years The World's Best Inside Information

Bottom LineHSA bonus-

page 8

VOLUME 32 NUMBER 12 ■ JUNE 15, 2011 ■ $5 PERSONALHEARD BY OUR EDITORS

Pawnshop companies providea strong stock opportunity, wehear from analyst David Burtzlaff.High unemployment plus credit cardcompanies slashing credit lineshave forced more middle-classhouseholds to turn to pawnshops forloans. At the same time, high pricesfor gold and silver have led morepeople to pawn jewelry—the mostprofitable type of item for pawnshops. His favorites, each with morethan 1,000 pawn and loan stores:Cash America International (CSH)and EzCorp (EZPW).

David Burtzlaff is a Dallas-based consumer-finance analyst at Stephens Inc., which offerswealth-management and analytic services.www.Stephens.com

Asp i r in may reduce r i sk fo rpancreatic cancer, reportsXiang-Lin Tan, MD, PhD. Recent

\ finding: Men and women who took•aspirin at least once a month hada 26% lower risk for pancreaticcancer than those who did not takeaspirin. Caution: People should nottake aspirin for this purpose withoutfirst talking to their doctors.

Xiang-Lin Tan, MD, PhD, is a research fellow at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, andleader of a study presented at a recent meeting of the American Association for CancerResearch.

Fal l ing home prices and r ising rents make buying cheaperthan renting in nearly 80% of majorUS cities, says real estate expertHeather Fernandez. An analysis of 50cities in the second quarter of 2011focused on two-bedroom apartments,condos and townhomes using anaffordability index, which includesmedian home prices and monthlyrental fees. Note: It's still muchcheaper to rent than buy in New YorkCity, Kansas City and Fort Worth,Texas. More information: Type "Truliarent vs. buy index Q2 2011" in anysearch engine.

Heather Fernandez is vice president of marketing at Trulia, an online real estate resource,San Francisco. www.Trulia.com

30-DayDiabetesCureYou mayeven beable tothrow awayyour meds!

sec re tsin this issue2 Publisher's note: Gateway to

self-knowledge3 STOCK MARKET DISASTER AHEAD?5 CYBER BANDITS attack cell phones,

digital cameras, more7 The secrets hotels don't want you

to know

9 Good posture helps you live longer11 How to gracefully end a bad

relationship12 Paddle tennis—easy and fun13 VERTICAL GARDENING grows up

2 3 4 59 10 11 «

16 17 18 ^

27 28 29®*"H

In the US, a new case of diabetes isdiagnosed every 30 seconds. Andmany of those people will be givendrugs to treat the disease.

You can control high blood sugarwith medications, but they aren't a cureand they can have side effects. Theyalso are expensive, costing $400 ormore a month for many patients.

Much better: Dietary remedies thathave been proven to reduce bloodsugar, improve the effects of insulin(a hormone produced by the pancreas that controls blood sugar), promote weight loss and, in many cases,eliminate the need for medications.A UCLA study found that 50% ofpatients with type 2 diabetes (the mostcommon form) were able to reverse itin three weeks with dietary changesand exercise.

How you can do it, too...> Eliminate all HFCS. A 2010 Prince

ton study found that rats given watersweetened with high-fructose cornsyrup (HFCS) gained more weightthan rats that drank water sweetenedwith plain sugar, even though theircalorie intake was exactly the same.Reasons: The calories from HFCS failto trigger leptin, the hormone that tellsyour body when to quit eating. Also,HFCS is more likely than natural

Stefan Ripich, ND

sugar to be converted to fat...andbeing overweight is the main riskfactor for diabetes.

What to do: Read food labels carefully. HFCS is the main sweetener insoft drinks and many processed foods,including baked goods such as cookiesand cakes.

> Don't drink diet soda. If you giveup HFCS-laden soft drinks, don'tswitch to diet soda. Diet sodas actually cause weight gain by boostinginsulin production, leading to excessively high insulin in your blood thattriggers greater fat accumulation andeven more cravings for sugar.

A study published in Diabetes Carefound that drinking diet soda every dayincreased the risk for type 2 diabetesby as much as 67%.

If you crave sweet bubbly beverages,pour one inch of pure fruit juice intoa glass and then top it off with ▶

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed StefanRipich, ND, a naturopathic physician based inSanta Fe, New Mexico. He practiced for 10 yearsat the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center and established the firstholistic clinic in the VA system.He is coauthor, with Jim Healthy,of The 30-Day Diabetes Cure(Bottom Line Books). To order,go to www.BottomLineSecrets.com/diabetes

BOTTOM LINE/PERSONAL: Home of America's Top Experts in Everything

Did you know that.... . . w a l k i n g s p e e d p r e d i c t slongevity? Recent finding: Faster walking is associated with living

longer. Example: An 80-year-oldman who walks at an average of onemile per hour has a 10% chance of

living to age 90. An 80-year-old manwho walks at 3.5 miles per hour hasan 84% chance of living until 90.

