Category: Health

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You Might Want to Check Your Bottled Water’s Expiration Date Before You Start Drinking

Keeping hydrated is important, but not every bottle of water is safe for drinking. It may sound weird, but just like meat, dairy and many other items you pick up at the grocery store, bottled water has an expiration date.

Let that sink in a moment.

Luckily, unlike those berries that tend to go bad quick, you have a long time to drink your bottled water. In fact, the expiration date on the bottle has nothing to do with the water itself.

Bet you never thought of that one, right?

There’s a good reason for the expiration label: it turns out that the plastics used for both retail bottles and water cooler jugs can become toxic over time.

According to Amy Leigh Mercee, a holistic health expert and author, “[These plastics] will leach into the liquid the bottle once expired or especially when exposed to heat, including sunlight, and hot cars or storage trucks.”

Hint: That probably means it’s time to get rid of the graveyard of half-filled water bottles in your backseat.

Mercee added, “The toxicity contained in the plastic material enters the water. It is disruptive to the endocrine system, causing reproductive symptoms, various cancers, [and] neurological problems, and damaging the immune system.”

She continued, saying that bottled water companies typically use a two-year expiration date, which is the industry standard. However, it is important to keep in mind that the longer a bottle has been in circulation, the more likely the chance it has been exposed to heat.

“Even a brand new plastic bottle that sat in a hot delivery truck for hours or more can already have adverse and toxic compounds present in the water even when first delivered to the grocery store,” Mercee cautioned.

At the end of the day, it’s best to store bottled water in a cool, dark place far from household chemicals or other potential contaminants. Not only will your water last longer and taste better but it will also be safer.

…and that’s the whole point of bottled water.

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A Melting Glacier Revealed 28 New Virus Groups and Scientists are Worried

There are a whole lot of reasons to lament the demise of glaciers around the world – for one, they are the visual proof that the earth is warming, no matter what the weather outside your window or the politicians in their offices want to claim.

For another, many of them have been around for millennia, and as they melt, things are thawing out of them that modern human beings have never encountered.

In 2015, researchers from China and the United States drilled a 164-foot hole into a Tibetan glacier, gathering 2 ice core samples to study in a lab. The 15,000-year-old glacier is melting, and the scientists have so far found 33 virus groups in their core sample.

28 of them are completely new to science.

These scientists and researchers are not alone; their peers around the world are desperately trying to identify potential microbial threats in the melting ice before they escape and put us on the spot.

Image Credit: Pixabay

The meltwater from glaciers and ice caps could release these potentially harmful pathogens into streams, rivers, and pretty much any other type of waterway…and once a previously unknown microbe finds its way into human beings, there’s no telling what might happen.

The permafrost around the world is melting, too, and presents similar microbial challenges. It’s also releasing an alarming amount of methane gas and carbon dioxide – it is estimated to hold twice as much carbon as currently resides in our atmosphere.

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For 141 years since its first ascent, mountaineers from around the world traveled to climb la Meije in the Massif des Ecrins of France. Meanwhile, the permafrost that held its stones together was melting. On August 7, 2018, rockfall destroyed much of the normal route. In this On Belay story from Alpinist 68—which is now available on newsstands and in our online store—two locally based guides—Benjamin Ribeyre and Erin Smart—recount a search for a new way up the peak amid the uncertainties of the planet’s future. . You can now read the story at Alpinist.com. . Did you know—only a small fraction of our many long-form stories from the print edition are ever uploaded to Alpinist.com. Be sure to pick up Alpinist 68 for all the goodness: https://shop.holpublications.com/products/alpinist-magazine-issue-68 . The south face of la Meije (3983m) and the upper Etancons Valley is pictured here with the Glacier Carre covered in snow during spring, Massif des Ecrins, France. [Photo] Manu Rivaud . @benjaminribeyre @erinsmart_mountainguide #lameije #glaciercarré #frenchalps #snowmelt #rockfall #climatechange #meltingpermafrost #alpinistfeature #theclimbinglife #alpineclimbing #mountaineering

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Researchers have pulled samples of smallpox, Spanish flu, bubonic plague, and even anthrax from thawing permafrost, along with pollutants like mercury, all previously trapped inside permanently frozen ground.

There are important buildings in jeopardy, too, as thawing ground begins to result in more slumping or sagging of previously hardened earth. In Sweden, for example, there is a nuclear waste containment facility that could be in danger, and in Norway, the world’s global seed vault, built to safeguard seeds against exactly this kind of environmental impact, could itself be threatened.

