Read More at Well+Good For many, the holiday season is synonymous with celebrating, and celebrating goes hand-in-hand with booze. This reality can make it an uncomfortable time for folks who don’t drink alcohol (whether they’re on a lifelong sobriety journey, or leading a sober- or sober-curious lifestyle for health or other personal reasons). But in the company of supportive loved ones, it certainly doesn’t have to be. Even if you’re planning to imbibe at holiday parties, learning how to support sober friends and family members during the holidays can ensure that everyone is feeling comfortable and included—right on par with the spirit of the season, after all. From the outset, it’s important to acknowledge the basic fact that, despite societal pressure to the contrary, not drinking alcohol is “a perfectly normal thing,” says Nick Bodkins, co-founder and CEO of alcohol-free…
Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Become Prone to Altered Behavior with Age
Read More at Fight Aging! The altered signaling environment in aged tissue produces changes in cell behavior, some of which is adaptive and helpful, and some of which is maladaptive and harmful. In some cases the same process can be one or the other depending on context. Cellular senescence, for example, is helpful in the contexts of cancer suppression and regeneration from injury, but only up until the point at which senescent cells are no longer removed as rapidly as they are created, at which point their continued, unrelenting pro-growth, pro-inflammatory signaling contributes to many of the forms of tissue dysfunction observed in aging. Vascular smooth muscle is vital to the operation of the vasculature, determining blood pressure via appropriate contraction and dilation of blood vessels in response to environmental cues. Today’s open access paper is focused on the ways…
Whether Our Hair is Relaxed or Not, Beauty Products Put Black Women at Risk
Read More at Well+Good Ask any Black woman about that study that dropped last month and she’ll likely know what you’re talking about. On October 17, new research from the National Institute of Health (NIH) came out linking hair relaxer use to increased rates of uterine cancer. The report followed 33,497 diverse women in the U.S. aged 35 to 74 for nearly 11 years and found that women who “frequently” use hair straightening products (defined as more than four times a year) were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Approximately 60 percent of the participants who reported using straighteners self-identified as Black women, and “although the study did not find that the relationship between straightener use and uterine cancer incidence was different by race, the adverse health effects may be greater for Black women due to higher…
Astrologically Speaking, 2023 Is Going to Be an Intense Time of Change—Here’s What’s in Store for Your Sign Next Year
Read More at Well+Good Survey the astrological landscape for 2023, and one thing is clear: The year’s transits have the potential to spark major progress—but as all good things go, it probably won’t come easily. We can primarily thank Pluto, the planet of transformation, for the societal change of pace. It will shift into Aquarius on March 23, marking its first time in the sign since the 18th century. (!!) This once-in-a-lifetime transit, coupled with a few other cosmic biggies, will define the astrological vibe for the year to come and shape our 2023 horoscopes, says astrologer Stephanie Campos. To really get why the movement of Pluto into Aquarius in 2023 is such a big deal, it’s helpful to know a few things about Pluto. For starters, it’s slow-moving— taking about two decades to move through one sign—which is why…
These Are the Supplements an RD Uses for Support During the No-Stop Holiday Season
Read More at Well+Good What do people who start listening to holiday playlists in November and self-proclaimed Grinches have in common? No matter how you feel about the holidays, this time of year can be a little extra hectic. Between all the gatherings, gift swaps, and go-go-going, your usual well-being routines can all-to-easily fly out the window—which is cool if you’re enjoying the pace of the season, but if you’re feeling the effects of being out of your usual rhythm, there are a few simple, expert-approved ways to support yourself through the celebrations. “I tell my clients that being prepared is half the battle,” registered dietitian Amy Shapiro, RD says. “So each week I would recommend you to look at your calendar, see what is coming up, and do what you can to easily incorporate or maintain your healthy habits.”…
