Table of contents for March 2021 in Readers Digest Australia

“YOU SHOULD TAKE IT EASY,” is a common response we all offer to friends and family recovering from an illness or injury. “Don’t try to do too much.” But paying lip service to this advice really doesn’t help anyone. In ‘Re-kindling Convalescence’ (page 86) we look at how recovering from an illness is a stage of being sick, and should be taken seriously. It’s a stage society valued one hundred years ago; a stage where you’re neither sick nor well. You’re ‘repairing’ from the illness and its treatment, but not quite ready to return to the ordinary pace of life and work. With many COVID-19 survivors reporting a long struggle to get back to full recovery, perhaps the value of convalescing may find its way into mainstream thinking once again.…

FOR MANY OF US PETS ARE PART of everyday family life. But more than that, pets can actually aid childhood development by teaching children about responsibility and helping them learn nurturing skills. Research shows children with pets are more positive, have higher selfesteem and demonstrate increased empathy. While all pets offer benefits, dogs in particular have been shown to encourage children to exercise. Veterinarian Dr Katrina Warren shares her expert knowledge about the positive impact pets have on children. PETS CAN ACT AS A FRIEND AND CONFIDANTE Children often call them their ‘best friend’, trusting them with their secrets because pets don’t get cross at them and don’t judge. Pets are loyal, affectionate and can provide a gentle shoulder to cry on, while the simple act of cuddling them can be…

While cranberry juice, in general, is a healthy way to promote bladder and urinary health, drinking a lot can lead to kidney stones in certain people, says urology professor Dr Kethan Badani. Kidney stones are small, hard mineral and salt deposits that form in the kidneys and can cause sharp pain in the abdomen. Consuming cranberry products may not be a safe home remedy for kidney stones because they contain oxalates. If you’re prone to kidney stones, limit salt, drink adequate and appropriate fluids and minimise sugar. Speak to your doctor about substitutes for oxalatecontaining liquids such as apple, orange and cranberry juice.…

• Preheat the oven to 200°C. • Peel and slice a brown onion into 3 mm-thick rings. Arrange on a plate in a single layer, season lightly with salt, brush with olive oil, and microwave on high until onion is very soft and turning golden with some browned spots (about 15 minutes). Repeat with one red onion. • In a small bowl, whisk 140 grams fresh goat's cheese with 1/4 cup milk until smooth. Season with pepper. • Unfold a sheet of defrosted puff pastry on a tray lined with baking paper. • Leaving a onecentimetre border, spread the cheese mixture over the pastry and carefully top with onion rings. • Bake until pastry is puffed and golden and onions are more deeply golden, 20–25 minutes. • Sprinkle with fresh…

Blood clots cause an ischaemic stroke Four out of five strokes are ischaemic; this means they occur when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain. There are two types of blood clot that can cause a stroke: • Cerebral thrombosis: a blood clot that develops in an artery that supplies the brain. • Cerebral embolism: a blood clot that travels from elsewhere in the body to an artery in the brain. People who experience blood clots may have chronic health problems that affect the normal flow of blood such as: ✦ Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) as a result of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or smoking; ✦ Atrial fibrillation or other irregular heart rhythms; or ✦ Heart disease (coronary artery disease, heart failure, heart valve problems).…

Teachers share the funniest things their students have said: * I wrote this on the whiteboard during discussion, “William Shakespeare (1564-1616),” and a student asked me, “Is that Shakespeare’s real phone number?” * I once overheard a student say, “I used to write my name in cursive. Now I just write it in English.” * I commented in class that if your parents have glasses, then you will probably end up having to get glasses, too. One of my students yelled out, “Oh no! My mum has glasses! Oh, wait. I’m adopted!” weareteachers.com…