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Humans are very good at self sabotaging ourselves, controlling and manipulating others, colonizing and dominating over other live and sentient beings. All these behaviours are driven by fear, anger, greed, hunger for power, status and control. ?? Would we still buy into all this nonsense if we fully realized that we are destroying ourselves, all living beings and our planet? What if we only have few years to live? Would we contemplate life and death? Seek reconciliations between peoples with different religions, nations, genders, classes, generations? ❤ Let's make universal love our compass. ❤ Let's live in present. ❤ Let's seek and adapt inner peace and love. ❤ Let's be human again. ❤ Let's share love and show compassion. ❤ Love, enjoy, live. Now. #love #behuman #awakeninghumanity #humanrights #climatecrisis #sixthmassextinction #climaterefugees #consumerismkills #foodshortages #heatwave #flooding #reducereuserecycle #circulareconomy #govegan #carbondrawdown #risingsealevel #meltingpermafrost #plasticfreelife #socialcollaps #noplanetb? #universalconsciousness

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Basically, we’ve only encountered the tip of the iceberg (pun intended) when it comes to the potential disastrous effects of global warming – not only on the planet, but on humanity, too.

I don’t know about you, but the idea that I could get smallpox is one more reason I want to do my part.

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Parsley Joins the List of Herbs You Should Not Stick in Your Vagina

You might think it would be common sense that food items don’t belong anyplace inside you other than your stomach. You’d think that, but you would sadly be wrong.

Last year, doctors had to put out a warning that cucumbers shouldn’t go inside your vagina, and this year, they’re having to do the same with parsley – all thanks to Marie Claire (an actual real media publication), which published an article about the herb being useful to bring on your period.

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This may look like a parsnip but it’s not a parsnip. It’s an old fashioned allotment veg known as parsley. It’s a great winter option as it’s completely hardly. The roots can be roasted or thrown in a casserole and the tops give you parsley (as in the herb) all year round ??? Harvested today, this one’s on the small side but if left they can get huge xx . . #parsley #winterveg #winterveggies #rootvegetables #vegetarian #pescatarian #vegan #plantbased #allotment #allotmentlove #allotmentlife #allotmentgarden #countryliving #growyourownfood #eatwhatyougrow #mykitchengarden #myediblegarden #organic #urbanorganicgardener #kelloggarden #urbangarden #urbangardener #raisedbedgarden #growninsussex #growveggies #growyourownveggies #lovegardening #gardenlove #outdoorliving

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According to the article:

“Parsley can help to soften the cervix and level out hormonal imbalances that could be delaying your cycle, helping your period come faster. …If you’re struggling to find a dish based on parsley, don’t panic – the most effective forms are said to be parsley tea and parsley vaginal inserts.”

Yes, you read that right.

The internet has many suggestions on using parsley to induce a miscarriage herbally, including this horrifying tidbit:

“Fresh parsley (preferably organic…I don’t want pesticides in my vagina, so I go organic). Insert a fresh sprig of parsley as far as possible into the vagina (parsley induces contractions, yum). Change every 12 hours. When soft, it may be difficult to remove, but this is not dangerous.”

In fact, that is so dangerous.

Putting anything that gathers bacteria into your nethers presents a risk of infection, which can have life-threatening consequences.

“There is no evidence of any benefit to a woman of doing this, and clear risk of significant harm as deaths have been reported. I would urge women not to insert anything unless they have taken proper medical advice,” Dr. Shazia Malk told The Independent.

One woman who died after trying to induce a miscarriage with parsley lived in Argentina, where abortion is illegal. She was 34, and even though surgeons removed her uterus in an attempt to stop the spreading infection, she still passed.

Also? Dr. Jennifer Gunter told IFLScience that using parsley to bring on a miscarriage “can’t work. To think it could work would reflect a belief in magic.”

As abortion clinics close all over the country, I imagine that we’re only going to see more people looking for ways to take matters into their own hands.

And I don’t see how that’s going to be good for anyone.

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Chrissy Teigen Revealed Her ‘Night Eggs’ Habit and It’s a Very Strange Insomnia Hack

Chrissy Teigen is in the spotlight for a lot of things: being a model, writing best-selling cookbooks, and publicly roasting her husband John Legend. And now, she is also famous for eating eggs in the middle of the night.