A 2,000-Meter Row Is the Ultimate Fitness Test—Here’s How To Crush It
Read More at Well+Good Rowing is perhaps the very best full-body workout, and that’s not hyperbole—rowing engages 86 percent of your muscles. And the 2,000-meter row is the gold standard test for rowing athletes as the official distance used in rowing championships. It’s an excellent fitness barometer for novice rowers, too. What is the significance of a 2,000-meter row? “If you’re not familiar with rowing, or meters, it can seem like an arbitrary distance,” says CITYROW founding instructor Annie Mulgrew. “But 2,000 meters is just long enough to test someone’s cardiovascular, or aerobic, fitness levels, and also their anaerobic fitness levels. It’s actually an anaerobic threshold workout, adds Laura Simon, assistant coach for the women’s rowing team at Yale, which means it’s going to take you to your max heart rate and your max physical output. “It’s a true test…
These Are the Best Lubes To Use When Trying to Get Pregnant, According to Fertility Docs
Read More at Well+Good Many of us know lube to be the gel-like substance you can buy over the counter to help alleviate discomfort and even enhance pleasure during sex. And that’s just what it’s designed for—to increase lubrication, reduce vaginal dryness, and make sex more enjoyably for both partners (or by yourself if you’re engaging is solo play!). The trouble with lube, however, is that the majority of over-the-counter brands are typically toxic to sperm. In fact, research—including one study published in the journal PLoS One back in 2019—has shown that most lubes contain chemicals that can significantly reduce sperm motility, or the ability of sperm to move in the way they need to in order to successfully reach and fertilize an egg. These same ingredients can also impact hormone balance, warns fertility-focused naturopathic doctor Rachel Corradetti-Sargeant, ND. These…
‘I’ve Been a Makeup Artist for 18 Years, and This Is the Concealer I Swear By for Hiding Dark Circles and Looking More Awake’
Read More at Well+Good We all go through periods when we’re simply run down and exhausted. While prioritizing rest is the best thing you can do, sometimes you need a little help to fake it. And if coffee is the key to helping you feel more awake, concealer is the key to hepling you look it. Mary Irwin, a celebrity makeup artist who has been in the industry for nearly two decades, knows exactly how to make herself and her clients look like they just got eight blissful hours of sleep. “I love the Surratt Perfectioniste Concealer Palette,” says Irwin. “It gives you a huge range of coverage whether you need just a hint of concealer or a whole I-definitely-didn’t-sleep-last-night’s worth.” Surratt Perfectioniste Concealer Palette — $58.00 Shop Now The Surratt Perfectioniste Concealer Palette ($58) is a high-coverage, buildable palette that comes…
Why is My Semen Yellow?
Read More at Sexual Post Archive – Ben’s Natural Health Men ejaculate about 1.25 ml and 5.00 ml (1/4 to 1 tsp) of semen on average. The amount of semen and sperm color can vary from man to man. The seminal fluid is typically white, light gray, or creamy. At times, the sperm can take a different color, like yellow. In most cases, the change in hue is nothing to worry about. But, some health issues can cause a yellowish tint, such as an infection, a prostate problem, prostatitis, or sexually transmitted infections. Here, you can learn how to distinguish healthy sperm vs unhealthy sperm color, including the different causes that can lead to yellow semen. What color is healthy semen? The seminal fluid is a complex substance made of mostly mucus, plasma, and water. It also has 5 to…
‘I’m a Dermatologist, and These Are My Favorite Lip Balms for Preventing Chapped, Cracked Lips This Winter’
Read More at Well+Good Come winter, putting on lip balm no longer simply feels like a nice thing to do—it’s a necessity. During these colder months, you need to moisturize your lips just like you do your face and body. Without regular balm application, you’ll be left with dry, cracked, itchy lips that you’re tempted to lick for relief (which, by the way, is a bad idea, because it can lead to lip-lickers dermatitis), so be sure to keep a tub or tube of the stuff on hand (or at the very least, floating around in your purse or car console) at all times. But! Not all lip balms are created equally, so you’ll want to find a formula that truly lives up to its hydrating promise. According to derms, a good lip balm will moisturize your lips while sealing…
To What Degree Can Cell Therapies Rebuild the Aging Brain?
