sharma BUSINESS grp chief marketing officer Vivek Malhotra gm, marketing & circulation Ajay Mishra deputy gm, operations G. L. Ravik Kumar agm, marketing Kunal Bag manager, marketing Anuj Kumar Jamdegni IMPACT (ADVERTISING) sr associate publisher Suparna Kumar sr general managers Mayur Rastogi (North & East) Jitendra Lad (West) general managers Syed Naveed (Chennai) Arup Chaudhuri (Bangalore) chief manager Pushpa Hn (Delhi) Published in 43 countries, 22 editions and 10 languages, Reader’s Digest is the world’s largest-selling magazine. It is also India’s largest-selling magazine in English. senior associate editor Ishani Nandi features editor Naorem Anuja editorial coordinator Jacob K. Eapen senior art director Angshuman De associate art directors Chandramohan Jyoti, Praveen Kumar Singh chief of production Harish Aggarwal assistant manager Narendra Singh Reader’s Digestin India is published by: Living Media India Limited (Regd. Office: F-26, First Floor, Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001) under a licence granted by the TMB Inc. (formerly RDA Inc.), proprietor of the Reader’s Digesttrademark. SALES AND OPERATIONS senior gm, national sales Deepak Bhatt gm, operations Vipin Bagga editor Kai Jabir Friese group creative editor Nilanjan Das group photo editor Bandeep Singh A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World OCTOBER 2023 6 october 2023
8 october 2023 CLOUD CHARACTERS Happiness is often referred to as being on cloud 9. Clouds determine how a day is going to be—does it call for hot chocolate or cool lemonade? Artist Chris Judge bringing clouds to life is a further endorsement of the different roles they play in our lives. My daughter describes airplane rides as diving into the clouds. We often liken them to cotton, wishing we could fluff them into soft pillows. The colours they take on make for beautiful paintings. After perusing this little article, I’m sure we’ll begin to look at the sky hoping for more surprises. After all, nature has so much to offer. What’s more, when there are ups and downs in life, one does well to remember that every cloud has a silver lining. Preeti Aranha, Mangalore home owner and touched him with trunk with tearful eyes, as if expressing her sympathy for his loss. Maa stayed there for the entire day. She is no more, but I still dream of her. Goutam Kumar Bhaduri, Cooch Behar What is the Point of New Clothes? The article reminded me of my childhood days when wearing torn clothes or having Irish pennants was joyful. Children, surreptitiously, reaching out to the bared body part of the one with windows in their shirt would result into bursts of laughter. We had few clothes then and would often continue to wear them even if we had outgrown them. New purchases were kept only for the main festivals. Mother would carry out mending, or else it was entrusted to the neighbourhood tailor. Wabi-Sabi then, had a different Saving India’s Mighty Tuskers In the 1970s, there lived a elephant called Maa in our village. Maa, was the last elephant of the princely state of Cooch Behar, and she was dear to all r . Every morning Maa would come to our home with Budhua, her caregiver, to get a banana tree. We had a large banana garden, so my father allowed it. Our family ended up bonding with her. One summer g morning a thatched house in the village caught fire. There was a baby asleep in the room and Maa rushed in and rescued the baby. She then joined the villagers in fire-fighting by spraying water with her g trunk. Once the fire was doused, she went to the OVER TO YOU Notes on the August issue Preeti Aranha wins this month’s ‘Write & Win’ prize of `1,000. —EDs
Reader’s Digest meaning. So, the present-day fashion of tattered jeans, sold by top brands for a hefty price, sure beats me. Prafull Chandra Sockey, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand. A pair of shoes I bought for `40 for my wedding in 1968 lasted me till 1980. Even today, I continue to reach for my old shirts which have gone unscathed during several cycles of fashion! They excel in fit, and not to forget that they were all stitched with love by my better half! My daughter too has a treasured piece of clothing which brings to her memory a map of past successes. She wore the salwar set first for her 10th exams in 1989, and it became her lucky outfit for all her exams till her postgraduate degree! It is impressive that it continued to fit her! Wabi-Sabi adherents, like me, may be called misers but we save on expenditure, occupy less storage space and get continued comfort—just some of the many advantages of sticking to your old wardrobe! Dr N. Gopalakrishna, Coimbatore A Soldier’s Ghost Story The story reminded me of an anecdote shared by my father. During the Indo-China war, he was leading a section on patrol when they came under heavy enemy fire. He ordered his section to take cover and retaliate. There were two Punjabi soldiers in his section who were the best of pals. One of them got shot and his pal saw him falling down. In a split second, he left cover and carried his friend back to safety but it was too late. My father later asked why he risked his life when he knew how low his friend’s chance of survival was. The soldier recounted that his dying friend held his hand and said “I knew, you will surely come”. P.S. Mehta, Jabalpur Whenever my father spoke about his childhood days, he never failed to mention his mother and his maternal aunt with gratitude and love. She brought him up after his mother passed away. Towards the end, my father was ill and often in a state of intermittent consciousness. One day, the doctor alerted us that the inevitable might happen soon. That afternoon, when my wife and I were sitting aside him, we saw his face suddenly brighten up. He opened his eyes and smiled, ‘Look, mother and auntie are standing by my side. They have come to take me!’ Those were the last words he spoke. He passed away peacefully just an hour after this episode. Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai Write in at editor.india@ rd.com. The best letters discuss RD articles, offer criticism, share ideas. Do include your phone number and postal address. 10 october 2023
A World of GOOD Reasons to Smile As Mary-Elizabeth Brown draws the bow across the violin’s strings, a dark and mellow sound emanates through the room. Brown has been playing the violin for more than 35 years, but never one like this. 3-D printed in polymer plastic for less than $50 [`4,150], this violin is part of a project to improve access to music education. A traditional violin constructed from wood can be prohibitively expensive. Brown, director of the Montrealbased AVIVA Young Artists Program, says “It’s my hope that future music students will find these instruments engaging to make, easy to play and an inspiring start to their musical journeys.” Print and Play COURTESY OF MARY-ELIZABETH BROWN readersdigest.in 11 Reader’s Digest
12 october 2023 These Delhi-based brothers and their families work long days to help those who need it most A Very Caring Family BY Diane Peters EVERYDAY HEROES Brothers Premjit (left) and Kamaljeet Singh. E ACH MORNING AT 6 a.m., even on weekends, Kamaljeet Singh, 57, is up and out of the house. He starts by spending three hours helping distribute food to nearly two dozen drop-off locations across Delhi, and then checks on the numerous facilities run by the volunteer organization he leads with his brother, Premjit. The organization, Veerji Ka Dera (‘dear brother’s sacred space’), was founded in 1989 by their father, Trilokchan Singh. “He was charismatic and a very selfless man,” says Kamaljeet of his father, who died in 2010. A social worker who practised seva, or ‘selfless service’, a key element of the Sikh religion, Trilokchan courtesy of premjit singh HEROES
