What your skin should expect when you ’re expecting
Are you pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant? You’re probably prepared for morning sickness, weight gain, and an expanding belly. But did you know your skin can also undergo a variety of changes when you’re expecting? These changes are due to normal alterations in hormones that occur during pregnancy. Rest assured, most skin conditions that develop or worsen during pregnancy are benign, and tend to improve following delivery.
Darkening of the skin
A large majority of women experience darkening of their skin due to hormone shifts that occur during pregnancy. You may notice that the areas around your thighs, genital...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 27, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kristina Liu, MD, MHS Tags: Pregnancy Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
Coping with the loss of smell and taste
As I cut a slice of lemon for my tea one morning last March, I found that I could not detect the familiar zing of citrus. Nor, it turned out, could I taste the peach jam on my toast. Overnight, my senses of smell and taste seemed to have disappeared. In the days prior to that I’d had body aches and chills, which I ascribed to a late-winter cold — nothing, I thought, an analgesic and some down time couldn’t take care of. But later that day I saw a newspaper article about the loss of smell and taste in patients with COVID-19, and I realized that I’d likely caught the virus. While I was fortunate enough to eventually ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 19, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Leo Newhouse, LICSW Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Ear, nose, and throat Mental Health Source Type: blogs
American Courts Don ’t Have Universal Jurisdiction
Ilya ShapiroChild slavery within the cocoa trade has earned global attention. Nestl é has condemned the practice and joined accords aimed at abolishing human trafficking in the region. Nonetheless, the chocolate company finds itself in a decade ‐long lawsuit over the enslavement of Malians on Ivorian plantations on the basis of the corporation’s alleged purchase of cocoa from farms that used slaves.The Alien Tort Statute gives federal courts jurisdiction over cases brought by foreigners who allege a “violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States. ” Passed as part of the Judiciary Ac...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - September 9, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Ilya Shapiro Source Type: blogs
Being Stimulant-Free
I like being 100% stimulant free – no coffee, caffeinated tea, chocolate, caffeinated soda, etc.
This means no decaf either since decaf still contains some caffeine.
I base this on lots of personal experimentation. I’ve gone some years of my life with no stimulants, and I’ve also gone for long stretches consuming coffee daily. The two modes of living are notably different.
Caffeine tends to make me obsess more over trivialities and lose focus on big picture goals. I see this pattern in other coffee drinkers often – lots of busywork type of thinking on low criticality items. It seems to make some pe...
Source: Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog - May 16, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Steve Pavlina Tags: Emotions Health Lifestyle Source Type: blogs
The Chemistry of Chocolate
Chocolate is a Valentine’s Day must-have and popular among people with a sweet tooth. Many also claim it lifts mood or even acts as an aphrodisiac, and we’ve all heard someone say it’s habit forming.
The compounds in chocolate that allegedly have positive effects come from the cacao bean, so the darker the chocolate, the more of these compounds it contains. Milk chocolate has less than dark chocolate, and white chocolate has nearly none because it includes no cocoa solids, only cocoa butter.
Chocolate contains upwards of 800 chemical compounds, just a handful of which are explored in this infographi...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - February 12, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Chrissa Chverchko Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Source Type: blogs
Fabulous Fats in Your Holiday Feast
Happy Thanksgiving!
During this time of year, family and friends gather to enjoy rich foods and good company. Even if you typically follow a healthy diet, it can be hard to make wholesome food choices during occasions like these.
Our previous post, Five Fabulous Fats, highlighted essential fats made in our bodies. Here we discuss five important fats our bodies can’t make on their own, the foods that contain them, and why you should include a healthy dose of each in your diet.
Geranial
Credit: iStock.
Geranial, a fat some people may not know about, is present in the oils of several citrus plants such a...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 26, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Matt Mills Tags: Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmacology Cellular Processes Source Type: blogs
Supreme Court Should Review Ninth Circuit Error Regarding Alien Tort Statute
Ilya Shapiro andDennis GarciaThe Alien Tort Statute, passed as part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, gives federal courts the power to hear cases brought by foreigners who allege “a violation of the law of nations or a treaty of the United States.” The Supreme Court inKiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum(2013) held that this law presumptively doesn ’t apply to violations committed abroad—though that presumption can be overcome when claims “touch and concern the territory of the United States . . . with sufficient force.”Then inJesner v. Arab Bank, PLC(2018), the Court ruled that foreign corporations cannot be sued unde...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - October 28, 2019 Category: American Health Authors: Ilya Shapiro, Dennis Garcia Source Type: blogs
Mucous: Gooey, slimy . . . and necessary
You probably don’t think too often about the mucous lining of your gastrointestinal tract, this mix of proteins and polysaccharides that provides a barrier between the gastrointestinal lining and gastrointestinal contents.
