Category: Allergies

Three doctors share how to heal dry, cracked feet for softer heels, soles, and toes. Plus: the primary causes of dry feet.

I have a confession: My feet are really, really dry. I’ve tried dozens of treatments—from peels and creams to foot files and even a fish pedicure in Bali—in the hopes of fixing my hard, dry foot skin… and yet I’m still on the hunt for the ultimate solution.

Ready to get to *the bottom* of the problem and learn how to fix dry, cracked heels for good, I asked a few specialists for some desperately needed tips.

why are my feet so dry?

Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Beverly Hills, says that there are three main causes of dry feet:

1. weather/environmental conditions
2. friction + poor footwear
3. insufficient skincare

Weather

First, you may notice that your feet get especially dry in the winter and/or … Read the rest

When you think of stress, certain connotations—like being burned out and overwhelmed—come to mind. While these are very real reactions to repeatedly handling stressful situations, some stress isn’t as negative as you might think. That’s where positive stress comes in.

With the help of Clarity Health Solutions psychotherapist Sharron Frederick, LCSW, we’ll learn to distinguish positive stress from negative stress—and how to manage both for your mental well-being.

What is positive stress?

Also known as eustress, positive stress involves one’s perception that a stressor is within their capabilities. As a result, instead of overwhelming them, the stressor increases motivation, focus, and positive thoughts.

On account of these responses, Sharron says that this type of good stress forces us outside of our comfort zone and ultimately increases inner growth. “Eustress makes us feel accomplished, confident, and excited,” she explains.

She then lists examples of positive stress, which include:

• going

Carrie Gabriel, MS, RDN, discusses what stress belly is. Included: its causes, signs, and proactive ways to get rid of it.

It goes without saying that how you nourish your body is immensely important to your overall health. But sometimes, stress poses more harm to your physical and mental well-being than you’d imagine, especially when it compounds over time.

As a result, you may eventually experience a phenomenon called stress belly. Here’s a closer look at what it entails.

What is a stress belly?

True to its name, stress belly refers to excess stomach fat that results from chronic stress.

And while stress belly isn’t a true medical diagnosis, the mismanagement of stress and consequent hormonal imbalances come into play.

What causes stress belly?

Excess fat around the midsection can be attributed to a variety of factors. Genetics, aging, and eating habits can all play a part, but this … Read the rest

With help from two psychologists, learn how to spot the key reasons to end a friendship. Plus: how to end a friendship with grace and dignity, as well as minimize the fallout.

Good, healthy friendships are among the greatest things that make life worth living. After all, the quality and depth of friendships aren’t only associated with life satisfaction, but can also impact your physical health and longevity.

But what happens when friendships are outgrown, one-sided, or even toxic? Further, how can you effectively notice the signs of a bad friendship, and understand when and how to end it?

To get to the heart of the matter, we asked two mental health experts for their advice.

What does a healthy friendship look like?

Before we get to the major reasons to end a friendship, understanding what a good, healthy friendship looks like may give you a better perspective.… Read the rest

As much as we’d probably like to live completely stress-free, the reality is that life is going to give you some lemons. But that doesn’t mean you have to feel hopeless about stress and its negative side effects. As a neuroscience researcher, here are the six science-backed stress reduction techniques that I recommend.

Understanding Stress

First, it’s important to understand how stress works in the body. At a cellular level, the body can’t really distinguish between mental stress and physical danger. Situations, circumstances, or people that make you feel bad are interpreted the same as physically dangerous situations.

So what happens? The pituitary gland comes to the rescue and releases hormones that prepare you to deal with the threat. These hormones make us more active and alert to help us deal with the perceived danger. However, the same hormones can also disrupt our mood, sleep, skin, and digestion.

Further, … Read the rest

Lynne Goldberg—an esteemed mindfulness and meditation teacher and co-founder of the Breethe App—shares how to start meditating daily with five easy yet impactful tips.

Congratulations! You’ve made the wonderful decision to start a meditation practice. But since deciding isn’t necessarily doing, here are five tips to help you easily incorporate a daily practice into your routine.

How to Start Meditating Regularly

These beginner meditation tips will not only guide you to start a daily meditation practice, but will also help you stick to it for the long haul.

1. Start small + “habit piggyback”

It’s okay to start small; even 10 or 15 minutes a day can offer incredible health benefits.

Similar to learning a new language, consistency is more important than session length. Brief yet consistent sessions—for example, 15 minutes at a time—are better for your brain’s overall health than long meditations every once in a while.

Personally, … Read the rest

We asked Jen Sincero—a #1 New York Times bestselling author and success coach—how to form badass habits while breaking simply bad ones.

Fed up? Frustrated? Ready to take charge over your life… as of like, yesterday?

Any number of things can prevent you from loving your life, owning your self-worth, and achieving your goals. And in many cases, your habits are at the root of your roadblocks. So how can you kick self-sabotage and stale patterns to the curb—and better yet, for good?

With blunt practicality, Jen Sincero—the author of 2020’s Badass Habits—teaches us how it’s done.

10 Ways to FORM Badass Habits, According to Jen Sincero

While there are countless reasons why bad habits exist and persist, there are even more ways to break them.

Here’s how to ditch broken patterns, rewrite your narrative, and find your good habit groove.

1. Take Inventory of Your Complaints

Changing your habits takes time and effort. But how long does it really take to build a habit? Here’s what science tells us about the process around habit formation.

The playwright Samuel Beckett famously said, “Life is habit. Or rather life is a succession of habits.” And he was right. Humans are inherently creatures of habit, and most of our actions are on autopilot. But what should we expect if we want to break a bad habit or create a new one?

Before we get to how long it takes to build a habit, let’s first investigate the importance of habits on our daily lives.

Why Habits Are Important

We do the same things more out of habit than for any other reason. But why? Our habits and routines rule our lives since they make life easy, comfortable, and rewarding.

Imagine if you had to think through every decision:… Read the rest

Carrie Gabriel, MS, RDN, shares a variety of diet and lifestyle hacks that promote healthy eating and nutrition habits.

If you’d like to form better eating habits, now’s as good a time as any to start making progress. Contrary to popular belief, this goal doesn’t require drastic diets or unsafe cleanses. In fact, a few small, simple tweaks can make a big difference.

Whether you wish to try new things, manage your weight, or generally improve your nutrition, consider this your go-to guide to prioritize healthy eating habits.

7 Nutrition Habits Worth Adopting

For inspiration on how to develop healthy eating habits, here are some ideas you can try to incorporate into your daily routine.

1. DRINK MORE WATER

General rules of thumb are to drink around half your weight in ounces—or otherwise around eight cups—of water per day.

However, according to Harvard Health Publishing, generally healthy people should … Read the rest

Nutritional psychiatrist Uma Naidoo, MD, shares what she eats on a typical day to naturally boost mental health.

Have you ever wondered how to eat to improve your mood and mental health? I’m Uma Naidoo, MD, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, chef, and Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Food Diary of Nutritional Psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo

Here’s my personal food diary for a typical Bostonian day.

Pre-Breakfast

After I wake up and do my morning meditation, I usually have a cup of golden milk with fresh ginger before I start my day. It’s been a tradition I shared with my grandmother since childhood.

It helps me ground myself, set my intentions for the day, and start off with the right mindset.

Breakfast

Having a healthy and nutritious breakfast is very important to me and for mental well-being. In fact, research shows starting your day … Read the rest