Category: Health

If you’ve been having doubts about booking that holiday trip with your girlfriends, then what you’re about to read might just change your mind.

In this ever-evolving and fast-paced world, it’s so easy to get caught up in the avalanche of deadlines, emails, and tasks that you have to accomplish. At the end of a work week, you are too exhausted to have some fun that you basically just sleep through the whole weekend. We’re not saying that’s bad – but sometimes, everyone needs a little break from routine, right?

But according to studies, this occasional break doesn’t just allow you to rest and relax, it is also essential for good health and long life!

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch reported that social connections “not only give us pleasure, they also influence our long-term health in ways every bit as powerful as adequate sleep, a good diet, and not smoking.”

Of course, these social connections include our relationships with our families, but research proves that having solid friendships could: lower the risk of acquiring health issues such as heart disease, increase life expectancy, and even improve tolerance for pain! In fact, psychologists were able to predict a person’s social network size based on how much pain they were able to withstand.

Aside from these, friendships can also make us happier. In 2016, researchers found evidence that hanging out with friends can increase the production of oxytocin, the feel-good hormone that our bodies produce when we are happy. Oxytocin is known to make people more trusting, more generous, and friendlier – all the traits that you would want in a friend!

However, this is not great news for those who have difficulty establishing social connections. When scientists examined the other side of the spectrum, they discovered that those people who don’t have strong friendships “tend to be more depressed, have later-life cognitive decline”, and worse, “were more likely to die at a younger age”.

A study that inspected the lives of 309,000 individuals found that lack of social ties increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% – about the same effect as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

Also, a Dutch study in 2012 found that people who were lonely have an increased risk of developing dementia.

According to psychologist William Chopik of Michigan State University: “Keeping a few really good friends around can make a world of difference for our health and well-being. So, it’s smart to invest in the friendships that make you happiest.”

Forbes also reported that women who use their vacation time frequently “are less likely to become tense, depressed or tired and are happier with their marriages”. And by vacation time – it means traveling and getting yourself out there – not just a day off spent running errands that you weren’t able to do on the weekdays.

Conversely, those women who don’t go on travels as much have a “higher risk of heart disease and death from heart disease”. Note that a study on men yielded similar results, but women tended to benefit more from traveling with close friends.

So, do you need more reasons to book that holiday getaway?

We get it – it’s not that easy to pry yourself away from life’s obligations, plus, an out-of-town trip could take a big chunk off your well-maintained budget. But with all the evidence proving that traveling with your friends could yield a plethora of health and mental benefits, then maybe it is worth doing once in a while, right?

Perhaps, the next time that you decide to reward yourself, a ladies’ getaway might be the best idea not just for you, but for your girlfriends too.