Without it, however, and you would not survive for long. Inflammation, infection, and dysbiosis would proceed unchecked and you would promptly die. Mice bred to not produce mucous die within weeks. The gastrointestinal lining is therefore a vigorous producer of mucous that not only provides protection against pathogens, potential toxins, and foods as they are digested, but also otherwise highly tox...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - October 4, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Open Source Type: blogs
Lessons on Compassion: Why It’s Good for Us and How We Can Do More of It
A Story of Compassion
Among so much disheartening news these days, once in a while there is a bright spot of news that is truly heart-warming. Such was the case when I read about, and watched on video 21-year-old Naomi Osaka’s act of kindness and compassion toward 15 year old Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open. After losing in the third round at the U.S. Open, Coco was on the sidelines completely defeated and unsuccessfully trying to fight back tears. Naomi immediately went over to her in this moment of suffering and offered kind words to her, and then invited her to be part of the post-match interview (which is usually only ...
Source: World of Psychology - September 12, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Beth Kurland, Ph.D. Tags: Friends Mindfulness Relationships Compassion Loving Kindness Meditation Source Type: blogs
Breakfast cereal: a memoir
As awful for health as they are, having played such a huge role in childhood breakfasts, thoughts of breakfast cereals still conjure up a host of memories.
Deep within the haze of my childhood memories, buried beneath recollections of nerdy high school days, a marriage gone sour, and a brother-in-law midlife crisis involving duct tape, three members of the local PTA, and a VW bus, are images of the mornings I sat with my two sisters at our kitchen table in suburban New Jersey, each of us slurping a bowl of Trix, Lucky Charms, or Fruit Loops cereal, still recovering from a late night of Bewitched and Mission Impossible.
We ...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - July 18, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Breakfast cereal grain-free wheat belly Source Type: blogs
7 Simple Ways to Ease Anxiety
Anxiety serves a life-saving role when we are in real danger. Adrenaline pumps through our system, and suddenly we can run like Usain Bolt and lift a 200-pound man without much effort. However, most of the time, anxiety is like a fire alarm with a dead battery that beeps annoyingly every five minutes when there is absolutely nothing to worry about. We experience the heart palpitations, restlessness, panic, and nausea as if a saber-toothed tiger were 20 yards away.
Thankfully there are a few simple gestures to communicate to your body that there is no immediate danger — that it’s a false alarm… yet again. I have u...
Source: World of Psychology - April 7, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Therese J. Borchard Tags: Anxiety and Panic Mental Health and Wellness Research Self-Help Anxious Thoughts Coping Skills Relaxation Source Type: blogs
Frozen treats: Navigating the options
When it’s my turn to go to the grocery store, it takes me forever to make selections. I’m mesmerized by the endless options in every aisle. This week I got tripped up in the ice cream department. Halfway between dark chocolate truffle and coconut caramel swirl, I realized I was caught in a little decision swirl of my own.
There was ice cream, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and gelato. Some treats were full fat, reduced fat, low fat, nonfat, low carbohydrate, or sugar-free. And there was a huge selection of dairy-free frozen desserts. What was in all these colorful packages, and which one would be best?
I reach...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 1, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Heidi Godman Tags: Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Podcast: How to Stay on Track to Make Lasting Change
When it comes to making big changes in our lives, most of us fail. Oh, the change might stick for a while, but eventually we go back to our unchanged selves. Why is that? Why can’t we maintain change for the long-term? In this episode, you’ll learn different reasons for this, but even better, how to make the long-term changes stick.
Subscribe to Our Show!
And Remember to Review Us!
About Our Guest
Eric Zimmer is a dad, serial entrepreneur, podcast host, behavior coach, and author. He is endlessly inspired by the quest for a greater understanding of how our minds work and how to intentionally creat...
Source: World of Psychology - February 28, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: The Psych Central Show Tags: Brain and Behavior General Habits The Psych Central Show change Gabe Howard Vincent M. Wales Source Type: blogs
“ I need something to dip into guacamole ”
Dipping foods into various dips and sauces surely ranks among the favorite ways to enjoy food: dipping chips into salsa, celery sticks into guacamole, crackers into cheese, shrimp into cocktail sauce, etc.
So how do we go about resuming our dipping habits sans wheat and grains? Here are some ideas for foods to use for dipping, healthy choices that contain no wheat or grains and provide limited exposure to carbohydrates, while remaining otherwise healthy. And some, like jicama and asparagus, also provide prebiotic fibers to nourish bowel flora; dip them into hummus and you’ll add even more probiotics to your day. Vegg...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 25, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates gluten-free grain-free wheat belly Source Type: blogs
8 Ways to Feel Delighted Even in the Dead of Winter
The holidays are over, which for some of us is a huge relief, but for others is disappointing and depressing. It also doesn’t help that many of us live in places where darkness descends in the late afternoon, and the temperatures are bone chilling (no matter how many layers we layer!). Which leads us to spend less time outside, and less time with others.
All of this makes it tough to feel genuine joy and delight. It can be a gloomy time of year, and gloomy is exactly how we feel.
During winter, clients regularly tell therapist Melissa Divaris Thompson that they feel alone and tired. All. The. Time. They share that when t...
Source: World of Psychology - January 29, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Creativity General Happiness Mental Health and Wellness Self-Help Stress Source Type: blogs
