November 19, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC If I had to come up with a list of some of the most confusing health topics, fertility would be right up there at the top. It’s a huge part of the health of any person with a uterus, regardless of whether or not they intend to have kids. But before a person actively starts trying to get pregnant, most people’s understanding of female fertility comes from sub-par high school health classes and one’s annual checkup with their OB/GYN—leaving a lot of room for questions. To that end, we polled Well+Good’s Instagram audience earlier this month to ask them what they found the most confusing about fertility. And while readers got many of the basic facts right—like how fertility in women typically declines after age 35, and that our hormone levels fluctuate throughout the month—people asked a lot of the same (or similar) questions. There were so many common themes, in fact, that we decided we had to take these pressing Q’s to top gynecologists to get some much-needed A’s. Consider this your 200-level course on female fertility. 1. What can cause infertility? The “foundation” of successful fertility, says Stephanie McClellan, MD, chief medical officer at Tia, is for an egg to be fertilized by a sperm. “To accomplish that, number one, a [person] has to ovulate—meaning that with some regularity, they produce in their ovaries an egg—in a supportive hormone environment that allows for fertilization and implantation of the fertilized egg in
Category: Your Healthiest Relationship
These strips told me my skin type in 3 seconds and I’m shook
November 19, 2019 at 12:11PM by CWC Plenty of people think that their skin is “sensitive” (self included, TBH). Trying to categorize your complexion isn’t the easiest thing to do, but there are ways to help you figure it out. Namely: with a skin type test. When I tried the Monat Skin Routine Tester strips ($7) on my face, I was shocked to learn that, rather than my skin being dry (as I’d believed for-e-ver), I actually had more of a combination situation on my hands. Don. don. donnnn. The strips work by detecting how much oil or sebum you have on your bare face. You hold one of these little strips of paper against your forehead, and the other against your cheek. Roughly five seconds later, you’ll been matched with your skin type depending on what the sebum pattern looks like on the strip (aka: how much is there). “The different skin types are categorized by oiliness or dryness levels in the skin,” says Marlene Garcia, licensed medical esthetician and Monat skin care product educator, explaining that you can be oily, normal, dry, or combination. “More and more people are categorizing their skin as sensitive, though, which is actually a compromised barrier function that’s highly reactive and responsive.” But typically sensitive skin, which reacts wildly to almost everything, is very different than sensitized skin, which can result from overuse of harsh ingredients (or even gentle ones that you’re allergic to). For now, the test can’t tell you if you’re sensitive,
There a million kitchen gadgets out there—these are the ones a chef says you actually need this season
November 19, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Comparing your own inventory of kitchen gadgets to the high-tech tools you see lining Instagram countertops is enough to make you wonder: How many of these do normal people (read: not just the Martha Stewarts of the world) actually need? During the holidays, it’s especially tempting to stock up on gadgets promising to make prepping for your family shin-digs a breeze, only to have them collect dust for the other 11 months of the year. To help you avoid accumulating more clutter, and to clue you in on the real must-have tools that’ll make your food taste delish and your life easier, we tapped Carla Contreras, professional chef and founder of Cook+Chop to share what she always has in her kitchen during the holidays. From a chef’s knife to a peeler to a dutch oven—get ready to finally stock up on the useful stuff. Keep reading for the kitchen gadgets this professional chef swears by over the holidays. Farberware Triple Rivet Forged Chef Knife, $16 Contreras doesn’t play around when it comes to her knife set—and neither should you. She advises stocking up on three knives to start: a chef’s knife (like above), a serrated knife, and a paring knife. Her ultimate fave is a chef’s knife, so she recommends starting there if you have to pick just one, and then growing your collection slowly. Epicurean Non-Slip Cutting Board Slate, $30 “I love Epicurean because of their grip, and they’re built to last—I’ve
Half of our editorial staff falls asleep using the same white noise app—but for brown noise
