March 29, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC It’s a truth universally known (and raved about) that wine can have some pretty impressive health perks. But there’s an ingredient hiding in your grandma’s gin bottle of all places that has some surprising health potential: juniper. “Juniper comes from the berries of the common juniper tree, which is native to North America,” says Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RDN. (Its scientific name is Juniperus communis and yes, it’s used to make gin.) And juniper is believed to have good-for-you potential beyond making for a great cocktail. “Some people claim juniper can treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones, diabetes, arthritis, muscle pain, GI infections and cancer,” Dixon adds. Wow—that’s a lot. But is it true? More research is needed to support health perks, but these are a few potential juniper benefits making it worth having on your radar: 1. It might lower inflammation Essential oils containing juniper might have anti-inflammatory properties, says Dixon. “All of these products are considered safe for topical use by most people, although they shouldn’t be applied to broken skin. And if a person experiences itching, rashes, pain or other skin reactions after applying juniper, they should wash it off and avoid future use,” she says. 2. It’s a powerful antioxidant Much like fresh berries or colorful produce, juniper has antioxidant properties. “It’s rich in antioxidants, which fight off inflammation and may prevent the development of serious diseases,” says Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. It may also have some antiaging potential—one
Month: March 2019
If student loans are good debt, can I go shopping instead of paying more money toward them?
March 29, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC When I was but a young, carefree 18-year-old, taking out loans to go to school didn’t seem like that big of a deal. It was something I would deal with later, down the road when I was living lavishly in Los Angeles with copious amounts of disposable income. (Lol.) Fast-forward a few years, and I do live in LA with some disposable income (not a lot—I’m a writer, after all—but still some). So, should I still be devoting the same monthly amount on my student-loan repayment as when I was fresh out of school? After all, I’ve heard student loans referred to as “good debt.” And more than anything else, that term sounds like it’s designed to make me feel better about clicking “buy now” on my Reformation shopping cart instead of funneling more funds toward my student-loan balance. While I’m dubious about this, I’m certainly not dubious enough to not “buy now,” so some clarity on how to most intelligently use my bit of disposable income would be much appreciated. *Crosses fingers experts sanction the practice of retail therapy.* “Good debt is typically longer-term debt that you take on to achieve a life goal, and it usually has a lower interest rate than bad debt,” says Shannon McLay, founder and CEO of finance-coaching service The Financial Gym. “Some people see student loan debt or a mortgage on your home as good debt. Other people may add a car loan as good debt.”
Load Up On This Nut To Cut Your Risk Of Breast Cancer, Says New Research
March 29, 2019 at 12:37PM Just two ounces a day had a significant benefit. Continue Reading… Author Stephanie Eckelkamp | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
Cathartic screaming in a “vent box” made me laugh with pure joy
March 29, 2019 at 12:13PM by CWC I can’t remember the last time I screamed at the top of my lungs. Oh wait, yes I can: It was this morning, in a Brooklyn backyard, inside a “vent box” specifically designed to capture cathartic wails. Screaming into the void is something I fantasize about daily, and now that I’ve done it, I can say it’s 100 percent worth the hype. As I stand in the backyard of Huich In, a New York City-based hairstylist and inventor of the marvelous shrieking booth, she tells me that the Vent Box is all about “joyful release.” You meet yourself in the box and get real about your deepest fears and feelings. “It’s about honoring our shadows and our emotions. It’s like information, right? It’s bringing our shadows to the light so then we get to the peace, and harmony, and joy,” she tells me. The idea for the box came from a leadership course In took in San Diego. During one exercise, the group of trainees screamed together. It was an “Aha!” moment for the soon-to-be entrepreneur. “It was the first time that I had released myself in that way because I’m into yoga, I’m into meditation,” she explains. “After we did that, I was like, ‘Holy shit! That felt so good.’ I felt so plugged in. It was a different energy.” “It’s about honoring our shadows and our emotions. It’s like information, right? It’s bringing our shadows to the light so then we
3 Ways Your Home Might Be Having A Bigger Impact On Your Gut Health Than You Think
March 29, 2019 at 12:12PM by CWC If binge-watching every horror movie ever created has taught us anything, it’s that most of the time the bad guy is coming from inside the house—and the same could go for your gut-health issues. Okay, before you go all Michael Meyers on your pad, there’s a few things you should know when it comes to keeping your gut out of harm’s way. For a deeper dive into the things creeping around your home (and how to transform it into a digestion-friendly sanctuary), we tapped Anna Shadid, integrative nutrition health coach at Gorgeous Gut. “Since bacteria colonize on all the surfaces we interact with, it is important to cultivate a healthy environment for bacteria to thrive in the home,” Shadid says. Rather than focusing entirely on the foods you consume (even though that is super important), looking at your gut health from a holistic standpoint can churn out positive changes that actually last. Aside from giving your home a mini gut-approved makeover, taking a probiotic supplement could also aid in your quest for a healthy digestive system. With 90 billion live cultures and 10 different probiotic strains, Renew Life Women’s Complete 90 Billion is something you can easily integrate into your everyday life while reaping all the digestion bonuses. Keep scrolling to learn how to help boost your gut health—starting with what’s inside your home. Photo: Getty Images/Cavan Images Opt for nontoxic cleaning products While cleaning your home is just part of, well, being an adult