readersdigest.in 13 wanted to do more to help people. In the 1980s, he began organizing volunteers to help him clean gurudwaras— Sikh temples. From there, Trilokchan and his helpers began supporting one of India’s most underserved groups: the migrant workers who came to Delhi from rural areas. It started with a free breakfast, and eventually the group was also providing basic first-aid for minor, often job-related, injuries. During this time, Trilokchan would begin his days as early as 4 a.m., then go to his paid job at 9 a.m., and end each day by volunteering in the evenings. After his death, Kamaljeet and Premjit, inspired by their father’s lifetime of service, took over the organization. “We are continuing his legacy of helping the poorest of the poor,” says Premjit, 61, a retired brigadier with the Indian army. “Our aim is that no one goes hungry and uncared for in Delhi.” Veerji Ka Dera now feeds about 2,500 daily-wage workers and homeless people a day, in addition to providing basic medical care to as many as 500 people. The group operates a main building in west Delhi, several rented farms—growing crops such as wheat, mustard, millet and rice—an old-age home and medical, homeopathic and dental clinics. It even operates an animal shelter housing a few hundred rescued cows and buffalo. It’s all made possible by the roughly 250 families who volunteer their time to cook, drive, nurse, farm and clean. “My father said you have to have your own livelihood, that you should pray to the Lord and that you should share what you have,” says Kamaljeet. He and his wife, Raminder, juggle their volunteer work with managing their securitycamera installation company, and they get help from their son and daughter-inlaw, too. His other adult children, who now live abroad, have volunteered in the past, as have Premjit’s children. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the group’s farms had harvested bumper crops of wheat and rice. With special permission from the government and extra safety precautions, it doubled down to feed 5,000 people a day and offer medical care, including oxygen, to those in need. In 2023, the group was named one of the Real Heroes of Rising India by broadcaster News18 India; the award was presented to them by the country’s health minister. Premjit says that in the future he’d like to build a medical facility for the unhoused. Kamaljeet wants to install more solar panels on the group’s buildings and foster a self-sufficient ecosystem on its farms. Importantly, he wants to make sure Veerji Ka Dera continues even after he and Premjit are no longer able to run things. Despite the size and scope of the organization, the brothers claim it causes them no stress. Premjit says spending time with his brother and the volunteers—especially young people— is “the best,” and a rewarding act of faith. “This work is worship for us.” Reader’s Digest
14 october 2023 STRETCHING THE TRUTH By Richard Glover jocasta and i are sitting at the kitchen table. My wife has decided to calculate my body mass index (BMI) so she will know, based on the ratio of my height to my weight, whether I should lose some weight. “How tall are you?” she asks. With a slight swagger of pride, I supply the required figure. Immediately, she disputes it. “Well, you used to be 185 centimetres, but you haven’t had your height measured for years,” she says. “People get shorter as they get older. I’m going to knock off five centimetres, maybe 10.” Jocasta often comes up with these scientific observations. In her career as a screenwriter, she has written a couple of medical dramas and now lives under the misapprehension that she’s a doctor. “The discs in your spine settle over the years,” she continues. “By the time you get to 90, you’re basically half the height you used to be.” I find this hard to believe. “If that were true,” I tell her, “people would need to lower their kitchen countertops as they get older.” Jocasta sighs, as one might do when dealing with a recalcitrant child. “By illustration by Sam Island SMILE
readersdigest.in 15 Reader’s Digest that age, people have been doing things for so long, they don’t need to have a direct view of every task,” she says. “If they want to make toast, they do it by touch.” To illustrate her point, she butters a slice of toast above her head in a way that does, admittedly, look quite credible. Next, Jocasta quizzes me about my weight. I suggest a figure that she regards as fanciful. When she asks me to weigh myself, I decline on the grounds that I am “currently retaining water.” Jocasta says this is unlikely: “What you are retaining is tuna casserole. I’m going to add three kilos.” Sensing her resolve on this point, I focus on upgrading the figure she’s using for my height. It may be my only hope of avoiding a life on half-rations. “I don’t feel any shorter,” I tell her. I walk around the kitchen, my neck stretched, my chin raised and my nose tilted upward in the style of a young woman in a deportment class. “I’m getting taller by the moment,” I say. Jocasta flashes me a derisive look. “Putting your nose in the air doesn’t make you any taller. You just look like an aristocrat trying to avoid the smell of his own fart.” Ouch. As I sit down, I can feel my vertebrae settling; maybe I am getting shorter. There must be some way of regaining my height. I could buy a medieval stretching rack and ask Jocasta to tighten it until I scream in agony. She might even enjoy herself. Or I could hang from a tree branch, my spine lengthening by the minute. Maybe the orangutans of Borneo are just trying to improve their BMI. I seek advice from Jocasta, since she considers herself a medical professional. “We’re all taller in the morning, compared to the evening,” she confides. “A whole day of walking around leaves the discs compacted. Then they stretch out during the night, when we are lying down. Plus we get heavier during the day because of all the food.” Struck with an idea, Jocasta goes back to her calculations and emerges with two figures for my BMI: first thing in the morning and in the evening. “You start the day as merely overweight before tipping into clinical obesity at about 7:30 each night, after your second beer.” I decide to accept her adjudication. After all, I find it quite optimistic. Because even if I end every day as a clinically obese leprechaun, I start each morning in a much better place: a tall man, holding obesity at bay, shaking his fist at the heavens and daring gravity to do its worst. MAYBE I COULD HANG FROM A TREE BRANCH, MY SPINE LENGTHENING BY THE MINUTE.
16 october 2023 BY Samantha Rideout GOOD NEWS from around the world WHEELS FOR PETS INSPIRATION When Tammie Fox volunteered to foster a pet from an animal rescue organization in Lincoln, UK, she hadn’t planned to adopt one. But then she fell in love with a West Highland Terrier who dragged her hind legs. After Fox brought Pumpkin home, tests confirmed that the now two-yearold pup was paralyzed, likely the result of abuse. To help her move around, Pumpkin was fitted for a little wheelchair from UK-based distributor Wheels4dogs, which sells other mobility aids. Today, Pumpkin is a happy ‘diva’ who doesn’t let anything slow her down— and now, her owner is helping other disabled to animals achieve the same. Last year, Fox started Pumpkin and Friends Charity to help provide wheelchairs and funding for medical procedures to families with special-needs pets. Through fundraising events, such as annual Dog Walks, Fox has raised around $73,000 [`60.75 lakh]. The cost of pet wheelchairs can be prohibitive. For example, at one UK retailer rear-leg chairs cost more than $700 [around `58,000]. So far, the charity has helped nearly 350 dogs. It has even helped one goat and one sheep. “A disability isn’t a death sentence for a pet,” Fox says. “It’s so rewarding to see an animal get its life back.” Pumpkin the West Highland Terrier courtesy of tammie fox
readersdigest.in 17 Reader’s Digest Friendly Checkout Lanes COMMUNITY It’s normal to feel lonely from time to time, but a lack of personal connection is causing an epidemic of loneliness, especially among seniors. This is true around the world, including in the Netherlands, where research shows that a third of the country’s population aged 75 and up reported feeling at least moderately lonely. To help combat isolation, Dutch grocery chain Jumbo introduced slow checkout lanes calledKletskassa, which roughly translates to “chat checkout.” In these lanes, customers who aren’t in a rush can pause for a friendly chat with the cashier. The gesture is a simple way to show seniors, and anyone else who may need a boost in human connection, that they’re not alone. Squid-Powered Light Bulbs INNOVATION The ocean is filled with organisms that naturally emit light, including jellyfish, squid and algae. Knowing this, French entrepreneur Sandra Rey wondered: Could that phenomenon be harnessed to create an eco-friendly alternative to LED bulbs? Rey founded Glowee in 2014 to do just that. Using bioluminescent bacteria found in Hawaiian bobtail squid, the startup harnessed the organisms to create light bulbs with a blue glow. While the bacteria-powered bulbs aren’t bright enough to replace traditional light sources completely, the technology has shown promise as a sustainable option. Okra for Clean Water ENVIRONMENT You’ve likely eaten okra, whether it was fried, pickled or stewed. But okra is more than a versatile veggie. Researchers at Tarleton State University in Texas have found a new use for the fibre-rich food: purifying water. Microplastics, tiny fragments of plastic debris, are removed from water in wastewater treatment plants with flocculants. These chemicals clump the microplastics together, making them easier to remove. But some flocculants can be dangerous as they can break down into toxins. The researchers discovered that extracts from okra, when combined with extracts from several other plants, work similarly to chemical flocculants when added to contaminated water. The difference is the plant-based extracts can be used safely in water-treatment processes. Researchers are still testing the extract method in hopes it could robj808/shutterstock become the industry standard.