1 A small 2011 study found that fragranced products cause dryer vents to emit seven compounds that contain hazardous air pollutants and two that are carcinogenic. While nearly all the chemicals found in dryer sheets are recognised as safe by health authorities, researchers say more research is needed to determine any potential health effects. 2 Even products labelled as unscented can contain fragrance chemicals which cause allergic reactions in some people. “Unscented detergents can still contain fragrances to mask chemical smells,” says the David Suzuki Foundation’s green-living expert, Lindsay Coulter. 3 If you want to avoid allergens, make your own detergent. The David Suzuki Foundation recommends using ½ cup of the following mixture per load: two teaspoons of salt, two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda, two tablespoons of liquid Castile…

1 Faulty memories can give self-esteem an artificial leg up. One of my favourite demonstrations comes from a study of university students asked to remember their high school grades. The researchers had the students’ high school transcripts for crosschecking, so there was no reason to lie. The A’s and B’s generally stuck in their memories very well, whereas the D’s and F’s tended to be recalled as slightly higher grades. In other words, what we remember fits by and large with reality, but the details can get skewed in ways that make us feel better about ourselves. 2 They help us recognise our core values. Studies show that liberal-minded people will more readily develop false memories of fictional events that would embarrass conservative political leaders, whereas conservative mindedpeople will more…

1. affable – A: easygoing. B: humourless. C: qualified. 2. filial – A: ornamental. B: of sons and daughters. C: on horseback. 3. edifice – A: steep cliff overlooking water. B: inspiration. C: large building. 4. calcified – A: hardened. B: wasted away. C: completely rusted through. 5. malleable – A: cruel. B: sickly. C: pliable. 6. Gallic – A: British. B: French. C: Roman. 7. allege – A: compare and contrast. B: approach cautiously. C: assert without proof. 8. fallible – A: autumnal. B: fertile. C: imperfect. 9. abide – A: stare or gawk. B: give generously. C: adhere or act in conformity. 10. blackball – A: exclude socially. B: demand money. C: cancel without notice. 11. ebb – A: rise slowly. B: decrease. C: encourage. 12. jackal –…

Trip Down Memory Lane Many thanks for this year’s special Classics Edition (January 2021). With so many articles, heart-warming stories and humorous contributions, spanning more than 90 years, it provided the perfect COVID-19 ‘holiday at home’ read, and a wonderful trip down memory lane. And it was the perfect tribute to this pocket-sized magazine that continues to entertain, amuse and educate readers of all ages, while leaving behind lingering memories and the mighty impact that comes from the joy of reading. JUDITH CAINE Campbell Island’s Own Story ‘Shark Attack!’ (January) was a fascinating story of the rescue of snorkeller Mike Fraser off Campbell Island, which has an interesting history. The isolated island was discovered in January 1810 by Captain Fredrick Hasselburgh, who named it after his employer, Robert Campbell &…

FISH are pretty to watch and young children can help feed them. Guppies are a relatively easy variety to maintain. As goldfish generate more waste, tanks require regular cleaning. RATS (called fancy rats and sold in pet stores) make good pets for kids if they have been handraised. They are social animals, so ideally keep a pair. Their life span is about three years. GUINEA PIGS are good for older children who will handle them gently. They should also be kept in pairs and have specific dietary requirements. Their lifespan is five to seven years.…

These gut-friendly bacteria restore the bacterial populations in your body – and that can heal a surprising number of ailments, according to probiotic expert Dr Tsippora Shainhouse. Probiotics are live micro-organisms that are found in yoghurt, fermented foods, aged cheeses and supplements. YOU’RE GASSY If you often find yourself bloating after meals or eating certain foods, you may want to consider a bifidobacteria probiotic. “Bifidobacteria may also help improve glucose tolerance and hyperglycaemia and could also reduce the uncomfortable symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as bloating or slow motility,” says Dr Shainhouse. YOU CAN’T HANDLE DAIRY Some people don’t produce enough of the enzyme lactase in the digestive tract, which is where a probiotic containing Streptococcus thermophilus might help. “It produces the lactase in the gut,” says Dr Shainhouse,…

