Depending on the type of toy, these products are directly coming into contact with the skin of the vagina, penis, or anus—all sensitive-skin areas that are susceptible to infections—and many toys are actually inserted into the body, opening up the potential for introducing unwanted substances. Bacteria, dirt, sperm, and even the microscopic organisms responsible for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can all collect on the surface of a sex toy, says counselor and psychosexual health educator L....

“It is important to understand that food insecurity and hunger are not the same thing,” says Charles Platkin, Ph.D., J.D., MPH, executive director for the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center. “Someone can be food insecure without being ‘hungry.’ They are not interchangeable.” The USDA defines food insecurity as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited access to food, while hunger is an individual-level physiological condition that may result from food insecurity....

Here, we’ve outlined all the amazing benefits fiber has to offer—plus, how to achieve and maintain your fiber goals through diet and supplementation. There are two main categories of fiber: Soluble fiber becomes a gel-like substance during digestion and helps collect and remove unwanted compounds (e.g., environmental toxins, cholesterol, extra hormones, waste) from the body. Insoluble fiber helps “get things moving”—i.e., it makes up the bulk of stool, promotes gut motility, and assists elimination....

Did you know that consuming sugar causes the brain to release dopamine, the same neurotransmitter linked with cocaine usage? It boosts you into a momentary high, drops you like a ton of bricks, and leaves you craving more. A dangerous cycle for sure, and many of us can relate to being in what we affectionately call a “sugar coma.” We tend to associate this tag with children, most likely because our adult bodies have become so accustomed to the nasty cycle that we don’t even realize we have been suffering our entire lives from excess amounts of sugar....

Beyond aesthetics, some people also claim that these lamps can remove potentially harmful chemical and pollutants from the air. Since salt is a hygroscopic substance, meaning it has a net positive ionic charge and attracts water molecules from the surrounding environment, this may not be a totally crazy idea—but there is little to no scientific evidence to back it up. Proponents of Himalayan salt lamps boast that these purifying salt rocks have the ability to remove pollen, dust, smoke, and many other types of allergens from the air....

The adage “New Year, New You” has felt dated for quite some time, but I do think there is value in setting intentions and resolutions this time of year. It’s less about rebranding once the clock strikes midnight and more about committing to rituals that you think can benefit your life in some way. This can happen on any calendar date, of course, but there’s no time like the present. However, I do miss facials, and how they make me feel....

So eating lunch at my desk while staring at a computer screen (or while calling to book a doctor’s appointment, or while in the car on my way to said appointment) has become the norm. After all, I reason to myself, if you’re not multitasking, aren’t you just being lazy? I never used to be that person who experienced bloating or alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea, but here I am!...