“When is Mum 22 october 2023 BETTER LIVING Wellness for Body & Mind IN JANUARY THIS year, my 40-yearold nephew, Akash*, went on an overseas holiday to Kenya to celebrate his upcoming birthday. With him, were his wife, Asha*, and seven-year-old son Chirag*, as well as two other close relatives. The family had meticulously planned a celebration that would be the highlight of a much-anticipated break. But their quest for respite from the daily rigmarole of predictable routine led instead to the most unexpected of events. A day into the trip, in the wee hours of the morning, Asha awoke to an alarming sound from the bathroom. Her husband was throwing up violently, and would not, or could not, respond to her calls and frantic raps on the door. She called for help and eventually the door was broken down. Akash lay unconscious on the floor. They tried resuscitating him, and then rushed him to the hospital, but to no avail. He was declared dead on arrival. This unexpected death was a blow for the family, but the question looming largest in everyone’s minds was BY Sudha Umashanker How to comfort young children dealing with a sudden death Coming Back?” shutterstock *Names changed to protect privacy
reade rsdigest.in 23 reader’s digest readersdigest.in
24 october 2023 Chirag. What could they possibly say to a seven-year-old who loses a parent this way, like a bolt out of the blue? How could the bereaved, still reeling from the shock, comfort and explain to a child how to process such a profound loss and cope with this new reality? We were not alone in this conundrum. Many families find themselves facing utterly bereft while dealing with young children trying to come to terms with the death of a parent or primary caregiver. They find themselves wondering, as we did, about what to say to a child who is going through such grief? According to experts, children experience and express grief far differently than adults do. Says Dr Sri Lakshmi Velandy, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Apollo Children’s Hospital, Chennai, a child’s initial reaction to a sudden death in the family may vary from visible and considerable distress, to an inability to speak or emote, to no reaction at all. They may exhibit extreme swings in mood and behaviour—deeply upset one minute and then wanting to know what’s on TV, or if they can play football the next. This can be baffling to adults. “It is not that they don’t care or aren’t impacted— they just need a break from the sea of overwhelming emotions, and time to process it all,” Velandy says. BE DIRECT As painful as it may feel, young children should be made aware that the person who passed on isn’t coming back. Velandy suggests using clear and direct language to explain difficult subjects like loss to children. Using terms like ‘died’ or ‘lost’ rather than ‘passed away’ when breaking the news. This prevents confusion, especially among younger children who may ask questions like “Will mum be back for my birthday?” or wonder if the deceased, who is described as ‘lost’ can somehow, someday be ‘found’. Be open, honest and direct when a loved one has died. Children tend to fill in the gaps to make sense of what is happening, which could lead to far more problematic situations than the pain of reality.” Says Dr Smriti Vallath, a trauma focused psychotherapist in Chennai, “I wouldn’t recommend saying “God took the person away”. Instead explain that sometimes a person can get sick and even doctors can’t help the person live. There is no other way around the ‘D’ word. Resorting to euphemisms or fantasies, such as ‘She has gone away and won’t be coming back again’, may lead to feelings of abandonment and betrayal.” reader’s digest A CHILD’S REACTION TO A SUDDEN DEATH MAY VARY FROM CONSIDERABLE DISTRESS, TO NO EMOTIONS AT ALL.
readersdigest.in 25 USE KNOWLEDGE TO EMPOWER Giving children (especially if they are older) the option of getting more information should they choose to know, is empowering says Dr Velandy. “You could ask if they would like to know what happened at the hospital. Reassuring them that they can always seek answers is helpful as they then know they can rely on the adults around to provide the truth at a confusing time.” If they are open to knowing more, provide information in small, simple doses. For instance, it may be enough to begin by saying ‘Mummy has died and it is really sad’, Velandy says. One can also draw from nature’s cycle of life as an easily understandable analogy. Explain to the child how all living things, whether flowers, animals, trees or butterflies will die someday. While a majority of people die when they are old, some die earlier because of an accident or illness. And that when they do their body stops working so they can’t talk or hug or play. “It is a good idea to end by stating that everyone wishes that X had lived for very long. However, his/her body stopped working,” she adds. Parents or caregivers could use biological or spiritual philosophies to explain to the child what it means and how they can survive past it. LET ACTIONS SPEAK Conceding that one can at times be at a loss for words, Dr Vallath notes, “If you don’t know what to say, which can happen if the primary caregiver is also mourning or experiencing trauma, simple gestures and providing safe spaces can make a big difference.” Gestures such hugs, gentle pats, and allowing for judgement- or reprimandfree moments to cry, be angry, or distracted can be enough to ensure the child feels supported, and secure. However, take the time to check-in and, when ready, confront the event head-on. “Answering questions with an ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’m not sure’ can suffice for starters. Even a simple acknowledgement of the turbulent emotions (‘I know you are hurting. I am sorry, and I wish I could make it better for you.’) allows a child to not feel alone in the emotional turmoil they are experiencing,” says Dr Vallath. SHARE THE LOAD What if the surviving parent periodically breaks down in the presence of the child? According to Dr Velandy, “It isn’t going to damage a child if they see an adult cry. However extreme grief reactions may overwhelm or frighten them. It is ok to share one’s feelings about how we miss those who have passed away, as opposed to keeping emotions locked away. Speaking plainly can help children feel included and valued.” However, Dr Vallath strikes a note of caution against visibly giving in to breakdowns too often. Children who find caregivers in a weakened, Life Lesson
26 october 2023 vulnerable state for long periods of time, or very frequently, could begin to feel a responsibility of taking on the task of caring for the adult. PRACTISE PATIENCE Another key practice for caregivers is patience, as young children tend to ask repetitive questions but this doesn’t mean they haven’t heard you the first time or you haven’t explained enough. Questions are how they figure out what’s going on and repetition reinforces truths. Dr Vallath also advises allowing the child to grieve as long as they may need to without any pressure or hurry. “Understand that children might have meltdowns or become triggered in the most unexpected places and times, where adults need them to behave will help. Just holding space for them can go miles.” AVOID ISOLATION As for shielding the child from family members, perhaps due to the worry that someone might say something to cause them pain, Dr Velandy believes that avoiding people does not help. “Children can sense and observe the pain already. The least harmful route is to process it, and set boundaries with other adults on what they can or not discuss with your child. And later debrief the child as well.” HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO Strong connections to important people cannot be wiped away when a sudden death occurs, nor should it. Instead of trying to avoid the memory of the departed, help children remember, reflect and hold on to the happy, beautiful times and retain that positive association. Dr Velandy suggests creating a memory box, personalized with photos, letters, cards and other personal items—a watch, a perfume or a piece of clothing. It also helps to assure them of how much the parent who is still there, and the rest of the family, loves and cares for them. “The exercise of drawing up a family tree can be comforting and provide a sense of roots, of security,” suggests Velandy. Ultimately, a supportive family that shares the grieving process through honesty, transparency and sensitivity can create much needed stability when tragedies strike. Happiness is ... If you’re happy, you’re wealthy. If rich humans could buy happiness, they would. NAOMI OSAKA, TENNIS PLAYER The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us. ASHLEY MONTAGU, BRITISH-AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST reader’s digest
