Of course, skin covers the whole of our bodies—and yet, we rarely give the rest of our skin the attention it so deserves. Except in the shower. The shower is when you are able to connect with your skin from the neck down in a fundamental way. But are you taking your “healthiest” shower? And on that note, what does a better-for-skin shower even look like? And its flora does a lot for us: helps us deal with skin infections by crowding out pathogens with good bacteria, acts as a vital part of our skin barrier, protects us from environmental damage by limiting exposure to allergens and oxidative stress, and even communicates with our internal immune system1, new research shows....

Hearing our parents make racist comments can be particularly upsetting, especially if you’re close to them and talk to them regularly. But the good news is, our family members are the people we’re likely to have the biggest effect on because of our close personal relationships with them. “Keep in mind the generational differences and the conditioning that was bestowed onto them. Remind yourself that you have more access to information that they may not have had access to growing up, due to the whitewashing of history books and absence of social media and internet use during their times,” she explains....

How the hell did we get here? This was not in the grand plan. Or maybe it’s that he grew up in a relatively affluent community. While he wasn’t lavished with money by any means, he certainly could tap into resources behind our backs. We also happen to live in Boulder, Colorado, where cannabis stores outnumber convenience stores. Despite the fact that neither of his parents used pot or other drugs and drank only infrequently, the normalcy of drug use in the community he grew up in certainly influenced his perspective on it....

According to a 2013 study, 74 percent of Americans suffer from some form of digestive issue. What makes dandelion root tea healing for our digestive fire is the bitter taste that stimulates gastric juices to improve bile flow. Like my beloved coffee, dandelion tea has a similar diuretic effect on the body4. While I knew I wanted to make the shift from my delicious warm cup of coffee in the morning to this superfood tea, would I have to sacrifice taste?...

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....

It’s certainly not for everyone, though. As we’ve reported before, intermittent fasting could potentially be a bad choice if you’re prone to anxiety, have a history of eating disorders, or you’re dealing with one of these issues. But what about during pregnancy? If you’re a die-hard intermittent faster and you get pregnant, do you have to give up this lifestyle or might there actually be some perks like improved energy levels and reduced risk of gestational diabetes?...

Interest in indoor plants has seen a major boom in the past few years (likely as a result of more time spent at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic), and it’s now starting to evolve in a colorful way. In 2023, we’re predicting a rise in flowering houseplants, as avid indoor gardeners look to brighten things up at home with pops of color. Here’s the science behind why more flowers could actually be just what we’re missing—plus the flowering plants to watch out for this year....