Sub-titled 'How Friendship, Optimism and Kindness Can Help You Live to 100', this research-driven book proves how strong social networks will help us live to a great age. Science journalist Marta Zeraska has sifted through countless scientific papers and interviewed dozens of experts in the fields of molecular biochemistry, epidemiology and neuroscience. What she discovered shattered her long-held beliefs about ageing and longevity. A strong support network of family and friends lowers mortality risk by about 45%, while exercise only lowers it by about 23%. Volunteering in your free time lowers it by 22% while certain health fads like turmeric haven't been shown to help at all. In addition to healthy nutrition and physical activity, deepening friendships, practising empathy and contemplating your purpose in life can improve your lifespan. Through 11 chapters Zeraska takes us around the world, from catching wild mice in the woods of Oxfordshire to flower arranging with octogenarians in Japan, from laboratories to 'hugging centres'. She looks at immortal animals, zombie-killing pills, mortgage worries, why feeling all alone may shorten your life, attachment and social grooming, random kindness and superheroes and how meditation and mindfulness boost health. 294pp in large softback.

Sleep is something of a mystery and we feel instinctively that it does our minds and bodies profound good. Generally the brain seems to use the hours of sleep to sort and analyse new knowledge, solve problems and make strategies, and we are primed to ensure that we get sleep when we need it. The effect of melatonin is not just to send us to sleep at regular intervals, but also to align our body clocks with the onset of night time. The good news is that sleep problems are treatable, and it may not be a question of taking medication. Many of the book's 50 strategies involve 'visualisations' and are drawn from three psychotherapeutic techniques. They are emotional brain training, cognitive behavioural therapy, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, which can be successfully used in conjunction with each other. We go through the sleep cycle four to six times a night - light, real, deep, restorative and REM sleep. Ensure your bedroom is conducive to sleep, you have a restful evening and avoid excessive alcohol or heavy foods which might end up disturbing your night. With a bit of dark time your body will learn to take the hint and make you sleepy before you go to bed. Breathing, tensing and relaxing muscle groups, loosen and relaxing your body, you will mentally prime your muscles to relax and enjoy the sensation of release. Clean sheets, getting up with the rooster, enchanted forests, skywriting, floating bed, pillow talk, mastering your dreams, here are checklists, positive thoughts, pain relief, and this book is the perfect size to keep on your bedside table and give you a helping hand to drift off. 160 beautifully designed pages, colour photos and decorations.

In the past 50 years the likelihood of surviving to the age of 70 and beyond has almost doubled. Thanks to the many discoveries that scientists have made about the ageing process, the chances of leading a full, healthy, enjoyable life are higher than ever. This big special Reader's Digest publication is packed with insight to boost your chances of a longer and happier life. Keep moving, don't worry be happy, watch your waistline, keep old friends and make new ones, adore the outdoors, eat more plants, take up Spanish or the tango, carry on loving, drink when you're not thirsty, look to your roses, look after your teeth, keep a pet, dress as you please, do as you will, have regular medical check-ups to help you combat and mitigate problems. Eleanor Roosevelt once said 'Beautiful young people are accidents of nature; beautiful old people are works of art.' Look after your bones, joints and muscles, your shape and size, heart and lungs, liver and kidneys, hair and skin and your voice and form new brain cells with that plenty of spare brain capacity. The book also looks at how to safeguard your heart and other major enemies including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, strategies to improve your memory, stay mentally active and simple and effective movements that build muscle, keep your joints supple and help relieve pain. Plus how to enjoy good food and drink without putting on extra weight, this is an invaluable guide to enjoy the many advantages of growing older. A big picture reference book, 328pp, colour photos and exercise sequences and a quiz to take on how healthy you are.