Moms beware – popular makeup lines have just brokered a deal with the devil, and even worse your dollars are paying for it. You might purchase a lipstick from the store and think nothing of it, right? But thanks to a new deal with these two massive beauty lines, your next makeup purchase may actually be going to kill unborn babies. Most of us would never dream of donating money to organizations like Planned Parenthood who are blatantly pro-abortion. After all, why would pro-lifers want to spend money helping abortionists kill more unborn babies? But what you may not know is two makeup companies, Benefit and M∙A∙C have committed to raising millions for Planned Parenthood off their cosmetic sales. Which means a young girl may be purchasing an eyeshadow not knowing her contribution is going to line the financial coffers of Planned Parenthood. The partnership is being touted as helping “women and girls healthcare” when nothing could be further from the truth. The goal of the staff at Benefit and M∙A∙C is to promote Planned Parenthood and raise money for the abortion provider. And pro-lifers everywhere know, Planned Parenthood is not pro-women – they are pro-abortion. Boasting in their status and ability to help Planned Parenthood, Nancy Mahon, the global executive director of the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund told Refinery 29 : “We’re a big, really successful cosmetic company, so we hope that the fact that we care about the issue will attract corporate donors to Planned Parenthood, and make it known that it’s not scary to do this.” Yet again, mainstream companies are trying to make abortion seem “cool” to teenagers, at the same time working behind the scenes to attract “corporate donors.” Planned Parenthood’s CEO Leana Wen was delighted to promote the fact that makeup lines were on board with supporting Planned Parenthood. In a statement on Planned Parenthood’s website, Wen wrote: “We’re so grateful for the generous support of Benefit Cosmetics and M∙A∙C Cosmetics, which will help us continue to provide millions of people with the health care, information, and education they need to be empowered to lead strong, healthy lives,” said Dr. Leana Wen, president, Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We know that people stand with Planned Parenthood because they and their loved ones have relied on us for health care and education. Planned Parenthood is inspired by these two global beauty brands standing proudly and publicly with us to declare that sexual and reproductive health care is health care, and health care is a human right.” There are plenty of other makeup lines women and teenage girls can purchase their beauty products from instead of supporting Benefit and M∙A∙C who are helping to raise funds to murder more unborn babies. We know Planned Parenthood continues to deceive women and girls by pretending to be “pro-life” and “pro-women”. This latest partnership is another marketing trend designed to make young girls think their purchase is going towards something good. But as consumers, we can simply choose to spend our hard-earned dollars elsewhere. No sparkly shadow is worth helping fund the slaughter of unborn babies. What are your thoughts on purchases being used to fund abortions? Do you plan to boycott buying makeup items from these companies as long as they support Planned Parenthood? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. And to stay current on the latest Mommy Underground stories, follow us on Facebook and be sure to like and share our posts!

Organic, safe, fun and beautiful!  Why not.  Use cabbage leaves and eat the packaging!

It should be one of the main goals in today’s society to reduce plastic consumption and to educate people on the environmental and global changes and problems that we are currently facing. Even though many of us believe that recycling will solve the problem, and continue using plastic, it is actually the complete opposite. In 2013, 254 million tonnes of trash was produced in the U.S. alone, and only around 30% was recycled. This means that the rest ended up in a landfill and will stay there for up to 1000 years creating toxic gas, polluting the earth and even ending up in the oceans killing many innocent creatures. Since most of us don’t get to see the reality, which is often hidden from us, there is an important task to educate people and to open their eyes to understand that the plastic packaging that we use for a couple of seconds will take up to 1000 years to decompose.

In order to start a positive change, supermarkets across Asia have started using leaves to pack their vegetables

This type of packaging is not only cost-efficient it also saves so much plastic that would otherwise be recycled or would end up in a landfill.

Recently, China has stopped importing trash from all over the world and concentrated on recycling their own waste. Before this, over 30% of the world’s waste would end up in China causing a popular belief that Asian countries are those responsible for creating the majority of the waste in the world. Now, Asian countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, are looking for new ways to avoid plastic at all. This became a solid ground for new business ideas. One of those ideas was a new, eco-friendly way to pack their goods by avoiding plastic packaging.

One of their team members noticed a creative way to reduce plastic that a supermarket called Rimping Supermarket was using and decided to capture their shelves with their phone. Little did they know that people from all around the world would absolutely love this idea and would start sharing it like crazy. “We just popped in to get a few items while we were waiting to sign some contracts with our lawyer, who was delayed, so we were not even meant to be there at that time. When I noticed the veg wrapped in banana leaves and simply liked the idea ad showed my wife who picked a few up to buy. I thought I would take a few pictures and just post to the page, and that was it,” in an interview with Bored Panda said one of the Perfect Homes Chiangmai’s team members who took these pictures.

With more than 3.5 million views and over 17 thousand shares, the idea became something people can encourage more supermarkets to implement. “I had no idea it was going to go viral, I was shocked when it hit 20 shares. It was not until the morning while I was in the gym that I started to realised what was happening, I pointed out to Stig my friend that it had now something like a thousand shares ad that this was crazy. Once we had finished the session an hour later it had nearly doubled that is when it really started to go off!”

