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VICKY LAM (2) A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World 50 cover story FRIENDS ARE THE BEST!* Why we need them and how to keep them. 50 Let’s Be Friends! How to make lasting connections that lift you up. by caitlin walsh miller 56 Back to the Poker Table People who make time to hang out with friends have all the luck. by don gillmor 90 health Can Hearing Loss Be Reversed?* The answer sounds like yes. by vanessa milne 98 your true stories Love Is a Hoot* Readers share the most hilarious, clever and moving ways someone has let them know they’re loved. by reader’s digest readers Features 62 national interest Private Hathaway Comes Home* Decades after he was killed in World War II, a soldier is reunited with his family. by steve goldstein adapted from seven days (vt) 70 drama in real life Into the Flames* Nick Bostic was troubled. Aimless. Then one night, everything changed. by nicholas hune-brown 80 inspiration The Odd Couple It was disdain at first sight. Forty years later, they’re still best friends. by will schwalbe from the book we should not be friends 50 56 cover photograph by K. Synold rd.com | may 2023 1
TMB STUDIO/MARK DERSE 4 Dear Reader world of good 7 Below the Surface everyday heroes 8 Captain Harrisburg to the Rescue! by eric raskin glad to hear it 12 Yearbooks for the Blind and More life well lived 14 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Diary* by sydney page from the washington post best pet pals 20 Churro the Duck Herder food passport 25 Tasty Tacos by renée s. suen 13 things 30 A Bouquet of Flower Facts* by samantha rideout Send letters to [email protected] or LETTERS, READER’S DIGEST, PO BOX 6100, HARLAN IA 51593-1600. Include your full name, address, email and daytime phone number. We may edit letters and use them in all print and electronic media. Contribute your True Stories at rd.com/stories. If we publish one in a print edition of Reader’s Digest, we’ll pay you $100. To submit humor items, visit rd.com/submit, or write to us at JOKES, 1610 N. 2ND ST STE 102, MILWAUKEE WI 53212-3906. We’ll pay you $25 for any joke or gag and $100 for any true funny story published in a print edition of Reader’s Digest unless we specify otherwise in writing. Please include your full name and address in your entry. We regret that we cannot acknowledge or return unsolicited work. Requests for permission to reprint any material from Reader’s Digest should be sent to [email protected]. Get help with questions on subscriptions, renewals, gifts, address changes, payments, account information and other inquiries at rd.com/help, or write to us at [email protected] or READER’S DIGEST, PO BOX 6095, HARLAN IA 51593-1595. The Healthy 39 Just In Case by anna-kaisa walker 44 Do Weighted Blankets Work? by diane peters 46 News from the World of Medicine Brain Games 106 Fun at the Fair, Alterations While You Wait and More 109 Word Power Departments Humor Life in These United States .....................................22 Humor in Uniform....................................................28 All in a Day’s Work....................................................34 Laughter, the Best Medicine..................................48 where, oh where? 36 Hot Air Balloon Skies the rd list 102 Sweetwater, The Wisdom of Morrie, Rebecca Makkai and More quotable quotes 105 Wynonna Judge, Tiffany Haddish, Nobu Matsuhisa and More 25 trusted friend 112 Stripes and Feathers by Jacqui Oakley 2 may 2023 | rd.com * Story referenced on cover reader’s digest Contents
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FROM TOP: TATIANA TEREKHINA/GETTY IMAGES. TMB STUDIO/MARK DERSE L et’s be friends. In fact, it’s part of our motto at Reader’s Digest: “A trusted friend in a complicated world.” We want to be that buddy who tells you a handy tip to use around the house, a memorable story or a funny joke. Hopefully we bring you all three. We also want to talk about t h e “c o m p l i c a t e d w o r l d ” around us. For more than 100 years, Reader’s Digest has taken an honest look at tough issues facing our country. We were the first publication to take on the dangers of automobiles and the risks of Jason Buhrmester, chief content officer A Trusted Friend smoking. We’ve covered wars and veterans’ issues, the health concerns that worry Americans, and plenty of other tough topics, including addiction, abortion, book banning and more. It is a complicated world, and we want to be a trusted friend who talks honestly about it. This month, we’re talking more than usual about friendship. In “Let’s Be Friends” (page 50), we spoke with experts about the best ways to make and keep these relationships, which gets tougher as we get older. Research shows that men especially struggle to make connections later in life, a topic we look at in “Back to the Poker Table” (page 56). And don’t miss “The Odd Couple,” an endearing story about a longtime bond between two total opposites (page 80). Want to hear more from us? Please sign up for our newsletters, where we share stories, tips, jokes, recipes, videos and more. Sign up by visiting rd.com/newsletter or by grabbing your cellphone, opening the camera and pointing it at this black box that says “Scan me.” I promise you’ll find something interesting to share with a friend. Write to me at [email protected]. DEAR READER SCAN ME reader’s digest 4 may 2023 | rd.com
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COURTESY OF JASON DECAIRES TAYLOR World of GOOD Reasons to Smile Dive into the sapphire blue waters off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, and you may see more than 400 life-size statues standing in defense of their oceans. Titled The Silent Evolution, the underwater installation is the work of British eco-artist Jason deCaires Taylor. His sculptures are crafted from sustainable marine-grade cement and serve as a habitat for aquatic life while drawing tourists away from fragile natural-reef areas. (More than 75% of the world’s reefs are threatened.) As he says on his website underwatersculpture.com, “Museums are places of conservation and education and about protecting something sacred. We should assign those same values to our oceans.” Below the Surface rd.com | may 2023 7 reader’s digest
Captain Harrisburg to the Rescue! noticed a gray Nissan four-door pickup on the opposite side of the two-lane street. It was hard to miss, since it was swerving and careening into the curb before course-correcting, only to careen into the curb again. As the pickup drew closer, White got a good look at the problem: The driver appeared to be asleep. Pretty soon, this guy’s going to crash into a house and kill himself or somebody else, White thought. While many people would have kept on driving, that’s not how White—whose girlfriend refers to him as Captain Harrisburg because of his perpetual instinct to help out—operates. He had to stop that vehicle. I f timothy white Jr. were Captain America, perhaps one fling of the superhero’s trademark shield could have saved the day. But this was real life. And though White has dressed up as Captain America for conventions, parades and the local Anti-Bullying Superhero Day, when he spotted trouble on this September afternoon he wasn’t wearing his costume and couldn’t fall back on any superpowers. It was rush hour in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. White, 38, was driving home from the nonprofit he and his mother run called AMiracle4Sure, which helps formerly incarcerated individuals reenter society. He BY Eric Raskin From playing superhero to becoming a superhero in real life EVERYDAY HEROES reader’s digest 8 may 2023 | rd.com photograph by Justin Tsucalas