readersdigest.in 27 Reader’s Digest My colleague at the Defense Language Institute is an elegant middle-aged woman who was born and raised in Russia. Like many Russian women, she likes her fur coats. One day, as we left a building where we had trained a select group of military linguists, some strangers noticed my friend’s fur and shouted, “What poor creature had to be sacrificed so that you could have this fur coat?” My unruffled colleague replied, “My mother-in-law.” —Yefim M. Brodd Who Knew? A military working dog is always one rank higher than its handler. Some say the custom was implemented to prevent handlers from mistreating their dogs. Fewer than 100 recipients have been granted the title of Honorary Marine. The list includes Brig. Gen. Bob Hope, Master Sgt. Bugs Bunny and Cpl. Jim Nabors, star of the sitcom Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. The license plate of the commandant of the Marine Corps reads 1775—the year the Corps was founded. —army.mil uso.org ; When I was in pilot training at Laredo Air Force Base in 1972, there was a closet in the hallway of the officers’ quarters. On the door was a sign: Officer Storage. Underneath, someone had scribbled, “So that’s where they keep them.” —Dale ‘Boots’ Hill Reader’s Digest will pay for your funny anecdote or photo in any of our humour sections. Post it to the editorial address, or email CARTOON BY SCOTT MASEAR us at [email protected] Humour in UNIFORM “I think he’s trolling you.”
illustrations by Kate Traynor By Beth Weinhouse 28 october 2023 The Eyes Are the Prize How to protect them and preserve your vision We watch our salt and fat intake to protect our hearts. We exercise and take calcium to protect our bones. We slather on sunscreen to protect our skin. But what can we do to protect our eyes? Turns out, quite a lot. We asked experts what lifestyle steps people should be taking to protect their vision and eye health. Spring for some quality shades … “Protecting the eyes from ultraviolet light—sunlight—is very important,” says Esen Akpek, MD, an ophthalmology professor at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s one of the biggest things in our environment to HEALTH
light has been shown to have an effect on cataract development and macular degeneration.” To shield your eyes, wear sunglasses certified to block out 99 to 100 per cent of UVA UVB and light. Surprisingly, dark lenses aren’t necessarily the most protective. “In fact, if the lenses are dark but not UV-protected, that’s worse for your eyes, because when you’re looking through dark lenses your pupils dilate, which lets more UV light inside to do damage,” says Dr Akpek. … and some sports glasses You don’t have to be doing construction or factory work to need protective eyewear. Gardening, yardwork, home repairs and sports all pose the risk of trauma to the eye. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recommends sports glasses with polycarbonate lenses, which resist shattering, and eye protectors that have been tested to meet the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. “I see people who’ve been gardening, leaned forward and gotten poked in the eye by a branch,” says Davinder Grover, MD, an ophthalmologist at Glaucoma Associates of Texas. “Or people working in the yard with weed whackers or lawn mowers that have caused objects like rocks to hit them in the eye.” Take a break from screens The AAO says there’s no scientific evidence that the light from electronic screens damages eyes. But staring at a screen can leave eyes fatigued and may even blur vision. The National Institutes of Health recommends taking a break every 20 minutes to look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Glasses that block blue light don’t seem to do the trick, according to multiple studies, says Dr Akpek. One reason for eye fatigue during screen use is that people tend to blink less when staring at computer screens, and that can lead to dryness. “One of the best ways to prevent that is hydration with water—four or five glasses a day,” says Dr Grover. “If you still feel your eyes are dry or getting tired, or your vision is occasionally blurred, use a lubricating eye drop.” Eat for your eyes Research shows that foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids are linked to lower risk for age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and maybe even dry eye. ★ For omega-3 fatty acids, look for fish like salmon, tuna and halibut. ★ For lutein and zeaxanthin, eat dark leafy greens like spinach, kale and collard greens. ★ For lots of vitamin C, grab citrus, strawberries, tomatoes, red and green peppers, and broccoli. ★ For vitamin E, choose peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, avocado, pumpkin and spinach. ★ For zinc, good sources are legumes readersdigest.in 29 Reader’s Digest
30 october 2023 such as chickpeas and lentils, cereals such as jowar, bajra and ragi, as well as eggs and shellfish, such as shrimp, mussels and oysters. You can skip supplements that claim to boost eye health, says Dr Grover. Stop those bad habits First, the obvious: Smoking isn’t just bad for your lungs; it can harm eyes too. “Smoking is terrible,” says Dr Akpek. “It causes dry eyes, makes thyroid eye disease worse and correlates with severe macular degeneration.” Smoking also increases the risk of cataracts and can harm the optic nerve. Also, try not to rub your eyes. “Rubbing makes inflammation worse,” says Dr Akpek. “The more you rub, the more itchy your eyes will get. And rubbing has been linked to thinning and bulging of the cornea. It can lead to infections.” Instead, “take medication or use drops for allergies or dry eye,” says Dr Grover. Repair the air Indoor heating and air conditioning can dry out the air ... and the eyes. Outdoor cold and wind can be drying, too, while pollution and allergens can cause irritation. In addition to lubricating eye drops, “air purifiers and humidifiers are our friends,” says Dr Akpek. FINALLY, don’t forget to see an eye specialist for a checkup. Not all eye problems are noticeable, and all are best treated when found early. “For most people, unless there are noticeable problems, the AAO recommends a baseline exam by an ophthalmologist at age 40, and then follow-ups as recommended by the doctor,” says Dr Grover. Reader’s Digest
SUBSCRIBE Use the reply-paid card. Visit https://www.readersdigest.in or write to: [email protected], or to Reader’s Digest, C-9, Sector 10, Noida, UP–201301. Tel: 0120–2469900. For bulk subscriptions 0120–4807100, ext. 4361. Customer Services Contact Customer Services for renewals, gifts, address changes, payments, account information and all other enquiries. Phone/WhatsApp No: +91 8597778778, Mail Subscriptions Reader’s Digest, C-9, Sector 10, Noida, UP–201301, Tel: 0120-2469900.E-mail: [email protected] Digital Edition RD is now available as a digital edition! Pay `100 for an issue and enjoy the magazine on your phone or tablet. Visit http://subscriptions.intoday.in/ subscriptions/rd/digital-magazinesubscription.jsp We are Social! Follow us on Facebook facebook.com/ readersdigest.co.in Instagram @readersdigestindia Twitter @ReadersDigestIN for updates on the buzz in our world. Want To Get Published? OCTOBER 2023 `100 PAGE 76 DRAMA IN REAL LIFE The Miracle Baby with Half a Heart PAGE 22 LIFE LESSON 7 Ways to Support a Child in Grief PAGE 92 TRAVEL An Unforgettable Journey on a Historic Schooner PAGE 52 HEALTH Latest Arthritis Breakthroughs INSPIRATION Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy and His Barefoot Pioneers PAGE 66 PAGE 40 BOOST YOUR MEMORY GET MORE RD CONNECT WITH US BEYOND THESE PAGES Send us your original stories, funny anecdotes or jokes and get a chance to be featured in one of these monthly columns—Your True Stories in 100 Words, Life’s Like That, Humour in Uniform, As Kids See It, Laughter the Best Medicine, All in a Day’s Work or It Happens Only in India. Do share the source, so we can verify the facts. Mail us at [email protected] or upload them on www.readersdigest.in/share-your-story or www.readersdigest.in/share-your-joke. All new stories are just a click away! Never-before-seen web-exclusive articles, classic stories from our archives, jokes, quotes, and news—the RD website’s got it all. Visit www.readersdigest.in today!
