Our mission is to advice, and to make the people of the world healthier through the power of information.
Think You Come Out of the Shower Squeaky Clean? Think Again
Nothing beats a long, hot shower at the end of a tough day. But after you watch this BuzzFeed video, showers will no longer seem so serene. Turns out bacteria pops up all over the place (your showerhead, soap, and loofah, to name a few), and it can even stick around on your skin instead of washing down the drain. In this case, ignorance isn't bliss: The video also offers lots of quick ways to clean up your shower.
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The Unexpected Hangover Cure That Works Better Than Pedialyte
A nasty hangover is nature’s way of saying you need to grow up (and stop drinking so much). Surprisingly, one of the best ways to combat the misery is to return to a childhood favorite: apple juice.
In a recent study, diluted apple juice was more effective at treating dehydrated children than electrolyte-packed sports drinks.1 No, these kids weren't reeling from having one too many (they were 5 years old or younger), but heavy drinking also leads to dehydration, so experts speculate the findings apply to hangovers as well. Next time you celebrate with too much green apple CÎROC (we see you DJ Khaled), follow it up with a glass of good old-fashioned apple juice.
(h/t Mic)
Works Cited
- Effect of Dilute Apple Juice and Preferred Fluids vs Electrolyte Maintenance Solution on Treatment Failure Among Children With Mild Gastroenteritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Freedman SB, Willan AR, Boutis K. JAMA, 2016, Apr.;():1538-3598.
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How Well Do You Know Your Body?
How many times do you blink in a minute? Is your tongue the only place you have taste receptors? How much does your brain weigh? Chances are you've never asked yourself these questions before, but now you need the answers—and this video from BuzzFeed delivers.
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Getting Over Phobias Might Be As Simple As Taking a Pill
Imagine a spider: Eight beady eyes and eight gangly legs that leave goose bumps as they crawl up your skin. It's easy to see why so many people are afraid of the creepy crawlers, but spiders don’t have to stay the stuff of nightmares.
Researchers have found that propranolol, a medication traditionally used to treat heart disease, reduces or eliminates even the strongest phobias: heights, spiders, flying, public speaking—all gone. It's not exactly as simple as popping a pill and kissing your fears good-bye. First the fear has to be triggered—for example, people with arachnophobia are handed a tarantula. Then they take a dose of propranolol and go to sleep. When subjects wake up, they are able to pet and hold the tarantula they couldn’t even look at a day ago.
This news sounds like something out of science fiction, but it has to do with the principle of memory consolidation. (While studies have recently confirmed the drug's effectiveness on humans, scientists have known about its memory altering capabilities for decades.)
The treatment is a potential godsend for the nearly one in three people who will suffer from an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. The New Republic has a full story that dives into the research on this wonder drug.
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Join a Gym Today and Feel Inspired
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Cognitive Engineering and Obesity
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A Cardio Kickboxing Workout That’s Actually Fun
Just because a workout is tough doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. This video is proof. Thirty minutes will fly by during the high-intensity cardio kickboxing class. You’ll focus on moves that work your upper body, lower body, and core, while instructor LeJon Guillory motivates you with his high-energy commentary and some LOL prompts.
The video even features a DJ spinning fast-paced pop music that’ll keep you pumped up during punches, squats, bobs, and weaves—because it’s way more fun to feel like you’re on the dance floor than in the gym. Plus, there’s no equipment required. Just grab a towel: This one will leave you drenched in sweat (in a good way).
Looking for more short and effective at-home workouts? Grokker has thousands of routines, so you’ll never get bored. Bonus: For a limited time, Greatist readers get 40 percent off Grokker Premium (just $9 per month) and their first 14 days free. Sign up now!
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Rumer Willis Has a Powerful Message for the Photographer Who Photoshopped Her Chin
Rumer Willis opened up the latest issue of Vanity Fair only to find her chin had been chopped off Photoshopped beyond recognition in a photo she appeared in alongside two of her sisters. The 27-year-old actress (and daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore) shared her reaction to the photo on Instagram, calling the editing a form of bullying and saying, "I love the way I look, and I won't support anyone who would feel a need to change the way I look to make me beautiful." That’s a message we can all get behind!
Check out the now-infamous photo and Willis's response below:
"Any friends [or] fans of mine who posted this I would appreciate if you took it down. The photographer Photoshopped my face to make my jaw smaller, and I find it really offensive for anyone to try and change the way you look so drastically. I love the way I look, and I won't support anyone who would feel a need to change the way I look to make me beautiful. Whether or not they realize it, it is a form of bullying, which I won't stand for."
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Want to Stop Checking Your Phone So Much? Turn Your Screen Gray
If you have two opposable thumbs and a smartphone, you're probably guilty of using that wonder of modern technology a little (OK, a lot) more than necessary. This humorous video from The Atlantic explains that color is one of the reasons we constantly feel the need to check our phones. The fact that the number of notifications show up in a red bubble is no accident. Red excites our brains, prompting us to check that notification right away and leaving us wanting more. Luckily if you have an iPhone, there's a way to beat the system: Switch your screen to gray scale. Life is a lot less exciting (and tempting to scroll through) in black and white.
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What's the Secret to Losing Weight? Not "The Biggest Loser" Method!
