May 21, 2019 at 10:09AM by CWC Between 1999 and 2017, the opioid crisis claimed 400,000 Americans lives. Finding appropriate methods to treat people with addiction has presented a challenge for health care practitioners since the first wave of opioid overdoses struck in the ’90s. Recently, a small study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that the the use of cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive element of the cannabis plant, may ease cravings and anxiety for those on the road to recovery from opiate addiction. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai treated 42 men and women recovering from opioid addictions with either 400 milligrams or 800 milligrams of CBD and a placebo, reports Newsweek. As part of the study, participants viewed photos of drugs, drug use, and packages that appeared to contain heroin as well as calmer images of landscapes. The subjects’ emotional response was recorded in three different situations: when they took the CBD capsules right before viewing the images, 24 hours later, and a week later. By recording vital signs, reported anxiety levels, and participant cravings, the study leaders determined that those on the CBD regimen experienced fewer cravings and less anxiety related to drug use as compared to the placebo group—not just after 24 hours, but a full seven days later. It’s also important to note that women—among whom addiction is growing at an alarming rate—responded with double the amount of cravings and anxiety triggered by the pictures than men. According to
Category: City
Sephora doesn’t go 30 seconds without selling this brand—and nothing is over $15
May 21, 2019 at 08:53AM by CWC The U.K. has given us a lot of things worth loving: the national treasure that is James Corden, The Spice Girls‘ entire musical catalogue, and shirtless photos of David Beckham, to name a few of my personal favorites. But they have truly outdone themselves this time around when they blessed us with The Inkey List, a London-based skin-care line that hit the shelves of Sephora last month. I could write an entire thesis about how great this brand is, but I’ll stick to a few key points so you can get the gist. First of all, every product is under $15. In fact, most of them retailing in the $7 to $10 range means you can put together an entire routine for less than 60 bucks, AKA less than the cost of two fancy fitness classes. And second of all, the products are good (like, really good). Each product is centered on a single ingredient—vitamin C, retinol, and glycolic acid, to name a few fan favorites—and the boxes offer up simplified, straightforward explainers on what each and every one of them does. Squalene, for example, is a “natural skin oil that helps to hydrate and protect skin,” while lactic acid is a “natural AHA derived from milk and fruit sugars. It acts as an exfoliant, which helps loosen and remove dead skin cells from the skin’s surface.” Whether you’re a walking ingredient thesaurus or just getting started in your personal skin-care journey, pretty
Sephora doesn’t go 30 seconds without selling this brand—and nothing is over $15
May 21, 2019 at 08:53AM by CWC The U.K. has given us a lot of things worth loving: the national treasure that is James Corden, The Spice Girls‘ entire musical catalogue, and shirtless photos of David Beckham, to name a few of my personal favorites. But they have truly outdone themselves this time around when they blessed us with The Inkey List, a London-based skin-care line that hit the shelves of Sephora last month. I could write an entire thesis about how great this brand is, but I’ll stick to a few key points so you can get the gist. First of all, every product is under $15. In fact, most of them retailing in the $7 to $10 range means you can put together an entire routine for less than 60 bucks, AKA less than the cost of two fancy fitness classes. And second of all, the products are good (like, really good). Each product is centered on a single ingredient—vitamin C, retinol, and glycolic acid, to name a few fan favorites—and the boxes offer up simplified, straightforward explainers on what each and every one of them does. Squalene, for example, is a “natural skin oil that helps to hydrate and protect skin,” while lactic acid is a “natural AHA derived from milk and fruit sugars. It acts as an exfoliant, which helps loosen and remove dead skin cells from the skin’s surface.” Whether you’re a walking ingredient thesaurus or just getting started in your personal skin-care journey, pretty
11 must-visit Pacific Coast Highway pit stops for the ultimate summer road trip
