As you may know, collagen keeps your skin looking firm and taut, and an increase in blood circulation pumps oxygen and nutrients to your skin cells, which is why many find their skin looking supple and glowy after facial cupping—take it from this personal review. Suctioning your skin with the small, soft cups can also help decrease puffiness and move lymph around, sculpting the face, neck, and jawline; by gliding the cups in upward strokes, you can help tone and lift the skin as well....

The family of four produces upward of 6,000 pounds of produce a year on their tenth-of-an-acre property—nicknamed the Urban Homestead. Over the decades, Jules and his three children have harnessed every inch of their property to support hundreds of plants—all of which are organically tended to without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. The family has taken the challenges of suburban farming in stride and leaned on nature to correct what they cannot....

The green burial movement seeks to change that through a more ecological, intentional, and community-minded approach to death and dying. Here’s what green burial scholars and practitioners have to say about the method’s benefits, logistics, and potential to redefine death care. This burial alternative has a lower environmental impact, and it allows the body to quite literally return to the earth. It also tends to be more affordable than conventional burials....

Spurred by a renewed interest in the power of tea, now backed by modern science, tea consumption is on the rise. It is predicted by 2027 annual green tea production will reach 3.6 million tons, but how much green tea do you actually need to be drinking? Let’s break down the science behind green tea and exactly how many cups you should be sipping on every day. If you are interested in diabetes prevention or treatment, one study found more than three cups of tea per day8 was associated with a lower type-2 diabetes risk, while other research also supports this intake, showing benefit for three to four cups per day4....

During this ancient Japanese technique, the Reiki master—someone who has gone through all three levels of Reiki training—channels life force energy through his or her hands onto another person, the recipient. By gently floating their hands above someone’s body, the practitioner can identify where blockages live and how to open them so that Qi, or life force energy, can start to flow through the recipient’s body freely. Other excellent ways to balance the energy of the body include eating chakra-balancing foods, using essential oil therapy, practicing Kundalini yoga, and doing chakra meditation....

In the excerpt below, an essay by Cameron Esposito, enjoy a taste of how this book stokes deep appreciation for the tenderness of our humanity using refreshing authenticity and heartfelt humor. To read the other essays, purchase your own copy here. Emily and I met in Chicago. We didn’t do exactly the same thing—I’m a standup comic, and she worked in the adjacent world of musical improv. Emily occasionally did standup too, but it wasn’t make-or-break for her the way it was for me....

The meditation was a welcome reprieve from a full day of groundbreaking content and panels from the crème de la crème of the wellness world. It was fascinating but certainly draining, especially for an introvert! We settled in with a body scan. Most people remained seated, but I lay down for the first time in meditation all weekend, grateful to be surrounded by natural desert elements—warmth, beautiful birds chirping, and mountain-fresh air....

There is, however, one food group that I consistently find interferes with my patient’s hormone goals. It’s deemed healthy, but time and time again in my practice, I’ve found it to get in the way of my patients’ abilities to find natural hormone balance. Apples, oranges, pineapples, and cranberries have 24, 21, 32, and 31 grams of sugar, respectively. Fruit-filled smoothies often contain more sugar than a candy bar! Cortisol, a glucocorticoid (steroid hormone), is the one that’s known as our fight-or-flight hormonal response....

On average, women and men in relationships report that “foreplay” lasts 11 and 13 minutes respectively, according to a 2004 study2 of heterosexual couples. Men tended to report that foreplay lasted longer than women did. Both men and women reported that sex lasted an average of seven minutes. “If you’re thinking people are generally having sex for hours, think again,” sexologist Shamyra Howard, LCSW, tells mbg. The exception to that rule might be women who have sex with women: A 2014 study3 found the median time spent on sex was 30 to 45 minutes among women in same-gender relationships, compared to 15 to 30 minutes for mixed-gender relationships and relationships between men....

Don’t fight it—sleep is essential for recovering from the flu, a common cold, or any other infection. But just how much slumber does the body need to heal itself? Getting a good night’s rest has also been shown to push T-cells into our lymph nodes2, thus helping to destroy germ-infected cells in our bodies. It doesn’t matter if you get those extra hours by hitting the hay a little earlier, sleeping in, or catching a catnap in the afternoon—anytime you’re sleeping when sick allows your body to devote energy toward fighting harmful viruses and bacteria....

Yet, 42% of the U.S. adult population1 is living with vitamin C insufficiency, almost half are failing to get enough vitamin C from their food each day, and even with supplementation, 33% of American adults2 are still falling short of their needs. When looking at the research, at least 200 milligrams per day seems to be the amount to keep your plasma (i.e., blood levels) saturated with vitamin C5, optimize the amount of C in your cells and tissues, because low vitamin C levels—suboptimal statuses like insufficiency and deficiency—can have negative health implications....

If you opt for the latter, here’s everything you need to know, from the benefits of foot-peel masks to how they work and a step-by-step guide on how to use them. So, what are the benefits? For one, foot-peel masks might be safer than old-school callus-removal methods. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, using a foot file or foot razor to remove dead skin and calluses can lead to permanent damage and infection....

South Carolina–based psychotherapist Markesha Miller, Ph.D., also points to cognitive dissonance, our brain’s ability to hold two opposing thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes simultaneously. For instance, believing pollution and natural land degradation are bad yet still driving an SUV or purchasing products made with palm oil. “If people pretend that the problem does not exist, then they don’t have to face the uncomfortable emotions or actions that may come with acknowledging it....

When you do this move correctly, a bridge exercise can help promote better posture, improve athletic performance, and offer a number of other benefits. So before you add this move to your daily routine and reap all the benefits, learn how to do a bridge exercise with impeccable form. If this is the case, try moving a little slower and focus on keeping your ribs heavy as the hips lift up....

Drying your nails may take only a few measly minutes, but trust us when we say: It can feel like forever. Much like waiting for water to boil or the oft-mentioned “treadmill minute,” time seems to stretch on and on as you eye the clock. Here’s exactly how to dry nails fast—not only do these tips cut down on drying time, but they can help keep your nails from smudging, too....

According to psychic medium and soul progression healer Gaia Chinniah, reincarnation relates to cycle of Samsara: “Samsara meaning your soul is taking on a new body, and that cycle keeps going until you reach Moksha, which is your enlightenment, or the end of your in reincarnation cycle.” As child psychiatrist and past-life researcher Jim B. Tucker, M.D., previously explained to mbg, reincarnation posits there is “carry-over from one life to another,” and we all possess “some type of consciousness entity (or in religious terms, a soul) that experiences successive lives....

Whatever the circumstances, many people out there may be in the difficult position of cohabiting with an ex as the world rides out this pandemic. How do we work around the complications, the pain of proximity, and the challenge of boundary setting? “Are you seeing yourselves as former partners, now temporary roommates, with a romantic history?” Muñoz poses. “Are you transitioning into a friendship? Are you former spouses moving toward becoming co-parents?...

With that in mind, it’s also important to recognize any feelings of shame surrounding the cheating, relationship therapist Ken Page, LCSW, explains. Thoughts like, “I’m not attractive enough,” or “Why did my last partner want someone else?” may come up, as you attempt to blame yourself for your partner’s poor choices. This requires “a lot of tender care and support,” he adds. “These wounds can be healed, but they need to be healed with a great deal of trust, ongoing conversation, and usually deep support,” Page says....