Tag: Better Living

Potential Adverse Effects of GE Mosquitoes Unknown

“Safe and sustainable.” That’s what Oxitec, a British biological pest control company, calls its genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE) mosquito pesticide product. The company claims its product is nontoxic to humans and animals and won’t harm beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies. The experiment’s goal is to test the use of GE…


Social Media Use Lowers Life Satisfaction in Adolescents

Girls and boys may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media use during specific windows of their adolescence, researchers found after a large longitudinal study. The new study, published in Nature Communications, analyzed two datasets of 84,000 participants aged 10 to 80 years old. Tracking the same individuals over the course of…


12 Ways to Save Money on Organic Foods

Buying organic foods isn’t just for the health-obsessed few. Eight out of ten households purchase organic products at least occasionally and the organics sector continues to grow. Purchasing organic items is also easier than it used to be, since they are now available in nearly 20,000 natural food stores and nearly three out of four…


Engaging Pursuits for Later Life

If you’re a Type A competitive person, the word “hobby” may give you hives. And you probably don’t like the word “pastime,” either. But as we get older—especially after our children are out of the house and we’re either retired or considering retirement—we all need engaging pursuits to keep us happy and healthy. The best…


Vitamin D: The Pac-Man of Viruses, Bacterial Infections, and Cancer Cells

In a fascinating study conducted at the University of Copenhagen, researchers found that vitamin D is essential in order to activate the body’s immune system. Without it — or with insufficient levels — the immune system’s killer T cells can’t fight off serious infections and instead remain unheroically dormant. But with sufficient levels of vitamin…


The Key to Having More Energy Is Meaning

Many people feel empty, exhausted, and worn out from life. They just don’t have the energy they need to do the things life is throwing at them. This listlessness is fairly common. Research published in the journal Medical Hypotheses in 2018 found that a persistent lack of energy affects between 20 and 45 percent of Americans….


How to Do a Spring Detox Cleanse (+ Recipes)

Vibrant health and natural beauty is a simple matter of keeping your energy channels clean and clear. This spring is the perfect time to take yourself on a special journey and begin the detoxification process. You spring clean your house—so why not do the same for your beautiful body? We depend on our body to…


An Ode to Feeling Uncomfortable

Our culture has developed a new kind of allergy, an allergy to a particular experience—namely, emotional discomfort. It seems that we’re no longer willing or able to tolerate feeling uncomfortable. And furthermore, we’ve come to believe we shouldn’t have to tolerate any kind of emotional discomfort. Any situation that could possibly trigger uncomfortable feelings is…


Powerful Training for the Mind

Every one of us has thought patterns that keep us stuck: Discouragement: What’s the point, I’m going to fail anyway, why even try, it’s too hard. Rationalizing: It’s OK to skip this, I can do it later, one time won’t hurt, do it but don’t try that hard, wait out the clock, go through the…


Frequent Insomnia Symptoms Can Cause Higher HbA1c

Multivariable regression (MVR) and one- (1SMR) and two-sample Mendelian randomization (2SMR) analyses indicate that frequent insomnia symptoms can cause higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), according to a study published in the April issue of Diabetes Care. Junxi Liu, Ph.D., from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined the effects of five self-reported sleep…