While star-studded galas are an everyday event in Hollywood, the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual Night at Sardi’s benefit is something special: Celebs don’t just donate their time and money, they literally sing for their supper. This year, the fundraiser’s 18th, was a tribute to the music of Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret), and featured some spectacular performances.
We’ve been wary of chlorinated water since our teens, when a kind friend informed us that too much chlorine would turn our youthful tresses from blond to a not-so-fetching shade of green. Chlorinated water acts like a chemical succubus, drawing moisture from skin and hair. The result: Your skin feels like parchment and your locks look like straw. Chlorine also is an oxidizing agent, which means it’s especially abusive to color-treated hair. Because it’s widely used to disinfect and purify municipal water supplies, every time we shower or bathe, our skin suffers. That’s why we were delighted to discover Methven Satinjet Maia ($149) at a recent spa event.
We love a bold, red nail color — especially when it benefits a worthy cause! In honor of American Heart Month, 10 percent of February proceeds from Np2 red shades go to the American Heart Association. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and the association’s mission is to reduce coronary disease and stroke by 25 percent. Every Np2 chip-resistant nail lacquer ($22.50) includes a separate topcoat of nail hardening and nourishing treatment, and the two bottles snap together for easy storage.
During this time of year, well-meaning people always tell us we look tired. In need of a winter recharge, The Fatigue Prescription (Viva Editions, 2010) — promising to renew energy, health and life — by Linda Hawes Clever, M.D., caught our eye. “Many devoted, capable people with plenty of good things going on and lots to look forward to are felled by fatigue,” Clever notes in the book’s introduction. Fatigue often stems from juggling many responsibilities or from too much sorrow — Clever was inspired to come up with her prescription after a tough time in her own life: Over the course of a year, her parents died, her home was burglarized, she lost two jobs and her husband was diagnosed with cancer. The book, with easy-to-use workbook aspects, such as questionnaires, helps pinpoint the sources of your fatigue and how to make a fresh start.
As we struggle to stave off the winter doldrums, we’re searching for new ways to unwind. According to the American Institute of Stress, too much stress can lead to depression, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune-system dysfunction and a variety of other health issues. So the National Wellness Giveaway from Spa Week Daily — with prize packages from 28 participating spas from coast to coast — sounds like just the prescription.
Recently, a friend battling a cold several states away jokingly asked us to send soup from our favorite New York soup place. Then we heard about Spoonful of Comfort, a Florida-based company that allows well-wishers to send old-fashioned homemade chicken soup to those in need of TLC. Simply place the order online and within several days the recipient will be surprised with a 64-ounce jar ($32) of chicken noodle soup, complete with a shiny ladle and a personal message from you.
When we lived in Japan, we followed tradition and drank cup after cup of soft, grassy-tasting green tea at every meal, when visiting friends and as part of the Japanese tea ceremony. Only years later did we learn that the brew brims with powerful antioxidants called polyphenols (specifically, catechins), which experts have found can help fight cancer, heart disease and numerous other maladies, including tooth decay.
Years ago, when our grandfather quit smoking, he would habitually reach into his pocket for his phantom cigarettes. At the time, we didn’t realize the difficulty of quitting smoking, but over the years we’ve seen many people close to us struggle to quit tobacco. Since November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the American Cancer Society encourages the 20.6 percent of Americans who smoke to choose Nov. 19, the Great American Smokeout, as the day to kick the nicotine habit.
At a book party for the The Inner Game of Stress (Random House. 2009) by W. Timothy Gallwey with Edd Hanzelik, M.D., and John Horton, M.D., we were inspired by the subtitle “outsmart life’s challenges and fulfill your potential.” We posed a scenario to Horton: What if we’ve been health-conscious our whole lives and then as we pass 40 stressful health issues start cropping up? For example, our blood work comes back with borderline-high cholesterol, causing visions of Lipitor prescriptions to dance in our heads? “You have inner resources beyond what you realize,” Horton told us. “You need to learn to tap into your best inner resources, your more evolved self, in order to handle issues of aging and just about anything else.”
We recently attended the cocktail reception at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City for the 2009 Alzheimer’s Association Rita Hayworth Gala, taking place Oct. 27 at the Waldorf-Astoria. In attendance was the Hollywood legend’s daughter Princess Yasmin Aga Khan. She launched the galas in 1985 in honor of her mother, who died from the disease in 1987, and since their inception the galas have raised more than $53 million for the Alzheimer’s Association.
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