Should I Worry About Driving With a Hands-Free Cell Phone?

Posted on March 6, 2013 by admin

You’re driving with both hands on the steering wheel, and your eyes are on the road ahead. All good, right? Not if you’re on a hands-free cell phone and your route involves a left-hand turn (we’re guessing it does). According to a new study published in the open access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, making a left-hand turn in a busy intersection requires a huge amount of brain activity, and talking on a hands-free cell phone at the same time is more than the brain can handle.

For the study, researchers put a driving simulator—steering wheel, pedals, and all—inside a high-powered functional MRI. Young adult participants navigated straight roads, right-hand turns, and left-hand turns. During some of the steering, the participants answered simple true or false questions (for example, if a triangle has four sides) by pressing buttons on the steering wheel—a lot like the way current hands-free phone technology works. When they did so during a left-hand turn at a traffic-filled intersection, something major happened: “Brain power was allocated to the frontal cortex, which allows you to make decisions and hold that conversation,” says lead study author Tom Schweizer, PhD, a neuroscientist and the director of the Neuroscience Research Program at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. “The visual part of the brain—the back end of the brain—started to shut down.”

So what exactly makes turning left so complicated? Think about everything you have to process: the traffic light, oncoming cars (which are probably going pretty fast), pedestrian and bicyclists to the left. “You have to take in all of that visual information and then calculate a safe driving maneuver,” says Schweizer. “We found that a huge amount of brain is required to pull that off.” When you add some chatting to the equation, “something in the brain’s gotta give,” explains Schweizer. “There are only so many brain resources to go around. And it just so happens that what gives is the visual system.”

Many states already ban novice drivers and bus drivers from using hands-free devices while driving.

Marcel Just, PhD, director of the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University, was not involved in the study but has done separate research on driving while listening. His 2008 research found that even just listening to a person reduces the brain activity focused on driving by 37 percent. “What people tend to underestimate is the draw on cognitive resources of even having a conversation or listening to someone speak,” says Just. “I don’t want to be crossing the street while a driver is coming towards me and talking on a cell phone, even if it’s hands-free.”

The verdict: Hands-free doesn’t mean danger-free. Don’t chat on the phone when you’re behind the wheel!

photo: Edyta Pawlowska/Shutterstock

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How to Handle a Huge ER Bill

Posted on March 6, 2013 by admin

When you’re being rushed to the emergency room after a car accident or broken bone, it’s not likely that you have the time to shop around for the best price. After all, medical care costs what it costs, right? Well, not necessarily. Out-of-pocket patient costs for common emergency room procedures can vary dramatically, according to a recent study from the University of California, San Francisco.

Researchers analyzed data from the 2006-2008 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey, which included the total charges for 8,303 patients between 18-64 years old (patients over 65 were excluded, as they are typically covered by Medicare). Nearly half of these patients were privately insured, and all of them were treat-and-release patients, meaning their diagnoses did not result in being admitted to the hospital. Then they looked at the ten most common outpatient diagnoses in emergency rooms across the country (everything from a sprain to a UTI), and found huge variations in patients’ total bills. For example, the total cost of treatment for kidney stones in the ER ranged from $ 29 to $ 29,551!

So what’s with all the jacked-up prices? “There is a discrepancy in what hospitals charge for the same service,” says co-author of the study Renee Hsia, MD, assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. “There is no regulation for hospitals about what they can charge.” But there’s another reason why two people with a broken leg might leave the hospital with very different bills: “Patients will require different things depending on their type of presentation,” says Hsia. So if you were in a horrible car accident, your provider may order several pricey tests to make sure that you’re okay, before ultimately diagnosing you with a broken leg. But another person may come in after a nasty fall and be discharged after a single X-ray. The patient with multiple tests would naturally have a higher bill, even though their final diagnoses were the same.

“A lot of people will say, ‘About how much is this going to cost?’ It’s a totally reasonable question, but the hospital administration probably won’t be able to tell you,” says Hsia. And that means that every time you go to the hospital, you may be leaving with sticker shock (even if you have insurance!). Since you can’t exactly find a Groupon for your next ER visit, try these tactics to fix—or avoid—an outrageous bill:

Help your doctor help you
You know that additional tests can mean the difference between a three-figure bill and a four-figure bill (or larger), so you want to make sure you’re as specific as possible when explaining your symptoms. Of course, don’t keep hush about something just to avoid an expensive lab cost, since that may cause them to miss something major. But if you’re not entirely sure if your nausea is due to nerves or a related symptom, offer it up. When doctors are already on the fence about a test, having more input from the patient is always helpful, says Hsia.

Scout out the financial services office
Before you even leave the hospital, find out where the financial aid office is so you can go talk money. If you aren’t privately insured, you may qualify for a financial assistance program that you didn’t even know existed, says Hsia. And in some states like California, there are mandates that require hospitals to offer you a discount if you fall below a certain percentage of the federal poverty level. The catch: It’s unlikely that anyone is going to just offer you this information, so you’ll need to seek them out to tell them about your financial situation.