May 20, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC My first-ever experience riding along the Pacific Coast Highway—California’s longest state route, which hugs most of the coastline—is now just a hazy memory of motion sickness from the rear-facing third row of my parents’ Woody Wagon. Years later, I rewrote that memory with my soon-to-be husband: We rented a compact car with manual windows and a busted CD player, and made our way from Los Angeles up to the craggy coastline to San Francisco. We stopped in quaint towns, stayed in retro motels, and ate delicious burgers at roadside diners. I’ve since had the great pleasure of returning to this epic stretch of California coastline several times, noticing new stop-worthy eats and attractions during each drive. So, for a fresh take on a classic American road trip, look no further: Here are the best stops along California’s PCH for you to hit on your summer getaway. From north to south, the following Pacific Coast Highway stops make for the ultimate summer road trip. 1. Do some next-level forest bathing amid the towering redwoods Just north of San Francisco, find the Muir Woods, better known as the Redwood Forest, which feels like a living fairy-tale setting of ancient conifers. Here you can dance among the flora and traipse along the trails, soaking in their beauty and wisdom. Try the Dipsea Trail for views of the tree canopy, Pacific Ocean, and Mount Tamalpais. 2. Hit the day spa at the Carmel Valley Ranch After you’ve
The drugstore serums prove you don’t need to drop over $25 to see big-time results
May 20, 2019 at 09:47AM by CWC Whenever people used to ask me the one skin-care product worth splurging on, I would immediately tell them, “serum.” I’d always been down with $8 cleansers and toners and moisturizers, but was a big (and misinformed) believer that “effective” and “expensive” were two adjectives that went hand-in-hand when it came to a serum. Well, I was wrong, and would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to any of my friends who I led astray into dropping major dollars on serums (my bad, guys!). Because as the drugstore aisle’s skin-care offerings become better in general, so too has their selection of serums. While serums as a category tend to be pricier than the other elements in your regimen because they’re made with more highly concentrated ingredients, you no longer need to break out the Benjamins in order to find one that truly works. On Monday, a new line of under-$20 products called VERSED joined the clean beauty ranks at Target. As of today, you’ll find its brightening, clarifying, and firming serums among other skin-care superheroes from new brands like Sweet Chef (the affordable off-shoot of K-Beauty favorite Glow Recipe) and ApotheCARE Essentials, and ones we’ve loved forever like L’Oreal and Neutrogena. The key to shopping for serums—drugstore or otherwise—is to have a keen eye for both buzzwords and ingredients. So if something is bragging about being “brightening,” be sure to check for vitamin C; if it’s meant to be hydrating, look out
Pineapple is the gut health hero of your summer fruit haul
May 20, 2019 at 06:53AM by CWC As far as fruits go, buying pineapple can be pretty intimidating. They’re literally covered in little spikes. And do you even know how to cut one open? But IMO, pineapple is to fruit what Paris Gellar is to Gilmore Girls: prickly on the outside, but with a sweet center that makes it well-worth the effort. Because it’s a tropical fruit—grown in dreamy locales such as Costa Rica, Brazil, and the Philippines—pineapple brings vacation vibes to pretty much anything you make: smoothies, fruit salads, burgers. It doesn’t hurt that the summer treat is rich in health benefits, too. Rounded up here are six big ones, explained by registered dietitian Holly Layer, RD, writer of the aptly named blog, The Healthy Pineapple. What are the health benefits of pineapple? 1. They are great for gut health. According to Layer, pineapple can help reduce bloat as well as prevent other tummy troubles. “Pineapple is unique in that it is our only source of dietary bromelain, which is a digestive enzyme that helps break down protein foods,” she says, explaining how the fruit helps aid the digestive process. “It also contains fiber—about two grams per one cup of cut-up fruit, which also helps with digestion,” she says. 2. They’re hydrating. Another reason why pineapples are such an amazing fruit to snack on during the summer is because they have a high water content; between 85 and 89 percent of pineapple is water. You already know how important it
Trainers say these 3 sets of exercises make moving through life way easier
