Author: HealthyWay Staff Writer

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Life x Culture Lifestyle

How A Gratitude Journal Can Change Your Entire Outlook

Talk to people who keep a gratitude journal, and you’ll find a common theme: They’re all pretty grateful for the practice of gratitude journaling.
That’s no surprise. The 2000s ushered in new interest in gratitude among psychological researchers. Suddenly, departments of psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience were all conducting studies about potential links between being thankful and overall well-being. And, indeed, some of this research suggests a link between what the scientists call gratitude interventions—including keeping a gratitude journal—and overall wellness.
The anecdotal evidence about gratitude journals is pretty convincing too. Just listen to author and lifestyle coach Suzie Carpenter.
“Gratitude journaling is something I do every day,” Carpenter tells HealthyWay. “It is an amazing tool for reconnecting with myself and my focus. It keeps me in a positive mindset and reminds me of who I am. It also [keeps] my brain from sliding down the slippery slope of not being good enough, not accomplishing enough, not being smart enough, et cetera, et cetera.”
Or what about the endorsement of Caroline Johnstone, a journaling coach and public speaker?
“Gratitude journaling changed my life,” Johnstone says. “I can’t remember who told me to try it, but I thought, ‘What the heck?’ Since I’ve journaled, I’ve become happier, found a loving relationship, put better boundaries in place, found balance, been able to deal with change more readily, and it has improved my working life, too.”
Sound good? Well, before you can enjoy the benefits of a gratitude journal, it’s important to learn just what goes into this powerful self-care practice.

What is a gratitude journal?

A gratitude journal can take many forms. It can be a cute blank Moleskine book or a diary with a lock. It can be an app on your phone. It could even be a part of your overall bullet journal. Ultimately, the best gratitude journal is one that you remember to write in regularly.
That covers the “journal” side of things, but what do we mean when we talk about “gratitude” itself? Robert Emmons, PhD, is the contemporary patron saint of gratitude interventions. He’s a psychology professor at the University of California, Davis, and author of many books and articles on how being thankful can improve lives.
From a clinical perspective, Emmons defines gratitude as “a cognitive-affective state that is typically associated with the perception that one has received a personal benefit that was not intentionally sought after, deserved, or earned, but rather because of the good intentions of another person.”
In other words, gratitude is the recognition that people are good to you, even when they don’t have to be. Expanding on that concept, you might be grateful for conditions or experiences, not just the actions of other people. You could be grateful for a sunset or a feeling or even for your own two feet. Gratitude is a healthy response to an unexpected, unearned, or even undeserved gift.

Writing in Your Gratitude Journal

So now you understand what gratitude is, but once you decide to start a gratitude journal, what do you actually put on the page? And how often do you need to make an entry to realize the benefits of gratitude journaling? How much time do you need to devote?
Relax. The first step is to remember that your gratitude journal is a gift to yourself. Don’t think of it as a burden or a responsibility. You don’t have to journal every day or every night. You can keep a daily gratitude journal, but one study actually suggests that keeping a weekly gratitude journal works even better than making more frequent entries.
Set aside 15 minutes to write in your gratitude journal. You might find it helpful to journal at the same time every week. Some journalers find it helpful to set an alarm to keep their writing on track and on time. Experiment, and see what works for you.
Now, the million-dollar question: What do you write in a gratitude journal?
Start small, maybe just three items per entry. Lots of sources suggest you write down five things you’re grateful for every time you sit down to write, but we find that it’s helpful to give yourself a little leeway. If five things occur to you, write them all down. Write down 10 things you’re grateful for if they occur to you. But when you have a hard time drumming up the gratitude, be content with just three items.
In a study of the relation between gratitude journals and health and wellness benefits (including increased energy, pleasant affect, and better sleep quality), Emmons gave study subjects these instructions on what to write on their daily journal page:

We want to focus for a moment on benefits or gifts that you have received in your life. These gifts could be simple everyday pleasures, people in your life, personal strengths or talents, moments of natural beauty, or gestures of kindness from others. We might not normally think about these things as gifts, but that is how we want you to think about them. Take a moment to really savor or relish these gifts, think about their value, and then write them down every night before going to sleep.

 Oprah Winfrey keeps a gratitude journal too; she offers an example of what she wrote in her gratitude journal on Oct. 12, 1996:

  1. A run around Florida’s Fisher Island with a slight breeze that kept me cool.
  2. Eating cold melon on a bench in the sun.
  3. A long and hilarious chat with Gayle about her blind date with Mr. Potato Head.
  4. Sorbet in a cone, so sweet that I literally licked my finger.
  5. Maya Angelou calling to read me a new poem.

Now, you might not have a world-changing poet reading her new work to you over the phone, but if you think about it, you likely won’t have a problem coming up with three to five things that get you all warm and tingly when you think about them long enough.

What You Need to Start a Gratitude Journal

As with any new project, your journey into positive emotion starts with gathering supplies. Indulge your inner crafter, and decorate your journal with markers or colored pencils. You can print beautiful templates like this one, this one, and this one, and bind them together yourself. Or you could simply grab your favorite notebook, write “Gratitude” on the cover, and date the pages.
On the other hand, you could always just buy a pre-printed gratitude journal—there are lots of options available, ranging from charmingly simple to openly inspirational.
Author Anne Bardsley has kept gratitude journals for years, and she’s had every type of notebook you can imagine. No matter what they look like, they all work the same, she says.
“My first journal was actually an account log book,” Bardsley tells HealthyWay. “It was 4 inches wide and 15 inches long. It was blue and very sturdy. It’s covered with the kids’ stickers now. Future journal covers varied: kittens, flowers, paintings, and even stick people. I have over 40 now, saved for posterity.”
All you really need to start gratitude journaling is paper and a pen or pencil. It’s not the physical object that helps, it’s the practice of staying mindful of all the positive events in your life.

The Ongoing Benefits of Gratitude and Gratitude Journals

The science on gratitude interventions like journaling is in its infancy. While some studies show powerful emotional benefits, one major meta-analysis of the research concluded that the positive benefits of gratitude journaling are limited—and that those benefits could be due to nothing more than the placebo effect.
But the research on thankfulness is ongoing. In fact, Emmons teamed up with the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, to begin a multi-year scientific project called Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude.
Emmons, for one, is convinced that practicing mindful gratitude is a powerful tool for emotional healing. His studies found that participants who wrote in gratitude journals were more likely to offer emotional support to others during the study period. Maybe that’s the greatest result of establishing an ongoing journaling habit: You might end up in someone else’s gratitude journal at day’s end, sparking a chain reaction that truly makes the world a better place.

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Fresh Fashion Lifestyle

How To Remove Stains Of Just About Anything, From Just About Anything

We’ve all been there: You’re out with friends, enjoying a night of great food and drinks, when the unspeakable happens. Someone bumps your arm during dessert, launching a glob of chocolate mousse directly onto your brand new, bright white skirt.
That’s it for the skirt, you think. It’s over. But it doesn’t have to be that way! What if you could save any garment from the devastation of a heavy stain?
There’s nothing worse than losing a wardrobe fave to a stain, so we’re here to save the day when the next spill strikes. These are the best ways to handle stubborn stains of all types.  

How to Remove Stains by Fabric Type

The type of fabric really does matter when it comes to stain removal. Certain products can make cleaning up grass stains or spilled coffee a breeze—but with the wrong garment, these products can also ruin your outfit for good. Those little tags with wash instructions are actually super important, so no matter how much they scratch the back of your neck, it’s best to leave them in place.  

How to Remove Stains From Cotton

Stain removal and general care for cotton clothes is comparatively easy—this isn’t silk or cashmere, thank goodness. You can wash your cotton items at home in your washing machine, making it pretty simple. Just remember that cotton clothes can and will shrink; it’s always best to use cold water during a wash cycle. If you’re particularly worried about your clothes shrinking, it’s best to put in the elbow grease and hand-wash cotton items.
For most cotton stains, pre-treat/soak with water as quickly as you can. You should blot most stains from the fabric, taking care to avoid rubbing, and then wash the stained item with a normal cycle. If you can still see the stain after the first round of cleaning, do not put the item in the dryer! Instead, treat the stain with your favorite pre-treat product, soak, and wash again.  

How to Remove Stains From Wool

Wool is quite a bit trickier to clean than cotton, as you might have guessed. Most laundry detergents remove stains with enzymes, which work by breaking down the proteins in stains—things like food, sweat, or blood. Unfortunately wool fibers—being an animal product—are made of proteins, too, so biological detergents break down the actual clothing along with the stain.
So this is the cardinal rule of getting stains out of wool: Wool items must be washed with non-biological detergents.
Follow those washing instructions on the garment. Use the right temperatures, the right detergent, and the right drying tactic on your wool clothes unless you want to kiss them goodbye. Before you do any stain removal treatment, check out the manufacturer’s washing instructions.
That said, with most wool stains, you want to start by blotting the discolored area. Then apply a wool-specified cleaner or diluted white vinegar to treat the stain. Finally, you’re back to blotting. Gently dry the stain with a towel (remember, no rubbing!) and then let the clothing air-dry.

