Reader'sDigest Asia-Apr21

CONTENTS

APRIL 2021

COVER ILLUSTRATION: VALERO DOVAL 28 34 48

Features health drama in real life

24 How to Keep Don’t Go Into
Your Heart Young the Volcano
everyday miracles
You may already know A young bride must
Lost and Found, about exercise and get her injured
an Ocean Away diet, but here heart husband to medical
specialists explain help after a trip to
Bobbing along the 22 lesser-known ways a jungle crater goes
currents, a surfboard to protect your ticker. badly wrong.
traverses the globe,
setting off an amazing ANDREA AU LEWWIT NICHOLAS HUNE-BROWN
turn of events. FROM THEHEALTHY.COM
56
EMILY GOODMAN 44
humour
28 food on your plate
A History of Hoaxes
i remember... Pistachio,
the Happy Nut The inner joker in
Jane Goodall most of humanity
There are plenty of is always keen to
The renowned reasons to smile about come out and play,
primatologist’s this versatile, highly and not only on
favourite childhood nutritious nut. April Fool’s Day.
toy was a chimpanzee,
inspiring her life’s KATE LOWENSTEIN, DANIEL RD EDITORS WITH
mission. GRITZEN, DIANE GODLEY BRANDON SPECKTOR

JACK WATKINS 44

ON THE COVER: HOW TO KEEP YOUR HEART YOUNG – PAGE 34

CONTENTS

APRIL 2021

102 94

66 76 animal kingdom

first person how to Harp Seal
Nursery
Next-Door Strangers Fine-Tune Your
Metabolism Fluffy white seal pups
My neighbours spend their first few
seemed far away, Simple fixes to stave weeks of life atop
until I reached out. off metabolic decline precarious floating ice.
and keep your body
KAREN STILLER running seamlessly. JENNIFER HAYES FROM
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
70 COURTENAY SMITH
102
then and now 84
bonus read
The Vacuum nature
Cleaner The Jump
If Trees Could Talk
From dust-blowing To conquer her
bellows to horse- These watchful phobia of heights, the
drawn carts, this sentinels of the author pushes herself
useful household forest have strong to the edge and
appliance has opinions they’d jumps out of a plane.
undergone many like us to hear. A very personal story
developments. about tackling fear
DIANA THOMAS with science.
ZOË MEUNIER AND ZOË MEUNIER
EVA HOLLAND
2 april 2021 FROM THE BOOK NERVE

94

Departments

the digest
18 Pets
20 Health
23 News from the

World of Medicine
113 RD Recommends

regulars 64 HAVE YOU
4 Editor’s Note 42 VISITED THE
6 Letters READER’S

10 News Worth DIGEST
Sharing FACEBOOK
PAGE LATELY?
12 My Story
16 Smart Animals Constantly
60 Look Twice updated, our
75 That’s Outrageous Facebook feed
81 Quotable Quotes offers stories,
videos, advice,
humour humour, quotable
42 Life’s Like That quotes, cartoons,
64 Laughter,
quirky
the Best Medicine photographs
92 All in a Day’s Work
and more.
the genius section 81
FOLLOW US
118 Go Ahead, @ReadersDigestAsia
Do Nothing
rdasia.com 3
121 Family Fun
122 Puzzles
126 Trivia
127 Word

Power

READER’S DIGEST

EDITOR’S NOTE

Oceans Apart

SO MUCH ABOUT THE WORLD’S network of oceans and seas is a
mystery. Part of this mystery stems from its power and beauty. This
month we have two very special stories set in ocean waters: one in the
Pacific and the other in the rugged northwestern Atlantic.

‘The Seal Nursery’ (page 94) takes a close look at the antics and habits
of the families of harp seals that call the Gulf of St Lawrence off the
Magdalen Islands in Canada home. The world came to know these cute
furry white seals during the 1970s-80s when environmentalists waged
a fierce battle to stop them being bludgeoned for their fur. Today, with
numbers recovering, the species is battling for survival on another
front – the impact of global warming. The intimate underwater photos
(captured in a seasonally warm 1°C!) are sure to amaze as well.

Meanwhile, and closer to home and warmer waters, ‘Lost and Found’
(page 24) is an upbeat account of how two strangers became connected
by a lost surfboard thanks to the power of the Pacific’s
network of currents. The happy coincidence led to one
wave-loving surfer in Hawaii enriching the lives of
a would-be surfer and his remote community in
the Philippines. This amazing story is proof that
miracles really do happen.

With a variety of in-depth and colourful stories
to suit every interest, I hope you enjoy this issue
as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

Happy reading,

LOUISE WATERSON
Editor-in-Chief

4 april 2021

ASIA SINCE 1922
OATUSRARPSDLOTDKOCRSAISETSS
BSrNiTedRxgGAtiAn-NDgPGotEohRre

PAGE 66

ASIA KEHYEOEPAUYRNOTGUR
PAGE 34
Vol. 119
No. 698 JANE BAaTWbSHyeIOTaHHlMasErp ABNBoSeOfOnTDLeHoUfiIinNTtsgEGL! Y
April 2021 FGoeGcnOuuOsiinDneAgNLoLenead PAGE 118
PAGE 94
EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Louise Waterson PAGE 28
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Chief Subeditor Melanie Egan Luxury Jewellery
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Senior Art Designer Adele Burley
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DIGITAL Head of Digital Content Greg Barton US $10,000

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Published under licence.
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PUBLISHED BY DIRECT PUBLISHING ASIA PTE. LTD., COMPANY
NUMBER: 200607506M © 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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1910/08/2019 (026008)

READER’S DIGEST

LETTERS

Reader’s Comments And Opinions

Thank You, Miss Potter

So often it seems that beauty,
creativity and resourcefulness are
conceived in difficult times.
Generations have benefited from
Beatrix Potter’s years of loneliness
(The Most Unforgettable
Character I’ve Met, January), and
we are all richer for having had
Peter Rabbit and his endearing
animal friends in our lives.

EULALIE HOLMAN

Mango Ritual mangoes to ripen uniformly over a
couple of days.
I was born in southern India and in
my childhood eating mangoes was We children were forbidden to
no less than a ritual (‘I am Mango’, touch the mangoes during this stage
December). My grandfather had a but would sneak into the store room
penchant for mangoes and would to take a peak. When they were ripe,
prepare for mango season by filling we would eat the mangoes after
three or four large barrels with rice. lunch – one per day.
He would buy a sizeable quantity
of not-completely-ripe mangoes as Though my grandfather passed
soon as they hit the market and then away 15 years ago, he left us with
bury them in the rice. The warmth the best childhood memories and,
from the rice would assist the needless to say, mangoes played a
huge part in them. BRIJESH SRIKANTH

Let us know if you are moved – or provoked – by any item in the magazine,
share your thoughts. See page 8 for how to join the discussion.

6 april 2021

Walking Improves Creativity Letters

‘Your Brain Was Made for Walking’ MAKING DAD OVER!
(The Genius Section, December)
opened my eyes. As a doctor, I We asked you to think up a funny
have always viewed walking as caption for this photo.
exercise and advised my patients
accordingly. The beauty of working from home.

After reading the article, I added EMMA O’MALLEY
the ‘creative inspiration’ aspect
and am now an enthusiastic When I said you need to make up,
walker, so much so that I tell my I meant…. 
patients to ‘enjoy’ their walks. I
sympathise with those people who JOSEPH BAKER
wear earphones and look down
while they walk. They are missing Daddy Day Care.
out on what walking has to offer.
GAIL DENHAM
IRFAN KHAN
Working from home is child’s play!
Nuts Are Good for Sleep
MICHAEL KOJIC
‘What Your Sleep Problems Reveal’
(Health, February) was of particular Screen time always comes
interest to me. I have tried at a price. 

