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'The Rings of Power': All the Tolkien Terminology You Need to Know

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'The Rings of Power': All the Tolkien Terminology You Need to Know

There's a reason folks who know a ton about the works of JRR Tolkien are often referred to as scholars. Watching The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit is the tip of a genuinely massive iceberg, which is why a lot of people who enjoyed the films are a little confused about what's happening in all of the trailers for the upcoming Amazon series The Rings of Power. 

But don't panic! You don't need to read an epic tome or watch 20 hours of Extended Editions to appreciate this new series when it comes to Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 2. Armed with whatever you remember from the last time you watched The Lord of the Rings and this quick terminology guide, you'll be prepared to enjoy this series without feeling terribly lost at these words you've never heard used in the movies before.

The Second Age

The Rings of Power takes place before what you've seen in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but not like 10 years back like you might see in lots of other prequel stories. The Rings of Power takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, during a period of time referred to as the Second Age. In this world, large segments of time are separated by major global events. For example, the scene at the end of The Lord of the Rings where everyone gets on those boats and sails away marks the end of The Third Age.

One of the cool things about The Rings of Power telling a story in the Second Age is that we'll get to see characters we've only previously experienced through legend and flashback, as well as ancient characters from the movies when they were young. Elves live impossibly long lives unless they are murdered, so in this series there will be character names we've heard before like Galadriel and Elrond and Isildur but much, much younger versions of the people we've already met. 

Harfoots (pronounced har-foots)

One of the Harfoots, a race seen in The Rings of Power and ancestor of Hobbits.

Amazon Prime Video

You may have noticed in all of the trailers for The Rings of Power there are no Hobbits, at least not as you'd recognize them from the movies. There's a very good reason for this: Hobbits don't exist yet! Where Elves, Dwarves, and even Men of The Second Age live long lives and accomplish great deeds, the ancestors of Hobbits have lifespans much closer to an average human here in the real world. That means their evolution happens much faster than the other races of Middle-earth, and what we will see in The Rings of Power are one of the ancestors of Third Age Hobbits, known in this time as Harfoots. 

Unlike the Stoors and Fallohides, which are other races that eventually come together with Harfoots to become Hobbits, the little folk we will see in Rings of Power are nomadic gatherers. They live off the land, with a more earthy and natural look to their clothing and behavior. A few of these Harfoots have been spotted in the trailers already, complete with the tell-tale hairy feet and shorter stature. Unlike Third Age Hobbits, Tolkien described many Harfoots as being darker skinned and are on average smaller than the characters you already know. 

Expect Harfoots to play a pivotal role in this series, even if they don't get as much screen time as the films' Hobbits.

Silvan Elves (pronounced sil-vn)

Arondir's armor from The Rings of Power, on display at San Diego Comic Con 2022

Katie Aiani

One of the coolest costumes seen in trailers for The Rings of Power so far belongs to the character Arondir, who is not mentioned in any of JRR Tolkien's works. Arondir was created as a new character out of necessity; the race he represents is mentioned several times across Tolkien's works but never given the same kind of attention as many of the other races in Middle-earth. 

Arondir is a Silvan Elf, and according to Tolkien these elves are separated from the others and scattered across multiple worlds. Those who made it to Middle-earth have a deep connection to nature, which is why you see Arondir in a wooden breastplate with a tree spirit or Green Man carved into it. What survives of Silvan Elves in the Second Age become part of Lorien, the area of Middle-earth we see Galadriel as ruler of in The Lord of the Rings. 

Outside of looking very cool, Arondir and other Silvan Elves we see will be unique and stand out quite a bit from the Elves of this time.

Valinor (pronounced vali-nor)

The first image Amazon Prime Video shared from The Rings of Power was a still shot of Valinor with the two trees still alive. 

Amazon Prime Video

The Elves you have seen across all of Tolkien's movies -- and soon this TV series -- live in Middle-earth, but they are not from Middle-earth. The Elves as we see them migrated to Middle-earth from a place called Valinor, a massive land with multiple cities and its own separate constructs of time and life. The way Elves and other creatures of Valinor lived while there is wildly different from the way they live in Middle-earth. 

Elves left Valinor and came to Middle-earth because they had no choice: The two trees that allowed life to exist in Valinor were destroyed by a giant spider called Ungoliant and another being called Morgoth. Ungoliant would later give birth to the giant spider Shelob, who nearly kills Bilbo and Frodo in their respective stories. Morgoth passes his darkness to his pupil Sauron, who changes his name to Annatar when he went into hiding from those chasing the remnants of Morgoths army.

Valinor would eventually become a place Elves wish to return to, which you see at the end of The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. The ships Bilbo, Frodo and other board at the end of the movie are traveling back to Valinor. Being allowed to return home before that point was considered a great honor, so when it's mentioned you will usually hear it in a grand context.

Númenor (pronounced noo-menor)

From a trailer for The Rings of Power, the first shot of the kingdom of Númenor

Amazon Prime Video

We've seen the massive white city of Gondor and the far-reaching lands of the horse lords called Rohan, but there was another Kingdom of Men where Aragorn's ancestors came from called Númenor. This massive star-shaped island was home to Men who lived much longer than most of their contemporaries and could build lasting relationships with Elves and Dwarves. Like Aragorn, many of the people from this island were gifted fighters and great leaders.

The Men of Númenor aren't quite like the men of the rest of Middle-Earth. They live quite a bit longer thanks to their ancestry, which frequently leads to them being treated as something different from someone you would meet in Middle-earth proper. Most Men of this era have never been to Númenor, let alone recognize it as somehow ruling all Men of the era. 

Since this is the biggest kingdom of Men in the Second Age, there's a good chance a significant amount of this show will take place in Númenor. 

Khazad-dûm (pronounced k'hah-zahd-doom)

Elrond and a Dwarf walking through the underground city of Khazad-dûm in The Rings of Power.

Amazon Prime Video

Most folks only know the kingdom of the Dwarves as a tomb and home to an angry Balrog who loses a fight with Gandalf. In The Lord of the Rings, we know this massive underground city as Moria, but in the Second Age it was also known as Khazad-dûm. 

Unlike the scattered, separated version of the Dwarves we see in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, we're going to see Dwarves in their prime throughout The Rings of Power. This is before the Arkenstone and the incident with Smaug, and before the Balrog is awakened in Moria. (All of that happens in the Third Age.) Instead, we're going to see Durin and his kin as master crafters with political agency and hopefully a will to work with the other peoples of Middle-earth. 

And, unfortunately, we will probably also see whatever leads these proud people to retreat fully into their mountain. 

Lindon (pronounced lin-don)

Amazon Prime Video

Middle-earth is a big place, and at this point in the world's history there are a lot of Elvish territories that currently don't look like the ethereal land Galadriel rules or the civilized kingdom Elrond presides over in the movies. Before Lothlorien and Rivendell there was Lindon, ruled by High King Gil-galad. During most of the Second Age, Elrond actually works for Gil-galad as his herald because he is not yet considered a high-ranking Elf.

Lindon is, for most Elves, the harbor used to travel to either Númenor or Valinor depending on your purpose. It's a protected harbor and in many ways the space used for the army Gil-galad sends to fight Morgoth. For the purpose of this series, it's likely Lindon will be considered the political seat of power for the Elves. And because it's an Elven city, you can expect it to be staggeringly beautiful.