Timothy White Jr. in superhero mode World of Good 9
White busted a U-turn and was now facing in the same direction as the pickup, but there were four cars separating them. White honked his horn, hoping the cars in front would move aside. They didn’t. He tried to swing into the left lane and pass everyone, but oncoming traffic made it impossible. Trapped, White pulled his car over, jumped out and sprinted up the sidewalk. The truck was going 10 to 15 mph, White estimates. Captain Harrisburg—even in loafers—runs faster than a swerving pickup. He darted into the road, running around to the driver’s side. The window was down on this temperate autumn day. White grabbed the frame of the window—his legs moving in step with the pickup—and with a mighty heave, leaped in. White was now inside the cab of the truck, waist deep, his legs dangling out the window. The man behind the wheel, 64-year-old Todd DeAngelis, was just conscious enough to be startled by the peculiar sight of a stranger sprawled across his stomach, and he let out a yelp. White worked quickly. They were coming up to a busy intersection, he recalls, “so I was trying to stop anything before it happened.” He took hold of the gear shift and forced the pickup into park, causing it to jolt to a stop. He ejected himself from the truck window the same way he came in. By his estimate, he was in and out of the truck in about four seconds. From outside the truck, White asked DeAngelis if he was OK. “No,” he replied, in a haze. DeAngelis, a diabetic, was unexpectedly facing dangerously low blood sugar. White flagged down a police officer. An ambulance soon arrived and took DeAngelis to a hospital, where it was determined that had his blood sugar gone much lower, he could have gone into a diabetic coma. “He kept me from a much worse accident than it could have been,” DeAngelis said after his recovery. White’s actions that day were not out of character. As a teenager, he once kicked in the door of a house that was on fire to see if anyone was trapped inside. Fortunately, the house was empty. “I’m always trying to help, where I can, when I can,” he says. But jumping into a moving vehicle to prevent a crash? White admits this was new territory. “It took me a couple of days,” he says, “and a couple of beers, to chill out.” RD “I’M ALWAYS TRYING TO HELP WHERE I CAN, WHEN I CAN.” 10 may 2023 | rd.com reader’s digest World of Good
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Put a Ring on It The tornado that struck Lamar County in Texas spared Dakota Hudson and Lauren Patterson, but not their house. They lost nearly everything, including the engagement ring Hudson had hoped to surprise Patterson with. Cue the Paris Junior College softball team, sent to help the family. When they arrived, they asked what they could do. “Find the engagement ring!” Hudson said. After hours of searching under tattered drywall and splintered furniture, outfielder Kate Rainey discovered the ring buried in the mud. With ring in hand, and surrounded by the cheering softball team, Hudson dropped to one knee and proposed to a beaming Patterson. As Hudson told NBC in Dallas/Fort Worth, “We’re safe. It’s a miracle the ring was found. What better time to do it?” The Tech Fairy In a wired world, a computer is often a necessity. Craig Clark, 76, a Floridian who is retired from an IT job, understands that better than most and for the past decade has made it his mission to repair broken and discarded desktops and laptops, and gift them to those in need. One recipient was Melissa Servetz, a single mother of four. She approached Clark on the community-based website Nextdoor and explained that her daughter needed a computer to attend classes from home. Without hesitation, Clark wrote back, “‘I’ve got this,’” Servetz told USA Today. That computer was one of more than 465 Clark has refurbished and given away so far. “I can sleep well at night knowing I’ve helped people with that aspect of their lives,” he says. Yearbooks for the Blind The school yearbook is a treasured keepsake, but not something students at Georgia Academy for the Blind (GAB) could enjoy. Until, that is, engineers at nearby Mercer University, looking for helpful uses for 3D scanning and printing, created special 3D yearbooks for the students. Each graduate’s face is scanned, printed in three dimensions, and then mounted on a board for all to see and touch. GAB Superintendent Cindy Gibson told Mercer’s online newspaper that for the visually impaired, this “levels the playing field just a little bit.” RD GLAD TO HEAR IT 3 Stories to Make Your Day CSA IMAGES/GETTY IMAGES 12 may 2023 | rd.com reader’s digest World of Good
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reader’s digest 14 may 2023
LIFE WELL LIVED The Sisterhood of the Traveling Diary BY Sydney Page from the washington post A woman mailed her journal to a stranger, who wrote in it, then passed it along Kyra Peralte thought keeping a diary during the pandemic might help her sort out her tangled feelings. In April 2020, the mother of two in Montclair, New Jersey, started writing candidly about the challenges of juggling work, marriage and motherhood during a global crisis. Writing was cathartic, but Peralte, now 46, wanted to know how other women were doing. So she made an unusual offer. She invited women from near and far to fill the remaining lined pages of her black-and-white marbled composition notebook with their own pandemic tales. She dubbed the project The Traveling Diary. “I wanted an interaction that felt human,” Peralte says, “and it feels very human to read someone else’s writing.” She found her first contributor during a Zoom conference for entrepreneurs. When she mentioned the diary, a woman in North Carolina immediately said she would like to write in it. From there, Peralte posted an article about her idea on Medium in an Kyra Peralte, founder of The Traveling Diary COURTESY OF THE TRAVELING DIARY illustrations by Shaw Nielsen rd.com 15