Stephanie Studenski, MD, professor,

department of geriatric medicine, Universityof Pittsburgh, and leader of a study of 34,485

people, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

. . .US firms pay the second-

highest taxes among major industrial nations? The top combinedrate imposed under the US federaltax code and by states is 39%. Afterdeductions and exclusions, the

average "effective" corporate rate is22.5%. That is still higher than the

corporate rate in any industrializednations, except for Japan, where therate is 33.5%.

Analysis by Barron's, 200 Liberty St., NewYork City 10281. Weekly. 3199/yr.

...the rate of macular degen

eration has decreased by morethan 30% since 1994? Experts predicted that the number of caseswould increase as the population

aged, but the reduction in smokingand improvements in diet, exerciseand control of high blood pressurehave contributed to the drop.

Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, professor, depart

ment of ophthalmology and visual sciences,

University of Wisconsin, Madison, and leader of a study published in The Archives of

Ophthalmology.

. . . near l y one in five womenare childless today, comparedwith one in 10 just 30 years ago?

Highly educated women with master's, doctorate or professionaldegrees are the most likely to remainchildless.

D'Vera Cohn, senior writer, Pew Research

Center, Washington, DC, and coauthor of an

analysis of census data for women ages 40 to44. www.PewResearch.org

. . . m o r e i n c o m i n g c o l l e g efreshmen are starting school asteetotalers? Recent finding: The per

centage of freshmen who didn't drinkalcohol for the past 30 days jumpedfrom 38% in 2006 to 62% in 2010.

Brandon Busteed, CEO, Outside the Class

room, which provides alcohol-education train

ing at colleges, Needham, Massachusetts.www.OutsideTheClassroom.com

S T A N D T A L L

Straighten Up!How Good Posture

Eases Pain and HelpsYou Live Longer

Steven P. Weiniger, DC ! BodyZone.com !

ow many times did yourmother tell you to stand up

straight? She had the rightidea, but how straight you stand is

just one element of good posture.Also important is balance.

To understand this, imagine that

you're holding a broom vertically in onehand. It takes very little strength to holdit upright. Now imagine that the broomis leaning forward about 12 inches.

Being out of balance will make it feelmuch heavier. The same thing happenswith our bodies. An unbalanced pos

ture causes increased force on the mus

cles, tendons, ligaments and joints.

WHY IT MATTERS

A study in Journal of the AmericanGeriatrics Society found that peoplewho hunched had a mortality rate that

was 1.44 times higher than those withbetter postures.

Low back pain, neck pain, joint injuries and arthritis also have been linkedto poor posture and body mechanics.And you're more likely to fall if youhave poor posture. Studies have demonstrated a progressive increase in fallrisk with a greater degree of forward

head posture.

Assymetry of balance even can affectathletes who appear to be in good condition. When their balance is more symmetrical, their performance improves.For example, they report better golf

scores, tennis serve accuracy and pitch

ing speed.

TEST YOUR BALANCE

There's no such thing as "perfect"balance, because we're always moving

and adjusting to different positions.In general, people who maintain goodbalance feel strong and comfortable in

any position.Try this: While standing straight, lift

your left foot off the floor. Hold the

position, then put your foot down andrepeat on the other side. You shouldbe able to balance on each side for atleast 20 seconds. If you wobble or havetrouble maintaining the position, youhave an asymmetry of strength that will

impair your balance in any position.

HOW TO IMPROVE

Good balance requires equal strengthin muscles on both sides of your body—

particularly in the core muscles. Thefollowing exercises take just 10 minutesa day but can help you improve your

balance so you can live longer

| and pain-free...STORK. This is similar to

the self-test exercise, above.Stand up straight with

!^^^ y o u r a r m s h a n g i n g^^^flk loosely at your sides.

; I While looking straightI fP ahead, raise your left

—^ knee until your thigh is

parallel with the floor...

PP your right knee should beBottom Line/Personal interviewed Steven

P. Weiniger, DC, an instructor at New York

Chiropractic College and a managing partnerof BodyZone.com, a national online health

information resource and referral directory to

chiropractors, physical thera

pists and other posture-exercise

professionals, Alpharetta, Georgia. He is author of Stand Taller,Live Longer: An Anti-Aging Strategy

(BodyZone). www.StandTallcr

LivcLonger.com

PERSONAL JUNE 15, 2011

! !locked, not bent. Hold the posi

tion for 30 seconds, then repeat on theother side.