Eregion (pronounced eh-reh-gee-on)

Celebrimbor, lord of Eregion in The Rings of Power.

Amazon Prime Video

While Lindon is the seat of political power for the Elves, it's not where the action will likely take place during The Rings of Power. That honor will almost assuredly go to the Elf-controlled region in the western part of Middle-earth called Eregion at this time. Eregion is located a short distance from both Khazad-dûm and what will later be known as Mordor, which means it's close to our cool Dwarven characters and nicely located for battle scenes against Sauron's army of orcs. 

While Gil-galad is High King of all Elves, Eregion is led by Celebrimbor. As a descendant of Feanor, creator of the Silmarils (we'll get into those next), Celebrimbor has an unceasing desire to create something of real value for the peoples of Middle-earth. In the books, Celebrimbor and the other artists of his realm are guided by Annatar to make The Great Rings for all the kingdoms of Middle-earth. 

As you probably know, that doesn't go super well for everyone and takes a few thousand years plus a couple of Hobbits to fully deal with.

Silmarils (pronounced sil-mar-ils)

A representation of the three Silmarils embedded in Galadriel's dagger.

Amazon Prime Video

A common misunderstanding about The Rings of Power is that it will be based on stories told in The Silmarillion. As Amazon was unable to secure the rights to use The Silmarillion to craft the stories in The Rings of Power, the actual source material being used will instead be the Appendices in The Lord of The Rings. It's worth noting these pages contain a ton of the timeline elaborated upon in The Silmarillion, including three jewels called the Silmarils. These are powerful magic stones created from the power within the two trees that kept Valinor alive. Instead of using those stones to restore the trees that Ungoliant and Morgoth destroyed, the stones were stolen by Morgoth and embedded in his crown to make him more powerful. 

When Morgoth is eventually defeated during The First Age, the Silmarils remained behind while the Elves traveled to Middle-earth because they were too powerful to hold and drove otherwise reasonable people to lust for power. You can see a nod to the three Silmarils on Galadriel's ornamental dagger, and it will likely be a major point of discussion before Annatar becomes Sauron and forges the rings of power to give to all the leaders of Middle-earth.

While the creation of the rings will obviously be the focus of this series, the Silmarils which came before them are likely to be mentioned quite a bit in this series. 

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Why Does Your Stomach Hurt? Common Causes and How to Get Relief

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Why Does Your Stomach Hurt? Common Causes and How to Get Relief

Stomach aches are one of the most frustrating, yet common ailments. They can be caused by so many different things: Were those leftovers expired after all? Or do you perhaps have a food sensitivity or a GI condition? There's never a convenient time to be bowled over with cramps, but some symptoms -- like gas or noisy rumblings -- can get especially embarrassing.

Based on your symptoms and how frequently you experience them, you can nail down the most likely culprit behind your stomach pain -- which means you can treat and manage it more wisely. Below, we go over the most common reasons that your stomach hurts and what to do, including when it's time to call the doctor. 

Read more: Probiotics Explained: What to Know Before You Buy

If your stomach hurts suddenly

Acute stomach pain comes on quickly and lasts for a limited amount of time, typically a few hours to a few days. It's usually caused by external factors, like a particular food or contaminant that didn't agree with your stomach. Even people with completely healthy digestive tracts will experience occasional stomach pain.

Indigestion

Indigestion, or an upset stomach, is abdominal discomfort manifesting in bloating and uncomfortable fullness, sometimes early on into a meal. You may also feel heat or burning in your abdomen. It can be triggered by certain foods, particularly spicy or greasy food, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate or carbonation. It can also happen after eating too quickly, or as a side effect of some medications. Herbal teas such as peppermint, ginger or chamomile help provide relief, as can over-the-counter stomach medicines such as Pepto-Bismol.

LightFieldStudios/Getty Images

Food poisoning

Food poisoning is the result of consuming a contaminated food or drink. Symptoms can take hours or days to develop, and they include upset stomach, cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you're experiencing frequent diarrhea, vomiting or both, this can also lead to dehydration. It's important to continue drinking fluids regularly and call a doctor if your symptoms worsen or don't go away within a few days.

Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis, often dubbed the stomach flu, is caused by several different viruses, bacteria and parasites, per the CDC. It's not related to the regular flu, but it does spread in a similar way: by coming into contact with an infected person or ingesting food or drink. Symptoms vary depending on the exact germ, but often include stomach pain along with diarrhea, fever, body aches, headaches and nausea. 

Most people recover from the stomach flu within a few days. The main risk is dehydration, which some are especially vulnerable to, including babies and immunocompromised people. Drink plenty of fluids, and if you see symptoms of dehydration or if your symptoms don't go away within three days, see a doctor.

Constipation

Constipation happens when you're unable to have bowel movements at your usual frequency. It tends to cause a feeling of bloating or fullness, as well as sharp cramps and aches. If you do have a bowel movement, it's likely hard and dry.

Constipation can be caused by a wide range of factors, from not eating enough fiber to certain medications. If your constipation is mild and occasional, try drinking more water, eating extra fiber and exercising. Laxatives or stool softeners can also help allow your stool to pass and provide relief.

If you're experiencing severe, ongoing constipation, the above treatments may not work well. A doctor can help narrow down the cause so you can get the right treatment.

Gas 

Trapped gas can cause similar symptoms to constipation, including bloating and belly pain, but it may also cause belching or flatulence. Some foods are more likely to cause gas, like beans, vegetables, fruits, dairy and carbonated drinks. 

Gas is a perfectly normal part of the digestion process; it's when it builds up in your body that it becomes uncomfortable. To prevent painful gas, you can avoid foods that make you extra gassy (this varies from person to person), eat slowly, and drink peppermint or chamomile tea before meals. Exercise can also help get the gas out of your system.

Mental health

Your mental health and gut health are intimately connected via the gut-brain axis. Stress and anxiety can both lead to an upset stomach, with symptoms ranging from bloating to cramping and loss of appetite. A lack of sleep can also impact your gut health and lead to digestive issues. 

Read more: The Gut-Brain Axis: How Your Gut Affects Your Mental Health

LaylaBird/Getty Images

If you have chronic or frequent stomach pain

Chronic indigestion, constipation or gas, meaning it happens on a regular, ongoing basis, can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying condition. A few of the most common digestive conditions are listed below -- but remember that only a health care professional can diagnose you, so make sure to consult with your provider if you're concerned.

Lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance is extremely common: 65% to 70% of the global adult population has some level of intolerance to lactose. In the US, people of African, indigenous, Asian or Latin American descent are most likely to have lactose intolerance, per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 

Even if you can eat some amounts or types of dairy and not others, you may still be lactose intolerant -- most people have differing levels of tolerance, and not all milk products have the same amount of lactose. Symptoms include bloating, diarrhea, gas, nausea, stomach rumbling and abdominal pain. In some cases, vomiting can also occur.

If you don't want to avoid dairy altogether, keep track of which foods cause the worst symptoms for you and steer clear. Or you can take a lactase tablet, such as Lactaid.

Irritable bowel syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is one of the most common digestive disorders out there -- but it's actually not a disease. Instead, it's a functional GI disorder, marked by a group of symptoms that occur together in the absence of any "visible signs of damage or disease" in your digestive system, per the NIDDK. These include abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.