effort to get more women involved. So many wanted to participate that Peralte decided to create a website (thetravelingdiarytour.com) for people to add their names to the queue. She came up with a system: Each person gets to keep the diary for three days and fill as many pages as she wishes. Then she is responsible for mailing it to the next person, whose address Peralte provides. So far, more than 2,000 women from 30 countries have participated, some as far away as South Africa and Australia. Of course, not all those entries could fit in just one journal. More than 50 of these notebooks are currently in circulation, and about 20 completed ones are back in Peralte’s possession, including the original diary with her first entry, about navigating pandemic life and reconnecting with family. “It was beautiful to have it again and to read it,” she says. “I carry these stories with me on a daily basis.” Each entrant fills the pages with her own handwriting—and sometimes her own artwork—narrating her experiences, recounting obstacles she faced, sharing lessons she learned. Amy Tingle, 54, sat down with the diary in September 2020, in the wake of civil unrest and ongoing protests. She decided to focus her entry on America’s racial reckoning. “I couldn’t escape the sadness,” says Tingle, who lives in Maine. “I remember being really disappointed in humanity.” Writing in the communal diary “was definitely a therapeutic thing during that time,” she says. As an artist, she included a collage of women, symbolizing the sense of friendship she felt with other participants. Kirsty Nicol, 31, who lives in London, heard about the Traveling Diary through a friend. She received the journal in March 2021. “It came to me at a challenging time during lockdown,” she says. Reading reader’s digest 16 may 2023
the entries allowed her to escape, transporting her into the lives of others and finding bits of wisdom they left. One such pearl came from a woman in Australia who had written: “Working with the setbacks. Not against them. Patience and gratitude. It’s a dance. Life is moving and we can stomp our feet in rejection, or we can gracefully embrace the mess, tidying as we go.” The diary arrived on the doorstep of Colleen Martin, 46, in Florham Park, New Jersey, in November 2020. Although she had signed up for the Traveling Diary months prior, it arrived at the right moment. “I had just recently lost my brother. By the time I actually got it and wrote in it, it was much more of a therapeutic relief,” she says, explaining that she wrote about her grief. Adding to the diary, she says, helped her look for meaning and “the growth and development that occurs in terrible times.” Martin shipped off the diary to the next participant, and Dior Sarr, 35, received it at her home in Toronto just before the new year. “I wrote about my ambitions, my goals and how I wanted to step into the new year,” she says. It felt meaningful “to pass on something so personal. It felt like these were women that I had known even though I didn’t know them at all.” Sarr did get to meet some of the women whose stories she read, through a virtual get-together that Peralte organized. “It has really evolved into a community,” Peralte says. She sends participants a weekly newsletter and often hosts Zoom events so the women get the chance to get to know one another more, share stories and connect more intimately. Some of the women, she says, have even become close friends. Nan Seymour, 56, described meeting fellow Traveling Diary participants as a “miraculous” experience. Seymour, who lives in Salt Lake City, rd.com 17 Life Well Lived
received the diary in April 2021. Holding it in her hands, “I felt like I was reading something sacred,” she says. Seymour wrote about her 28-yearold daughter, who is transgender. “I wanted to represent that part of my life, and I thought it might benefit others,” she says. “We’re all drawn to this project from the same heart-based purpose,” she says. “Once you come through this door, you’re meeting people whose values align.” Like many of the women who wrote in her diary, Peralte feels a strong bond with the people who filled its pages, none of whom she would have otherwise known. Her spontaneous idea, she says, has had a profound effect on her and, she hopes, the other women who were part of it. “The Traveling Diary,” she says, “is making sisters out of strangers.” RD Ballpark Figures of Speech Most of us prefer to say someone “passed away” rather than “died,” or got “let go” instead of “fired.” But while more than 9 in 10 Americans use euphemisms such as these, nearly 3 in 5 admit to having used one without really knowing what it meant. Among the most confusing: “Economical” (cheap) “For the birds” (unimportant) “Frumpy” (unattractive) “Indisposed” (in the restroom) “Monday morning quarterback” (someone who criticizes after the event) “Up to scratch” (good enough) PREPLY the washington post (oct. 26, 2022), copyright © 2022 by the washington post. reader’s digest Life Well Lived 18 may 2023 | rd.com
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BREANNA ALDRED W hen our Pomeranian, Churro, met the three ducklings we rescued, they nibbled on his fluff. He was nervous but undeterred—he was determined to mother these ducklings as if they were his own. All feedings and playtimes henceforth were conducted under Churro’s supervision. The ducklings followed him everywhere and he always made sure they were accounted for. If one wandered off, he’d herd it back to the other two. Churro with his three feathered sons, Duke, Dirk and Dex Churro the Duck Herder waukesha, wi At naptime, they’d snuggle in his fluff. The first time they followed Churro to his water bowl, they dove right in. Churro looked at me as if to say, What am I supposed to do about this? But he let them swim as he lapped. Once the ducks matured, we released them at the pond near where we found them. They soon flew south for the winter. It was sad to see them go, but we were comforted that they had learned the survival skills they needed. Now, Churro always has a little pep in his step when he realizes we’re walking to the pond—perhaps hoping his friends will return when the weather warms up. RD —Nominated by breanna aldred BEST PET PALS Got a pet story that’ll quack us up? See terms and submit your story at rd.com/petpals. 20 may 2023 | rd.com reader’s digest World of Good
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“Do I look as if I’m interested in hearing some constructive criticism?” LIFE in these United States I was running late for my flight and trying to get through security when the agent asked me to remove my jacket. I whispered to my friend, “That was covering up my coffee stain.” The older woman behind me in line made me feel better about my sloppiness when she said, “Don’t worry about the coffee stain, dear. Your shirt’s on inside out and backward.” —Susan Shafer Salt Lake City, UT File this SFGate headline under Did We Really Need to Ask?: “Hawaii mayor asks people to stop throwing marshmallows into Mauna Loa lava” In an Italian deli, I came across three round cheeses hanging in a net bag. After squeezing them and finding them to be extremely hard, I asked the man behind the counter, “Hey, what kind of cheeses are these?” The man said something I didn’t hear, so I repeated my question. He answered again, but I still couldn’t make it out. I raised my voice and asked again what kind of cheese I was pinching. He raised his voice to match mine. “It’s a bocce ball. Leave it alone.” —Howard Deixler in the New York Times Just before our chemistry exam, my two friends bet on who would do better. The one with the worse grade would owe the other 14 chicken sandwiches. reader’s digest 22 may 2023 cartoon by Crowden Satz
