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Last-minute boomer gift ideas
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The thinking behind it: We are all barraged by visual
and audio stimuli and get plenty of opportunity to exploit our taste
buds. But scents are not as dominant in our lives. They can be invigorating,
relaxing. We need that balance. As an accompaniment to the diffuser,
we bought each of them an "Aromatherapy Massage" well-being program
by Margie Hare. It's a kit of flash cards, a DVD and a booklet that
offers instructions on how to combine essential oils with the therapeutic
benefits of a massage. That's the other sense that needs to be brought
to the forefront -- touch.
That last item we bought at Barnes & Noble. I could spend
all day at that or another bookstore and find great gifts for everyone I know.
Yes! We're idiots!
In the bookstore, the one series that you run across no matter what
section you're in -- religion, music, personal finance, cooking
-- is that, clad in fluorescent orange, cover: "The Complete Idiot's
Guide to" fill-in-the-blank. When they first came out several years
ago, I never expected they would be a big hit. Who would want to
admit to being a complete idiot about anything, even to a sales
clerk, I wondered? But Americans are not too proud to admit their
ignorance of a whole host of topics.
For the artist in the family, there's "The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Playing Piano," as well as one on playing the harmonica
and another on drawing basics. For the film buff, there's "The Complete
Idiot's Guide to Classic Movies." For the harried college student:
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Beating Stress." For the doomsayer,
there's "The Complete Idiot's Guide to The Last Days: An Apocalyptic
Look at the Future." And these books generally run less than $20
each.
For health-conscious boomers, there's "The Complete
Idiot's Guide to The Anti-Inflammation Diet." This book is co-authored
by Christopher Cannon, M.D., who has done extensive research on
drugs targeting heart disease, which is directly linked to inflammation.
In the very first chapter you learn about an inexpensive test that
measures your hs-CRP levels (that stands for high-sensitivity C-reactive
protein). If you have less than 1 milligram per liter of blood,
you are at low risk for heart disease, but if you have over 3 milligrams,
you are at high risk. The book is filled with interesting stuff,
presented in chewable, bite-sized pieces, including the seven principles
of the anti-inflammation diet and lots of recipes.
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