32 october 2023 acid, has been around for a few years as an add-on to statins, but for a recent New England Journal of Medicine trial, participants took it on its own. Their LDL cholesterol dropped by an average of 20 to 25 per cent. So, although bempedoic acid is not as effective as statins, it could still make a meaningful difference. A New Therapy for Leukeamia Leukeamia is the most common cancer among kids, though it does strike adults as well. The most aggressive forms are often caused by either a mutation in a gene called NPM1 or a chromosome abnormality called an MLL rearrangement. When this is the case, a new class of drugs called menin inhibitors can sometimes turn cancerous blood cells back into normal ones. In an early-stage clinical trial published in news from t WORLD OF MEDICINE By Samant By Samant y ha Rid PHOTOGRAPH BY CLAIRE BENOIST; PROP STYLIST: JANINE IVERSE N Lowering Cholesterol Without Statins For people who need to manage their cholesterol to prevent problems like heart attacks and strokes, statins are the go-to drugs, and for the deout THE TROUBLE WITH TRAFFIC People who live near busy roads deal with a barrage of horns, sirens and engines, day in and day out. According to a large study from researchers at the University of Leicester, Oxford University and Peking University, this noise puts them at higher risk of hypertension—even after accounting for the harmful effects of car exhaust. The study compared homes with differing levels of air pollution and noise. The people who were regularly exposed to high levels of both had the highest hypertension risk. This means that measures such as quieter vehicles, noise barriers and buffer zones around highways would improve public health. good reason: They typically lead to a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in the level of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol. However, some patients get side effects such as muscle pain, headaches or weakness. Another medication, bempedoic
Nature, 18 of 60 patients had a complete remission. Twelve of them even went on to get stem-cell transplants: treatments that can cure leukaemia but that are feasible only when the levels of cancer in the blood are very low. Sleep Boosts Effectiveness of Vaccines Getting enough sleep around the time of a vaccination could help it work better, suggests a review of seven studies in which people were immunized against viruses like hepatitis and the flu. Specifically, subjects who clocked at least seven hours of shut-eye per night produced more antibodies than people who slept for six or less. Antibodies are proteins that help the immune system to identify threats, and producing more of them could lead to stronger and longerlasting immunity. A Case for the Four-Day Workweek What happens if an employer lets people work 32 hours each week instead of 40, but still pays them the same amount and expects the same output? In a sixmonth-long experiment, 61 British companies employing a total of nearly 3,000 people tried it out. It didn’t go well everywhere, but most of those involved were pleased with the results. Employees compensated for the missing time by finding efficiencies—for example, by automating certain tasks or cutting back on meetings. Overall, company revenue stayed about the same. Meanwhile, many workers reported being healthier and happier: 39 per cent felt less stressed, 46 per cent felt less fatigued and 37 per cent reported improvements to their physical health. The businesses benefited, too, since employee turnover and sick days both plummeted by more than half. readersdigest.in 33 reader’s digest NATHAN BLANEY/GETTY IMAGES (SLEEP MASK) PETER DAZELEY/GETTY IMAGES; (DESK) C.J. BURTON/GETTY IMAGES
By Leila El Shennawy photography by K. Synold FOOD E ve ry fa l l , t h e may o r o f Munich taps the first keg of Oktoberfest from inside the city’s oldest beer tent, the Schottenhamel-Festhalle. Surrounded by a cheering crowd and a brass band, the mayor proudly proclaims “O’zapft is!” (It has been tapped!) Germany’s most famous Oktoberfest draws millions of beer drinkers every fall. No surprise, given that beer is the world’s most-consumed beverage after water and tea. It is also one of the oldest, having been first brewed in ancient Mesopotamia (most of which is now Iraq) around 12,000 years ago from barley and yeast. Beer back then was not the same refreshing end to the workday Hoppy Hour So many brews to choose from, including beer without the buzz 34 october 2023 that it is today. Instead, it was thick and porridge-like, flavoured with date syrup instead of hops. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that Catholic monks added hops to beer (which they sold to generate income), perhaps making them the earliest craft brewers. Modern beers come in more than 100 styles, but these varieties are really only subsets of two basic categories: lagers and ales. Mass-produced lagers make up 87 per cent of the American market. These are brewed using a longer, cooler fermentation process, producing a crisp taste. Ales—like the hoppy India pale ales (IPAs) but also dark, rich stouts like Ireland’s famous Guinness—need a warmer, shorter brew to give them their
readersdigest.in 35 tmb studio Reader’s Digest fruity, floral or malty aromas and flavours. Last year, sales of domestic beer amounted to about 142 billion barrels, and imports added another 40 million. Altogether, that’s nearly 47 trillion 12-ounce beers! Some 14.6 million cups of suds are sold every year at Major League Baseball stadiums alone— more than enough to fill an Olympicsized swimming pool. If you prefer your brew without the buzz, you can find more non-alcoholic offerings than ever. Big brands including Budweiser, Coors, Corona and Heineken now make what are called ‘near beers’ (with little to no alcohol content), as do a growing number of smaller craft brewers. The number of near beer drinkers is growing too, up more than 800 per cent in the United States between 2020 and 2023. And thanks to crafty craft brewers, there’s a beer for just about every palate, some with almost irresistibly clever names. How about Overachiever, an IPA from Wooden Robot Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina? Or Dawn Patrol, a tart ale made with Atlantic Ocean sea salt at Last Wave Brewing Co. in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey? Or Work From Home, a breakfast imperial porter flavored with Vermont maple syrup at Cerebral Brewing in Denver, Colorado? Brewmasters at Colorado’s Black Bottle Brewery even made a milk stout infused with Count Chocula breakfast cereal. Some folks are so into craft brewing they DIY it. According to the American Homebrewers Association, more than 1.1 million active home brewers—or zymurgists—practice or study the brewing process. They found an unlikely hero in President Jimmy Carter. Though Carter himself disliked alcohol and even banned it from the White House during his tenure, he did sign an act legalizing home brewing in 1978. (It had remained illegal since Prohibition.) Perhaps you’re among the hoppy, happy folks planning to celebrate Oktoberfest this fall. Look for special seasonal varieties such as German Märzen, Festbier ... or pumpkin spice if that’s your thing. Cheers!
