I was 41 years old when my husband and I started seriously talking about having kids. Given my age, I decided to visit the gynecologist first to ensure everything was OK. There, my doctor tested my follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, which gives a general read on a woman’s egg supply and fertility. I was told I had a FSH level of 15. Translation: My ovaries were barely producing good eggs—and I had just a 5 to 8% chance of conceiving naturally....

This is especially true of exfoliation. Scrubbing, peeling, and sloughing off skin cells can be an incredibly satisfying thing—and often comes with impressive results. But going overboard is extremely harmful to skin and can have some pretty serious repercussions. “The most important tip is that ’less is more.’ You want to exfoliate just enough to increase cell turnover and reveal fresh new skin,” says Ife Rodney, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Eternal Dermatology....

Online marriage counseling is a great alternative to in-person sessions, as it can be easier to work into a busy schedule, it’s often cheaper, and it can feel less intimidating to folks who may be wary to try it. Here’s what to know about online marriage counseling and whether it’s right for your marriage, plus some options to consider. Anything that could come up during in-person marriage counseling is still on the table when the counseling goes online....

I was afraid to eat anything other than oatmeal and scrambled eggs, as those were the only foods that didn’t send me running to the bathroom. As a foodie who’s always thinking about what I want to cook next, this was incredibly frustrating and upsetting. Finally, after a lot of concern from not only myself but my family, I visited a GI doctor. I went through the as-fun-as-you-can-imagine stool test, but results came back inconclusive for any specific infection (as I had waited to see a doctor), nor did it come back with any indication of other serious problems....

When we step outside of our comfort zones, we risk being wrong, disliked, rejected, damned, misunderstood, or exposed. This is the price we all pay on the path to authenticity. It’s easy to spot when someone is stepping outside their comfort zone in the public arena when we look at well-known speakers, authors, and athletes like these. But heroic acts of “living free” and risking the potential of exposure, failure, rejection, and disapproval are actually happening all around us, all the time, with the people you know and love the most....

Here’s how to create a chakra bath that best suits your needs. Unbalanced: low self-esteem, self-centered Balanced: stabilizing, grounded Color: red Essential Oil: vetiver, cypress, cedarwood Gemstones: ruby, black tourmaline, red garnet Herbal Tea: ginseng/dandelion root Unbalanced: overly sensitive, emotionally unbalanced, disempowered Balanced: creative, balanced emotions, sexual flow Color: orange Essential Oil: jasmine, ylang ylang Gemstones: orange carnelian, orange calcite, aragonite Herbal Tea: cinnamon bark Unbalanced: fearful, judgmental Balanced: strengthens personal power, raises self-esteem Color: yellow Gemstones: pyrite, tiger’s eye, citrine Essential Oils: ginger, geranium, helichrysum Herbal Tea: ginger or mint Unbalanced: possessive, fear of rejection Balanced: love unconditionally, voice of the soul, compassion Color: green, pink Essential Oils: rose, lemon balm Gemstones: rose quartz, jade, kunzite Herbal Tea: licorice Unbalanced: unreliable, self-righteous Balanced: satisfied, content, in your truth Color: blue Essential Oils: lavender or geranium Gemstones: turquoise, blue calcite, aquamarine Herbal Tea: lemon with turmeric Unbalanced: undisciplined, highly logical Balanced: brings focus, intuition, centeredness Color: indigo Essential Oils: sandalwood, clary sage Gemstones: moonstone, sodalite, lapis lazuli Herbal Tea: schizandra berry, jasmine Unbalanced: constantly exhausted, depressed Balanced: soothes restless mind, higher awareness, prayerful Color: violet Essential Oils: frankincense, blue chamomile Gemstones: amethyst, lepidolite, sugilite Herbal Tea: astragalus root, lavender

With cordial contact, we are mindful not to be too self-revealing. We make sure to keep conversations and emotions superficial, positive, and pleasant and largely about our toxic family members. Because they love feeling as if everything is about them, we can use this as a workable strategy, knowing we’re doing it on purpose as a way to keep ourselves safe from unwanted drama, at least to the best of our ability....