Get an itemized bill—and inspect it carefully
Once you receive your hospital bill in the mail, immediately request an itemized version, says Pat Palmer, Founder of Medical Billing Advocates of America. Not only will it help you see how much each procedure cost, but it may also clue you in to potential errors, like a medication you didn’t take or an X-ray you never ended up getting. Other things to look out for include equipment or services that should already be factored in to the cost of your room or procedure (like the hospital gown or the warm blanket they give you) and discrepancies when it comes to the time you spent in the recovery or operating room. “They might know they were actually ready to leave the recovery room after an hour but no one was there to get them. You don’t want to pay for that when it wasn’t your problem,” says Palmer.

Don’t give up so easily
If you find that something is off when looking at your bill, don’t hesitate to contact them about it. First, notify the hospital’s billing department immediately (in writing, just to be safe) that you plan to dispute your charges and ask that your bill be put on hold for 30 days, says Palmer. That way you won’t be taken to collections while you get everything in order. Then send the billing office a detailed request in writing of the charges you are disputing. “Ask them to supply you with a correct bill or, if there are items they don’t correct, you want a detailed written response for their basis for charging for that,” says Palmer. “A lot of times, after much negotiation and appeals, they may end up giving you some discount on the bill,” says Hsia. “But it takes a lot of perseverance.”

Keep negotiating
It may sound crazy to barter when it comes to your healthcare, but according to Palmer, it never hurts to ask. Even if your insurance covers most of your costs and you’re left with a somewhat manageable bill, call the billing office to see if they’ll give you a “prompt pay discount,” which essentially means you’re paying in full right away, so they should cut you some slack. “For example, if I owe $ 200, I could call and ask if they would accept $ 120 if I paid in full within 10 days,” says Palmer.

Get help if you need it
If you’re still facing charges that you don’t agree with and you’re not getting anywhere with the billing office, seek out an advocacy group like Medical Billing Advocates of America. Most will offer a free phone consultation to discuss your situation and how they might be able to help. “The need for advocacy is increasing and it’s getting to the point where no one should pay a bill without having a representative—just like we do with our taxes,” says Palmer.

photo: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

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Work From Home—Without Pissing Off Your Boss

Posted on March 6, 2013 by admin

It was the memo heard (or, OK, read) ‘round the world. Last month, Yahoo! employees received an email from Human Resources explaining that, starting in June, they’ll no longer be allowed to telecommute. “To become the absolute best place to work,” read the memo, “communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices.”

The arguments for and against Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer’s telecommuting ban began immediately. Some studies show that working from home improves productivity, job satisfaction, and work-life balance; detractors contend that it decreases innovation, and gives people an opportunity to slack off. Regardless, here’s the deal: Some people—whether because their companies ask them to or because of personal reasons—just have to work from home either regularly or semi-regularly. If you’re one of them, read on for how to keep up communication, collaboration, and creativity from the desk at your house:

Establish a game plan
Propose a communication strategy to your boss, one that covers when and how often you’ll be sending updates and checking in, suggests Kelly Sakai-O’Neill, Senior Manager of Applied Research for the Families and Work Institute. And try to take your boss’s perspective when you craft it; anticipate any of the fears she might have about getting the information she needs. One possible approach to take: Schedule office hours (throwback to college!). Remember when once or twice a week any student could stop by a professor’s office for a quick review? Do the same thing with your boss, suggests Kimberly Elsbach, PhD, a professor at the University of California, Davis’s Graduate School of Management, whose own research shows that telecommuting makes it harder to get a strong manager evaluation. That way you don’t have to email or call every time you have a question—you can discuss a laundry list on the phone all at once, much like you would if you just physically popped into her office.

Be ultra-available
When you’re telecommuting, you have to deliver strong every single time, and you have to be hyper-organized in your team communication. “Show them that it’s easy to work with you even though you’re remote,” Elsbach says. One way to do that: Make sure that you’re as accessible as you would be if you were in the next cube over. “Replying to emails immediately, doing regular updates on what you’re working on, answering the phone on first ring—those seem like silly things, but they actually send a signal that says, ‘I’m here, I’m available, I’m just as accessible as if I were sitting in my office,’” Elsbach says. For that reason, it’s best if you can work the same hours as the people onsite, if not more. If you have to break it up a bit, just make sure your manager and coworkers know your schedule, Sakai-O’Neill says. Another way to up your availability even more: It’s old school, but ask your company to pay for the price of a landline in your home office. That way you never have to worry about dropped calls or bad reception. Set it up with a Google voice number that rings through to your cell phone after three unanswered rings for the moments when you’re out walking the dog.