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You Won't See Birthmarks As Flaws After Seeing These Photos
We're taught we should hide birthmarks, especially ones in highly visible places. But one awesome website proves they're something to show off. Paige Lauren Billiot, an actress with a port-wine stain on her left cheek, started Flawless Affect in hopes of redefining what we think of as flaws. Right now the series includes highly stylized photos of Billiot and her friends, but she plans to expand it to include a broad range of so-called flaws, from eczema to anxiety, to show these aren't things we should ever be ashamed of.
Check out photos from the inspirational campaign below:
Photo: Flawless Affect
Photo: Flawless Affect
(h/t Self)
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Try This Breathing Exercise the Next Time You’re Anxious
Using breathing exercises to reduce stress isn't exactly a new concept, but as this video from Big Think explains, there's a special technique that may work better than deep breathing. It's called the power breath, and you do it by making your exhalations last twice as long as your inhalations. The goal is to fool yourself into thinking you’re more relaxed than you actually are—otherwise known as "fake it till you make it."
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So This Is Why You Hate the Sound of Your Own Voice
Bad news for anyone who thinks their voicemail sounds nothing like them. That voice in the recording is what everyone else hears. When you listen to yourself talking, the sound waves have to pass through the bones of your skull, not just your ear canals, so it gets muffled and sounds lower pitch than it actually is.
The disconnect between the "you" that you hear in your head and the "you" the rest of the world hears makes most of us feel self-conscious. It's similar to the kind of reaction you have after seeing a photo of yourself that looks different from the person you see in the mirror. If you're one of the few people who love the sound of their voice in recordings, you may have higher self-esteem.
(h/t The Science of Us)
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Prince Made Us Dance & It's Healthy
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The App That Finally Stopped Us From Hitting Snooze
The Rock Clock
We know, we know, the snooze button actually ruins our sleep, but we can’t seem to stop hitting it every morning. In our bleary-eyed state, those 10 extra minutes (or 40 if we hit snooze again and again) seem so glorious. We’ve tried everything to stop ourselves, from an alarm clock that rolls off our nightstand to one that forces us to do bicep curls before it turns off, but nothing worked until we discovered the Rock Clock.
The free app (available on iOS and Android) doesn't have a snooze button, forces you to set a goal for yourself, and adds a serious dose of motivation from the one and only Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
When you open the Rock Clock, you're prompted to pick a goal. We chose one that was specific (run 10 miles this week) and one that was general (spend more time with friends). Once you’ve got your goal, set a time frame to complete it (you can also opt for “no end date”), choose your wake-up time (if you’re particularly masochistic, choose “Rock Time,” and wake up at the same time as Johnson, usually before 5 a.m.), and select an alarm tone (many showcase The Rock’s surprisingly good voice). The next day you’ll be greeted by your goal, words of wisdom from Johnson, and no option to snooze. The first morning we still felt sluggish and annoyed, but by the third day, we actually looked forward to our morning wake-up call.
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Sorry, Negative-Calorie Foods Aren’t a Thing
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no merit to the claim that celery is a negative-calorie food. And it's not just celery—negative-calorie foods don't exist. As this video from SciShow explains, the idea behind the celery myth makes some sense: Chewing, swallowing, and digesting takes energy and burns calories. But even low-calorie celery (a stalk is about 8 calories) takes only 2 calories to digest. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be eating lots of veggies, but chowing down on celery stalks alone won't lead to weight loss.
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Tips for Setting Weight Loss or Exercise Goals for the New Year
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How the Dairy Industry Convinced Us We Need to Drink Milk (We Don’t)
Got milk? Let's check the fridge, but why are we still asking that question? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends three servings per day; however arguments against dairy are mounting. We can get the same nutrients from fruits and veggies, milk products don't protect against fractures, and one quarter of Americans can’t even digest dairy. This video from Vox explains how dairy became a cornerstone of the American diet, and why you don't actually need it.
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Awareness About Incontinence and Incontinence Products
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Men's Hairstyling - Are You Using the Right Hair Gel?
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Here's Why You Crave Chocolate but Not Celery
The sense of betrayal we feel when staring into a suddenly empty Pringles tube is almost as palpable as the inevitable stomachache. So why do we feel the impulse to eat, even when we’re not hungry? This video from SciShow explains there's a difference between hunger and cravings.
Hunger sets in when your stomach is empty (you knew that!). Your blood sugar drops, and your body pumps out the hunger hormone, ghrelin, telling you it's time to eat.
Cravings, on the other hand, are almost entirely psychological. So next time you find yourself staring longingly at the newest ice cream shop in town, realize that even though you want three scoops, one will probably satisfy your mental itch.
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Some Grooming Tips for Men
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Permanent & Semi-Permanent Make-Up - Eyes, Eyebrows & Lip Treatments
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2 Foolproof Ways to Cook Salmon
Maybe you've always had a soft spot for salmon. Or maybe you only recently realized how amazing it tastes—and how incredibly good it is for our hearts, brains, and skin. Regardless, the fish has always seemed slightly intimidating—a restaurant-worthy meal, not one to make at home.
That is, until we witnessed how unbelieveably simple it is to cook, either in the oven or on the stove. All you need are a few pantry staples (olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and a lemon) plus a fillet (about six to eight ounces should suffice for one).
