Day: March 13, 2019

March 13, 2019 at 02:02PM by CWC Sometimes nothing seems to help with headaches. You can chug all the water you want and sniff your entire collection of essential oils—and trust me, I have!—but that throbbing pain lingers. One of the best natural remedies for banishing a day-ruining headache is probably already hanging out in your refrigerator. Using ginger for headaches should come as no surprise—the root has been shown to help fight off bacterial infections, get rid of bad breath, and help cure upset stomachs— but the application is unusual. “Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties can actually be more potent than a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID),” says Serena Goldstein, ND, a naturopathic doctor and hormone expert based in New York City. And there’s some research that backs this up: A small 2017 study found that powdered ginger worked as effectively as ibuprofen to manage pain and swelling in patients who had been treated for impacted molars. “And just like many migraine medications act by leaving more serotonin—our ‘happy hormone’—in our body, ginger does this as well.” To try the remedy at home, Dr. Goldstein recommends rubbing a paste made from fresh ginger root between your eyebrows or on your forehead. You can also get some relief by drinking it. “Boil fresh ginger root in hot water to make a tea for faster absorption or put ginger powder in a shot glass with a few ounces of water,” says Dr. Goldstein. “Most serotonin is made in the gut. And because ginger can help decrease nausea, gas,

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March 13, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Of all of the possible solutions out there for treating acne, pimple patches are by far the easiest and most convenient—no contest. For most whiteheads, blackheads, and blemishes, all you’ve got to do is slap one on before bed and wake up to a clear complexion, without having to worry about any gunky spot treatment getting all over your beautiful silk pillowcases. And not only are they hassle free, but they can actually even be more effective than your traditional topicals when it comes to healing acne. “Patches can be more effective at treating pimples because the contact time of the medication on the patch and the skin is longer,” says dermatologist Lily Talakoub, MD, of McLean Dermatology and Skincare in McLean, Virginia. “Most medication evaporates about 50 percent off the skin upon application. The duration of contact is thus low. Patches stay on the skin and keep the medication from evaporating, meaning a higher amount of medication is directly absorbed on the skin.” Plus, when your zits are good and covered with a cute little sicker, it’s a whole lot easier to, ya know, not to pick ’em. Since all pimples are not created equally (just ask the cystic one I can currently feel brewing on my chin), there’s no one-size-fits-all for pimple patches, either. Thankfully, there are plenty of options on the market to treat whatever pimple decides to pop up. Here are some of our faves. Photo: CosRX   For superficial surface zits: CosRx Acne Pimple Master Patch

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March 13, 2019 at 12:45PM by CWC Rain, shine, or below freezing temps (though hopefully not for much longer), I need to start my morning with a sweat. I like think of it as my own personal version of morning meditation, mostly because it’s the only thing that makes me feel centered and productive before the real craziness of the day truly begins. But as much as I love my early a.m. workouts, I also love the snooze button, and every once in a while, I press it enough times that my usual 6 a.m. class just isn’t happening. Neither is a 7 a.m. class. Or an 8 a.m. one. When I finally do manage to get myself out of bed, I realize I’ve got less than 15 minutes to spare before it’s time to get ready for work. And instead of treating myself to an extra-gourmet breakfast or spending an extra few minutes on my glam, I take myself for a run around the block…something that people who live in Blue Zones do on the reg. While it may sound like nothing, these few minutes and few hundred steps actually do make a difference in determining the course of my day. “The biggest benefit is that you made a commitment to take care of yourself. You mentally said, ‘I may not have an hour to go to the gym, but I care enough about myself that I am going to do whatever I can, even if it’s seven to 10 minutes,’”

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March 13, 2019 at 12:19PM by CWC There are certain stores that make it literally impossible to walk into without leaving after having spent $100 on stuff you never knew you needed but can’t live without. Target, for one (I mean, have you seen their beauty aisle recently?), and Trader Joe’s, for another (because, cauliflower gnocchi). Recently, I discovered a new store to add to the list thanks to its status as a completely unexpected fitness destination: Marshalls. Last month, I unwittingly walked into the Marshalls in Lower Manhattan, and walked out as the proud new owner of a complete home gym (and a hardboiled egg maker, a cold brew coffee maker, a 1-gallon water bottle, and the best damn trail mix I’ve ever eaten) for $102. In addition to the resistance bands, yoga mat, free weights and kettle bells that came home with me, the store also had racks upon racks of (really, really cute) workout-wear, foam flooring, and other types of equipment like Bosu Balls, chin-up bars, and makeshift TRX’s. While the Marshalls inventory isn’t available online just yet (the company recently announced that they’d be transitioning to e-commerce later this year), with over 1,000 stores throughout the United States, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a shop nearby. And though every location has different stuff, here are a few things you can expect to find from my favorite fitness store.   Fitness equipment In addition to all of the equipment that I wound up bringing home with me from

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March 13, 2019 at 11:53AM by CWC Seasonal allergies are the worst. At first, you’re overjoyed to see all the greenery popping up after a long winter. Then the next thing you know, your eyes are red, your nose is runny, and—worst of all—you’re sneezing 24/7. So, you grab your go-to antihistamine to help relieve those symptoms. But what is the best time to take allergy meds for maximum effectiveness? Most people don’t pop that pill until they’re already dragging through their morning. That’s why experts say you should actually be taking your antihistamines before you go to bed at night. “Antihistamines take at least 30 minutes to work, and the newer, long-acting ones will last you 24 hours, so you’ll be covered until the next day. They work best when they’re already in your system, so the night before is most efficacious,” says Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist/immunologist with the Allergy & Asthma Network. “Since some antihistamines make you drowsy, it’s actually best to take them before bedtime.” Bonus: Taking them ahead of time means you’ll rise just in time for them to reach the prime allergy-fighting zone. “Once-daily antihistamines reach their peak efficacy 8 to 12 hours after you take them, so using them at dinnertime or before bed means better control of your daytime symptoms,” says Yoon Mi Kim, DO, an allergy and immunology specialist for Geisinger. As long as you’re consistent and try to take your meds prior to exposure, Dr. Parikh says any time will work. But for anyone

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March 13, 2019 at 11:19AM by CWC After a taking a dating sabbatical, I recently re-entered the scene. My phone now has a whole folder of dating apps, and I’ve been sliding into DMs “Yo Gotti”-style. I’ve had some interesting experiences that’ll surely make for hilarious stories, and I’ve met some serious babes. But as a queer woman playing the field, it seems that from the outside looking in, the most interesting aspect of my romantic pursuits is their gender identification. And since that couldn’t be farther from the truth in reality, it would be great if people would stop engaging this line of inquiry. Just the other night, a friend of mine said, “The best part of GK dating again is that every time she starts talking to someone new, we get to have a gender reveal party! Is it a boy or a girl?” And I’m not the only queer person who’s had this experience. “The questions are always about whether they’re a man or woman. It’s the biggest eye roll,” says Gigi Engle, a certified sex coach and educator for inclusive dating platform O.school. And honestly, as long as I’m happy, what difference should gender identity make? Furthermore, binary language limits gender to male or female excludes trans, gender nonconforming, gender-fluid, gender-variant, agender, and bigender people. With that in mind, I asked queer peers to share questions they actually like fielding about their new flings. So even if, for whatever reason, the top question you want to ask a queer

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