Eat fava beans, try apple cider vinegar and listen to pink noise — plus other wellness tips to know this week
Hello, Yahoo Life readers! My name is Kaitlin, and I’m sharing the best health and wellness tips to get you through the week.
We’re already halfway through the month of August and the election is right around the corner — take our new Yahoo Life survey to highlight your biggest health concerns on the ballot this year. If you’re heading to the movie theater to escape the heat this summer, check out how some readers are feeling about the difficult subject matter at the center of It Ends With Us before you pick your flick.
As always, take a look at the weather in your area and, if you’re so inclined, your horoscope. Then check out these tips below.
?? Should you try wood therapy?
To be clear, wood therapy doesn’t mean brushing up on your wood carving skills. Rather, it’s a form of massage that utilizes hand-held wooden tools. Practitioners say that it helps with lymphatic drainage (which relieves swelling), improving blood circulation and reducing stress — and some even claim it reduces the appearance of cellulite.
As appealing as wood therapy sounds, much research remains to be done to prove its effectiveness. And although the jury is still out on whether wood therapy helps with cellulite, massage therapy in general has been shown to have many benefits, including pain reduction and a stronger immune system. Curious to see how you feel after a wood therapy session? Enlist a professional who offers wooden tools as part of their practice, but let them know in advance if you have a condition like osteoporosis, which might make wood therapy too intense for you.
?? Get into fava beans
Fava beans may have been on Hannibal Lecter’s meal plan — and you may want to include them in your diet too. These beans, which have nearly 13 grams of protein per cup, contain a chemical called levodopa that can be converted into dopamine. That means that snacking on them could improve depression symptoms. More research needs to be done, but in the meantime, you can use fava beans as the main ingredient for a protein-rich dip: Just smash some up with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on toast.
?? Don’t spend too much time on the toilet
If the bathroom is your favorite place to escape to, sorry, but you may be doing more damage to yourself than you realize. Sitting on the toilet for too long can put extra pressure on your lower rectum and anus, which might lead to hemorrhoids — swollen veins that can cause pain, itching and bleeding.
One tip to avoiding sitting too long? Leave your phone outside the bathroom. Endless scrolling can keep you sitting for long periods, leaving you vulnerable to these issues. And by leaving your phone outside the loo, you’ll also avoid your cell picking up nasty germs that you can pass along to other people.
????? Protect your mental health on the job
A new study found that work stress is linked with a greater chance of developing an abnormal heart rhythm. What can you do about it? One expert told Yahoo Life that you can better manage the emotional and mental toll of your job by keeping a journal. Remind yourself about your personal wins (like a co-worker’s compliment) during times of stress.
?? Avoid the vacation blues
You planned your vacation months ago and were looking forward to having the best time — only to not feel the magic when you arrived. The vacation blues are a bummer, but there are ways to avoid this feeling in the future. Experts tell Yahoo Life that you can ensure a better mood on vacation by managing your physical well-being — which means getting enough sleep and eating nutritious foods, even if you’re running around to four museums a day.
If jet lag from time zone changes tends to mess up your sleep schedule (not to mention your gut, which can be thrown off by interruptions to your circadian rhythm), you can try adjusting your sleep schedule by a few hours before you leave for vacation. This can help you feel better rested when you arrive.
?? Try vinegar
One recent study found that daily vinegar consumption can help reduce symptoms of depression. While more research needs to be done to confirm the results, this is just more evidence of vinegar's benefits. There's one type you might want to start with: apple cider vinegar, which has been touted for helping to regulate blood sugar and improve cholesterol levels. You can use it in a simple homemade salad dressing to replace sugar-laden alternatives for an extra wellness win.
?? Get crafty
New research published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health found that people who enjoyed arts and crafts had a greater sense of happiness and life satisfaction. Previous studies have shown that making art activates reward pathways in our brain, which can enhance feelings of joy and accomplishment. You don’t need to be the next Picasso to get creative: Go to a “paint and sip” class with friends, or skip scrolling on your phone at night in favor of making beaded bracelets.
?? Listen to colorful noise
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University found that white noise (think a consistent noise like radio static) and pink noise (gentle sounds like rainfall) could enhance focus and cognitive performance in children and young adults with ADHD. Researchers believe that these types of noise work for ADHD because they help mask distracting background sounds.
Whether or not you have ADHD, incorporating these sounds into your sleep routine may help you get a better night’s rest by creating a blanket of sound that blocks noise from the outside world. This means you may be less likely to wake up to something like an ambulance siren while you’re trying to sleep.
?? Reconsider oil pulling
There are so many health myths about oil, but one that you may want to pay attention to is the hype around oil pulling. While some people claim that sloshing oil in your mouth can help with your oral hygiene, experts warn that there’s little evidence to show any benefits — and, if you’re skipping out on flossing or brushing in favor of oil pulling, you’re likely doing more harm than good.
Ultimately, oil pulling won’t hurt you, as long as you also keep up with recommended practices for keeping your pearly whites healthy and clean. However, if you are going to oil pull, avoid spitting out the oil in the sink, a move that could clog your pipes.