WIN A PILOT CAPLESS TANYA PATTEN 
FOUNTAIN PEN
Congratulations to this month’s
The best letter each month wins winner, Gail Denham.
a Pilot Capless Fountain Pen,
valued at over $200. The WIN!
Capless is the perfect
combination of luxury CAPTION CONTEST
and ingenious technology,
featuring a one-of-a-kind Come up with the funniest caption
retractable fountain pen nib, for the above photo and you could win
durable metal body, beautiful
rhodium accents and a 14K $100. To enter, email
gold nib. Congratulations to this [email protected]
month’s winner, Brijesh Srikanth.
or see details on page 8.

rdasia.com 7

READER’S DIGEST

everything from chamomile tea and

meditation to lavender and warm CONTRIBUTE

baths with absolutely no benefit. R E A D E R S D I G E S TA S I A

At the author’s suggestion, I have Anecdotes and jokes
$50–$100
been including almonds, pistachios Send in your real-life laugh for
Life’s Like That or All in a Day’s Work.
and cashews in my afternoon Got a joke? Send it in for Laughter
is the Best Medicine!
snack and I think it is helping.
Smart Animals
I am sleeping past 3am for the Up to $100
Share antics of unique pets
first time in years. ANN VICKERS or wildlife in up to 300 words.

Trapped My Story $250
Do you have an inspiring or
I was distressed after reading the life-changing tale to tell?
article ‘My Friend the Mouse’ in Submissions must be true,
the Classics edition (January). unpublished, original and
The author’s acknowledgement 800–1000 words.
that acquiescing to his parents’
demands would lead to the Here’s how to reach us:
mouse’s demise was aggravating Email: asiaeditor@readersdigest.
to read, and the conclusion of com.au
this article was dismissive of the Write: Reader’s Digest Asia
mouse’s suffering.
Editorial Department
I understand that people would Singapore Post Centre
not want rodents in their home, but PO Box 272, Singapore
using a mouse trap is inhumane. 914010
Online: rdasia.com/contribute
SAMANTHA TAN
Include your full name, address,
Sharing the Love phone number and email.
Letters: We may edit letters and use them in all
I have enjoyed Reader’s Digest from print and electronic media.
cover to cover for over 80 years. Submissions: All submissions become our property on
payment and subsequent publication in the magazine.
I have given them to relatives as We may edit and fact-check submissions. We cannot
return or acknowledge material not accepted for
subscriptions and have donated publication. For terms and conditions, go to www.
copies to charity tables at nursing rdasia.com/terms-and-conditions/submission-
homes. I leave copies at my guidelines. Figures refer to US dollars.
hairdresser’s and have been told
customers pick them and leave
other magazines behind.

Thank you for the many years

of great reading and information

that matters. BERYL HARMER

8 april 2021



READER’S DIGEST

NEWS WORTH SHARING

Rare Dolphins Resurface in Hong Kong Waterways

H ong Kong’s rare Indo-Pacific the marine mammals. According
humpback dolphins are to marine biologist, Lindsay Porter,
reclaiming their habitat as a “Hong Kong dolphins normally
result of the COVID-19 shutdowns. live on the edges, they’re stressed,
they spend their time eating and
Thanks to the drop in ferry traffic, resting.” By dropping microphones
this rare species, which can be either into the water and listening to their
pink or white, has reappeared in vocalisations, Porter and her team
the usually very busy Pearl River have discovered that the dolphins
Delta that connects Macau to Hong quickly adapted to the decline in boat
Kong. Spotted splashing about on traffic. While she explains that local
the surface, playing, mating and governments haven’t yet moved to
socialising, sightings of the dolphins protect the dolphins, she hopes that
have increased by 30 per cent the speed at which the population
since March 2020 when only 52 of has recovered means that any
the estimated 2000 entered the conservation strategy could turn the
waterway. Their return has allowed decline into a comeback.
scientists the opportunity to study

COMPILED BY VICTORIA POLZOT

10 april 2021

News Worth Sharing

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES; PLUS MINUS 25C Hero Dog to the Rescue Smart Curtains Keep the
Temperature Constant
S taffordshire bull terrier
-bulldog Max recently C oncerned that cold winters and
saved the life of a young hotter summers are increasing
boy who was just seconds from demand for electricity, two
drowning at South Australia’s students in Berlin have designed an
Port Noarlunga. Max’s owner Rob ‘intelligent’ curtain that can regulate
Osborn noticed the distressed temperature in the home.
child, who was swimming in the
estuary, being pulled by a strong Anna Koppmann and Esmeé
tide to a dangerous rocky area Willemsen from Berlin’s University
at the deepest part of the river. of the Arts designed the ‘Plus Minus
However, before he could jump in 25°C’ curtains, which are screen-
and head out from the river bank printed with a unique material called
to save the boy, Max was already PCM (phase change material).
on his way.
This material will store heat and
Wearing a life-jacket of his release it when needed at night to
own, the pooch swam out to the keep room temperatures at a constant
rescue. Rob encouraged the boy 25 degrees Celsius. In summer, the
to call out Max’s name and to curtain has a cooling effect because
hold on to the handle on the life it directly extracts heat from the
jacket as he swam back to shore. incoming air.

Max was able to successfully “We looked at ways to control the
guide the child back to dry land temperature in a more sustainable
completely unaware of his heroic way, without the use of electricity,”
act. “He’s definitely a hero, he explains Willemsen. The duo hope to
just doesn’t know it,” says his attract investment so they can market
proud owner. their prototype product.

‘Staffies’ and bulldogs are rdasia.com 11
often seen as aggressive in nature
but hopefully Max’s efforts will
help change this perception.

READER’S DIGEST

MY STORY

The
Secret Child

When a hidden past comes to light,
it reveals a family’s joy and heartbreak

BY Jessica Sinclair

My father was born in However, as the charade was
England under a veil unfeasibile to continue, my father
of secrecy, amid the was secretly adopted by Dotty’s
ominous air raids eldest brother and his young wife,
of the early 1940s in Hilda, who was unable to have
London. He was the illegitimate children. Hilda was a war bride
child of a naive English girl, Dotty, separated too soon from her newly
who at 17 had succumbed to the wed husband, who was deployed
alluring charisma of a young, to serve with the British forces in
off-duty American serviceman Burma behind Japanese lines. She
visiting port during World War II. convincingly raised the child from
On realising her predicament, Dotty a young infant as her own, under
had gone to great lengths to hide the watchful eye of his real mother,
her forbidden pregnancy from her known to him as his aunt.
old-fashioned and authoritarian
parents. She took refuge on the My father had never known of his
outskirts of London with her eldest real parentage or had ever wished
sister and creatively named the to know; he adored his adoptive
baby Philip, the same name as parents, unaware that his doting
her sister’s new-born so as not to Aunt Dotty, and later his two
draw suspicion. cousins, were anything more than
just that. Being one of the lucky

12 april 2021

My Story

ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES COMPOSITE few to return from Burma, Dotty’s away soon after, the mysterious web
brother however suffered recurring of unanswered questions went with
bouts of malaria until a heart attack her to the grave. Without fear of
took his life prematurely; but not causing distress to the two women
before he had watched his infant who had so vehemently protected
son mature into a successful, young their secret, my father finally took
married man. it upon himself to fill the gaps in
our family history and to attempt to
The secret of my father’s adoption uncover the missing link.
was only revealed many years later,
when he was in his 60s, upon the A rather fortuitous DNA search
death bed of his elderly mother, via a DNA home kit from an
Hilda. With his ‘Aunt Dotty’ passing ancestry website revealed an
elderly half-sister living in America,
With her family, Jessica Sinclair moved whose lifetime had been spent
to Melbourne from the UK in 2008. As a searching for the name of her
teenager, she lived in South Africa with her absent father. Eventually through
parents, where she met her husband. a maze of genetic coincidences, we
With family spread over three continents, miraculously unearthed my real
her well-travelled past provides inspiration grandfather’s identity; a biological
for the short stories Jessica writes in her revelation which carried part of the
spare time, when she is not busy working genetic code to my own children.
or walking her beloved dogs.
rdasia.com 13