How to Remove Stains From Synthetic Fabrics

Cotton and wool are both natural fabrics, but you can’t forget about synthetic options. That includes things like polyester, rayon, lycra, and acrylic. A lot of synthetics are formulated to resist stains, which is great for the clumsy amongst us, but since synthetics are most often made from plastics, they have different care requirements than their natural counterparts.
The first thing to be aware of when treating or cleaning this type of clothing is water temperature. Hot water can actually melt some synthetic fabrics, which kind of defeats the purpose of blasting away the stains. Again, washing instructions are the best source for learning to take care of these clothing items. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, always look for a tag before attempting any stain removal.
Luckily, synthetics can be pretty forgiving when it comes to stain removal. You can usually pre-treat synthetic clothes with a detergent as long as they’re not marked dry-clean only. Then just run them through a normal wash. Remember, no hot water for synthetics!

Stain Treatments by Type of Stain

All stains are pains. But there are huge strategic differences between attacking a ketchup blot and getting rid of grass stains. Here are some of the most common (and most frustrating) types of stains that threaten our favorite ’fits:  

How to Remove Makeup Stains

Whether you drop your mascara wand down your shirt or you hug a foundation-heavy friend, getting makeup out of clothing can be tough.

  • How to Remove Liquid Foundation Stains: Treat a liquid foundation spill as quickly as possible. First, scrape any excess foundation off with a plastic knife (or something similarly both flat and plastic). Blot the spot with a damp towel to get as much of the product out as you can. Then you can either use hydrogen peroxide or—believe it or not—shaving cream to help draw out the rest of stain. Rub your agent of choice onto the stain, then rinse with cold water. Repeat this process until the stain is gone.
  • How to Remove Lipstick Stains: Lipsticks can be tricky to remove because of the oil content in them. One decent option is to use plain old dish soap on the spot—Dawn to the rescue! Dish soap is formulated to dissolve oils, so lipstick stains tend to respond well to this simple treatment.

    First, you want to remove any extra lipstick from the fabric with a dry towel. Then dampen the area, being sure not to totally soak the stain, and dab a small amount of dish soap onto the spot. Gently rub the soap in with your fingers, then rinse with cold water. Another option is to use a cotton ball soaked with rubbing alcohol and simply dab the area until the stain is gone.
  • How to Remove Mascara Stains: Make sure there isn’t any extra makeup on the fabric before treating the area. Then lightly rub the stained area with dish soap, and rinse with hot water. If the stain is still there, you can try soaking the clothing in a mixture of one teaspoon of white vinegar with one cup of warm water for five to 10 minutes.

How to Remove Food Stains

Food stains are always a bummer—but you don’t have to walk around with a greasy spot on your shirt forever. Here are some simple-enough DIY stain-removal tips for all things food related.

  • How to Remove Red Wine Stains: Spilled wine is devastating for so many reasons: Not only might you ruin a perfectly good dress, you’re also left with less wine in your glass. We can’t help with the latter, but if you find yourself in a red wine disaster, look no further than the nearest salt shaker. Pour salt onto the stain, making sure to completely cover the affected area. The salt will absorb the wine and then you can simply brush the grains away and launder the clothing normally.  
  • How to Remove Coffee Stains: The key to removing coffee stains is to act fast! Pour boiling water over the stained area to draw out as much of the stain as possible. If the spot has already set, you can make a paste of Borax, put it on the stain for a few minutes, then wash normally.
  • How to Remove Grease Stains: Oily, greasy stains might seem like a total lost cause—but they aren’t! Not necessarily, anyway. If you act fast, there are ways to save your clothes from a grease stain. These spots won’t respond to water, so you have to use either dish soap or other caking products. Cover the stained area with cornstarch, talcum powder, or baking soda to absorb the grease. Let the powders sit for five to 10 minutes, soak in undiluted white vinegar for 15 minutes, then rub the stain with dish soap before rinsing and laundering as normal.

How to Remove Stubborn Stains (Even Ones You Thought Were Impossible to Treat!)

Sometimes, as you know, life can be gross and messy. Here are some random stain situations that we typically meet with hopelessness. But when you have the right strategy, no stain is safe!

  • Wax in the Carpet: A spilled candle doesn’t have to ruin your date night in, but it still helps to act fast when it comes to removing the mess. If you get wax on your carpet, first get a bag of ice and freeze the waxy glob for 10 minutes or so. Then you’ll need to grab a paper bag or a towel and your steam iron. Place the paper or towel over the wax, then, using the steam setting, iron the stained area. The wax should then transfer to the other fabric. Magic!
  • Blood: Blood stains are protein based, so you should avoid treating them with hot water. Your best bet for removing this type of stain is a cold water soak followed by treating the stain directly with either hydrogen peroxide or baking soda. After lightly scrubbing the area, rinse with cold water and then launder normally on a cold cycle.
  • Nail Polish: Okay, we admit it: Nail polish is a tricky stain. According to Today, though, you can vanquish it. Again, time is of the essence when removing an unwanted glob of polish from a pair of pants or shirt. First, carefully remove any excess paint that may be pooled on the clothing. No rubbing! That only pushes polish deeper into the fibers of your garment.Grab a white towel and some acetone nail polish remover and blot away at the stain, working from the outside toward the center. Then give your clothing a cold-water rinse and throw it into the washing machine as you normally would.

We’ll say it again: Stains happen. Once you know how to remove stains, though, they lose their power over you. Good luck!

Categories
Happy Home Lifestyle

Natural Mosquito Repellents: Do They Really Work?

By numbers alone, the mosquito is the deadliest animal on the planet. They spread diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika virus, and West Nile virus.
Even if you’re not worried about diseases, there’s no reason to put up with the tiny little bloodsuckers. They’re incredibly annoying, and for most people, itchy red bumps are reason enough to invest in bug spray. Few things can ruin a picnic as quickly as mosquitoes.

So what we can do? Are there natural alternatives to products loaded with DEET and other synthetic chemicals? Can we really load up on certain houseplants to reduce our exposure to bug bites? And do those citronella torches really work?
We spoke with Joe Conlon, the technical advisor of the American Mosquito Control Association, to find out how we can banish mosquitoes from our homes once and for all.

Is DEET a safe mosquito repellent (and how does it compare to alternatives)?

“Let’s face it,” Conlon tells HealthyWay, “DEET is the gold standard by which all other repellents are judged. It’s by far the most prevalent repellent out there.”
N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, better known as DEET, is a synthetic chemical that seems to work by blocking the receptors in mosquitoes’ antennae. They’re then unable to locate humans and therefore unable to bite us.
“There are over 500 DEET products that are registered by the EPA,” Conlon says. “If you’re going to go the DEET route, I would suggest a 25 to 30 percent formulation. That’s both repellent for ticks and mosquitoes. And that will give you a good solid four to eight hours of protection.”

If you’re worried about the safety of DEET, you’re not alone. In the early 2000s, several reports indicated that young children were having seizures when exposed to products with high concentrations of DEET. A 2003 study found no evidence of toxicity, however, and concluded that “the suggestion that young children are more prone than adults to the neurotoxic effects of DEET is not supported by critical evaluation of existing evidence.”

If you’re wondering about using DEET during pregnancy, that too appears to be safe. One study followed pregnant women in Thailand who used DEET; it found no adverse effects in the women or in the babies. More recently, a 2013 study found no evidence that DEET was dangerous to humans in typical concentrations.
The scientific consensus on DEET’s safety is pretty clear, but we’ve got another issue with it: It feels weird and smells bad.
“In the past, DEET has had some cosmetic issues,” Conlon admits. “The manufacturers have seen this as an issue, and there are formulations that don’t have any of those bad cosmetic things anymore. But some people just don’t like it—and that’s fine.”

Conlon says that another synthetic ingredient offers similar mosquito protection: picaridin. While it’s not a natural mosquito repellent, it’s pretty close.
“It’s the most widely sold repellent in the world outside of the United States, and it’s very good,” Conlon explains. “It’s got a very light feel, it doesn’t smell bad, and it’s a synthetic derivative of pepper plants, so that’s kind of an organic pedigree. I’d suggest that your readers look for products with a 15 to 20 percent formulation of picaridin.”    
Research indicates that picaridin is roughly as effective as DEET, although the authors noted that different mosquito species might respond differently to varying active ingredients.

Natural Mosquito Repellents: What to Know About Alternatives to DEET

Let’s say that you want to avoid DEET simply because you don’t like it, and you’re looking for some sort of completely natural mosquito repellent. That’s perfectly fine, but most of the natural repellents approved by the EPA aren’t quite as effective. The good news: If you’re willing to reapply your repellent every once in a while, you can get the same basic effect.
“Citronella oil is repellent, a bona fide repellent,” Conlon says, “but it’s a mild repellent. The current formulations out on the market give you about one hour of protection. And that’s one hour more than you’ll get if you don’t use any type of protection, but I’m afraid it’s far poorer than anything you would get with any of the other [active ingredients] that are marketed.”
One study found that citronella oil could work for up to two hours—which really isn’t great, all things considered. Unfortunately, that same study found citronella oil to be a more effective option than various other essential oils. Patchouli and clove oil provided similar levels of protection, but before you start building your own DIY natural mosquito repellent with those substances, remember: Natural doesn’t mean safer.  
“Clove oil is a repellent if you get purified oil, and it will repel mosquitoes,” Conlon says. “At that purified level, it doesn’t smell like cloves, [but] it will burn a hole right through your skin. It’s extremely corrosive. A lot of nefarious groups will market these chemical concoctions that contain clove oil and say, ‘It’s a known repellent of mosquitoes.’ Well, that’s true, but not at the concentration they’re using.'”
It’s not all bad news for naturopaths. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is a useful natural alternative, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that parents shouldn’t use it on children 3 years of age or younger.

