Month: October 2019

October 23, 2019 at 10:30PM by CWC Less than 10 percent of people in the United States donate blood on an annual basis, which explains in part the findings of American hematologists who recently conducted extensive research on the growing gap between blood supply and demand. The story of blood shortage is hardly new, however. One occurred in July, a Type O shortage happened in May—and that’s just in the U.S. In the face of an obvious need for more ample stores, experts point to the unnecessary restrictions barring gay men from donating blood—a police based on stigma rather than science. “I am a gay male. I give blood because there’s a need for it in our current situation, but I have to lie in order to donate. Just by having sex with another male, I’m automatically eliminated from donating blood,” says Jason Kindt, MD, medical director at the Samuel J. Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stipulates that “a man who has had sex with another man during the past 12 months” is not eligible to donate blood—a rule that doctors say is both outdated and detrimental to the nation’s current blood supply levels. Charles Nicholas Cuneo, MD, a clinical fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital tells Well+Good that the FDA’s recommendation is based on a population-level analysis of risk rather than an individual risk assessment. In other words, they treat all gay men as a homogenous group rather than looking at

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October 23, 2019 at 09:14PM by CWC On Wednesday, the FDA asked manufacturers and medical professionals to better inform women about the potential hazards of breast implants. The federal agency has approved saline and silicone gel implants for augmenting breast size, breast cancer reconstruction, correcting developmental defects, and to “improve: the result of a previous surgery, but implants are not without risks. “The Food and Drug Administration and the major plastic surgery societies are all working together to do further research more closely looking into implant risks, which will help future patients receiving implants know they’re getting the safest approaches and technologies,” says Anne Peled, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing aesthetic, reconstructive, and breast oncologic surgery in San Francisco. Although the FDA’s recommendation won’t yet be formally implemented, Dr. Peled says it’s worthy of the attention of doctors, manufacturers, and, most of all, survivors. In rare cases, people who receive implants may wind up with a form of lymphoma called breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL), or a full-body condition called breast implant illness (though this hasn’t been well-studied yet), says Dr. Peled. “More common risks of implants include hardening over time, which is called capsular contracture; infection; rupture or deflation; and malpositioning,” she says. The FDA adds that the longer you’ve had implants, the more likely you are to experience complications. “Anyone who has had breast implants placed for breast augmentation or reconstruction should see their surgeon once a year to check on their implants.” —Anne Peled,

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October 23, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Selena Gomez not-so-famously proclaims in her not-so-famous 2010 song, “Intuition,” Sometimes it’s just gets so confusing / Feel like I don’t know what I’m doing / But I trust in my heart and in the end  / It turns out to be better than when it begins. She was on to something (even if not so many listeners got the message): Intuition is, by definition, a way of receiving information without conscious reasoning that can guide us toward positive people and things and away from the negative. The thing is, while our ancient ancestors relied on their inner knowing to, say, safeguard them from tiger ambushes and the like, modern society has made knowing how to trust your intuition a lot harder—and less socially acceptable. “The patriarchal system has created the idea that if it’s not logical, it’s nonsense,” says spiritual guide and healer Shaman Durek, author of Spirit Hacking. “We’re inundated with distractions, and we’ve moved away from that feminine aspect that holds the intuition—our ability to sense beyond our senses and know beyond our knowing.” But, Durek adds, intuition is something we all have within us, even if we don’t use it very often. The trick to connecting with it more closely? Getting out of your head and feeling into your body. Durek refers to this process of learning to trust your intuition as “calibrating your internal navigation system,” or INS for short. “Ancient shamans—who happened to be women—utilized this technique as

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October 23, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Hyaluronic acid is like the popular girl in school—the captain of the skin-care cheer squad, if you will. But as if plucked from a throwback cheer movie of your choosing: Another hydrating ingredient is giving it a run for its place in your skin squad, looking for v-i-c-t-o-r-y for your complexion. That ingredient is squalane. Like hyaluronic acid, squalene (its base compound) is naturally made within your our bodies. “Squalene is a lipid in our sebum produced naturally by our own bodies,” says Liana Cutrone, a skin therapist with Heyday. Also like hyaluronic acid, it tends to diminish within your body as you age—which is why it’s a good addition to your skin-care products. In skin-care formulations, squalene originally came from shark liver oil, which is obviously frowned upon for its sourcing. You can get it from plants, though—Cutrone points out that common sources include amaranth seed, rice bran, and wheat germs. Naissan Wesley, MD, FACMS, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles, adds that you can also find it from extra virgin olive oil. But squalene “must often be hydrogenated first to give it stability,” she says—because it’s not particularly stable on it’s own. Squalane, however, is completely hydrogenated squalene, which is why it’s more common on skin-care shelves. “Squalane is more commonly used as it’s typically more stable in products,” says Cutrone. The reason you can find it on every shelf? It’s super hydrating and calming on skin. “Squalane and squalene act

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October 23, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC For wellness expert, writer, and cook Mira Manek, Ayurveda—a holistic medicine and wellness practice from India—played a major role in her upbringing. From doing yoga with her grandmother to eating foods best suited for her dosha, it was just simply how she lived. Here in the U.S., Ayurveda isn’t quite as well-known among the mainstream population, and when it does come up, it’s most mostly in the context of food. The wellness-obsessed cook uses Ayurvedic spices, for example, and maybe washes down their food with lukewarm water. But as Manek discusses in her book, Prajna: Ayurvedic Rituals For Happiness ($18), Ayurveda is a holistic lifestyle, with a lot more to offer than just helpful tips on how to eat. In fact, Ayurvedic practices can be especially helpful when managing stress, Manek says. (Surprised? You shouldn’t be.) Here, she shares her tips on how to use Ayurveda to feel more peaceful—even when your to-do list seems miles long. Next time you’re stressed, try these Ayurvedic lifestyle practices: 1. Take a deep breath Ever heard the advice that deep breathing can help quell anxious feelings? It stems from Ayurveda. “‘Prana-yama’ means the stop or control of the breath,” Manek explains. “It’s a set of breathing techniques that regulates the frequency and depth of the breath, falling into both yoga practice and meditation.” If you feel stressed or anxious, Manek recommends slowing the breath down and holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. “You could

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