READER’S DIGEST

A man named Tom; a bit of a under the watchful eye of his real

playboy it seemed, with a different mother. It was an enormous secret

woman in each port as he travelled that must have weighed heavily on

the world as an American Navy all those who loved him, in surreal

serviceman, leaving a trail of circumstances. I wonder about my

progeny in his wake. grandmother’s secrets, imagining

My father, it turned out, was her implicit strength of character.

just one of his many war babies. The heart-breaking moment when

The irony was not a young girl handed

lost on us when we THE ENORMOUS over her new-born
discovered that SECRET MUST son to her brother;
having finally settled HAVE WEIGHED the brave young
after the war with HEAVILY ON THOSE woman, who
an older American WHO LOVED HIM took on the role
woman, it appeared of my father’s
they couldn’t have mother so willingly

children of their and without

own and had in fact judgement, to

adopted a son. raise him as her own without

Unaware of his trail of offspring, arousing any suspicion.

a post-war obsession with alcohol There are endless unanswered

and depression eventually took questions about the incredible

its toll on Tom. A distant cousin secret that had given my father

provided a photo that proved the chance to stay a part of his

the family resemblance and maternal family against all odds.

provided a visual insight into I marvel at the opportunities

the mystery of the man who was and privileges afforded to me. I

partly responsible for my own am profoundly grateful to those

very existence. Despite learning of two women for the courage and

Tom’s rather volatile past, it was a resilience it took to raise their

considerable feat to put a face to secret child, my very own father,

his name and add the enigma to and proud to think that perhaps

our family tree. they are partly responsible for the

With or without his presence woman I am today.

in my father’s life, I would be

forever thankful to the incredible Do you have a tale to tell? We’ll pay
connection between siblings that cash for any original and unpublished
enabled my father to grow up in story we print. See page 8 for details

an adoring family, unwittingly on how to contribute.

14 april 2021

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READER’S DIGEST

SMART ANIMALS

Some animals are happy to benefit from human kindness

Feeding Time kitchen and my mother and brother ILLUSTRATIONS: GETTY IMAGES
gave them some water and mixed
RAFFAT ANSARI grains. The fledglings swayed on their
shaky legs and chirped hungrily.
Our kitchen in our old-fashioned Sadly, the food we provided didn’t
house in Pakistan’s southern Punjab suit them, and we were afraid they
had a small verandah with a fireplace would die of hunger. About two
which was no longer used. One hours later, there was a strange
morning I rushed out after hearing a
dull thud from the verandah. A stray You could earn cash by telling us
cat had pulled down a nest from the about the antics of unique pets or
chimney, in which two baby hoopoes wildlife. Turn to page 8 for details
were nestled. on how to contribute.

We gently placed the babies in a
cotton-lined shoebox in the warm

16 april 2021

Smart Animals

squawk outside the kitchen door. well. We both suffered from various
A brown and black hoopoe stood degrees of social anxiety.

there with a long worm in its beak, The only time I could get near
while another hoopoe was perched Possum was when I was asleep
on the electricity wire nearby, as if on (or she thought I was asleep). She
guard. The babies became excited, would snuggle up close to me in
and as we opened the kitchen door bed and purr.
a little, the bird came forward and
fed her chicks the worm. Satisfied, Five years ago, Possum got
the babies slept in the shoe box. Next spooked when I had tradesmen at
day, there was Mummy Hoopoe with my home doing some renovation
another worm for breakfast while work. She ran away and hid under
Daddy stood by on guard. This ritual a neighbour’s house.
was performed about twice daily for
three weeks. After five nights away, I was beside
myself with worry, so I asked the
One morning Mummy Hoopoe neighbour, Trevor, if I could sleep
nudged them out into the garden and under his house in the hope that
showed them how to fly. The young Possum might come and snuggle up
ones flapped about, trying out their next to me and I would be able to
wings, but returned to the kitchen. catch her. The chap was kind enough
Gradually, they began flying higher to disguise his thoughts and he let
till one day, with a loud “thank you” me bunk under his house in the
screech from the mother, they flew middle of a New Zealand winter.
away into the blue sky.
The plan to sleep under the house
Hideaway Cat did work, though not the way I
expected. Possum took exception to
JASMINE SIMPSON me finding her hiding place, so while
I slept, under a dark house among
I began taking care of my spider webs on an old roll of carpet,
tortoiseshell cat, Possum, 16 years she headed home.
ago. She was a rescue cat who proved
too wild to rehome, but I related
to her antisocial behaviour as I am
also very much a recluse. Our bond
was instant and Possum, unknown
to herself, became my guard cat.
If someone dared to walk up the
driveway and knock at the door,
Possum would growl and hide which
gave me ample warning to hide as

rdasia.com 17

READER’S DIGEST

PETS

Dogs Alone at Home

Preventing and dealing with separation issues

BY Dr Katrina Warren

Our regular IN RECENT TIMES people are working from home
pet columnist, more than ever and, as a result, many pets are
Dr Katrina Warren, enjoying a lot more time with their owners. Our
is an established pets have never received so much attention and
and trusted pet adoption rates have skyrocketed as people seek
animal expert. enjoyment from extra companionship. But what will
happen to all these pets when life eventually returns
to normal? Veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren shares
advice about how to raise a puppy or train an older
dog to be content when you are not around.

TEACH PUPPIES ALONE TIME Dogs are social

creatures and need to learn coping skills to be
comfortable being left unattended. Otherwise, they
may become anxious when left alone and this can
result in destructive behaviour. Teach your puppy to
be comfortable alone right from the start, this will
help you avoid separation issues down the track.
As tempting as it is to let your cute puppy follow
you around, this can lead to them becoming overly
dependent and potentially anxious when left alone.

SET UP A PLAYPEN OR CRATE This helps keep them

secure when you’re not in the same room. Allocate
some time each day to leave your puppy alone – after
playtime is perfect. Allow them an opportunity

18 april 2021

Pets

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES to toilet and then give them Provide your pet with a comfortable
something safe to chew on place to rest while you are out
to help them settle. If
you are planning for active breeds. Think about the
your dog to spend amount of exercise you are giving
time outside during your dog now and ask yourself how
the day, then it is much exercise you will be able to
essential that you set maintain if circumstances change.
this up from the beginning.
ESTABLISH GOOD CHEW HABITS
CREATE A ROUTINE It’s important
Teach your puppy or dog what is
for adult dogs to also spend time acceptable for them to chew. Only
alone. When you are home, put give them toys that are clearly
your dog outside for short periods distinguishable from household
while offering a chew toy or items. Toys stuffed with food are
encourage them to settle on their a good option. When you want
bed or in a crate while you move your dog to have some quiet time,
around different parts of the house. give them a safe chew toy so they
Dogs like routine as it makes learn to associate this time with
them feel secure. Setting up and something positive. When you
maintaining an exercise routine leave the house, give them a chew
will be important once you start toy to help them relax and keep
leaving the house more, or your dog them occupied.
may become bored and possibly
destructive. This is especially TRAINING This should include
important for adolescent dogs and
teaching the basics of sit, stay and
PUPPY ESSENTIALS drop but also teaching them to go to
their bed and stay in position when
◆ Don’t let your puppy follow requested. Trick training is also a
you from room to room. wonderful way to use any extra time
to develop the bond you share.
◆ Confine your puppy if you
can’t actively supervise them. rdasia.com 19

◆ Teach them to lie on a bed or
mat at your request.

◆ Encourage them to use food-
dispensing toys to help keep
them occupied.