One last tip: Go for wild salmon if possible. It may be a bit more pricey than farmed, but it has a better taste and more vitamins and minerals, along with fewer calories and less fat. After you've picked up your fish, click one of the cooking methods below for a ridiculously easy and tasty homemade meal.
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Want To Lose Weight? Then Watch What You're Drinking!
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Adding Superfoods To Your Diet - Healthy Diet Vital To Good Health And A Sound Mind
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5 Ways to Get Closure—Without Talking to Your Ex
“I just need closure.” These words are way too familiar to anyone who's gone through a bad breakup. As you spend your first newly single days sobbing and bouncing back and forth between “I can do better” and “I’ll be alone forever,” it seems like the best way to make the pain stop—stat.
But it's an elusive concept—and it may not even be a real thing. "Closure doesn’t exist," says Nancy Berns, Ph.D., sociologist and author of Closure: The Rush to End Grief and What It Costs Us. "It’s an ambiguous term that means something different to every person." Forgiveness, revenge, forgetting—you have to figure out the root of your yearning first.
A more tangible definition of closure: healing. In other words, even though closure doesn’t exist, it doesn’t mean you’ll be in pain forever, Berns says. "You can heal without closure."
Still, that's easier said than done. Why is it so freakin' hard to feel better? One explanation comes from a Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnik, in the late 1920s: She hypothesized the reason waiters could remember orders up until they delivered the food was because unprocessed material lingers in our brain.
This so-called Zeigarnik effect applies to loose ends throughout our lives, says Don Cole, LMFT, master certified Gottman therapist and co-founder of The Center for Relationship Wellness in Houston. “Until the information is processed, it’s being worked on in part of our brain.” And it keeps nagging at you, kind of like a stone in your shoe.
Until the information is processed, it’s being worked on in part of our brain. And it keeps nagging at you, kind of like a stone in your shoe.
Once the case is closed, we can let it go—but that need for closure is a built-in system. Shifting those lingering thoughts into storage typically involves having questions answered, Cole says. And yes, sometimes you have to talk to the other person for this to happen—plain and simple. But communicating with your ex can trigger painful memories—even physical pain—and set you back in your healing process, Cole points out.1
To top it off, it's likely your ex won’t be able to explain why it ended all that well, Cole adds. In short, unless the breakup was amicable, you’re probably going to leave even more frustrated and wounded than you went in. So, how do you heal without reaching out to catch up over coffee, drinks, or having a screaming match over the phone? Keep reading.
1. Talk things out with a (neutral) friend.
The single best thing you can do: Find a truly empathic friend who can listen to your feelings, Cole says. Science agrees: A study found actively reflecting on a recent breakup can actually help speed the healing process, since it lets you process that information aloud.
But choose your confidante carefully. You’re vulnerable, so it’s important to find someone who won’t tell you how to feel or think but will just be a witness to your pain, both experts agree. Be upfront and tell them what you need, Cole suggests. The payoff is worth any awkwardness you may feel at reaching out for help.
A therapist will work too, but Cole actually recommends the friend route for the neurochemical boost we get from being around people we love.
2. Load up your Netflix queue with comedies.
Your body responds to a breakup like it would any threat—firing up your sympathetic nervous system and flooding your body with chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol. You need to downregulate, Cole says, and convince your body to chill on the internal chaos.
Humor naturally does this, as it helps to buffer some of the negative effects of your fight-or-flight response and may slightly ease anxiety, studies show. “You have to restore the balance to be able to start healing,” Cole adds. Queue up your favorite funny flicks, or grab a friend and head to a comedy club—that way you score the perks of a good laugh and companionship.
3. Pick up an old hobby you used to love.
Don’t confuse staying busy with distracting yourself—you have to let yourself think and feel. “Thinking about things away from other people can help you process your thoughts and feelings,” Berns says. However, focusing on something you enjoy will help you understand what you want, what you miss, and what you need, Berns explains.
Balance your days or weeks with alone time spent grieving and thinking, and activities you really enjoy and can find fulfillment in—whether it's picking up a paintbrush (or coloring book) or volunteering with animals. Plus, regaining a clear sense of self after a breakup is key to moving on, research shows, so remembering what makes you you will bring you closer to feeling back to normal.
4. Sweat it off.
Any activity that pushes your brain chemistry back toward a more stable state can help too, Cole adds. Exercise offers a ton of unexpected mental health benefits, including stress-relieving, happiness-boosting endorphins, and it provides a way for you to be alone with your thoughts without being still, Berns says. Pounding the pavement also helps restore the balance of your autonomic nervous system, putting your body into a more orderly state. (Scoring that revenge body is just a bonus.)
5. Take your time.
Being in a relationship creates a very real neurochemical and emotional attachment to someone—that’s not going to just heal overnight. One small study even found that on an MRI, the brains of the heartbroken can resemble the brains of those experiencing cocaine withdrawal.
A week, a month, a year—it’s different for everyone.
This process takes time, so ignore anyone who says you should “just get over it,” Bern advises. A week, a month, a year—it’s different for everyone. And remember, healing is different than forgetting about your ex completely, Berns points out. Plus, the loss of a relationship can tap into other losses we’ve had in our lives too, so you’re probably processing more than just this breakup.
