January 29, 2019 at 07:39AM by CWC I remember the barren look in my mother’s eyes when I told her I was diagnosed with depression and was also taking medication to treat it. It was as if the words that had left my lips were too weighty for her to carry. Full of too much pain for her to even try to digest because it might make her sick to her stomach and upset the taste of truth. This is my story, but it’s also the story of many black women. Women with mahogany skin are constantly having to hide their pain because they are told that it’s too much, too serious, too exaggerated. I had always been told and taught that my pain could go away if I worked a little harder, slept a little later, ate a little more, or complained a little less. Being depressed while wrapped in black skin is difficult not only for my kin, but for the society that I live in. Someone asked me once if I think progress is being made to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in our society. I didn’t know how to answer. One part of me believes the answer is yes, we are making progress. Yes, because years ago, the word depression seemed a little dirty. Like it was a foreign language that only the hurt and broken understood. But now people are having open conversations about depression and anxiety. Celebrities are openly talking about going to
Category: 2019 Health
News flash: Soy milk isn’t the devil, according to these experts
January 29, 2019 at 07:28AM by CWC In 2019, drinking soy milk is about as cool as Cady Heron at the beginning of Mean Girls. (Translation: Not very.) Newcomers oat milk, almond milk, and even sesame milk have taken precedence on store shelves and in alt-milk drinkers’ hearts. So why has the OG dairy-free milk missed out on the glory of the current alt-milk revolution? “I think the main reason soy milk isn’t as trendy as some of the other options out there is because it’s been around for decades and people always want the latest and greatest thing,” says Mark Messina, PhD, MS, the executive director of the Soy Nutrition Institute, a research organization created by the US Soybean Association and industry executives. But there are other elements beyond the “cool factor” at play too, he says. Dr. Messina, who has studied soy’s health effects since the 1990s, says that there have been a lot of misconceptions about the plant (and its associated products like soy milk) over the years. But some of those concerns…well, they aren’t totally justified. Here’s the low down on what you should actually believe about soy milk. 1. Soy milk is one of the most nutritious alt-milks A 2018 study found soy milk to be the most nutrient-dense plant milk compared to rice, almond, and coconut milks. Soy is actually the plant-based option that mostly closely resembles dairy milk in terms of its nutrient profile. “It can be a source of protein and calcium, especially for people that are
12 sexy AF pole dancing classes to take in LA
January 29, 2019 at 07:15AM by CWC This past summer, I attempted to take a pole dancing class in Portugal. It didn’t exactly go as planned. I was bummed about this, as I’d never taken a pole dancing class before and it’s one of those things only an assignment would make me brave enough to actually do. Months went by and I forgot about this short-lived ambition, but since my New Year’s resolutions center around finding things to spark joy in my always-bored life, I figure it might be time to get myself onto the pole at long last, assignment be damned. (Also, I secretly want to be in a Cardi B video, so there’s that….) Luckily, I live in Los Angeles, where you can find innumerable classes in just about anything, especially if said “anything” puts you at center stage. Keep reading for all the deets on the city’s best (of many) pole dancing studios—including one run by the actual pole dancer from Cardi B’s “Money” video. 1. The Pole Garage Westside girls need look no further than The Pole Garage, one of the friendliest pole studios in town. The family-owned (by founder/instructor Drea Roers and her husband) space offers “pole teaser” classes for beginners; however, if despite the space’s cozy vibes, you’re still scared to go it alone, consider getting 5–7 of your best girls together for one of the box’s standard-issue private pole parties instead. 1720 20th St., Suite 205, Santa Monica, CA, 90404; (310) 392-2605 2. Evolve Dance
3 tips to avoid frostbite—because, yes, you could totally get it
January 29, 2019 at 06:41AM by CWC As a kid, my mom always bundled me up A Christmas Story–style when temperatures even threatened to drop below freezing. She dressed me in 100 layers of thermals, snow pants, and scarves with a warning: Anything less, and I’d be at risk for frostbite. And just like with so many other things in life, Mom was right. Sigh. While the whole frostbite threat may have seemed like a clever tactic to get you inside in time for dinner after hours devoted to building the perfect snowman, it’s a real thing—and it could seriously hurt your body. With the ridiculously cold temps that have already hit a large portion of the country this winter, some attention to the condition is totally warranted. “Third-degree burns look a lot like frostbite, and fourth-degree frostbite can affect nerves down to the muscle and bone.” —Dr. Chris Hogrefe Sports medicine and emergency medicine Chris Hogrefe, MD, told Vogue he saw a handful of people with frostbite come into the ER within a week at the Chicago hospital where he works. Usually the condition affects the cheeks, ears, nose, fingers, and toes, and if you feel numbness or notice a change in your skin color or texture to something rubbery or waxy-feeling, you should go to urgent care immediately, he said. “We treat it a lot like burns; third-degree burns look a lot like frostbite, and fourth-degree frostbite can affect nerves down to the muscle and bone,” Dr. Hogrefe said. So how can frostbite be prevented in