IBS, like other functional GI disorders, seems to stem from problems with the gut-brain connection that cause your gut to be extra sensitive -- and 50% to 90% of cases occur alongside a psychological condition, such as depression. IBS can also relate to genetic factors, inflammation or altered gut bacteria, according to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders.

This chronic, long-term condition can be managed with the help of a doctor, who can recommend specific lifestyle changes and other treatment.

Inflammatory bowel disease

IBS is often confused with IBD , but the two disorders are completely different. IBD stands for inflammatory bowel disease, which is an umbrella term for digestive diseases that involve chronic inflammation. The two most common inflammatory bowel diseases are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn's disease causes inflammation in the lining of the digestive tract, most frequently in the small intestine. As the inflammation extends deep into body tissue, it causes severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. Other symptoms of Crohn's include chronic fatigue and unintentional weight loss.

Ulcerative colitis causes ulcers in the lining of the GI tract, specifically the rectum and colon (or large intestine). It causes similar symptoms to Crohn's disease, including stomach pain.

Treatment for IBD depends on the specific disease and symptoms, but may include lifestyle changes, medication or surgery. Patients with IBD will often be managed by a gastroenterology specialist physician.

Fertnig/Getty Images

Celiac disease

Gluten-free foods may be a health trend these days, but for people with celiac disease, they're a medical necessity. Celiac disease causes even a tiny amount of gluten to trigger the body's immune system to attack its own small intestine. The lining becomes damaged, making it difficult for the body to absorb the nutrients that it needs to function. This can lead to digestive issues, extreme fatigue, weight loss, malnutrition and anemia. And over time, more severe and long-term complications can occur, including osteoporosis, reproductive issues and even neurological changes.

Many people with celiac disease don't know they have it. A doctor can determine a diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.

Gluten can also cause stomach pain in people without celiac disease. This is considered gluten sensitivity, and it doesn't involve an immune response or damaged intestine.

Other conditions

There are many other reasons people suffer from stomach pain, including gastritis (an inflamed stomach lining), food allergies, ulcers, a urinary tract infection, appendicitis, endometriosis and some forms of cancer, among many others. 

Read more: How to (Finally) Fix Your Chronic Stomach Issues

When to call a doctor

Bottom line: If you're experiencing any of the following symptoms, it's time to call a doctor.

• Bloody diarrhea, stools or vomit
• Black stools
• Persistent fever over 100.4 degrees
• Signs of severe dehydration, like feeling dizzy or a lack of tears or urine
• Unintentional weight loss or loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Trouble swallowing
• Diarrhea that lasts for longer than three days

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Top-notch Vietnamese software BKAV raises antivirus bar

Top-notch Vietnamese software BKAV raises antivirus bar

Quang Tu Nguyen has changed the landscape of network and computer security in Vietnam. Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive

Editors note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending the next month in his homeland of Vietnam and plans to file occasional dispatches chronicling his impressions of how technology has permeated the culture there. Click here for more of Dong's stories from abroad.

HANOI, Vietnam--If you use any Internet-connected computer in Vietnam--and there are lots of them, with Internet cafes and Wi-Fi spots abounding in any city--chances are you'll find a little red plus sign at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

That's the icon of the most popular antivirus software here. It's called BKAV.

(A bit of background: if you've recently read reviews of Internet security products by our security editor Rob Vamosi, know that I am the one who designed the methodology involved in testing these applications. It's therefore natural for me to be curious about how people in various parts of the world are protected against malicious software.)

BKAV is short for Bach Khoa AntiVirus, with "Bach Khoa" being the Vietnamese name for the Hanoi University of Technology. The software was originally developed as a hobby by Quang Tu Nguyen, a student-turned-lecturer at the school. It's currently the flagship product of Bach Khoa Internetwork Security center (BKIS), of which Quang, now 33, is director.

Quang still lectures once in awhile, but he's primarily known as the man who has changed the landscape of network and computer security in Vietnam. His creation, BKAV, is in many ways just about the best security software you can find.

I visited Quang at the BKIS headquarters, an office that somewhat resembles CNET or any other high-tech company: cubicles and lots of computer screens are everywhere. There's one big exception, however: everybody is asked to remove their shoes before entering, which is not a standard business practice in Vietnam. The company is probably the cleanest workplace I've seen here yet.

The center has about 400 employees, 300 of whom are software engineers, mostly recruited in-house from the school. They are among the brightest computer science minds in the country. According to BKIS, the BKAV security software currently enjoys about 10.5 million users and more than 110,000 downloads daily. Currently, Vietnam has about 20 million Internet users and counting (out of a population of about 85 million), according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communication.

Despite its frill-free user interface, BKAV offers highly advanced protection. Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive

The majority of security software applications feature a couple of common annoyances: they take a long time to install, they take a long time (and sometimes some difficulty) to remove, and they slow down your machine. This is because in order to protect your computer, security software needs to interfere significantly with basic operations such as reading and writing files, checking network connections, and so on. It's a challenge to develop protection software that is simple yet effective.

After a few days of trying BKAV and a few hours of talking to Quang and his engineers, I found BKAV to be arguably the only security application so far that offers both those attributes.

First off, the software took literally one second to install on my Dell XPS 1330 laptop and two seconds to completely remove, each step requiring a single mouse click. The software also uses very few system resources when not performing a scan.

If you accept the default options, you can start/stop the scanning just by using the Enter and Escape key. There are absolutely no frills in the user interface. For those who have installed and used any Windows software before and like to get things done the fastest possible way, this is a pleasant surprise. And yet this is the least impressive thing about the software.

It's common for antivirus software to remove a threat by literally removing/quarantining infected files. Technically, this is a fast way to write code that generally works well as long as the infected files are the viruses themselves.

This does, however, pose problems when the virus is sophisticated enough to add itself to a critical system file or replace the legitimate system file with a compromised version that also carries malicious commands. There is a new trend of viruses that do just that, and there are currently a few of them in the wild. Using the standard method to remove them will result in crippling the operating system, making it impossible to log in, and causing the loss of common features such as cut and paste or the ability to go on to the Internet.

(I actually sat down in the BKIS labs and tried a few known antivirus software applications against two specimens of these nasty viruses, including one identified by Symantec as Infostealer.Gampass and another identified by McAfee as Generic.dx. It's important to note that different security firms might identify the same virus differently, and sometimes a new virus can be identified as an existing virus. The applications, collectively, did detect and remove the viruses but also rendered the system unusable afterward.)

BKAV, by contrast, deals with each threat (and its variants) individually by dissecting its codes and meticulously countering exactly whatever it is the virus is designed to do. This is a lot of work, and it takes dedication. Quang and his colleagues take turns working literally around the clock to discover new threats and develop updates to counter them, typically within 24 hours.

Their effort results in two things: first, it's close to impossible for BKAV to register false detection. This is because once a threat is identified, BKAV goes deeper and scrutinizes the coding to find out exactly how it should be dealt with. This process at the same time verifies whether the detected threat is real. Second, BKAV is able to remove the malicious code without harming the system. Most of the time, you don't need to restart the computer for the cleaning to get done, either.

Unlike other software that gives you lots of flashy warnings and progress displays, BKAV takes care of threats in a rather unceremonious way. Often you wonder if your computer has actually been swept.

Taking up only roughly 13MB after installation (as opposed to hundreds of megabytes in other applications), BKAV is capable of protecting your computer against and removing all threats including viruses, trojans, spyware, rootkits, and malicious links spread through e-mail or or Yahoo chat. BKIS also offers network and enterprise protection solutions.