Finally, some good news: Studies have shown people often overestimate how long it’ll take them to get over their ex, so your heartache will stop a lot sooner than you think. But if you go beyond two weeks of serious symptoms—ones that affect your life, like oversleeping, not sleeping, skipping work, constant anger, or social media stalking—seek help from a therapist to avoid slipping into a clinical situation, Cole recommends.
Works Cited
- Reward, addiction, and emotion regulation systems associated with rejection in love. Fisher HE, Brown LL, Aron A. Journal of neurophysiology, 2010, May.;104(1):1522-1598.
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How to Know If Porn Is Hurting Your Relationship
Utah governor Gary Herbert recently made headlines when he signed a resolution that declared porn a "public health crisis." The legislation is largely symbolic—it calls for research, education, and policy changes, rather than an outright ban—but it got us thinking about the impact pornography has on us and our relationships.
Thanks to the internet, porn is more readily accessible than ever before. In a recent survey of high school seniors, almost 80 percent admitted to watching adult content and more than one in five do so regularly.1
That kind of widespread exposure doesn't necessarily mean it's doing harm. So far scientists have shown a correlation between watching porn and a loss of brain plasticity, which can affect learning and memory.2 But as the old adage goes, "Correlation does not imply causation." In other words, we need more research to determine if watching porn really does alter our brains.
Porn also has the potential to damage our relationships. A survey with self-selected participants in Psychology Today found that three out of four women experienced intense feelings of fear after discovering their partner's porn habit.
This research seems to suggest you should say good-bye to sites like PornHub and Xtube for good, but that's not necessarily the case, says Kat Van Kirk, Ph.D., a certified sex therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist. "People can get into compulsive behaviors that disrupt their lives, but therein lies the key," she says. "The behavior has to disrupt one’s life."
Kirk suggests asking these questions to see if porn is negatively impacting your life or relationships:
- Does it cause you to miss work or important family gatherings?
- Has it led to financial problems?
- Is there a loss of intimacy between you and your partner?
- Has porn become a replacement for intimacy with your partner?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, don't panic just yet. Kirk says these issues can usually be resolved through a typical course of therapy.
Works Cited
- Adolescents and web porn: a new era of sexuality. Pizzol D, Bertoldo A, Foresta C. International journal of adolescent medicine and health, 2015, Aug.;():0334-0139.
- Brain structure and functional connectivity associated with pornography consumption: the brain on porn. Kühn S, Gallinat J. JAMA psychiatry, 2014, Aug.;71(7):2168-6238.
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4 Reasons Exercise Alone Won't Help You Lose Weight
If you're looking to lose weight, hitting the gym probably tops your list of priorities, but study after study shows that a laser focus on exercise doesn't result in weight loss. Confusing, right? That's why Vox reporters took an in-depth look at more than 60 studies on weight loss and obesity. Here's what they found:
- Exercise alone is almost useless when it comes to losing weight. Researchers tracked people who added more workouts to their training schedules but kept their diets the same and found they lost only a few pounds. Our energy system is a lot more complicated than calories in versus calories out, so it's hard to create a calorie deficit just with exercise.1
- Exercise accounts for a small percentage of our daily calorie burn. Fewer than 30 percent of the energy we expend comes from exercise.2 We burn more calories doing everyday things like breathing and digesting.
- Exercise can undermine weight loss. We've all told ourselves that we deserve that margarita or slice of pizza because we went to spin class earlier. In other words, working out can make you eat more, either because you think you burned off a bunch of calories or because you're actually hungrier. Your body may even conserve energy after exercising to try to hang onto fat for future energy needs.3 (Wow! Thanks, body.)
- More exercise doesn't mean more calories burned. This theory is still being tested, but scientists found evidence that after a certain amount of exercise, you stop burning energy at the same rate. So logging double the steps on your Fitbit doesn't necessarily mean you burned double the calories.
So what does work for weight loss? The National Weight Control Registry, which studies adults who have lost at least 30 pounds (and kept it off for more than a year), says the best strategies are weighing yourself weekly, watching your portion size, staying away from high-fat foods, restricting your calorie intake, and exercising regularly. And if you're incorporating both diet and exercise into your weight-loss plan, don't count the calories you burn on the treadmill as negative calories.
It's also important to remember that these suggestions are for an average person, which doesn't take into account your personal health history. If you're serious about losing weight, talk to a primary care doctor or nutritionist and create a plan that's best for you.
(h/t Vox)
Works Cited
- Predicting adult weight change in the real world: a systematic review and meta-analysis accounting for compensatory changes in energy intake or expenditure. Dhurandhar EJ, Kaiser KA, Dawson JA. International journal of obesity (2005), 2014, Oct.;39(8):1476-5497.
- Physical activity and physical activity induced energy expenditure in humans: measurement, determinants, and effects. Westerterp KR. Frontiers in physiology, 2013, Apr.;4():1664-042X.
- The response to exercise with constant energy intake in identical twins. Bouchard C, Tremblay A, Després JP. Obesity research, 2006, Apr.;2(5):1071-7323.