Measles outbreak leads health officials to declare a state of emergency in Washington
January 29, 2019 at 06:34AM by CWC When it comes to childhood sicknesses, most parents expect their kids to suffer through a bout of chicken pox and the occasional ear infection. But measles? It’s 2019—didn’t we eliminate the disease in the United States? (Hint: We did.) Yet, here we are. On Tuesday, health officials declared a state of emergency due to an outbreak affecting two Washington counties, according to NPR. How exactly did this happen? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles—a viral infection causing a fever, rash, and inflammation—was a major problem in the United States in the early 1900s, leading to about 6,000 deaths a year. But after the introduction of a safe and effective vaccine, in 1968, the number of people infected began to plummet. By 2000, the disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. (In countries where a vaccine isn’t readily available, measles is still common.) NPR correlates the resurgence in measles cases with state laws allowing parents to opt out of vaccinating their children. To this end, the CDC is urging parents to vaccinate children as young as 1 year old. The problem with waiting until after you suspect the virus has been contracted, the nation’s health protection agency says, is that it may take up to four days for symptoms to appear. Meanwhile, children easily (and unknowingly) expose others to the disease. Measles is an airborne contagion with a 90 percent infection rate. It spreads so easily that an infected child who coughs in
When your crush double taps all your Instagram activity, does it mean they like-like you?
January 29, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Let’s get real: After you post an Instagram photo and the notifications start rolling in, you totally track who’s giving you digital hearts. If the person you’ve been crushing on has liked your latest, you are almost certainly aware—as is the case when that person views your Instagram Stories. In short, you know when someone is keeping up with you on the reg, but that reality doesn’t stop your stomach butterflies from fluttering or your mind from wandering and wondering about what it means. Because, hey, a sudden uptick in Instagram Story-viewing must mean something, right? And by liking your photo, the object of your desire surely intends to subliminally communicate that what they really like is you, correct? Well, according to one expert, these feelings may just be a case of seeing what you want to see. A big part of how we perceive a person’s interaction with us is how we feel about them, says sex therapist Amie Harwick, PhD, MFT. “Our feelings toward the other person can be projected on a situation. We tend to see what we want through the lens of our own experiences, desires, and fears.” So it’s important to look at the bigger picture of your interaction with your crush—not just their Instagram behavior. Are they texting you, or singling you out to talk to you when you’re with a big group of people? If so, there may well be attraction there. But if your relationship is
I’m an introvert who proudly takes reading breaks at parties
January 28, 2019 at 02:10PM by CWC Two summers ago, at a “house-cooling” in Brooklyn, I discovered the undeniable power of taking a break to read mid-party. The friends of friends who had called the apartment home throughout college were a group of aspiring poets, and boy, oh boy, did they make a point of making sure everyone in attendance knew they were among the next-gen of Walt Whitmans. At one point in the night, I found myself sitting on the couch next to a wordsmith who had self-published his own collection of haikus just a month earlier. He placed a copy in my hands and the introvert inside of me swooned—and not in a “this poet is flirting with me!” way. Nope! I was just thrilled to have an excuse to read rather than continue my ruse as the gal who thrives in loquacious situations. The room hummed around me as I read poem after poem. It was the first time I can remember actually enjoying myself at a party. I’ve since repeated this ritual at many a social engagement (networking events included!). If I’m spending QT with close friends or family, I give them my undivided attention. But asking an introvert to enter a room full of strangers and play nice is a lot like asking a swine to fly. So whenever the sea of red cups and small talk makes the room feel claustrophobic, I go on a quest to find a bookshelf (or pull out the BYO option
Is there a *right* time of day to take your vitamins?
