HEALTH

HONEY TO BURN
Toss the aloe vera. In a review of 15 studies, New Zealand researchers found that burned skin covered with honey healed as much as 4 days faster than skin treated with antibiotic creams or sterile wound dressings. Seems the sweet stuff has powerful antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. “It’s ideal because it rapidly soothes the pain, promotes healing, and prevents further damage,” says study author P.C. Molan, Ph.D. Next time you singe yourself, cool your skin with cold water, spread honey on some gauze, and apply it to the burn. Change the dressing twice a day. If it’s a severe burn, see a doctor.

THE GIFT OF GAB
Next time your brain hits a roadblock at work, chat up a coworker. A 10-minute conversation can make you smarter, says a team of U.S. researchers. They found that college students who discussed a social issue prior to taking memory and mentalspeed tests scored significantly better than students who didn’t shoot the breeze. Study author Oscar Ybarra, Ph.D., says that social interaction activates the brain structures that allow us to store and sort information.

WIN WITH A FLUSH
It isn’t pretty, but it works: Nasal irrigation may be the best way to clear congestion, outperforming a saline spray by 34 percent. “It’s like a power washer versus a lawn sprinkler,” says University of Michigan researcher Melissa Pynnonen, M.D. To try the flush used in the study, pick up Sinus Rinse (drugstore.com).

DISARM YOUR ANXIETY
Like most illnesses, stress is defined by its symptoms: Relieve the fatigue, headaches, tight muscles, and the rest of the physical fallout and you’ll find it exponentially easier to take the tension in stride.

Fatigue
The stress hormone cortisol may sap your serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that regulate mood and sleep.
BEAT IT:Try the herbal supplement Rhodiola rosea (rhodiolarosea.com). It stimulates serotonin and dopamine production, says Keith DeOrio, M.D., the Men’s Health alternativemedicine advisor.

Muscle Tension
A continuous infusion of adrenaline can make your upperback muscles painfully tight, according to research by Swedish scientists.
BEAT IT: Start untying the knots with 12 repetitions of wide-grip barbell rows. Two sets will leave your muscles fatigued enough to relax and recover from the tension.

Weight gain
Italian researchers have shown that cortisol can increase your cravings for foods high in fat and carbohydrates.
BEAT IT: Swallow more omega-3 fatty acids; they can cut cortisol, say French researchers. Take two Ultimate Omega pills (nordic naturals.com) twice a day, which is a similar amount to what was used in the study.

Headaches
Low serotonin levels may cause the blood vessels in your brain to become dilated and inflamed.
BEAT IT: Fill up on pumpkin seeds, bananas, and tuna. A study in Clinical Neuroscience found that magnesium, a nutrient that helps regulate blood-vessel dilation, may reduce the frequency of headaches.

Stomach upset
Blood is shunted from your stomach to your muscles so they can fight or take flight, say Johns Hopkins researchers.
BEAT IT: Heat up a meal. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their fire, was found to increase gastric bloodflow in animal studies.