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I’m a board-certified gynecologist who practices functional medicine, but I’m also a regular gal—a busy working mom, constant chauffeur for my daughters, devoted wife, and spiritual seeker. I know that good food needs to be easy and convenient, or it’s unlikely to happen. Making wise food choices used to be a daily challenge for me—but it got easier with practice and once I started to see food preparation as a sadhana, or spiritual practice....

With just the sounds to go off of, your mind can fill in the blanks, and you don’t have to worry about watching a screen or unrelatable actors. And not for nothing, many of these sites are a bit more woman-friendly than your average porn platform and share a lot of the values of the ethical porn movement.

Here’s what you need to know about how eustress affects the body and how to differentiate it from other, more sinister forms of stress. “It typically occurs when we are reaching toward something we have not yet achieved, coupled with the mindset of, ‘I can get there, this challenge feels exciting to me,’ rather than ‘I’m falling short, this challenge feels scary to me,’” explains Lindsey Pratt, LMHC, an NYC-based psychotherapist....

The latest trend that the internet has peer-pressured me to dive into is gommage. Of course, it sounds alluring, just like any French word would. But apparently, it’s a kind-of-new skin care trend that people can’t stop talking about. Because, after all, if the French are obsessed, we should be too. So, I decided to tap two skin care experts to get the scoop on gommage and whether it’s actually worth the hype....

However, if you want to be as proactive and intentional as possible, it’s worth adding targeted and functional brain-loving bioactives like Sceletium tortuosum, aka kanna, to your routine.* The powerful botanical is one of the main active ingredients in mbg’s brain guard+ trio, our comprehensive nootropic supplement—and it might very well be your brain’s new BFF.* The plant has been used as an herbal remedy by Indigenous tribes for hundreds of years, according to a 2021 review article1 in Molecules....

The dairy beverage originated in Eastern Europe4 and has since been commercialized in other regions of the world, including the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. Integrative gastroenterologist Martin Singh, M.D., tells mbg, “just make sure to avoid kefir with added sugar and flavorings.” Instead look for plain, full-fat varieties. And while not technically kefir, there are aqua kefirs or water-based kefirs, which are a good dairy-free option if you’re extremely sensitive to lactose....

“It’s a method of using repetitive patterns in a mindful way,” she explains. “I always call it the art of stress reduction and relaxation. And anyone can do it.” Created by Rick Robert and Maria Thomas, Zentangle is all about creating patterns (aka “tangles”) with simple dots, lines, curves, orbs, etc. The design is created on a small piece of paper or “tile,” which can also be arranged with other tiles to form larger mosaic-like designs....

Here’s everything you need to know about being pansexual, or “pan” for short. “As someone who identifies as pansexual, I define pansexuality as being attracted to people who are located anywhere along the spectrum of gender identity,” says psychologist Akilah Sigler, LMHC. This isn’t to say pansexual people are attracted to everyone, but gender just isn’t the defining factor in who they are and aren’t attracted to. Some pansexual people say that they’re attracted to people based on personality, with gender playing no role at all....

That said, a lack of interest in sex doesn’t necessarily mean that a guy doesn’t want to date you. Some people prefer to take their time and wait until things are more serious before having sex with someone, and some people are simply not as interested in sex as they are in other aspects of getting to know a new partner. If you’re not sure where your guy stands, it’s best to just ask him about it, ideally in a nonsexual setting....

—Isabelle, 31 —Ellen, 29 “Like: My nipple is sucked, and I feel an explosion-like sensation in that nipple, which makes sense, but at the same time I also feel that exact same sensation in my pussy, my ass, my hands, my toes—in a million places, which usually never feel the same way as my breasts. “Or: My G-spot is stimulated persistently, and it feels like the entire area between my pussy and my throat is suddenly linked or has come together in one piece like a trunk....

However, there are reasons why brows may become more uneven with time, which may lead to a more dramatic difference. Even though uneven brows aren’t necessarily bad, it’s perfectly reasonable if you may want to try to get your brows to look more similar. Here, what to do about it. However you can still fake an even arch or fill in sparse areas if you choose, so skip to the next section if you want a few expert tips....