Some have noticed that not everything on the shelves is completely plastic-free, to which the supermarket responded that they are taking one step at a time and trying their best, but it’s not that easy. Many products come to the supermarkets pre-packaged and many companies are interested in wrapping their produce in plastic since it is the cheapest and the easiest option. “I feel it is now up to the shoppers to show the supermarket which they prefer. Because without a doubt if every one opts for the banana leaf packaging then they will stop stocking the items in plastic and this will also drive other great ideas forward.”

Now, more than ever, people are starting to understand the terrible state our planet is in. If you want to learn more, you can check our post about positive initiatives that people from all around the world are taking in order to help our earth, as well as a list of genius zero-waste ideas you can implement in your daily life.

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If you really sat down and thought about it that would be about right.  Free time!  Just you free time.  Not this or that time to do stuff, but free for you to sit and do nothing time if you want.

How much free time do you get to enjoy each week? If you’re like the most people, it’s hardly enough to even be excited about. A new survey finds that the average American adult logs just four hours and 26 minutes of time to themselves in a given week.

And if that amount seems high, you’re also in good company. Four out of 10 people surveyed said they get even less free time than that total, incredibly.

The survey of 2,000 adults, commissioned by tax prep service H&R Block, also found that the little bit of free time leaves the average person with 14 undone items on their to-do lists — though one in five respondents says there’s at least 20 things to get done on their lists. Those lists include everything from running errands to paying the bills. The authors found that 60% of the participants are putting off basic administrative tasks like cleaning, going to the bank, or filing their taxes because they don’t have the time.

Nearly the same amount, 59% of participants, said keeping their lives organized with everything they have going on is simply a “big struggle.”

Among the tasks most commonly brushed aside by the study participants, cleaning topped the list, with 48% of adults postponing such chores. Another 40% admit they’ve put the brakes on car maintenance, while a third routinely push back plans to go shopping. More than a quarter of Americans (27%) said they put off making a doctor’s appointment.

Of course, with the tax deadline around the corner, filing one’s taxes are another common task that many of those surveyed are delaying. Half of the participants who haven’t gotten around to their taxes say they just can’t find the free time.

“According to the survey, a lot of Americans are letting things slide around the house simply because they’re so busy,” says Karen Orosco, Senior Vice President at H&R Block, in a statement. “Our new Tax Pro Go service lets consumers just securely upload their documents online and get paired with a tax pro who takes care of the rest. There’s no need to even leave the house.”

The research team compiled a top-ten list of tasks that survey respondents are currently putting off:

1. Doing odd jobs around the house
2. Going for medical check-ups
3. Sorting out cabinets/spring cleaning
4. Paying bills
5. Sorting paperwork
6. Taking unwanted items to the store or selling them online
7. Fixing or mending items/clothing
8. Going for a haircut
9. Catching up with friends
10. Budget planning/reviewing your finances

Researchers also put together a list of the top ten things Americans plan to buy with their tax refunds.

1. Motorcycle tires
2. Playstation 4
3. Trip to casino
4. Niagara Falls trip
5. A party
6. Lawnmower
7. Freedom from credit card companies
8. Pizza
9. Scooter
10. Scuba gear

The survey was conducted by market research firm OnePoll in March 2019.

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We need to serve the freshest, high quality, and seasonal food available to all school students who wish to buy school lunches.  Why do we not see this as important?  How can we expect our children to care for themselves at such a basic level when the institutions responsible for creating fine minds and bodies flunk at the lunch table.

Dan Giusti, a former head chef in one of the top restaurants in the world, is now pushing an initiative to create better school lunches.   In an interview with CBS News, Giusti shared his desire to impact children by changing the way school lunches are done.   “There is a problem with school food in general, because this idea that the kids don’t deserve high-quality, which obviously they do,” he said. “If anybody, they’re a captive audience, and they’re our kids. If anybody deserves the best food that we can give them, it’s them, because they have no choice.”  Through his company, Brigaid, Giusti has hired trained chefs to make high-quality lunches at Winthrop Elementary in New London, Connecticut. The meals are made from scratch and include pasta, tuna, and middle eastern dishes.

