Month: July 2019

July 10, 2019 at 06:30AM by CWC Raise your hand if this scenario is familiar: You’ve asked to be tested for sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), and your doctor responds with a few intimate questions about your behavior in the bedroom. You want to tell the truth because you know it’s important, but you’re embarrassed or ashamed or anxious, so you lie. (Anal? Little ol’ me? Why I never!) As a result, your doc runs the mildest of STI panels—urine, possibly a vaginal swab—and calls it a day. If your hand is in the air, you’re not alone: STI rates nationally are on the rise (reported cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia combined are at their highest levels in two decades), yet experts say that people aren’t getting tested as they should. There are lots of barriers that keep people from getting tested, from lack of awareness about risk to enduring stigma that makes it hard for patients to be open with their doctors about their behaviors. ad_intervals[‘404006_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘404006_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); That’s why virtual healthcare company Nurx (which is best known for its online birth control, emergency contraception, and HIV PReP services) is launching a bevy of at-home STI tests today that can be ordered online and administered in privacy. The tests offerings include: The Full Control Kit, which tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia (throat, rectal, urine swabs), syphilis, hepatitis C, and HIV (blood sample), and is $75 with insurance or $220 without; The

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July 10, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC There’s no denying that food waste is a major problem. Thirty to 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to landfills, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. For anyone who cares even just a little about sustainability, it’s a sobering stat. One major grocery chain in the U.K. has even started selling expired dried food at a discount in an effort to cut down on waste. Eating expired food would certainly lead to less food waste (because come on, some of those dates just seem so random!), but is it safe? After all, I’m definitely not into the whole idea of salmonella. And while we’re on the subject, what is the difference between “sell by,” “best by,” and all those other terms that are used for expiration dates? I called up food safety expert Jeff Nelken for answers. First, Nelken gave me a little history lesson. “Forty years ago, companies got together and had consumers answer questions about their products. They would try a food when it was three days old, five days old, seven days old, and so forth,” he explains. “They did this to find out when consumers started to think the quality started to go.” Taste, appearance, odor, and texture all played a part, and companies used the intel to determine the best-by dates for their products, which indicates that it’s still safe to eat, but might not taste as fresh as before the date. ad_intervals[‘406690_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function

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July 10, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC When it comes to hydration, hyaluronic acid has always been king. Sure, ingredients like ceramides and squalene can get the job done, but they don’t hold a candle to HA—which as any beauty geek will happily tell you “holds 1,000 times its weight in water.” But theres a new ingredient in town that’s going to give the OG hydrator a run for its money. Meet polyglutamic acid, the buzzy new kid on the skincare block that quite literally blows hyaluronic acid out of the water. Research has found that it can absorb up to 5,000 times its own weight in water—for anyone keeping track, thats 5 times what hyaluronic acid is capable of—and with that brings a whole lot of skin-tastic benefits. The peptide, which comes from fermented soybeans (the more you know!), is an A+ humectant that also helps to increase the production of natural moisturizing factors in your skin. So basically, it creates more hydration while also locking in what’s already in there—think of it as a sort of moisture seal. It also enhances elasticity and plumps skin, giving it an instant smoothing effect that would otherwise require an Instagram filter to achieve, and helps to treat fine lines, wrinkles and other signs of aging. According to Janelle Vega, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the co-founder of BIA Life, there’s also promising research related to PGA’s use in blocking and repairing pigment, but nothing conclusive has emerged on this (yet). ad_intervals[‘402403_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]

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July 10, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC I used to naively equate exercise with cardio. And that’s precisely why I’d spend my workout time solely on the treadmill or on the pavement, running to sweat it out—and running was all that I did (and I thought I was a workout queen). Now I look back and shake my head, because we all know that cardio is merely one slice outta the whole pie of what healthy fitness encompasses. Another slice that’s equally important? Strength training. Which isn’t just pumping weights—it’s essentially anything you do that works on strengthening your muscles with either machines, weights, or your own bodyweight. “Strength training is training where you use resistance to burn calories, improve your cardiopulmonary health, and build muscle,” explains Kit Rich, celebrity trainer and founder of KICHGO. So that even includes what you do in Pilates and sculpt classes, too. Some people shy away from it though because they just prefer avoiding the weights rack or think their cardio is enough, without realizing that building muscle is key to a strong (ahem) fitness game. “Strength is the foundation for all other physical endeavors,” says Eric Johnson, co-founder of HOMAGE fitness. Besides getting stronger, though, there are a slew of other reasons why strength training is key, which you probably don’t even realize. Below are the unexpected reasons to incorporate it into your sweat regimen, stat. ad_intervals[‘406672_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘406672_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); The benefits of strength training that extend

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