Access to the internet has not been utterly good for us. Social media has facilitated unprecedented levels of bullying. We now rely on technologies to drive, imagine, connect, and think. We are, in every way -- physically, neurologically, mentally -- addicted to screens. But the internet can also make us smarter. We have access to information that can make us more selective voters and more responsible consumers. We’re no longer at the behest of companies with large marketing budgets; we can independently assess what we’re being told. Here’s an example. An ad in a 1970 issue of Life Magazine advertised...
What we’re experiencing right now is unprecedented. Yes, there have been virulent pandemics before. Yes, there have been blackouts and lockdowns. But never before have we been forced into our homes with easy access to every possible piece of panic-inducing news from around the world. So if you’re anxious, you’re not alone. If you’ve lost your job, if you’re preparing to bring a child into an upended world, if you’re stuck inside with a negative person, you’re not alone, either. Futures are uncertain; times are strange. This is fertile ground for fear to grow in. And fear changes the way...
If you read last week’s blog, you know that there’s some debate as to whether it’s a good idea to wash your face and body with tap water. You know some studies show it isn’t, and others show it is. You also know the water in our taps is “hard,” which means it’s full of excess minerals and metals, as opposed to rainwater, which isn’t. The minerals can strip the skin of its natural oils, affecting its balance and causing dryness and breakouts. It’s counterintuitive to consider that water -- the substance that makes your skin wet when you wash...
The jury is still out as to whether it’s a good idea to wash your face and body with tap water. A lot of studies show it isn’t; the World Health Organization has stated there’s no “convincing evidence” to this end. In general, the problem with proving this scientifically is that there are so many and multiple factors that can affect the health of our skin, from stress to food to sleep to soap. But there’s reason to think critically about what’s coming out of the tap in this modern age. The water in our taps is largely “hard,” meaning...
Parabens. We likely have all heard the word more recently affiliated with personal care products and, for the most part, many of us our nodding in agreement that these are bad for us but my guess is that there are few that actually know why they are so bad for you. I am going to summarize a very knowledgeable article written by the EWG that I found extremely articulate in understanding what they are and why they are so harmful for our bodies. So…What are parabens? At a basic level,parabens are used as a synthetic preservative in a lot of personal...
We’ve all heard the saying about beauty being skin-deep. The phrase comes from a 17th century poem, in which the writer waxes about his wife’s goodness and wisdom being more attractive than her physical beauty. And while this serves as a valuable reminder that being beautiful is about more than what meets the eye, in strictly biological terms it’s not true. Before you protest, hear me out: what I mean by this is that the way we care for our internal systems, for the parts of our bodies we can’t see, does impact the way we look. Understanding what our...