Doing this several times a day willstrengthen muscles in your abdomenand hips. It also will help you becomeaware of the small movements that are

needed for good balance.This exercise is harder than it looks.

If you wobble or have to extend yourarms for balance, put your foot down,

slightly adjust the position of yourhead, shoulders and pelvis, and try

again.BALL SIT. Many people who think

that they have good posture and bal

ance often don't. One hip might belower than the other, for example, orthe head might be tilted slightly toone side. Balancing on an inflatableexercise ball is one of the best waysto synchronize your perception ofbalance with reality.

Helpful: Exercise balls are availableat sporting-goods stores. I recommend

an "antiburst" ball—different manufacturers call it different things, suchas "slow deflate." A good ball costs $25to $35. A cheap ball can pop if punctured. When selecting a ball, choosea size that allows you to sit just forward of the top of the ball. Your thighsshould be parallel to the ground and

your knees and hips at a 90° angle.Ball exercises don't lie. It's easy to

sit on an inflatable ball when you're

upright and your body is aligned properly. If your balance is off, even by justa little, the ball will keep shifting—or

you will fall off.Sit on the ball with your feet flat on

the floor, your back straight and yourhead balanced between your shoulders. Hold for five slow breaths.

You'll know you're balanced when

you can sit perfectly still withoutthe ball rolling out from under you.You also will notice that it takes

relatively little strength to maintainthe position.

Bonus: The act of balancing ac

tivates the deep core muscles ofthe torso. Even when you're well-

balanced, the muscles will be contract

ing and lengthening as you inevitably

shift position. This strengthens themuscles and helps improve balance inall positions.

BALL PROGRESSION. Once youcan maintain your balance sitting onthe ball, you can intensify the core-muscle workout by pur

posely shifting positions.Examples...

While sitting on the ball,lift your foot slowlyoff the floor, holdfor a moment,then put it backdown. Repeatwith the other foot.

While sitting on the ball and stay-

_^ ing as motionless as pos-/^\ sible, slowly cross your right

leg over your left. Holdthis position for 30

seconds to a minute,then do the same thing

with the other leg.NECK RETRACTIONS.

Neck pain is one of themost common symp-

<+ toms of poor posture.

Reason: For every one inch that thehead is positioned in front of center, theforce on the neck and shoulder muscles

doubles. This exercise helps increasethe awareness of head position while

strengthening the muscles that controlhead and neck movements.

What to do: Stand straight with yourback against a wall, with

your feet shoulder-width

apart about a foot fromthe wall. You should

be looking straight

ahead, with the tips of

your shoulder bladespulled inward towardyour spine.

Breathe out, and with your fin

ger, press your head against the wall.Keeping a finger on your chin helpskeep your head level. Then breathein, and let your head tilt slightly forward, keeping your head and chinlevel. Repeat the forward and backward motions, each time elongating

your neck a little more. Do this forfive slow breaths, breathing in as you

r

go slightly forward and breathing outas you press firmly back while keeping

your head level.PELVIC WALL TILT. This exercise

helps align your internal perception ofyour body position with an objectivereference point—a vertical wall. Walltilts also strengthen the core musclesthat we use to maintain and adjustbalance and posture.

Stand against a wall with your back

straight and your feet shoulder-widthapart, about one foot from the wall.Flatten your lower back so that thesmall of your back touches the wall.At the same time, contract your lowerabdominal muscles so that your navelmoves toward the wall.

Then gently arch your lower back sothat it moves away from the wall. Keepthe rest of your body still. Tuck yourlower back against the wall again, and

repeat. While you're doing the exercise,make sure that you're not leaning one

way or the other. Do this for five slowbreaths, breathing in as you slowly archand breathing out as you press firmly

into a tuck.HANDS-ON-RIBS BREATHING. You

wouldn't think that how youbreathe affects your posture,but it does.

Many people use themuscles of the rib cage

when they breathe. Knownas chest breathing, this pushesthe head forward and canincrease neck and shoulder

pain. With this exercise, youcan develop the better habit of

diaphragmatic breathing,which expands the lung cav

ity and helps you maintain a morebalanced head position.

While standing, place your hands onthe sides of your ribs, just above yourwaist. Breathe in, and expand your rib

cage.. .then breathe out while pressingyour hands against your ribs. Repeatfive times, taking slow, deep breaths.

You'll notice that your ribs expandand contract farther when you focuson moving your belly with each breath.With chest breathing, the expansion ofthe rib cavity is reduced. " "

10 " JUNE 15, 2011 On the web: www.BottomLineSecrets.com