Coping with increasing food intolerance
Who hasn’t eaten something that did not agree with them? But when your stomach issues become more frequent and severe, you might have a bigger digestion problem called food intolerance.Food intolerances occur more often as you age, since your digestion naturally becomes slower and your body produces fewer enzymes needed to break down food.“This allows more time for bacteria to... READ MORE
Wedding stories from Jewish Maryland
The year was 1964. Elsbeth Levy was set to marry Bert Bothe in an outdoor wedding in the backyard of a friend’s rowhouse. She had changed into her wedding gown, her guests were waiting, and as she was about to be escorted to the ceremony through the house and out the backdoor, she discovered she couldn’t get into the house — the door was locked.What’s a bride to do? ... READ MORE
A peek at what’s on stage this summer
Area theaters are showcasing a variety of plays this summer — from a play about an unconventional grandmother, to two of the Bard’s most celebrated works.Bowie Community TheatreThe Bowie Community Theatre is bringing folks an eccentric comedy all the way from Los Angeles. Nana’s Naughty Knickers is written by L.A.-based Katherine DiSavino and directed by Jennifer L.... READ MORE
Sublime wine, scenery in central Virginia
The masseuse’s golf balls gently rolling across my back in the dimly-lit spa put me into a Zen-like trance. So did the thick clumps of interrupted ferns carpeting the forest floor as I hiked, while the haunting, flute-like call of the wood thrush wafted through the trees. And a little while later, in a cider taproom, the sparkling hard cider gave me a slight buzz. This is Nelson... READ MORE
Are you sabotaging your investments?
The stock market has raced to record highs this year, but your portfolio may not show it.In some ways, that’s to be expected: A balanced portfolio won’t post the same returns as the Dow Jones industrial average or the Standard & Poor’s 500, nor should it. You would have to be 100 percent invested in stocks to mirror the market’s performance, and that kind of... READ MORE
How to minimize pesticides in your food
You try to eat plenty of fresh produce, but worry about your risk of ingesting pesticides. Most nonorganic crops — and even some organically grown crops — come in contact with pesticides, and may contain traces of pesticidal residue on the surface of, or even inside, the fruit or vegetable. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors domestic and imported foods to ensure that ... READ MORE
Add latest safety technology to your car
Old cars can learn new tricks.For a few hundred dollars, drivers can add new safety technology — like forward collision warning systems or backup cameras — to older cars.Cars are lasting longer than ever, thanks to improving quality. The average U.S. vehicle is now 11.6 years old, according to the consulting firm IHS Markit. But that means millions of car owners are missing out... READ MORE
Doing good helps body and soul
Ever experienced a “helper’s high?”The term was coined by psychologist Allan Luks, who discovered that the act of helping others releases endorphins (feel-good chemicals in our brain) the same way that vigorous exercise or meditation does.Also, as with exercise and medication, Luks concluded that this biochemical reaction from volunteering results in stress relief, which... READ MORE
When you canât budge it
The Trump administration issued a preliminary “skinny” budget proposal a few months ago, followed more recently by its official 2018 budget request to Congress. Of the many draconian cuts the budget would impose, I want to talk about two that would particularly affect older Americans were they to go into effect. These aren’t by any means the largest cuts, or even the cuts that... READ MORE
Can a vegan diet boost your metabolism?
Dietary vegans follow a plant-based diet that excludes all animal products, from meat to eggs to milk to animal-derivatives.Some researchers believe following a low-fat vegan diet may help you lose weight, in part because it helps speed up your metabolism (the rate at which calories are burned). That’s the hypothesis of a study now underway by the nonprofit Physician’s Committee ... READ MORE