Embrace technology
“People have what we call face time bias—they unconsciously attribute more positive traits to people whom they see a lot at work,” says Elsbach. But thanks to technology, you don’t need to be in the same room to speak face-to-face. Sakai-O’Neill is a big fan of Google+ Hangouts—video conferencing with up to nine people, which allow you to read people’s facial expressions and feel a bit more like you’re communicating normally. There’s also Skype, and even Gchat and instant messaging. “A lot of these things are free or low cost and make it possible to bring people together in different locations in a way that maybe wasn’t possible 10 years ago,” Sakai-O’Neill says. These tech tools aren’t quite the same as in-person meetings—it’s not as easy to read body language from a screen, Elsbach points out—but you and your team can test them out and decide if they’re worth using.

Use creative creativity boosters
Can’t brainstorm with a group on the regular? A bummer, yes, but telecommuters can actually refuel their inspiration levels in a way most office workers can’t. See: break time. If you’re working from home, it doesn’t have to be lunch hour for you to head outside. “One thing we find is that people think most creatively when they’re in a natural environment,” Elsbach says. You can also stop and fold the laundry, take a shower, or spend 10 minutes running on the treadmill. “Doing something that keeps the mind active but isn’t taxing—those are the situations in which people have those a-ha moments,” Elsbach explains. If you need to channel energy from other humans, spend some time at a coffee shop with free wi-fi. Another fun way to get the ideas coming: Surround yourself with the color blue; it also promotes creativity, according to research out of the University of British Columbia. (Hello, excuse to hit up West Elm!)

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The Biggest Myths About Sex and Pregnancy

Posted on March 6, 2013 by admin

You already know that it takes time to slim down after a pregnancy. But new moms should expect delays in the bedroom department as well. Most women wait at least six to eight weeks after giving birth to have sex again, according to a new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Researchers at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia collected data from 1,507 first-time moms at 3, 6, and 12 months after giving birth, asking when they first attempted vaginal sex. The results: 41 percent of women had sex by 6 weeks, 65 percent by 8 weeks, and 78 percent by 12 weeks. Whether they had complications during the birth was a big factor in how long they waited. New moms who’d had a C-section, episiotomy, or other complications were far less likely to resume having sex at the six-week mark.

The study shows that there’s no universal cutoff for when you should start to ease back into your old sex life. “It is very important to dispel the myth that everything will be ‘back to normal’ by six weeks,” Stephanie Brown, an associate professor at The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and lead author of the study, wrote in an email. Recovery is mental as well as physical: according to Brown, many new moms are too busy or too tired for sex while attending to the demands of a newborn. Others are afraid of the pain of trying to have sex again. These concerns are normal, she says, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about having them.

Whether or not you’re contemplating having a baby any time soon, there’s no reason to walk around with bad information that will only freak you out. Alyssa Dweck, MD, co-author of V is for Vagina, dispels the biggest myths surrounding sex and pregnancy.

Myth #1: Your Libido Will Tank
It’s totally normal for pregnant women to feel a dip in their sex drive, says Dweck, especially in the side-effect-heavy first trimester. But that’s not true for everyone. “The good news is that plenty of other women have a soaring libido when they’re pregnant,” she says. The hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause some women to feel a pleasant spike in sexual desire. And don’t be surprised if your newly arrived curves make you feel irresistibly hot. Plenty of couples manage to maintain an active sex life for all nine months, says Dweck. Just don’t get caught up in what’s “normal.” “There is no normal,” she says. “A lot of it has to do with what your sexual activities were before pregnancy.”

Myth #2: Sex Can Hurt the Baby
If you remember that scene from Knocked Up, you probably know that sex during pregnancy can’t damage a fetus. But this myth still stubbornly lives on. “A lot of times the male partners are more frightened to have sex than the women,” says Dweck. In most cases, sex is 100% safe for mom and baby. There are some exceptions, which your OBgyn will warn you about. Among other issues, if you have an incompetent (or weakened) cervix, unexplained bleeding, or suffer from a condition called placenta previa, your OBgyn will advise you not to have sex while pregnant. If you have concerns, just ask your doc, but chances are she’ll give you the green light.

That said, not all positions are fair game. You may have to switch up your routine, as some of your old standbys may not be as comfortable for you. At 15-20 weeks, you’ll want to avoid lying flat on your back (the weight of your uterus can compress your vena cava, causing a dangerous drop in blood pressure) –which means traditional missionary is out, says Dweck. Doggy-style and side-by-side are popular alternatives.

Myth #3: You Should Be Having Sex By 6 Weeks Postpartum
If you’re going at it at the 6-week mark, congratulations! Just know that you’re in the minority. Six weeks is the bare minimum for how long you should wait to heal fully after giving birth. Many women will need more time than that. Basically, after you give birth, your delicate bits are raw, exposed, and vulnerable to infection. Plus, your cervix needs time to close up again, says Dweck, and it typically takes about six weeks for that to happen. If you had an episiotomy, it needs to heal completely. (In fact, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute study indicates that only 10% of first-time moms will give birth with an intact perineum.) Having sex too early increases your chances of pain and infection. Dweck recommends external play instead: cuddling, kissing, and general adorableness with your partner. Just make sure to hold off on any activity in or near your vagina until you’re fully healed.