Originally, a head chef at famed restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Giusti started to recognize he wanted to do something bigger.   “I knew I wanted to feed more people; that was the big thing,” he told CBS News. “I wanted to make food with real purpose that really contributed to something.”  As a result, he left his job in 2015  to “fix America’s school lunches.”   “It’s called school food. Like, that’s weird,” he said. “It should just be food. A lot of the food that is served in a school would never be served anywhere else, and that’s the unfortunate fact.”  Since Giusti has been at the school, the children have fallen in love with eating school lunches again, stating remarks like “That it’s actually fresh,” “And it’s made from scratch,” and “Sometimes I want to go up for seconds.”  School Superintendent Manuel Rivera hired Giusti to create meals for the school’s 3,500 children.

“If we can’t eat it, we shouldn’t serve it to our kids,” he said.  Rivera received push back from some people in the community that he was not properly utilizing tax dollars. However, Rivera says the initiative has not cost New London public school taxpayers anything. Fundraising efforts like Brigaid’s popular weekly community dinner and grants have helped cover the costs.   Since the federal school lunch program will reimburse New London $3.50 a meal, Giusti states they had to be creative in making food within their budget so employees could be paid and other maintenance expenses could be covered.   “So, when it’s all said and done, you have about $1.25 for food. Making food, a meal that kids really want to eat, for $1.25 is super challenging,” stated Giusti.

Last year, Giusti invited a dozen star chefs to compete in a fundraiser to see what meals could be created for $1.25. The renowned chefs were able to create dishes such as chicken tacos, Futomaki rolls, tofu lasagna, and Monte Cristo sandwiches to name a few.   A panel of New London students and other adults chose the winner which was a Caribbean fish sandwich – haddock seasoned with herbs and lemon juice.   Now, Dan Giusti and Brigaid are moving into New York City to help with their lunches, starting at Morris High School in the Bronx.  “There are 1,800 schools in New York City,” he said. “But I mean, the goal is to get everywhere. To me, my dream is in ten years that things are just different, that it is normal to do what we do.”

In some schools kids help with the table setting, washing dishes, and managing the eating areas.  Some school gardens help provide some of the vegetables for lunch.  Lunch is free to all students in other countries and all the children help with serving or managing kitchen duties.

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Stress affects everyone. Although we cannot eliminate stress entirely from our lives, we can minimize it by choosing to live in the least toxic environments. American stress levels have been rising for many demographics since their low point in 2016. Common stressors include the future of America and money, along with health insurance costs. But not all demographics are affected in the same way. For example, millennials have the highest average stress levels.

But certain states have contributed more than others to elevating — or decreasing — stress levels in the U.S. WalletHub compared the 50 states across 40 key indicators of stress to determine the places to avoid and achieve a more relaxing life. Our data set ranges from average hours worked per week to personal bankruptcy rate to share of adults getting adequate sleep. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and our full methodology.

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Black mold can make you very sick. Here’s everything you need to know about toxic black mold. Learn the early warning symptoms, the potential long-term effects, treatment options, and prevention tips.

Acne is a complex skin disease that develops due to several factors, including inflammation, abnormal skin cell growth, an overproduction of skin oil, and an overgrowth of bacteria inside clogged pores, all of which lead to the development of an acne lesion.

Each of the factors that lead to acne is controlled by one or more genes. A gene is a DNA molecule inside the nucleus of our body’s cells that contains the information the body uses to make proteins that have specific functions in the body. Humans have between 20,000 and 25,000 genes in each cell.

Often, multiple genes can work together to provide information as a team. When it comes to acne, to date researchers have not been able to identify a single gene that is at fault. Instead, it is likely that several genes are at play in the numerous processes that lead to acne, and researchers are currently tracking down clues.^1,2

Genetic Predisposition

In order to understand the research investigating which genes may lead to an increased susceptibility of acne, it’s important to grasp the concept of genetic predisposition. Genetic predisposition is an increased probability of developing a disease due to the genes you inherited from a parent. A genetic predisposition for acne means that a person has a genetic make-up that may increase the chance of that person developing acne during their life.

