Category: 2019 Health

May 23, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Here’s a staggering statistic: One in 15 adults every year will experience depression, according to the American Psychiatric Association, and one in six people will experience depression at some point in their lifetimes. Women are also nearly twice as likely to experience depression as men. (So to all the people who don’t think mental illness is a real thing…back off.) Although the conversation around mental health has begun to shift, it can still be a difficult thing to discuss. But creating conversations about mental health is one of the ways we can continue to combat stigma. “I didn’t realize that talking about it actually created connections that decreased the feelings of isolation,” Carol (we held her last name to protect her privacy) tells me. So let’s get talking. I asked five women to share what they wished they could tell their past selves about depression. Here’s what they said. 1. Depression is isolating… “You never fully understand it until you experience it. I never really understood what that feeling of loneliness was… The main symptom I struggle with, and thinking back on my childhood have always struggled with, [is feeling] like I’m missing out on life. But at the same time depression pushes me to isolate myself which always surprises me. It makes no sense.” —Alexandra 2. …but you are not alone “I wish I would’ve known how many other people are affected by [depression] and that I’m not alone. The first time

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May 23, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Here’s a staggering statistic: One in 15 adults every year will experience depression, according to the American Psychiatric Association, and one in six people will experience depression at some point in their lifetimes. Women are also nearly twice as likely to experience depression as men. (So to all the people who don’t think mental illness is a real thing…back off.) Although the conversation around mental health has begun to shift, it can still be a difficult thing to discuss. But creating conversations about mental health is one of the ways we can continue to combat stigma. “I didn’t realize that talking about it actually created connections that decreased the feelings of isolation,” Carol (we held her last name to protect her privacy) tells me. So let’s get talking. I asked five women to share what they wished they could tell their past selves about depression. Here’s what they said. 1. Depression is isolating… “You never fully understand it until you experience it. I never really understood what that feeling of loneliness was… The main symptom I struggle with, and thinking back on my childhood have always struggled with, [is feeling] like I’m missing out on life. But at the same time depression pushes me to isolate myself which always surprises me. It makes no sense.” —Alexandra 2. …but you are not alone “I wish I would’ve known how many other people are affected by [depression] and that I’m not alone. The first time

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May 23, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC The Enneagram model is personality typology that has a sneaky way of reflecting our innermost selves. Here’s how it works: Each personality profile is assigned a number—there are nine in total, and you can read an outline of each here to decide which fits you best—that serves as a starting point for understanding why it is that we do the things we do. The enneagon symbol (a nine-sided polygon) itself is ancient, but it was most recently expanded into its modern personality-explaining understanding by philosopher Óscar Ichazo, who posited that we all have go-to passions or coping mechanisms that create recurring themes throughout our lives. I’ve spent years nerding out about his theories and those of others, but I’ve always felt like the only millennial engaging with the self-growth tool in a meaningful way. That bothered me, so I created Millenneagram. To quote my imaginary BFF Lin-Manuel Miranda, we’re “young, scrappy, and hungry,” and we live in some pretty terrifying times. Fighting against the system and for what you believe requires all the intelligence and intuition you can muster—and I think a spin on the Enneagram model can help you become more aware of your brain ruts so you can start charting new paths. That’s where Millenneagram comes in, as a 21st-century update on its sleepy predecessor. Check out descriptions of the nine updated personality profiles below. Meet the 9 personalities of Millenneagram, a 21st-century update of the Enneagram model. 1: The Machine

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May 23, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC The Enneagram model is personality typology that has a sneaky way of reflecting our innermost selves. Here’s how it works: Each personality profile is assigned a number—there are nine in total, and you can read an outline of each here to decide which fits you best—that serves as a starting point for understanding why it is that we do the things we do. The enneagon symbol (a nine-sided polygon) itself is ancient, but it was most recently expanded into its modern personality-explaining understanding by philosopher Óscar Ichazo, who posited that we all have go-to passions or coping mechanisms that create recurring themes throughout our lives. I’ve spent years nerding out about his theories and those of others, but I’ve always felt like the only millennial engaging with the self-growth tool in a meaningful way. That bothered me, so I created Millenneagram. To quote my imaginary BFF Lin-Manuel Miranda, we’re “young, scrappy, and hungry,” and we live in some pretty terrifying times. Fighting against the system and for what you believe requires all the intelligence and intuition you can muster—and I think a spin on the Enneagram model can help you become more aware of your brain ruts so you can start charting new paths. That’s where Millenneagram comes in, as a 21st-century update on its sleepy predecessor. Check out descriptions of the nine updated personality profiles below. Meet the 9 personalities of Millenneagram, a 21st-century update of the Enneagram model. 1: The Machine

