Did you know that consuming sugar causes the brain to release dopamine, the same neurotransmitter linked with cocaine usage? It boosts you into a momentary high, drops you like a ton of bricks, and leaves you craving more. A dangerous cycle for sure, and many of us can relate to being in what we affectionately call a “sugar coma.” We tend to associate this tag with children, most likely because our adult bodies have become so accustomed to the nasty cycle that we don’t even realize we have been suffering our entire lives from excess amounts of sugar....

English muffins are the ideal blank canvas for your fall culinary exploration. Why? Well, let’s start with: For those who struggle with portion sizes, the English muffin is the perfect solution. Small enough that you feel satisfied but not stuffed and easy to save and store for later if you want only half. One and done! (Or more…we won’t judge; they’re delicious.) The English muffin is where look and functionality meet in perfect harmony: the nooks and crannies in the round are ideal vessels for creamy almond butter to nestle into or poached egg yolk to be absorbed, making each bite that much more flavor-packed and delectable....

And how do we do that? One way is taking care of our “enteric” microbiome (the trillions of bacteria inhabiting our digestive tract) with the support of probiotics.* For our littles, that might include getting them started on ChildLife Essentials® Probiotics.* Convenient and easy to take, these supplements were developed by a pediatrician using only clean ingredients, and zero artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. With as much exuberance as kids tend to have, daily probiotics may not have crossed your mind....

I can say from personal experience (hey, club!) that sharing climate fears and anxieties with other people is extremely cathartic. Book clubs can also be wonderful spaces to share knowledge and resources and discuss how to take inspired action. It doesn’t need to be a huge undertaking: Just gathering a few friends to discuss a great climate-focused book every few months can lead to insights. When you’re ready to get started, these titles are ready for you....

The mechanisms that cause migraines are not fully understood, which is one reason why they’re so tough to treat. And many of the current drug regimens are slow to take effect, are not effective at all for up to 40 percent of users, or are designed for related conditions, such as high blood pressure rather than migraines themselves. Another issue: Migraines can recur frequently, making treating them with strong opioids and painkillers concerning and potentially dangerous....

“When you mix all those phytocannabinoids together—and not just the phytocannabinoids but their supportive compounds and antioxidants that are in the [hemp plant] stalk—it’s a whole mix,” renowned integrative physician Robert Rountree, M.D., says of the potential of full-spectrum hemp oils. “There’s this whole system at work.” These complementary ingredients have lots of healthy properties, but one of the most important ones is their ability to act as antioxidants.* If we rewind to high school chemistry for a second, antioxidants are well-known beneficial chemicals that help counter the effects of free radical production in the body....

As far as windows go, Cho says it’s best not to position your bed directly underneath them, particularly if your bedroom is on the ground floor: “Sometimes you have to and that’s totally OK, but it can create a feeling of insecurity because it’s less safe.” And lastly, you ideally want your headboard to be right up against the wall, with room to the right and left for bedside tables or lamps....

The oil is heated because it is thought to help open the cuticle and let the oil penetrate deeper. “The idea with heat is that it breaks down the bonds and helps coat it better,” says board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, M.D. “I get the theory behind it, but there isn’t data to prove it. But it’s been done for a long period of time, and we haven’t really seen damage from it, but it really does depend on the technique to it....

While William is not an M.D., he is a New York Times best-selling author with a devoted fan base who have seen life-changing results from his superfood claims. “I truly started to learn what love is and especially self-love when I discovered @medicalmedium,” posted @kieryncrisannalexander on Instagram next to before-and-after pictures showing her recovery from psoriasis, depression, low energy, and joint pain. “Your skin is ACTUALLY healing, like truly healing from the inside out, your migraines have subsided, no more brain fog, digestion on point, depression completely gone,” posted thefreespiritfoodie with a before-and-after picture showing an incredible acne recovery....

You’re staring at the clock, too wiped out to get up and do something else yet too alert to drift past the twilight into the rest you need. The deadline of morning is looming, and you’re anxious and frustrated. The sun finally rises, and you prepare for the day ahead with a dry mouth and puffy eyes. There are very few people on the planet who haven’t had some kind of undesired up-all-night experience....

No fear: Ahead, you’ll find expert tutorials for a variety of braids, with tips to help keep them immaculate. You won’t need any rubber bands for this tutorial, as Taylor recommends skipping them if you can: “Rubber bands can cause breakage and will pop really fast,” she says, especially if they’re too tight on the delicate strands. When you’re ready, follow these steps: “If you’re new to this, I’d recommend sticking with the traditional cornrow style, which runs from the front of the scalp back in a straight line,” Taylor adds....

Pigeon can aid in a laundry list of issues and symptoms, but for many, pigeon is a pose that we often just flop into with no real direction or understanding of how we should position our body and why. These lower two chakras, the root and the sacral; house our relationships with ourselves and our relationship between you and me (one on one). It’s our grounding potential: our needs for survival, intimacy, trust and stability reside here....

If you’re on the path to longer tips, you may want to consider opting for an oval nail. This is a classic shape that’s safe for fragile nails, easy to achieve, and arguably one of the better canvas shapes for nail art. Within this list, there are a few categories that distinguish which shapes are best for which kind of nail length and look. First, we have classic shapes like square and round....

As Eckhart Tolle says, “Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now. And that’s a revelation for some people: to realize that your life is only ever now.” Designate specific times to eliminate distractions and just be. Wake up early and sip your coffee or tea slowly in a quiet room....

As reiki master and author of Burning Bright: Rituals, Reiki, and Self-Care To Heal Burnout, Anxiety, and Stress, Kelsey Patel, explains, “If we don’t have a clear direction of where we’re headed or where we want to go, it can be very easy to get caught up in things that aren’t actually good for us. Creating a vision board is a powerful way of getting to know yourself and what it is you truly want to manifest and call into your life....

While there are many proposed benefits of intermittent fasting, like improved digestion, better sleep, and increased energy, one question that surrounds intermittent fasting is whether or not it can help with healthy weight loss and management. There are many types of intermittent fasting, but the basic idea is that you alternate set periods of time when you eat with set periods of time when you fast, or completely abstain from food....

In the book of Exodus (28:17-20), for example, it’s written that 12 gemstones were fixed on the prophet Aaron’s breastplate. “There were 12 stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the 12 tribes,” it says. And according Ashley Leavy, founder and educational director of the Love and Light School of Crystal Therapy, birthstones also have roots in Western astrology and Ayurveda....

“The process of growth through Kundalini Yoga is a natural unfolding of your own nature,” Yogi Bhajan has said. “Like a snake, you will need to shed old skins to be more of who you are.” The ultimate goal of Kundalini is to increase your self-awareness by silencing your mind and unblocking your chakras so that your vital energy can flow freely. “The practice of kundalini is filled with really challenging breath exercises coupled with asanas and meditation,” says yoga instructor Caley Alyssa in our 28 Days To Yoga Bliss class....