Myth #4: The First Time You Do It Will Hurt
“Most women are really afraid of pain with sex after pregnancy,” says Dweck. But if you allow enough time for your body to heal completely, sex won’t be a problem. Keep in mind that new moms become ready for sex at very different rates, as the study shows. When you decide that you’re ready, it doesn’t hurt to be extra-careful. Your estrogen levels dip while you’re nursing, which can cause vaginal dryness, so Dweck recommends using plenty of lube when you decide to take the plunge. Communicate with your partner about your fears, take it slow, and go easy on yourself. And don’t forget to use contraception, says Dweck — you’ll need it even when you’re nursing.

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10 Ways to Build Trust In Your Relationship

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Sooner or later, the man in your life is bound to mess up. (He’s only human!) But if you trust your partner, you’re more likely to forgive and forget his mistakes than if you don’t trust him, according a new study recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Researchers from Northwestern University and Redeemer University College used a questionnaire to assess trust levels in 69 undergraduates’ relationships. Then, the students filled out surveys about their partners’ recent mishaps every two weeks for the next six months. They also rated the severity of the issue, how well their partner tried to make amends, and their own degree of forgiveness. At the end of the six-month period, participants in the most trusting relationships remembered their partners’ past transgressions as less serious and were ultimately more forgiving.

While the study didn’t examine exactly what caused these results, lead study author Laura Luchies, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Redeemer University College, says that trust appears to distort people’s memory of the past. One explanation: when you trust your partner to act in your best interest, you’re more likely to let his mistakes slide because you see them as one-time events. But when you don’t trust him, you might play and replay the situation in your head, or assume it’s part of a pattern of bad behavior—making it a lot more difficult to forget (or forgive).

The thing is, trust plays a more integral role in relationships than in simply keeping the peace. “Trust helps people think less about the risks of getting close to someone, depend on them, and see them in a positive light,” says Luchies. The result: a more secure, fulfilling relationship for both of you.

To boost your bond at any stage in the game, follow these trust-amplifying tips:

Let him plan date night
Trust is learned and earned—you’ll grant it, over time, to those who act supportive, dependable, and trustworthy, says Luchies. To give your partner opportunities to strut his stuff, ask him to make decisions that affect you. Start small: let him choose a restaurant. When he picks a place that suits your palate—not the burger joint he frequents with his friends–you’ll feel more comfortable relying on him for bigger decisions.

Show him your flaws
Not everyone can tally a dinner tab tip in her head, or wake up in the morning with her hair as well-coiffed as it was the night before. But when you let him see your true colors, you give him the opportunity to accept the real you—even it reflects your insecurities. Once you realize that he won’t berate you for your math skills, or reject you for your bed head, you’ll feel more comfortable revealing bigger things–like life goals and family issues–and trust that he’ll be totally supportive.

Confide in him
If you leave your office fuming, don’t keep it all in when you meet him for after-work drinks. “By and large, you get what you give,” says Joel Block, Ph.D., a certified couples therapist and author of over 20 books on love and sex, including Broken Promises, Mended Hearts: Maintaining Trust In Love Relationships. “If you’re open and self-revealing, your partner is more likely to be more open with you.”

Don’t judge
Every time your partner tells you something personal—like the major mistake he made at work–it’s a critical moment that can either strengthen your intimacy or deteriorate it, says Block. If you criticize his behavior or dismiss his feelings, he’ll think twice about confiding in you next time. To make him feel accepted and promote more self-disclosure, express empathy and suggest solutions. And if he judges you? Say this: “I need to feel safe confiding in you and right now I feel attacked.”

Keep your promises
“Trust goes both ways,” says Luchies. Meaning? If you’re not dependable, you can’t expect your partner to be. To show him you’re trustworthy, be accountable: If he asks you to watch his intramural basketball game, show up before the first buzzer to secure a bleacher seat where he can see you from the court. And if you say you’ll call him before bed, actually pick up the phone before you tuck in.

Be yourself in front of others
If you tell him you got a measly raise, and tell his parents about your absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G promotion, he’ll wonder what else you’re capable of hiding. Present yourself accurately no matter what crowd you’re in, and you’ll show him you’re a person that’s worthy of his trust.

Tell him the truth
“Even small lies are like psychological termites,” says Block. “They take unnoticeable bites over time and eventually weaken the foundation of your relationship.” So if your new statement bag cost more than what your guy earns in a month, be honest when he asks what you paid.

Arrive on time
If you say you’ll be over at 7, but miss your train, call him to say you’ll be closer to 8:10. Being on time isn’t just considerate: it’s part of being able to count on someone, says Block. And if he knows he can count on you, then he’ll make more of an effort to show that he’s equally dependable.