However, if a person has a genetic predisposition for acne it does not mean that they will definitely develop acne. This is because the manifestation of genes is often controlled through lifestyle choices, like diet, exercise, or smoking. For example, if two people have the same genetic predisposition for acne but widely different lifestyles, one may develop more severe acne than the other, or one may develop acne and the other may not.²

The Science: A Look at the Studies Identifying Genes That May Increase the Genetic Predisposition for Acne

Scientists use five approaches to identify genes that may increase the likelihood of developing acne. All of these approaches work by comparing the genetics of groups of people with acne to the genetics of groups of people without acne. These five approaches include:

In these studies, scientists are looking at mutations in genes. A mutation is any change in a gene. When it comes to acne, the researchers are looking for mutations in the DNA of genes between those with and without acne. As acne is a complex disease involving numerous factors, a mutation in a single gene is thought to only have a small effect on the likelihood that a person will develop acne. However, mutations in several genes may significantly increase the genetic predisposition to acne.² 

Family heritability studies 

This is an early type of study, beginning at the start of the 20th century, that first gave us a glimpse at the fact that acne is a genetic disease. These studies looked at multiple generations of a family to see if acne is passed down from generation to generation, andwere performed by asking multiple generations of a family to fill out a questionnaire with questions regarding their acne symptoms. Then, if multiple people within a family had similar acne symptoms, the researchers would conclude that the disease could be inherited from parents. It turns out there was a strong correlation.

Interestingly, the researchers concluded that people with acne tended to physically resemble ancestors that also had acne compared to their ancestors without acne. In fact, one researcher claimed that he was able to predict whether a child would develop acne based on how similar a child resembled another relative with acne. Although this claim is likely overstated, these early studies were important in identifying that genetics may impact acne.³

Twin studies 

In 1984, scientists began using twin studies to research genetics and acne. Twin studies using identical twins are especially useful at identifying the impact of genes and lifestyle on acne because identical twins are genetically identical. This means that an identical twin has the same genes and gene mutations as their twin. Therefore, if both twins have acne it is likely due to a genetic predisposition found in both twins, but if only one twin has acne, then it is likely due to a lifestyle difference between the twins.

Researchers have performed two twin studies to research genetics and acne and have concluded that acne is “uniformly influenced by genetic factors.”³ In other words, acne is genetic.

Large population studies 

Researchers have performed several studies examining the differences between large groups of people with and without acne. Specifically, acne affects 80 to 90% of the population in Western countries, while acne tends to be much lower or even nonexistent in isolated hunter/gatherer populations. 

This research has found that acne is a disease that begins between ages 10-12, and gradually increases until ages 16-18. In most cases, it resolves itself usually by the early 20s. However, acne persists into the adult years in some individuals, and these individuals often have a strong family history of acne, and therefore likely a genetic predisposition for the disease.³

Genetic studies

Genetic studies are performed by looking at individual genes to identify and characterize which mutations lead to an increase of a disease.

Researchers have been able to identify 10 genes that may increase a person’s genetic predisposition to acne (Table 1).

Most of these genes produce proteins that are involved with the immune system’s response to acne and hormone production. As inflammation and hormones are two of the main drivers of acne development, scientists were not surprised that genes for the immune system and hormones were the ones linked to a genetic predisposition for acne. However, since acne is a complex disease it is likely that there are more genes involved with acne that scientists have yet to identify.^3,5,6

Researching genetic syndromes associated with acne

There are several diseases that are associated with an increased risk of developing acne. Researchers believe that it is likely that the genetic mutation(s) that cause these diseases also lead to the development of acne. These disorders include:

For example, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) leads to increased male hormone levels in females and this also causes an increase in the number of acne lesions. Therefore, scientists are beginning to study these diseases to identify genes that may also trigger the development of acne.⁷