DOGS, FROM LEFT: GRACE ELIZABETH; DREW MAXWELL; SARAH BUTT “There’s no way I lose this bet,” said my first friend. “This test is heavy on math, and I always do well on math problems.” My other friend countered, “Fine. Double or nothing— 24 sandwiches!” Guess who won the bet. —Samuel Thomas South Bend, IN While my wife may not be a car fanatic, when it comes to the vehicle she drives, she does insist that it fulfill certain criteria. One day, she announced, “I know exactly what kind of car I want next.” “Oh, yeah?” I asked. “What kind?” “Green.” —Dale Dildy Little Rock, AR Before my two young nephews could push their way past me at a very large family gathering, I said, “What’s the magic phrase?” They said, “Please?” “No,” I teased, “it’s Please, Queen Linda, Ruler of Everything and Everyone.” They paused a moment, then one said to the other, “Let’s just find another bathroom.” —Linda Mowry Christiansburg, VA Rebranding “not knowing how to drive” into “climate activism.” —@loriberenberg We asked my GreatAunt Luella how long it took for her and Uncle Campbell to drive the 125 miles from their home to ours. “With no traffic, it takes about two and a half hours,” she said. “But if there is a lot of traffic it’s only two hours, because Campbell has to pass everyone.” —Carol Parker Fort Collins, CO “Why are there so many tomorrows and only one today?” asked my 3-year-old. This made me question everything about my current existence. —Seen on reddit.com ’NUFF SAID Three dogs having a worse day than you— from Facebook’s unflattering dog photo challenge. your funny story about friends or family could be worth $$$. For details, go to page 2 or rd.com/submit. rd.com 23 World of Good
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TMB STUDIO O ne of the world’s favorite hand-held foods is so popular it gets its own day: Taco Tuesday. The practice has even crossed the Atlantic to Scandinavia—except it happens there on Fridays. On Tacofredag, Swedish families top theirs with pineapple, cucumber, nuts and a yogurt sauce. And that’s just one way the world gets its fill. Tasty Tacos Those shells hold a lot of history BY Renée S. Suen reader’s digest photographs by Mark Derse rd.com | may 2023 25 Art of LIVING Food, facts & fun
TMB STUDIO But before they became an international hit, tacos took their first folds in Mexico. Authentic Mexican tacos use fresh tortillas made from ground corn or wheat, depending on the region. (Though corn plays an integral role in Mexican tradition and culture, the invading Spanish favored wheat, since it was linked with the Holy Eucharist.) The word taco may come from the Aztec tlahco, which means “half” or “in the middle.” In the 1500s, the Aztec ruler Montezuma II Xocoyotzin used tortillas prepared on hot stones as spoons to hold food. But, according to Jeffrey Pilcher, author of Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food, the moniker more likely traces back to Mexican silver miners in the 18th century, for whom taco was the word for the thin sheets of paper wrapped around the gunpowder used to excavate ore. Tacos arrived in America with the Mexican immigrants who came to mine our industrializing nation’s metals and build its railroads. At the time of its first written mention, in a newspaper in 1905, the taco was still largely a working-class food, an affordable item sold by street vendors in the Southwest. The first taco restaurant, El Cholo, opened in Los Angeles in 1923. The now-ubiquitous Taco Bell came along in 1962. At that time, most Americans still didn’t know what tacos were. But Taco Bell’s offerings, created for the Anglo palate, were accessible and affordable and became wildly popular among Americans of non-Mexican heritage. The fast-food chain has since expanded to more than 7,000 locations worldwide, including in Japan, Saudi Arabia and India. (Feeling left out, Norwegians have a Facebook campaign called “Get Taco Bell to Norway.”) Tacos can be filled to suit any palate. Regional favorites range from barbacoa (barbecued meat) to carne asada (steak) to nopal (cactus) to pescado (fish). After the Spanish introduced pigs to the Yucatán in the 16th century, cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pork) tacos emerged. Then when Lebanese immigrants came to Mexico in the early 20th century, they brought their shawarma tradition and vertical rotisseries. The lamb they had used for gyros and kebabs was substituted with more widely available pork and pineapple, and the classic taqueria menu item tacos al pastor (shepherd’s tacos) was born. Perhaps the best thing about tacos is that they can be whatever you want them to be. Whichever delicious way they’re filled, they are well worth the mess you’ll likely make as you bite into them. IN 1962, MOST AMERICANS STILL DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TACOS WERE. 26 may 2023 | rd.com reader’s digest Art of Living
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After getting my degree in environmental law, I was assigned to be the chief of environmental law, overseeing a number of Air Force bases. One of the first calls I got came from a subordinate officer. He posed a complex legal question and I was completely flummoxed. “Hmm, great question,” I said. “I’ll find out who the Air Force expert is in that area and get back to you.” After a slight pause, the officer replied, “Well, sir, that would be you.” —David Hoard Sterling, VA My dad joined the Navy out of spite. He was a petty officer. —forces.net Before flying to Fort Meade to administer a language proficiency exam, I wrote a packing checklist, which I managed to lose. When I arrived at my hotel room, I opened the suitcase and discovered that it had been searched by airport security. How did I know? On the top of my clothes was my checklist. On the bottom of the list someone scribbled, “You forgot your after-shave and your tester’s manual.” —Yefim M. Brodd Kirkland, WA “That one is for keeping my big mouth shut.” got a funny story about the military? It could be worth $$$. For details, see page 2 or go to Rd.com/submit. Humor in UNIFORM cartoon by Mick Stevens/cartoonstock.com reader’s digest Art of Living 28 may 2023 | rd.com
If You Bought Cathode Ray Tubes or Products containing Cathode Ray Tubes, zŽƵŽƵůĚ'ĞƚDŽŶĞLJĨƌŽŵĂΨϯϯDŝůůŝŽŶ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚ ^ŝŵƉůĞKŶůŝŶĞůĂŝŵ&ŽƌŵdĂŬĞƐϯϱDŝŶƵƚĞƐ WĂƌĂƵŶĂŶŽƟĮĐĂĐŝſŶĞŶ ƐƉĂŹŽůůůĂŵĂƌŽǀŝƐŝƚĂƌŶƵĞƐƚƌŽǁĞďƐŝƚĞ ĐůĂƐƐ ĂĐƟŽŶ ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ƌĞĂĐŚĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ DŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ŽƌƉŽƌĂƟŽŶ ŝŶǀŽůǀŝŶŐ Cathode Ray Tubes (“CRTs”)ĂĚŝƐƉůĂLJĚĞǀŝĐĞƚŚĂƚǁĂƐƚŚĞ ŵĂŝŶ ĐŽŵƉŽŶĞŶƚŝŶdsƐ ĂŶĚĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌŵŽŶŝƚŽƌƐdŚĞ ůĂǁƐƵŝƚ ĐůĂŝŵƐ ƚŚĂƚDŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐ ĐŽŶƐƉŝƌĞĚǁŝƚŚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ZdŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌƐ ƚŽ Įdž ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ŽĨ ZdƐ ĐĂƵƐŝŶŐ ĐŽŶƐƵŵĞƌƐƚŽƉĂLJŵŽƌĞĨŽƌZdƐ ĂŶĚƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ĐŽŶƚĂŝŶŝŶŐZdƐƐƵĐŚĂƐdsƐ ĂŶĚĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌŵŽŶŝƚŽƌƐ ;Zd WƌŽĚƵĐƚƐdŚŝƐ ƐĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚŝƐŝŶ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶƚŽƚŚĞƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ŶŝŶĞ ƐĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚƐƌĞĂĐŚĞĚǁŝƚŚŽƚŚĞƌĚĞĨĞŶĚĂŶƚƐ tŚŽŝƐŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚ /ŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ ĂŶĚďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐǁŚŽŽƌǁŚŝĐŚ • /ŶĚŝƌĞĐƚůLJ ƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚ Ă Zd WƌŽĚƵĐƚ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ Ă Zd ƚĞůĞǀŝƐŝŽŶ Žƌ Zd ĐŽŵƉƵƚĞƌ ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌ ŝŶ Z&>,//<^DD D/DEDKD^DdE E,EsEDEzEEKZZ/^ ^dEhdsdtst/ŽƌƚŚĞŝƐƚƌŝĐƚŽĨŽůƵŵďŝĂďĞƚǁĞĞŶDĂƌĐŚϭϭϱĂŶĚEŽǀĞŵďĞƌϮϱϮϬϬϳ ;,/E ĂŶĚEsŚĂǀĞ ƐŚŽƌƚĞƌĐůĂŝŵƉĞƌŝŽĚƐ • &ŽƌƚŚĞŝƌŽǁŶƵƐĞ ĂŶĚŶŽƚĨŽƌƌĞƐĂůĞ WƵƌĐŚĂƐĞƐŝŶDKDdĂŶĚZ/ŵƵƐƚŚĂǀĞďĞĞŶ ŵĂĚĞƉƌŝŵĂƌŝůLJĨŽƌƉĞƌƐŽŶĂůĨĂŵŝůLJŽƌŚŽƵƐĞŚŽůĚƉƵƌƉŽƐĞƐ /ŶĚŝƌĞĐƚůLJƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚŵĞĂŶƐLJŽƵƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚĂŶLJďƌĂŶĚŽĨZdWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ;ĞdžĐĞƉƚ^ŽŶLJĨƌŽŵ ƐŽŵĞŽŶĞŽƚŚĞƌ ƚŚĂŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ Zd WƌŽĚƵĐƚƐƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ Ă ƌĞƚĂŝůĞƌ ůŝŬĞ ĞƐƚ ƵLJ Žƌ ŽƐƚĐŽ WƵƌĐŚĂƐĞƐ ŵĂĚĞ ĚŝƌĞĐƚůLJĨƌŽŵDŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐŽƌĂŶ ĂůůĞŐĞĚĐŽ"ĐŽŶƐƉŝƌĂƚŽƌĂƌĞ ŶŽƚŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚ;ĂůůĞŐĞĚĐŽ"ĐŽŶƐƉŝƌĂƚŽƌƐ ĂƌĞ ůŝƐƚĞĚĂƚǁǁǁZdĐůĂŝŵƐĐŽŵŽƌďLJĐĂůůŝŶŐϭ"#ϬϬ"ϲϰ"Ϭϲϯ tŚĂƚĚŽĞƐƚŚĞ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚƉƌŽǀŝĚĞ DŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐŚĂƐ ĂŐƌĞĞĚƚŽƉĂLJΨϯϯŵŝůůŝŽŶƚŽƐĞƩůĞƚŚĞ ĐůĂŝŵƐ ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚŝƚYƵĂůŝĨLJŝŶŐŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ ĂŶĚ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐĞƐƚŚĂƚƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚZdWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐŝŶƚŚĞ ĂďŽǀĞ"ůŝƐƚĞĚƐƚĂƚĞƐ ĂƌĞ ĞůŝŐŝďůĞƚŽĮůĞ Ă ĐůĂŝŵzŽƵŵƵƐƚŚĂǀĞ ƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚŝŶŽŶĞŽĨƚŚŽƐĞ ƐƚĂƚĞƐďƵƚLJŽƵĚŽŶŽƚŚĂǀĞƚŽďĞ ĂƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚŽĨŽŶĞŽĨƚŚŽƐĞ ƐƚĂƚĞƐ dŚĞ ĂŵŽƵŶƚŽĨŵŽŶĞLJLJŽƵǁŝůůƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚĞƉĞŶĚƐŽŶƚŚĞƚLJƉĞ ĂŶĚƋƵĂŶƟƚLJŽĨZdWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐLJŽƵƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚ ĂŶĚƚŚĞƚŽƚĂů ŶƵŵďĞƌŽĨĐůĂŝŵƐ ŵĂĚĞ ůŝŐŝďůĞ ĐůĂŝŵĂŶƚƐ ĂƌĞ ĞdžƉĞĐƚĞĚƚŽƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĂŵŝŶŝŵƵŵƉĂLJŵĞŶƚŽĨΨϭϬ DŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶŝƐ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ĂƚǁǁǁZdĐůĂŝŵƐĐŽŵŽƌďLJĐĂůůŝŶŐϭ"#ϬϬ"ϲϰ"Ϭϲϯ ,ŽǁĐĂŶ/ŐĞƚĂƉĂLJŵĞŶƚ sŝƐŝƚǁǁǁZdĐůĂŝŵƐĐŽŵ ĂŶĚĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĂƐŝŵƉůĞŽŶůŝŶĞůĂŝŵ&ŽƌŵŝĨLJŽƵŝŶĚŝƌĞĐƚůLJƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞĚany brand ŽĨZdWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ ;ĞdžĐĞƉƚ^ŽŶLJůĂŝŵŽŶůŝŶĞŽƌďLJŵĂŝůďLJJune 13, 2023dŚĞ ƐŝŵƉůĞŽŶůŝŶĞůĂŝŵ&ŽƌŵŽŶůLJ ƚĂŬĞƐϯ"ϱŵŝŶƵƚĞƐĨŽƌŵŽƐƚŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ/ĨLJŽƵƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůLJƐƵďŵŝƩĞĚĂǀĂůŝĚĐůĂŝŵ ĂƐ ĂŶ ĞŶĚƵƐĞƌĨŽƌŝŶĚŝƌĞĐƚ ƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞƐŽĨZdWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐŝŶƌĞůĂƚĞĚƉƌŝŽƌƐĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚƐ ;/ŶƌĞĂƚŚŽĚĞZĂLJdƵďĞ;Zd ŶƟƚƌƵƐƚ>ŝƟŐĂƟŽŶD> EŽϭϭϳ;EĂůLJŽƵĚŽŶŽƚŚĂǀĞƚŽƌĞƐƵďŵŝƚLJŽƵƌĐůĂŝŵƚŽďĞŶĞĮƚĨƌŽŵƚŚŝƐ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚƵŶůĞƐƐLJŽƵŚĂǀĞ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂůƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞƐƚŽĐůĂŝŵ tŚĂƚĂƌĞŵLJƌŝŐŚƚƐ /ĨLJŽƵĚŽŶŽƚŚŝŶŐLJŽƵǁŝůůďĞďŽƵŶĚďLJƚŚĞŽƵƌƚƐĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐ/ĨLJŽƵǁĂŶƚƚŽŬĞĞƉLJŽƵƌƌŝŐŚƚƚŽƐƵĞDŝƚƐƵďŝƐŚŝ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐLJŽƵŵƵƐƚƐĞŶĚĂǁƌŝƩĞŶƌĞƋƵĞƐƚƚŽƚŚĞůĂƐƐ ĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŽƌĨŽƌĞdžĐůƵƐŝŽŶĨƌŽŵƚŚĞ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚůĂƐƐ ďLJApril 14, 2023dŚĞŽƵƌƚǁŝůů ĞdžĐůƵĚĞ ĂŶLJĐůĂƐƐ ŵĞŵďĞƌǁŚŽƟŵĞůLJƌĞƋƵĞƐƚƐ ĞdžĐůƵƐŝŽŶ/ĨLJŽƵƐƚĂLJŝŶƚŚĞ ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚůĂƐƐLJŽƵŵĂLJŽďũĞĐƚƚŽƚŚĞ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚďLJApril 14, 2023 KŶ June 1, 2023 Ăƚ Ϯ!ϬϬ Ɖŵ ƚŚĞ ŽƵƌƚ ǁŝůů ĐŽŶĚƵĐƚ Ă ŚĞĂƌŝŶŐ ǀŝĂ ŽŽŵ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ůŝŶŬ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ Ăƚ ŚƩƉƐ ++ĐĂŶĚƵƐĐŽƵƌƚƐŐŽǀ+ũƵĚŐĞƐ+ƟŐĂƌ"ũŽŶ"Ɛ"ũƐƚ ƚŽ ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌ ǁŚĞƚŚĞƌ ƚŽ ĂƉƉƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ Ă ƌĞƋƵĞƐƚĨŽƌĂƩŽƌŶĞLJƐĨĞĞƐƵƉƚŽŽŶĞ"ƚŚŝƌĚŽĨƚŚĞ^ĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚ&ƵŶĚƉůƵƐƌĞŝŵďƵƌƐĞŵĞŶƚŽĨůŝƟŐĂƟŽŶ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞƐ ĂŶĚĂǁĂƌĚƐƚŽůĂƐƐZĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĂƟǀĞƐdŚŝƐĚĂƚĞ ŵĂLJĐŚĂŶŐĞ ƐŽƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŚĞĐŬƚŚĞ ƐĞƩůĞŵĞŶƚǁĞďƐŝƚĞzŽƵŽƌ LJŽƵƌŽǁŶ ůĂǁLJĞƌŵĂLJĂƉƉĞĂƌĂŶĚƐƉĞĂŬĂƚƚŚĞŚĞĂƌŝŶŐĂƚLJŽƵƌŽǁŶ ĞdžƉĞŶƐĞ DŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶ &ŽƌĚĞƚĂŝůƐŽŶŚŽǁ ƚŽŵĂŬĞ Ă ĐůĂŝŵĞdžĐůƵĚĞLJŽƵƌƐĞůĨŽƌŽďũĞĐƚǀŝƐŝƚ ǁǁǁZdĐůĂŝŵƐĐŽŵzŽƵŵĂLJĂůƐŽ ǁƌŝƚĞ ƚŽ Zd ůĂƐƐ ĚŵŝŶŝƐƚƌĂƚŽƌ Đ+Ž dŚĞ EŽƟĐĞ ŽŵƉĂŶLJ WK Ždž ϳϳ# ,ŝŶŐŚĂŵ D ϬϮϬϰϯ Žƌ ĐĂůů ϭ"#ϬϬ"ϲϰ"Ϭϲϯ W> ^ KEKdKEddd, KhZd ǁǁǁZdĐůĂŝŵƐĐŽŵ 1-800-649-0963
1 This month, Americans will spend about $2.6 billion on floral arrangements for Mother’s Day. That accounts for roughly a quarter of all fresh flower purchases throughout the year. But you’ll want to pick carefully which blooms you send to Mom. The art of expressing emotions through flowers isn’t all about love and happiness. Historically, marigolds have meant contempt, and yellow roses jealousy— though florists now market yellow roses as a symbol of friendship. 2 The purported meanings of different petals are mostly lost on us today. But interest in the subject blossomed across 19thcentury Europe as multiple manuals (called floriographies) were published to translate “the language of flowers.” Even Shakespeare spoke this language. After Hamlet kills Ophelia’s father, Ophelia laments, A Bouquet of Flower Facts BY Samantha Rideout reader’s digest 30 may 2023 illustration by Serge Bloch 13 THINGS
