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I’d recently come off a yearlong odyssey healing my Hashimoto’s one lifestyle change at a time, and as part of it had learned the do’s and don’ts of living with my microbiome in mind. I was eating plenty of fiber, dousing my grain bowls in kefir green goddess dressing and kimchi, and washing it all down with homemade kombucha. Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth is exactly what it sounds like: a type of dysbiosis1, which simply means an imbalance in the trillions of bacteria that take up residence in your gut....

But beyond turmeric’s striking golden hue, the herb has a rich history rooted in ancient Ayurvedic medicine and is considered a superfood because it’s packed with healing properties. Thanks to its astounding antioxidant actions, there are so many benefits of turmeric. Native to India and Indonesia, turmeric is a multifaceted herb classified as “broad-spectrum,” meaning it can be used to promote various aspects of health and well-being. There are myriad studies pointing to the efficacy of turmeric and curcumin....

Whether it’s the middle of a busy work season, motivation is low, or you’re just beginning to build a consistent workout routine, deciding what type of exercise is best for you and how often to do it can be challenging. Because everyone’s goals, age, and other factors will vary, the “right” workout plan will differ. Here are a few general strategies, broken down by goal: Before embarking on a weight loss plan, chat with a physician and/or nutritionist to find out what is safe and what will work best for you....

There’s not one single diet that’s ideal for healthy hair, but there are certain food groups you may want to prioritize. Ahead, discover a few tips to keep in mind to round out your hair care in 2023. The current Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. However, many nutrition experts see that as a minimum, and recommend going beyond the RDA2, increasing protein intake to closer to 1....

At the same time, healthy young patients of mine in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are reporting chronic insomnia, brain fog, and short-term memory loss, as well as vision strain and headaches in droves. First, smartphone addiction is real. A study of students in 10 countries showed the majority feel acute distress if they have to go without their phones for 24 hours. Meanwhile, most people are checking their phones at least 150 times a day and sending upward of 100-plus texts....

Many people tie their entire identities to their jobs. That’s because, growing up, most of us learn to define our worth by others’ approval of our looks, performance, and achievements. When we get the approval we’re seeking, we feel worthy. But when we don’t, we believe that we’re not OK. Are you thinking, “What else is there?” Everything that actually has true worth, actually! I feel worthy when: Or is it their kindness, caring, generosity, honesty, reliability, and their loving nature?...

Boat pose, or navasana, is one of those yoga asanas that can be a bit challenging if you’re just starting to strengthen your abdomen. But in time, it will no doubt have you feeling the effects. Here’s how to do boat pose and why it’s so effective, demonstrated by certified yoga instructor and mbg staffer Amanda Quadrini. Always aim to send your energy upward, with a straight spine and active legs, so as to avoid pressure on your low back and sacrum....

In the case of being unmotivated, it could be either or both factors at play—as in, you’re lacking the desire to act itself or you don’t have anything fueling your motivation. As licensed psychotherapist Jordan Dann, MFA, L.P., CIRT, explains to mbg, motivation in the context we’re speaking about is “the ability to mobilize toward what somebody wants.” And that motivation, as we’re all likely aware, is a necessary component in everything, from our careers to our health to our relationships....

When you’re young and your skin is chock-full of collagen, these lines tend to fill out rather quickly. However, as your natural collagen levels start to decline, your skin isn’t as able to bounce back from these movements. “Over time, the lines become etched and are present at rest. You have creased the clothing, so to speak, and created ’lip lines,’” adds Westbay. While lip lines do happen naturally as you age, “these lines tend to be particularly prominent in smokers,” says board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M....

We suggest you clear those social media campaigns from your head and get ready for a massive paradigm shift because true detoxification is a daily physiological process that is 100% natural, intrinsic to our body’s core, and necessary for optimal whole-body health—and we’re going to explain why it’s so vital right here, right now. Whether these detoxification pathways are more obvious to us—like daily trips to the bathroom to excrete toxins via urine and poop—or occur without much of our attention (e....