“DIY mosquito repellents that use oil of lemon eucalyptus as one of their main ingredients will be the most [effective], since the oil is almost as effective as 25 percent DEET,” says Karen Thompson, editor of pest control blog InsectCop. “However, since lemon eucalyptus mosquito repellents work for no more than six hours, depending on their potency, you’ll need to reapply often. I’d advise reapplying this type of insect repellent every two to three hours.”

Thompson recommends mixing oil of lemon eucalyptus with a neutral oil (such as soybean or olive oil) and alcohol. To reiterate, though, this natural repellent isn’t appropriate for young children. Test for sensitivities before spraying it all over your skin by putting a small amount on your wrist or another non-sensitive area.
Conlon notes that oil of lemon eucalyptus isn’t technically as effective as DEET, but he still thinks it’s a valid alternative.
“I’m not quite sure people could tell a difference,” he says. “There’s a difference in, maybe, 86 percent repellency versus 95 percent repellency. Whether a person could notice that or not, it’s difficult to say. But it’s a natural alternative for people who want a natural product.”
Catnip oil is also effective, but only when refined and concentrated.
“There’s a formulation of catnip oil called refined oil of Nepeta cataria,” Conlon says. “It’ll give you seven hours of protection… I’ve never used it myself, but it’s a bona fide repellent registered by the EPA.”
Conlon says that the USDA is currently looking at breadfruit—apparently, its smoke is an excellent repellent—and other natural repellents, but currently, there’s not many tried-and-tested options.
“There’s a huge amount of research going on to find natural insecticides and natural repellents because the public is really looking for them,” he says. “Whether we’re ever going to be able to find [a perfect natural mosquito repellent], I don’t know. …A lot of people are under the impression that nature has provided us with the answer. Nature might—but there’s no evolutionary pressure for plants to produce something like that.”

Get rid of mosquitoes around your house.

We were excited to read about natural mosquito-repellent plants, so we asked Conlon what we should start planting.
Unfortunately, he says that “there aren’t any plants that are going to provide any level of protection at all. Citronella, which is effective, is derived from [different species of lemongrass], but you have to crush the leaves in order to get the oils out.”

As for lemongrass, Conlon says, “If you plant lemongrass all over your yard, you’re not really going to repel anything. The wind currents will waft off any volatilization of the chemicals inside the plants. Unfortunately, there’s no silver bullet in that regard.”
For a second opinion, we asked Thompson to weigh in.
“Plants like lemongrass, lavender, basil, marigolds, garlic, and peppermint will be unpleasant for mosquitoes, and therefore, they will be less likely to visit the area where these plants grow,” she says. “But these mosquito-repelling plants don’t automatically mean no mosquitoes.”
In other words, planting these types of plants won’t hurt your cause, but it probably won’t help much, either.
Well, at least we’ve got those citronella torches. Speaking of which—do those things actually work? Sort of.
Citronella oil is a real repellent, but Conlon says that commercial citronella oil candles don’t contain enough of the substance to do much of anything. Any sort of smoke will drive mosquitoes away, but you’ll have to be fairly close to the flame to enjoy any benefit.
A better option is a simple house fan, which will blow the weak-flying insects away while dissipating the carbon dioxide and chemical signals from your body, effectively masking you.

Easy Ways to Get Rid of Mosquitoes

Besides plants, there are a few things you can do around your backyard to keep it skeeter-free—or at least less enticing for them.
“Obviously, drain any type of standing water,” Conlon says. “If you have ditches that fill with water, make sure that they’re clean, so that the water flows freely. Mosquitoes will not lay their eggs in water that’s flowing, but stagnant water is fair game for them.”
He continues, “If you’ve got low-lying areas on your property that fill with water after heavy rains, it’d be good to fill those in because there are mosquitoes that breed specifically in those kinds of low-lying depressions. They lay their eggs in the dirt, and when the water comes and covers them, they hatch. They can withstand a drought for three to five years.”
Look for containers with standing water and empty them out. Don’t worry about putting insecticides in them, but wipe down the sides and clean them with soap and water; some mosquito species lay eggs just above the waterline, so thoroughly scraping the sides of a container will help to prevent infestations.
“It takes a minimum of five days for a mosquito to go from an egg to an adult,” Conlon says. “If you empty containers every five days, you’re good to go.”
Check evaporation pans, leaky faucets, and any other place where water might build up over time. Mosquitoes don’t need much water to do their thing.
“When I was in South America doing research, I found Aedes aegypti, the Zika mosquito, breeding in Coke bottle caps,” Conlon says. “It’s incredible. You’ve got to have a lot of respect for mosquitoes.”
Once you’ve eliminated standing water, look for ways to prevent the skeeters from making their way into your home.
“People should maintain their window screens,” Conlon says. “If you’ve got any vents to the outside, bathroom vents, things like that, I would suggest putting some hardware cloth or screening over the vent on the outside. Mosquitoes can and will get in through those vents. They’ve done it in my house—I learned the hard way.”
Getting completely skeeter-free will require multiple steps: Carefully evaluate your home and yard, try out different repellents, and use traps and zappers to reduce mosquito populations around your area.
If you’re sticking with natural products, research them carefully. Conlon recommends following EPA guidelines when protecting yourself from mosquitoes.
“Some of the nastiest diseases on the planet are a seven-hour plane flight away,” he says. “Zika and West Nile virus should’ve convinced us that we need to be prepared for diseases for which we have no historical antecedent. People need to be very serious in terms of what they’re using in terms of mosquito control methods and repellents. That’s why I say stick with the EPA. Stick with the stuff that we know, because it could be a matter of life or death.”

Categories
Nosh Nutrition x Advice

Caffeine And Cortisol: A Coffee Lover's Guide To Timing Your Consumption For Optimum Health

It feels like every month a new study comes out telling us that drinking coffee is healthy (or not healthy), life extending (or life shortening)…and everything in between.
If you’re like most people, having a cup of coffee is a regular part of your day. So the question has likely crossed your mind: Is drinking coffee good for you or not?
As you might have guessed, the answer is complex. Coffee on its own (without cream and sugar) has many intrinsic health benefits, and for the most part, it can be incorporated easily into a healthy lifestyle.
That said, a lot of recent research has studied the negative effects drinking coffee has on our levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. Does this mean coffee’s bad for you, then?
We’ve made our way through a maze of conflicting data to bring you the information you need. Below, you’ll find the information you need to develop a strategy for smart (and healthy) coffee intake and to keep coffee as part of your everyday routine.
coffee and cortisol

Categories
No Gym Required Sweat

Building A Jump-Rope Workout: Experts Give The Best Tips For Beginners

If you haven’t jumped rope since grade school, you’re missing out.
“I picked up a jump rope for the first time at the age of 42, and that was six years ago,” says Janine Delaney, former ballerina and self-described jump-rope queen.

“I’m not a fan of running, and I promised myself that I would never force myself to do any exercise I didn’t enjoy,” she says. “I saw a wrestler at my gym skipping rope, and he just looked so cool.”
Delaney says that she was initially embarrassed by her limited rope-skipping skills. That quickly changed.
“I started practicing in the exercise room of my gym where no one could see me,” she tells HealthyWay. “Eventually, when I could skip a few minutes consecutively, I was brave enough to venture downstairs. Pretty soon I started getting carried away and trying out all new sorts of new tricks. It was fun, and my energy was through the roof.”
Over the past several years, Delaney has developed a sizable social media presence, with over 989,000 followers on Instagram alone. She doesn’t just jump rope—she also uses resistance training and weights to meet her fitness goals—but she says that she relies on her rope for her warm-ups and cardio.   
“Jump-rope workouts tend to be very underrated,” says Tyler Spraul, certified strength and conditioning specialist and head trainer at Exercise.com. “Maybe it’s because it’s easy to see the jump rope as more of a kids’ toy than serious training equipment, but I don’t see a lot of people using them.”
But really, this kids’ toy can be a fun, effective, and inexpensive workout tool for adults. Here’s a crash course in this oft-overlooked fitness technique.

Scientific Reasons to Skip: Why You Want to Start a Jump-Rope Workout

We get it; if you’re going to add a new type of exercise to your workout regimen, you need some solid scientific reasons to make the change. Fortunately, science has you covered:

  • It’s great cardio. A 2017 study found that vigorous jump roping had advantages over stationary bike exercise (although we should note that the experiment group listened to uptempo dance music while working out—you’re certainly free to do the same).

  • It’s good for your bones. Jumping rope is an impact exercise, and a 2006 study found that it improves bone mineral density in women. That’s huge, since even minor differences in bone density can greatly affect your chances of a serious injury.

  • It’s practical. A high-quality jump rope also offers practical advantages over elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and other cardio tools.