Predicting adult weight change in the real world: a systematic review and meta-analysis accounting for compensatory changes in energy intake or expenditure. Dhurandhar EJ, Kaiser KA, Dawson JA. International journal of obesity (2005), 2014, Oct.;39(8):1476-5497.
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One Big Reason We Need to Talk More About Mental Health
Suicide is the one of the leading causes of death among American adults under the age of 35, and a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that the number of people who take their own lives continues to grow. In the last 15 years, the rate of suicide increased 24 percent in the U.S.
We have made major strides in how we talk about mental health issues: Many people are sharing their personal struggles through hashtags and powerful videos. But this is just the start of a larger conversation. When things like depression remain stigmatized, it can be harder for those who need help to seek it out. If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, check out our comprehensive guide of (mostly free) resources.
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5 Tips For Long-Lasting Makeup This Summer
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What Are Normal Pulse Oximeter Readings?
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Can Drinking Too Much Water Kill You?
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Stylish Ways to Get Rid of Bangs
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This Mom's Letter Is a Powerful Look at Living With Anxiety
Mental illness can be complicated to explain, which is why one mom wrote a letter to her children in an attempt to tell them what it's like to live with anxiety. Sara Lindberg's note is addressed to her kids, but we can all learn something from her words (parent or not). It's a glimpse at the struggles people with anxiety disorders face and shows how mental illness can impact the people around us.
Here's a short excerpt, though we definitely recommend checking out the whole thing:
I still remember the day I came home from the store and you were both playing on the slip and slide.
It was scorching hot—probably 90 degrees—and you were squealing with laughter as you jumped through the sprinklers and launched your bodies down the big yellow slip and slide. In that moment, the pure joy about the simplicity of your world is what compelled me to do what I did next.
For a brief moment, I was brought back to my own childhood, feeling the lightness of life. As soon as I took off running, you got out of the way, but I’m sure you weren’t convinced I was going to do it. Once my body hit the ground and I was soaked, you were ecstatic. You ran to me and jumped on my body, and all three of us lay there in the water, messy and cold. You both looked at me with absolute pride and admiration.
I didn’t think first—I just jumped. And in that moment, I was the mom I want to be, the mom you so often need me to be. The mom I struggle with daily, never allowing her to be a part of my life.
What you didn’t see later on that night was me in the house crying—wondering why I won’t let myself be her more often.
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Beautiful Skin At Any Age
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What You Need To Know About Tuberous Breasts
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The 3 Foods to Avoid for a Healthier Gut (and Why It Matters)
Gut bacteria—the trillions of microorganisms living in your digestive tract—may not be the sexiest subject, but it’s a hot topic in the health world lately. And for good reason: Over the past decade, research has brought to light how your gut microbiome (that's what science types call it) plays a role in almost every aspect of health, including digestion, immunity, fat storage, and heart health.1
Studies suggest a healthy gut may even help clear up skin conditions, such as eczema and acne, and may make you less susceptible to stress, anxiety, and depression—a finding that’s earned the microbiome the nickname “second brain.”2
Like most things in life, it’s all about balance: You want the “good” bacteria (like lactobacillus) to outweigh the “bad” bacteria. If this balance is thrown off, it can lead to a compromised immune system, inflammation, more fat storage, and other adverse effects.3
Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as simply letting the good bacteria flourish. There’s a lot out of your control that affects your microbiome—such as where you live, where you were raised, and personal lifestyle. But there is one major way to influence your gut health that’s 100-percent in your control: what you eat.
Certainly, there are foods you should be eating (think: yogurt and fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut) to boost gut health. But there’s another important piece of the puzzle: Cutting back on particular foods is also crucial to ensure a happy homeostasis for those microscopic bugs. Here are the top three.
1. Conventional Meats and Poultry
At some point, we’ve all taken a course of antibiotics, which are designed to do pretty much what it sounds like: kill bacteria. But antibiotics don’t discriminate—they go after good and bad bacteria alike. While you shouldn’t refuse the meds your doc prescribes, research shows consuming antibiotics when unnecessary can do serious damage to your gut flora.4
If you’re eating meat from livestock that’s been treated with antibiotics, you may be exposed to extra antibiotics without realizing it, studies suggest.5 While the use of some antimicrobial drugs in livestock to treat diseases is approved by the FDA, concerns arise when they're used to help animals gain weight or when drugs intended for human consumption are given to animals, which has been linked to antibiotic resistance in humans. These concerns have prompted some of the biggest poultry producers in the U.S., including Perdue and Tyson, to resolve to curtail antibiotic use in their chickens.
The best way to avoid antibiotic-raised meat? Buy organic, says Brooke Alpert, M.S., R.D. It’s pricier than the conventional kind, but you can make it easier on your wallet by going to a local butcher or farmer’s market, or buying in bulk and freezing leftovers for later, Alpert says. “Natural” can also be less pricey and still “antibiotic free,” but not always. Do a little digging, Alpert suggests: “If the labeling says specifically ‘no hormones’ and ‘no antibiotics,’ you’re in the clear.”
2. Artificial Sweeteners
If you thought fake sugar was a miracle sent from heaven to make all things sweeter sans calories, think again, Alpert says. Research suggests that sucralose—the main ingredient in Splenda—can significantly alter the balance of bacteria in the microbiome.6 In one small study, after consuming artificial sweeteners for just one week, many of the participants began to develop glucose intolerance—the first step on a path to metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and a host of other health issues. “It’s scary that one food additive can have that big of an influence on your gut,” Alpert says.
