Category: 2019 Health

November 27, 2018 at 05:20AM A few weeks ago, I got a text message from a guy who ghosted me last summer. I didn’t have his number saved in my phone anymore because I’m pretty quick to delete contacts who are no longer in my life. So I asked who he was (“Same phone, who dis?”), he answered, and I quickly decided I wasn’t interested in anything he had to say. Not only had he ghosted me after three dates, but about a week after my last text went unanswered, he started posting photos to his Instagram of him with another girl. The nerve. But this man must have had amnesia, because he started talking to me like everything was normal, as if there were no time-lapse of entire seasons between our last amicable interaction. He told me how much he admires me, how beautiful I am, and how he’d been following me on Instagram (since he ghosted me) and he’s “very impressed with me.” Well, since he’s impressed…JUST KIDDING. Condescending and a ghoster? Clearly, he needed words from a straight shooter, and I was up for the job. So instead of being polite, I let him know exactly how I felt about him: I told him that reaching out to me a year after kicking me to the curb was a shitty thing to do and reflects his gross sense of entitlement. I told him that ignoring me after we were together and then dating someone immediately wasn’t in

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November 27, 2018 at 03:00AM Ever been to a wedding, movie, or concert where one person’s emotional sniffles suddenly turns into an audience-wide symphony of waterworks? Well, I have—and it’s led me to wonder whether this phenomenon is mere coincidence or if crying may actually be contagious. The idea of “catching” feelings is something researchers have been looking into for years. Dubbed “emotional contagion,” it occurs when you’re interacting with someone who is feeling something strong that in turn causes you to take on that same emotion, says social psychologist Daniel Rempala, PhD. Crying may be more contagious than other feels, simply because the act is so noticeable—whether they’re tears of sadness, joy, or fear, says Dr. Rempala. But still, all emotions are susceptible to transference. Here’s why “catching the feels” is a real and true thing The process of catching an emotion comes from a concept that social psychologists call mimicry. “In conversation, people automatically and continuously mimic and synchronize their movements with the facial expressions, voices, postures, movements, and instrumental behaviors of others,” says Elaine Hatfield, PhD, an emotional-contagion researcher. She essentially likens it to “monkey see, monkey do.” You’re constantly reading cues from people around you and subconsciously mimicking their behavior, which in turn affects your emotional state. Essentially, you’re constantly reading cues from people around you and subconsciously mimicking their behavior, which in turn affects your emotional state. In fact, research on contagious crying in infants actually theorizes the occurrence to be an early sign of

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November 26, 2018 at 03:31PM If you’re ready to sweat, but don’t have fitness accessories (read: resistance bands, medicine balls, and dumbbells) on hand, you basically have two options. You could put off your workout until tomorrow, or you can emulate Halle Berry and transform everyday household objects into your make-shift gym equipment. (The latter! Go for the latter!) The celeb posted an Instagram story of her performing three killer kettlebell moves. Only, instead of using an actual kettlebell, the actress appears to have grabbed a gallon of water straight out of her fridge for her sweat sesh. You know, so she can kill it in her workout and then stay extra hydrated once its over. With the jug in hand (in place of the kettlebell), Berry moves through a triple-threat of weighted exercises. 1. Swing jump: Standing with your feet in a squatting position, hold the jug with both hands and swing it underneath your legs while squatting. Then, send the jug towards the sky and jump up. 2. Kettlebell get ups: Start in a squatting position, holding the jug in front of your chest with both hands. Place one shin at at a time on the ground, and come into a kneeling position. Then come back to your squat. 3. Overhead rows: Stand straight with your feet hips-width distance apart. Hold the jug in one hand, then push it up to the sky. Lower back down your elbow falls at your hip joint. We don’t ever see Berry take a swig of that

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November 26, 2018 at 01:00PM Ah, winter time. A time for clinging to your warm beverages, holiday shopping, and—on particularly exciting days—ice skating. But as you run about partaking in these seasonally appropriate outdoor activities, one thing is bound to happen: Your hands will get excruciatingly dry. While most people are fine-tuning their skin-care regimens to be more moisturizing and cold weather-friendly, uber-dry hand treatments tend to get left out. That is, until you feel that horrible pain on your hands and look down only to find them cracked, possibly bleeding, and definitely parched.”The skin on our hands is among the thickest on the body, but it’s the most at risk from the environment because of everyday wear and tear,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD, a New York-based dermatologist. “Especially during winter months, when we’re extra vigilant about hand washing to prevent the spread of germs, the skin on the hands can become extremely dry and even crack.” It’s true—whenever I wash my hands in the winter, it only exacerbates the dryness problem and all of the moisture gets zapped out within seconds. What to do? “A rich hand cream can help soften, hydrate, and repair damaged skin on the hands. It’s key to look for ingredients like colloidal oatmeal to coat and protect the skin.” You can also slather on those same ingredients that you look for in your skin-care products for hydration, like trusty hyaluronic acid or aloe vera. It also helps to avoid washing your hands—yes it can be