The toilers of Twitter were quick to transition to new office spaces. My cat is my favourite colleague and the hanging plant in the corner is my least favourite. @ALLIEHAYES Imagine being a spy right now, stuck at home trying to convince your family you have a normal job. @_BILLIEBELIEVES Now that my boyfriend is working from home, I’ve asked that we liven things up by pretending we’re having an office affair. @FERNBRADY Zoom meetings are basically modern séances. “Elizabeth, are you here?” “Is anyone else with you?” “We can’t see you.” “Can you hear us?” @MCCLELLANDSHANE My boss just called me and told me I’ve been spending too much time on Twitter. Hold on, he’s saying something else now. @DANMENTOS Please quit telling me to “keep up the good…

Nothing comes easily to me. I’m a mathematician, but I didn’t show much aptitude for maths until I was 30. In high school, I had no idea why I had to turn a fraction upside down when I wanted to divide by it, or why, when I wrote a square root sign over a negative number, the number suddenly became ‘imaginary’ (especially when I could see the number was still there). At university, I almost failed my first calculus course. Fortunately, I was saved by the bell curve, which brought my original mark up to a C minus. I often wish I was more like my scientific heroes, who seemingly could solve intractable problems in a blinding flash of inspiration. Now that I teach maths at university and publish books…

I love it when people use the phrase ‘colour scheme’, because it sounds so sneaky. “OK, we’re going to make this room look great, and here’s how we’re going to do it: blue, grey, beige, shhh! Somebody’s coming, don’t talk about colours!” DEMETRI MARTIN, COMEDIAN I’m in the process of transforming our home into a relaxing and timeless retreat and my husband keeps trying to ruin it with his “input” because he “lives here too”. SARA BUCKLEY Literally everyone on those reality TV shows that help people find their dream house: “We’re looking for a lot of space for us and our 49 kids. Need a six-acre beachfront backyard for entertainment. And a moat full of printer ink, Hogwarts, Gordon Ramsay on call as the pastry chef, and a man…

I am not an ornithologist; I am not a specialist of any kind and have not really been trained for any of the pursuits I have followed during my life. Indeed, my mother argued that I was not even house trained. At university I studied history – an excellent mind-trainer – but I did not pursue it. Somewhere I read that ‘An eagle may soar, but a weasel is seldom sucked into jet engine.’ I have not soared in any particular field, I have remained a generalist, eschewing the specialist training so beloved of the modern era. I am an interested naturalist. A strong fascination with both science and art had completed matters. The discipline of science can inhibit creativity, whereas the creativity of art can be the impediment to…

My Friend the Mouse The hilarious and touching story of a determined small boy who makes friends with a wild mouse, to the horror of his well-meaning parents. This classic tale is an excursion into the meaning of love and loyalty and will stay with you forever. You’re Wrong About Digging up the past and then casting it in a new light, journalists Michael Hobbes and Sarah Marshall examine media controversies that have been misunderstood in the public imagination. Subjects include Princess Diana, the O.J. Simpson trial, and plenty of digressions into other topics. Happy Place Fearne Cotton, author of the best-selling book Happy, shares her personal experiences and offers practical tips on navigating stress. She also chats to interesting and well-known people on how they work through feeling blue…

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HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE BOOSTS MEMORY… When it comes to improving memory, an old adage may be true: no pain, no gain. In a Canadian study, 64 sedentary adults between the ages of 60 and 88 were divided into three groups. One group did four sets of high-intensity interval exercise, alternating between walking fast for four minutes and at a leisurely pace for three minutes. A second group simply walked at a medium intensity for about 45 minutes, and the third did stretches. After doing their routines three times a week for 12 weeks, the high-intensity group improved its performance on a memory test by up to 30 per cent; the medium-intensity and stretch groups didn’t improve at all. However, both the high- and medium-intensity groups did better on tests measuring reaction…