36 october 2023 By Courtney Shea ILLUSTRATION by Serge Bloch 1 when you think of mushrooms, the white button, cremini and portobello probably come to mind first—these are the some of most popular types eaten in the world. But there are more than 10,000 known types, and many mycologists (mushroom experts) say this is only a fraction of what’s out there. 2 But not everyone is an enthusiast. In 2019, mushrooms made a list of the least favourite vegetables in the US, with 18 per cent of the respondents saying they didn’t like them. Many haters cite texture as the turnoff, but mushrooms may also trigger disgust for their association with mould. A 2015 Washington Post exploration on the science of disgust listed mushrooms among those foods that can trigger a not entirely rational response. 3 you don’t have to eat mushrooms to reap their benefits. Reishi and tremella varieties are found in everything from adaptogen Fascinating Fungi 13 THINGS
readersdigest.in 37 supplements (which are supposed to help your body adjust to stress) to skin-care products. For centuries, lion’s mane, Cordyceps and reishi have been in anti-inflammatory and immuneboosting remedies. 4 Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is known as the mushroom capital of the world. The small town near Philadelphia produces around 65 per cent of this country’s crop. Today’s mushroom industry contributes about $1.2 billion and 9,300 jobs to the state economy. 5 Underground, mushrooms branch into networks of rootlike mycelium, which help break down waste, adding vital nutrients back into the soil. This network also shares information (such as warning trees about insect infestation), communicating via electrical pulses in intricate patterns. Some mycologists refer to this as the natural internet or the ‘wood wide web’. 6 Does ‘mycelium’ sound familiar? If so, you may be among the millions who tuned in to watch The Last of Us, HBO’s hit series about an infectious species of Cordyceps that causes mycelium to take over human brains and turn people into zombie-like mushroom monsters. The premise was based on the real-life parasitic zombie-ant fungus, which affects mostly ants and spiders. Our higher body temperature means we are not susceptible. Phew! 7 The largest mushroom on earth is a single Armillaria ostoyae (commonly called shoestring fungus) that occupies more than 2,300 acres of Oregon’s Malheur National Forest. This ‘humongous fungus’ is estimated to be up to 8,650 years old. 8 Among the most expensive mushrooms is the Tibetan yartsa gunbu, or caterpillar fungus, selling for up to $50,000 [`41.6 lakh] a pound. Its purported aphrodisiac properties have earned it the nickname the Viagra of the Himalayas. Truffles, too, as gastronomes know, are quite pricey: A single truffle can cost up to $3,800 [`3.16 lakh]. The New York–based company Urbani Truffle USA hires more than 18,000 truffle hunters worldwide to keep up with demand. 9 Foraging for your own might not be the way to go: Many poisonous mushrooms—sometimes called toadstools—can look like familiar varieties, and some wild mushrooms are dangerous to eat raw. Mushroomrelated deaths are rare, but you could easily end up with an upset stomach. The best way to forage is to go with a pro. Reader’s Digest
38 october 2023 10 Advocates of psychedelic ‘magic’ mushrooms tout them as a promising treatment for depression, addiction and other mental health disorders. In 2021, the US government awarded a $4 million grant for a study to determine whether the psychoactive ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms (psilocybin) can help people quit smoking. 11 Meanwhile, microdosing— taking small doses of psilocybin— has become a popular productivity-boosting hack in California’s Silicon Valley and beyond. The scientific community is divided about how effective microdosing is for enhancing mood, creativity and focus. But the practice was given (unofficial) royal assent in Prince Harry’s recent memoir, Spare. During an interview later, he described psychedelic mushrooms as a “fundamental” part of his mental-health practice. 12 Mushrooms might even be able to save our planet. They can sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and they produce enzymes that can digest pretty much anything, including toxins in landfills and oil spills. And according to climate scientists in Germany, if we replace just 20 per cent of the meat we consume with alternatives such as mushrooms, by 2050 we could cut the rate of deforestation by more than half. 13 Get your telescopes ready: Mushrooms may find their way to outer space as soon as 2025 in the form of mycotecture: using mushrooms for architectural purposes. Turns out, growing mycelium in moulds makes for a cheap and versatile stucco-like building material that NASA could then use to build future bases on the moon and Mars. This funky fungus truly is out of this world. reader’s digest A Piece by Any Other Name You don’t need to share a language with someone in order to play chess with them. But it’s likely you’ll have different names for the pieces. The rook, for example, is called a chariot in Iceland, a cannon in Bulgaria and a boat in Russia. Knights are jumpers in Germany, and the queen is known as a lady in Italy. But no piece elicits a wider range of epithets than the bishop. In France, it’s a jester. In Spain, it’s an elephant. It’s a spear in Estonia, a hunter in Croatia and a gunner in Latvia. And in Georgia, it’s a turtle. ATLASOBSCURA.COM
QUOTABLE QUOTES Shame is a powerful moral and cognitive emotion: It provides reassurance that we are not immune to moral considerations. Pratap Bhanu Mehta, academic And I saw that what divided me from the world was not anything intrinsic to us but the actual injury done by people intent on naming us, intent on believing that what they have named us matters more than anything we could ever actually do. Ta-Nehisi Coates, in Between the World and Me alamy x 2 readersdigest.in 39 There’s something just as ing just as inevitable as death. And that’s life. Think of the power of the universe… turning the Earth, growing trees. That’s the same power within you ... if you’ll only have the courage and the will to use it. Charlie Chaplin, actor, filmmaker Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. Søren Kierkegaard, theologian For me, a better democracy is a democracy where women do not only have the right to vote and to elect, but to be elected. Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women, former president and defense minister of Chile The greatest victory has been to be able to live with myself, to accept my shortcomings ... I’m a long way from the human being I’d like to be. But I’ve decided I’m not so bad after all. Audrey Hepburn, actor
40 october 2023 HOW WE REMEMBER ... AND HOW NOT TO FORGET By Beth Weinhouse illustrations by Emiko Franzen COVER STORY tmb studio M A K I N G MEMORIES
readersdigest.in 41 T he last time my husband and I went out for an elegant restaurant dinner, the server came to our table and began to recite a long list of specials, with detailed descriptions of how the dishes were made and where the ingredients had been sourced. Her recitation went on and on, and as she spoke I became almost more interested in how she could remember all those descriptions than I was in thinking about the food. Meanwhile, I couldn’t remember where I’d put my keys before we left for the restaurant. The good news is that not remembering where you put your keys is generally not a sign of incipient dementia. And on the flip side, being able to remember a long list of restaurant specials isn’t necessarily a sign of extraordinary mental ability, either. Memory is far more complicated than these two examples could ever show, and there’s a wide range of what’s considered normal. While most of us are terrified about developing dementia, fewer than 10 per cent of adults age 65 and older will wind up with dementia such as Alzheimer’s. “Developing a neuro degenerative condition like Alzheimer’s is not what we consider healthy, normal ageing,” says Joel Salinas, MD, behavioral neurologist at NYU Langone Health and chief medical