Take his side…or at least be diplomatic
Sometimes it’s more important to be supportive than it is to be right. When you’re brought into an argument between him and his buddy, stand up for your guy. And when he’s wrong? Say, “You both have good points, and I can see where you’re both coming from.” Then, discuss it later in private.

Avoid unnecessary secrecy
Especially if your partner has been betrayed before–or worse: you’ve cheated on him–it’s important to be as open as possible. So tell him who you’re texting. And leave your phone unlocked. “Don’t think of it as supervision. It’s making a choice to help the other person heal,” says Block.

photo: Tom Wang/Shutterstock

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What to Do About Sensitive Teeth

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

If the thought of having a hot coffee or a cold Popsicle makes you cringe, you’re not alone. Chew on this: 1 in 8 adults may suffer from pain brought on by sensitive teeth, and women are 1.8 times more likely than men to have the condition, according to a study published in this month’s issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.

To get to the root of the issue, 37 general dental practices across the U.S. helped collect data from 787 adults. Beyond the results mentioned above, the researchers discovered that study participants who performed at-home tooth whitening or have receding gum lines were the most likely to report pain.

“Tooth sensitivity is often caused by enamel wearing away on the outside of the tooth, exposing the tubes that connect nerves inside the tooth,” explains Carolyn Taggart-Burns, DDS, FAGD, spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry, who was not involved with the study. “Many things can bring about the pain, but there are simple ways to reverse the effects,” she says.

Here, Taggart-Burns and Frank Orlando DDS, FAGD, FICOI, Founding Member of the American Academy of Oral Systemic Health, share simple tricks to keep pain at bay:

Use the right tools
Make sure you’re using a soft-bristled toothbrush. Harder brushes can contribute to receding gums, which expose dentin—the super-sensitive tissue that makes up the core of each tooth— which can lead to pain. For additional protection, use desensitizing toothpastes (like Sensodyne or Crest Pro Health Enamel Shield) and a mouth rinse that contains stannous fluoride (try Perio Med). Their special formula blocks the tubes in the teeth that are connected to nerves, reducing the pain.

Perfect your brushing technique
You may think that brushing your teeth is a simple process, but there’s actually a right and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way: Brushing in a back-and-forth motion, which can cause receding gums. Instead, hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the teeth and brush in a circular motion. Just don’t push too hard, because that can wear down the tooth’s surface and expose sensitive spots. One way to tell if you need to ease up: If the bristles are mashed against your teeth and pointing in all different directions.

Swish with warm water
A sensitive tooth may be irritated if you brush with cold water. Stick with warm—but not hot—water. This won’t help decrease sensitivity, but it’ll at least feel better and won’t make you wince.

Go easy on the bleach
At-home whitening treatments can contain abrasive ingredients that increase tooth sensitivity and cause pain— especially when used too often. Whiten up no more than once every 6 months to ward off pain.

Watch what you drink and wait to brush
Eating acidic foods and beverages on a regular basis can cause enamel (the glossy, protective outer layer of the tooth) to erode, increasing the likelihood of sensitivity. Trade soda, wine, coffee, energy drinks, and fruit juice for water (check out our favorite bottled variety here) and eat tomatoes and citrus fruits in moderation. Can’t help but indulge in something acidic? Drink through a straw to minimize exposure to the acids, and then rinse your mouth with water after to neutralize the pH. Then wait 30 minutes before brushing.

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Will Your Baby Be Addicted to Junk Food?

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Has your baby bump become a holding tank for chips and chocolate bars? Back away from the snack food aisle. New research published in The FASEB Journal shows that women who chow down on junk food while pregnant give birth to junk food junkies.

Junk food stimulates the production of opioids in the body (the same opioids found in morphine and heroin), which can cross through the placenta and breast milk from mom to fetus. To investigate how exposure to these junk food-induced opioids during fetal development affect babies’ food habits, Australian researchers studied the pups of two groups of rats. During pregnancy and lactation, one group of moms had eaten normal critter food while the other ate a range of human junk foods including chocolate biscuits and potato chips.

Once the pups were weaned, the researchers injected them with an opioid receptor blocker to prevent the junk foods from stimulating the release of dopamine in their bodies. By curbing the junk foods’ feel-good effect, blocking opioid signaling lowers fat and sugar consumption.

Researchers found that the opioid receptor blocker was less effective at reducing fat and sugar intake in the pups of the junk-food-feeding mothers. Their mothers’ cruddy diet during pregnancy caused reduced sensitivity in the babies’ opioid signaling pathway. In turn, these babies, born with a higher tolerance to junk food, needed to eat more of it to achieve a junk-food high.

“In the same way that someone addicted to drugs has to consume more of the drug over time to achieve the same high, continually producing excess opioids by eating too much junk food also results in the need to consume more junk food to get the same pleasurable sensation,” says researcher Beverly Muhlhausler, Ph.D., from the FOODplus Research Centre at the School of Agriculture Food and Wine at The University of Adelaide in Australia.

