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Plus, it’s ridiculously easy—no squats, no lunges—and sorta fun. All you need is a rolled-up towel! ​ ​

What traditional medicine says Practitioners believe that blockages of the body’s vital energy, or qi, can lead to pain and illness. When pressure is applied to certain spots called acupoints along interconnected channels called meridians, the energy is released and healing and/or pain relief ensues. What we know Research suggests that acupressure stimulates blood flow and releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. In one study, Iranian researchers treated the menstrual cramps of 216 teenagers with ibuprofen, an acupressure session, or a sham treatment (researchers pressed spots that weren’t acupoints)....

University of Florida researchers have found that an average of a drink a day lowered heart disease in older people. But the benefit didn’t come from reductions in inflammation, which other studies have detected. Reporting in the July 24, 2006, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a team led by Dr. Cinzia Maraldi of the university’s Institute on Aging collected data on nearly 2,500 adults without heart disease, aged 70 to 79....

What is asthma exactly? Asthma is an umbrella term for a chronic respiratory disease caused by a constriction of the muscles surrounding the airway and inflammation of the lining of the airway. Symptoms may include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. If an asthma attack becomes so bad that the airways are blocked, you may have to go to ER to get help restoring your breathing. In fact, asthma causes nearly 2 million ER visits each year....

If your parents didn’t give you those genes, you were home free. You got to pass “Go” and collect $200 that you otherwise would have spent on facial tissues. As the incidence of allergies started rising in the 1970s, that theory crumbled. Genetics alone could no longer explain the spectacular increases in allergic rhinitis, asthma, and other allergic conditions. Today, researchers believe that in addition to genetics, the environment also plays a critical role in determining who will and who won’t develop allergies....

And no, you don’t have to eat tofu. Not if you don’t want to, that is! Nuts provide a great meatless protein source, and these sesame almond noodles are an excellent way to mix nuts straight into a hearty dish. Typically made with peanut butter, I’ve found that substituting my homemade almond butter is a great alternative since I don’t always have peanut butter in the house. A julienned cucumber to lightens up the otherwise heavy dish and provides a serving of vegetables....

One group in the UK hopes so. Rothamsted Research, a sustainable agriculture center, has successfully bred a plant that produces seeds with high levels of omega-3s—the kind found in oily fish. Some plants and seeds produce omega-3s naturally, like chia, flax, and hemp. But the kind they produce is a short-chain omega-3 called ALA, which isn’t absorbed as well in the body as the long-chain kind found in fish. The research group’s genetically modified Camelina plant would produce EPA and DHA, the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found only in fish and marine mammals....

BPA, you’re yesterday’s news. Researchers have found another potentially harmful chemical to worry about: melamine. It’s approved in the United States for use in products like dishes, cooking utensils, and paper, but a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine says it may leach from plastic containers into your food. In a small Taiwanese study, healthy young adults slurped hot soup poured into melamine bowls. (The exact brands used in the study are likely sold in Asian markets here, while others are available at an array of mainstream retailers....

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed both human and animal studies on aspartame, the controversial artificial sugar that sweetens drinks like Diet Coke and Sprite Zero. (You’ll also find it as Equal and NutraSweet in your sugar caddy.) EFSA concluded that aspartame is safe in doses up to 40 mg/kg of body weight per day: So if you weight 150 pounds, that’s about 15 cans of diet soda per day....

Yes! If you have bangs, play up your eyes; the fringe makes them more noticeable. Sweep a bone eye shadow across your lids, and line both the tops and bottoms with a charcoal or black liner. Finish with two coats of mascara. If you’ve added face-framing layers, apply blush with a light hand; layers naturally highlight your cheekbones. Instead, balance your features by lining lids (use the same method as above) and adding a pop of gloss or lipstick in a universally flattering rosy-pink shade....

Whether you’re a night owl with early bird aspirations, a troubled sleeper, or just in need of a little help relaxing before bedtime, some gentle yoga before you tuck in can help. This in-bed routine (really, you can do these moves in your bed) will put your body and mind to rest, helping you sleep soundly through the night to wake up rested and refreshed in the morning. No pills required....

In my hectic world, a perfect workout is short (no more than 20-minutes, start to finish), requires no equipment, absolutely does NOT involve an angry trainer yelling at you, and targets all four points on the fitness compass: strength, endurance, flexibility, and enhanced body composition (increasing lean muscle and burning fat). It should also include moves that work your body through all three planes of motion, the sagittal (flexion/extension, like walking), frontal (abduction/adduction, like snow angels), and transverse (rotation, like turning around from the front seat of the car to tell your kids, “If you don’t start behaving, so help me…”)....

Happify is both a website and mobile app geared towards improving people’s emotional well-being through scientifically-proven activities and games. MORE: If You’re Happy And You Know It, Here’s How Your Health Is Definitely Going To Show It

The FDA was forced to make a decision on bisphenol A (BPA) after a lawsuit was filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental health nonprofit. In October 2008, the NRDC filed a petition asking the FDA to decide whether the harmful chemical should be permitted. The agency didn’t respond for three years, so NRDC’s lawyers recently took the FDA to court. Here’s what the FDA says about its decision: “The FDA denied the NRDC petition today because it did not provide the scientific evidence needed to change current regulations,” says FDA spokesman Douglas Karas in a prepared statement....

What makes exercise such a potent breast cancer weapon? “To get breast cancer, you need a mutated cell–a cell you’ve inherited or one that’s been damaged by radiation, a virus, or another carcinogen—and a local environment that’s encouraging the cells to grow,” says Susan Love, MD, a leading authority on the disease. Because exercise naturally decreases levels of inflammation, reduces stress, and helps you maintain a healthy weight, it changes your body chemistry, creating a less hospitable environment for cancer to grow....

How many calories you burn each day is determined by a number of factors, including your resting metabolic rate, or “metabolism,” (how many calories you burn just living and breathing), your daily activity level (sit at a desk vs. carry packages all day), and how much you exercise. In your case, if you were to ride your bike every day for 45 minutes at a moderate pace, meaning you’re breathing slightly hard, you would burn about 350 calories a day....

Err on the early side. The results don’t mean you have to have your biggest meal at lunch instead of dinner (though it’s an option if you’d like to try it), Garaulet says. However, they do suggest there’s a benefit to consuming calories on the early side of the typical range. Since American dinner tends to fall between 6 and 10 pm, try scheduling supper before 8, she recommends.Use a satiety scale....