Chrissy revealed her “night eggs” habit on Twitter recently, and it drew a lot of attention because, hello — WTF are night eggs? She just casually dropped them into a tweet about Reddit.

Of course, people had questions. So many questions. In a follow-up tweet, Chrissy answered some of them.

“I can’t sleep without being overly full,” she explained. “I take two hard boiled eggs to bed every night and eat them when I randomly wake up. It used to be beef jerky but I’d wake up too puffy.”

But this answer led to, um, more questions. Where does she keep the eggs? Isn’t it annoying to peel them half-asleep? What if she doesn’t wake up to eat them?

But she always does, apparently. Chrissy added that she wakes up for at least 30 minutes at least four times a night. Phew!

This isn’t the first time Chrissy has mentioned her night eggs. In December, she posted photos of them in bed with her. As you can see, the eggs are already peeled, so that answers one question at least.

Look, the idea of a midnight snack is obviously not new, nor are the struggles of insomnia. Chrissy’s mentions filled with people naming the snacks they like to eat when they wake up: apples, cheese and pistachios. But eggs?

EGGS?!

Apparently, there is some scientific justification for doing this. A naturopathic doctor told Well + Good that “a little bit of protein at night before you got to sleep — maybe about 6 grams of protein, which is the equivalent of an egg — it gives you a nice blood-sugar balance through most of the night.”

That’s just one doctor, but hey. If it works for Chrissy…

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For generations doctors assumed that…

For generations doctors assumed that the appendix had no function. But recently it is determined it “acts as a good safe house for bacteria”. Sometimes bacteria in the intestines die or are purged. The appendix’s job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.

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Toxic Chemicals Have Been Found in the Tap Water of Dozens of U.S. Cities

Miami is a top destination for tourists, but consuming their tap water could leave you with long-lasting effects well after your vacation is over.

The home of the Heat is just one of 43 U.S. cities—including Philadelphia and New Orleans—that has toxic “forever chemicals” in their drinking water, according to a new report.

Products such as firefighting foam and Teflon contain the PFOAs and PFOS chemicals that are contaminating water across the country. Polluted water has been linked in some cases to cancer and lower fertility and even served as inspiration for the 2019 movie Dark Waters, although much more research needs to be done into long-term harms.

Sydney Evans, Environmental Working Group study co-author, told BuzzFeed News that the research group was surprised to see chemical contamination in such a variety of cities. Out of the 44 cities tested for contaminants, only Meridian, Mississippi, passed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the citizens of Meridian get their water from the deep depths of a 600-foot well.

While earlier studies conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency and the EWG had not shown a serious water contamination issue, Evans and her team tested for 30 different PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) chemicals in order to discover more information about the breadth of the contamination.

The EPA sets a safety limit of 70 parts-per-trillion limit on the two main chemicals, though some individual states have implemented stricter standards. Unfortunately, many states were found to have water with high concentrations of chemicals, including North Carolina and Iowa.

“To date, EPA has developed methods to reliably detect 29 PFAS chemicals in drinking water,” an agency spokesperson stated in an e-mail to Buzzfeed News. “Aggressively addressing PFAS will continue to be an EPA priority in 2020 and we will provide additional information on our upcoming actions as it becomes available.”

So while staying hydrated is critical, filtered water may be a better bet depending on where you live.

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A Clever Guy Turns His CPAP Mask into an ‘Alien’ Facehugger

There’s not much that’s funny about having to wear a CPAP mask in order to be able to breathe through a good night’s sleep.

That said, any time you can use your necessary medical equipment to turn your face into an attacking alien facehugger…I mean, you’ve gotta do it. I honestly can’t believe it hasn’t been done before now.

Jared Grey, the genius in question, is an author and self-described Tinker Gnome. He’s also a science fiction fanatic, so when he was thinking about ways to make the inconvenience of sleep apnea more bearable, he came up with the idea of turning the machine into a life-size foam Alien Facehugger replica.

Grey describes the process step-by-step on his social media, and honestly, I think he could also get work on science fiction sets if he’s ever hard up for cash.

A twisted idea who's time has finally come.

Posted by Jared Gray on Friday, April 27, 2018

What’s even funnier is that he’d joked about what he would do if he ever had to have a CPAP, even before being diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Image Credit: Jared Gray

“I’ve been joking for years that if I ever ended up needing a CPAP mask, I’d incorporate it into a facehugger. Because obviously…I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea, and now have my own CPAP torture machine. Seriously, these things are awful and create as much discomfort as they prevent. So I may as well have some fun with this thing while it’s intruding on my life.”