BKIS' technical support is available 24/7. All support is free; you just have to pay for the toll call. Dong Ngo/CBS Interactive

(Speaking of Yahoo, if you live in Vietnam, you might wonder why Yahoo isn't doing so well in the United States. Yahoo Mail and Messenger are the first choice among Vietnamese teenagers and young adults when it comes to Internet-based communication. And teens and young adults are the majority of Internet users here. Also, Yahoo 360 is by far the most popular blogging service here, and it loads much faster in Hanoi than it does in the States.)

Before this trip to Vietnam, I always had a lingering feeling that my family and friends were missing out on top-notch American online protection. Now I realize we Americans are actually the ones who having been missing out on some great software and services, but hopefully not for too much longer. Quang told me BKIS is working on making its software and services available outside of Vietnam in 2009.

In the meantime, you can download and try the free version of the BKAV software; the software comes with both Vietnamese and English interfaces. The commercial version costs only $299,000 dong ($17) for a one-year subscription, much less than the cost of its American counterparts.

Personally, I am highly impressed by how BKAV works and the way BKIS is run. It's ironic, however, that a lot of Vietnamese, mostly adults, would probably argue that BKAV is in no way comparable with other protection software solutions developed outside of Vietnam, especially in America, simply because it's made in Vietnam.

Vietnam is a super-friendly country, sometimes to the point of xenophilia, when it comes to products. Maybe that's why KFC is such a popular place. But hey, go to the fast-food joint and have an order of highly processed fried chicken and a large soda, then tell me if that's really more satisfying than a plate of spring rolls served with spicy fish sauce or an order of sticky rice sprinkled with shredded pork and crispy, roasted sliced onions.

On second thought, tastes differ, so don't tell me anything. But trust me that when it comes to BKIS, you're in good hands.

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5 Best Multivitamins for Men for 2022

5 Best Multivitamins for Men for 2022

Vitamins and minerals are essential for a healthy life. If you aren't consuming enough nutrients like vitamins A, C, D, E, K or F, as well as iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc in your everyday diet, you might need a multivitamin to address these nutritional gaps. Supplements like multivitamins help top you off with all the good stuff a healthy body needs. 

Notably, dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, leading to a consumer market saturated with inadequate options. There's a broad range of multivitamin brands, from affordable to overly expensive. 

What essential vitamins and nutrients do men need?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends men who are missing key vitamins from their diets, lack regular physical activity or adequate amounts of sleep take a multivitamin. Men, specifically, require a multivitamin that contains some of the following.

Vitamin A

Found in fruits and vegetables such as cantaloupe and carrots, vitamin A (along with carotenoids, a version of vitamin A found in animal sources) is important for eye health. According to the CDC, only 1 in 10 adults obtain their daily value of fruits and vegetables, men getting the fewest. Vitamin A in a multivitamin helps bridge this gap in men's diets. Adult men are recommended to obtain about 900 micrograms daily.

Vitamin C

Most commonly found in citrus fruits, vitamin C plays an important role in collagen production, protein metabolism and immunity. Again, if men are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, a vitamin supplement is encouraged. Men are recommended to obtain 90 milligrams a day. 

Vitamin D

Aiding in bone health, vitamin D is obtained from the sun's UV rays. If men are not spending enough time outside and in the sun, a supplement is required for optimal health. Adult men are recommended to obtain 15 micrograms daily. 

Calcium

Hand-in-hand with vitamin D, calcium is also needed for bone health. Calcium also aids in healthy muscle and heart function. However, a much larger amount of calcium is needed daily. Adult men need 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily and an extra 200 milligrams after the age 70. 

Magnesium 

Found in nuts, seeds and leafy vegetables, magnesium is essential for regulating chemical reactions, muscles and nerves, bone development and energy production. Men should obtain 420 milligrams of magnesium daily.

Zinc

Although the body only requires a small amount of zinc, it is an essential nutrient for DNA, cell and healthy tissue production. Zinc is most commonly found in meat and fish. If you are following a vegetarian or vegan diet, a zinc supplement is recommended. It is recommended that men take 11 milligrams of zinc daily. 

Missing any of these important vitamins or minerals in your diet? You might need a multivitamin. To create this curated list, we took into account price, quality, certifications, and vitamin and mineral quantities. Here are our top picks for the best men's multivitamin.

One A Day

Dosage: 1 tablet

Specially formulated to support heart health, energy, blood pressure and muscle function, One a Day is a top multivitamin brand for men on the move. One tablet contains 100% or more of the daily values of vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E and K, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, folic acid, pantothenic acid, zinc, manganese, biotin, magnesium, copper, lycopene, calcium, iron, iodine, selenium and chromium. There are large amounts of vitamin B12 and pantothenic acid, which help keep the body's cells and blood healthy and transform food into energy. 

Men's One a Day doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners, flavors or colors, nor high fructose corn syrup or shellfish allergens. The tablets are also gluten- and dairy-free. 

Olly

Dosage: 2 gummies

Olly has been a trusted Target, CVS and Walgreens brand for quite some time now. The company offers products specially made for women, children, men, sleep, beauty, immunity and even moods. Regardless of the product, Olly is known for having great-tasting gummy vitamins.

Olly's multivitamin for men contains high amounts of vitamins A, C, D, E, Bs, zinc and coenzyme Q-10. It also has nutrients such as niacin, folate, biotin, pantothenic acid, iodine, selenium and chromium. The gummies are gluten-free and are not made with artificial flavors. 

One of the best aspects of Olly is that its vitamins are certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, which guarantees that products have met strict standards for public health safety. Olly, as a company, is B-Corporation certified. This means that Olly is transparent about environmental performance (such as its waste management) and social performance (like employee benefits). 

Ritual

Dosage: 2 gel capsules

You can subscribe to almost any kind of service nowadays -- food, beauty, clothing and now, vitamins. Pay a monthly fee and receive a month's supply of your favorite vitamins right at your door. With Ritual, an online vitamin brand founded in 2016, buying your multivitamins is easy.

Ritual's multivitamin for men ages 18 to 49 is vegan, gluten and allergen-free, non-GMO and contains no artificial colors. The multivitamin is unique in that it has a delayed-release design, intended to be sensitive on an empty stomach.

Two multivitamins contain vitamins A, D, E, B12 and K, as well as folate, magnesium, zinc, boron and omega-3. Ritual is among only a few vitamins that contain omega-3s, intended for brain and heart health.   

Ritual offers free shipping, a 30-day money-back guarantee and easy anytime cancellation. 

Nature Made

Dosage: 1 tablet

Nature Made is one of the best-known brands in the vitamin market. Nature Made prides itself on being the top pharmacist-recommended vitamin and supplement brand and for good reason. The company has had over 50 years of experience and makes all its products in the US. Most importantly, Nature Made's multivitamin for men is verified by the United States Pharmacopeia, meaning that the product has met quality and safety standards set by the FDA's current Good Manufacturing Practices. 

Nature Made's Multi for Him contains vitamins A, C, D, E, K and Bs, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, biotin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iodine, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium and molybdenum. There are large amounts of vitamin C and vitamin B12 for increased immunity and muscle health. The tablets are also gluten-free.

Nature Made is the most affordable on the list. One bottle contains 90 tablets.