    “Jump ropes are excellent tools for conditioning, and they are easy to take anywhere—even on road trips,” Spraul says. “You can adjust the difficulty [or] pace for all levels of experience, and even a beginner can usually pick up the technique and get in a good rhythm after just a few minutes. You can get a great workout in without needing much space at all, and it’s relatively low-impact, so you can use it as a warm-up and/or cool-down as well.”


We’ve got one other reason to start a jump-rope workout: It looks awesome. Pick up a few advanced techniques, and you’ll look like you’ve been doing this for years. Before you get there, though, you actually have to start.

How to Skip Rope: What the Experts Say About Starting a Rope-Skipping Routine

One of the great things about rope jumping is its simplicity. Pick up your rope, start jumping, and you probably won’t make any serious mistakes.

With that said, we’ve got a few tips for getting the most out of your first jump-rope workout.

Warm up.

If you’re already exercising regularly, the easiest way to incorporate a jump rope is to start developing your stamina during your warm-up.  

“Jumping rope is the best way to warm up for any workout session,” Delaney says. “Start slow with 30-second reps and a 30-second rest in between. Once you can do this for a week or two, increase your jumping to one-minute sets, then five, and eventually try for 15 to 20 per workout. Yes, it’s achievable!”

We’d like to emphasize the “start slow” thing. To research this article, we started a jump-rope routine, and we overdid it the first day; while we didn’t sustain any real injuries, our calves were incredibly sore after our first 15-minute session.

Stay safe.

 “Jump only a couple of inches off the ground,” Delaney suggests. “Higher is not better. It will fatigue you faster and does not add value.”

Don’t try to do too much too quickly.

“When you’re first starting out, don’t get caught up trying to do all the fancy double-unders and criss-crosses,” Spraul says. “Keep it simple, and try to add a small hop between rope passes so that you’re not jumping only when the rope is coming through. This will make it easier to get into a rhythm and build your streak of consecutive successful swings.”

Gradually add complexity.

When you’re starting out, focus on simply keeping the rope moving. To keep a steady rhythm, you can try working out to music. Over time, you can start adding in trick jumps and gradually increasing the length of your jump-rope intervals.
 


“You can adjust the times as needed to train for different goals,” Spraul says. “If you want to slowly ramp things down after a high-intensity workout, you can add a few minutes of jump rope in at the end as well. Just a few minutes at a slower pace can be a great way to allow your system to transition back to its resting state.”

Jump-Rope Workout Challenge: Stepping Up Your Cardio

While jumping rope is a good workout on its own, you’ll maximize your benefits by pulling in other exercises. If you’re ready for a serious challenge, we’ve got you covered.

“I incorporate what I call ‘dynamic cardio days’ into my weekly workouts,” Delaney says. “These are cardio days that get my heart pumping. They’re fun, and I design them to incorporate multiple combinations of exercises, including jump rope.”

Here’s Delaney’s recommendation for calorie-busting cardio:

  • Start with one minute of jumping rope. Keep the pace moderate at first. You can throw in a few double-unders if you’ve got enough experience, but a steady pace is key.
  • Continue with one minute of burpees. This will likely feel like the hardest part of the circuit. Focus on keeping your form perfect, and remember to breathe.
  • Keep the circuit going with one minute of bear crawls and crab walks. If you have no idea what those exercises are, we’ve linked demonstration videos for each. Again, form is crucial.
  • Rest, then restart the circuit. Shoot for three to four repetitions, and be ready for total exhaustion.

Don’t forget the cool-down; it’s certainly one of the most important parts of your workout.
“Take advantage of the blood flow you achieve throughout your body when jumping, then finish off with some stretches,” Delaney says. “You will feel like a million dollars when you’re done.”

What type of jump rope should you buy?

You can get a simple jump rope for under $7, and if you’re just starting out, it’ll work just fine. We evaluated a few different ropes and found that most inexpensive ropes were made of PVC, cloth, or plastic beads that resemble uncooked macaroni noodles (you’ll likely remember those plastic-bead jump ropes from gym class in grade school).
Of those, we had the most trouble with the PVC ropes, which tend to arrive with twists and bends in the line. With that said, those imperfections usually work themselves out of the jump rope over time, but they’re a bit of a bummer if you’re just starting out.
If you’re willing to spend $20 or more, you can find a speed rope made from a high-quality, thin plastic or metal. The thinness allows the rope to move more quickly, so if you’re looking to eventually incorporate advanced techniques like double-unders, they’re a good choice. Just be careful—if you accidentally hit your thighs or ankles, you’ll feel it. Experienced jumpers can look for features like swivel-bearing handles, which further improve speed and reliability.
Since jump ropes are relatively inexpensive, we’d recommend picking up a few different options to see which you prefer. Remember, if you’re not enjoying your workout, you probably won’t stick with it. Get a decent jump rope and a basic training plan, and you’ll be skipping with the best of them in no time.

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Refresh x Recover Sweat

Is Dry Needling Safe? What To Know About This New Trend

Dry needling: In a sense, the name says it all. Practitioners put dry needles—without medications or other additives—into their patients’ skin, targeting “trigger points” that are said to relieve pain and tension.
If that sounds a whole lot like acupuncture, you’re not entirely wrong. Although both techniques use needles, acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), while dry needling is based in Western medicine. Dry needling is also closely related to myofascial release massage.

We decided to look into the science behind the practice of dry needling. If you’re thinking about trying a dry needle treatment, here’s what you need to know.

Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture: Is there really any difference?

On paper, dry needling and acupuncture look similar: An acupuncturist or physical therapist sticks needles in your body, removes them, and you (hopefully) walk away feeling better.
“Dry needling needles are the same as acupuncture needles,” says personal trainer Lauren Lobert, doctor of physical therapy and owner of APEX Physical Therapy. “They are very, very thin and flexible needles of different lengths, depending on the area [of the] needling and patient’s size.”
Lobert has been dry needling for about 18 months. For the most part, she says that her patients report positive experiences.
“I have heard a lot of different responses,” she says. “Most people say the majority of the needles don’t feel like anything! But, just like with a massage, if you are hitting areas that are tighter or more tender, then it will be more sore. Sometimes it is described as a pressure or feeling of fullness. Sometimes it just hurts. But, it’s typically just for a second and then it goes away.”

The basic idea behind dry needling is that the human body has a number of “trigger points,” spots with sensitive, knotted tissues that cause pain. By needling those areas, practitioners believe that they can relieve the myofascia—the dense tissue that covers the muscles—providing quick pain relief.
“Chinese medicine is both an art and science and there are over 361 points on the body, and rarely is there any side effect [with acupuncture] except a small bruise,” claims board-certified acupuncturist Elizabeth Trattner. “Needling techniques are different all over the body, especially the trunk, as needling the chest can cause a collapsed lung. This is never done in TCM, and it is the first thing we learn in our four-year journey to become a licensed doctor of TCM.”
That sounded pretty dramatic to us, so we researched it. According to a piece published in Acupuncture in Medicine, “pneumothorax complications” are rare but can occur in both dry needling and acupuncture. In any case, Trattner says that the national acupuncture community is “outraged” by the current dry needling trend.
“We have an obligation to educate the public that dry needling and acupuncture are two different things,” Trattner says. “One is legal, one is not. One is safe, the other, not.”
Dry needling is legal in many states, though, according to the American Physical Therapy Association, although the organization notes that the legality of the practice “continues to be a question posed to state regulatory boards, legislatures, and agencies.”
Trattner does raise an interesting point, however: Given that any type of therapy carries potential risks, are there enough benefits to justify dry needling treatments?

The Scientific Evidence for Dry Needling

There’s some evidence that both dry needling and acupuncture can provide benefits for certain chronic pain conditions according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

With that said, there’s not necessarily evidence that either technique works better than a placebo. One systematic review from 2001 found that “when treating myofascial trigger point pain with trigger point injection, the nature of the injected substance makes no difference to the outcome, and … wet needling is not therapeutically superior to dry needling.”
That sounds like a big win for dry needling practitioners. However, the same review “did not find any rigorous evidence that needling therapies have an effect beyond placebo in myofascial trigger point pain.” There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence for dry needling—a quick Google search turns up hundreds of positive stories—but not much scientific evidence apart from a few limited studies. That could change over time, but some clinical physicians are skeptical.
“The only patients I’d recommend dry needling to are those susceptible to the placebo effect, because the idea that it does anything important is, as best I can tell from the literature, [untrue],” says Stuart Spitalnic, MD, clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brown University.
We asked him whether he could think of any situation in which he’d recommend dry needling, even as a placebo.
“I would never recommend dry needling, nor [anything else on] a growing list of nonsense therapy that people continue to do—acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, most herbals. Maybe chiropractic for low back pain only, though I believe you would be better off with a good massage,” he tells HealthyWay in an email.
“Now, when faced with a patient that is already participating in one of these therapies and believes they are receiving benefits from them, so long as it is not clearly dangerous, it is likely best for a clinician to either say nothing or be muted in their objections, unless specifically asked to pass judgement on a therapy. Then it would be wrong to lie.”
Spitalnic notes that the people who offer dry needling therapy often have good intentions.
“To be fair, most practitioners are not dishonest; they are true believers, well armed with anecdotes of those who have been helped by either the placebo effect or coincident with the start of therapy,” he writes. “[That’s] similar to the parent who believes their child’s cold was cured by antibiotics because, by the time they got around to seeing the doctor and getting the prescription, the kid was on the verge of improvement anyway.”
In his position, Spitalnic frequently analyzes scientific studies, and his position is clear: Without credible research, there’s no reason to start sticking yourself (or anyone else) with needles.
“I have reviewed many implausible therapies and, without fail, when they are backed at all, they are backed by incredibly biased, fatally flawed, and/or typically non-reproducible research. And, whenever tested rigorously, their effects vanish.”
We asked Lobert to weigh in on those concerns.
“I totally understand the skepticism of many people in regards to both dry needling and acupuncture,” she says. “It’s very common that people are skeptical about this treatment! …The bottom line is that dry needling, when performed by a trained professional, is extremely safe and well received by patients. If it is placebo that causes them to feel better, I’m okay with that. With soaring rates of opioid-related deaths and other side effects [of opiate use], I believe that trying alternative methods in order to decrease pain and regain function can be hugely beneficial.”
To be clear, Lobert does not believe that the results are all due to placebo. Her position is that pain management is a complex issue, and she believes that trigger-point therapies like dry point needling offer an excellent alternative to pharmaceutical treatments.

