Health Tips Line

Like most health-conscious people, I’m absolutely obsessive about applying sunscreen before spending a day in the sun. But when I’m dashing out to walk my dog or run to the store, I have to admit I can be a bit haphazard about coverage. I’ll swipe a high-SPF on my face and then quickly spray my arms and legs, just hoping I covered my bases. And I know I’m not the only one. But when we speed-slather, are we botching our coverage? It’s crucial to make sure we’re doing SPF right, because “daily, consistent sunscreen use has been shown to reduce the risk of melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma,” says Tiffany J. Libby, MD, director of Mohs Micrographic and Dermatologic Surgery at Brown Dermatology in Providence, Rhode Island. “It’s also the No. 1 anti-aging intervention, as up to 80% to 90% of visible skin aging is driven by UV exposure.” But sunscreen does the job only if you apply it thoroughly, adds Joshua Zeichner, MD, as...

As a former New Yorker and the mom of two sticky little kids, I own lots of black clothing. It’s amazing at hiding stains, and it makes me feel chic without trying too hard. But there’s one problem I can’t seem to shake: I’m constantly replacing my black clothes due to premature fading. What else can I do? A faded little black dress doesn’t exactly scream glamour—instead of chic, I just look dingy. Well, it turns out that there’s one big mistake I’ve been making when it comes to black clothing, and there’s a good chance you’re doing it too. I spoke with Steve Collins, a third-generation dry cleaner at Sig Samuels Dry Cleaners in Atlanta, to learn the ins and outs of black fabric care. Interested? Read on to find out how to keep your black shirts, pants and dresses fade-free and fresh. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more cleaning, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week long. What...

I recently traveled to Switzerland to go to the sky-high wellness mecca Bürgenstock Resort Lake Lucerne. As the funicular whisked me up the steep mountainside, breaks in the trees revealed spring-green hills and moody blue water thousands of feet below—but, tragically, I was missing it all because I was frantically trying to check a work-related email that wouldn’t load. Finally, I looked up in frustration and saw the surreal scenery passing me by. What was I even doing? Here I was in an alpine paradise, on my way to a wellness spa, and I was stressing myself out over something trivial that most definitely could wait. I switched my phone to do-not-disturb mode and kept it that way for the rest of the trip. I’m hardly alone in feeling the stress of constant connectivity, especially when it comes to work and that slippery habit that conditions us to respond, Pavlovian-style, to every ding, buzz and vibration from all of our different devices. According to the 202...

The thermometer read 80 degrees in New York last month when I headed to Newark International Airport. But inside the airport I was met with air so cool I topped my T-shirt with a sweater … then a denim jacket … and then the scarf I always bring in my carry-on bag . Sound familiar? Airports often seem to border walk-in meat-cooler territory, and there’s a lot of speculation out there as to why. But what’s the real reason, and why does it seem so hard to get right? Ken Warren, a mechanical professional engineer and assistant director of aviation facilities and infrastructure at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport , knows firsthand the difficulties of managing passenger comfort: “Being a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) engineer for an airport requires you to understand the type of space you’re looking at, the situations you need to apply HVAC techniques to in order to provide the best air quality and the best delivery for the public...

There are few things more humbling than losing a french fry to a bird. I mean, picture it. One second, you’re living your best summer life: toes in the sand, SPF applied like you’re a responsible adult, paper carton of boardwalk fries carefully balanced in your lap. The next, a seagull swoops in with the confidence of a tiny, winged criminal and makes off with your snack like it paid $14.99 for those fries itself. I wish I could say I would handle this gracefully. I would not. I would gasp. I would point. I would probably screech, “Excuse me?!” to a bird. But apparently, science has found a way to help us protect our beach snacks from avian beggars, and it is so deeply silly that I almost can’t believe it works. But it’s true: Researchers studying herring gulls found a trick that can make some birds slower to approach and less likely to peck. In other words, the beach bully circling your chips may be easier to deter than you’d think. And whil...

Grandma and Uncle Joe aren’t the only guests receiving wedding invitations these days. There’s a growing trend on social media where couples have started mailing invites for their big day to their favorite brands just for fun—and surprisingly, some have actually reached back out! While there’s no guarantee every business will respond, of course, enough couples have had success to warrant giving this a try. And whether it’s a handwritten congratulatory note or some cool swag from the company, that little gesture can go a long way to making a couple’s celebration even more special. Some of the most talked-about companies that have done this, according to @themakeshiftproject on Instagram? In-N-Out Burger, which has reportedly sent couples meal vouchers, T-shirts and other branded goodies, and Starbucks, where newlyweds say they’ve received mugs, coffee beans and gift cards. Meanwhile, Star Wars fans have also tried their luck with production c...