May 20, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC The “Friday Flop,” as I like to call it, is one of the best parts of the week. It’s when I get home from work, flop down on the couch, and give my muscles the much-deserved break they need after going nonstop since 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning. If you haven’t tried it, I would highly, highly recommend testing it out for yourself (I promise: You’ll love it). Because for all of us, getting through the week requires a lot from our bodies, from sitting at a desk all day to walking 10,000 daily steps to carrying home groceries and taking out the trash—and that’s not even considering the actual workouts we put them through. So it makes sense that by the time Friday night rolls around (hallelujah!), getting horizontal becomes wildly appealing. But instead of relying on that couch time to give your body time to recoup, why not integrate some “functional fitness workouts” into your routine to make that regular wear and tear on your muscles slightly more manageable? “Functional fitness is a method of physical training that helps people move more efficiently, prevent injury, improve their balance and flexibility, and build strength to improve the way they perform every day activities,” says Mackenzie Banta, a certified personal trainer for Trainiac “Functional training is important because it improves our overall efficiency with almost everything we do.” Think: Carrying your laundry up five flights of stairs in a New York City, pushing
A run coach’s guide to running smarter (not harder) as the weather warms up
May 19, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC For some, the onset of summer means barbecues, pool parties, and—for the lucky few—getting to skip out of work early on Fridays. For runners, though, the season is equal parts blessed and cursed. On the plus side, extended daylight hours mean no more runs in total darkness, and toastier temps mean fewer layers—and less laundry. Plus, nothing says “I’m a runner” quite like a sports bra tan line. The steady incline on the thermometer also means, well, it’s hot out. But if you have big summer or fall running goals, the time to put in work is now—which means the key to upping your speed and mileage in spite of the heat is training smarter, not harder. Elizabeth Corkum, coach at Precision Run in New York City, is well-versed in super sweaty runs and adjusting both her pace and expectations accordingly. If you have big summer or fall running goals, the time to put in work is now. “The transition from spring to summer is really tough,” says Corkum, a 21-time marathoner who runs four to six days a week. “I’m often gearing up for marathon training in the summer, so as the temperatures are rising, so is my mileage.” And while there are the obvious adjustments to be made—opting for shady running routes, running during the coolest time of day, taking frequent water stops, and accepting that sometimes it’s just going to be tough—Corkum says there’s more to hot-weather running than just
Feel like you only date people with commitment issues? Attachment theory may explain why
May 18, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC Despite expert claims that where you live doesn’t inform your relationship status, many city dwellers are single or dating the human equivalent of a trash panda. (And, like—that’s not something I’d want to date—would you?) So when Brooklyn-based psychotherapist Aimee Barr, LCSW, filled me in on her hypothesis that people with an avoidant attachment style are drawn to big cities, I practically spat out my cold brew in agreement. Because, welp, as a very single gal living in New York City who has a friend group full of single pals, my experience says tells me Barr is clearly on to something. For the uninitiated, the gist of adult attachment theory is that there are different styles of establishing intimacy in relationships: secure, anxious, and avoidant—and the name of each style essentially gives away what each means. “Anxiously attached are fearful, anxious, and clingy,” says integrative holistic psychotherapist in New York Rebecca Hendrix, LMFT. “Securely attached are healthy, balanced, adaptable, trusting, and independent. And avoidant-attached people are really self-sufficient, closed off, withdrawn, escapist, and fearful of commitment.” (There are lots of online quizzes and questions you can ask yourself that can help you determine which attachment style best fits your personality.) Barr’s anecdotal hypothesis is that cities are a draw for avoidant attachers. What’s this mean for you? Well, urban places may, then, have a higher population of folks who are afraid of commitment. “It makes sense that folks who are avoidant-attached would be attracted to
How My Wellness Routine Changed When I Moved From L.A. To Paris
May 16, 2019 at 11:00PM Here’s what Nikki worked used for getting in more rest, the practices that helped her, and the amazing results that followed. Continue Reading… Author Nikki Sharp | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC