Year: 2019

February 13, 2019 at 07:46AM by CWC Just about every dental health professional agrees that brushing your teeth at least twice a day is a good rule of thumb, but the contents of toothpaste stir a little more controversy. (Don’t even get us started on the whole is-flossing-really-worth-it debate.) The most contentious ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride. A naturally occurring mineral that has been added to drinking water for decades, fluoride is also an ingredient in many, many adult toothpastes. On the one hand, mainstream dentists generally embrace it as a serious cavity fighter. In fact, the American Dental Association firmly supports fluoridation of water and won’t put its seal of approval on any toothpaste that doesn’t contain it. And yet over the years, a smaller group of holistic dentists have raised concerns about potential neurotoxicity of fluoride in drinking water and toothpaste. In 2014, top medical journal The Lancet designated the mineral as a neurotoxin in 2014, leading federal health officials—for the first time in more than 50 years—to advise local governments to lower the amount of fluoride in the U.S. water supply. While too little fluoride is linked to tooth decay, a recent study found that drinking water might actually contain too much of it, which could cause dental and bone disease—especially in children. But here’s the good news: researchers recently developed a new, portable device, SION-105, to measure the fluoride levels of water with just a few drops. What makes this so major is that it allows groundwater to be tested to ensure

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February 13, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC Last night, post-run, I dropped down to the mat for a 10-minute ab workout. After a particularly grueling bout of bicycles—which were made harder than usual by holding a towel over my head—I felt the need to stop and take a break shortly before the 30 second set was up. Whoops. So sue me—I’m only human. And my abs were burning. Surely I’m not the only person who’s ever needed a break in the middle of a sweaty strength training sesh. Something I recently learned, though? It’s totally fine to take that break—just make sure to keep it under 3 seconds long. Last night, my Peloton instructor Oliver Lee said that you can take a 3-second break to breathe, then get back into the move. I (literally) breathed a sigh of relief, stopped doing the bicycles for three quick “Mississippis,” then went back into it—and guess what? My abs are sore today, so clearly the workout was still effective. Certified trainer and owner of Fitness Together studio Derek Maxfield agrees. “Three seconds is the ideal amount of time [to rest] between reps,” he tells me. “If you are consistently going over 10 to 15 seconds in between each rep, you’re not going to keep your heart rate in its optimal zone. In turn, you won’t make the best use of your workout.” It’s the golden rule for all methods of strength training, whether you’re suffering through bicycles (like moi) or lifting weights. “This applies to

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February 13, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC I’m sure there are plenty of Valentine’s Day gift guides available that factor in the longevity of a given relationship—and you should obviously feel free to consult away. But as “relationships” themselves get blurrier and blurrier in definition, the holiday mostly gives the gift of stress. If you just started seeing someone new, not only are you left to wonder what kind of gift your new special someone would even like, but also what signals you’re sending with what you choose to give. (Heck, the whole conundrum of gift-giving is an issue that’s fraught with confusion even for couples who have been together for ages.)  So, as your no-BS friend from the internet, I have one thing to tell you: There is no need—I repeat, NO NEED—to get a Valentine’s Day gift for someone you’re newly seeing. Maybe the other person just came out of a long-term partnership and you can’t tell if you’re a rebound. Or, the two of you have been out thrice and you kind of like them, but you’re keeping your options open. Basically, if it seems light-years too soon for a DTR conversation, you can save your money for more worthy buys than chocolates and conversation hearts. If you’re still left wondering “but, WHY?” because you really want to do something to show your interest, well, you’re a sweet soul. It is possible to gift small tokens without making things weird. Below, learn how to read the room before you

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February 13, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Take one look at the news cycle on a given day, and you’ll likely find at least one headline confirming that millennials are feeling seriously burnt out—in fact, we’re starting to be known as the “burnout generation” (cute!). Research confirms that younger generations are sleeping less and stressing more, which I would like to punctuate that with a resounding, duh. In some cases, these heightened anxiety levels are manifesting themselves physically. More specifically, dentists say they’re manifesting themselves in our jaws.  Last week during a routine visit, my dentist diagnosed me with Temporomandibular Joint Disorder—more commonly known as TMJ (technically an incorrect acronym), TMJD, or TMD—is a problem with the hinge that connects your jaw to the temporal bones of your skull (which allows you to do very important things like talk and eat). To put it simply, it’s “pain of the jaw joint and surrounding muscles,” says celebrity dentist Kevin Sands, DDS. TMJD can happen for a large number of reasons, but grinding your teeth—which I do all day, every day—is one of the biggies. Symptoms tend to present as jaw or tooth pain, difficulty opening your mouth, popping and clicking noises, as well as headaches, pain under your eyes, and discomfort down the neck and shoulders (among other things). My dentist asked if I was overly stressed (yes) or sleeping enough (no), and confirmed that these were two of the most likely culprits behind the constant jaw aggravation I’ve been feeling for the last

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