Read More at Fight Aging! Repair of the aging brain is perhaps the most important of goals in regenerative medicine. We are the data that is stored in some way within the small-scale structures of our brain tissue, and so the options for outright replacement of brain cells and tissues are somewhat constrained. As a thought experiment, it is in principle possible, given significant progress in biotechnology, to manufacture a cloned body to receive a transplanted brain. All of the steps needed either already happen in nature, such as the growth of bodies without brains, and would need control and direction, or have been crudely demonstrated in animal studies, such as brain transplants, albeit with major limitations and risk of failure. There may well be little gain in transplanting an aged brain if it cannot be repaired, however. In any…
Arguing for Well Explored Approaches to Slow Aging to Not In Fact Slow Aging
Read More at Fight Aging! Today’s open access paper mounts an interesting argument, based on the use of a large data set for phenotypic aging in mice. They looked at transcriptomic and proteomic data for a sizable number of genes in a variety of different tissues, then grouping these into phenotypes by related function, or relation to specific age-related declines. Differences in expression by age in these phenotypic groups of genes were observed directly in mice and in human data sets. The researchers then looked the effects on phenotypes of a few very well studied interventions widely thought to slow aging in mice: growth hormone signaling inhibition, mTOR inhibition, and intermittent fasting. The authors argue, based on their data, that these interventions are essentially compensatory rather than age-slowing, in that they appear to be changing phenotypes (mostly for the better)…
Tartaric Acid Exfoliates, Protects, and Moisturizes Skin at the Same Time—And Will Make the Rest of Your Products Work Even Better
Read More at Well+Good In the wonderful world of exfoliating acids, a few key players tend to get all the fame and glory—like salicylic, glycolic, and lactic. But there are some supporting characters that deserve their time in the spotlight, too, and tartaric acid is among them. The gentle exfoliant is ultra-skin-friendly and pairs well with the other acids you also know and love. So why isn’t it part of your routine yet? Keep reading to find out why it should be. What is tartaric acid? Tartaric acid is a type of alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) that’s found in grapes, wine, and other fruits like citrus and bananas. “AHAs are chemical exfoliants that gently break down bonds between skin cells to remove dead skin cells from the superficial layer of the skin that contribute to dullness,” says Michele Green, MD, a…
For Those Who Experience Gaslighting, the Widespread Misuse of the Word Is Damaging
Read More at Well+Good Merriam-Webster’s word of the year is “gaslighting.” Used in clinical and therapeutic settings for decades to describe a distinct form of psychological manipulation, gaslighting—”the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for a personal advantage”—has seen a stark rise in usage outside the health-care arena in recent years. In recent years, the word has seen a steady increase as a search term on Google. According to psychotherapists, the word’s increasing popularity is also marked by a rise in incorrect usage, which is contributing to confusion about what gaslighting actually means. According to Robin Stern, PhD, co-founder of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of The Gaslight Effect, gaslighting is “the act of undermining another person’s reality by denying facts, the environment around them, or their feelings.” An example of a widely consumed misuse of…
It’s Not Just You: Entering Perimenopause Can Throw Your Sleep Out of Whack
Read More at Well+Good If there’s one thing to know about sleep, it’s that it loves a routine, thriving on a regular sleep-wake schedule and consistent nighttime and morning rituals. By contrast, perimenopause (aka the transition to menopause) is all about change, as hormonal fluctuations during this phase of life can throw many physiological processes for a loop, affecting things like your mental state, metabolism, libido, and—yes—your sleep. Though a lesser-discussed symptom, sleep problems affect anywhere from 39 to 47 percent of people in perimenopause, occurring both as the direct result of hormonal shifts and indirectly, due to coinciding lifestyle and aging-related changes. “Perimenopause is when the reproductive hormones progesterone and estrogen go into a slow decline, which is why you may experience so many new and different sensations and symptoms,” says holistic OB/GYN and menopause expert Kourtney Sims, MD,…
Interactions Between the Aging Immune System and Aging Kidney
Read More at Fight Aging! Researchers here discuss the ways in which the aging of the immune system influences the aging of the kidney, such as through disruption of the normal participation of immune cells in tissue maintenance and repair. With age the immune system falls into a state of chronic inflammation, and unresolved inflammatory signaling is disruptive to the structure and operation of tissues throughout the body. The kidney is but one example of how this contributes to the declines of aging. With the steady increase in the number of elderly individuals globally, age-related diseases emerge as a major challenge to health care workers. Apart from functional and structural changes in the kidneys introduced by aging, immune system decline also significantly increases the risk of age-related kidney diseases. Immunosenescence is a loose definition of age-related changes in the innate…
Can You Get Epididymitis Without An STD?
Read More at Sexual Post Archive – Ben’s Natural Health If you feel some swelling and pain in your scrotum, along with a discharge from your penis, then there is a chance you could have epididymitis. You will often see that medical reports associate epididymitis with sexually transmittable infections. In fact, if you present signs of epididymitis, a doctor will likely start the diagnostics process by checking if you have a sexually transmitted disease (STD), or they may ask you about recent sexual encounters. Many causes of epididymitis are indeed caused by gonorrhea and other sexually transmittable infections. But what if you use safe sex practices during intercourse or only a single sex partner and still develop these symptoms? Research shows that many cases are related to STDs, but these do not account for all scenarios where the patient is…
Fight Aging! Newsletter, November 28th 2022
Read More at Fight Aging! Fight Aging! publishes news and commentary relevant to the goal of ending all age-related disease, to be achieved by bringing the mechanisms of aging under the control of modern medicine. This weekly newsletter is sent to thousands of interested subscribers. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the newsletter, please visit: https://www.fightaging.org/newsletter/ Longevity Industry Consulting Services Reason, the founder of Fight Aging! and Repair Biotechnologies, offers strategic consulting services to investors, entrepreneurs, and others interested in the longevity industry and its complexities. To find out more: https://www.fightaging.org/services/ Contents Year End Charitable Donations to Help Advance Rejuvenation Research The Realization that Developing Rejuvenation Therapies is the Most Useful Thing One Can Do with Great Wealth Prodrugs As a Useful Approach to Targeting Distinctive Aspects of Cancer Metabolism First Generation Stem Cell and Exosome Therapies Promote Neurogenesis Studying the…
How Are You Managing Your Cholesterol Levels?