“There’s a daisy. I would give you some violets but they withered all ...” At that time, daisies symbolized innocence and violets stood for faithfulness. 3 Of course, flowers also carry religious significance. The Easter lily, for example, is mentioned in the Bible as a symbol of purity and rebirth and is associated with the resurrection of Jesus. The lotus flower signifies enlightenment for Buddhists because it grows in the mud but remains clean, thanks to its naturally water-repellent leaves. 4 We honor the dead by putting flowers on their graves, a tradition dating back at least 13,000 years. In Israel, archeologists have discovered skeletons that had been placed on a bed of blooms. A layer of mud preserved impressions of the sage and figwort flowers. 5 You can keep your own arrangements longer by cutting the stems at an angle and plucking off all the leaves below the water line. The packets of flower food that many bouquets come with contain citric acid for optimal pH level and bleach to fight bacteria. To make your own, mix 2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ tablespoon of bleach per quart of water. 6 To preserve cut flowers, tie a string around their stems and hang them upside down somewhere dark and dry, like in a cupboard or a closet. You could also press them between the pages of a heavy book or iron them between two sheets of waxed paper. Air-drying works well for smaller flowers, while pressing is easiest with flat ones. To preserve big, round blooms (think dahlias and daffodils), bury them in silica gel crystals for a few days. The crystals work like cat litter: They’ll dry out the petals without shriveling their shape. 7 Flowers look and smell so lovely because they need to attract birds and bees. The critters carry pollen from a flower’s stamen (the male part) to the eggs in its pistil (the female part), allowing seeds to fertilize and develop. Some flowers have only pistils, while others have only stamens. A few plants, including orchids and sunflowers, have both parts and can pollinate themselves. 8 Still others rely on the wind to carry their pollen around, an unfortunate reality for people with allergies. About 15% of Americans reach for the tissues when spiky green ragweed flowers appear in late summer, but it’s the trees that first do us in during the spring. If your allergies are acting up now, it’s rd.com 31 Art of Living
more likely grass sabotaging your sinuses. 9 Modern breeding has caused many popular flowers to lose a lot of their scent, so those who stopped to smell the roses hundreds of years ago got stronger whiffs than we do today. During the 19th century, perfumes were often derived from the fragrance of a single flower. By contrast, Chanel No. 5 has the concentrated oil of around 12 roses and 1,000 jasmine flowers in every ounce. 10 Holland has dominated floral exports for decades, but business is blooming in Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia and Kenya. Altogether, the global flower industry earns $30 billion annually. 11For true flower fanatics, there are festivals all over the world to enjoy. One of the biggest is Bloemencorso (“flower parade”) Bollenstreek in Holland. Its floats travel the distance of a marathon, 26 miles, each spring. An even older floral celebration is the annual Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. The New Year’s Day tradition began in 1890 as a bit of a Golden State boast. “In New York, people are buried in snow,” said one of the parade’s organizers. “Here flowers are blooming ... Let’s hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.” 12 Among the world’s most famous flowers are those depicted in art, from Monet’s Water Lilies to Andy Warhol’s Flowers to street artist Banksy’s Flower Thrower, which depicts a rioter about to launch a colorful bouquet. Last fall, real-life dissidents (in this case, anti-oil activists) launched soup at another floral icon, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, at London’s National Gallery, though the painting was not damaged. 13In 2012, the American astronaut Don Pettit planted seeds in plastic bags and grew them in space, thus bringing flowers to the final frontier. A yellow zucchini blossom and a lopsided yet cheery sunflower became the first blooms on the International Space Station. Nah-maste I rolled up my yoga mat perfectly and if you think I’ll mess that up by working out, then you’re out of your mind. @THISONESAYZ reader’s digest Art of Living 32 may 2023 | rd.com
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embarrassed.” Soon, fellow authors responded with their own horror stories. Margaret Atwood shared, “I did a signing to which nobody came except a guy who wanted to buy Scotch tape and thought I was the help.” Jodi Piccoult wrote, “I have sat lonely at a signing table many times only to have someone approach … and ask me where the bathroom is.” Irish author Sheila O’Flanagan told of the time a woman handed her a John Grisham novel. “When I pointed out it After my class read Little Red Riding Hood, I asked the young students what lesson we might learn from the fairy tale. I was looking for “Beware of strangers.” But one student’s response worked as well: “Know what your grandmother looks like.” —Sandra Steely Sahuarita, AZ When only two people showed up at a book-signing event for her debut novel, Crowns and Legends, Chelsea Banning tweeted that she felt “a little The best one-liner in a student paper this year: “The analysis is severely limited by my lack of understanding what I am doing.” —@shaferpr All in a Day’s WORK reader’s digest 34 may 2023 | rd.com cartoon by Dan Piraro
PEOPLEIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES wasn’t written by me, she asked if I was signing books or not! So I signed it with love from me and John Grisham.” The good news: Thanks to all the support, Banning sold all her signed copies. These actual answers to test questions show why teachers need the summer off: ✦ Q: Would you rather be stuck on an island all alone or with one person you hate? A: I would rather be on an island with someone I hate so I have something to eat. ✦ Q: Rachel has 16 chocolate bars. Tracey takes four from her and asks for the remaining quarter. What would she end up with? A: A slap. ✦ Q: What ended in 1896? A: 1895. —boredpanda.com A Chicago website, DNAInfo, recalled the time Cardinal Blase Cupich, then an archbishop, boarded a plane and couldn’t fit his carry-on into the overhead compartment. Finally, a man grabbed Cupich’s bag, shoved it into a compartment and asked, “Will that get me to heaven, Father?” Cupich replied, “I hope not on this flight!” —Gary Katz Long Grove, IL A hotel that wanted our corporate business invited us to attend a luncheon. In calling to get directions, I asked if the hotel was on the east side of the expressway or the west side. The employee responded, “Well, that depends on which direction you’re coming from.” I decided to Waze it. —Gloria Brutscher La Porte, TX Your funny work story could be worth $$$. For details, go to p. 2 or rd.com/submit. SAM I AM Before creating the private detective Sam Spade, author Dashiell Hammett was himself a Pinkerton detective. The Sunday Long Read website recently ran a listicle Hammett wrote in 1923 for the magazine The Smart Set detailing some of the odd things he encountered on the job: ✦ A man whom I was shadowing went out into the country for a walk one Sunday afternoon and lost his bearings completely. I had to direct him back to the city. ✦ I know an operative who, while looking for pickpockets at a race track, had his wallet stolen. ✦ A chief of police once gave me a description of a man, complete even to the mole on his neck, but neglected to mention that he had only one arm. Art of Living