What are the risks of dry needling?

If you still want to try dry needling to experience the purported benefits for yourself, ensure that you are visiting a properly trained practitioner. Check to make sure that dry needling is legal in your state, and don’t expect your insurance to cover the practice (Blue Cross Blue Shield, for instance, typically considers dry needling to be “experimental” or “investigational,” and therefore exempt from coverage). Be aware of the limited risks of this type of procedure.
“There are safety considerations, such as if someone is on high doses of blood thinners, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it,” says Lobert. “Immediately after surgery, it is not recommended. However, once the incisions are healed and doing well, [dry needling] is fine. If you have an active infection, you don’t want to be dry needling. And if you have an intense fear of needles, dry needling will probably not be a pleasant experience for you.”
While still extremely skeptical of dry needling therapies, Spitalnic says that they probably don’t pose much of a risk to patients.
“I’m sure the overall risks are low, though infection and inadvertent injury to a subcutaneous structure are possible,” Spitalnic says.
If you’ve got a significant chronic pain condition, you might want to see a physician before engaging in either dry needling or acupuncture. Otherwise, you’re probably good to go. Just make sure to temper your expectations.

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Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

The Skin Microbiome Might Be The Key To Understanding Skincare Issues

If your skincare routine is designed to keep your skin absolutely sterile, we’ve got some news for you: Bacteria aren’t necessarily bad—and neither are viruses, fungi, or other microorganisms.
With that said, you shouldn’t stop washing your face, either, since many of those microorganisms are pretty bad.
Like many things related to skincare, it’s complicated. That’s because your skin is home to a microbiome of microscopic organisms.

Think back to your seventh-grade biology class, and you’ll remember that biomes are basically large communities in which organisms rely on each other in order to thrive. Our skin has its own microbiome, and like other biomes, it is delicately balanced. If you’re not careful, you can throw off that stability, and problems can arise.
“The skin is colonized by a diverse collection of microorganisms (including bacteria, fungi, and viruses), most of which are harmless or even beneficial to us as humans,” Tanya Kormeili, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Santa Monica, California, writes in an email to HealthyWay. “Our immune systems can modulate the skin microbiota [the various organisms in the skin microbiome], but the microbiota also functions in educating the immune system.”
It’s can get dense and confusing, so we dove into the latest skin biome research to figure out what you need to know about the skin microbiome and healthy skin—and how to incorporate that knowledge into your skincare routines.

How (We Think) the Skin Microbiome Functions

The skin microbiome is remarkably complex, and researchers are still trying to understand how it works. We do know that the microorganisms play an essential role in helping our immune systems function, and there’s a whole lot of interplay between our bodies and the tiny bacteria and viruses living on its surface.

“[The microbiota] teaches our immune system and helps us regulate what is normal versus what is a true infection,” Kormeili writes. “This symbiotic relationship helps protect against invasion by more harmful organisms.”
In other words, the organisms on our skin help our bodies recognize and eliminate dangerous intruders.

Balance is key. Without a varied, diverse microbiome, we might not be able to mount a reaction to, say, Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen thought to cause many of the cases of eczema (atopic dermatitis) in children. Likewise, if your skin microbiome is unbalanced, you might suffer from an overgrowth of Propionibacterium acnes, which is strongly associated with acne.

There are a few things to keep in mind about the skin microbiome and how this whole thing works.

  • Our skin microbiota changes throughout our lives, so if one product or routine suddenly stops working, that may be the reason. For instance, infants typically have high concentrations of Firmicutes, a phylum of bacteria that can include Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, which can cause staph infections and strep throat, respectively. As we age, the concentrations of those Firmicutes bacteria decline, and gradually, our skin changes in terms of structure and function. As a result, our microbiome becomes more diverse, and our immune systems become more effective at addressing threats. Some research indicates that if infants don’t get a stable, diverse skin microbiome—like those common concentrations of Firmicutes—early in life, they’ll be more likely to have skin immunity problems as adults.
  • Go thank your mom: One of the very first things that affects your skin microbiome is your birth. Research indicates that vaginal delivery results in a healthier immune system than cesarean delivery. Scientists believe that a mother’s body is set up to expose infants to the microbiota they’ll need to develop healthy immune responses. An infant’s skin is directly exposed to microorganisms during vaginal birth, and they also inevitably consume some of those bacteria orally. Breast milk is also thought to promote the growth of certain microbial communities, proving that kiddos really can get their glow from mom.
  • Our microbiota can play a role in the development of a number of diseases—but those diseases aren’t necessarily infectious. As we’ve mentioned, our microbiome profoundly shapes the way that our immune system responds to threats. Your immune system might handle P. acnes—a common inhabitant in adult skin—fairly well. If you interact with a person who’s having an acne outbreak, your skin will effectively prevent those bacteria from overwhelming your defenses—mostly because you’ve probably got plenty of those P. acnes on your own skin to begin with. (For those same reasons, diseases like rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema aren’t considered contagious.)
  • The concept of “good” and “bad” microorganisms is pretty outdated. Many bacteria and viruses don’t cause problems if they’re properly balanced in your skin microbiome. For instance, that P. acnes pathogen that causes acne is often harmless in the absence of other factors (for instance, excessive sebum production caused by our old friend, puberty).
  • If you’re thinking about throwing out all of your soaps and cleansers, you may want to think again. Kormeili says that because the microbiome is incredibly complex, few dermatologists recommend a completely hands-off approach. “There are many environmental factors specific to the individual, such as occupation, clothing choice, and antibiotic usage, as well as inflammation or disease,” Kormeili explains. “What makes this even more complicated is that we have also an entire microbiome in our gut, and all these organisms have to live happily among our body’s cells!”

Do cosmetics make our skin microbiome less diverse?

We know that microbial diversity is typically a good thing because diverse microbiomes are often more stable. Microbial diversity seems to be useful when determining how external factors affect our skin, so we looked into whether our cosmetics harm the diversity of the microbiota.
Should we throw away our makeup brushes? (Not that we’re going to do that regardless, but should we?)

According to one recent study, cosmetics might actually make the facial skin microbiome more diverse. If you think about it, that makes sense; bacteria are everywhere, including in your makeup brush, and if microorganisms can survive the harsh environment of the human skin, they can certainly handle a little touch of foundation.
What about other products? We asked Kormeili whether cosmetics, cleansers, or other products could be upsetting the balance of our microbiota.

“The truth is that we are just starting to understand this,” she says. “We know over-cleaning and wiping out all the organisms is certainly bad. We also know that harmful organisms on the skin can cause true infections. The balance is yet to be fully understood. It is unclear what factors really drive variation in these organisms, and how fluctuation is associated with skin disease.”

She continues, “Cosmetics, soaps, hygienic products and moisturizers, and treatments are certainly capable of altering the skin microbiome. External factors such as humidity and temperature as well as UV light exposure also play a role. This relationship is so complex that we hardly truly understand it yet.”
If you’re struggling to manage clogged pores, cystic acne, or scalp problems, a dermatologist may be able to help you pinpoint irritants and recommend healthy, less-disruptive alternatives.
In other words: Yes, your products are affecting your microbiome, but if you’re not having problems, you probably don’t need to change anything. If you are having issues, talk to your dermatologist.
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How can we find a balance between cleanliness and a healthy microbiome?

“This is the multi-billion dollar question—still unanswered for the most part!” Kormeili tells us. “For example, molecular approaches examining bacterial diversity have found that the skin microbiota is dependent on the body site, so trying to balance a healthy microbiome is really body-site specific.”

A treatment that works extremely well for preventing bacterial overgrowths on your face might not work so well on a different part of your body, just as viruses that are harmless on the skin of your arm might pose more of a threat to the skin somewhere else. Of course, your immune system is there to fill in the gaps, which is why we don’t keel over every time we rub our faces with our often less-than-sanitary hands.
In one 2016 study, researchers looked at microbiome diversity among men from six different ethnic groups. The scientists took samples from three skin sites—forearm, below the shoulder, and scalp—and found that the men’s ethnicity didn’t affect microbiome diversity as much as the location of the sample did.

