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Fortunately, natural hairstyles aren’t as tricky to pull off as they used to be. “The best way to achieve a great style without a blow-dryer is after washing your hair, take a towel and flip your head upside down, wrapping it up in a twisted towel for 15 minutes,” says Carolyn Aronson, hairstylist and founder of It’s a 10 Haircare. “Once you take it down, a lot of the excess water will have been absorbed by the towel....

Nix indecision Energy crisis: Chicken or pasta? Seaside or mountain vacation? And of those 20 bathing suits you just tried on, which one should you actually buy? When everyday decisions feel like a chore, take comfort in knowing it’s not just you. A University of Minnesota study found that when people were asked to choose from an assortment of things they could buy, they had less stamina, felt fatigued, and fared worse on math problems than those who were asked simply to look at the options....

Yes, you read that right—jolted. With electricity. If you fail to meet your goals, the Pavlok fitness band will hit you with 340 V of electric current, which Pavlok founder and CEO Maneesh Sethi compares to the static electricity you feel when you touch a metal doorknob. Sethi says that while the fitness bands currently on the market are great for tracking everything from the number of steps you take to your sleep pattern, they can’t actually change your habits....

[sidebar] Duck the stuff that makes you sneeze With pollen and mold, the best approach is avoidance. Pollen and mold spore levels vary with location, time of day, and the weather, explains Gailen D. Marshall, MD, PhD, director of the division of allergy and clinical immunology at the University of Texas, Houston, Medical School. To avoid spending lots of time in their company, follow this guide. The “no problem” guide to exercisingYou breathe harder and suck in more air when you’re exercising than when you’re, say, lying on the couch....

If you still cringe at the thought of bacteria, we’re here to tell you that the times have changed: In an impressive image turnaround, researchers are increasingly realizing that these wriggly, squirmy outlaws aren’t so nasty after all. And more Americans than ever are both tossing the hand sanitizer and popping a little extra bacteria with their morning orange juice. (Did you remember to take your Lactobacillus today?) The popularity of probiotics—live microbes that promote health—are one indication that we’re finally less squeamish about beneficial bacterial....

After studying the effectiveness—and safety—of routine annual vaccinations, experts from two national veterinary associations issued extra guidelines in 2004 on which vaccines should be given to cats and dogs, and how often. Their conclusion: Not all vaccines need to be given every year (though owners should continue to keep their pet’s annual checkup) because most animals do not require them. What’s more, in cats, repeated booster shots can cause severe reactions and in some cases cancer....

Cosmetic chemists know, for example, that many anti-aging ingredients stay active longer when they’re not exposed to sunlight. Retinoids, which speed cell turnover, “can break down chemically with light exposure and become ineffective,” says Julian Omidi, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Los Angeles (check out this simple guide to retinoids). Other topical anti-agers like vitamins C and E don’t hold up well in sunlight or air. They’re present in both day and night skin care products, but you probably get more antioxidant bang for your buck when you apply them before you go to sleep....

One of the turning points in my own relationship with food came after I’d gained 80 pounds in a few months and was in such despair that I wanted to kill myself. Instead of going on yet another diet—I’d spent all of my teens and most of my 20s dieting and bingeing—I asked myself how my weight was speaking for me. I asked myself what my body was saying that I felt I couldn’t say directly....

You know the basics on sun protection: Don’t leave the house without sunscreen, never set foot inside a tanning bed, and always wear a wide-brimmed hat to the beach. But is there anything else you can do to stave off those potentially damaging rays? Indeed, new research suggests a novel weapon in the fight against skin cancer—one that’s probably already in your medicine cabinet. In a study published in the journal Cancer, researchers found that women who took aspirin on a regular basis experienced fewer diagnoses of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer....

Crossing Your LegsHow bad is it? Don’t stress over this one. Forget the old wives tale about crossed legs causing varicose veins—whether you get those is based solely on heredity factors. And while crossing your legs can temporarily elevate blood pressure (which is why physicians often ask patients to keep their feet flat during checks) there are no long-term heart-health effects from sitting with your legs crossed. Instead of worrying about how you’re sitting, you should be worried about how much you’re sitting, says Deirdre Mattina, MD, member of the American College of Cardiology....

New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority announced this week that bedbugs were found hitching a ride on the seat cushions of subway conductors on the N line, which runs through three of the city’s boroughs. While the pest-ridden train cars have since been sidelined and fumigated, bedbug horror stories are popping up across the country: An infestation was reported at a United Airlines corporate office in Chicago (not the planes themselves, knock on wood), and pest control giant Terminix ranked Dallas, Denver, and Los Angeles among the top 15 most bedbug-infested cities of 2014....

I love fall. We’re only one day in, but I am so excited that fall fruits and vegetables are making their way to farmers markets and grocery stores. I planted some (read: a ton) of pumpkins this summer, and I’m going to have to get very creative with the dozens I’ll be harvesting this October—starting with this recipe right here. Salad 1 sm pumpkingrapeseed oil4–5 lg beets (with green tops)1 tsp cumin1 c cooked quinoa1 lg bunch arugula, chopped...

The research: Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin examined data on alcohol consumption among more than 400 adults ages 55 to 65, and then tracked the death certificates among participants for 20 years. They found that the risk of death for those who binge drank—defined as consuming four or more drinks on a single occasion for women, and five or more drinks for men—was more than two times greater than those who drank the same amount over the course of a week....

Random sharp pains You’re minding your own business when suddenly it feels as if someone’s stuck you with a pin. Then the feeling goes away, never to return. “It’s the hypochondriac’s muse,” says Marcela Espinosa, MD, an internal medicine physician with HealthCare Partners Medical Group in Los Angeles. “Sharp pains that last for a second or two then go away are something we all experience from time to time and are usually benign....

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a hormone-disrupting chemical found in things like canned soup, plastics, cash register receipts, and even baby formula. While experts have been warning about its dangers for a while now, a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation is the first to find a direct link between higher BPA exposure in healthy adults and a greater risk of developing heart disease down the line....

[sidebar]Below are exercises to strengthen your core muscles. Being a good athlete demands a strong, stable core—all the muscles of your torso and pelvis that support your spine. Like the trunk of a tree supporting its branches, these muscles also help stabilize your body as it moves. The biggest benefit of core training though is that it develops functional fitness. That’s because your core comes into play just about every time you move....

Experts tracked 201 overweight women, ages 21 to 45, for 1 year. Some walked off 1,000 calories per week; others, 2,000. In each group, some women ambled along comfortably, taking longer to reach their goal; others maintained a bristling, nearly breathless pace. Ultimately, everybody in the 1,000-calorie group lost an average of 13 pounds regardless of walking speed; those in the 2,000-calorie group shed about 20 pounds—again, regardless of exercise pace....