Although, unless you were just born with the longest, most doe-eyed lashes, encouraging length is a bit of a struggle. Here, six science-backed, dermatologist-approved ways to put in the work: Specifically, castor oil contains ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The oil is also chock-full of vitamin E, which can help protect those hairs from environmental aggressors. Finally, castor oil is both an emollient and an occlusive....

The first step, then, is to generate awareness of one’s unique conception of essential qualities. As an individual becomes more self-aware, a personal “list” of essential qualities can be used both to form and to guide relationships. A firm understanding of one’s essential qualities allows for the open and honest communication of these essential needs to others. The more important the relationship is, the more critical it is to have a meeting of the minds and spirits on the necessary qualities for that relationship; when a relationship is more peripheral or less significant, there is often greater leeway....

Throughout a typical day or week, the way we perceive time usually roughly matches up with the objective time of clocks and calendars. But when routine is broken in some way—whether it’s a novel experience, an intense emotion, or lack of activity—how we perceive the passage of time is affected. Michael Flaherty, Ph.D., a sociologist at Eckhert College who has studied the perceived passage of time for the last 30 years, has one theory for why this happens....

Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are painful infections that show up as blisters mainly on the lips (not to be confused with canker sores, which are only on the inside of your mouth). These nasty little guys are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). For context, HSV-2 is what causes the STD genital herpes outbreaks. Cold sores are also very contagious and can spread to other parts of the body such as the lips, cheeks, eyes, and, yes, the genitals....

For the new year, we’d suggest doing what’s called a transit chart (also called a “natal plus transits” chart). This may require the guidance of a professional astrologer because the interpretation work can get complex! In this case, you start with your own natal (birth) chart and compare it to the transiting (moving) planets, i.e., the current positions of the planets in the sky. In the example below, the inner wheel (with blue planetary symbols) is our birth chart—which is a fixed map that never changes....

In this episode of mindbodygreen’s beauty podcast Clean Beauty School, I chat with Tsai all about the mind-skin connection. Recently, Tatcha released a new report about the status of folks’ relationships with their skin care and self-care routines, how stress affected their complexion, and more. The findings are fascinating—for example, 47% of the 841 women they surveyed regarded their skin care routines as another source of stress in their day, and 25% said that physical appearance was a main source of stress....

What did I say? Was it the trance of bliss or…the kink? It was consensual, of course, but I had crossed some sort of invisible line. I wondered: “How come blow jobs are OK to discuss, but a spanking is too hard-core for conscious folks? Couldn’t conscious spanking exist? And where is safe to talk about real sex if not with people we love?” In order to heal, we must actually start talking about it—the good, the bad, and the ugly—in safe places and with people we trust....

The best way to get pure aloe vera is to actually get a plant and extract the aloe yourself. Bailey recommends snipping off a leaf, letting the cut edge of the leaf sit for eight to 24 hours to let the sap drain, and then removing the outer skin. “What is left is the inner gel-like flesh with its medicinal value,” she says. Some aloe vera hair mask recipes online call for blending the gel with other ingredients, but it’s best to leave it on its own....

The hydration rules start with awareness. If we really understood how fundamental water is physically, mentally, and emotionally, we would stop holding back the river and befriend the faucet. They’re also about making hydration easier—and that’s where Twinings Cold Infuse™ flavored cold water enhancers come in. Because when your water is infused with subtle herbal and fruity flavors like Watermelon & Mint, drinking water no longer feels like a chore....

These people are known for being complex and thoughtful, and they have a deep concern for doing the right thing and helping others. They’re creative, imaginative, and able to turn their ideals into real solutions, according to Blaylock-Johnson. They’re not just dreamers—they’re doers, she says. She adds that they’re also characterized by being able to manage emotions with logic, making space for both. Somewhat perfectionists, INFJs want their relationship to be a match made in heaven....