And there are plenty of ways to sweeten things up without resorting to the fake stuff—here are 30 smart substitutes. Not that we’re not giving you the go-ahead to eat all the real sugar you want: Since bad bacteria feed off sugars, a diet high in real sugars has also been linked to an off-balance microbiome, so you’ll still want to cut back on any kind of sweet stuff, Alpert says.
3. Genetically Modified Soy
While fermented soy is good for you, it may be wise to cut back on soy products that have been genetically modified (GM)—and if you’re eating them in the U.S., they most likely have been, as 94 percent of soybeans in America are GM. GMO food is a point of contention in the national health conversation, but that’s another story altogether. The point here is that the herbicide used on GMO crops in the U.S. (a.k.a. Roundup) has been shown to kill off many species of beneficial gut bacteria in animals (but not enough evidence conclusively shows the same for humans). While research in this area is still ongoing, there aren’t many good reasons to choose to eat GM soy. It also contains phytic acid, which messes with digestion and has been linked to gastric issues, such as gas and bloating.
The Bottom Line
If you've been chowing down on conventional chicken, Splenda, and soy products on the reg, don't freak out—it's not the worst thing you can do for your health. But if you've been experiencing symptoms like wacky digestive issues (gas or bloating) or fatigue, these are signs that your gut isn't as healthy as it could be, Alpert says. Get your bacteria back on track by cutting back on the above items, adding in beneficial foods for your gut, and taking a probiotic supplement.
Works Cited
- The gut microbiota as an environmental factor that regulates fat storage. Bäckhed F, Ding H, Wang T. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2004, Oct.;101(44):0027-8424. Beneficial modulation of the gut microbiota. Walsh CJ, Guinane CM, O'Toole PW. FEBS letters, 2014, Mar.;588(22):1873-3468.
- Effects of the probiotic Bifidobacterium infantis in the maternal separation model of depression. Desbonnet L, Garrett L, Clarke G. Neuroscience, 2010, Aug.;170(4):1873-7544.
- Influence of gut microbiota on subclinical inflammation and insulin resistance. Carvalho BM, Saad MJ. Mediators of inflammation, 2013, Jun.;2013():1466-1861.
- Gut microbiota disturbance during antibiotic therapy: a multi-omic approach. Pérez-Cobas AE, Gosalbes MJ, Friedrichs A. Gut, 2012, Dec.;62(11):1468-3288.
- Food commensal microbes as a potentially important avenue in transmitting antibiotic resistance genes. Wang HH, Manuzon M, Lehman M. FEMS microbiology letters, 2006, Mar.;254(2):0378-1097. Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from food and food products of poultry origin in Germany. Fessler AT, Kadlec K, Hassel M. Applied and environmental microbiology, 2011, Jul.;77(20):1098-5336.
- Splenda alters gut microflora and increases intestinal p-glycoprotein and cytochrome p-450 in male rats. Abou-Donia MB, El-Masry EM, Abdel-Rahman AA. Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A, 2008, Oct.;71(21):1528-7394.
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This Woman Is Walking 1,000 Miles Topless for an Important Reason
Queen Bey and her entire crew of female warriors are serious about making lemonade when life gives you lemons. Paulette Leaphart, who appeared in the "Lemonade" video, isn't ashamed of her double mastectomy scars, as she explains in this powerful promo video for Scar Story, an inspirational documentary that will follow her 1,000-mile walk from Mississippi to Washington, D.C. Leaphart was initially ashamed of her scars, but after realizing that we all live with scars (either physical or emotional), she decided to show them off—and show everyone that "this is what breast cancer looks like" and that it's not a "pretty story wrapped up in a pretty pink bow."
She plans to end the walk on her 50th birthday, which she says is an important tribute to all the women who didn't make it to age 50. Her mission is inspiring whether or not you have been impacted by breast cancer, especially her final words: "I define me—not my breasts, not my hair color, not my size 2 or my size 40. I define me."
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The 4 Things That All Good Listeners Do
Odds are you’re a pretty awful listener—but it’s not totally your fault. We spend most of our lives focused on speaking, from being coached on our first “mama” or “dada” to learning how to give an oral presentation in high school. With such an emphasis on talking, it’s no surprise that most of us fail to master the other half of conversation: listening. This video from The School of Life fills in the gap by explaining four things that good listeners do.
1. They egg people on.
Simply saying “go on” is usually enough. This forces a conversation to go deeper than just an exchange of anecdotes.
2. They urge clarification.
Pushing someone to clarify what they're talking about leads to greater understanding for both the listener and the speaker.
3. They don’t moralize.
They encourage vulnerability and indicate they can be trusted with the other person's deepest feelings, failures, and irrational thoughts.
4. They separate disagreement from criticism.
It’d be foolish (and boring) to agree with every single person on every single topic. Good listeners make it clear they still like and respect the other person, even when they disagree.