The next generation of feminists slaps down “boys will be boys”
March 29, 2019 at 11:33AM by CWC In Amy Schumer’s new standup special on Netflix, Growing, she gives props to younger feminists: “They came along and they’re like, ‘Hey have you been getting sexually harassed like this your whole lives?’ And we’re like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, you wanna do something about that?’ And we’re like, ‘Oh yeah!’ We’re all so used to it.” Well, score one for the kids because it was a banner week for healthy boundaries. Leading the way, a group of teens from Maryland collectively said “thank u, next” to an age-old beauty pageant in the form of a list that circulating at their school ranking the girls on a scale of 1-10 based on looks, the Washington Post reported. They fought back, demanding disciplinary action and persuading administrators to hold a public assembly where the list could be discussed among all the students involved. “It was the last straw, for us girls, of this ‘boys will be boys’ culture,” one student said. “We’re the generation that is going to make a change.” That’s bold thinking in a world where being a “ten,” a “seven,” or a “four” is such a ubiquitous concept that even apps like Tinder reportedly assign users an attractiveness score to serve profiles to others. It’s coded into our lives, which may be why if you find yourself shrugging right now about the Maryland teens’ situation (“Is it that big of a deal?”), that would be understandable. But you’d be
Here’s One Big Way To Help Working Mothers Thrive, According To Research
March 29, 2019 at 10:53AM We need to help free working moms from feeling guilty. Continue Reading… Author Madison Vanderberg | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
The Surprising Reason We Don’t Fall When We Run
March 29, 2019 at 10:26AM The science behind why we don’t hit the pavement. Continue Reading… Author Ray Bass | Life by Daily Burn Selected by iversue
This adaptogenic blend targets stress-induced hair shedding
March 29, 2019 at 09:58AM by CWC When Amanda Chantal Bacon found herself as one of the millions of women facing hair loss, there was really only one thing she considered doing: Finding the right combination of adaptogens to combat the situation. Enter Superhair ($60), MoonJuice’s latest product offering, which combines 21 ingredients—including pumpkin seed, ashwagandha, biotin, saw palmetto, and organic kelp—to promote healthy hair growth from the inside-out. It uses a mix of bioavailable and bioactive vitamins and minerals to boost nutrients and promote “healthier, thicker, stronger hair.” Bacon has been using the formula herself for years, and recently decided to bring it to the masses. “For me, my hair is really a sign of vitality,” she says. Bacon has dealt with her own bouts of hair loss due to stress, hormonal changes, and auto-immune disorders, and realized that what was happening on top of her head was a reflection of what was going on beneath the surface. “I found that times of elevated stress were really congruent with extra hair coming out in the shower,” she says. With Superhair, Bacon has tapped into a major problem amongst millennial women. Namely, that they’re losing hair faster than ever due to stress. Research shows that up to 45 percent of American women experience hair loss at some point in their lives, and it’s happening to a whopping twelve percent of them by the time they turn 30. And the beauty industry as a whole has taken note. The phrase “scalp care
Plastic bags are canceled in New York, so everybody grab a reusable tote
March 29, 2019 at 09:57AM by CWC Plastic bags are getting canceled. Following in the footsteps of California, the first state in the nation to ban single-use bags, the state of New York will sharply cut the U.S. output of plastic bags by March 2020, reports The New York Times. The injunction is expected to pass on Monday, packaged with the New York’s budget bills. Considering 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year, 23 billion of which are used by the residents of New York, the legislation is undoubtably a win for sustainability. However, it’s important to note that there will be quite a few exceptions, including take-out bags from your beloved local Chinese eatery, bags used to package deli meat, and trash and recycling bags. (So if you feel like enacting self-imposed laws to cut back on those, too, good on you.) “[T]hese bags have blighted our environment and clogged our waterways,” said New York governor Andrew Cuomo, who first proposed the plan a year ago. The bill will also allow counties to tack a 5-cent fee on paper bags that would go directly to the state’s Environmental Protection Fund as well as another designed to provide citizen with reusable bags. “[T]hese bags have blighted our environment and clogged our waterways.” —New York governor Andrew Cuomo The states of New York and California are in good company. Every county in Hawaii has also banned plastic bags (effectively putting the number of states with a ban at three),