November 19, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Call me a tough customer, but I can neither fall asleep to the tune of my boyfriend’s snoring nor complete silence. That’s why, for years, I’ve relied on White Noise Lite, a free app offering an expansive slate of sleep-friendly sounds. But of all the sonic options available—from usual sound-machine suspects, like ocean waves crashing and thunderstorm, to more, eh, specific offerings, like dishwasher rinsing and cat purring—my absolute favorite is brown noise. And, I recently learned, I’m in pretty great company. Before I came to rely on the app, I had never heard of brown noise (or pink or violet or blue noise, for that matter), and always figured white noise was the standard in the world of color-coded static tones that can help a gal clock in some sleep. But then I learned that not only do several of my colleagues also credit brown noise for helping them to fall asleep, but they also use the exact same app. What’s the appeal, you’re wondering? At first listen, white and brown and pink noises may seem pretty similar, but each “color” actually has its own frequency, which gives off a different pitch. “Brown noise has less-high-frequency sound energy than pink and white noise, and it resembles the sound of gentle ocean turf,” says Sam Nicolino, musician, sound engineer, and founder, president, and CEO of Adaptive Sound Technologies, Inc. “Put another way, it has more bass than white noise, making it more pleasant
These 10 yoga stretches will help your aching feet
November 19, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC As far as body parts go, feet don’t seem to get the attention they deserve. After all, they do so much for us. They hold us up, literally. They let us get our 10,000 steps every day. They keep us going when we hit the dance floor from time to time or go full speed on a spin bike. It’s only right that we show them some love. And yoga is one great way to do that. Whether you just ran a marathon or your feet are achy from a long day of shopping, here’s 10 yoga poses and stretches to try. Your feet (and toes) will thank you later. 1. Yogi toes To help improve your balance and show your little piggies some love, certified yoga therapist Ann Swanson, MS, recommends doing yogi toes. “While standing or seated in a chair, spread your toes as wide as possible and slowly place them firmly down on the ground,” she says. This will feel especially delightful after a long day on your feet or if you’ve been strutting around in heels. 2. Ankle pumps If your feet are swollen, ankle pumps will offer some relief and promote good circulation. You can either do it sitting in a chair or on the floor or laying down to simultaneously decompress your entire body. All you do is go back and forth from pointing your toes like a ballet dancer and then flexing your ankles. “This activates
Your step-by-step breakdown of what goes into a fertility test, straight from experts
November 19, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Grappling with infertility can often feel like shaking a Magic 8 ball over and over again—no matter how hard you try or how many times you ask, all you get are super vague, not-helpful predictions about outcomes. There are so many variables that can impact fertility, from age to health conditions to just simple timing, that determining when or how a person will get pregnant a bit more complex than it was presented in high school health class. (You know, sperm + egg = baby.) Even a person who is theoretically doing all of the “right” things could feel completely in the dark about what’s going on (or not going on) with their body. That’s why experts typically recommend people struggling to get pregnant come in for fertility testing to put some of the confusing question marks into more digestible concretes. “It’s always good to meet with and talk to your gynecologist when trying to get pregnant—they can help you move forward,” says Chantel Ianthe Cross, M.D., associate director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellowships at John’s Hopkins Medicine. Jennifer Kulp-Makarov, M.D., an OB/GYN, reproductive endocrinologist, and infertility specialist at New Hope Fertility Center in New York City, suggests people age 35 or younger should give themselves at least a year of trying before seeking out help from a doctor. Those between the age of 35 and 40 should consider waiting about six months before seeing a fertility specialist, while those 40 and older
Summer Fridays and 5 more beauty brands that reward you for recycling empty containers
November 19, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Your skin might be loving all the new skin-care products you try every month, but the planet? Not so much. The beauty industry is known for producing a lot of waste. Many products come in containers made up of mixed materials that can be hard to recycle, which means they probably end up in landfills. Fortunately, some of our favorite brands are making the effort to be more eco-friendly by launching recycling programs. Summer Fridays recently introduced a program to “help keep the Earth a little cleaner” by rewarding customers who recycle their empty containers. For every five empties you collect and send back to the brand to be recycled, you’ll receive a free Jet Lag Mask ($25). But Summer Fridays isn’t the only beauty brand that will give you a pat on the back for recycling. 5 beauty brands with sustainable recycling programs (and rewards) 1. Kiehl’s For every one empty full-size product container you return to Kiehl’s, you receive a stamp. And when you have 10 stamps, you get a free travel-sized product. Product to try: Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate, $49 2. Lush If you save and return five clean black pots to your local Lush store, you’ll receive a free fresh face mask. Product to try: Lush Rosy Cheeks Fresh Face Mask, $13 3. Pacifica If you send your empty and rinsed-out products to Pacifica (up to eight at a time!), you’ll get 100 loyalty points added to your account.