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A Albuquerque, New Mexico B Winchester, California C Readington, New Jersey D Colorado Springs, Colorado H eads up! Celebrating its 40th anniversary this month, the annual balloon and wine festival held here suspends eventgoers hundreds of feet in the air—or just 50 to 75 feet, for those who aren’t so keen on heights. After dotting the day sky, these colorful orbs put on a different show at night, lighting up against the darkening sky and swaying to the live music wafting from the rest of the fairgrounds. Where is it? (Answer on page 111.) WHERE, OH WHERE? rd.com 37 Art of Living
Just In Case The last time I cracked open my home’s first-aid kit, I had one thumb swaddled in bloody paper towels after I’d accidentally nicked it while chopping onions. Fumbling through the zippered compartments as my thumb throbbed, I discovered nothing but a few yellowed bandages, dried-out antiseptic wipes, some gauze, tape and a pair of scissors like the kind kids use in kindergarten. Luckily I managed to stem the bleeding with the gauze and went on to cook a decent spaghetti Bolognese. But I’d come to the sober realization that my cheap, neglected first-aid kit would do BY Anna-Kaisa Walker Does your first-aid kit have all the essentials? illustrations by Kate Traynor rd.com | may 2023 39 reader’s digest The HEALTHY Wellness from Thehealthy.com
my family no good in an honest-togoodness emergency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of Americans don’t own a first-aid kit. “First-aid kits are most commonly used for minor injuries like cuts, but they can also help you in less-common emergency situations, such as heart attacks or life-threatening bleeding,” says Nathan Charlton, an emergency physician in Charlottesville, Virginia, who serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for the American Red Cross. That’s why our list is so comprehensive. Build yourself a good kit, then keep one at home and one in the car, and be sure to take one along if you go camping. To help you make sure your kits contain all the right things, we spoke to experts in emergency medicine. These are the items they recommend: aspirin Two 81-milligram tablets of chewable aspirin can be lifesaving if taken within the first hour of a suspected heart attack. But call 911 first and await instructions; it’s not safe for everyone (for example, those on other blood thinners). disposable non- latex gloves When helping another person, put these on first. hand sanitizer If you can’t wash your hands, use this before treating any wounds. Wash or sanitize hands before putting on gloves. antiseptic wipes If you don’t have access to clean running water, use these to clean and disinfect cuts before applying a bandage or ointment. antibacterial ointment This helps prevent infection by stopping the growth of bacteria in minor wounds. For a cut or wound, clean the area first, then use this—not hydrogen peroxide, which is not on our list because it can cause the skin to dry out and might prevent the area from healing correctly. hydrocortisone cream It relieves itching and irritation from insect bites or poisonous plants. abdominal dressings These large dressings can help control heavy bleeding from major wounds. Keep firm pressure on the dressed wound until help arrives. gauze It comes in small squares and rolls; both are good for packing and dressing wounds, and stabilizing protruding objects (which you should never pull out). waterproof adhesive tape Use this to firmly secure the dressing on a wound. self- adhesive bandages Ideally, keep a variety of sizes in your kit, for minor cuts and scrapes. triangular bandage This can be used as an arm sling. instant cold packs These work just as well as ice and are ready when you need them; just squeeze to activate. Use to help reduce pain and swelling for muscle sprains or bruises. tweezers Pointed tips are best for removing ticks or splinters and for cleaning debris from a wound. scissors It’s worth having a quality pair so you can quickly and easily cut 40 may 2023 reader’s digest The Healthy
pressure can’t stop it, a tourniquet can help. You can improvise one using a minimum 2-inch-wide strip of cloth and a small tree branch, but a commercially made tourniquet is better. The latest models consist of a wide nylon strap with a turn crank and a locking mechanism to hold it in place. IT’S IMPORTANT TO KEEP your kit accessible because you never know when you’ll need it. In the U.S., more medically reported injuries happen at home than in public places, at the workplace and on the road combined. Here are the important basics to be as prepared as you can be for any emergency. thick bandages or clothing. A special kind called trauma shears, which have sharp, serrated blades, are especially good in a first-aid kit. cpr face shield If you need to perform rescue breaths, these shields, with a one-way valve, provide a good barrier against bacteria and viruses. burn hydrogel Gel-saturated burn pads cool and soothe damaged skin; they’re ideal when it’s not possible to run skin under cool water. mylar blanket These “space blankets” help maintain a person’s core temperature after a severe injury or shock. tourniquet If bleeding from an extremity is so severe that direct rd.com 41
Buy the Right Container Your first-aid items should be kept in a waterproof bag or an airtight container with clear compartments that allow you to quickly see what’s inside. That way you won’t have to dig around or dump things out of the kit to find what you need. A good quality ready-made first-aid kit should have most, if not all, of the things we’ve suggested. Look for one created by a reputable organization such as the Red Cross, which are sold at major retailers, then buy any missing items separately. Check Expiration Dates Add notifications to your calendar to remind you to check and make sure any medications in the kit are up to date. “That also reminds you why you have a first-aid kit, and it may also help you recall any training you’ve had,” Dr. Charlton says. Get Some Training There’s no better way to prepare yourself for emergencies than by taking a course. Organizations like the Red Cross offer basic first aid and CPR certifications that can be completed over a weekend. They also publish manuals, some in pocket size that you can keep in your kit. These guides can steer you through a range of scenarios—from panic attacks to spinal injuries—with pictograms. To be even better prepared, you can download the First Aid app, free from the Red Cross. It has step-by-step instructions, videos and more. The Red Cross also offers an online course on how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and administer the lifesaving medication naloxone (Narcan). Learn more or sign up at redcross.org /take-a-class/opioidoverdose. Be Ready on the Road In addition to keeping a first-aid kit in your car, also keep a reflective vest and a warning triangle to put beside the vehicle in case you have to pull over, to make sure that other drivers (including an ambulance driver, should you need to call for help) can see you. Know When to Get Help Any cut longer than 1 inch will need stitches, says Lyle Karasiuk, volunteer chair of the Canadian Council for First Aid Education. If a wound is large or deep, or doesn’t stop bleeding after 10 minutes of pressure, call 911 or head to the nearest hospital emergency room. Also seek help if you or someone else has trouble breathing, or experiences sudden or severe pain or any other potential medical emergency. RD KEEP A KIT IN YOUR CAR, PLUS A WARNING TRIANGLE. 42 may 2023 | rd.com reader’s digest The Healthy
