Issue Date: September 26, 2004
Use "flexible" dollars
For many of us, Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) set aside pretax dollars to pay for dependent care (up to $5,000 a year) and non-reimbursable health care (limit varies by employer) -- a very smart idea. If you signed up through your employer, it's time to spend all remaining 2004 dollars by Dec. 31 or forfeit them.
What expenses are legit?
Dependent care: Any legal program that has a tax ID number, including day-care centers, pre-schools, after-school programs or day and school-vacation camps.
Health care: Medical and dental expenses, plus over-the-counter and prescription drugs. So schedule appointments now, and replace glasses, contacts or hearing aids, have Lasik surgery, even buy exercise gear (if it's been prescribed to treat a condition like obesity). Stock up on drugs not covered by insurance, plus over-the-counter remedies.
Finally, if you've steered clear of FSAs because of the paperwork hassle, ask your benefits manager whether your company offers an FSA debit card, programmed to pay for allowable expenditures only. These cards can lower a company's administrative costs while making employees' lives easier.
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Plan holiday skiing now
Early birds capture the multiroom condos and suites.
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Christmas is not only a sellout at most ski resorts -- it's also the most expensive time of year to ski. If your heart is set on going, there are compelling reasons to book your Christmas ski vacation now, weeks before the snow falls.
"Finding a great deal is uncommon but possible," admits John Wagnon, vice president of marketing for Heavenly ski resort in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. He says early birds capture the multiroom condos and suites that are ideal for family vacations: "If you wait too long, the inventory starts to disappear, and prices start to creep up."
Kids' programs, from babysitting to ski school, invariably sell out as well. So do private ski lessons, ski rentals and even prime restaurant reservations. While lift tickets during Christmas week go for top dollar, Wagnon says many resorts, such as Heavenly, discount them online for early bookers.
And airfares "fluctuate wildly," he warns. "The most important thing to remember is that there are only a limited number of seats to ski towns. These seats disappear the closer you get to Christmas."
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Don't overdose on calcium
Many Americans megadose on calcium, certain it will strengthen bones and prevent fractures and osteoporosis.
That's a myth. Taking calcium may help "only temporarily," says Katherine Tucker, of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. "If you stop, bones regress fast." Taking 1,200-1,500 milligrams of calcium supplements a day, as commonly recommended, may be unnecessary, she says: "A 700 to 800mg daily supplement is usually enough." Adding just 500mg of calcium a day benefits bone density.
Limit pills to 500-1,000mg.
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Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett agrees that an extra 500-1,000mg calcium daily (combined in supplements and food) may add calcium to bones, but after a year or so, continued high calcium probably does not further build bone density.
Moreover, experts say, overdoing calcium can have side effects, such as unbalancing magnesium, which may promote heart problems.
No one really knows the right dose, Willett says. The Institute of Medicine puts the upper tolerable (or safe) dose at 2,500mg daily, from food and supplements.
Notes Willett: "Countries with the highest average calcium intake tend to have higher, not lower, hip fracture rates." Bone health is far more complex than calcium alone, involving many nutrients and genetics, says new research.
Tucker's bottom line to protect bones: Eat a balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, milk, chicken and fish, and low in junk food and cola. A low-dose daily supplement of calcium may help, but don't count on it as a bone-saving magic bullet.
Contact Contributing Editor Jean Carper, whose new cookbook is titled EatSmart, at JeanCarper.com.
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Ways to live with sickle cell disease
More than 70,000 Americans, primarily blacks, have genetic sickle cell disease; about 2 million carry the genetic trait for it.
The inside story: A normal red blood cell floats around the body for about 120 days, delivering oxygen. Misshapen "sickled" blood cells are less effective and live only a few weeks. Patients
have chronic anemia, resulting in fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath. Severe episodes, called sickling crises, foster sometimes excruciating pain that can last for hours to days and can be life-threatening.
Dehydration, cold temperatures and infection can help precipitate a crisis. Maintain good nutrition to help bone marrow manufacture more red blood cells. Go to sicklecelldisease.org for more information and support.
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