Month: October 2018

October 26, 2018 at 06:05AM If I could swallow a pill and it would magically rid me of a single skin affliction, I’d choose hormonal acne. This breed of breakouts is particularly fickle, as it starts with those unseeable chemicals in the body that are difficult to control. Yes, there are topical skin-care treatments (I’m looking at you, retinol), anti-inflammatory diets, and certain supplements that can help—but sometimes they’re just not enough to stop the cyclical pimples in their tracks. But then I discovered that such a pill does actually exist, by way of prescription from one’s doctor. As someone who’s tried every hormonal acne treatment under the sun, I’d pretty much given up hope that my skin could ever be clear—until I was introduced to Spironolactone. It’s a prescription that regulates your hormones to stop these breakouts from happening. Fast forward six months, and I literally don’t get acne anymore. At all. Photo: Getty Images/Maskot How Spironolactone works Here’s how it works: “Spironolactone is popular for female cycle acne, the kind that happens every couple of weeks and is associated with a menstrual cycle,” says Purvisha Patel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. “Progesterone and testosterone surges cause oil glands to increase production at these times, and Spironolactone binds to the same hormone receptors to decrease oil production during these same times.” It’s interesting because it’s also used for other things that are unrelated to acne. “It’s a blood pressure medicine that has a side effect of blocking

Read More

October 26, 2018 at 04:31AM There’s no shortage of hot beverages with healing properties: hot water with lemon, golden milk lattes, moringa tea… One more—with its own unique health benefits—to add to the list? Yerba mate tea. Yerba mate tea is a traditional South American drink that’s said to taste like tea, have the energizing hit of coffee, and the joy-inducing benefits of chocolate. Sound too good to be true? Keep reading for the complete low-down of its benefits, potential side effects, and a recipe to try it at home. Here’s everything you need to know about yerba mate tea. What is yerba mate tea? Made from the dried twigs and leaves of the “ilex paraguariensis plant” (say that five times fast), yerba mate tea is typically steeped in hot water and then sipped with a metal straw from a container called a “gourd”—which can be as simple as a hollowed-out gourd or as intricate as a homemade ceramic. The eco-friendly, re-usable straw, called a “bombilla,” has filters out the tea leaves. (So don’t worry about any getting stuck between your teeth.) In countries where yerba mate is popular, drinking it is often a social event. Think of it kind of like a post-yoga matcha date with your friends. The biggest difference is that at these social meetups—which typically take place outdoors, like in a park—individuals sit in a circle, passing around the gourd, as each person takes a single sip from the same cup, before passing it on. Of course, this

Read More

October 26, 2018 at 04:27AM  A couple of years ago, the voice that every New Yorker has inside them—the one that says, “If I don’t get out of the city soon, I’m going to flip out”—started to get really loud. I had an almost seven-year-old successful healing practice focusing on breathwork—and workshops that sold out every month. I loved my work and my community and couldn’t imagine leaving something that I had put so much of my heart into building. So I ignored that inner voice, funneling my anxiety into the daydream about one day owning an apartment in the city and getting my own place upstate. But it seemed impossible to imagine how I could make New York money and potentially live off the grid somewhere. And yet, I was restless and couldn’t stop dreaming of being able to walk out of my front door and be able to put my feet in the dirt. I felt that my nervous system was getting increasingly battered from the constant flow of adrenaline from screeching subway trains, sidewalk traffic, bar noise, crowds, and just the sheer amount of electromagnet frequencies (EMFs) that are concentrated in cities. In October 2017, I gave up my apartment and left my healing space, my people, and all the structures I had created to sustain my life. I was working too hard to stay sane and level in an environment that didn’t support me. The push on my soul got louder and louder until one day,

Read More

October 26, 2018 at 03:02AM New York City-based trainer Meg Takacs’ race day formula is one you’ve probably never heard before. Yes, the Aaptiv running coach advocates for negative splits, impeccable form, and the proper pre-race fuel, but she also has a three-part ethos on how to transform a 5K, marathon, or [insert distance here] into a revelatory experience that’s about so much more than crossing the finish line. “I look at it like this: The first part of the race, you run with your legs. You’re getting used to how your body’s feeling. The second part I always say you’re running with your personality; you’re figuring out what your why is,” she tells me. “Then the third part is all heart.” If you’re gearing up for a 26.2 then, according to Takacs’ logic, the last 18 miles shouldn’t just be a countdown to the post-marathon feast. She’s calling for nothing less than a full-on metamorphosis. How? By using your time on the course to spark the conversations you’ve long put off having with yourself.  “There’s something about moving forward specifically that kind of reveals a lot about yourself.” – Meghan Takacs, Master Aaptiv and CrossFit trainer “There’s something about moving forward specifically that kind of reveals a lot about yourself,” says Takacs. Within this fluidity of motion, says the trainer, is the opportunity to problem-solve in ways the bustle of your day-to-day life just doesn’t leave time for. Fighting with your S.O. about your monthly budget? Challenge you to come up with

Read More