Interestingly, the researchers also found that microbiome diversity increased when the test subjects stopped using their regular shampoos and deodorants.
“Obviously, we cannot spend all day trying to ‘create a balance,’ and have to trust that the microbiome, if not altered, should do this on its own,” explains Kormeili. She recommends avoiding things that she says can “drastically ruin” the microbiome, including “harsh chemicals, antibiotics, antiseptics, or overuse of cleaning products or medications.”

Antibiotics seem to be a problem for the skin and gut microbiomes.

Research shows antibiotics might damage the skin and gut microbiomes of adults for extended periods of time; it’s also been shown that antibiotics can severely alter infants’ gut flora.
In 2017, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania showed that topical antibiotics were even more damaging to microbial communities on the skin than antiseptics, like hand sanitizers. That’s a good enough reason to avoid antibiotics unless you absolutely need them.   

That did make us wonder: How do dermatologists avoid spreading bacteria and viruses from one person to the next, knowing that some of these methods could wreak havoc with patients’ microbiomes?
“We use very harsh chemicals in the office to clean every single aspect of the patient’s experience,” Kormeili writes. “We are worried sick about spreading the bad infections from one human to another.”
That said, she continues, “I always try to use a ‘global’ approach in each patient’s treatment regimen to avoid altering other aspects of their health when trying to improve their skin conditions.”

What that global approach will look like for you, though, is likely as unique as your microbiome is.

Keeping Your Skin Microbiome Healthy and Balanced

You may have seen probiotic products on store shelves that claim to improve skin health by introducing certain types of bacteria to the skin microbiome. Those claims are, at best, exaggerated, simply because the skin microbiome is so incredibly complex. What works for the skin microbiome seems to be extremely specific to the individual.

“In my experience, many of the commercially available probiotics are not standardized and often it is difficult to determine their activity,” says Amesh Adalja, MD, a board-certified infectious disease physician at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
“Microbiome-related therapies are in their infancy,” Adalja explains, “which makes it difficult for consumers to assess claims about various products, though in the future, I have no doubt such therapeutic products will be developed for conditions such as eczema.”
For the time being, you can assume that those products aren’t based in completely solid science, so Kormeili advises using common sense and practicing that holistic approach to health that she tries to use with her patients.
“It is so complicated. No one has the full answer,” she tells us. “Try to eat healthy to keep the right nutrients in the body for the right organisms to grow. Avoid foods that have pesticides, as they can potentially harm the gut microbiome. Avoid application of products that have hard alcohols and anti-bacterial effects, unless instructed [to] by a dermatologist.”

Finally, if you’re one of those people who won’t leave home without a tube of hand sanitizer, change your approach. Remember, there are plenty of helpful microbial organisms out there—you just can’t see them.
As Kormeili advises, “Do not become a germaphobe!”

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

Aluminum In Deodorant: Do You Need To Be Worried?

You might have heard about the link between aluminum in deodorant and breast cancer. It makes for a terrifying headline—after all, more than 90 percent of Americans use some form of underarm deodorant or antiperspirant, and we count our fresh-smelling selves among that number. If there’s something dangerous lurking in our stick of Secret, we’d certainly want to know about it.
We looked into the science surrounding the proposed link between aluminum and breast cancer, and we found some conflicting information. Before you throw out your deodorant, here’s what you need to know.  

Why is there aluminum in deodorant, anyway?

Most leading deodorants contain some amount of aluminum salt, which prompts the question: Why? What’s a metallic substance doing in your armpit?
The short answer is that aluminum is extraordinarily effective as an antiperspirant. It temporarily plugs up the sweat ducts, leaving you with that nice dry feeling that you’ve come to know and love.
Deodorant and antiperspirant are separate things; deodorant gets rid of body odor, while antiperspirant attempts to stop sweat from occurring in the first place. Therefore, you can find deodorants that don’t contain any antiperspirant (more on those in a moment). However, if your deodorant does contain antiperspirant, it likely contains aluminum. Few other ingredients work as effectively, and while aluminum-free antiperspirants exist, they’re rare.

Why are some people concerned about aluminum in deodorant?

We can trace a lot of the controversy to a study conducted in 2005 by Philippa Darbre, PhD, professor emeritus at the University of Reading. Darbre, a breast cancer researcher, noticed that cancer was unusually common in the upper outer quadrant of the breast and suspected that deodorant was somehow responsible.
“Aluminum is something that has always concerned me [in deodorants],” Darbre tells HealthyWay. “I don’t know whether it’s aluminum on its own, or the mixture, because there are quite a lot of chemicals in there. But the aluminum is a major concern.”
Darbre says that she began studying tumor samples and finding aluminum in just about every one of them.
“To cut a long story short, there’s aluminum in every type of breast tissue I can lay my hands on,” she says. “There’s aluminum getting into the human breast. Getting in [in] high quantities. Aluminum is not something that our bodies would normally have in them. The question is, is it harmful or is it not? It’s getting in, but what might it do?”
Initially, she believed that aluminum was triggering estrogen receptors. Estrogen exposure seems to be a risk factor for breast cancer, so the hypothesis made sense. Today, however, she believes that aluminum is toxic because it causes a loss of expression of BRCA1, which is a breast cancer susceptibility gene.
Darbre is also one of the main researchers behind the anti-paraben movement. In 2004, she identified large concentrations of parabens, a type of preservative substance used in various cosmetics (including deodorants), in human breast tumors.
“It’s certainly true when people put these solutions under their arms, they’re not just putting a solution of aluminum,” Darbre says. “They’re putting a lot of other chemicals as well, and those chemicals are going to be interacting. There’s a lot of them in there already that can mimic estrogen action as well, and what we’re looking at with all these things is cocktails of chemicals.”

Does aluminum in deodorant cause breast cancer?

Here’s where things get complicated. Depending on who you ask, the aluminum-in-our-deodorants scare is either totally warranted or completely overblown. Currently, the scales are tilted in favor of “overblown,” but cancer researchers tend to agree that more studies would be helpful. A few examples that turned up in our research:

  • In 2014, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommended regulations to limit the amount of aluminum used in antiperspirants. They also recommended that women avoid using antiperspirants after shaving their armpits, hypothesizing that freshly shaved skin would allow aluminum into the body.
  • A 2017 scientific review found that “the contention that the use of aluminum-containing antiperspirants promotes breast cancer is not supported by consistent scientific data.” That review also noted that large-scale studies assessing the potential link between aluminum and breast cancer would be beneficial.
  • A 2016 systematic review failed to find a link between deodorant use and breast cancer, but researchers noted that they could only find two case-control studies.

We certainly can’t say that aluminum in deodorant is definitively linked with cancer, but we also can’t call this a conspiracy theory; aluminum’s toxicity deserves more research.
Currently, though, most authoritative sources we found agree that aluminum is a safe deodorant ingredient, including the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society. We should also note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that current research shows that parabens are safe in cosmetics, including deodorants.

If you don’t want to wear deodorant with aluminum, you’ve got options.

We realize that all of this isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the deodorant industry, so if you decide to play it safe, we won’t call you paranoid. Fortunately, you’ve got options.
The first and most obvious choice is to stop wearing deodorant altogether. No, seriously: You might not even need it. A study from the University of Bristol found that about 5 percent of people aren’t naturally smelly, thanks to a rare genetic variation (which we’re tempted to call a superpower). If you’re one of the lucky few, you can ditch the deodorant without sending your co-workers fleeing from the office in disgust.
Besides, your current deodorant might be doing more harm than good. Some research suggests that regular antiperspirant use has a remarkable effect on your armpit’s microbiome (the bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that exist on healthy skin). If that’s the case, you might actually end up being smellier as a result of your deodorant, which obviously isn’t ideal.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t do anything about your odors.
“I haven’t used [underarm deodorants] for more than 20 years,” Barbre says. “I use nothing under my arms. I wash with soap and water twice a day, and so far nobody’s complained. I believe the more you use, the more you need.”
If you’re not sold on that solution—and yes, we realize it’s a hard sell—consider aluminum-free deodorant options from brands like Tom’s of Maine, Native, Origins, and Schmidt’s. Note that some of these brands also offer deodorants that do contain aluminum, so read the ingredient list carefully.
If you want to get away from aluminum but you still want to stop the sweating, check out aluminum-free antiperspirants from brands like HyperDri, which uses tiny proteins called peptides instead of aluminum salts. Be prepared to pay for this state-of-the-art sweat tech though.
Finally, remember that cancers are complicated. Dozens of risk factors can influence your risk of developing breast cancer, and things like family history, age, and alcohol use are certainly more significant (and more widely accepted) factors than deodorant use. Keep that in mind the next time you hear that a certain substance or ingredient “causes cancer.” Chances are good that the actual science is a whole lot more complicated than that.