officer of Isaac Health, a memory clinic. While some memory loss is normal as people age, he says, “It’s not the kind of decline that interferes with the ability to live your life.” And, he adds, “There are areas that actually improve with age. Vocabulary is one. The other is theory of mind and perspective taking ... what some people call wisdom.” Jessica Zwerling, MD, director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, compares the effect of ageing on memory as “kind of like getting traffic on the brain. It may take longer to retrieve a word; it may come to you later. The speed of processing can go down, but your hippocampus [the part of the brain most associated with memory] should be functioning.” The hippocampus is where memories are created and cataloged, but it doesn’t work alone. The amygdala, next to the hippocampus, singles out certain memories as being important. And the memories themselves are stored in various sections of the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain. “Memory is all these different brain networks working in concert with each other,” says Dr Salinas. While genetics and family history play some role in the risk of memory problems, so do plenty of other factors. Addressing any of these may make your memory sharper. MEMORY BOOSTERS The brain might be the place that memories are stored, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The health and efficiency of the brain depend a lot on the general Reader’s Digest
42 october 2023 Reader’s Digest health of the body. To put it succinctly: What’s good for the body is good for the brain. Many of the lifestyle factors that can boost memory are the same that have a positive effect on general health. Taking steps to improve your lifestyle in any of the following four areas will help keep your mind sharp and your body strong. EXERCISE Regular physical exercise doesn’t just build muscles and keep weight in check. It also protects memory and thinking skills. “Exercise helps improve blood vessel health and blood flow. That helps with the activity of brain cells and also helps reduce the risk of brain inflammation,” says Dr Salinas. “It also helps brain cells repair themselves and their connections to other brain cells.” Studies bear this out. Research at the University of British Columbia found that regular aerobic exercise, the kind that increases your heart rate, also increases the size of the brain’s hippocampus. And a University of Maryland study found that memory improved in both cognitively healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment after a 12-week exercise programme. If you’re not into running or even fast walking, how about dancing? It turns out that taking a dance class may be one of the best activities you can do for your brain. Dr Zwerling’s colleagues at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine looked at the effects of physical activity on preventing cognitive decline and memory loss, and found that ballroom dancing was particularly
readersdigest.in 43 effective. At the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Latin ballroom dance programme for older sedentary adults had similar results, finding improvements in memory, attention and focus. “Dancing combines physical activity, learning something new, and social engagement,” says Dr Salinas. “The more of these factors an activity has, the better off you’ll be.” DIET Many people probably recall their mothers telling them to eat fish “because it’s brain food.” I remember when I learnt in school that the brain actually runs on glucose, which is a form of sugar. “Aha!” I told my mother. “Fish isn’t brain food. Chocolate is brain food!” My mother didn’t buy it, and she was right. While the brain does run on glucose, it’s healthier for body and brain to get sugar from fruits and vegetables, not from products with added sugars like sweet pastries and candy. Too much sugar restricts blood flow to the brain and can even cause brain atrophy. The real brain foods are those that reduce inflammation and promote cardiovascular health. In 2015, doctors from Rush University Medical Center and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health published an eating plan aimed at preserving cognitive function. Called the MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet, it’s a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets. The MIND diet emphasizes brain-healthy foods such as whole grains, vegetables, nuts, beans, berries, poultry and fish (yes, Mum was right!). Sweets, sadly, are on the brainunhealthy foods list, along with foods high in saturated and trans fats, including red meat, cheese, fried foods, butter and margarine. Studies have shown that the MIND diet, even when followed moderately rather than perfectly, significantly reduces the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s. SLEEP “Sleep is critical for memory formation, especially long-term memory formation,” says Dr Salinas, explaining that sleep is when memories are processed and stored. “When you’re asleep, the brain runs the tape of what it recorded during the day, gets rid of information that isn’t relevant and then stores other information for the long term.” That explains why people with undiagnosed sleep apnoea or other sleep disorders are at higher risk of developing cognitive disorders like Alzheimer’s. The more you can keep a regular sleep schedule and get at least seven hours each night, the better off your brain— and the rest of you—will be. CHALLENGING YOUR BRAIN Maybe you’re an avid bridge player, a crossword puzzle fanatic or someone who regularly attends local college lectures. All those activities—and many Cover Story
Reader’s Digest other mentally engaging ones—can help keep our minds active. To get the most memory boost out of puzzles or intellectual activities, though, the key is to keep things fresh and challenging. For instance, if you’ve mastered one type of brainteaser puzzle, move on to another. If you’re the family checkers champion, decide to master chess. Learning a new language is often cited as an ideal activity for brain health. “New and challenging is important because that’s what helps form new pathways in the brain, helping information go from one part of the brain to another,” says Dr Salinas. MEMORY BUSTERS MEDICAL CONDITIONS The brain requires a rich blood supply to deliver the nutrients and oxygen it needs. So cardiovascular health—the health of the heart and blood vessels— is crucial. Have your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly and treated if high. Hypothyroidism is another medical condition that can cause a temporary slowdown in thinking. “The thyroid is kind of the gatekeeper for all metabolic functions,” says Dr Zwerling. Low thyroid hormone levels can affect memory and concentration, leaving people feeling they have ‘brain fog’. Two other fairly common conditions can also potentially affect memory. Dehydration can cause temporary memory problems by limiting blood flow to the brain. And deficiency in vitamin B12 can result in temporary memory loss or dementia since the vitamin helps produce red blood cells, and a deficiency restricts oxygen delivery to the brain. Treating any of the above conditions—which can be something as simple as drinking more water during the day to prevent dehydration, or taking thyroid medication or B12 supplements— can restore memory function. 44 october 2023
readersdigest.in 45 Cover Story Mental health is also brain health. “Anxiety and depression can get in the way of the brain’s functioning,” says Dr Salinas. Levels of serotonin, a brain hormone, decrease, affecting attention and memory. Again, treating the underlying problem may have the added benefit of helping restore brain and memory function. MEDICATIONS “The first thing I look at is the medications they’re taking,” Tatyana Gurvich, PharmD, associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of Southern California, says of older adults who mention memory problems. Cognitive impairment is one of the most common medication side effects. It can be caused by a single drug or by several drugs taken in combination. While drug side effects can affect younger people, they’re more common in seniors. “There are definitely medications that can cause cognitive slippage and confusion,” says Gurvich. “Some are over the counter.” She cites sedating antihistamines like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) as a common culprit, and warns that the drug is sometimes added to pain relievers or cold and cough remedies, so it’s important that people read labels carefully. Many prescription medications, too, may have cognitive side effects. “These include some drugs used for incontinence, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, diarrhoea, coughs,” says Gurvich. Others that have been flagged include anti-anxiety drugs, cholesterol drugs, anti-seizure drugs, narcotic painkillers, drugs to treat Parkinson’s disease, hypertension drugs and sleeping aids. “What’s important,” says Gurvich, “is to let your physician know all the medications you’re taking, including overthe-counter medication, if you’re worried about cognitive impairment.” Better still, she says, is to have a medication check with a physician at least every six months to a year. Fortunately, Gurvich says, the kind of cognitive impairment or memory problem caused by medication is usually reversible, meaning that when you stop taking the medication your memory should return to normal. ALCOHOL AND CANNABIS Using alcohol and/or cannabis regularly may cause cognitive slippage including memory problems, especially in older people. “Some adults, when they were younger, used to have a couple of alcoholic drinks at night, and they continue to do that as they age. That may be too much in an older person and could lead to cognitive impairment,” says Gurvich. The same, she says, is true for marijuana. “Older people who may have used cannabis in the 1960s or ’70s are excited that it’s becoming legal. But they have to understand that it’s a very different substance—not the same stuff they smoked when they were teen agers.” With marijuana so much more potent
46 october 2023 Reader’s Digest now than it was decades ago, she says, “If they’re using it regularly, it absolutely could cause cognitive slippage.” STRESS “Stress can create an inflammatory state and affect memory, which is why stress management is important,” says Dr Zwerling. Stress floods the system with hormones to meet that stress, “which isn’t really conducive to deliberate, deep thinking,” says Dr Salinas. And it doesn’t have to be major stress to have that effect. “Smaller stresses, lots of little stresses that build up day to day, can affect thinking too,” he says. Dr Salinas advises that having a strategy to cope with stress will have an impact on your brain health: “meditation, yoga, social engagement, phoning or texting a friend for emotional support—whatever you can do to get out of that fight-or-flight state.” CAN YOU TRAIN YOUR BRAIN TO REMEMBER? So you’re generally healthy and you’ve addressed a lot of these issues already, but you’re still not feeling as sharp as you’d like. You forgot the name of someone you’d met before. Or maybe you’re tired of looking for your glasses again. Call it brain fog, mommy brain, COVID brain or just general distraction … whatever it is, you’d like it to go away. Daniel Schacter, PhD, professor of psychology at Harvard University and author of The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers, explains that there are three reasons (unrelated to age or dementia) why people forget things: “One is transience, the natural tendency for memories to fade over time. Another is absent-mindedness—if you’re not really focused on what you’re doing, you don’t encode the memory to remember it later. And the third is blocking, when information is available and you’re paying attention, but you’re blocked. It’s on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t pull it up.” And, he says, there are different solutions for addressing each of these problems. FOR TRANSIENCE: “One of the easiest things you can do is just try to engage in what people in our field call retrieval practice. Retrieving a memory is one of the most effective ways to make it last over time,” says Schacter. He compares it to reviewing your photos after you go on vacation: “You’re reactivating experiences and strengthening your memory for them.” Schacter describes a study comparing one group of people who were asked to read a story and told there would be a test about it later, to another group of people who were asked to read the story three times but not told there would be a test. Result: The people who were told they’d be tested remembered the story much better later on. “You don’t need an external tester,” says Schacter. “You can self-test. For instance, if you’ve just been introduced
readersdigest.in 47 Cover Story to somebody and you want to remember their name, bring the name to mind, then wait a bit. Then bring it to mind again and wait a little longer,” and so on. FOR ABSENT-MINDEDNESS: “This is the Where did I put my keys? My glasses? kind of forgetfulness,” says Schacter. “It’s not age related ... unless it becomes extreme to the point you can’t function in your everyday life. I’m prone to these kinds of errors as much as anyone else.” To address this issue, Schacter suggests using the environment and external cues. “For instance, I find it’s helpful to have a place in my house to always put my keys and glasses, and be mindful about not putting them elsewhere,” he says. And for things like forgetting appointments, “modern technology offers us ways to off-load our memories.” Use your phone or your laptop to record dates and set reminders for yourself, he suggests. FOR BLOCKING: Blocking on names and faces is among the most common memory complaints, particularly as people get older. “Unfortunately, by the time blocking has occurred it’s probably too late to do much about it,” says Schacter. “But you can be proactive and anticipate situations where blocking may occur.” The names we block on most are usually people we’re familiar with but haven’t seen recently or don’t see frequently. “So if you know you’re going to a party and will see a lot of people you’re familiar with but haven’t seen in a long time, try to find out in advance who’s going to be there, and review the names,” he says. the thing to remember about memory (pun intended) is that there are many different factors that can affect it ... and just as many ways to sharpen it. As for me, I’m now taking a Spanish class, trying to work out more and keeping my keys in the same place always. I’m trying to follow the MIND diet a bit too. But I haven’t given up chocolate yet, and I refuse to believe it’s not brain food!
48 october 2023 All in a Day’s WORK My mom is a lawyer. When I was 13, we got into an argument and she accidentally called me Your Honour. Never really came back from that one. — @katiedimartin I’m a real estate agent and, as part of my job, I spend a lot of time researching tax records. Many entries appear to have been made by someone named Noah. For example: “4-19-23. Made site visit. NOAH.” That name appeared on so many documents that I felt compelled to tell a tax office employee how impressed I was with her co-worker Noah. “Noah?” she laughed. “There’s no person here named Noah. That’s the abbreviation for ‘no one at home.’ ” —Paul Folmsbee A friend was asked how he could keep driving a school bus year after year. He replied, “Simple. I put all my problems behind me.” —George Denofre I was walking up the aisle of the airplane when I noticed an anxious-looking woman tightly gripping the armrests of her seat. As a flight attendant, I’ve seen a lot of that, so I stopped to offer help. With a reassuring smile, I asked, “Are you afraid of flying?” “No!” she shot back. “Of crashing!” —Richard Swerdlow Four great résumés that got job applicants to the next step: ÊA kid applying as a stock boy wrote that at his last job he was a ‘petroleum transference engineer for Exxon’. His job was pumping gas. I hired him on the spot. cartoon by Terry Colon “Oh dear Looks like your father has brought Oh dear. Looks like your father has brought work home with him again.”