When the bacteria in the intestinal tract (i.e., your gut microbiota) lack in volume or diversity, or the wrong types of microorganisms start to flourish, it not only can affect your health, but it can also make healthy weight maintenance more difficult. A probiotic supplement that contains science-backed strains of good bacteria can help maintain or restore a healthy microbial balance to your digestive system.* These supplements deliver certain probiotic strains, such as those from genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and when taken regularly, they lay down the good bugs you want in your gut, and over time, your health will thank you for it....

Silence. Total, deafening silence. What do we agree on? Music and food. One thing we loved to do together was cook. I miss that—planning the meals, goofing off at the grocery store, setting up the kitchen, chopping, and sautéing, music blasting with the windows open wide letting the Southern California sun stream in. Talking, laughing and loving. I’m comforted by those uncomplicated memories and have tucked them away inside a special place in my heart....

Before I gave up drinking, I experienced hundreds of fleeting moments in which I knew that I wanted to become teetotal, but I couldn’t bear the thought of living the rest of my life craving something that I had deemed off-limits. And so I continued to drink. That is, until I changed my approach to the whole business of living life sober. Next time that happens, remember this: if you continue to drink, you may continue to have these mornings....

The actual study1 (again, a preclinical mechanistic study in mice) is a bit dense and techinical for anyone who’s not a researcher to understand. Yet being familiar with what stem cells are, why you might want more of them, and natural and safe ways to increase stem cell activity are timely topics that all of us should know. When a stem cell divides, each “daughter” cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a heart muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell....

Interest in indoor plants has seen a major boom in the past few years (likely as a result of more time spent at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic), and it’s now starting to evolve in a colorful way. In 2023, we’re predicting a rise in flowering houseplants, as avid indoor gardeners look to brighten things up at home with pops of color. Here’s the science behind why more flowers could actually be just what we’re missing—plus the flowering plants to watch out for this year....

We have so many defenses to protect ourselves from the risk of loss. Some of these defenses are obvious and well known: We use sarcasm or dry humor to diminish moments of vulnerability. We create distractions like work and all forms of busyness. We constantly check our smartphones or become addicted to screens. We may not realize it, but these are all ways the fear of love manifests. Other defense mechanisms that prohibit intimacy are more subtle....

Below, an overview of the lotus sex position and a few tips on how to master it. “This configuration leaves two face-to-face bodies pressed tightly together, which can be intimate, sweet, and sexy,” says Good Vibrations sexologist Carol Queen, Ph.D. Well, if you’re craving more intimacy and romance in your sex sessions, the lotus position is perfect. It offers the opportunity for kissing, full-body embraces, and nonstop eye contact. “Incorporate eye-gazing, in-sync breathing, and touching your foreheads (your third eye) together to increase the feeling of connection even more,” suggests Barbara Carrellas, ACS, sexologists, tantra educator, and author of Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the Twenty-First Century....