March 21, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC Ever since the 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp from the Schedule 1 drugs list, the once-maligned plant has developed an aura (a haze, even) of intrigue and excitement. Indeed, a small body of early research shows that compounds within hemp—including CBD, everyone’s favorite non-intoxicating cannabinoid—could be a helpful ally for those suffering from anxiety, poor sleep, and other modern woes, although more studies are needed to reach any definitive conclusions. But beyond the buzzwords, most of us still don’t know a whole lot about the hemp-based CBD products we’re putting into and onto our bodies, and how they could enhance our lifestyles in a holistic way. This is a problem, says Jessica Assaf, founder of Cannabis Feminist and a long-time clean beauty activist. “One of the greatest risks we see is that people think of CBD as this miracle cure-all,” she says. “We can’t just be using CBD in a bubble and not take care of our health in other ways.” Plus, she adds, there’s very little regulation or rigorous science in the CBD industry right now, and it’s hard for a buyer to tell whether any given product is legit. But an all-star trio hopes to change this by launching a new educational content platform called Prima, which has already raised over $3 million in venture capital funding. The site focuses on simple ways to optimize health on a holistic level and how plants like hemp can be layered into a broader self-care
Month: March 2019
Is Cold Water Wrecking Your Digestion & Gut Health?
March 21, 2019 at 01:36AM We look at Ayurveda and Western Science. Continue Reading… Author Liz Moody | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
I Tried Charcoal Toothpaste For Two Weeks & It Definitely Whitened My Teeth
March 21, 2019 at 01:07AM However, I won’t use it forever. Here’s why. Continue Reading… Author Lindsay Kellner | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
This Activist Is Growing 100 Percent Of His Own Food This Year For An Important Reason
March 21, 2019 at 01:00AM Rob Greenfield is at it again. Continue Reading… Author Emma Loewe | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Seasonal Allergies Are The Worst. Here’s What You Need To Know About Symptoms, Causes & Treatments
March 21, 2019 at 12:15AM Your guide to seasonal allergies, including common symptoms, their underlying causes, and how to treat them naturally. Continue Reading… Author William Cole, D.C., IFMCP | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
All of the most potent vitamin C sources your skin needs to know about, STAT
March 20, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC As someone who’s been told to not only regularly drink vitamin C (thanks, dad) but to put it all over my skin, you can say I’m familiar with the all-star ingredient’s benefits. Mainly, that it’s a big time antioxidant that boosts your immunity when you eat it, and brightens and restores your skin when you slather it on. Though I like to consider myself savvy to the ingredient, even I get confused about how to get my vitamin C. Typically (and I think this is true for lots of people) I equate vitamin C with oranges. Or, at the very least, citrus. But you can reap that tried and true antioxidant from a whole platter of fruits, which makes your beauty product shopping that much more fun. To begin, let’s just be clear on why you really want to stock up on a vitamin C skin-care product: “Naturally derived sources of vitamin C have multiple skin-care benefits, since it’s an antioxidant that helps to repair free radicals created from sun and environmental damage,” says Naissan O. Wesley, MD, FACMS, a board-certified dermatologist. “It’s also required in order to build collagen.” On top of that, it combats oxidative damage and revitalizes lackluster skin for a true glow. When it comes to the most potent source, oranges aren’t actually the top dog. According to Jené Roestorf, biologist and founder of Luxe Botanics, a berry called camu camu has one of the richest amounts of vitamin C in
The placebo effect is getting stronger—and nobody knows why
March 20, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Most people are familiar with the placebo effect, but less aware of a surprising development: It’s getting stronger, but nobody knows exactly why. Here, ahead of the publication of her new book Energy Medicine, acupuncturist Well+Good Council member Jill Blakeway, DACM, LAc, explains what’s happening. In the world of medicine, a placebo is generally defined as a treatment—such as a pill or an injection or a procedure— that has a harmless effect and, usually, is proffered unbeknownst to the patient. Interestingly, research has shown that even the appearance of a placebo can influence a patient’s reported reaction to it. For example, the larger the pill, the stronger the placebo effect, and two pills elicit a stronger effect than one. Patients have a more positive reaction to brand-name pills than generic ones, and the most powerful responses result from placebos administered by needle. Even the color of placebo pills can alter the outcome: Blue ones are more effective than red ones for helping people sleep and green pills are preferred for anxiety. These are just the kinds of capricious details that have historically made scientists and doctors scoff at the placebo, dismissing it as a trivial mind game. Patients have a more positive reaction to brand-name pills than generic ones. But placebos are far from trivial. Research clearly reveals that our subconscious expectations lead us to better health and that our interactions with doctors and health-care practitioners also improve our sense of well-being. The
