If you’re a regular mindbodygreen reader, you’ve likely gleaned some answers to your questions around both of these popular topics. Still, there’s one important question that falls at the intersection of both these realms: Are probiotics vegan? As it turns out, the answer isn’t so cut-and-dried. To clear things up, we chatted with experts to get their take on what makes a probiotic vegan or not, where to get a trusted supplement that fits the bill, along with vegan foods that offer some probiotic benefits....

It’s important to understand that autoimmune disease—and any other type of health condition—doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere one day. It starts with the slow burn of inflammation and can continue on for years, pushing you in the direction of disease. And what you eat can make a huge difference. So why is this combination of diets so potentially powerful? A ketotarian is able to take advantage of the benefits of eating plant-based while avoiding the common mistakes I see many well-intentioned vegans and vegetarians make....

Viscose is most often used to make clothing (especially loungewear and activewear), but you’ll also find it in home goods like sheets and bedding. And as mentioned earlier, chemicals are then used to break down cellulose so it can be spun into viscose—some of which are toxic. One of the most ubiquitous, and dangerous, is carbon disulfide. “[Carbon disulfide] is a powerful solvent that has been historically linked to causing hysteria in factory workers1,” says Urska Trunk, a campaign manager at the Changing Markets Foundation, a European nonprofit that investigates and exposes irresponsible corporate practices....

This makes telomeres a telling marker for how a body will age: After studying telomere length across multiple species, a research team out of Spain found that the rate of telomere decay over time could accurately predict the life span of that species. And abnormally short telomeres seem to make humans more susceptible to conditions such as bone marrow failure, pulmonary fibrosis, liver disease, and gastrointestinal disease over time. “Human beings with the highest vitamin D levels have the longest telomeres, and people with the lowest vitamin D levels have the [shortest] telomeres,” Gundry told mbg co-CEO Jason Wachob, referring to research in the Archives of Medical Science2 and the Journal of Nutrition3 on the association between telomere length and vitamin D levels....

The go-to solution for lingering odors is an air freshener. But, as individuals who are laser-focused on well-being, we wanted to know—how do air fresheners actually work? Sure, they kill odors, create ambience in a room, and smell wonderful, but how do they actually work? And how can we be sure they’re safe? Air sprays are the most versatile in the bunch and can be used anywhere odors are lingering in the air....

In the name of hair health, sometimes frizz is a sign that your hair needs some TLC—but not always. Here are the nuances of what causes and how to tame frizzy strands. “Think of shingles on a roof, aligned and lying flat,” Stollmeyer says. When the many causes of frizzy hair take place (more on that next), they can all cause the cuticle (aka the shingles) to raise and flare out, she explains....

As natural hair continues to grow in mainstream prominence, it only makes sense to take a deep dive into the curly world and learn more about one of the three subcategories for Type 4 hair—Type 4a. Whether you’re just beginning to transition to natural hair or find yourself caring for a child with this hair type, consider this a crash course on the basics of Type 4a hair. Type 1 refers to straight hair and doesn’t have any subcategories....