A healthy diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding can give your child a healthy start, Muhlhausler says. Previous studies have shown that eating specific foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding can result in the child preferring those foods later in life. And a baby’s pre-birth nutrition can either prevent—or cause—chronic health conditions.

“When you’re pregnant, your baby is fondly called a ‘glucose sink,’” says Cassandra Forsythe Ph.D., RD, nutritionist specializing in pregnancy and postpartum nutrition and author of the Women’s Health Perfect Body Diet. “Whenever you eat sugary foods (think junk foods here), all the sugar sinks right into the baby, making them more insulin resistant, more likely to crave junk foods and more likely to struggle with their body weight, not to mention more likely to develop glucose disorders like diabetes.”

A poor diet during pregnancy increases the child’s risk of obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, autism, and attention deficit disorder, according to Victoria Maizes, MD, executive director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine author of Be Fruitful: The Essential Guide to Maximizing Fertility and Giving Birth to a Healthy Child. And adequate micronutrients, especially B vitamins, during fetal development reduce the risk of neural tube, cardiac, or other birth defects, she says.

Up to 90 percent of pregnant women report food cravings, and sweets are at the top of their list, according to Maizes. “To help manage cravings, consider giving in—but just to a small amount. A square of dark chocolate, a little scoop of ice cream, or a small piece of cake can satisfy the craving without destroying a healthy diet.” She suggests buying a single 2-ounce ice cream container when you are in need of sweet treat. (Don’t keep them in the house or they will disappear like crazy!) Also eat small, healthy meals throughout the day to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, she says. That way you won’t raid the kitchen—or the Kwik-E-Mart—when that glucose sink of yours runs dry.

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When the Silent Treatment Is a GOOD Thing

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

The next time you have a run-in with a d-bag, don’t automatically go on the defensive. Sure, it’s crazy annoying–there you are, innocently going about your day, when some idiot makes a bonehead comment (“Put on a few pounds?”) or does something obnoxious (textaholic-ing during brunch). Your first impulse may be to react, or lash back. But as it turns out, surprising new research suggests the silent treatment could keep the jerks from ruining your day.

In a study of 120 college students, participants were put in a room with either a nice guy (relaxed, friendly, egalitarian) or a jerk (rude, impatient, bigoted). Half the students were instructed to engage in cordial conversation with him, while the other half were told to ignore him. Afterwards, participants completed a task requiring careful thought and attention. Turns out, the students who had a discussion with the d-bag scored significantly worse than those who froze him out. “Trying to politely engage with someone aversive makes people feel depleted, and as a result they won’t perform as well,” says study coauthor Kristin Sommer, Ph.D., associate professor at Baruch College. “If you force yourself to behave in a way that goes against your instincts—like being nice to a jerk—it takes a toll on your resources.”

Of course, you can’t always just ignore all the jerks in your life. So we ran a bunch of annoying situations by Rick Brinkman, Ph.D., speaker, coauthor of Dealing With People You Can’t Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst, and founder of RickBrinkman.com, and asked him when to snub the snot, and when to suck it up and deal with them.

The situation: A woman cuts you in line at Starbucks
Ignore Her. Getting bent out of shape just so you can sip your latte a few minutes faster will probably only worsen your mood. Again, remind yourself that she might be legitimately running late or stressed out and not thinking straight. Still all steamed up? “Try to project how you’ll feel an hour from now,” Brinkman suggests. “Will you regret not standing up to her?” If so, go ahead and call her out on it.

The situation: Your boyfriend leaves his dirty clothes strewn over the floor for the hundredth time
Deal With Him. If it was a one-time infraction, overlooking his carelessness would be your best bet. But since it’s a regular issue, bring it up or it’ll only aggravate you further. “Approach him with a playful, teasing attitude,” Brinkman says. “That keeps him from getting defensive yet still sends a message.” When there’s the slightest improvement on his end, praise him to reinforce it. (It takes a few weeks to establish a new habit though, so be patient.)

The situation: Someone keeps texting in the middle of Side Effects
Deal With Her. Messing with your viewing pleasure of Channing Tatum’s eight-pack? Not cool. If the person is sitting right in front of you, Brinkman suggests quietly saying, “I know that text is important, but the light is distracting.” If they’re a few rows ahead of you, alert a theater employee.

The situation: While you’re walking down the street, a dude hollers, “Hey baby, lookin’ good!”
Ignore Him. Responding will likely egg him on, unfortunately. And while street heckling is annoying and sometimes even a little frightening, trying to figure out how to respond is a waste of your mental energy. Instead, keep your chin up and keep on walking. And, if you can, try to see the bright side of his oafish behavior: Apparently, you’re rocking it today!

