When to spend and when to save on eight essentials that affect your health every day.
1. Toothbrushes
The American Dental Association maintains that
both budget-friendly manual and pricier power brushes can effectively
clean teeth, so the choice is yours.
Whatever type you prefer to use,
avoid a toothbrush with hard, stiff bristles, which can cause enamel
erosion, tooth sensitivity, and receding gyms.
“The best option is a
soft brush with nylon bristles that have rounded ends,” says Perle.
Additional features that you pay for, like ridged bristles or an
indicator that signals when it’s time to trade in a brush, don’t aid in
oral health, though they may make caring for your teeth more comfortable
or help you to remember to replace your brush after three months.
If
you prefer an electric brush, opt for the oscillating-rotating kind. A
2003 review by the nonprofit Cochrane Collaboration Oral Health group,
in Manchester, England, found that these models provide a modest benefit
in reducing plaque and gingivitis compared with manual brushes.
2. Pedometers
If you got your pedometer via a kids’ meal or a
cereal box, don’t count on it to tally steps accurately or for long. Dan
Heil, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist and researcher at Montana Sate
University, in Bozeman, found that pedometers that gauge movement with a
flimsy mechanism called a hairspring and that cost less than $15 often
wear out within six months.
He also found that pedometers driven
electronically or via a more substantial coiled spring, and which cost
about $25, are considerably more accurate at counting steps.
However, he
warns, “distance, speed, and calories-burned measurements have a
tendency to be inaccurate no matter how much a pedometer costs.” So skip
those kinds of features, which are found on the most expensive models.
3. Heating Pads
The most low-budget yet effective option is a
rubber hot-water bottle, which can conform to any part of the body and
never needs to be turned off.
It does lose heat over time, however. So
if you need prolonged heat or don’t want to deal with heating water, a
wallet-friendly electric heating pad is a better choice.
There are only
three features it needs, which are standard to most pads in the $15
price ranges, says Roger Herr, a Seattle-based spokesperson for the
American Physical Therapy Association: a size big enough to heat your
back but small enough to wrap around an ankle; a soft cotton cover, so
skin doesn’t get burned or irritated; and at least two temperature
settings.
Why two? Smaller areas of the body, like your hands, feet, and
head, can tolerate higher temperatures for longer than larger areas of
the body, which need a lower heat setting. Pricier pads with extras such
as moist heat don’t offer added benefits, so they’re generally not
worth the expense.
4. Dental Floss
Most people find that inexpensive waxed floss
makes this chore easy and a little more pain-free than
just-as-economical unwaxed floss.
“It slides comfortably between most
teeth and doesn’t fray as much as unwaxed floss does,” says Charles K.
Perle, D.M.D., a spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry and a
dentist in Jersey City, New Jersey.
But if your teeth are spaced
closely together or if you have old fillings that have expanded, you may
want to spend an extra dollar or two on smooth, snag-resistant dental
floss or tape (thin, flat floss). It glides between tight teeth even
more easily and can be more gentle on gyms than waxed floss.
5. Humidifiers
Sure, you could pump a fine, 80 degree,
lavender-infused mist into the air with a fancy humidifier, but it’s not
necessary; a standard model (about $40) has everything you need.
The
only factor to consider is temperature, says Dorsen: “If you have small
children or pets, don’t get a vaporizer version that spits warm mist
into the air, because it can burn delicate skin” (and inquisitive
snouts).
In homes without kids or pets, the temperature choice is yours.
“There haven’t been any studies that relate mist temperature to
effectiveness,” she says.
If your water has a high mineral content,
however, opt for a more expensive evaporative model or a vaporizer. The
Environmental Protection Agency has found that basic humidifiers are
prone to dispersing those minerals into the air, which can irritate
lungs. An alternative: Use distilled water in any style humidifier.
6. Reading Glasses
For those who are young or who need only
low-magnification nonprescription glasses to read, the lenses in specs
that cost less than a few lattes (about $15) will be as effective as
those costing as much as a cappuccino machine (more than $125).
That
said, if the distance between your eyes, known as your pupillary
distance (PD), is unusually narrow or wide, budget glasses may not be
comfortable, since their magnification is focused in the center of each
lens.
“You won’t damage your eyes by wearing them, but you may get a
headache,” says James Salz, M.D., a Los Angeles―based spokesperson for
the American Academy of Ophthalmology. And as you age, your PD becomes
more important. So if you do have an unusual one, you may find that
prescription glasses are more effective.
7. Thermometers
Old-school mercury versions, which are hard to
read and can break, have gone the way of the Walkman. An inexpensive
digital thermometer (about $6) is the new classic and more than adequate
for the average person. Two things to look for: a big, backlit display
that’s easy to see in a dark room, and a fast reading time of about 15
seconds, says Caroline Dorsen, a board-certified family nurse
practitioner in New York City.
Go for an under-the-tongue variety, as
ear (or tympanic) thermometers are less reliable. A study done at the
Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, found that parents
using home tympanic models failed to detect a fever 25 percent of the
time.
If you have to check someone’s temperature hourly, invest in a
temporal artery (forehead) thermometer. It’s even easier to use but a
bit more expensive (about $35).
Source: healthdigezt.com
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