News

Cholesterol is Sexy (and other reasons you need it)

Not only is cholesterol sexy (I'll explain), but did you know it's a part of every cell in your body? In the past 5-10 years cholesterol has practically turned into a curse word. Getting preventative screening via lab testing is a good thing, but can result in an unnecessary fight against a non-evil. Cholesterol is not a fire to be put out. This little waxy molecule is a vital to every cell in our body, in multiple ways.

Help Your Hot Body: How to Support a Fever with Nutrition

It's getting hot, hot, hot! Could that be a good thing? When a fever shows up, it's easy to freak out and grab the Tylenol IMMEDIATELY.  However, since acetaminophen is rough on the liver (especially for babies and kids), let's take a step back and talk about how fevers can actually be GOOD. A fever isn't only a sign of illness, it's also a sign of nutritional deficiencies. Understanding how important nutrients like calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin C play into the physiological process of a fever can help you and your family take a more natural route next time the thermometer gets toasty. Here's how to support a fever with nutrition, and get over illness faster.

5 Useful Apps for Total Body Wellness

I just sold my fitbit. I'm over it. I also sold my ipod. There's been a recent tech purge in our house because the charm of having a new gadgets has worn off. I can't keep track of more than 2 social media accounts, so completely separate devices are out of the question. While counting steps was nice for a while, it only helps with a fraction or one area of health: physical fitness. One of the major reasons we've fallen in love with functional medicine is that it considers the health of the whole person, not just bits and pieces. Your health is made up of not only physical, but mental, emotional, nutritional, chemical, and spiritual components as well. Even though comparing step totals may fuel your competitive relationship with bae, judging your health on steps alone isn't a recipe for wellness. Here are some tried and true apps you can download today that can catapult you, instead of tiptoeing, towards wellness. (Continued...)

Clean Up Your Grocery Cart: 5 Ways to Bring Healthy Food Home

Have you ever peeked at the cart behind you in the checkout line, and IMMEDIATELY been embarrassed about your own grocery selections? That lady is pretty much only buying vegetables and you have 10 boxes of Easy Mac... (they were on sale, ok?). Well luckily, Minneapolis-based foodie, Alex from Andra Eats is walking us through how to have a healthy, enviable, grocery cart. Meaning, healthy food will ACTUALLY go home with you and not just the person in line behind you!

Digestion Questions: Prebiotics vs. Probiotics, and Why You Need Enzymes

You've Got BIG Plans in 2017: An Update on The Well Labs Mission

Just over 15 months ago, Hannah, myself, and our friend Alexa were brainstorming ways how to make a bigger impact with our limited resources...time, and money.  We all shared a desire to teach real health, and break down the overwhelming barriers of complicated medical and nutritional information.  We all (and you all) only have so many hours in the day to accomplish what we want and should do. A lack of time and resources often leaves health at the bottom of the priority list. We wanted to make real health, both information and products, convenient for the modern lifestyle. Here's how we're taking our mission to a new level in 2017!

Real Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Why You Can't Wait to Make Changes

Heart disease is just a thing old dudes worry about... right? Sorry, pal. It's actually everywhere. Statistically, you know someone with cardiovascular disease (even if you don't know they have it). But it's also likely you're very aware of someone in your family is struggling with heart health. It may sound small like high cholesterol, or it may be as serious as a heart attack. "But... I can basically ignore it until I'm old, right?" DOUBLE sorry, pal. Heart disease, strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. don't just magically appear one day. The universe doesn't pick a day and declare "TODAY is the day you'll start eating dinner at 4:30 pm, watching 'stories' on the TV, and start thinking about your heart health." That fun diagnosis all the "old" people receive has been in the works for YEARS by the time a doctor actually finds it. Let me explain why and how to prevent heart issues now, and the REAL risk factors you should be looking for (hint: your doctor might be a liiiiittle out of touch).  

How to Set Yourself Up for a Great Year

I've nicknamed myself "the finisher"... wait it's not cool to give yourself a nickname? Those don't stick? Anyway... It's not because I can do a cool WWE wrestling move that puts people to sleep, or because I'm secretly an assassin. I just REALLY like crossing things off of a to-do list. The point is: I get a charge from accomplishing even the most mundane things at any cost. So you can imagine, that "completing" a whole calendar year makes me want to hand out medals to everyone and yell "congrats!" With the fresh start of a calendar flip in mind, there are handful of things you can do to set yourself up for an absolutely great year. You might have tried the old "drink more water, get a gym membership... etc." but here are a few different ways you can be proactive and set yourself up for success this year. 

The Best Nutrition For Men: A Guide To What Most Guys Really Need

"Your blog is for girls." ... Ok, those weren't his exact words, but I recently had a friend highlight the fact that a good bit of the Well Labs material leans female. With two young female cofounders, surrounded by pregnancy, babies, and female patients -- we do tend to go girl a bit more than bro. HOWEVER, we have some very important men in our lives that need our good-intentioned (occasionally overbearing?) care and advice when it comes to nutrition. So here, I'll divulge what we've found works best when it comes to nutrition for men. Here's what (most) guys really need and why:

Why Doing Nothing Is Overwhelming to Your Brain

Having NOTHING to do can be pure freedom. Joy. Exhilarating. One of my favorite comedians puts it perfectly here. Have you ever asked an adult their weekend plans, and they respond with "Nothing. Nothing at all."? They almost always have a smile on their face. No plans and no rules can be, well, the best. There are times however, when "doing nothing" ceases to scream "FREEDOM" and starts to yell an overwhelming, "OH NO WHAT AM I DOING." Let me explain the good and bad types of "nothing" and why the bad kind can overwhelm you into oblivion.