Though more human trials still need to be conducted to see exactly how magnesium affects sleep, early research is promising and anecdotal evidence abounds that the mineral supports deeper, more restorative rest when added to a healthy bedtime routine.* If you’re curious to try it out yourself (and your doctor is on board), here are three things to look into when choosing a sleep-supporting magnesium supplement: And while some forms of magnesium are associated with unpleasant side effects like diarrhea, magnesium glycinate is highly absorbable and “has higher bioavailability and is gentle on your stomach, unlike other forms of magnesium,” Bindiya Gandhi, M....

Caveat: The reason for this protracted Venus in Leo transit is the dreaded “r” word. From July 22 to September 3, Venus will be retrograde, a cycle that comes around every 18 months. (Better renew those vows Jen and Ben…) During this backspin, Venus changes from evening star (visible at dusk) to morning star (visible right before dawn). The ancients thought Venus was two separate planets and thus has two Greek names: Phosphorus, “the bringer of light” for her morning star cycle, and Hesperus, “the star of the evening,” for her evening phase....

Also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D forms in our bodies when we’re exposed to UV rays from the sun. The vitamin and hormone is also present in foods such as egg yolks, mushrooms, some fish, and certain fortified dairy products. Though unless you’re eating cod liver oil at every meal or spending hours on end outdoors, it can be difficult to get the recommended daily dose of vitamin D from food and sunlight alone....

But for most of my life, “the chase” hadn’t really been my thing. Until recently. I’ve spent the last couple of months completely fixated on a human who makes me feel like shit. Rob charged through rooms with palpable apathy, remarking that they were “boring” and without asking me whether or not I was ready to continue on. He just expected me to follow and I did what I felt I should do: I followed....

—Sherrie, St. Louis, Missouri I was vegan for three years and found it to lead to extremely restrictive, obsessive behavior, quickly. I lost a lot of weight (about 30 to 35 pounds) and was extremely restrictive with myself, losing sight of the original reason I had become vegan: to eat healthier and be gentler on the environment I live in. Then, toward the end of my veganism, I was getting lazy with making nutritious vegan meals and found myself eating lots of toast for meals and snacking on sugary bars and popcorn to fill me up....

To make sure that we ate enough of it, our bodies and brains were designed to really enjoy1 1the taste, and therefore the craving was built into us, to ensure we wouldn’t be deficient in this vital nutrient and to pursue the pleasure that salt gives us. When you eat salt, your brain lights up with little hits of pleasure-chemicals, ensuring that we will keep eating it. Salt is necessary for a bunch of processes in your personal biochemistry set, known as your body....

Yin (which tends to be more feminine) and yang (which tends to be more masculine) represent the dynamic balance of opposing forces. And getting nutrients from food without upsetting this balance is very important. They would benefit from eating foods that are cooked (but not fried). Consuming more fruits, vegetables, and bitter greens will add more yin and help them to balance the heat. Anything spicy, fried, or pungent increases heat and can cause health problems by burning away the yin....

Yin-yang represents the universe creating itself from chaotic Wuji energy and transmuting it into order, or Tai Ji—the great polarity. So the yin-yang symbol represents creation theory or the “big bang.” It begins with nothing and transforms into everything. It’s impossible to know the true origin of yin-yang, though symbols representing yin-yang were present during the Neolithic period (3400 B.C.). Yin-yang is also represented in the I Ching, or The Book of Changes, a Chinese divination text that dates back to 1000–750 B....

In comes new innovation that tackles the issue head-on: You can now purchase a face mask (that is, the fabric kind) infused with shea butter and copper—so your covering can protect in more ways than one. Here’s how it works: The technology infuses shea butter into each individual yarn fiber, making for an ultra-moisturizing mask. Shea butter is an excellent emollient, meaning it can soften the skin and fill in microcracks; it’s also been shown to seal moisture into the skin and protect the skin barrier1....