Ritual

Dosage: 2 gel capsules

Men 50 years or older often require a specialized multivitamin. As we age, our bodies require a higher amount of nutrients than others. Older men benefit from a slightly higher amount of vitamins C, D, E, B12, K, folate, iron, magnesium, niacin and calcium.  

Ritual produces a multivitamin for men ages 18 to 49 and 50-plus. The difference between the two is that the Essential for Men Multivitamin 50 Plus provides higher amounts of vitamins E, B12, K, folate and magnesium. The gel capsules are also vegan, gluten and allergen-free, non-GMO and contain no artificial colors. They have the same delayed-release design, intended to be sensitive on an empty stomach.

Ritual offers free shipping, a 30-day money-back guarantee and easy anytime cancellation.

How to choose the best multivitamin for men

Not all multivitamins are created equal, and not all multivitamins will work for you. It is important to find a product that caters to your unique needs and dietary gaps. 

A few things to consider:

Age

Men 50 years and above require specialized multivitamins for an aging body. For example, older men require higher doses of vitamin D to protect and maintain healthy bones. When looking for a multivitamin, find a product for your age group.  

Dietary restrictions 

There are multivitamins designed for those who are vegan, gluten and dairy-free, it just requires a little more inspection of the ingredients. Ritual has multivitamins that are vegan, gluten and dairy-free and non-GMO. However, Nature Made's multivitamins are only gluten-free. If your diet or lifestyle requires a product without gluten or dairy, make sure to carefully read each label. 

Pre-existing conditions

If you are at a higher risk for heart disease, your doctor may recommend a supplement with potassium (assuming that you are not meeting your recommended daily amount in your diet). A recent study has found that low levels of potassium have been linked to cardiovascular diseases.

If you are a smoker, you require a higher amount of supplements than others. For example, male smokers require 35 mg more of vitamin C than nonsmokers.

Verifications

While dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA, there are a few verifications that ensure the product you are purchasing is safe.

Those verifications include:

Men's multivitamin FAQs

Should men take a multivitamin?

Multivitamins are for men who don't get enough essential vitamins (such as vitamin A, C, D, calcium, magnesium and zinc) in their everyday diet. Consult your doctor before starting any supplement. 

What are the best multivitamins for men over 50?

When men hit age 50, they often require a higher amount of certain vitamins and minerals. According to Oregon State University, men over the age of 50 should intake more vitamins C, D, E, B12, K, folate, iron, magnesium, niacin and calcium. Ritual offers a good multivitamin supplement that supports increased intake of these vitamins for men over 50. 

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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Beyond Axie Infinity: 'Web3 Games' Hope to Convert Crypto Skeptics

Beyond Axie Infinity: 'Web3 Games' Hope to Convert Crypto Skeptics

The moment Chris saw Axie Infinity, he was hooked. He was once an avid gamer, playing hours of League of Legends every day, but stopped after deciding he was sinking too much time into an unproductive hobby. Axie Infinity promised something different. Inspired by Pokemon, it's a video game about training and battling monsters. That sounds like hundreds of other games, but one element distinguishes Axie Infinity. It's built on the blockchain.

Axies are the Pokemon of Axie Infinity, but they're owned as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. A cryptocurrency called Smooth Love Potion is earned by battling these Axies. Players can also breed Axies, then either sell or battle with them. Chris, who declined to give his real name and goes only by the pseudonym Cryptobarbarian, felt he could justify playing video games again -- as long as it paid.

"It was fun for the first few weeks, but it gets boring really fast," the 28-year-old said. From there, he said, Axie Infinity became purely about making money.

Axie Infinity is a browser game. Accessing it is free, but you need to buy a team of three Axies to play. At its peak of popularity, bottom-tier Axies cost around $350 each, meaning playing the game once required a four-figure investment. The game allows Axie owners to lease out their monsters to other players, however. A longtime crypto investor, Cryptobarbarian told me he bought $30,000 worth of Axies and loaned them out in return for 40% to 70% of the profits. (CNET wasn't able to verify his purchases.)

The strategy paid off at first. Axie Infinity was a hot ticket in CryptoTown, generating over $15 million a day last August. But thanks to a combination of poor in-game economics, inflation threatening the real world's economy and a $600 million hack reportedly caused by a fake job posting, the price of Axies and the game's Smooth Love Potion cryptocurrency collapsed. The same monsters that cost hundreds of dollars last year now fetch under $10.

"I got around 100 players playing for me with high-end Axies," Cryptobarbarian said to me over Twitter, "which overall cost around $100,000 at the height and are now worth nothing."

To gamers, stories like this provide ample reason to reject "Web3 gaming," a term referring to the integration of NFTs and cryptocurrency into games. The significant carbon footprint of ethereum and bitcoin adds to the resentment. Be it Ubisoft bringing NFTs into Ghost Recon or Square Enix launching Final Fantasy 7 NFTs, gamers have fiercely resisted the blockchain coming anywhere near their industry.  

Three Axies in Axie Infinity. 

Sky Mavis

The fear is that crypto and NFTs will deform gaming into a side hustle, transforming its purpose from entertainment to moneymaking. Play-to-earn titles such as Axie Infinity prove the point; they're not games as much as they are financial speculation with the veneer of a game.

"I've never met anyone that played it just for fun," Cryptobarbarian said of Axie Infinity, "only to make money." 

But Axie Infinity doesn't represent the future that many Web3 developers envision for gaming. Video game firms, both small and large, are developing titles they hope will clean the slate of Web3 gaming. All are on carbon-neutral blockchains such as polygon or solana, which are far more efficient than ethereum. (Whether they're as secure is an open question.) The goal isn't to make titles that entertain crypto speculators, but rather to make games fun enough that people can justify playing them regardless of whether they earn crypto. 

"I've long been a believer that gaming is one of the consumer internet categories that is most likely to bring on mainstream adoption of crypto," said Amy Wu, head of gaming at FTX Ventures, the investment arm of the FTX crypto exchange. "But I also believe when you have a hit game with Web3 elements, it's very likely that the majority of players will never actually trade those tokens. They're just playing the game."

Free to play, play to own

The upcoming wave of Web3 games will range from free-to-play mobile titles to big-budget AAA games for PC and console. On the simpler end of the scale is Shatterpoint. With an art style inspired by Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it's an action RPG for Android and iOS that, on paper, looks like many top App Store games. There's a single-player campaign plus a PvP multiplayer mode. You earn new weapons and gear as you progress and, much like Fortnite and Call of Duty, the multiplayer is broken up into different "seasons."

But these seasons, segmented by "the shattering" in the game, is where the blockchain comes in. Players will be given a certain list of goals each season. If they complete one -- say, being one of the first 100 players to reach level 50, or staying atop of the PvP leaderboard for a certain amount of time -- their character will be converted into an NFT. Only a limited amount of NFTs will be minted per season. 

There are two reasons why players might want to bother scoring an NFT. The shattering acts as an in-game reset, so any gear you've collected will vanish. NFT characters, of which there will be a limited amount each season, are permanent. However your character looks when it's minted into an NFT, with whatever combination of gear equipped, that's how it'll look in perpetuity. The second benefit is that these NFTs can be sold on a marketplace -- if there's a market for them.

A screenshot from Shatterpoint. 

