Well+Being

(The Washington Post/Chelsea Conrad/The Washington Post)

Probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics: The microbe garden in your gut

Is your microbiome flourishing? Or are the good microbes getting crowded out by unwelcome guests? The answer largely depends on how well you’re taking care of them.

By Anahad O’Connor

(George Wylesol for The Washington Post)

Sad in the summer? You may have summer seasonal depression.

Summer seasonal affective disorder is not as well-known as winter SAD, but it holds a higher risk for suicide and may become more prevalent with climate change.

By Richard Sima

Ask a Doctor: Will getting out in the sun help me sleep better?

By Trisha Pasricha, MD

Feeling tired? These 5 tips may help you rev up your energy.

By Hallie Levine

A 3-minute meditation: How to be mindful watching fireworks

By Samantha Snowden

How to sign ‘gay’ or ‘queer’? American Sign Language users don’t agree.

By Amanda Morris, Alexa Juliana Ard and Anna Lefkowitz

Predigested food, field trips and ticks: The week in Well+Being

When we eat highly processed packaged foods, the machines that grind, pound, heat and puff foods are also doing the pre-chewing and predigesting for us.

By Tara Parker-Pope

Melted, pounded, extruded: Why many ultra-processed foods are unhealthy

Industrial processing changes the structure of food. Experts say it can affect how much you eat and absorb, your weight and your risk for chronic disease.

By Anahad O’Connor and Aaron Steckelberg

A torn ACL can heal itself, new study shows. Surgeons disagree.

The finding that surgery may not be needed for ACL injuries could change future treatment and suggests that the knee is more resilient than previously believed.

By Gretchen Reynolds

Have a question for a doctor? The Washington Post can help.

By Washington Post Staff

latest from Well+Being

We asked 6 expert runners: What’s something you can’t live without?

18 people died in rip currents this month. Here’s how to stay safe.

3 ways to break the cycle of unhealthy relationships and situations

Tuberculosis vaccine to enter final trials, raising hopes of saving millions

Predigested food, field trips and ticks: The week in Well+Being

President Biden uses a CPAP machine for sleep apnea. Here’s what to know.

How to sign ‘gay’ or ‘queer’? American Sign Language users don’t agree.

A torn ACL can heal itself, new study shows. Surgeons disagree.

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Cancer: Treatments and Perspectives

Have a question for a doctor? The Washington Post can help.

By Washington Post Staff

GUIDES

Plantar fasciitis is painful. Some people are treating it the wrong way.

Flip-flop season is here, and so is your risk for plantar fasciitis. Here’s what causes it, how to prevent it, and how to treat the foot pain.

By Teddy Amenabar

More people are living with dementia. What are the signs and risk factors?

By Marlene Cimons

Who can donate blood? What to know about FDA’s new guidelines

By Teddy Amenabar, Fenit Nirappil and Laurie McGinley

Why daylight saving time is worse for your body than standard time

By Aaron Steckelberg and Lindsey Bever

11 tips to plan your health care after job loss

By Lindsey Bever

meet the WELL+BEING TEAM

Tara Parker-Pope is a longtime editor and science writer who knows that well-being is best achieved through the small health decisions we make each day.

Anahad O’Connor is a veteran health reporter who writes about the science of food and the various biological and cultural forces that influence how we eat.

Gretchen Reynolds has covered exercise science for more than two decades, including the perils of inactivity and the benefits of moving just a little more every day.

Richard Sima is a neuroscientist turned science journalist committed to revealing the wonder and mystery of the brain — and why it matters.

Kelyn Soong is an avid runner who writes about exercise culture and the lessons everyday athletes can learn from sports stars and fitness experts.

Amanda Morris is a science reporter and hard of hearing woman whose reporting on people with disabilities and chronic illnesses challenges long-held stigmas and sheds light on health disparities.

Lindsey Bever writes with empathy and expertise on a variety of personal health topics, including chronic illness, mental health and navigating the medical system.

Teddy Amenabar explores the science and the myths behind the health information people are seeing, searching and talking about online.