Some people with chronic pain get overwhelmed by it and give up many of the activities that had given their life meaning. Others keep fighting a battle they continually lose, a never-ending cycle of excessive activity that causes pain to flare up followed by lots of rest and recovery, and getting demoralised by these recurrent defeats. This inspired the creation of this special huge Reader's Digest handbook. The authors have scrutinised countless studies and interviewed dozens of pain management experts to find the approaches that have given millions of people the strategies to do the things they once loved again. You will learn for example how your attitude towards pain can substantially relieve not only the hurt but also the suffering, how even short term use of combinations of drugs such as non-prescription ibuprofen and an anti-depressant can bring improved pain relief and how a low-level electrical charge can reset nerves that are still sending pain signals long after the initial injury has healed. And you may be surprised how much the little things you do for yourself from applying ice, soaking in Epsom salts, listening to your favourite music, laughing, eating chocolate, having a cup of tea or doing laps at the pool can reduce your pain and boost your energy. The experts cover six steps to taking charge of aches and pains and sidestepping your pain triggers before looking in more detail at back, neck and shoulders, cancer pain, face and mouth pain, gastrointestinal, head, joint, leg and foot, nerve, pelvic, skin pains, carpal tunnel syndrome, hand osteoarthritis, TMD, and helping you manage your pain with a self-care contract, pain diary, exercise record, medication and management log and stress diary. Mix and match to find a formula that suits you. A final section looks at exercises with step-by-step photographic sequences for specific parts of the body. 352 huge pages, packed with colour illus. and nice design and layout and published by the trusted Reader's Digest Association (Australia).

This useful self-help book demystifies the condition of Anxiety by explaining its different forms, suggesting a wide range of remedies and above all by taking it seriously. Part 1 explains the different types of anxiety and the forms they take, including the well-known Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), hypochondria, panic, phobias, eating disorders, and sexual response anxiety, concluding with the prevalence of anxieties generally in psychiatric disorders. The second part deals with Social Anxiety, a widespread condition that responds well to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Ancient medicine recognised the link between the cognitive and emotional, and this balance is central to the healing possible with CBT. The author notes the modern factors that can exacerbate the condition such as cyberbullying or FOMO (fear of missing out), but also suggests that online interaction can be a positive way of disguising the breathlessness, blushing or stuttering that are symptomatic of social anxiety. The substances sometimes used to alleviate such symptoms do not treat the condition, to which the only answer is therapy. Finally in Section Three she takes the reader through a typical session with a therapist and provides templates for recording feelings and thoughts to start the journey of recovery. Thought distortion, emotional reasoning and expressions such as "should", "must" and "have to" are banished from the vocabulary of healing. 299pp, paperback, numerous line drawings and cartoons.

A Financial Times Science Book of the Year sub-titled 'How Covid-19 Can Help Us to Save Humanity.' You could not hope for a better guide to the pandemic world order than Mackenzie who has been on this story from the start. Her readable and authoritative explanation of how this could possibly happen, and more importantly how it will happen again if we don't change, deserves a read. The Covid-19 pandemic has left a trail of loss, misery and economic ruin in its wake. With such destruction, can there be a silver lining? As science journalist Mackenzie illuminates in her eye-opening book there is one - with the lessons learned from this disaster we can avoid going through a nightmare like this, or worse, ever again. Here she lays out the full story in gripping detail, the previous viruses that should have prepared us, the shocking public health failures that led to this catastrophe, the wrong decisions made at every turn. Employing what we have learned about viruses, vaccines, inequality, global cooperation and more, Mackenzie charts a bold and optimistic path forward for protecting humanity from threats to come. It is a heart-pounding telling of the misadventures and the responsibilities of countries to work together to fight disease. 353pp, paperback.