Estoty Games

There are three crucial elements that make this model sustainable, says Shatterpoint developer Benas Baltramiejunas. First, the game is free to play -- unlike P2E games like Axie Infinity, which requires the upfront cost of three Axie NFTs. Second, none of the items retained as an NFT can resemble "pay to win" mechanics. There can only be cosmetic benefits to owning it, not a competitive edge. Last, and most important, the game is designed with the assumption that most people playing won't be interested in minting their character as an NFT. It has to be fun for them too.

"We're using the NFT approach to create a bit of competitiveness, to incentivize players to play," he said. Shatterpoint is monetized by traditional microtransactions and from taking a small cut of NFT sales -- 2.5% is the traditional cut creators take. Baltramiejunas hopes that focusing on NFTs will result in both better game design and fairer prices. If developers can create a compelling game, revenue can theoretically be sorted out organically through whatever the player base sets as the value of the NFTs. 

"In free-to-play games you have whales which account for 10% of the player base but 90% of the revenue," Baltramiejunas said. "If you only have those microtransactions for monetization, you are only focusing on those whales during the content creation, and you're leaving everybody behind. However, with NFT integration, you don't need to monetize that aggressively. The market decides." 

NFT brands expand into gaming

While Shatterpoint is a mobile game that produces NFTs, the coming years will see many examples of the reverse: NFT collections turning into games. NFT drops, such as the famed Bored Ape Yacht Club, are doubling as crowdfunding platforms that produce games. Creators earn millions in royalties from sales, and use that money to expand the brand, theoretically boosting NFT prices in the process. Some brands are expanding into TV and film. Many are dabbling in gaming.

One such example is My Pet Hooligan. It's a product of AMGI Studios, an animation studio where former Pixar animator Colin Brady serves as chief creative and technology officer. The studio sees Unreal Engine 5 and blockchain technology as the next technologies that will drive entertainment, Brady told me at the recent NFT.NYC conference. 

AMGI Studios' goal of 2021 was to use Unreal Engine 5 to create an animated film for Netflix at half of the traditional cost. While the film was being greenlit, Brady explained, AMGI technical lead Kevin Mack approached him about starting an NFT collection. 

The result was My Pet Hooligan, a set of 8,888 3D rabbits. "We sold out in less than a minute, and all of a sudden people started saying, 'hey, when movie? When TV show? When video game?'" Brady said. The studio, filled with Unreal Engine programmers, already had a game in the works. 

The result is Rabbit Hole, a sandbox game that looks like a mix of Grand Theft Auto and Ratchet and Clank. Rabbit Hole is currently in closed alpha, available only for My Pet Hooligan NFT holders with only one map functional. The build of the game I saw at NFT.NYC was intriguing. It was certainly incomplete, with noticeable frame-rate issues, but had the clear foundation of a fun sandbox game.

My Pet Hooligan NFTs on the OpenSea marketplace.

AMGI Studios/OpenSea

Rabbit Hole will eventually be available for PC and console. Brady says the goal is to reach 1 million players by the end of the year.  To encourage the type of in-game socialization seen among players of Fortnite and Roblox, the studio developed a companion facial-recognition app for phones. If you perch your phone where a webcam typically is on a computer, it'll track your face and replicate all facial movements on your on-screen Hooligan.

Unlike Shatterpoint, which will integrate just NFTs, Rabbit Hole will use both NFTs and crypto. It will have a play-to-earn mechanic -- or play and earn, as technical lead Kevin Mack prefers to say -- in the form of in-game currency Karrots. These will be used to buy clothing, dances and more for the Hooligan avatars, but it doubles as a cryptocurrency that can be exchanged for ether or bitcoin. You can earn money playing Rabbit Hole, but Brady said it's not going to be life-changing cash. 

Then there's the NFT element. This is primed towards holders of the 8,888 My Pet Hooligan NFTs. While players who download the game will start with a generic Hooligan, My Pet Hooligan owners will be able to use their NFT as an avatar in the game. 

If the game gets popular enough, Mack said, there will be a certain prestige to owning one of these avatars. But he recognizes that to make that happen, the team has to make a game that people actually want to play.

"Superman No. 1 is valuable because Superman was a great comic," he said. "I think the NFT space for a while started to get that a little backward, where they thought the things were valuable just because they were collectable." 

To infinity...

Of all the NFT brands expanding into games, Bored Ape Yacht Club is the biggest. BAYC creators Yuga Labs are developing Otherside, a "metaverse" MMORPG. The term "metaverse" is nebulous, but in this case it refers to an open world where items are owned as NFTs and in-game currency is crypto that can be exchanged for dollars. Details on Otherside are scant, but Yuga has a huge warchest for it. The game's map will be made up of 200,000 plots of land, which players can buy and own. Over $350 million was raised from selling land back in May. 

Otherside may be the Web3 game with the highest budget, but perhaps the most ambitious is Star Atlas. 

In development since 2020, the Eve Online-inspired Star Atlas is crafted like a traditional AAA game. Michael Wagner, CEO of Star Atlas development studio ATMTA, told me there are around 200 developers working on the game. It's scheduled for release in 2026. 

Like Eve Online, Star Atlas is half game, half space simulator. Players ride spacecraft through the galaxy, socializing and battling with each other, exploring exoplanets, mining lands and meteors for resources and so on. 

Games like Eve Online are giant, big enough for players to lose themselves in for years. Star Atlas hopes to mimic that feat. On the way to doing so, it uses almost every new tool Web3 offers.

It starts with funding. Wagner said $185 million in revenue was raised in 2021, through the sale of an Atlas token and NFT ships, with a "substantial margin" of that funding development. In the game, ships, items and land will be owned as NFTs. There will be a comprehensive crypto economy built atop the game, which Wagner says will allow for not just a market, but a labor economy too. The economy isn't just in the game; part of Star Atlas will be built on the blockchain, meaning elements will be open source. People will be able to develop apps on top of this data, for things like spacecraft maintenance or resource management. 

Part of Star Atlas' economy will involve taxation. Just like in real life, a certain percentage of all sales will go to a treasury. There will be a DAO, or decentralized autonomous organization, in which token holders can vote on how these funds are used, be it to fund a new marketing campaign or a user engagement campaign. Then there will be another DAO specifically for the game itself, where token holders can vote on changes to the game, like additional features or ways to balance combat. 

"We've structured the economics of the DAO such that we don't lose control in the near term," Wagner said. "But in the future, it would even be possible for them to vote us out as the principal developer of the game and bring in somebody new if they think they could deliver the product in a superior fashion to us." 

Risks and rewards

The potential of Web3 gaming is tremendous, but its challenges are enormous. An examination of Star Atlas alone highlights many issues Web3 developers are likely to face.

First and foremost, making video games is hard. Making high-quality AAA games is harder still, even for veteran game studios, and the Star Atlas game alone is audacious in its ambition. The Web3 components offer additional opportunity for failure: An imbalanced economy, for instance, has the potential to completely break the game. Then there's security and regulation. Crypto has been a digital Wild West for years, with scams endemic. Regulators are slowly changing that. It's an open question whether Web3 gaming can survive in a regulated environment. 

"In many countries, consumer protection is the No. 1 driver of regulations. Given gaming is so mainstream, it will be a topic," said FTX Ventures' Wu. "100%, these assets are going to be regulated."

The final issue is the very commodity that fuels crypto tokens and NFT projects: hype. Games are often promised on NFT project road maps before a single second of development has been undertaken. As Brady noted, it took less than a day for My Pet Hooligan holders to demand the announcement of a game, movie or TV show to sustain hype and lift the NFT value. Vaporware is sure to be common.