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November 26, 2018 at 12:32PM Let’s face it: Medicine has never been more expensive in the U.S. than it is right now. The AIDS medication Daraprim jumped from roughly $13 per pill to $750 per pill in 2015, and the life-saving EpiPen now costs $600 per two doses (and the manufacturer is being sued over it). The problem has gotten so intense that Congress passed two bills in October aimed at making drug pricing more transparent up-front. Of course, the tried-and-true advice for saving $$ on meds: Shop generic when you can. Generic drugs (as in, the acetaminophen to your Tylenol) generally cost about 80 to 85 percent less than their name-brand counterparts, according to the FDA. But when it comes to your health, is going generic the equivalent to buying a knock-off designer bag: looks the same, costs less, but is made with inferior materials? Not quite. “Many people assume that brand-name medications are ‘better’ because they cost more, and because of brand recognition,” says Michael Grosso, MD, chief medical officer at Huntington Hospital. But, he adds, there are a lot of people out there who are all about generic drugs. And for good reason: “Federal oversight by the FDA has increased at all levels of manufacturing of generic drugs,” says Alan Mensch MD, FACP, FCCP, the senior VP of medical affairs at Plainview & Syosset Hospitals—making the drugs safe and generally just as effective as name-brand ones (no cheap leather or shoddy stitching here). “More than 80 percent of the drugs purchased in the

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November 26, 2018 at 12:07PM With cold and flu season in full swing, there’s no better time to up the amount of antioxidants in your diet. Because the compounds are pros at keeping your immune system strong—as well as repairing any damage—they’re adept at helping you make sure your body stays healthy and sickness-free all season long. Just ask Vanessa Hudgens, who always has four healthy, antioxidant-rich ingredients on hand for immune-boosting smoothies to make sure she’s always feeling her best. In her cover story for Women’s Health, the actress made it clear that her health and well-being is her primary focus, which for her means sticking to a pescatarian diet and keeping kombucha and a container of arugula in her fridge at all times. She’s also a big fan of making a daily smoothie filled with some staples that offer a serious health-boosting punch. All you need to re-create it for yourself is acai berries, blueberries, banana, and coconut oil. “I love finding things that are good for you and also taste amazing,” she says. “I try to get enough healthy fats, protein, and foods that give me energy.” View this post on Instagram This is how much I love working out lol @ggmagree #film A post shared by Vanessa Hudgens (@vanessahudgens) on Sep 12, 2018 at 12:40pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js That’s not the only way Hudgens stays healthy, though. Aside from loading up on antioxidants, she also does six workouts a week (!!!). Her sweat schedule involves a never-boring rotation of SoulCycle,

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November 26, 2018 at 11:21AM Lena Dunham doesn’t shy away from showing the internet what her world looks like behind closed doors. The Girls’ leading lady has spoken bravely (and publicly) about the pain associated with her endometriosis, gaining and losing weight as a result of her health, and other shouldn’t-be-tabboo subjects in between. Her recent profile in The Cut proves no exception: In her notoriously candid manner, Dunham talks about struggling with a Klonopin addiction, PTSD, her hysterectomy, and that’s just the beginning. But eagle-eyed readers may also notice that the interview briefly mentions that, among the multi-talented performer’s possessions, is none other than a crystal-powered healing modality—the BioMat 7000MX, a tourmaline-infused infrared heating pad (though, there’s also a amethyst option). Those who know a thing or two about gemstones will remember that both amethyst and tourmaline are frequently used throughout many people’s healing process. But tourmaline is extra special because it’s also believed to offer its wearer protection. When you combine these stones’ superpowers with the mat’s infrared heat (which has been found to lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, and improve your mood) the product’s description says the effect is pretty, well, high vibe: “[The mat] uses many pounds of hot amethyst crystal to produce a unique signal of infrared light. This light is experienced as a wholesome and enveloping warmth that is both gentle and powerful at the same time.” If you want to experience Dunham’s go-to infrared treatment, there are a ton of mat options you can shop right now (depending on how much cash you’re willing

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