Apple flour is the fiber-rich baking staple of the future
November 18, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC The wellness world is once again spinning the wheel on alternative flours. And guess what we’re grinding down this time? Okay, okay, I’ll tell you: dehydrated apples. A November study published in the MDPI journal Foods looked into cookies fortified with apple pomace flour. Pomace is the byproduct of juicing made from pulp, seeds, seed cores, and stems. Usually, these leftovers get tossed, but apple flour transforms them into an alt-flour that has (wait for it) up to quadruple the amount of gut-healthy fiber as white all-purpose flour. “Some brands of apple flour—although not all—offer more than four times the fiber than the amount found in refined white flour,” says Malina Malkani, RDN, a dietitian with the American Academy of Dietetics. “This is a significant benefit, given that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume between 28 to 34 grams of fiber daily, yet the average American adult only gets about 15 grams according to the National Academy of Medicine.” It’s true. While 1 cup of ordinary white all-purpose flour contains about 3.4 grams of fiber, 1 cup of Hearthy Foods apple flour contains 16 grams of fiber. And all that extra fiber is really, really good for your gut. “Fiber supports digestive and bowel health helps improve cholesterol levels, helps stabilize and control blood sugar levels, supports optimal body weight, and helps you feel fuller for longer, which can reduce the urge to overeat,” she says. Apple flour can often
5 powerful ways the mental benefits of yoga challenge the physical, according to science
November 18, 2019 at 09:29PM by CWC Yoga boasts an impressive 5,000-year track record. As the most popular workout in the world, the benefits of yoga include fast tracking digestion, tapping into big emotions, and making you strong from head to heart to toes. In the 21st century, scientific research is confirming long-held beliefs about the many benefits of yoga—particularly when it comes to mental health. A wealth of new research offers a better picture of how your work on the mat carries into your everyday life. You’ll want to take notes on all the ways the many types of yoga gives your brain a boost. You don’t want to savasana through this info. 5 brain benefits of yoga to you may not have known 1. It has been found to decrease anxiety A 2015 meta-analysis of 15 yoga studies focused on the cognitive effects following yoga class. Researchers found that practitioners had increased overall brain activity, as well as lower levels of anxiety. 2. Yoga may slow down your brain waves Slow brain waves indicate a more restful, sleepy state. More research from 2015 found that yoga increased positive brain wave states, increased alpha waves (which are associated with calmness), and enhanced theta wave activity (a state that’s associated with daydreaming). 3. It was found to improve well-being in older adults Recent research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity found that yoga interventions didn’t just improve the physical fitness of older adults. It also significantly
The 3 biggest myths about eating to boost fertility, debunked by experts
November 18, 2019 at 07:30PM by CWC Disclose to your friend group that you’re trying to get pregnant and everyone, it seems, has an opinion on what you should be doing to boost your odds. One may give you the name of a miracle-working acupuncturist. Another may share a list of their supplement suggestions, or the exact fertility boosting food and herbs they put in their morning smoothies. They might mean well, but second-hand advice (or hot tips in the depths of a Reddit forum) are breeding grounds for misinformation and confusion. When you’re considering changing your eating habits, taking supplements, or adding herbs to your wellness routine in hopes of boosting fertility, what’s truly important is getting advice straight from trusted experts. With that in mind, we asked Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, a dietitian and author of The Better Period Solution, integrative gynecology functional medicine doctor Anita Sadaty, MD, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility doctor Rashmi Kudesia, MD to set the record straight about three major myths many people believe when it comes to the connection between food and fertility. Myth 1: Adding just one particular herb or ingredient to your routine boosts fertility “There is a tight correlation between the foods we eat and its impact on fertility,” says Beckerman. “Food holds the power to give the body the ‘fertility’ green light… Diet and lifestyle adjustments have been shown to boost fertility by almost 70 percent.” That said, “the biggest myth is that a specific food or supplement