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH

10 Causes
of Persistent

Coughing

Got a chronic cough that respiratory tract specialist Dr Jason PHOTO:GETTY IMAGES
just won’t go away? One of Turowski.
these medical reasons could
WORSENED ALLERGIES Irritants
explain what’s going on
in the air during spring and
BY Marissa Laliberte autumn cause seasonal allergies
in many people. If your usual
HERE are some possible causes of allergy symptoms get worse or
a nagging cough. aren’t responding to your usual
medications, your underlying
REFLUX Gastroesophageal reflux allergies might require different
treatment, says lung expert Dr Albert
disease, or acid reflux, causes Rizzo. “A doctor might suggest
stomach contents to leak backwards inhaled steroids to help control
into the oesophagus. Typically this the airwaves,” he says.
causes heartburn, but in some cases,
it can trigger persistent coughing TWO INFECTIONS If you thought
and wheezing.
you were over a virus but your cough
“Acids that are supposed to isn’t getting any better, you might
stay in the stomach come up the have developed a second infection.
oesophagus and trigger a cough from “Someone who has a cough or
the underside of vocal cords,” says runny nose and suddenly has green
drainage might have a bacterial

20 april 2021

Health

infection on top of it,” Dr Rizzo says. to irritate your lungs. “Sometimes
Check with your doctor, who might people in old office spaces or dirty,
prescribe antibiotics. dank environments where mould
or mildew builds up develop an
POST-VIRUS COUGH After a virus, allergic, infectious kind of cough,”
Dr Turowski says.
some people develop a cough that
sticks around because their airways LUNG SCARRING Up to 40 per
overreact to a virus. The smooth
muscle tissue that lines the airways cent of people who have rheumatoid
clamps down and traps secretions arthritis also have pulmonary
in the wrong place, Dr Turowski fibrosis, a lung disease that scars
says. “Anybody and everybody, after lung tissue, according to the National
a severe respiratory condition, can Institutes of Health. Rheumatoid
develop a chronic cough,” he says. arthritis is a systemic connective
tissue disease, which means it
ACE INHIBITORS Taking ACE can damage the lungs and lead to
persistent coughing, Dr Turowski
(angiotensin converting enzyme) says. In fact, a cough might be the
inhibitors for high blood pressure only early symptom of pulmonary
could cause a cough, probably fibrosis. “It’s difficult to detect but
because they disrupt histamine involves a dry cough that persists for
pathways and inflame airways a number of months,” Dr Rizzo says.
in some people, according to Dr
Rizzo. Even if you’ve been taking MISCOMMUNICATION FROM
the medication for a while, check THE NERVOUS SYSTEM In rare
with your doctor to see if it could be
causing your cough. cases, the nerves might send the
wrong information to the lungs,
BETA BLOCKERS Not only does your triggering a cough. “There’s some
discombobulation and disregulation
heart have beta receptors, but your in feedback with the nerves and
airways have them, too. “If activated the delicate respiratory system,”
by beta blockers, lungs can clamp Dr Turowski says.
down, and when they restrict, they
cause a cough,” Dr Turowski says. DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING If you

POOR AIR QUALITY Persistent feel like you’re choking when eating
or talking, swallowing problems
coughing is most common in people might be behind your persistent
who live in cities or near a lot of air coughing. Dr Rizzo suggests
pollution. But working in an old practising swallowing exercises.
office space for years could also start

rdasia.com 21

READER’S DIGEST

HEALTH several times a day and up to every
hour if your neck is particularly sore.
How to If you are experiencing a lot of pain
Soothe a however – not just stiffness – stick
Stiff Neck with the ice, cautions Coffman. Heat
can make pain worse by increasing
Simple remedies to relieve inflammation.
a pain in the neck
TAKE A SOAK A warm Epsom salt
BY Alison Wilkinson
bath does double duty as a stiff
TRY A GENTLE STRETCH neck remedy. The warm water helps
to relax the muscles, while the
Physical therapist Shelly Coffman magnesium and sulphates in the
recommends gentle stretching of the salt help reduce inflammation and
neck muscles to get blood flowing improve blood flow and oxygenation.
and relieve inflammation. Lying down
flat, with a rolled towel behind your CHANGE YOUR SLEEP HABITS
neck, rotate your head slowly as if
saying ‘no.’ Then nod your head slowly To avoid neck pain in the morning,
as if saying ‘yes.’ Do two sets each of it’s best to sleep on your side or on
20 reps, two to three times a day. your back and never on your stomach
as this can lead to twisting your head
one way or the other, which can hurt
your neck. You may also consider
buying a pillow that supports the
natural curve of your neck.

APPLY HOT AND COLD PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
COMPRESSES Applying heat to

your stiff neck helps to relax the
muscles and bring fresh blood to the
sore spot, Coffman says. You can get
the heat you need with a warm face
cloth. Alternate with an ice pack to
numb the pain and bring down
inflammation. Continue
using both for up to
ten minutes each,

22 april 2021

News From the

WORLD OF MEDICINE

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SAVES many women choosing to conceive
MILLIONS OF LIVES Insufficient after 30, there’s a need for other
treatments. UK scientists have
exercise contributes to around 3.2 found two newer womb-sparing
million deaths worldwide, according alternatives: myomectomy
to calculations by Australian, UK and (cutting out the fibroids) and
French researchers. On the flipside, uterine artery embolisation
physical activity prevents an even (blocking the blood flow to the
bigger number of deaths, including fibroids) have both proved effective
3.9 million that would have been at providing relief, and women were
considered ‘premature’ (before age able to give birth afterwards.
75). The researchers believe that
we should celebrate what exercise A SINGLE INDULGENCE MAY
is already accomplishing, as a way NOT HARM YOU For a UK study
to encourage even more people to
get moving. that sounds more fun than most,
healthy young men ate as much
HYSTERECTOMY IS NOT THE ONLY pizza as they could. On average, they
SOLUTION FOR FIBROIDS They’re stuffed in about 12,550 kilojoules
– far more than most adults need
not normally life-threatening, but in a full day. Yet, their blood sugar
uterine fibroids, which typically didn’t climb more than it would after
arise between the ages of 30 and 50, a normal meal, and fat levels in the
are a source of recurring pain for bloodstream were only slightly higher
roughly one in six women. These than usual. Of course, frequently
non-cancerous tumours in the womb
can also cause bloating, painful eating too much can lead to
sex, a constant feeling of obesity, diabetes and
needing to urinate and other health issues.
difficult, heavy periods. But an occasional
For years, hysterectomy overindulgence
(surgically removing isn’t enough
the uterus) has been to make people
the one-size-fits-all suffer metabolic
treatment. But with consequences.

rdasia.com 23

EVERYDAY MIRACLES

Lost and Found,
an Ocean Away

BY Emily Goodman ILLUSTRATION: GEL JAMLANG

D oug Falter returned home – while frantically scanning the wa-
on the evening of February ter like a starving seabird in search
3, 2018, teary-eyed and ex- of a fish. Still not finding what he was
hausted. The 33-year-old looking for after more than an hour,
professional photographer had just he tried scaling some nearby rocks to
run from one end of Hawaii’s Waimea get a better view. But by then, night
Bay to the other – just over 300 metres had started to fall.

24 april 2021

Lost and Found, an Ocean Away

At home, Falter took his search on- away from where it disappeared –

line. “Was surfing tonight and lost my floated by the remote island of Sa-

baby,” he wrote on Facebook. That rangani in the southern Philippines.

‘baby’ was a 3.2-metre-long baby The local fisherman who found it

blue surf board that had been cus- didn’t have much use for his unusual

tom-made for him. Hours earlier, the catch of the day, so he sold the board

crash of a big wave and the powerful to Giovanne Branzuela, a 36-year-old

swells of the bay had separated Falter primary school teacher. Branzuela

from this prized possession. hoped to learn to surf and one day

“I caught the biggest waves of my share the skill with his students, who

life on that board,” Falter later said. regularly accompany him on beach

“That’s why it means so much to me.” clean-ups.

He hoped it would wash ashore in “It’s been my dream to ride the

the coming days and that whoever big waves here,” Branzuela says. He

spotted it would have bought Falter’s surf-

also seen his Facebook “THIS IS board for $40.
post. But instead of THE COOLEST The once-blue board
pushing Falter’s surf- WAY I COULD
board to shore, the HAVE EVER had faded to a pale
currents of Waimea LOST $1500” straw colour during its
Bay swept it out to sea, journey, but its distinc-
away from Oahu and tive markings were still
there: two elephants,

from the Hawaiian one at either end, each

Islands altogether. framed in a diamond

Weeks passed with no sign of the emblem. Underneath the emblems

surfboard. Then months. Lyle Carl- were the words ‘Lyle Carlson Surf-

son, who had customised the board boards, Oahu, Hawaii’.

for Falter, told him of another lost “I couldn’t believe it,” Branzuela

surfboard that was found – four years said on realising how far the surf-

later – after a fisherman hooked it. board had travelled. He reached out

“That did give me hope,” Falter says, to Carlson online last July and sent

“but by that time I was like, I just him a photo of the board. Carlson, in

have to forget about it.” He saved for turn, reached out to Falter, who then

months to buy a new custom surf- contacted Branzuela directly to ask

board, for $1500. “Those boards for more photos. Those extra shots

aren’t cheap,” he says. confirmed the board was his. Falter

But Falter never completely forgot was shocked to learn that his ‘baby’

about the board, which – six months had drifted across the world’s largest

later and more than 8000 kilometres ocean – and survived.

rdasia.com 25

READER’S DIGEST

“It was the craziest thing I had ever for the kids,” Falter says. So far, he
heard,” Falter says. has collected $2500, which he has
used to buy and ship maps, puzzles,
He was ecstatic, but not only for him- classroom posters, textbooks and
self. “When I heard this guy bought it workbooks, along with beloved chil-
because he wanted to learn how to dren’s titles like Charlotte’s Web and
surf, I thought, This is the coolest way The BFG as well as volumes in the
I could have ever lost $1500.” Seeing Harry Potter series. “I’m just happy
interest in the sport grow means a lot for the opportunity to do something
to Falter. “I couldn’t imagine a better good,” Falter says.
ending to this story,” he says.
As for the surfboard, Falter is de-
But the story was far from over. lighted that Branzuela is using it, if
Even now, months later, Falter and only for splashing around in shallow
Branzuela are in contact almost waters, since he is a novice. When
every day. The coronavirus pandem- Branzuela bought the board, he had
ic has delayed their plans to meet in no idea it was made specifically for a
person, but Falter knows his surf- man of his exact size. “It’s pretty wild
board is in safe hands in the Philip- – we’re the same height,” Falter says of
pines. “I told him I would take good the happy coincidence. When the two
care of it,” Branzuela says. men finally do meet for the handover,
Falter plans to make it an even ex-
In the meantime, Falter wanted change by giving Branzuela a brand-
to thank Branzuela with some surf- new board. And before he leaves the
ing supplies, but the teacher asked Philippines, Falter wants to do what
for school supplies instead, such as Branzuela hoped the board would do:
backpacks for his students and ma- teach him to surf.
terials to help them learn English.

“That fuelled me to raise money

Bunkers Come Out From the Cold

Military bunkers built by paranoid Communist dictator Enver
Hoxha, who ruled Albania from 1944 to 1985, are being given a
new lease of life. The burrowed mushroom-shaped, cement-and-
steel structures, a painful reminder of the country’s difficult past,
were constructed in secret between the 1970s and 1980s during
the Cold War. The bunkers, which come in a variety of sizes, are
scattered right across the country and resourceful Albanians are
now turning the structures into more user-friendly purposes, such
as restaurants, bars, cafés and museums. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.COM

26 april 2021



READER’S DIGEST

28 april 2021

I REMEMBER...

Primatologist and environmental activist Jane Goodall
looks back on a life of discovery and shares how she
became a champion for chimpanzees

BY Jack Watkins

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES …BEING BOUGHT A TOY CHIMP AS A the only one who didn’t laugh at my
TODDLER. It was made to mark the ridiculous dream of going to Africa.
first chimp born at the London Zoo She said I’d have to work very hard,
and was called Jubilee. People said take advantage of all opportunities,
it would give me nightmares, but he and never give up. That’s the mes-
became my favourite toy. I took him sage I tell young people around the
every where. I still have him now, world, particularly in disadvantaged
though he’s in his 80s, and rather communities. I wish she was alive to
delicate, so he doesn’t travel. know many people have told me that
…MY MOTHER supported my ambi- I taught them that because I did it,
tion to work with animals. She was they could too.

rdasia.com 29

Jane took her favourite toy, a chimp, which you don’t see now. Then, as a PHOTO: JANE GOODALL INSTITUTE
everywhere as a child car drove me up towards the farm an
aardvark passed ahead of us. There
…RUSTY, A BLACK MONGREL, taught was a giraffe at the side of the road,
me animals have personalities and looking down with those long, curly
feelings. I had other pets like guinea lashes. The first morning when I
pigs and tortoises, and I knew they woke up, outside my very own win-
all had personalities, but Rusty was dow were the fresh paw prints of a
special. He was highly intelligent, leopard. I’d finally arrived in the Af-
and I thought of him when academ- rica of my dreams.
ics later told me that only humans
have personalities, minds and emo- …LOUIS LEAKEY GAVE ME MY FIRST
tions. WORK IN AFRICA. There wasn’t
…MY FIRST TRIP TO AFRICA IN 1957. enough money for me to attend uni-
A friend invited me to her family’s versity, so I went on a secretarial
farm in Kenya. There were no tourist course. A friend said that if I want-
planes then, so I went by sea. It was ed to work with animals in Africa
the time of the Suez Crisis so the ship I should contact Leakey, a distin-
went all round the Cape and the first guished palaeontologist. By chance
town I set foot in was Cape Town. It he needed a secretary, and allowed
was beautiful but had ‘Whites Only’ me to accompany him, his wife and
signs everywhere, which was horri- one other English girl, Gillian, on his
ble. On landing at Mombasa, a train annual fossil hunting trip to the Old-
took me past herds of wildebeest, uvai Gorge in Tanzania.

…BEING FOLLOWED BY A LION.
After each day’s work, Gillian and I
were allowed to go out on the Afri-
can plains in the evening. One time
we looked round and a young male
lion was following us. Scary, but ex-
citing. Gillian said we should head
down into the forest, but I said we
must stay in the open, because in
the thickets he’d know where we
were, but we wouldn’t know where
he was. The lion eventually gave up,
and Leakey told me I’d done the right
thing. I think that convinced him
to give me the job of studying wild
chimpanzees.

30 april 2021

I Remember: Jane Goodall

…LEAKEY THOUGHT WOMEN MADE …MEETING HUGO VAN LAWICK.

THE BEST OBSERVERS. He also want- He’d come to film and photograph

ed a mind uncluttered by reductionist me on behalf of National Geograph-

scientific thinking. He felt that learn- ic. This took the story of Jane and the

ing about our closest relatives would chimps into the outside world. We

help him better understand the be- fell in love and married in 1964. We

haviour of the Stone Age humans set up the Gombe Stream Research

whose fossils he was digging up. Centre, the first of its type, which

…DAVID GREYBEARD SAVED MY is still going strong today and dis-

OBSERVATION PROJECT. We only had covering new things about chimps.

six months’ funding to begin with, Sadly, Hugo’s photography took him

and when I first arrived at the Gombe to the Serengeti while I remained at

Stream Reserve, the chimps ran away. Gombe, and we drifted apart. We di-

They’d never seen a white ape be- vorced amicably in 1974.

fore. It wasn’t until July 14, 1960, an …OUR SON HUGO, AFFECTIONATE-

event now commemorated annually LY KNOWN AS ‘GRUB’, DIDN’T LIKE

as World Chimpanzee Day, that the CHIMPS. He knew they could eat

chimp I’d named David Greybeard be- him. Chimps have been known to

came the first to lose his fear, enabling take human babies. Today, he finds

me to observe him making tools to them more interesting, but he still

catch termites. If you saw that today, doesn’t like them.

it wouldn’t be remarkable. We know …‘FEMINISTS’ CRITICISED ME. It an-

lots of animals use tools, but then it noys me that people despise women

was thought that only humans did it. if they stop their career to look after

…NAMING CHIMPS was deemed con- children. Chimps teach us that for

troversial in the scientific commu- the first two years of life, it’s really

nity. But I couldn’t have Goodall’s discoveries about chimpanzees
imagined calling a chimp challenged the scientific establishment
by a number. When the

proof came back for my

first scientific paper on

nature – when I finally got

a chance to do a PhD – all

my ‘he’s’, ‘she’s’ and ‘who’s’

PHOTO: ALAMY were crossed out for ‘it’

and ‘which’. I was furious.

I reinstated them all and

refused to back down. I

won the argument.

READER’S DIGEST

important to have a nurturing three who’d worshipped there, and of Bach
or four people who are stable, sup- who’d created that music. The world
portive and always there. It doesn’t couldn’t have happened by chance.
have to be the biological mother. But Interestingly, although mainstream
although I never saw myself as a fem- science doesn’t support the idea of
inist per se, I support women’s rights. God, cutting-edge scientists are in-
My favourite line came from the chief creasingly backing the idea of the in-
of a South American tribe, which he telligent design of the universe.
described as an eagle with one wing
male, the other female. Only when the …GOING THROUGH A BLEAK PERI-
two wings are equal will the tribe fly. OD. It was difficult when my second
…EXPERIENCING A SPIRITUAL husband, Derek Bryceson, director
AWAKENING in the cathedral of of the Tanzania National Parks, died
Notre-Dame, Paris. I walked in one in 1992. It didn’t shake my faith, but I
morning just as the sun was coming was grieving, wanting to be out in the
through the great rose window. A forest. For me, it’s the most healing,
couple were getting married and the rewarding place, where you realise
organist was playing Toccata and that everything is connected, and that
Fugue. It just hit me. I thought of all every single species has a role to play.
the people who’d built the cathedral, …MY PRIORITIES CHANGED after the
publication of my book, The Chim-
With her first husband, photographer panzees of Gombe. On the back of that,
Hugo van Lawick and son ‘Grub’ published in 1986, I helped organise
a conference in Chicago on the sub-
ject. I walked into it as a scientist, and
left as an activist. I’d been so isolated
in Gombe but getting together with
others who were studying chimps
elsewhere in Africa was a shock. Each
of us had the same stories, of falling
chimpanzee numbers, the loss of
the forest cover they depend upon,
the growth of commercial hunting,
the bush-meat trade, the shooting of
mothers to steal baby chimps, and the
training of them for entertainment. It
was a shocking insight.
…FLYING OVER GOMBE I realised
that poverty was causing Africans
to destroy their own environment.

Gombe was once part of

a great equatorial forest

belt from East Africa to

the West African coast,

but by 1994 it was an is-

land of forest surround-

ed by bare hills. There

are more people than the

land can support, and

they’re too poor to buy

food from elsewhere so Goodall observing chimpanzees in Gombe,
they cut down trees for Tanzania, where she set up a research centre
new farmland.

Tanzania now only has about 2000 between. The programme’s message

chimps left, and the population across is that every individual can make a

Africa is about 300,000. A century ago positive impact on the environment,

it was close to two million. Through animals and people every day. It’s

my Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife ver y strong in China, India and

Research, Education and Conserva- North America, and we are in 1700

tion, we run a community programme schools in Britain. But we are short

that helps villages to grow plants and of funds and need all the support we

timber, allowing deforested areas to can get.

regenerate naturally. …CLIMBING THE BEECH TREES AT MY

…SCHOOL CHILDREN AND STU- BOURNEMOUTH HOME. The house

DENTS tell me that our generation has been in the family since I was

has compromised their future, making five years old. My sister lives there

them feel angry and depressed. And now with her daughter’s family, and

we have. There’s a saying, ‘We haven’t in between tours it is my home, my

inherited this planet from our parents, roots and my stability.

it’s borrowed from our children’. But A man recently approached me

we’ve been stealing, and we are still after I had given a lecture in Hong

stealing. We have a tiny, tiny window Kong and told me that he’d intended

of time to do something about it, but if to buy a sports car, but had given up

our youth lose hope, that’s it. the idea and was giving the money to

PHOTOS: ALAMY … A CH AT WITH TE E N AG E R S i n Roots and Shoots instead.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, inspired It was Gandhi who famously said

me to set up ‘Roots and Shoots’. It’s the planet could provide enough for

now in 80 countries, from nurseries human need, but not enough for

to universities and everything in human greed.

rdasia.com 33

HEALTH

How to Keep Your

HEART
YOUNG

Exercise and proper diet are a
good start. But these cardiologist-
approved tips offer surprisingly

helpful additions to any routine

FROM THEHEALTHY.COM

EDITED BY Andrea Au Levitt

Given our current health crisis, it’s easy
to forget that COVID-19 is not the lead-
ing cause of death. That distinction
belongs to heart disease, which takes
an estimated 17.9 million lives glob-
ally each year. Research shows that
COVID-19 may harm the heart by hindering the flow
of oxygen or initiating a potentially damaging im-
mune response. Clearly, it is more important than
ever to take control of your cardiovascular health re-
gardless of your age: as many as ten per cent of all
heart attacks strike people younger than 45.

34 april 2021

I L LU S T R AT I O N S
BY VALERO DOVAL

rdasia.com 35

READER’S DIGEST

These following 22 facts are a per- mantra, such as “I feel calm”; breath-

fect place to start your heart-health ing the scent of lavender, peppermint

education. or rose; or taking a walk.

1Get screened early 3 Pay attention to your shoes
Roughly one in five people with Oedema, the buildup of excess
high blood pressure don’t know fluid in the body’s tissues, can
it. “Your blood pressure can be high be the result of congestive heart fail-
without showing any symptoms – ure. When your heart doesn’t pump
that’s why it’s known as ‘the silent blood as effectively as it should, the
killer,’” says cardiologist Dr Nie- blood collects and causes swelling,
ca Goldberg. Ask your doctor for a commonly in the feet and legs. “Peo-
lipo-protein profile, which measures ple may notice their shoes feel tight or
your LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL their socks make lines on their ankles,”
(good) cholesterol, and total cho- says cardiologist Dr Gregg Fonarow.
lesterol. If left untreated, high blood
pressure and high cholesterol can lead 4 Toss your plastic containers
to heart disease, an aneurysm or even Chemicals commonly found in
a stroke. plastic water bottles and food
containers, such as bisphenol A (BPA)
2 Manage stress and anxiety and phthalates, leach into the con-
Stress plays a role in 77 per tents of these containers. More than
cent of all health concerns, 50 medical papers link phthalates
including digestive trouble, an to cardiovascular issues. Use glass,
inability to lose weight and heart dis- ceramic or stainless steel containers
ease, says adjunct psychology instruc- instead. Or look at the recycling code
tor Dr Nikki Martinez. “When you on the bottom of any plastic contain-
reach an age where your body is going er; if it is a 3 or 7, the container may
through changes and is not bouncing contain BPA or phthalates.
back as it once did, stress and anxiety
can start to become quite significant 5 Ask your doctor about
issues,” she explains. “Learning sol- new devices ...
id coping skills, stress management, The Barostim Neo System is a
mindfulness and healthy outlets can ‘breakthrough device’ inserted un-
truly impact each and every area of der the collarbone that provides pa-
your functioning.” Stress relief can tients who don’t benefit from stand-
come in many forms. Try taking a ard treatments an option to reduce
deep breath; massaging the palm of their symptoms and improve their
one hand with your thumb; reciting a quality of life.