The authors are founders of Restful Being, a yoga and meditation school focussed on the extraordinary power of rest to help people fulfill their innate sense of steady, spacious calm. One reader describes the 'simplicity and beauty of the method.' And another 'You provide a really wonderful space for just being, and nurturing the self, which is so very needed after the pandemic has left us reeling emotionally and facing many challenges, internal and external.' 'Whether you're sleep deprived, stressed, ill, agitated or even just grappling with a nagging feeling that something isn't quite right, you are still, deep within yourself, just as okay as absolutely everyone else alive right now. At the very depths of your being, there is no resistance, tension or tiredness. There is no judgement, pain or fear. This is the very essence of who you are. But we know this might not be a possibility you can entertain right now...' Being able to recognise and allow true rest is vital to us feeling whole, authentic and balanced and this is a book that quite literally urges you to do nothing! Through simple, easily learned techniques and featuring a brand new chapter on why rest is vital in times of crisis, the book shows you how to find a moment of peace even in the most frantic of days and to find answers and assurance when confused or conflicted. 246pp, paperback.

Activate your body's natural ability to burn fat and lose up to 10lb in ten days and shift that stubborn belly fat. One in 16 people have diabetes and many more have raised blood sugar levels. Based on Dr Hyman's ground-breaking Blood Sugar Solution programme, his new book presents strategies for reducing insulin levels, inflammation, reprogramming your metabolism, shutting off your fat storing genes, debugging your digestive system, and creating effortless appetite control and soothing the stress to shed the pounds. It contains convenient and practical tools as well as meal plans, recipes and shopping lists as well as easy-to-follow advice on green living, supplements, medication, exercise and more. Include as many non-starchy vegetables as you want in all meals and snacks, 4-6oz of protein, one serving of healthy fat like a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil and daily practices of 30 minutes exercise, breathing breaks, ultra-detox baths, journaling, hydration and 7-8 hours sleep every night. Very nicely laid out with tables and meal plans included. 338pp, paperback.

Eating a diet rich in real food can begin to bring a person's body into balance with better health, renewed energy, fewer headaches, IBS, fatigue, allergies, asthma, weight or eczema. You have nothing to lose, so jump at incorporating raw food into your diet. There can be impressive results in a short period of time and it's not all a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouts, because the recipes in this cookbook are simply delicious. Salad dressings, even Thousand Island made with cashews, tomato, red bell pepper, apple cider vinegar, sweet pickle relish, soups like Spicy Mango and Cucumber Soup with Noodles, breakfasts like Caramel Apple and Walnut Bowl, or Raspberry Buckwheat Crumble Bars. There is an easy lasagne, tomato sandwiches on easy carrot bread, a hearty chilli with nutritious chilli, green bell and jalapeño peppers, Italian Chia nut crackers which are substantial and can stand up to heavy dips or toppings, and wonderful condiments, sweeteners, salsas and chutneys like Date Paste to keep in the fridge, a Caramel Dip, Fruit and Berry Jam and desserts like Pumpkin Pie and sweets like Macaroon Hearts Dipped in Chocolate. Raw foods, real savings, right now with tips for budgeting and shopping to save at the supermarket and beyond, tools and techniques for saving prep time, stocking a healthy and affordable pantry and more. A British edition of a US bestseller. 176pp in large softback packed with colour photos.

Marketing director and single mother of two, Rachel Bown was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer at the age of 45. With a taboo-breaking sense of humour, she here shares her experiences and lists that she made to help gain some control over what quickly became an unpredictable life. Funny and poignant she describes her battle with cancer and the often absurd situations she found herself in, from a brutally flippant surgeon to her latest fashion accessory, a colostomy bag, to embarking on a project to build a 40ft banana giraffe on the roof of her house. The second biggest cancer killer in the UK and USA, bowel cancer still has a shockingly low public profile. Rachel offers nuggets of information she has picked up from hundreds of sources to research her book, and includes questions you should ask your surgeon, the best treats while on chemo, things to look out for in a blood test and how not to react when someone tells you they have cancer. She covers all her ops, telling her children, coping with chemo depression, brain food, her lists and what a difference a year makes. She is a chatty companion who ends with a quote from the Bible, Matthew 6:34 'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Nice layout, 242 page paperback.