Health Tips Line

Even in Alabama, late March is early in the year for fishing, but this was 31-year-old Caleb Bennett’s third outing of the season. It was midmorning on Good Friday, March 29, 2024, when he loaded his 10-foot kayak into his pickup and drove, fittingly enough, to where Easter Ferry Road crosses the Elk River, about 25 minutes from his home in Athens, Alabama. His was the only vehicle parked at the out-of-the-way boat launch, a simple clearing surrounded by empty woods. From the concrete boat ramp jutting out of the steep riverbank downstream from the parking area, it was a clear view 100 feet upstream to the bridge over the river. Bennett had the day off work from his job as a warehouse manager and distribution dispatcher for an industrial supply company. His plan was to cruise upstream past the bridge until he found a creek mouth, fish it for bass, catfish or crappie for a couple of hours, then hurry home to catch his 4-year-old daughter’s T-ball game that afternoon. The wate...

If you get freaked out imagining what’s lurking in the water when you swim, you may want to sit down before reading this: A dangerous “flesh-eating” bacteria is on the rise in waterways along the East Coast— just in time for summer . It is a growing menace in marine waters from the Gulf Coast all the way to the Hamptons and south of Boston. What exactly is this troublemaker—and just how much of a risk is it? To get the story on this new health scare, I reached out to two marine ecology experts and one infectious disease doctor. Read on to find out how this microbe can harm your health, what to watch out for and whether it’s still safe to swim this summer. (Fingers crossed!) Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more news, travel, tech, cleaning, humor and fun facts all week long. What bacterium is washing up on U.S. shores? The bad-news bug is Vibrio vulnificus , a bacterium that causes life-threatening skin and gastr...

If you’ve ever been near a racetrack on race day, you already know that horse racing isn’t just about horses running in circles. It’s a whole vibe—the sharp sound of hooves hitting dirt, the heated conversations about which horse is going to win and the strategies that could help you win big. And somewhere in that mix of speed, community and tradition sits a long history of horse racing facts that most people never hear about. Even if you’ve only caught the sport on TV or in passing, there’s a good chance you’ve underestimated how deep horse racing really goes. From royal roots and record-breaking finishes to massive prize money and split-second photo finishes, there’s a lot that makes the Kentucky Derby and the other big races so popular. Read on for some fascinating facts about horse racing that trace its history and show why race day continues to draw crowds around the world. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up...

My partner travels a ton and can sleep pretty much anytime, anywhere. But me? Not so much. Even though I love traveling and take several cross-country and international flights a year, I am terrible at sleeping on planes. On overnight flights to Scotland and Italy, when I really had to sleep, I managed to doze for a grand total of about 30 minutes both times. And I know I’m not alone. We’d all love to unlock the secret to sleeping soundly on planes—those small seats are a far cry from our comfy beds!—and a recent travel hack that’s gone viral on TikTok promises to do exactly that. There’s just one problem: Experts say it’s not safe (plus, it’s also kind of rude). We spoke to a former flight attendant, a sleep expert and a vascular physician to explain why they don’t think this is a tip you should try. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more travel, cleaning, humor, tech and fun facts all week lo...

Booking a trip in 2026 means watching your inbox fill up with a strange mix of receipts, hotel reminders, password resets and at least one email vaguely insisting something is wrong. That last one might not actually be from the hotel. A new report from cybersecurity company McAfee found that fake booking confirmations and travel updates are among the travel scams Americans say they’re most likely to fall for ahead of summer vacation season . The messages can look surprisingly real, sometimes copying the exact logos and layouts of airlines, hotels and booking sites. Common examples include: A “your reservation needs verification” email A text claiming your flight time or gate just changed A hotel notice saying your payment failed A warning that your booking will be canceled in minutes if you don’t “act now” The goal is simple. Panic the traveler just enough to make them click first and think later. According to the report, 38% of travelers say they...

Barry Williams was 14 when The Brady Bunch turned him into everyone’s big brother, a job that came with bell-bottoms and the very analog version of going viral. “We went from being who we were in our lives and then doing something that we all enjoyed doing, but was professional and focused and concentrated, and then went out into public,” the ’70s teen idol told Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan on the May 20 episode of The Magnificent Others . “And our lives were changed dramatically by that, because that’s a very profound experience to assimilate with growing up and being a teenager.” At its peak, The Brady Bunch was pulling up to 45 million viewers a week, which is the kind of number that makes today’s streaming charts blink twice. Netflix’s No. 1 global show last week, The Roast of Kevin Hart , drew 13.5 million views. Different era, different metric—but still. Williams and the rest of the Brady clan had blockbuster...

As spring sunlight stretches across alpine ridgelines and coastal trails alike, America’s outdoor season is shifting into high gear. Hikers are dusting off trekking poles, paddlers are returning to winding rivers and national parks are once again filling with travelers eager for fresh air and long trail days. But according to a new report from mountain apparel company Kühl, the best adventure destinations aren’t always the states with the biggest mountains or the most famous wilderness areas. Instead, accessibility, trail density and year-round usability are reshaping what it means to be an outdoor haven in 2026. The rankings reveal a few surprising standouts—including a tiny Northeastern state typically not associated with the outdoors outranking more famous adventure destinations like Colorado. As a full-time travel writer and guidebook author who’s had the pleasure of visiting all 50 states at least once, I’m happy to share these report results wi...