Blog Posts by Reader s Digest Magazine

By Meaghan Cameron

We asked our Facebook mothers to share the best advice they have received from their mothers.

1. Be kind to everyone. You never know what's really going on in someone's life. -- Mary Morgan

2. Dear child, when u grow up, remember not to give everything to a guy. -- Nadia El Ghani

PLUS: 20 Secrets Your Waiter Won't Tell You

3. I have never heard one person say that life was easy. -- Chris Taylor

© Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Thinkstock4. Never become complacent in anything in life, whether it be driving, work, or relationships, you have to pay attention, and strive toward perfection. -- Elizabeth Wysocki Landino

5. If a man or woman is down you give them your hand. -- Shanesh Ranchhod

PLUS: 13 Things Your Shoe Salesman Won't Tell You

6. Do what you can, for who you can, with what you have, and where you are. -- Uma Maheswari

7. Never pass up an opportunity to use the restroom. -- Lisa Denton Riley

8. Always wear comfortable shoes. -- Lisa Denton Riley

PLUS: 15 Mother's Day Gifts Under $50

9. Friends

Discover what the science of good nutrition has to say about your sex drive.

Essentials for a Healthy Sex Life
Some people vouch for the effect of foods on their sex drive, but extravagant claims for aphrodisiacs are not borne out by scientific studies. While sexual function may be our physical response to a cascade of hormones, sexual drive is basically maintained by an active mind in a healthy body.

1. A healthy sex life depends on good nutrition. Good nerve function, healthy hormone levels, and an unobstructed blood flow to the pelvic area are essential to sexual performance. To keep these systems in working order, a diet should be based on legumes, grain products, and other complex carbohydrates, with plenty of fruits and vegetables and modest levels of protein; this diet provides plenty of vitamins and minerals. Particularly important are citrus fruits for vitamin C to strengthen blood vessel walls, and low-fat dairy products, enriched or fortified cereals, whole grains, and

By Meaghan Cameron

These common Spanish words show up on most Mexican menus. Be prepared with this cheat sheet for your Cinco de Mayo fiesta!

PLUS: What is Cinco de Mayo?

1. Molé (moh-ley ) A sauce. The traditional molé includes many different spices and chocolate

© iStockphoto/Thinkstock2. Guacamole (gwah-kuh-moh-lee):This well-known mashed up preparation of avocado literally means avocado sauce.

3. Salsa verde (sahl-sah verr'-day): Green sauce. Salsa, the dance, could have gotten it's name because it was a blend of styles like the sauce.

4. Pico de gallo (pee-co de guy-o): A fresh salsa made with tomatoes, onions, chiles, and spices. This literally translates as "beak of the rooster."

5. Enchilada (en-chuh-lah-duh): A tortilla rolled and filled with a seasoned mixture, usually containing meat, and covered with a sauce flavored with chili. Origin: enchilado or spiced with chili.

PLUS: 10 Easy Mexican Appetizers for Your Party

6. Tamales (tuh-mah-lee): Meat, cornmeal (masa) wrapped in corn husks. Note:

Interviews by Michelle Crouch

Financial consultants share some of the secrets of the trade.

1. Certified financial planners and NAPFA-registered financial advisers take a pledge to put their clients' interests ahead of their own, but traditional stockbrokers aren't held to the same standard, even if they've given themselves the title "financial adviser."

© George Doyle/Stockbyte/Thinkstock2. Do some digging before you hand me the keys to your future. Use BrokerCheck at finra.org to see if I've been in trouble.

PLUS: 13 Things Your Hotel Desk Clerk Won't Tell You

3. If I work on commission, I typically make money whenever you buy a new product, and I've probably got monthly quotas to meet. That's why I always seem to call with something to purchase at the end of the month.

4. I may have other incentives to get you to buy. If I sell to enough people, I could win a trip to the Caribbean, a new laptop, or a big bonus. (The guys behind the product may also have bought my dinner at Morton's last week and sponsored our

By Patricia Curtis

Update your first-aid kit and learn which common treatments can be dangerous to use in an emergency.

Today, Ann LaBelle admits that it was a stupid thing to do. But when she jumped off her boyfriend's motorcycle and burned her inner leg on the tailpipe, she didn't know how to treat the injury. "It burned a hole right through my jeans, about the size of a fifty-cent piece." Her boyfriend's mother suggested she clean the area and put butter on it. For the next several days, LaBelle repeated the process. "It kept getting redder and redder, and it really hurt." Two weeks later, when the burn wasn't healing, and she developed a 104 degree fever, LaBelle went to the hospital. There she was given antibiotics to fight the infection. But they didn't help. About a month later, she underwent surgery to close up the wound.

ComstockCompleteLaBelle made an all-too-common mistake -- she relied on an old wives' tale. First-aid treatment has evolved, and many of our mothers' remedies are no longer

Who doesn't want a little advice about saving time, saving money, and avoiding unpleasantness on the crosstown bus?

Here's a selection of the 1,000 highly opinionated, highly idiosyncratic guidelines in Rules of Thumb: A Life Manual-Brilliant Guestimates, Shortcuts, and a Few Shots in the Dark by Tom Parker (Workman, $8.95):

1. To measure water for cooking rice rest the tip of your index finger on top of the rice and add enough water to reach the first visible joint. This works for any size pot.

Amazon.com2. For every day you spend in the hospital, plan on one week to recuperate.

PLUS: 15 Secrets the ER Staff Won't Tell You

3. To avoid lunatics on city buses, sit in the middle. The friendly lunatics sit as close to the driver as they can, and the unfriendly ones sit as far away as they can.

4. All putts break toward the water, even on greens that appear perfectly flat. That's because all greens are contoured for drainage.

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

5. An extension

By Pamela F. Gallin, MD

What you need to ask the doctor when every moment counts.

Print: 10 Questions That Could Save Your Life
Bring this list of key questions to your next doctor's appointment. Also, read the companion article, Questions You Must Ask Your Doctor.

Ten minutes: That's often all the time you have with your doctor. Whether you're seeing an internist, pediatrician or specialist, during that brief period the physician needs to listen to your complaints, make an assessment and clearly explain a recommended treatment.

© 2009 Jupiterimages CorporationTo make the most of your time, even in the ER, you have to be prepared. By asking the right questions, you can direct the doctor's decision making. Your MD is morally obligated to address your concerns honestly and directly. That might mean running an extra test, taking a second look or even getting another, more senior opinion on your symptoms or treatment.

PLUS: 15 Secrets the ER Staff Won't Tell You

In my career as a surgeon, I have found there are

By Meaghan Cameron

We asked an expert to share his best tips for ordering wine at dinner.

On a tree-filled road in bucolic Chappaqua, New York resides a white mansion housing a goldmine of wine. With 7,000 selections and more than 70,000 bottles, Glenn Vogt, partner and wine director of the award-winning Crabtree's Kittle House has his work cut out for him when suggesting wines for diners. Here are 7 great tips for ordering well.

1. Remember that the quality of wine depends predominately on the commitment of the restaurant to providing good wine.
"Value doesn't mean cheap or inexpensive. It's a relative term that means what you are getting is worth the money you are paying," says Vogt. "If a wine isn't any good to begin with then there is no price that could make it a good value." How can you gauge a restaurant's commitment?

• For starters, look for experienced servers who are knowledgeable about the food and wine.
• Examine the glassware. Good quality glasses appropriate for the