“I tried everything to get more steps in my day. Here’s the old-school hack that actually worked”
March 20, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC I miss the smug feeling my Fitbit used to give me. Living in a dense, walkable city like New York, it was easy to rack up the miles—even on days when I skipped the treadmill. I walked everywhere under two miles: work, Whole Foods, the bank. My mom would call me from North Carolina, bragging about her step count. Step count? Please. I think in miles, I’d think to myself, priding myself in not knowing how steps calculate out. But now that I moved down south to be closer to home, I no longer have to walk anywhere. In fact, I hardly walk anywhere at all, partly because I now work from home (and thus don’t have a commute). My Fitbit numbers became so low (miles and steps) that I stopped wearing it on the days that I didn’t work out because it depressed me. For years, having the privilege of living in a walkable city allowed me to ignore all the headlines about the importance of movement. Suddenly, I was Googling ways to be more active during the day and talking to pros to figure out what else I could do. It’s been three months now, and I think I’ve figured out some lifestyle hacks that work—as well as some that definitely don’t. I’m sharing my intel here, in case it helps you—my fellow friends who have to rely on your car, and not your feet, to get around. Why regular movement
How to quash those pesky ants in your pants and finally just relax
March 20, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC I excitedly anticipate every weekend the same way: With a gravitational-pull-strength desire to kick back and binge-watch reality television after waking from an extra-long slumber. “I’m going to have such a relaxing, restorative weekend!” I habitually say to myself come Friday evening, after an inevitably long, busy AF week. But then, like clockwork, after about a whole two hours of straight chillin’, I get restless. So begins the process of texting all my friends to make last-minute plans for…right at this very second, or finding errands to run, or a museum to visit, or a a movie to see, or whatever—anything to get me out of my apartment. My sister says both my dad and I have a serious case of shpilkes, a Yiddish term describing nervous restlessness. I.e., I chronically have ants in my pants, and I know a ton of other people have trouble leaning into their valiant hygge intentions to do a whole bunch of nothing. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong, per se, with having a go-go-go personality—but there is a downside: Come Monday a.m., you’re likely still exhausted rather than recharged from your weekend. You know, because of those ants, or according to clinical psychotherapist Jennifer Silvershein, LCSW, an inability to relax, largely supported by the millennial lifestyle. “Growing up, we had to do all of these things in order to be amazing—get good grades, be in extracurriculars, get a scholarship, go to college, get a job,” she says. “Where in that
Being an awesome S.O. to someone with ADHD doesn’t mean ignoring your needs
March 20, 2019 at 02:18PM by CWC Every relationship comes with a unique set of challenges. (What, you thought romance was easy?) Add a mental health condition into the mix, and things can feel a lot more complicated. If you’re dating someone with ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which can present in different ways and is the clinical term for what’s often called ADD) you may find that you feel ignored, neglected, and frustrated, Erin Nicole McGinnis, LMFT, says. (In addition to being a psychotherapist, McGinnis has ADD and has been in relationships with people with ADD—which is all to say, she is uniquely qualified to speak on this topic.) “People with [ADHD] can be very attentive one minute, and then not follow through the next. The partner can often feel like they aren’t cared about, filling in the blanks and making assumptions that aren’t true,” McGinnis says. ADHD, which, according to Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), affect an estimated 10 million adults, can manifest as hyperactivity or inattentiveness, McGinnis says. If the person with ADHD is hyperactive, it often shows as fidgeting, impulsiveness, and talkativeness. If they’re inattentive, it looks like daydreaming and spacing out, McGinnis says. “Both [presentations] have an inability to stay on task. They have a problem starting a task and finishing it. They also have a problem staying focused…[and] lose things frequently, which can make it very frustrating for their partners.” She explains that to have a functional relationship, you need to be able to complete tasks