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Feeling Sh*tty About Life? Here's an Important Reminder
I want you to know that nothing is wrong with you. I know this sounds cliché and trite and like I'm patting the top of your head while telling you all the things you want to hear. No, that's not where I'm coming from. I need you to know and I need myself to know that there is nothing wrong with you/me. We're f*cking fine. Do you hear me? We're fine.
I want you to know that you can try to be better, you can work hard, you can do all the things you think you need to do, but none of that will do anything to prove to you that you are worth your space in this world. The only person that can decide that is you. You.
You decide how much space you get to take up. You decide how much your voice is worth. You can work yourself ragged and accrue everything you ever thought you needed, but if you don't believe who you are underneath the glitz, nothing will matter. A fevered mind has a funny way of turning gold into dust.
I want you to know there's nothing to prove, that even if you do all the things that you or someone else told you that you couldn't do, there will be no glory in it. There is no glory in living a life in search of undoing a feeling. You have a core belief that you are not worthy, that you are not lovable, and that you are not good enough? There is no manner of things you can achieve, people you can impress, or people who will love you in order to convince you of a thing you can't believe in yourself. You can't turn a sour belief sweet just by outrunning it forever.
I want you to know that you can't outrun your life, your emotions, and those little beliefs that feel tiny enough to overlook but fester over time. Inconsequential negative beliefs have a way of turning into hugely damaging beliefs. Believe me, I've lived in search of the magic elixir that will turn my emotions into something else, something better, and my life into something shinier. I've searched everywhere, but the only real magic elixir is reckoning with yourself, taking the responsibility, demanding that the only person who can save you is you. It's you, babe. It's you.
You're the savior. You're the one you've been looking for.
I want you to know that you will never be enough if all you're looking to be is enough. You need to forget about enough and look beyond it to something else entirely, something that can be measured. "Enoughness" can't be measured. You are only as enough as you are better than someone else, and that's a slippery slope. Not being enough needs participation from others—because it's always comparison. That's always where it begins and ends—this incessant need to weigh the value of your life against another person's. Are you more than another? Less than another? You don't really want to be adequate or good enough. No. What you're searching for is to be special, to be better than others. And that's a losing game, even if you think you've won.
I want you to know that if you need to feel loved, please look around at your life and see the magic everywhere. You may not have a thousand friends or a perfect family, but you have your people and they matter, even if the number of those you can count on is in the single digits. Don't throw that away looking for more. I know it seems like admiration, fame, social validation make you feel the love you may not feel for yourself, but it's so fleeting. It's dangerous to stake anything on.
Attention is not love. Double taps are not reminders of your adequacy. Favorites, likes, and followers are not an indictment of your value, no matter how big or small the number reaches or falls. If you've found yourself entirely too consumed with the digital trail of admirers you do or don't have, remind yourself that you are valuable, as you are, without anything or anyone paying attention. Your value exists without condition.
I want you to know that strength is not what you think it is or what the world has told you it is. Strength is not your loud voice or your angry rally cries. Strength is in keeping a positive heart in a negative world, a sensitive soul in a cruel world that often feels beyond the realm of soulless. There is a strength in not letting this world swallow you and spit you out as someone who thinks preaching their opinion off the highest mountain is what brave people do.
Courage is listening when your knuckles are going white from clenching down on the arms of your chair. Courage is respect and not letting any number of heartbreaks sour you from believing that there is good, there is love, there is something in this mad world to have hope for.
I want you to know that within you lies something integral to this world. You're a puzzle piece that fits into the grander framework of humanity. Today is a whole new day, and you can turn it all around in one quick decision to do something, anything, different than how you've done it before. Change comes slowly and then all at once. You will think you're going down the long tunnel of darkness until it happens, until you're renewed. Trust that it's coming. Trust that something bigger is forming. Trust your tender heart. Trust your wild ideas. Take the chance. Say no when it doesn't light you up. Follow whatever within you tells you that you're doing something that makes you come alive.
I want you to know that the only waste here would be for you to sleep through your life. The only thing you could do wrong is to opt out of who you are, to forgo whatever fights come out of you. Because something does fight within you to be said, to be done—no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential you think it is. You can change a heart in the most ordinary gesture. Don't let this world harden you until all you see is what's going wrong, what's bad. Because the thing no one tells you is there is as much good as there is bad. As much darkness as there is light. It simply depends on where you focus your eyes.
This piece was originally published on Medium and was republished with the author's permission. Jamie Varon is a writer based in Los Angeles. The views expressed herein are hers. Follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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How to Know If a New Diet Will Actually Work for You
“I don’t know what to believe.”
If you’ve ever read a fitness magazine or searched for any health-related information on the Internet, this is probably how you feel. Or maybe it’s more like, “WTF! Why does every piece of information contradict the other?”
First carbs are bad, and then they’re considered kinda rad (for athletes, at least). We say fats aren't part of the plan, but what about Paleo, where bacon is the jam? I hear that intermittant fasting can eliminate fat… or is that only true if you’re a lab rat? It’s enough to make you want to throw your computer across the room—and not just because of the terrible rhymes.
This stuff (nutrition and fitness) is a business—one of misinformation, overreactions, and enough double-talk to make you think Paleo and Atkins are running against Mediterranean and Low-Sugar for the office of diet supremacy. Like any election, all candidates have their flaws, but that’s a major reason why I’m writing this column, Naked Truth: less confusion, more answers, and a place for you to turn when you’re sick of reading everything and just want to know what to believe.
