Blog Posts by Reader s Digest Magazine

From The 7 Stages of Marriage

Decide if you've got a problem or just a difference. If an issue isn't threatening your health, safety, or financial security, doesn't work against your shared vision for your marriage, and doesn't put an unfair burden on you, then it may simply be a sign that the two of you are two different people. Perhaps you're an extrovert and love parties, while your partner's introvert personality makes him or her crave quiet nights at home. Perhaps you're great at starting projects, while your partner's terrific at sticking with it until every last detail is finished. Or maybe one of you is a morning person, the other a night owl. In that case, the solution is acceptance, not trying to change your partner. Look for the ways that your differences are marriage-strengthening assets.

1. Pick the right time. Problem solving is least likely to work when you're tired, hungry, overloaded, stressed, distracted, or trying to do something else at the same time, such as making

Read More »from 10 Tips to Avoid a Fight

By Dr. Paul Nussbaum

Want to enjoy lifelong brain health? The following behaviors are pulled from existing research on aging from the biological, psychological, social, and gerontological sciences.

It is important to recall that our brain does not operate in isolation from the rest of the body. Rather, the human body operates as a symphony, producing a behavioral harmony of life. The heart has a particularly important relationship with the brain with nearly 25% of the oxygen and blood from every heartbeat designated for the brain. Accordingly, some of the lifestyle behaviors proposed for brain health have similar benefit for the cardiovascular system.

© Jupiterimages/Creatas/Thinkstock1. Engage Yourself in the Complex and Novel

Learning new information and skills across your entire lifespan helps to keep your brain strong even in the later years of life. Activities that have the highest value for brain health are those that are novel and complex to each particular person. What is easy for one person may be

Read More »from Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Brain

By Nick McSpadden

Interested in buying an iPad, but worried about hidden costs, warranty issues, and functionality? Our expert offers 6 insights to help you make a smart purchase.

With all of the latest buzz spreading about the Apple iPad, it's no surprise people are trying to get their hands on it. Despite the cool features the iPad touts, questions about its functionality and purpose still linger: What does the Apple warranty cover? Can I use this just like a laptop computer? What should I know about the iPad's Internet capabilities, and how much does it really cost?

1. Is Microsoft Office available for the iPad and how much is it?

There is currently no Microsoft Office package available for the iPad. The closest you can get is the iWorks package (comprised of the apps Keynote, Pages and Numbers - $10 per app), which has the ability to create, edit and save Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations (for Office 2003 and 2007 formats, as well as Office 2004

Read More »from 6 Things You Should Know Before Buying an iPad

By Sally Koslow

Imagine two people of equal skill applying for a job. Would you pick the person who is less confident? Ever? Quite simply, a positive sense of self can transform your life.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter, PhD, author of the bestselling book Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End, has honed the definition down to its essence:

"Confidence is the expectation of a positive outcome," says Kanter. A professor at Harvard Business School, Kanter helps translate textbook concepts about success and attitude into practical results. "The fact is," she says, "confidence makes you willing to try harder and attracts the kind of support from others that makes 'winning' possible."

© 2009 Jupiterimages CorporationIn marriage, it makes you more capable of hearing the feelings and criticisms your partner really needs you to hear. In the business world, confidence bridges the chasm between the person who'll ask for and receive a raise, and the employee who accepts the status quo; between the salesperson

Read More »from 6 Surprising Secrets to Unshakeable Confidence

From Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

This good-for-you item does more than brew up a good beverage. See what else tea is capable of!

Cool sunburned skin
What can you do when you forget to use sunscreen and have to pay the price with a painful burn? A few wet tea bags applied to the affected skin will take out the sting. This works well for other types of minor burns (i.e., from a teapot or steam iron) too. If the sunburn is too widespread to treat this way, put some tea bags in your bathwater and soak your whole body in the tub.

Relieve your tired eyes
Revitalize tired, achy, or puffy eyes. Soak two tea bags in warm water and place them over your closed eyes for 20 minutes. The tannins in the tea act to reduce puffiness and soothe tired eyes.

PLUS: 20 Secrets Your Waiter Won't Tell You

Reduce razor burn
Ouch! Why didn't you remember to replace that razor blade before you started to shave? To soothe razor burn and relieve painful nicks and cuts, apply a wet tea bag to the

Read More »from 12 Ways to Use Tea for Beauty and Healing

By Cynthia Dermody

Thanks to pop culture icons, American women think that having a body like five-nine, 119-pound Heidi Klum's is the answer to a sizzling and sexy relationship. When Reader's Digest asked women when they feel sexiest, they said it was when they weighed less than they do now. In fact, 80 percent said that losing weight would improve their sex life (among women who consider themselves obese, it jumps to 95 percent). Men showed insecurities too. A whopping 70 percent think a slimmer waistline would lead to better sex, and 42 percent said they would go shirtless only in front of their partner.
ComstockCompleteBut here's the big disconnect: Despite idealized images, guys really don't expect (or even want) their wives or girlfriends to be supermodel thin. And women aren't looking for Brad Pitt in their beds. Yes, overweight people are having good sex. They know what researchers and scientists are beginning to uncover: A great sexual experience comes mostly from our minds, not from

Read More »from The 'Perfect Body' Myth

By Robin Gerber

A grandmother wants the right to see her grandson. The mother says no. Who wins?

All Cindy Flynn wanted was to spend time with her grandson. But the baby's mother, Alice Henkel, saw things differently. The focus of their battle was Alice's young son, Elias, born in May 2003. Alice wasn't married to Elias's father, Cindy's son Cory, who was serving time in an Illinois state prison for the second time on a drug-related charge. Alice and her newborn had moved into her mother's home.

Goodshoot Image / JupiterimagesBefore her grandson's birth, Cindy had sent items for the baby to Alice and tried to contact her, but Alice never responded. When Cindy heard about Elias's birth, she sent Alice a card. A month went by before Cindy got a call from Alice's mom, inviting her over to see the baby. After that, Cindy and her husband, Mike, began visiting Elias once a week.

PLUS: 13 Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You

Alice wasn't happy about the arrangement. She claimed to find Cindy very Read More »from You Be the Judge: The Case of Grandma's Visits

By Michael F. Roizen, MD, and Mehmet C. Oz, MD

An insider's guide to getting the best medical treatment.

To be a smart patient, you can't be passive; you need to be a first-rate Sherlock Holmes. Like Holmes, smart patients ask intelligent questions and have the instincts (and guts) to politely challenge things they don't understand. They don't need to know the most esoteric medical details, but they need to put at least as much effort into finding out the basics about their health as they did in getting the driving directions to our office. Ultimately, you are the person most responsible for the success of your health. Here, what great doctors know that great patients can learn.

PLUS: 8 Old Wives' Tales: Which Should You Believe?

© Stockbyte/Thinkstock1. Get your stories straight. Bring your spouse or partner to your doctor's appointment when you're giving your health history or describing a problem; there are a lot of questions that only a partner can answer (such as how many times an hour you stop

Read More »from 6 Secrets of Getting Better Doctor Care