Read More at Sixty and Me Two years ago, after my annual physical, I learned that my cholesterol was elevated. This came as a total surprise to me. I am nothing if not a healthy eater: My breakfast of choice alternates between a steaming bowl of slow-cooked Irish oatmeal and whole grain cereals, like Cheerios, which claims cholesterol-lowering properties. Both breakfasts are served with a heaping mix of berries, walnuts, and almonds At lunch and dinner, vegetables, greens, and grains regularly fill my plate. I rarely eat red meat; in fact, I visit my favorite steakhouse only at three-month intervals. And despite my fondness for french fries (Five Guys makes my favorite) that is maybe a twice-a-year indulgence. What’s more, I am slim, with a low BMI, and seldom miss a day racking up 10,000 steps on my Fitbit. A…
Lessons on Aging from My Mother and Grandmother
Read More at Sixty and Me Now that I have become “their age” I find myself thinking a lot about my grandmother (Tania) and my mother (Helen). After all, they were my first aging female role models. When they were the age I am now (in my 60s), I didn’t give their age a thought because, like all daughters, I was consumed with the drama of my own life – deeply embedded in childrearing and a bad marriage. One thing I do remember, though, is that I was always amazed at how I seemed to be getting older, whilst they seemed to stay the same age: comfortably, nicely, calmly old. Or, ageless. What I would give to be able to talk to them now, to ask their advice about aging! The only thing I can do is remember and form…
Targeting the Aging of the Immune System in the Context of Frailty
Read More at Fight Aging! The immune system declines into a state of incapacity (immunosenescence) and chronic inflammation (inflammaging) with advancing age. Unresolved inflammatory signaling is disruptive of tissue function in many ways, from reduced stem cell activity to pathologically altered somatic cell behavior. It is thought to be important in the declining muscle mass and strength that contributes to age-related frailty. Thus addressing immune aging is a significant and important target in the treatment of aging as a whole. Frailty is a highly prevalent geriatric syndrome that has attracted significant attention from physicians and researchers due to its associated increase in vulnerability and healthcare costs, especially in the elderly population. Generally, frail patients suffer from multiple chronic diseases, with comorbidities and polypharmacy greatly challenging their health management. Gerontologists suggest that targeting the common pathogenesis of comorbidities rather than a…
This Is How To Keep Lemons Fresh for Months—Seriously
Read More at Well+Good Whether you’ve lugged home a large haul from the supermarket or you have more lemons than you know what to do with, keeping lemons fresh can be a challenge. Lemons risk losing freshness if they aren’t put to immediate use—or worse, spoil before you’re able to add them to a recipe. So how to keep lemons fresh? For advice, we asked experts for their best tips on prolonging the life of lemons. Here are their recommendations. How to keep whole lemons fresh If you purchased whole lemons in bulk and want to keep them fresh, store them in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer. “Fruits naturally ripen slower in the fridge as the cooler temperature slows everything down,” Natalie Alibrandi, food scientist and CEO of Nali Consulting, previously told Well+Good. When sealed in a plastic bag or container,…
Over 60 and Looking for a Job? Here’s 10 Tips to Get You Started
Read More at Sixty and Me Looking for a job in your 60s can be a real challenge. For starters, you may not have expected to be in a position to have to look for work at this age. A six-year increase to the women’s state pension age in less than 10 years is a huge shift, which has left many with no choice but to continue working. On top of that, age discrimination is still an issue within the workforce, which can sometimes mean that it’s harder to open doors than it should be. For example, it’s not uncommon for our members to hear the words “you’re overqualified” as if it’s a compliment, when it’s clearly a sign of judgement and prejudice in the recruitment process. Thankfully, all is not lost. More and more employers are recognising the talent…
Gain or Loss of Specific Microbial Species May Be a Better Measure of Gut Microbiome Aging
Read More at Fight Aging! It now costs little to determine the contents of the gut microbiome, producing a list of microbial species and their prevalence. Numerous companies offer this service. This data can be sliced in numerous ways, but as researchers note here, it is the gain and loss of specific populations with advancing age that produces contributions to aging. More general measures of diversity or change, those that give little to no weight to which specific microbial populations alter in abundance, do not produce good correlations with degenerative aging. It is important to consider the actions and mechanisms of specific microbes: are they causing chronic inflammation, are they generating beneficial or harmful metabolites, and so forth. The gut microbiome is a modifier of disease risk because it interacts with nutrition, metabolism, immunity, and infection. Aging-related health loss has…