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May 23, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Sunscreen is our most important skin-care product. Our parents weren’t dabbing cream onto our under eyes or mixing serums into our baby lotions, they were slathering us in sunscreen any time the sun even thought about peaking through the clouds. And while (hopefully) this skin-protective habit followed us into adulthood, it’s time to tweak our routines. Because many of us missed a spot—our scalps. Though your scalp is mostly covered with hair and quite literally never sees the light of day, you shouldn’t ignore it. From scrubs to serums, scalp care is on the rise, and sunscreen brands are joining the party. Preliminary research has found prolonged sun exposure may be tied to hair damage, and Dominic Burg, PhD, trichologist (read: scalp expert) and chief scientist at Évolis Professional, says UV damage on the scalp (which can happen with or without getting sunburn FWIW) can lead to inflammation. This may disrupt the hair cycle, AKA the pattern for hair growth and regeneration. “When the hair cycle is interrupted, the main thing that happens is the growth phase is shortened,” Dr. Burg says. “A short growth phase means less hair growing, more hair resting and more falling, and as this cycle of dysfunction progresses, hair quality decreases, and follicles eventually stop being able to regenerate a new hair, resulting in hair loss and hair thinning.” Burg adds that hair that isn’t growing optimally may also lose its natural wave or curl, may appear drier, and

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May 23, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC Sunscreen is our most important skin-care product. Our parents weren’t dabbing cream onto our under eyes or mixing serums into our baby lotions, they were slathering us in sunscreen any time the sun even thought about peaking through the clouds. And while (hopefully) this skin-protective habit followed us into adulthood, it’s time to tweak our routines. Because many of us missed a spot—our scalps. Though your scalp is mostly covered with hair and quite literally never sees the light of day, you shouldn’t ignore it. From scrubs to serums, scalp care is on the rise, and sunscreen brands are joining the party. Preliminary research has found prolonged sun exposure may be tied to hair damage, and Dominic Burg, PhD, trichologist (read: scalp expert) and chief scientist at Évolis Professional, says UV damage on the scalp (which can happen with or without getting sunburn FWIW) can lead to inflammation. This may disrupt the hair cycle, AKA the pattern for hair growth and regeneration. “When the hair cycle is interrupted, the main thing that happens is the growth phase is shortened,” Dr. Burg says. “A short growth phase means less hair growing, more hair resting and more falling, and as this cycle of dysfunction progresses, hair quality decreases, and follicles eventually stop being able to regenerate a new hair, resulting in hair loss and hair thinning.” Burg adds that hair that isn’t growing optimally may also lose its natural wave or curl, may appear drier, and

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May 23, 2019 at 11:48AM by CWC It’s easy to overdo a lot of things in your skin-care routine. Cleanse too often, and you can strip your skin of its natural oils. Swipe on too many layers of comedogenic skin care and you could wind up with clogged pores. And you can most definitely over-exfoliate your skin. Exfoliating ingredients are lurking everywhere. This isn’t a bad thing—exfoliating is the skin-care practice that involves getting rid of crap in your pores in order to keep them clear and acne/inflammation/redness-free—but it is a double-edged sword, though. While dermatologists and facialists always recommend that you exfoliate your face on the reg, there’s a fine line between doing it regularly and doing it too much. At the Well+Good TALKS panel last night—aptly titled “Beauty State of the Union“—Glow Recipe co-founder and co-CEO (and K-beauty queen) Christine Chang brought up this common skin sitch, noting that there’s typically one very telltale sign that you’re overdoing it. “A lot of the times, when I meet customers at Sephora or pop-ups, a lot of people have irritated skin with redness, or rosacea, or a shiny forehead, which is the telltale sign of over-exfoliation,” she said at the New York-based event. “I think that with this new boom of skin care and actives, people tend to as they experiment overdo it a little bit.” She’s right. “A shiny forehead means that your skin barrier is compromised, or rather that essential skin proteins and fats have been stripped away by

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May 23, 2019 at 11:14AM by CWC Just when I thought I’d heard it all, someone shared a foul yet compelling fact about ear canals. The consistency of a given person’s ear wax directly indicates how sweaty they are as a human being. Mind blown. I’m nervously perspiring in the light of this newfound knowledge. And now I feel extremely insecure about my wet ear wax. Jason M. Abramowitz, MD, tells me that moist wax is found in sweatier individuals. People with dry wax secrete less sweat. Why? So glad you asked. Ear wax, also known as cerumen, is a combination of sweat and secretions from the sebaceous and ceruminous glands. And the texture of yours depends on the mixture. “There’s oil glands and sweat glands in the ear, and the sweat glands in the ears tend to correlate with the sweat glands on the rest of our bodies,” says the ENT. “People who tend to sweat more are more likely to sweat in the ear, and when there’s more sweat, ear wax tends to get a little softer, a little looser, a little wetter,” says Dr. Abramowitz. Ear wax is kind of like pancake batter—add too much water and it gets runny and sticky. Sorry in advance for the visual, but ear wax is kind of like pancake batter—add too much water and it gets runny and sticky. Sadly, you have little control over the sweat in your your ears—or on rest of your body, for that matter. Dr.

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