36 april 2021

How to Keep Your Heart Young

avoid meat and still load up
on refined grains, simple
starchy carbs, sugary bev-
erages and dairy – thereby
increasing your risk of heart
disease.

6 Mind the salt, whatever 8Ladies, take note if
your blood pressure you had a preterm
“Even for people who don’t have pregnancy ...
high blood pressure, less sodium will Women who undergo spon-
significantly blunt the rise in blood taneous preterm delivery
pressure,” says Dr Goldberg. “It will (before 37 weeks) may
also reduce the risk of developing have a greater likelihood of
other conditions, like kidney disease, heart disease, according to
which are associated with eating too a Dutch study. Mothers of
much sodium.” premmies had a 38 per cent
higher risk of coronary artery disease,
7 Vegetarians, be aware that a 71 per cent higher risk of stroke, and
you are not immune more than double the risk of overall
“There’s a lot of hype around heart disease. Researchers say these
plant-based diets, and with good women may be prone to inflamma-
reason. Eating a diet low in animal tion, which is linked to preterm deliv-
sources of protein and fat and high ery and common among heart disease
in [fresh] produce has been linked to patients.
lower risks of cardiovascular disease,”
says Dr Erin D. Michos, a specialist 9... or passed a stress test
in preventive cardiology. “But not all but still have chest pain
meatless diets are healthy. You can Heart attack symptoms can
present differently in women because
there’s a difference in plaque buildup
and blockage patterns between men
and women, according to cardiolo-
gist Dr C. Noel Bairey Merz. Whereas
men often have plaque buildup in
the major arteries around the heart,
in women it is the smaller coronary
blood vessels that cease to constrict
and dilate properly, creating the lack

rdasia.com 37

READER’S DIGEST

of blood flow and oxygen to the heart,
Dr Merz says. Thus, women can have
normal angiograms and stress tests
even if they have heart disease, lead-
ing doctors to dismiss even classic
symptoms such as chest pain and
shortness of breath. Women may also
experience dizziness, light-headed-
ness or fainting, upper back pressure
or extreme fatigue, all of which can
easily be mistaken for other issues.

10 Open the windows in and stresses. Reduced HRV has been
your house ... associated with increased deaths
The air inside your home among heart attack survivors as well
might be more polluted than the air as the general population.
in the world’s dirtiest cities. There
are dozens of possible sources, in- 12Prioritise sleep
cluding hair spray, candles, fumes A sound snooze is good for
from the non-stick coating on your your heart, but as you age,
cookware, or smoke from a wood- your brain and neurons begin to
stove or fireplace. While any of change and your ‘sleep architecture’
these might be harmless in small suffers, according to authorities on
amounts, the caustic brew they cre- sleep. That means you’re more prone
ate when mixed together can turn to waking up during the night and
up inflammation, raise blood pres- less likely to get the deep sleep your
sure and harden arteries. heart needs to function properly.
Women also have to battle the symp-
Open windows and use a fan to toms of perimenopause and men-
circulate the air and reduce indoor opause – hot flushes are notorious
pollution levels. for wrecking slumber. “Shorter sleep
duration and poorer quality of sleep
11... but keep them closed
in the car
This reduces your exposure
to airborne pollutants. A Harvard
University study found that exposure
reduces something called heart rate
variability (HRV), the ability of your
heart to respond to various activities

38 april 2021

How to Keep Your Heart Young

seem to be associated with increased mince. Or look for cuts such as top
stiffness of the arteries and increased sirloin or tenderloin – they have the
cholesterol plaque, especially in the lowest fat content. Limit your intake to
carotid arteries,” says cardiologist 115 to 170 grams no more than three
Dr Christine Jellis. A few tips for a times a week.
better night’s sleep: avoid afternoon
naps and caffeine within six hours of 16... kiwi fruit
your bedtime. “Eating two to three kiwi
fruit a day can help reduce
13Drink coffee harmful blood triglyceride levels,”
The recommendations for Morey says. The fruit also helps raise
drinking coffee have been HDL levels. It is rich in vitamins
somewhat inconsistent over the years, C and E and minerals (potassium,
but according to the American College magnesium, copper and phospho-
of Cardiology, coffee might be helpful rous). And, “If you’re up for eating
in reducing the risk of arrhythmias, the skin, you can double the amount
heart disease and stroke. But don’t of fibre you get from this fuzzy fruit.”
overdo it. Regularly consuming three
to five cups of coffee a day – or 300 mg 17... cumin
of caffeine (one espresso shot equals Time for some curry in a
100 mg while one cup of instant cof- hurry. According to Morey,
fee equals 60mg) – may be protec- this spice has been found to have
tive against heart rhythm disorders, powerful effects on heart health. A
according to a 2018 study in the JACC: study in the journal Complementary
Clinical Electrophysiology. Therapies in Clinical Practice found
that overweight or obese women who
14 Eat... yoghurt consumed just half a teaspoon of this
Yoghurt and spreads contain- spice daily reduced their LDL cho-
ing plant sterols (substances lesterol and triglycerides, as well as
similar to good cholesterol) can re- raising their levels of good HDL cho-
duce blood levels of LDL cholesterol lesterol.
by up to ten per cent, says clinical di-
etitian Kristian Morey. 18 ... chocolate
Dark chocolate (at least 75
15 ... lean beef per cent cocoa; 85 per cent
Beef is loaded with zinc, iron is best) can be heart-healthy, Morey
and B vitamins, all of which says. It is rich in healthful flavonoids,
help boost heart health. Stick to lean particularly flavonols that can help
cuts like flank or 95 per cent lean lower the risk of heart disease.

rdasia.com 39

READER’S DIGEST

19 Urinate when you the muscle isn’t able to relax after
feel the urge each beat, increasing wear and tear.
Research at Taiwan Univer- For women, hormonal changes can
sity found that a full bladder causes make matters worse.
your heart to beat faster and puts
added stress on coronary arteries, “When oestrogen levels decline,
triggering them to contract, which women often develop stiffening of
could lead to a heart attack in people the heart muscle,” says integrative
who are vulnerable. cardiologist Dr Regina Druz.

20Get some sun Regular exercise and a balanced
Low levels of vitamin D diet can help. Don’t delay consult-
have been linked to heart ing your doctor if you have any of
disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity the hallmark symptoms: shortness
and even COVID-19, and the risk of breath; fatigue; rapid heartbeat;
for many of these tends to increase coughing up pink and foamy mu-
with advancing age. While sunlight cus; or swelling in the legs, ankles
is a risk factor for skin cancers, it and feet.
does stimulate your body’s pro-
duction of vitamin D. In general, 22Be active and be kind
scientists think five to 15 minutes People who spend a lot of
daily is about right to get the most time being sedentary are
out of it without causing any health 73 per cent more likely to develop
problems. You can also get vitamin metabolic syndrome, a cluster of
D from food and supplements. problems that raise heart disease
risk.
21Don’t let your heart
harden Meanwhile, a study found that
Starting at around age 50, those who spent money on other peo-
the heart muscle begins to stiffen, ple had lower blood pressure than
making it tougher for it to pump those who spent money on them-
blood efficiently throughout the selves. To double your benefits, do
body. The medical term for this phe- something physically active on be-
nomenon is diastolic dysfunction: half of someone else: while you’re
raking the leaves or mowing the
nature strip, perhaps mow your
neighbour’s nature strip, too.

Quantum Physics for Beginners

Never trust atoms, they make up everything. PARADE

40 april 2021

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READER’S DIGEST

LIFE’S LIKE THAT

Seeing the Funny Side

Take Note

The waitress was not moving
much from the other side of
the café, so I waved at her
to get attention. When she
turned her head towards us,
I gave what I believed was
the universally accepted
hand sign to signal that we
wanted the bill – holding
out one hand and using the
other to simulate writing on
it. A few minutes later she
came to our table, smiled
and gave us a blank notepad
and a pen!