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KATE TRAYNOR I f you wrestle with insomnia (and, consequently, the bedcovers!), you probably have been tempted to try anything that promises better sleep. One thing that might sound a little weird but that has been known to work: adding a weighted blanket to those bedcovers. “They’ve become the sleep tool to have,” says Alanna McGinn, founder and lead sleep expert at Good Night Sleep Site. “I’m a huge proponent of them because they can work so well.” About 32% of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts there recommend at least seven hours of shut-eye per night for adults. Do Weighted Blankets Work? BY Diane Peters But as many as 35% of adults have trouble sleeping from time to time, and 10% regularly have trouble falling and staying asleep. Just as swaddling babies can send them to sleep, using a weighted blanket helps your heart and breathing slow and your body release feel-good hormones, including serotonin. The weight—usually between 5 and 30 pounds, which sounds like a lot but is spread out over the entire bed—comes from plastic, glass or metal pellets surrounded by filling. The heaviness mimics a touch therapy called deep pressure stimulation. A 2020 review looked at eight studies and concluded that weighted blankets helped reduce anxiety but not necessarily insomnia. Other research tells a slightly different story. A randomized controlled study in Sweden in 2020 looked at 120 people with insomnia and also depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety or attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Those who used a weighted blanket reported that they had better sleep and were less tired, anxious and depressed during the day. People with circulatory conditions such as diabetes, or breathing issues such as asthma or sleep apnea, should check with their doctor before using a weighted blanket. “And if you’re someone who gets a little claustrophobic, it’s probably not the best thing for you,” adds McGinn. 44 may 2023 | rd.com reader’s digest The Healthy
LEVI BROWN Breathe for Better Blood Pressure Did you know that you can exercise the muscles you use to breathe? A new gadget called an inspiratory musclestrength training device, originally invented to help people with respiratory diseases including asthma and COPD, can help. To use it, plug your nose, hold it up to your mouth and inhale. The device provides resistance, forcing you to work hard to breathe in. A University of Colorado, Boulder, study concluded that doing 30 of these inhalations each day can reduce blood pressure. In fact, the average results were comparable to what people can achieve with medications or daily half-hour walks. If you opt for this strategy, choose a device that offers up to 100 cmH2O, a suitably high amount of resistance. You may be able to buy one over the counter, depending on where you live. CANCER DEATHS PLUMMET Good news on the cancer front: More people than ever are surviving it. Since 1990, cancer death rates have fallen by 20% to 35% in the United States, Canada and Western Europe. That translates into more than 7 million averted deaths. The decrease is partly because powerful new treatments, such as immunotherapies and molecularly targeted treatments, arrived on the scene during the past three decades. Meanwhile, improvements to older treatments, like radiotherapy and surgery, have made them safer and more effective. We can also thank the declining smoking rate, technological innovations that help us detect tumors sooner, and organized screening programs for colorectal, breast and cervical cancers. reader’s digest 46 may 2023 News From the WORLD OF MEDICINE BY Samantha Rideout
SBAYRAM/GETTY IMAGES (PEANUTS). PHOTOGGIN/GETTY IMAGES (DOG) Why Dogs Make Us Happy Knowing that spending time with dogs helps with anxiety and depression, researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland decided to investigate what happens in the human brain when we interact with a furry friend. Volunteers petted either a dog or a stuffed animal with a hot-water bottle inside it while a machine measured the subjects’ brain activity. Those who cuddled a real animal showed more activity in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region involved in social and emotional processes. This potentially therapeutic response continued even after the dog had left the room. Phones and Memory While some research suggests that smartphones can lead to forgetfulness, a recent British experiment suggests that they can help with memory. Participants were shown numbered circles on a computer screen and instructed to drag certain circles than making our memories “lazy,” our phones might help us juggle more information. Allergic to Peanuts? Watch Out for These Foods Too For a new French study published in the journal Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, kids with peanut allergies took skin-prick or antibody tests for other legumes, including broad beans, chickpeas, fenugreek, lentils, lupin beans, peas and soybeans. The tests showed that 64% of the subjects were allergic to at least one of these foods. While positive allergy test results don’t always translate into real-life symptoms, people who react to peanuts might want to be careful about consuming other legumes too. RD to the left or the right in a specific order and within a time limit. The better they did, the more money they earned. When subjects were allowed to save the correct destinations for some of the numbers, they remembered where more of them were supposed to go. This suggests that rather rd.com 47 The Healthy
ROZ CHAST/CARTOONSTOCK.COM “Man Who Lost Everything in Crypto Just Wishes Several Thousand More People Had Warned Him.” —Headline from The Onion are we the only ones not wearing clothes at this gender reveal party?” —Submitted by Daryl Bowman Raleigh, NC For this Mother’s Day, some jokes that explain the maternal experience: ✦ Never tell your mom you need personal space. You came out of her personal space. ✦ Mom’s recipe for iced coffee: 1. Have kids. 2. Make coffee. 3. Forget you made coffee. 4. Drink it cold. ✦ First child eats dirt, mom calls the doctor. Second child eats dirt, mom cleans out his mouth. Third child eats dirt, mom wonders if she still needs to make lunch. —thepioneerwoman.com “Steve Martin is the most talented guy in the world. I mean, he A 55-year-old man who was born on May 5 had been married five years, had five children and made $55,555.55 a year. Of course, his lucky number was five. A friend tells him that a horse named Lucky 5 will be running in the fifth race at the Kentucky Derby. The man withdraws $5,555 cash from his bank account, goes to the races and bets on Lucky 5. Sure enough, the horse comes in fifth. —irishroversbooks.com Babs and Kenny go to a party. After a while, Babs turns to Kenny and says, “Kenny, why LAUGHTER The best Medicine reader’s digest 48 may 2023 | rd.com