Games will need to be developed in a way that insulates players from the crypto-rich speculators. Speculators outbidding each other can artificially raise the value of in-game items, which blocks players who actually want to play the game from accessing them. Recall the speculative bubble that caused the cost of entry to Axie Infinity to inflate to over $1,000.  

"I'm personally not interested in someone who's paying $100,000 for an NFT," said Brady. "That's a certain echelon. That's not normal society. I'm only interested if this helps every person."

Of all the developers I spoke to, a recurring theme was mistrust of any games company that promises a regular income, or dangles the possibility of earning enough money to quit the rat race. "Play-to-earn is not sustainable and is going to die off," said Baltramiejunas. Instead, the goal is for Web3 games to be more engaging than the games you play today, with the benefit of some pocket money on the side.

"If the game was good I would be satisfied with a little money as long as it's not totally a time waste," said Cryptobarbarian, reflecting on how much money he'd need to earn to justify playing games again.

"If I could earn some lunch money with it, that would be nice. But I think that will take at least a few more years before it happens." 

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Best mental health apps for teens best mental health apps 2021 best mental health apps uk best mental health quotes best mental health ehr softwares best mental health movies best mental health apps best mental health quotes best mentalist episodes best mental health charities best mental health facilities in us

Best Mental Health Apps for 2022

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Best Mental Health Apps for 2022

Therapy can be a daunting step to take, but it is important for us to treat our mental health appropriately, so we can lead better lives. There are a number of mental health apps that can go a long way in helping you relieve stress, bring down your anxiety or even help you take the first steps in going to therapy and talking to someone. Research shows that mental health apps are also a great way to improve your well-being and keep tabs on your wellness journey.

There's a lot to love about mental health apps -- the variety, the affordability and the features. They also bring mental health resources to people who otherwise couldn't get help due to finances, disabilities or location. But they're not all created equal. Not all mental health apps are backed by research or clinical insights. With between 10,000 to 20,000 wellness apps out there, it can be difficult to find the best option for you. We've pulled together a curated list of our top choices to make the process easier.

Read more: Best Online Therapy Services

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Talkspace takes our top spot for the best therapy app because of its 24/7 access to medical professionals. It's an affordable online therapy option that gives you more than just helpful guides and videos to watch. You have access to a licensed therapist wherever and whenever you need them. Talkspace is a great option for someone who is not comfortable going into an office or would rather have therapy appointments online. 

A 2020 study found that messaging a therapist through Talkspace reduced feelings of anxiety and depression. A different study said that using Talkspace's voice, video and text features also reduced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Note that the researchers of the studies had connections to Talkspace.

Within the app, you have access to video, text and audio chat to communicate with your therapist. However, users note there is a 5-minute cap on audio messages. 

Talkspace is significantly more expensive than other apps on the list. However, if you're looking for an app that allows you to talk to a therapist directly, it may be worth the price. 

Price: Plans start at $65/week. 

Talkspace best features:

• Talkspace offers therapy with a mental health professional. Not all mental health apps offer this feature.
• You can change therapists. 
• Access to treatment and Talkspace features 24/7. 

Things to consider:

• Since it offers therapy, Talkspace is more expensive than other apps. Which may put it out of reach for some.
• You can use insurance to pay for Talkspace, but some users have noted customer service wait times and other insurance troubles. 

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Calm is one of the most well-known mental health apps in the wellness space, with over 100 million downloads. We consider Calm one of the best meditation apps because of its comprehensive offerings, including breathing techniques and calming exercises. 

The Calm app is pretty easy to navigate and organized well. When you open the app, you are prompted to take a few deep breaths. Then you select what your main goals are so that your recommendations are tailored to your needs. You also can track statistics within the app, such as how long you have been using the app or how many sessions you've completed. 

The free version of Calm is limited, but there is a 7-day trial that helps you decide if it's right for you. After the trial, you have to pay the premium to access the 100 guided meditations, sleep library and masterclasses, which is $14.99/month or $69.99/year. If you are ready to commit to Calm, it's good to go with the full-year option since it comes out to just under $6/month instead of the full $15. Or you can always stay with the limited free version.

Price: $14.99/month or $69.99/year

Calm best features:

• Calm is simple to use and the exercises are easy to follow. It's a great mental health app for beginners. 
• Features of Calm include breathing exercises, sleep programs, relaxation and mindfulness techniques. 
• You have access to sleep stories narrated by celebrities like Harry Styles or Laura Dern.

Things to consider: 

• Calm offers a free version of the app, however, it is limited. You have to pay to access the full features. 
• You do have to enter payment upfront when you sign up, meaning you have to remember to cancel if you decide it's not for you.
• Reviews say that the app has troubles and customer service can be difficult to work with. 

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

The Moodfit app has a lot to offer, and you can choose how to use the app. You can track sleep, nutrition, exercise and more during your wellness journey. Moodfit uses tools and sessions that help you assess your feelings, recognize negative thinking and change it. 

The Moodfit app has pretty standard navigation. The "notices" tab at the bottom is what I would consider the educational section. There is a lot of good information available, like how your thoughts influence your behavior and feelings, but you will have to take the time to actually read it. Other apps have a more interactive experience with imagery, videos and readouts. 

Where I think where Moodfit really shines is its analytics. With the easy-to-interpret charts, you can spot patterns in your mood and your activities. You also can track your mood down to the hour -- analytic views available are monthly, weekly, daily and hourly. Many apps do have analytics, but Moodfit puts a lot of intention behind helping you find patterns in your behavior and moods.

Price: $8.99/month

Moodfit best features:

• With Moodfit, you can adapt what the app offers based on your goals. Daily reminders and exercises will keep you on track.
• Moodfit has some of the best analytics available in the mental health app game.

Things to consider:

• Moodfit does not offer communication with a therapist.
• The basic version of Moodfit does not include all that the app has to offer. The premium version is $8.99/month, which is a few dollars cheaper than the average cost of the best mental health apps without therapist access. 

Moodfit's home page features your progress and goals. 

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Sanvello is the best mental health app for stress relief thanks to its full meditation library, guided journeys, health tracking and cognitive behavioral therapy tools. I was pleasantly surprised when using Sanvello. For me, it was a lesser-known option on the list, and it did not disappoint. You can choose what goals you want to target -- reduce anxiety, feel happier, build confidence, etc., and you can select as many goals as you want.

One of my favorite parts of the Sanvello app was how connected it felt when using it. Like other apps, there is an education section. What's different is how it is presented. Sanvello uses text, videos and audio for a multimedia experience that is much easier to follow and digest. This comes down to preference, as some people prefer to read at their cadence. 

The basic version of Sanvello is free. However, there are additional features that the app offers -- like coaching and guided journeys -- that are not available on the free version. There is a premium option of $8.99/month and a premium plus coaching option for $50/month which offers a coach with live connection capabilities. 

Price: $8.99/month or $50/month

Sanvello best features:

• You can choose which areas you want to target, which allows for personalization. 
• Unlike other apps, Sanvello has an option to connect with peers who are going through the same things. 
• Sanvello does have a therapy subscription that connects you with a licensed therapist. 
  

Things to consider: 

• Unfortunately, the therapy option is not available in all states, and if not covered by insurance, it can get expensive. 
• There are limitations to the free app. You have to pay a subscription to access advanced features. 

