Posts

This ought to be a steamy sex scene, but it’s not. This is what’s replaced your sex life these days—tossing and turning instead of bumping and grinding. The big “O”? That’s Oprah, right? Blame your work, the incessant carpools, the mountains of laundry, the endless meal preparations—all those unsexy things that make you and your partner feel more like innkeepers than lovers. It’s easy to get swept away by the rapids of your life instead of your passion....

This is my first yoga class in years, and I’m here to try to rein in the nagging perimenopausal symptoms I’ve experienced since I turned 46 last year. During the day, I’m so moody I’ve been known to tear up at the sight of a sink full of dishes. At night, I’ve been waking at 3 AM, mind racing, sheets drenched with sweat. I’ve tried everything from herbal teas to prescription sleep aids to running, all with little relief....

BBQ blunders Making burgers and kabobs sounds like a brilliant idea, until you remember that you aren’t a grill master. U.S. fire departments respond to an average of 8,200 home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues per year, and burns to the skin and smoke inhalation are far more numerous. Sidestep it: Exercise caution when lighting the grill and opening the cover, since once it’s fired up, the whole shebang is hot....

Cold and flu season is upon us, so who better to take advice from than people who see sneezing, hacking patients every day? You may already know a few ways to avoid getting sick—wash your hands, get enough sleep, stay hydrated—but there are others you may not have thought of. (When’s the last time you disinfected your smartphone, for example?) Here, doctors and nurses give their best tips and advice for boosting your immune system....

An Alternative About 5 years ago, I read about acupuncture. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, it works by improving the flow of energy, or “qi,” through your body. Research shows that it prompts your body to release chemicals that can ease pain and inflammation. Ouchless: I don’t like needles, but nothing else was helping, so I decided to try it. While I laid on my back, the acupuncturist put needles in my face, arms, chest, hands, and feet....

To successfully age, it’s a multi-faceted phenomenon that involves our health, our emotional wellness, physical fitness, social interactions, and an overall positive outlook. These studies do serve to prove some of the hard facts though. Our history impacts how we age and genetics plays a huge part, along with economic disparities and historical health factors. This cannot be denied. There are ways we can have resilience and rise up and overcome, however, no matter what historical hurdles we climb over - one thing is for certain: how we live, is how we age....

Decluttering. Whether it’s my bathroom and all the products, my makeup bag, my handbag, the reading material on my night table or papers on my desk, when I’m disorganized I’m disheveled. But once I take the time to put things in place and get rid of what I don’t need, I feel beautiful. I know this sounds really weird, especially if you knew me because I am not a very organized person!...

Among more than 2,500 seniors, those suffering from anemia were 41% more likely to develop dementia during the decade-long study period than those without the blood deficiency. These new findings piggy-back on two smaller studies that found anemia doubles your risk for dementia and ups your risk for Alzheimer’s by 60%. Previous research has also tied the common blood disorder to fatigue and higher mortality. People suffering from anemia lack adequate amounts of healthy red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the body’s tissues and cells....

But there’s no reason to stop using yours—if you do it safely. Neti pots have been used for thousands of years as a way to irrigate irritants directly out of your nose. (The classic device looks something like a teapot; to use it, you pour water into one nostril, letting it flow out the other, then repeat with the other nostril.) They have been proven to be helpful in alleviating colds and allergies....