The situation: Your slacker coworker asks you to help him finish his quarterly report
Deal With Him. Since you see him almost every day, freezing him out will make things awkward, which sucks for both of you. So how to handle the situation without getting screwed? First, giving him the benefit of the doubt can diminish your annoyance, according to Brinkman. It’s possible he’s not a lazy bastard but is actually overwhelmed by something else (a health problem, a breakup), or is trying his best, and just isn’t as efficient as you. Next, establish a boundary in a polite way. Tell him, “I’d love to help you,” pause for a moment to let that sink in, and continue, “But I also have a huge project due.” Then give him some guidance, like pointing out that if he can’t complete the full report today, he should turn in a bulleted list of highlights so your boss won’t freak. “This approach empowers him and makes you feel good about yourself—your body releases endorphins when you help someone,” Brinkman says.

The situation: A close friend shows up an hour late to your birthday dinner
Deal With Her. Assuming she has a lame excuse (it’s not like her cat died or something), address the issue to prevent resentment from building up. “Decide that you’ll discuss it with her in the next few days,” Brinkman says. “Having that settled in your mind will help you let go in the moment so you can enjoy the party.” When you do talk to her, start by telling her that you care about your friendship and don’t want anything to come between you. Framing the discussion in a positive way will leave a better taste in your mouth and hers.

The situation: During holiday dinner, Uncle Marvin says, “You look really tired.”
Depends. If it’s possible to tune him out and head to the buffet, do so. But if you’re in a situation that requires a reply, Brinkman recommends a brief, sarcastic retort. Try, “Thank you for caring about my health and well-being,” or in a kidding tone, “I sure look better than you!” It lets him know he was out of line without being confrontational or engaging in further conversation. Whatever you do, don’t affirm his comment by saying, “Yeah, I guess I need more sleep.” “Agreeing with the criticism will make you feel worse,” Brinkman maintains.

photo: Khakimullin Aleksandr/Shutterstock

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Read This If You Plan to Buy a Home—Ever!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by admin

Even if you’re nowhere near ready to lock down a piece of property, you may want to start planning for the future. Housing prices in December 2012 rose 6.8 percent from the same period in 2011, which is the biggest jump we’ve seen since 2005, according to the latest report from the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices (the leading measures for the U.S. residential housing market).

“Even though prices have gone up slightly, right now really is the perfect time to buy,” says Danisha Danielle Hoston, financial expert and principal of Hoston & Associates real estate. “Prices are still lower than they have been and interest rates are still lower than they have been in most of our lifetimes.” While that doesn’t mean you should rush out with your down payment in hand if you’re not ready, it’s certainly a wake-up call for anyone who is considering buying a house in the near future. Here, how to get prepared—no matter what stage you’re in:

If you’re at least 5 years away from buying your first home….

Check Your Credit
“Guard your credit fiercely,” says Hoston. That means no late payments, no forgotten bills, and always staying below 25% of your credit limit. In addition to checking your regular credit score, find out your FICO score, too. “FICO scores are the type of scores that most mortgage lenders use,” says Liz Weston, financial expert and author of Deal With Your Debt. Finding out your score early on means you’ll have plenty of time to do some damage control if it isn’t where it should be.

Make a Better Budget
Setting a spending plan for yourself before you actually need it can help you see where all your money is going (and if you maybe need to cut down on your weekend shopping sprees). Weston suggests the 50-30-20 plan (coined by newly-elected Senator of Massachusetts Elizabeth Warren): Take your gross income after taxes and chop that in half, which should account for all your necessities like housing, transportation, utilities, and insurance. Then take 30 percent for the fun stuff (like happy hours, new clothes, and vacations) and the remaining 20 percent goes toward savings and debt repayment. “If you can get that in order before you even start your quest for a house, you’ll already have a balanced budget to help you start saving,” says Weston. For more tips on how to establish a budget, check out The Best Apps for Saving Money.

If you want to buy something in the next year…

Be Strict About Your Spending
Even with a rock-solid budget, you’ll probably need to carve out a little extra savings for things like the down payment, mortgage payments, and closing fees. “Really consider avoiding large purchases right now, because this going to be the most important large purchase you’re going to be making,” says Hoston.
Meanwhile, don’t close a credit card account at this time—even if you never use it. “[Mortgage lenders] like to see a big gap between the credit you have available and the credit you are using,” says Weston. Similarly, try not to open any new accounts just yet either, since it may bring down your score slightly.

Know the Fees Ahead of Time
When saving up for this enormous purchase, it’s crucial to know all the costs you’ll encounter along the way. For instance, your down payment may be anywhere from 3.5 percent to 20 percent of your total cost, says Weston. And while it’s typically good to put down as much as possible, you may also want to put down less if it means jumping on a property you love at a time when the interest rates are low, Hoston says. And don’t forget about the closing costs (they averaged $ 3,700 on a $ 200,000 mortgage last year, according to Bankrate) and broker fees (sellers may end up paying 3% to both their agents and the buyers’ agent, according to Weston). The bottom line: Get educated about the potential costs you’ll encounter, and save up accordingly.