Image Credit: Jared Gray

I say that’s a pretty healthy outlook to go along with some pretty amazing creativity.

This is the worst ConCrud I've had in a long time. I can't breathe, I can't see. I've got this lump in my throat and a…

Posted by Jared Gray on Monday, May 28, 2018

Would you ever imagine something like this? Would you be able to pull it off? Tell us what you think in the comments!

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Frequent Napping Has Health Benefits, Including Reducing Stress

This is great news for me! As a self-described expert napper, I’m always looking for a good reason to take a quick snooze. And I can do it anywhere. Couch, chair, floor, under tables, in cars. Whatever you got, I can make it work.

And I know I’m not alone; there are tons of people out there who love the napping life just as much as I do. Well, research shows that not only are naps enjoyable, but they are good for you, too.

Nap

A napping habit can help you have sharper brain function and hone your problem-solving skills. A short slumber can also help you deal with stress better, regulate your blood pressure, and even assist you with maintaining a healthy weight.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, there are three types of naps that they suggest taking:

1. Naps that you plan before you get tired. These help out with tiredness and fatigue.

2. Emergency napping is when you are too wiped out to do your everyday work and activities. These are good for people who deal with fatigue and drowsiness.

3. Habitual naps describe ones that are taken at the same time, each and every day. A lot of babies and elderly people are on this schedule.

Nap

Napping is frowned upon in the United States because of our hectic work schedules, but in other countries, it’s very common to take a nap during the day. A study from Greece – where napping is culturally much more accepted – found that napping three times a week can lower your risk of developing a serious heart condition by up to 37%.

Nap time

The amount of time you nap has benefits for different aspects of your health. If you nap for 20 minutes, you can look forward to enhanced memory and mental alertness. A 20-30-minute nap can help boost creativity and memory. Snoozing for 30-60 minutes helps you optimize memory and decision-making skills. And if you want to nap for 60-90 minutes, you’ll experience REM sleep, which will help you to reset your brain and can improve your problem-solving skills.

Take that, anti-nappers!

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Experts Weigh in on the Health Benefits of Kombucha

You’d pretty much have to have been living in the wilderness under a rock to not have at least heard of the health craze surrounding kombucha. Even if you don’t know exactly what it is, you probably know that people think it’s good for you, right?

Enthusiasts claim it aids digestion, boosts the immune system, improves hair and skin health, detoxifies the liver, and can even help treat serious diseases like AIDS, cancer, and diabetes.

But is it really that good for you? Or even healthful at all?

So we got some info from two registered dietitians who ready to explain what it really does.

But first…

What is Kombucha?

Kombucha starts with a gelatinous blob known as a SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). It’s a collection of bacteria (often acetic acid bacteria) and yeast blobbing along together in harmony.

Then, the blob is placed into a jar of black or green tea and sugar, and given 7-14 days to ferment. During that time, the yeast and bacteria feed off the sugar, making the tea carbonated and slightly alcoholic (very slightly).

To complete the process, a bottler removes the SCOBY, filters the tea, and stores the it in the fridge. Et voila!

How could kombucha affect your health?

Registered dietitian Despina Gandhi told Buzzfeed Health that acetic acid bacteria do have probiotic qualities, so drinking kombucha could conceivably aid in your GI health.

“Since so much of our immune system is influenced by our GI tract, by honing in on it, we can technically boost immunity as well.”

But registered dietitian nutritionist Angie Murad says it’s not quite a panacea.

“It’s not to say, though, that if you drink kombucha every day you’re not going to get a cold. It can just help you – it’s not something that’s necessarily harmful to your intestines.”

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K O M B U C H A ? This summer I visited Southern California and was swept away by their fabulous choice of healthy options: vegan, raw, fermented, grass-fed, organic, biodynamic – you name it, they have it. And! they have Kombucha on tap in every bar / cafe. So one morning I walk into a cute cafe, looking forward to enjoying a refreshing fizzy glass of probiotics and -horror- they were out of kombucha ? Customers were appalled. How could this ever happen? • Back in London I ended up spending so much money on Kombucha I eventually decided to brew my own. So I purchased a kit and welcomed home Scoby, my hungry friend who grew to KingKong proportions in the last few months. • Since I’m not a big fan of supplements (because the body has a limited capacity to absorb a nutrient without its carrier), I currently drink a glass day in day out to restore microbiome and support gut healing. • Are you a kombuchaddict too? • #dynamize #dynamizeco #health #happiness #holistichealth #holistichealing #holistichealer #holistictherapy #quantumhealth #quantumhealing #quantumhealer #quantumtherapy #homeopathy #homeopathyheals #homeopathyworks #yoga #nutrition #starttoday #london #kombucha #kombuchaddict #probiotics #guthealth #microbiome #healthygut #scoby

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Also, she says to make sure you’re drinking non-pasteurized kombucha for health benefits because the pasteurization process would effectively kill the good bacteria in your drink.