Categories
No Gym Required Sweat

Self-Defense Moves That Every Woman Should Learn

The numbers are all the proof you need that every woman should learn a few trusty self-defense moves. In 2015, 12 out of every 1,000 people in the U.S. became victims of a simple assault, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Three out of 1,000 suffered an aggravated assault, usually defined as an attack with a weapon or intent to accomplish something worse than minor injury.   
Before you stop leaving the house entirely, just remember that violence in the U.S. has plummeted over the last 25 years or so. But assault still happens, and it’s worth taking some time to learn self-defense techniques that are proven to get you out of a scary situation.
Too often women become targets of violence carried out not only by strangers, but also people they know and trust. The ideal situation would be to end all violence outright, but until we realize the utopian dream, our task is clear: We should all learn to identify risky situations and know how to defend ourselves. Learning a few self-defense moves provides benefits even if you never have to use them. Self-defense practice can provide courage and peace of mind, no matter where your life takes you.  
“Threats should be taken seriously,” D. Corbett Everidge, a martial arts instructor and co-founder of the Ministry of Defense self-protection school, says. “There is no such thing as an idle threat.”
Everidge shared with HealthyWay how to recognize dangerous situations and what to do in a worst-case scenario.

1. Self-defense begins with awareness.

First things first: Pay attention to your surroundings. This may sound simple, but in this age of distraction, how often are you really looking at where you’re going? We are so often “plugged in,” we forget that we can actually walk to our car or run an errand without our headphones in.
“Being aware of where you are is the most important aspect of safety, followed by recognizing the development of bad situations—environment, then situation,” says Everidge. “If you find yourself in an environment that you perceive to be bad, don’t wait for the situation to occur.”
Bad things often happen in bad places. So if you know you have to walk through an unfamiliar or dark parking lot alone, don’t cloud your senses by scrolling through social media.
“By looking at a text message, Facebook, or anything on your phone, you are distracted and oblivious to your surroundings,” says Everidge. “Predators pay attention to this.”
Also, walking with purpose and confidence sends a message to potential threats. Your posture, stride, and walking speed can all work in your favor. Criminals aren’t out there randomly picking people to assault—there is a method to this madness. Of course, even the most confident, attentive people can still become victims; it’s no one’s fault but the perpetrator. But it does help to implement all prevention tactics. Know the space you’re in, and pay attention to who’s around you.

2. A Simple Self-Defense Technique: Listen to your gut.

“If something is telling you that a place or situation is not safe, leave immediately,” says Everidge. “I have had countless women in courses that I have taught tell me that in dangerous situations they had a premonition something was about to happen.”
Your gut knows when something is up, so don’t tune it out. Science suggests that intuition is more than just a feeling. There’s evidence intuition is actually a trustworthy reaction to your surroundings.
Professor Gerard Hodgkinson of the Centre for Organisational Strategy, Learning and Change at Leeds University Business School studies intuition and how it is executed in real-life situations. Hodgkinson argues that intuition is basically our brains using visual cues along with past experiences to make a split-second decision. These impressions may not make sense at the time, at least on a conscious level, but they result in the eerie feeling that something’s a little bit off.
That voice is real, and it can help keep you out of dangerous situations. However, remember that you’re never to blame for someone else’s negative actions.
“You did not wake up today choosing to be harmed. You did not choose to cross the path of someone seeking to harm you,” Everidge tells HealthyWay. “That is irrelevant, because today he chose you. By being confident and alert, your paths may not cross.”

3. Prevent confrontation whenever possible.

If you find yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, get out of that space ASAP if you can. Part of being aware of your surroundings is knowing any and all escape routes. Try to avoid closed off or restricted spaces because these have fewer options for quickly fleeing.
“If your instinct tells you that a situation is escalating, do not stand still—KEEP MOVING,” says Everidge. “This makes you unpredictable, harder to capture or strike, and it continually opens up tactical options. “
If you’re stuck in a dangerous situation with no way out, make some noise! You want to draw as much attention to yourself and what’s happening as possible. Scream, yell, do anything you can to be loud.
However, if you can remember, yell “Fire!” instead of “Help!” Situations have shown that people are more likely to respond and help someone yelling “fire” versus “help” because of the bystander effect.   

4. Self-Defense Moves to Keep You Safe

If drawing attention to yourself doesn’t cause an attacker to back off, you might need to use force as a last resort. It is possible to stun an attacker enough to escape using just your fingernails or car keys.
You want to be sure you minimize any injuries to yourself in these situations. Open-palm slaps, scratching, and jabbing someone with your fingers are much safer methods than attempting to punch someone, unless you’re well trained.

Self-Defense Target Focus: the Eyes

When in doubt, go for the eyes. You’ve already got everything you need to deliver a debilitating attack to your opponent.
“Fingernails are formidable weapons against the eyes. Also, everyday items such as car keys are valuable,” says Everidge. “I also teach my students to use items such as lemon juice and hairspray if they do not have access to pepper spray.”
Poking, scratching, or spraying someone in the eyes can give them temporary blindness and cause some serious pain, giving you time to run to safety.
If you have to use your keys for a defense, Everidge says not to hold them between your fingers. You can seriously tear your hand up holding your keys this way—try swinging and slapping the person with the keys instead.
“Fingernails and keys being raked across the face can cause pain and bleeding,” says Everidge. “By using the fingernails, you also allow for the collection of skin under the nail to be used as evidence in court.”
When you’re attacking someone’s face, keep your arms loose, not rigid. When you’re ready for the attack, follow Everidge’s lead:
“In a fast slapping motion, slightly curl the fingers at the moment of impact with the face and allow them to drag across the face or eyes,” he recommends.

Self-Defense Target Focus: the Throat

The second best target on the body of an attacker is their throat. Not only is a throat hit incredibly painful, but it can cause the attacker to have difficulty breathing.
“Use the ends of the fingertips as a spear, or the fore knuckles can be used,” Everidge tells HealthyWay. “The use of the thumb beside the throat pushing inward is extremely effective.”
Everidge explains the proper way to attack someone’s throat: “Lay your hand flat and tense it. Utilize the tips of the fingers to drive into the side of the throat or the Adam’s apple. Also, separate the thumb from the fingers into an ‘L’ shape, and use the webbing of the hand or the bone on the side of your index finger to strike the throat. If possible, twist the throat in a motion similar to turning on a faucet or turning a doorknob.”

Self-Defense Target Focus: the Ears

Ears are a surprisingly effective target when you want to drive off an attacker. You can grab and pull on ears. Alternately, try a good old-fashioned ear-boxing.
“Cup your hands and hit both ears simultaneously,” says Everidge. “This can cause a ringing in the ears and great discomfort, and in extreme cases, the eardrum can rupture.”

Self-Defense Target Focus: the Feet and Shins

If your attacker has you in a bear hug and you can’t get free, it’s time to go after their feet and shins.
“When the shins are scraped with shoes such as high heels or cowboy boots, [that] can cause extreme discomfort and bleeding,” says Everidge. “Also, the top of the foot when stomped with the heel can result in a bone fracture.”
To make your shin or foot attack most effective, start by twisting your body sideways.
“Attempt to maneuver your body perpendicular to your attacker, in a position where your hip meets the belt buckle,” says Everidge. “With the leg nearest his belt buckle, kick in a downward motion along the shin and finish with a hard stomp with the heel on top of the foot. “

The Holy Grail of Self-Defense

If the attacker is a man, do not hesitate to hit him aggressively where it counts.
“The testicles are the holy grail of women’s self-defense, but this is not foolproof,” says Everidge. “If the attacker is … intoxicated or is so enraged, he may be oblivious to the pain.”
A crotch strike may not be 100 percent effective, but more often than not, it will buy you time to escape. Everidge explains the technique behind this self-defense attack: “When attacking the groin, either use the top of the foot in a kicking motion similar to a cheerleader kick [or use the knee]. If using the knee, strike upward at a 45 degree angle. Upon the point of impact, arch the lower back and push the hips forward to gain momentum and power.”
Also, don’t be afraid to spit on someone. Spitting is an easy way to stun someone and “while this is distasteful, it produces instant results and can allow you a split second to escape,” says Everidge.

5. Other Self-Defense Options

Anything you have on you—purses, backpacks, shopping bags—can be used to hit someone or block someone from striking you. If you have a drink in your hand, throw it at your attacker! Hot coffee is especially effective.
If you can, always park in well-lit, populated areas, and use the buddy system when walking to your car whenever possible.
“Approach your car from the rear so you can inspect the vehicle to make sure there is no one in it,” says Everidge. “Do not leave items such as mail on your seat in the car, because this can give a criminal your address.”
Most importantly, remember that avoiding someone or walking away from a stranger who initiates contact is not always rude; if you feel uncomfortable, it is likely a very safe decision. Ignoring your fear of being impolite could keep a strange situation from escalating into a dangerous one.
Like we mentioned earlier, listen to your gut! If a stranger in public makes you uncomfortable, don’t hesitate to act. Your safety is way more important than some stranger’s hurt feelings.

Categories
Healthy Relationships Wellbeing

Attachment Styles Impact Every Relationship: Here's How

When you understand adult attachment theory, everything suddenly clicks into place.
Well, maybe not everything—we still can’t explain Kanye West’s tweets (or Donald Trump’s, for that matter)—but it can help you gain some incredible perspective on your romantic relationships, friendships, and other close relationships.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Why is he acting that way?” or “Why did I just overreact?”, attachment theory can lend some insight. The short answer: Everything’s your parents’ fault. (Sort of.)
Psychology professionals have known about attachment styles for decades. In 1969, psychiatrist John Bowlby published Attachment and Loss, a groundbreaking book that laid out how infants attach with their parents—and how they reacted when they perceived a threat to that relationship.  
Over the last few decades, researchers have extended attachment theory to adults; once we develop a style of attachment, the theory claims, we tend to carry that attachment style through our adult lives. Our attachment styles drive the way that we interact with the people we love, the people we work with, and other close, interpersonal relationships.