Start Shopping Around
When you’re between six months to a year out, you’ll want to get pre-approved through a lender to find out what you can afford, says Hoston. But like all big purchases, it pays to be a comparison shopper. “Get a few different options. Credit unions typically have lower fees than conventional banks,” says Hoston. Once you’ve been pre-approved at one bank, you can take that information to another one to see if they can beat it—either in terms of price or when it comes to your payment schedule.
Then hit the streets—or at least your computer—to start figuring out which neighborhoods match your price range. Sites like Zillow.com and StreetEasy.com are great for getting an idea of average costs, but a savvy real estate agent will clue you in to how close the asking prices are to the actual selling price, says Weston.

If you want a house—now!

Make Smart Money Decisions
Even though home prices are starting to increase, it’s still a great time to be a buyer. “Think about taking advantage of the lowest interest rates and fixing them for a period of at least 10 years, because inevitably they will go back up,” says Hoston. You’ll give yourself some peace of mind knowing that your rates won’t be crazy-big in the future.
And if you need more help with your mortgage payment, you might want to consider buying a multiple unit home that you can rent out. You’ll end up with an investment property and the income from your tenants may cover some—or even all—of your mortgage payments, says Hoston.

Keep Saving
After you sign on the dotted line, make sure you’ll still have enough money left over to actually enjoy your house—not to mention decorating, maintenance, and your mortgage payments. “One rule of thumb is to make sure you save at least 1 percent of the value of the house every year just to go towards maintenance and repairs,” says Weston. And even though you probably won’t use it every year, it’s crucial to have it saved for emergencies.

Splurge On Inspections
It may seem like just another added cost that you don’t feel like paying, but consider the inspection as a necessary part of the buying process. “Some money that I do recommend spending is on the complete inspection report. Don’t hire your cousin Willy to do a walk through on the property,” says Hoston. “This is very good money well spent.” And that includes things like termite and mold reports, which can all lead to even bigger costs down the line.

Don’t Rush It
Just because the time is right for buyers, that doesn’t mean you should grab the first set of house keys you find. “One thing I worry about is people panicking themselves when they’re not ready to make a decision,” says Weston. “My advice is to buy a house when you’re ready, you can afford it, and you’re going to stay put for a while.” Not only do you want to love your new home enough to stay for a few years, but it also takes 3-5 years for the appreciation of a house to offset the costs of moving again. That said, if you find your dream home while the costs are still low, go for it!

photo: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

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If You Need an Excuse to Have Some Wine…

Posted on March 4, 2013 by admin

Whether you have a habit of blasting Beyonce through your headphones or you spent too many nights at noisy clubs in your teens, this health news will be music to your (slightly damaged) ears: Resveratrol (an extract found in red wine) can reduce noise-related hearing loss by about 50 percent, according to a new study in the journal Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery.

In an animal study, researchers gave rats either a placebo or various amounts of resveratrol (43 micrograms, 430 micrograms, or 4300 micrograms) and then exposed them to noise for 24 hours. Though the placebo group and the group with the least amount of resveratrol fared about the same, researchers saw that the other two groups had a significant reduction in noise-induced hearing loss. In fact, it lessened hearing loss by about half!

So will guzzling a few glasses of wine before heading out to a super-loud concert make your ears invincible? Not exactly. The research showed that resveratrol reduced free radicals and bioinflammation (a precursor to many health issues, including hearing loss), which creates a protective effect against the noise, says lead study author Michael Seidman, MD, director of the Division of Otologic/Neurotologic Surgery at the Henry Ford Hospital. Unfortunately, you’d need to drink a lot of wine to see immediate and major protection, says Seidman, and at that point the negative impact (like, say, getting drunk and making yourself sick) outweighs any potential benefits. That being said, a glass or two of red will add a tiny bit of protection in the short-term that a few cups of beer can’t provide. Regardless, be sure to pack a pair of earplugs if you’re heading to a loud concert, since hearing loss is permanent—no matter how much wine you drink.

Something else to consider: Even if you’re not a fan of noise, amping up your resveratrol intake will give you a ton of additional long-term health benefits. Not only will it help keep your hearing intact, but it also limits bioinflammation, which is responsible for Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart attacks, and other health issues.

In addition to drinking more merlot—guilt free—you can also boost your intake of resveratrol with foods like peanuts, grapes, and blueberries. But if you’re sold on the idea of toasting to good hearing, get more wine inspiration, here:

Wine Tips From the Experts

Best Boxed Wines

Wine Tips to Know

Wine Terms to Know

What Wine Experts Drink: The 6 Best Summer Wines

photo: iStockPhoto/Thinkstock

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Drinking Alcohol to Shrink?
6 Steps to Avoid a Hangover
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If You Need an Excuse to Have Some Wine…