Aside from potentially boosting your GI health and immune system, there are no proven benefits to drinking kombucha – though some of the claims seem medically and scientifically possible.

In a 2014 review, kombucha was shown to reduce the ability of certain cancer cells to spread. It also seems that the antioxidant properties of the tea could help detoxify the liver and boost immunity.

A different study noted a drop in the blood sugar levels of diabetic rats who lapped the drink (but results based on lab rats don’t always translate).

It’s also possible that those same antioxidants could reduce the damaging effects of UV rays on the skin, but there’s no scientific studies on the effects of kombucha on skin or hair, specifically.

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For #sugarawarenessweek we want to talk to you about low-sugar diets and their benefits as well as how to handle sugar cravings for those of us who have a sweet tooth. Ever had Kombucha? It’s a great alternative for processed fizzy drinks that are often packed with lots of sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. The @gutsy_captain Kombucha is a naturally fermented living green tea with 100% natural ingredients and organic raw cane sugar. If you can’t get rid of those sugar cravings why not have more of nature’s candy ? ? ????? ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #sugarawarenessweek #sugar #awareness #week #wellness #wednesday #wellnesswednesday #kombucha #kombuchalove #coworking #coworkingspace #areaworks #areaworkscolindale #areaworksfarringdon #coworkinglife #gutsycaptain #healthylifestyle #healthy #living #organic #lifestyle

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The one article that notes effects on AIDS patients suggests that the bacteria in kombucha could overstimulate the immune systems of HIV-positive people, which could actually be detrimental to their health.

Gandhi warns against taking any unproven claims to heart.

“The important thing to remember is there are no clinical trials that prove kombucha can do these things, so they’re really just claims and anecdotal evidence.”

And you always, always want to make sure you’re drinking kombucha from a reliable source – it could be a health risk if you’re not. Murad stressed,

“If you’re doing it at home, you can introduce bad bacteria into the system, and people have become very ill. So you have to be careful to have clean food practices when you’re fermenting the kombucha.”

If you ferment it too long, it could also lead to metabolic acidosis, another medical complication.

Bottom line? Both experts agree that there’s no harm in drinking store-bought kombucha, but it’s best to keep an eye on the sugar content and serving sizes.

Gandhi says that for her, the bottom line is that “it’s not necessary to be part of a balanced diet. It doesn’t contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, or anything like that.”

So, if you like it and feel better when you drink some…go for it (responsibly)!

If not, have some probiotic yogurt and you’ll be fine.

And now you know.

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The Chainsaw Was Originally Invented to Assist with Difficult Childbirths

If you thought that c-sections were awful and take weeks to recover from, well…you’re right.

But you should also count yourself lucky. In the (not as far back as you’d think) past, your doctor or midwife might have whipped out a chainsaw if an emergency arose during labor.

Basically, the chainsaw is so good at cutting through wood and stuff because it was originally designed to be able to easily slice through flesh and bone.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Chainsaws were invented by two Scottish surgeons, John Aitken and James Jeffray, who were looking for a “more humane” way to widen the birth canal when a baby was breach or became otherwise lodged in the birth canal.

Yeah. Instead of cutting open your abdomen to remove a dangerously stuck infant (like a modern C-section), they used to just stick a knife into your pelvis and start “widening” it so the baby could slip free.

Image Credit: Pixabay

And, as if giving birth wasn’t terrifying and painful enough already, the chainsaw was invented in the 18th century – prior to the development of a little thing called anesthesia.

The chainsaw was supposed to be a faster, less painful (somehow) option for a procedure called a symphysiotomy.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Neither the procedure nor the chainsaw is today used in hospitals – in maternity wards or elsewhere – but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen on an upcoming season of American Horror Story.

Because just thinking about it makes me want to scream.

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