In 2010, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine, MD, and psychologist Rachel Heller wrote Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find—and Keep—Love. That book took the heady, academic concept of adult attachment styles and spelled it out for the rest of us.

Understanding the Three Attachment Styles (and How to Find Your Attachment Style)

According to Levine and Heller’s interpretation of adult attachment theory, there are three main attachment styles, and they affect how people communicate, view intimacy, deal with conflict, and develop their expectations of their partners.

Need a helpful metaphor? Professor Karlen Lyons-Ruth, PhD, of Harvard Medical School, explains that “the attachment system can be thought of as the psychological version of the immune system.” Relationships bring stress, and our attachment system helps us respond to that stress and avoid “extreme levels of fearful arousal.”
Levine describes three attachment styles that cover about 95 percent of the population:
[sol title=”Secure Attachment Style” subheader=”comfortable and loving”]
People with secure attachment styles feel comfortable with intimacy, and they can be described as loving people. About 50 percent of the population falls into this category.

  • Example: Susan connects with someone on Tinder, and they go on a few dates. He doesn’t text her for a few days; she gives him a quick call to set up another date but doesn’t worry too much about the lack of communication. She’s generally very loving and has no problems expressing intimacy.

[sol title=”Anxious Attachment Style” subheader=”defined by relationships with others”]
These individuals crave intimacy. Even if they’re fairly successful in their careers, they tend to define themselves by their relationships with others; they worry that their partners don’t love them, and they often believe that they’ll eventually end up alone. About 20 percent of people fall into this category.

  • Example: Todd connects with someone on Tinder, and they go on a few dates. She doesn’t text him for a few days; he begins to obsess about what went wrong, sending flurries of texts to try to maintain the connection. Even when they’re together, Todd feels like he’s on the verge of losing her, so he goes to extreme lengths to avoid conflict.

[sol title=”Avoidant Attachment Style” subheader=”evades close relationships”]
People with avoidant attachment styles try to avoid feeling close to their significant others. About 25 percent of people fall into this category.

  • Example: Maria begins dating someone. As the relationship becomes more serious, she stops responding to texts as frequently. She spends more time at work and avoids moments of intimacy. She feels that being in a relationship means sacrificing independence, and while she enjoys her time with her significant other, she doesn’t want to think of the relationship as a priority.

Levine and Heller also note a much less common “disorganized” category; people with this attachment style may behave in unpredictable, irrational ways when they perceive a threat to their relationships. For the purposes of this article, we’ll stick with the three main attachment styles, since the vast majority of people fall into one of those groups.

How do attachment styles form?

According to Levine and Heller, psychologists originally believed that adult attachment styles were purely a result of upbringing. In other words, if your parents were rigid and had trouble showing intimacy, you’d likely grow up to develop an avoidant attachment style. If your parents were inconsistently available, you’d develop an anxious attachment style, and if your parents were available and nurturing, you’d develop a secure attachment style.

Modern adult attachment theory acknowledges other factors that contribute to the development of attachment styles. Let’s say that your parents were loving, nurturing, and absolutely fantastic (thanks, Mom). If you’re surrounded by friends, teachers, and co-workers who are less reliable, though, you might still develop an insecure attachment style.
In other words, it’s not solely about your parents. With that said, if you develop an anxious style of attachment as a child, you’ll probably carry some of that with you into adulthood.
Why do attachment styles even exist? Levine believes that it’s evolutionary. Humans are, after all, highly social animals. We benefit from “attaching” with others, and our attachment system provides the emotional mechanisms we need to do so effectively. If you develop an avoidant attachment system early in life, it’s likely because that style of attachment benefited you at one time.   

Why Attachment Styles Matter

By understanding your attachment style—and the attachment style of your partner—you can understand some of the mind-boggling stuff that happens over the course of a relationship. You can also start developing a secure attachment style for yourself (if you’re not one of the lucky people who can already attach securely).
So, let’s say that you’ve determined that you have an anxious or avoidant attachment style or that your partner’s attachment style conflicts with your own in an unhealthy way. There’s good news: Attachment styles can change, and understanding the psychology behind your interactions is an awesome first step toward making the necessary changes.

Of course, it’s not always an easy process. To get some guidance, we spoke with Levine to find out how those changes occur and what everyone should understand about attachment styles, why they really matter, and what they look like now, eight years after Attached was published.

[Editorial note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.]
HealthyWay: Has anything changed in adult attachment theory since your book was first published?

Amir Levine: Sure, there’s plenty of new research. It’s a constantly changing field. However, I was more concerned with taking these academic concepts and describing them in a way that people could put to practical use. I think that’s very important, especially with something as potentially useful as attachment theory.
And I appreciated how your book makes it simple and takes these things down to simple interactions.
People can really benefit from understanding attachment. Once you see that every close relationship is driven [by attachment theory], it gives you a lot of tools to improve your relationships and understand the people close to you.
How can people determine the attachment style of their partner?
For the most part, it’s apparent. With secure attachment styles, you know that they’re loving people, right? And even before they display that [love], they know how to use these concepts to put out small flames before they become forest fires. Anxious and avoidants have trouble with the small things and react more negatively to them.

And when secure people are involved with avoidant or anxious people, they can take on a lot because they don’t feel threatened, and they’re attentive to another person’s needs. When anxious and avoidant people are involved with one another, they amplify each others’ insecurities.

So what attachment theory does is help you understand the perspective [of people with other attachment styles]. “Why is he acting this way? Why is he overreacting, why didn’t he call me back?” Understanding the attachment styles helps you understand how people approach closeness, which can be extraordinarily beneficial.

If someone has an anxious or an avoidant attachment style, how can they move toward a more secure attachment style?

Well, for a single person, I think that one of the easiest ways is to get involved with a secure person. It’s not like they’re some sort of a rare bird—even though some people think they are. Secure people are about 50 percent of the population, according to the research. There’s an abundance of them. If you meet someone secure, they act as sort of a working model for you.
What I mean by that—they’re an example for how attachment can play out securely. You have a certain set of expectations and beliefs, but it’s potentially malleable. But it’s tricky, because this working model also shapes the way you perceive this environment. It makes you pay attention more to what you know, to your own attachment style.
What I’m saying is that it is possible to change it, but you need a lot of evidence to the contrary. You need evidence showing you what a secure attachment looks like.
How long does that process take?
It really depends on the person. It could take months or years. You’re overwriting some things, biologically, so it’s not always a simple process, but it can be done.
You mentioned that secure people make up about 50 percent of the population. Are you aware of any studies that might show whether the number of people with secure attachment styles is going up or down?
I’m not sure, I’ll have to look into it. However, we do know that attachment styles change every four years or so.
I would expect that it’s more likely for people to become secure than insecure. Has that been your experience?
I think that it’s more common for people to move from anxious or avoidant to secure than the other way around. Both are possible, however.
What about apps like Bumble and Tinder—obviously, they don’t give a lot of insight into a person’s personality or their attachment styles. Do you think that this technology is having an effect on attachment or the way that people form these relationships?
That’s not so much attachment, per se—attachment theory takes over in close, personal relationships. These websites aren’t based in any sort of real science, although maybe recently there’s a move toward that.

But, for dating, in my own practice, I tell people to be up front about what they want. Meet in person as soon as you can. Choose a time and place—“Oh, I have Monday through Wednesday free at this time.” That makes it real. You’ve got to move as quickly as possible to meeting someone in the real world.
Some people don’t like that. They think it’s showing too much interest, but it isn’t.
And you’ve got to meet people in the real world to know them.
Yeah. It’s not just that; relationships are really driven by attraction. I think it might have more to do with the way people smell—small things like that, rather than, “oh, he likes this movie,” or “that’s where he went to school.”  
But meet in person, and that starts the process of choosing someone for you. It’s important to move off of the web.
Are there any common misconceptions regarding attachment theory?  

I think that for most people, the big thing is knowing about attachment theory in the first place. Once you understand how attachment theory works in driving all of our close relationships, it’s pretty hard to go back. Well, at least it was for me—it’s such a powerful, useful thing.  
But people should understand that it applies to all close relationships, not just romantic relationships. It applies to friendships and in the workplace, too.
Another thing that people misunderstand is that, in these very close romantic relationships, you’re not truly independent—you’re working with each other, you’re depending on each other emotionally. You’re this one [being]. Act insecurely, and your partner will pick up on that, and it might cause them to act insecurely. People like to think of themselves as independent; well, no, in a close relationship, you’re really not.
You mentioned attachment styles in the workplace and in friendships. How we can improve our interactions in those relationships?
I think the main thing is to turn the volume up on the secure interactions and turn the volume down on the insecure interactions. Often, we do the opposite. Insecurities become the focus, and we reinforce our insecurities with each other.
And on the other side, when we’re feeling secure, we won’t make a big deal out of it. It’s reversed from how we should be, because people do pick up on the reactions of others. So we can make a big difference in the workplace, or with our friends, simply by turning the volume up or down and being conscious of our reactions. That applies for people with all attachment styles.
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