Although I have been grown and cultivated for at least 7000 years, my origins are sketchy, as my wilder self is extinct. Traces of me have been recovered from Bronze Age settlements in China, while the Egyptians revered my bulbous shape and viewed my concentric rings as symbols of eternal life. In first-century Pompeii, I was used medicinally by the Romans to aid sleep and improve eye ailments, to heal minor complaints such as toothache and dog bites, as well as for serious maladies such as backache and dysentery. And when European settlers migrated to North America, I was one of the first crops they planted – only to later discover I was already readily available and widely used in Native American gastronomy. Today I play key roles in stocks,…

THE STROKE Patricia describes the moment the stroke struck, while bathing her daughter Tessa and pregnant with her fifth child in 1965. “I soaped the cloth and began rubbing her shoulders,” she writes in As I Am: An Autobiography. “It was a special moment with my daughter. A pain shot through my head. Maybe I overdid it today, I thought, I shouldn’t be bending. I stood up.” As the pain grew more intense Patricia began seeing things and remembers Roald asking her, “What sort of things?” She couldn’t tell him; she had forgotten. “I suffered three strokes altogether. One at home and two in the hospital. The third was the one that did me in. No one believed I would make it. A team of doctors conducted an operation that…

My mother-in-law, Georgii, loves to spoil her grandchildren. Until recently, I’ve always cherished this aspect of her personality. The indulgences she offers our three sons aren’t excessive: home-baked treats or some extra screen time. She gives our kids a reprieve from the stricter limits that my wife, Lynn, and I impose upon them, which was part of what made visiting Oma so special. Then she moved in. It’s been five years since we consolidated our two households into one, with Lynn bringing her parents – Georgii and John – into our home. In theory, the move was a winwin-win. Georgii and John would live far more affordably than at any seniors’ residence. Lynn and I, both with busy careers, would get oddhours care for the kids. And the boys would…

Whether you’re close to home or far away, it’s always a little nerve-wracking to drive in a big city. Navigating the sea of cars, one-way streets and traffic lights can be stressful, even if you’re a seasoned city driver. Take Paris, for instance. The City of Lights is famous for its chaotic roads, including the Champs-Elysees, a massive eightlane thoroughfare without a median strip, and the Étoile, or star, an enormous roundabout circling the Arc de Triomphe that connects no fewer than 12 separate roads. Even cruising on the River Seine can be chaotic. You’d think stop signs would be a necessity – and yet the city doesn’t have a single one. In Paris, cars don’t come to a full stop at any intersection without a traffic light. Cars on…

I have been a scoundrel all my life. Selfish, cruel at times, hard to work with. I’m grateful that so many have given me a second chance. That’s when we’re at our best – when we support each other. Not when we cancel each other out for our past mistakes, but when we help each other grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other to redemption.JOAQUIN PHOENIX, ACTOR THERE ARE YEARS THAT ASK QUESTIONS AND YEARS THAT ANSWER.ZORA NEALE HURSTON, AUTHOR If you’re grateful for what you have and you focus on the positives, it has tremendous benefits for heart health, mental health and reducing stress.DANIEL LEVITIN, NEUROSCIENTIST Some of these very large tech companies are simply too big … with billions and billions of users, you…

1. What is the longest living mammal? 1 point 2.Which of the following items would you not need to complete a modern pentathlon: a horse, a bicycle, a sword, a pistol, a swimsuit? 2 points 3. Barack Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, studied and worked in what academic field? 2 points 4. How long is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights? 1 point 5. Roughly what fraction of the world’s population caught the infamous 1918 flu? 1 point 6.Winter is caused when the Earth is furthest from the sun. True or false? 1 point 7. In 2020, a British man was sentenced to four years in prison for trying to steal what national relic? 2 points 8.March 17 is observed as St Patrick’s Day in some countries, commemorating Ireland’s patron…