The Sanvello app allows you to select which goals you want to target. 

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Happify is a free mental health app that focuses entirely on your mood and helps relieve anxiety. Developed by mental health professionals, Happify's strategies are derived from cognitive behavioral therapy that helps you learn how to recognize and reorient negative thinking. 

Happify had the most thorough questionnaire when signing up. I was asked about relationships, employment and medical conditions to help personalize the service. As the name suggests, Happify focuses on positivity and tries to make your journey fun with engaging games. With the relaxation and mindfulness techniques Happify offers, you can boost your mood and relieve anxiety. 

The app has a different navigation setup than other apps. Instead of having the navigation bar at the bottom, there's a three-bar dropdown you have to tap to bring up the menu at the top left, making it just a little more difficult to find things. 

Price: $14.99/month or $139.99/year. You also can purchase "lifetime access" for $499.99. 

Happify best features:

• Happify was developed by therapists. It's one of the most robust mental health apps on the list. 
• You can personalize how you use the app by selecting what your goals are. 
• When using Happify, you have access to a community forum or you can keep your account private. 
• Happify also has a digital coach feature available. 
  

Things to consider:

• The free features available are limited. To access the digital coach and advanced features, you have to pay for a subscription. 
  

Various tracks are available from Happify.

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

MindShift is a free mental health app specifically designed to target anxiety. Categories within the app are broken down into general worry, social anxiety, perfectionism, panic and phobias. This allows the user to personalize which type of anxiety they want to work through.

As the name suggests, MindShift targets your mindset, meaning that it helps you identify what is making you anxious and helps you redirect your thinking to positivity. When you open the app, you're prompted to rate your daily anxiety score to track over time. The app is pretty easy to use and easier to navigate than other options simply because there is less available. One tool that stood out was the "thought journal" that helps you work through what you're worried about and how to overcome negative thoughts. "Coping cards" are also available to help you ease anxiety in the moment. 

MindShift is much more interactive than other apps, as it relies on you to add anxiety scores and type responses to get the best experience. Other apps are mainly reading-based. If you want the best out of MindShift, you need to interact with the app.

Price: Free

Mindshift best features:

• MindShift is a very interactive app that allows you to choose which type of anxiety you target. 
• It's a free app that used psychotherapy techniques. 

Things to consider:

• Because it's free, you have a limited number of entries a day. 
• The app may have technical difficulties. 

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

The unique experiences of people of color are often excluded from traditional mental health resources. The wellness app industry is traditionally not inclusive and mainly focuses on experiences that white people encounter. Only one in three Black Americans get the mental health care they need. That's why Shine is the pick for the best mental health app for people of color. 

It's specially designed to target the needs and struggles of people of color, making mental health resources more accessible and inclusive. Shine offers meditations, self-care courses led by experts and monthly virtual workshops. You are also prompted to add a wellness check-in each day and are greeted with motivational messages. 

Price: $14.99/month

Shine best features:

• The topics and practices offered are focused on BIPOC mental health. This is unique to the mental health app space.
• You have access to a peer community that offers support and empowerment.  
  

Things to consider:

• Shine offers a free app version, though you will not have access to all the features offered. 
• The price is about average when compared to the other options on the list. 

Selection of choices for Shine app. 

Screenshot by Taylor Leamey/CNET

How we chose the best mental health apps

The apps included on the best mental health app list have the best features supported by research. When selecting our picks, we examined each app's user experience, features and pricing. We also read through user reviews to tease out pain points and what people value in mental health apps.

Frequently asked questions

What are mental health apps?

Who doesn't want therapy from the comfort of home? Mental health apps are tools you can use to improve your well-being. While not all offer online therapy, they're simple to use and make managing your mental health easy. Each app will vary in what it targets. For example, Calm specializes in relaxation and breathing. Moodfit focuses on tracking your mood and finding patterns. 

Mental health apps are not intended to diagnose conditions or be a replacement for therapy. Instead, they are a great tool to use for continued support daily. They offer encouragement, education and helpful activities you can use to improve several areas of your mental health.   

Read more: Tips to Find the Right Therapist For You

Are mental health apps effective?

Experts are split on the effectiveness of mental health apps. Some studies have not found "convincing evidence" that apps greatly improve outcomes related to disorders like anxiety, depression or drinking. However, other research has suggested that mental health apps have potential in managing and improving symptoms of select disorders. 

The research on the effectiveness of long-term treatment with apps is young. Most experts agree that they are a great tool to support your mental health, especially when you use them in addition to other treatment options. They are not intended to diagnose conditions and should be viewed primarily as a complement to traditional treatment options.

What are the benefits of mental health apps?

Mental health apps bring resources to those who otherwise may not have had access to them, whether because of financial standing or regional location. And while they are not a true replacement for therapy, mental health apps are a great way to self-regulate and be mindful of how you're feeling.

• Convenience: You can track your mood, talk to a counselor or read about mental health topics from anywhere. 
• Price: Mental health apps are significantly more affordable than traditional therapy. Many are available for under $20/month.
• Consistency: You want to be as consistent as possible during your wellness journey. With push notifications and props to check in, mental health apps ensure that you are being mindful of patterns in your behaviors or moods and how to meet your goals. 
• 24/7 access: With a mental health app, you can access resources whenever you need them. While some of the counselors may not reply immediately, you have access to the app's other features 24/7. 
• They can help: Wellness apps can help you achieve your goals, whatever they are. For example, they can help you recognize patterns in your mood or improve your coping skills. 

Will mental health apps be the end of therapy?

Mental health apps are great tools that supplement your experience. However, it's unlikely they would ever replace traditional therapy, even the options that offer virtual therapy. Mental health apps have limitations in crises, and there are questions about effectiveness when used alone. Mental health apps aren't the best option for everyone. While the apps are typically user-friendly, some people still prefer to meet in person and have their therapists' undivided attention. It's all a matter of preference.

Read more: What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy? 

Do mental health apps share your data?

With mental health apps, you can't assume that everything is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Mental health apps fall in a gray area. HIPAA only protects information collected by "covered entities," including healthcare providers and insurance companies. Many of the best mental health apps on the market operate without connection to covered entities, meaning your information isn't completely private. 

HIPAA applies to conversations with your therapist on an app. So you don't need to worry about what you disclose in those sessions. However, the apps' additional features -- guided meditations, CBT exercises and mood logs -- are not always kept confidential. Neither is the fact that you use a mental health app. The data you give the apps outside of therapy sessions can be sold for targeted advertising. And it's not just Facebook; your information can be shared with public health and academics for research.

Privacy will vary by platform. Make sure you read the privacy policy of each app to fully understand your protection.

Should you use a mental health app?

For many people, apps are an important tool to guide their wellness journey. While they are not a replacement for therapy, mental health apps are a great way to check in on yourself. My advice is that mental health apps are what you put into them. Many of the free ones offer helpful, educational content. But you need to take the time to read it. Others allow you to work through stressors with open-ended answer boxes. But you have to interact with the app to truly benefit from it. 

A wellness app won't give the client's relationship with a counselor that traditional talk therapy offers. And for some, that's not something they are willing to give up. But if therapy is currently out of your reach, especially due to cost, then mental health apps may be a good option. You won't get the highly personalized experience you could get with another person, but you can still learn healthy habits and skills.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

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