January 28, 2019 at 01:52PM by CWC There are certain things that are best at specific times of the day. Coffee is best in the morning; a scary movie right before bed is not. (Meanwhile, breakfast is suitable at literally any hour.) However, if you’ve recently started a vitamin-taking kick ~for your health~ you might be looking at all of those supplements lined up before you and wonder if there’s an optimal time to take them. Let’s be real: The best time to pop a pill is whenever you’ll remember. “If you’re not consistently going to take your vitamin, you’re getting less of it over the course of the week,” says Christy Brissette, President of 80 Twenty Nutrition—and less is always less. That said, there are some differences between how certain vitamins are processed by your body, so timing can sometimes make a difference. While your body can absorb water-soluble vitamins, like B and C, no matter what you have or haven’t eaten, other supplements are best taken with food, while others don’t mix well with certain vitamins. Here’s what you need to know about when to take vitamins, no matter your unique supplement mix. Fat-soluble vitamins: at mealtime Your body better absorbs fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) when they’re taken with fat-containing food. That’s because eating fat triggers the production of enzymes and bile that help transport fat-soluble nutrients out of your digestive system and into your liver, where they’re processed. “Without that activation, you won’t absorb
This Aritzia parka will make you feel like the queen of the north
January 28, 2019 at 01:26PM by CWC As far as “fun things to shop for” go, I’d place “winter coats” somewhere near the very, very bottom of the list—slightly below “nude bra” and just a hair above “tampons.” They’re expensive, all kinds of make-you-feel-like-the-Michelin-Man, and a clear indicator that winter is not only coming, but that it is here and we have to deal with it. But this weekend, just as New York City temperatures dipped below 10 degrees, the universe somehow answered my prayers (or, erm, whines and moans) and I found one that completely changed my mind about the entire category of clothing without costing me upwards of $1,000: The Babaton St. Moritz Parka. For $365 (marked down from $398!), this parka has everything you could possibly want when its so cold outside it feels like your eyeballs might freeze inside your head. It’s waterproof, windproof, and packed with goose down to keep you warm when it gets down to -22 degrees. The faux-fur hood makes me feel like my childhood teddy bear is giving me a cozy hug around my ears. It’s slightly cinched at the waist, which makes me feel more runway model than marshmallow. Extending all the way down past my knees, it also kind of makes me feel like I’m wearing the streetwear version of a sleeping bag. To test its warmth factor, I walked 45 blocks in 14-degree weather yesterday, and felt snug as a bug in a rug. On Monday morning, when the elevator doors opened and stepped
Fact: The healthiest foods are now found in the freezer aisle
January 28, 2019 at 01:20PM by CWC When I was a kid, there was nothing more dull to me than going to the grocery store with my parents. It seemed to take them forever to decide between Grape Nuts and Wheaties while I looked longingly at the Lucky Charms. But little me loved when we’d stop in the freezer aisle. Between Kid Cuisines, Hot Pockets, frozen French bread pizza, and tubs of ice cream, this part of the grocery store had all the best, gloriously unhealthy foods (only allowed in my house on special occasions). Looking back, it was enough to give a healthy eater the shivers—and not just because it’s ten degrees colder than the rest of the store. Now that I’m an adult with healthier habits—hey, I am a Well+Good editor after all—the frozen food aisle makes me smile for a completely different reason. It’s now where all the quick-and-easy, legit nutritious stuff hangs out. Look behind that frosted glass and you’ll find cauliflower pizza, frozen acai packets, broccoli tots…how times have changed! Which is, you know, amazing and all, but how—and when—did this exactly happen? Graphic: Well+Good Creative The surprisingly innovative origins of frozen food When Swanson introduced TV dinners in 1953, they were an instant hit. The second year they were on the market, they sold over 10 million meals. Fun fact:”This all happened because Swanson had half a million pounds of leftover turkey to get rid of after Thanksgiving,” food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson says. It didn’t