I’m not here to break the news. I’m here to make sense of it all so you can live a healthy life without all the added stress and second-guessing. And while you can safely assume any plan that includes the words “cookie” or “miracle” is full of sh!t, trying to tackle every new diet trend would be an impossible task. Instead of naming names, here are three tips to help you figure out what actually works and what might work best for you.
1. Avoid any plan that points out one “enemy.”
So many new trends in the health and fitness world use smart marketing techniques to both scare you and promise quick results. Neither is usually valid, which is why it’s important to read this next part very carefully: Weight loss is a complex topic. It’s about calories, food quality, hormones, health history, genetics, exercise, body type, food sensitivity, age, and even your family history.
Does that mean you need to become a nutrition expert before trying any new eating plan? Hell no. But it does mean that if any diet suggests changing one element is the “key to success,” you should run. Fast.
It is a gross overstatement to say that avoiding any one of the following items is “all it takes”: carbs, fat, wheat, dairy, gluten, sugar, late-night eating, or processed and/or packaged foods. Can adjusting your diet around these things lead to weight loss? Of course. But it’s not the long-term solution. Why? Because it relies on unnecessary restriction of foods you might enjoy, which limits the likelihood that you’ll stick with it.
86 percent of people who thought they were gluten intolerant were not.
Yes, some people might actually need to avoid certain foods or ingredients due to food allergies (which is an entirely different, super-interesting topic), but the truth is most people are overreacting and cutting foods from their diet because they’ve been tricked into believing these “bad foods” are a health problem. They’re not.
For the most part, odds are you don’t have a food allergy—no matter how much the latest book might try to convince you otherwise. Case in point: Research found that 86 percent of people who thought they were gluten intolerant were not. And scientists estimate that only one to two percent of people in the world actually suffer from gluten intolerance. If you’re truly allergic to a food, then you’ll experience a reaction in your body when you eat it, similar to how pollen crushes my sinuses every summer.
If you’re trying to understand nutrition, it’s best to consider the words of Mike Israetel, Ph.D., professor of exercise science at Temple University:
“Ultimately, successfully countering weight gain and obesity is a combination of many nutrition and behavioral principles that keep the fundamentals (like calorie balance) in mind. Catchphrase demonization of a single nutrient as a magic-bullet cure is unlikely to ever be the solution, and–in fact–more likely to create problems and confusion about how to fight obesity.”
2. Think of dieting like dating (hear me out).
Looking at what works for your friend, sister, coworker, or favorite Instagram star is a bad idea. And yet, that’s often how a lot of people get inspired to start a new diet. Instead, think of dieting like dating .
You wouldn’t choose to be in a relationship with someone who you despise from day one, so why would you do that with the foods you eat. Every. Single. Day. Anything that sounds like it might make your life miserable is going to be a problem. Your body might survive just fine, but your mind won’t. You will quit the plan, you will learn to hate healthy eating, and you’ll probably end up more frustrated and confused than when you started.
After working with hundreds of clients over the past 10 years, here are a few things I’ve seen:
Bad Relationship No. 1
Molly wants to try a low-carb diet, but she loves pasta. She’ll be OK for four to six weeks, snap, pay rent at her favorite Italian spot for the next month, and then think dieting can’t work.
Bad Relationship No. 2
Paul loves dessert. He tries a clean eating plan of mainly chicken and broccoli. It satisfies him for about two weeks, and then he becomes grumpy and hates his life.
Bad Relationship No. 3
Rebecca loves breakfast. It’s her favorite meal of the day. But she’s heard that intermittent fasting works really well and that she should only eat during an eight-hour window that starts at 12 p.m. every day. This relationship does not go well.
The problems repeat over and over (and over) again. Choosing a diet because it sounds good or because it worked for your BFF and not prioritizing your personality, preferences, and lifestyle sets you up to fail.
“Do what works for your body" is simple advice, but it works incredibly well. And it makes perfect sense. You have a different body than your friends or siblings, so why wouldn’t you want to make slight, personalized adjustments that seem to fit?
If you want to live a healthy, low-stress life, you need to honestly consider whether a plan is a good fit for you.
3. Focus on the big picture.
The most important parts of any healthy eating plan–whether low-carb, low-sugar, or anything in between–are consistency and sustainability. (I’ve written about it many times.) You must see the bigger picture when it comes to nutrition and your health. Just as you don’t transform your body by doing one exercise repeatedly for 30 days, you won’t change your body permanently by committing to something for such a short period of time.
Eating is social, fun, and should bring happiness. You should feel in control and know that your healthy choices are making a difference and helping in the ways you want—without preventing you from living your normal life.
Choosing your diet is like investing in your career. If you want to rise to the top, you have to play the long game. It’s not sexy. It’s not an exciting sell. But at the end of the day, when done right, it’s always more rewarding.
Adam Bornstein is a New York Times best-selling author and the founder of Born Fitness, a company on a mission to cut through the noise and share what you need to know to live a healthy, happy life. He extends that mission even further as Greatest’s Naked Truth columnist. Learn more on his profile page or follow BornFitness on Facebook.
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