Further Discussion of the Poor Evidence For Metformin to Even Mildly Slow Aging`
Read More at Fight Aging! The problem with metformin as a drug to slow aging is that the evidece to support that use is very poor. In animal studies, the results are very unreliable, and the Interventions Testing Program found no effect in its highly overengineered studies. Further, the existing human data is not supportive, taken as a whole. Even if we did want to cherry pick the better data and be hopeful, the effect size compares unfavorably with that achieved through regular exercise, and further appears to be only achieved in people with the abnormal metabolism associated with obesity and diabetes. All of the work that was done to convince the FDA to endorse the TAME human clinical trial to test the ability of metformin to slow aging is useful, but the resulting agreement on trial structure should be…
22 Fiber-Filled Thanksgiving Salad Recipes You’ll Be Extra Thankful To Eat
Read More at Well+Good Turkey, baked mac-and-cheese, and stuffing are all Thanksgiving dinner showstoppers. But real talk: Unless you add some fiber to your plate, you may not be feeling all that festive the next day. And while fiber-rich Thanksgiving salad recipes rarely get the same level of accolades as other starring dishes, they really should. After all, a diet high in fiber is linked to a cornucopia of health benefits, including reduced inflammation, boosted metabolism, and a happy gut. All the Thanksgiving salad recipes rounded up here are not only full of the nutrient, but they’re also quite delicious. Whether loaded with greens; made with other types of veggies, such as sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts; or even served warm, the following Thanksgiving salad recipes are sure to make for a table of thankful eaters. The Best Healthy Thanksgiving…
IGF1 Gene Therapy as a Neuroprotective Treatment, Slowing Female Reproductive Aging
Read More at Fight Aging! Researchers here describe an interesting approach to slowing aspects of neurodegeneration that contribute to, among other things, female reproductive aging. That is the focus of this paper, but numerous other aspects of the aging brain are also involved. IGF1 is well studied in the context of aging, and manipulation of the signaling pathways linking insulin, IGF1, and growth hormone has been shown to extend life span in a number of species. Where we can make direct comparisons between mice and humans, such as between growth hormone receptor knockout mice and humans with Laron syndrome, the effects are nowhere near as large. Suppression of growth hormone signaling can extend life by 70% or so in mice, but Laron syndrome doesn’t appear to make humans live meaningfully longer. Many approaches to slowing aging have much larger effects…
Here’s How the Winter Can Impact Your Sex Life—For Better and for Worse
Read More at Well+Good Winter invokes a lot of changes, good and bad. Festive treats and music go very much in the pro column, while perpetually dry skin and shoveling your car out every day before work are on the cons side. And interestingly, the season’s mixed-bag vibe can also positively and negatively impact your sex drive and libido. Why? The winter season can “be evocative of many feelings for people,” says Kate Balestrieri, PsyD, a sex therapist and founder of Modern Intimacy. “Some find comfort and nostalgia in the season, while others find it dreary and painful to endure.” There are also some unique things that happen during winter that can play a role in messing with (or benefiting) your sex life—more on those in a sec. Before diving in any deeper, it’s important to note that one’s sex…
How Long a Food Safety Expert Says Your Thanksgiving Leftovers *Actually* Stay Good For
Read More at Well+Good Sure, Black Friday shopping is one reason to celebrate November 25. But if we’re all being honest, the rush of eating Thanksgiving leftovers transcends even the ultra-rare 70 percent off sale. However, before you reheat the turkey and serve yourself a piece of pumpkin pie—and continue to do so for the week-plus that follows—it bears keeping a few food safety rules in mind. So I asked to food safety experts to answer the critical November 25 (…and 26, 27, 28, and 29th) question: How long are Thanksgiving leftovers good for, really? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the simple answer to this question is that you should try to gobble up the remnants of your Thanksgiving feast within three to four days (if you’re storing it in the fridge). However, like many things in…