SUBMITTED BY OLIVER DUVAL

The Price of a Wife Silent Warning CARTOON: PUBLIC DOMAIN

A male colleague told us at work My two sons were sitting next
that it was his wife’s birthday. to each other in church. Tomos was
giggling and fidgeting a lot. Finally,
“What are you getting for her?” his big brother Ben had had enough.
enquired another colleague.
“You’re not allowed to be loud in
“Make me an offer!” he responded. church.”

SUBMITTED BY ANNA HAMMETT “Who’s going to stop me?” Tomos
answered cheekily.
Parental Guidance
Ben pointed to the back of the
Establish dominance by replying to church and Tomos looked over.
your kid’s ‘Knock knock’ joke with “See those two men by the big door?
‘Door’s open’. @SLADEWENTWORTH They’re hushers!”

SUBMITTED BY JEENA SUMNER

42 april 2021

The Wait is Over Life’s Like That

At my best friend Natasha’s THE GREAT TWEET-OFF:
50th birthday party, her son, who REVIEW FAILS

was ten at the time, asked his dad Twitter users construct the
worst ways to describe some of
why he had married later in life. He
our favourite films.
replied that he was waiting to find

someone very special.

Natasha looked very happy, until

her son asked, “And did you find her,

Dad?” SUBMITTED BY JILL COHEN

LATE MODEL Star Wars – Daddy issues in space.

I was selling some vintage @M R H O R AT I O S A N Z:
Grenadier Guards model toy
soldiers on eBay. They were The Hunger Games – Girl ruins her
quite collectable and fairly sister’s chance to be on television.
valuable. In my hurry to get
all the details down, I wrote @JUSTICEFORDACK

on the description, Indiana Jones – The Nazis threaten
world domination, so the US sends
“Left to me by my
Great Uncle Archibald, ONE MAN WITH A WHIP.
ten centimetres high.”
@SETHPANATTONI11
I got an offer straight
away which read, The Wizard of Oz – Women try to kill
each other over a pair of shoes.
“I want to buy them.
How big are the soldiers?” @JSWILLIAMS1962

SUBMITTED BY ANDREW BERRY Lord of the Rings – A group spends
nine hours returning jewellery.

@SQUIRRELTHEPAM

rdasia.com 43

READER’S DIGEST

I Am the W hat is a colour, a
nut and also a fruit?
FOOD You guessed it, lov-
ON YOUR able me, pistachio.
PLATE Most people think
I’m a ‘nut’, but I am actually the seed
Pistachio, of the tree’s fruit. I grow in clusters,
like grapes. When ripe my hard shell
the Happy Nut splits open with an audible snap, pro-
ducing a pleasing smile. In fact, I am
BY Kate Lowenstein, better known as the ‘happy nut’ in
Daniel Gritzen several cultures around the world due
to my cheerful demeanour.
AND Diane Godley
I have been grown for thousands of
44 april 2021 years, although countries outside the
Middle East only twigged to my ex-
istence much later. Although my ex-
act origins are not clear, I have been
cultivated in the Middle East since
before 7000 BCE. In fact, I was found
at Jarmo, a prehistoric archaeological
site (today located in modern Iraq),
known to be one of the world’s earliest
farming communities.

However, I was little known even
in my immediate area until around
2000 BCE, when a sharp increase in
population forced the inhabitants
to exploit foods which had, up until
then, only been eaten during times
of shortage. From that time forward,
I was never neglected on my home
turf again. I was grown in the Hang-
ing Gardens of Babylon, and am one
of only two nuts mentioned in the Old
Testament – the other being the al-
mond. Thanks to the Silk Road trade,
I made my way into the cooking tradi-
tions of China and Italy around 6 CE.

Food on Your Plate

The Persians ground my good self, green ice cream. Though note that

along with the almond, into desserts most pistachio ice cream is f la-

and sauces to give them body. The voured primarily with much less

Arabs, who had considerable influ- ex pensive a l mond ex t ract; t he

ence in Southern Europe and North specimens of me studded through-

Africa in the Middle Ages, learnt this out are cover for the ruse. Not the

artform and spread the technique. slow-toasted Sici l ia n pistach io

Today I’m prized in many cuisines, gelato from Italy though, which won

not only desserts, but savoury dish- the World Champion Gelato flavour

es, too. I star in Moroccan tagines in 2017.

(often paired with chicken or lamb My popularity as a snack food grew

and dried fruit such as apricots or in the late 1800s with the arrival of

figs), Middle Eastern knafeh (a fra- Middle Eastern immigrants to the

grant salty-sweet des- MY APPEAL US, but it wasn’t un-
sert made from cheese til the early 1900s that

a n d s y r u p - s o a k e d IS MY EARTHY- the Americans started
shredded phyllo), and growing me, produc-
ing my first crop in
SWEET FLAVOUR,honey-drenched bak-
lava. FATTY RICHNESS the 1970s. My demand
Some have suggest- AND CRUNCH outstrips supply and at
ed that if it wasn’t for least half of the pista-

my cheery green hue, I chios consumed around

may never have moved beyond the the world are imported from coun-

Middle East – although I don’t be- tries like the US, Turkey and Iran.

lieve that for a minute! My colour The world annual production of

comes from chlorophyll, a natural me is more than one million tonnes.

plant pigment which is found in, you Dare I say it, I am one popular nut.

guessed it, green vegetables such as So beloved that I have my own spe-

peas, cucumber and celery. cial day, International Pistachio Day,

The appearance of food is impor- on February 26.

tant, it seems. If it pleases the eye, it My appeal, as both a snack and

can influence the palate. And dare I an ingredient, is my mildly earthy-

say it, one of those factors is colour. sweet f lavour, fatt y richness and

When it comes to desserts, there was crunch. I have the same amount of

one colour missing: green – which is protein as almonds but a smidge

where I step into the spotlight. less fat, add to that my fibre, plus the

Of course, I’m also an ingredi- fact that you need to shell every sin-

ent in snack mixes, biscuits, cakes gle one of me, makes me a favourite

a nd, yes, e ver yone’s favou r ite among dieters.

rdasia.com 45

READER’S DIGEST

Regardless of what country or first planting; the amount of nuts each
what century, I have always been tree yields – a fully grown tree around
seen as something of a luxury item. 22 kilograms; and my favoured envi-
I am three to four times more expen- ronment – I like arid locations that are
sive than other nuts. But my exorbi- freezing in winter and scorching hot
tant price has nothing to do with my in the summer. So, there are only but
exclusive colouring among nuts: it is a few locations around the world I can
the time it takes for my tree to pro- tolerate, making me altogether rather
duce me – around 15-20 years after exotic.

PISTACHIO-AND-PARMESAN-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB

• Preheat oven to 200°C. • Combine butter with
• Combine 2⁄3 cup finely
pistachio mixture and stir until
chopped pistachios with dry ingredients are evenly
1⁄3 cup bread crumbs and moistened; season with salt
1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan. and pepper.

• Melt 4 tbls unsalted butter with • Divide the lamb rack (about

1 tsp fresh or dried thyme leaves 1.5kg total) into about four
and 1 minced clove garlic over cutlets, and season with
medium heat until foamy. salt and pepper.

• In a 30cm cast-iron skillet,

heat 1 tbls oil over medium-high
heat until nearly smoking.

• Add lamb rack and sear

until browned, about
3 minutes each side.

• Transfer lamb to a work

surface and rub 1 tsp Dijon
mustard in an even layer on the
fat side of each rack.

• Sprinkle pistachio mixture over

the Dijon coating, then press to
form a compact crust.

• Return lamb racks to skillet, crust

side up, and roast in the oven for
about 20–25 minutes.

• Let lamb rest for 5 minutes, then

serve whole or individual cutlets.

46 april 2021

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