Get Connected to the Global World
Healthy smoking. Those words just don’t go hand in hand. But that’s what smokers thought when e-cigarettes, an alternative to traditional smoking, arrived. E-cig users think they’re getting a nicotine fix without health risks, and I hate to break it to you, but e-cigs create a liquid containing nicotine and chemicals. And to top it […]
Andrew and Gabriella Morrison wanted to simplify their lives so they got rid of most of their belongings, moved out of their home, and spent the next five months trying to figure out a simpler way to live. What they came up with is a 207 square foot house that may seem tiny to most […]
We all know that’s it good for us to take a hike and get out into nature, but it’s not always so easy to get up the motivation to actually do it. With this dilemma in mind, Nature RX created a parody video that pokes fun at pharmaceutical companies and reminds us of the importance […]
The U.S. is a land of abundance. Such abundance, in fact, that somewhere between 31 and 40 percent of food goes to waste. And yet by 2013 figures, almost 50 million Americans lived in food-insecure households, and starvation is still happening in developing countries. Clearly, there’s a distribution problem here. And, since food travels an […]
Stories about the illegal hunting of Cecil the lion and the last remaining black rhino have put the topic of wildlife conservation back into public consciousness. Though Africa has been the location for some of the world’s greatest battles for species like elephants, rhinos and gorillas, other battles are still being fought practically everywhere else […]
If the thought of rehydratable shrimp cocktail and something called spray-dried orange juice doesn’t exactly get your tastebuds in a tizzy, well, you aren’t alone. Although none were available for confirmation, I think it’s safe to wager that having to add water to transform their crunchy chicken chunks into something resembling actual food is not […]
Since 2006, commercial beekeepers have been seeing devastating declines in their hives’ health and longevity. Whereas it was considered normal to lose 10 percent of one’s hives over the winter hibernation, since 2006 the figures have been from 30 percent up to 100 percent in a bad year. Aside from being terrible for the beekeeper’s […]
Ah, avocados. Always the fruit that makes your grocery bill climb, but worth it. It’s the only premium topping in all restaurants that’s always worth the additional cost. The popularity of avocados is not senseless – the little green fruit provides a wide array of benefits. Read on to find out 13 benefits you may […]
Sad news, seafood lovers: Scientists have found what might be the largest toxic algae bloom off the West Coast, causing concerns for marine life and humans. Ocean scientist Raphael Kudela and his researchers at UC Santa Cruz noticed the bloom in Monterey Bay in May, now spreading from California to Alaska. Toxic algae known as […]
Remember the afternoon nap? We often think of them as falling in the domain of preschoolers and the leisurely, but a new study suggests they may be healthier than we think. Research presented at the European Society of Cardiology in London recommend that adults should indulge in hourlong afternoon naps for the sake of their […]
You can track everything on your phone – your diet, your car’s miles per gallon, your spending habits – but now you soon might be able to track your happiness, or lack of. Researchers at Northwestern University used an app to track cell phone usage and found out the more a person uses their cell […]
Pedram Shojai welcomes guest Nick Polizzi to The Urban Monk. Both are new fathers and while the change to becoming a father wasn’t anything unexpected, the changes and effects in their lives as the result of having a child was beyond anything either of them could have imagined. The two discuss in depths the joys […]
Welcome to the pilot episode of Pedram Shojai’s new podcast, The Urban Monk! You may know him from his other podcast, The Health Bridge, but here Pedram has started another podcast that will focus more on lifestyle rather than health directly. Health Bridge will still continue but another podcast was conceived to allow more of […]
Piercing your ears. Wearing uncomfortable high heels. Bearing the torment of a constraining bra. It seems there is no limit to the suffering women will go through in order to look good. Usually though, the level of discomfort caused by fashion choices and beauty rituals are minor annoyances and nothing serious enough to warrant seeking […]
Ask any mom how important her baby’s health is to her and she’ll likely say it’s worth any sacrifice. But when it comes to breastfeeding, it’s not always so simple. I’ve talked to lots of moms who struggle with breastfeeding, whether because their babies aren’t latching on, they can’t produce enough milk to keep up […]
Did you wake up tired and exhausted this morning? Are your mornings chaotic? Were you running around your house from one room to the next getting ready for work while juggling multiple things at one time? We have ALL been there at one time or another. The skill set I had to learn in order […]
Our modern way of life has changed the way we sleep. And though it’s hard to say it’s strictly for the worse, most of it still is. Before the Industrial Revolution, when most people in the world lived in the country, humans would usually sleep in two parts, starting shortly after dark, waking around 10 […]
In 2005, writer Dan Buettner introduced the idea of “Blue Zones,” or spots on the globe where there are the highest rate of centenarians, lowest rate of common deadly diseases like heart disease and cancer, and more years of active and healthy lives than anywhere else. But there aren’t many of them. And that’s what […]
It isn’t the first time I’ve heard that toothbrushes may contain some form of fecal matter from bathroom use. I’ve heard the myth before, but never really paid it much mind. But in early June, researchers from the Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut let some stinky statistics plop: In communal bathrooms with an average of […]
Are women in their 20s and 30s more at risk for high heel injuries than those of past generations? Research suggests, yes. According to a 10-year study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the number of injuries sustained from wearing high heels has nearly doubled in the U.S. That equates to 123,355 injuries for […]
