When sexual partners make this intentional decision, it means they forgo condoms, dental dams, internal condoms, and other kinds of preventive barriers during oral, anal, and vaginal sex and any kind of sexual touching. It can also mean the partners choose to share sex toys together without a barrier. Because you exchange bodily fluids such as secretions, semen, ejaculate, and blood or saliva, fluid bonding increases the chances of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)....

As it turns out, the herb is quite fascinating and facilitates various processes in the body that can “indirectly” enhance weight loss while providing other benefits. While using herbs, roots, or other natural supplements, I have found that they tend to affect various pathways in the body, which is why you will experience a variety of changes when introducing them to your daily regimen. Forskolin specifically influences pathways in the body that modulate the inflammatory response, calm the stress response, and detox neurotoxins....

But not all cleanses are created equal. While much of the hype around cleansing is connected to short-term programs like juice cleanses or fasting, their “quick fix” nature tends to dissipate over time. For example, juice cleanses may cause initial weight loss, but the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says they “tend to lead to weight gain once a person resumes a normal diet.” Maggie Michalczyk, RDN adds: “Cleanses are often synonymous with cutting something out of our diets but they don’t have to be....

In the excerpt below, an essay by Cameron Esposito, enjoy a taste of how this book stokes deep appreciation for the tenderness of our humanity using refreshing authenticity and heartfelt humor. To read the other essays, purchase your own copy here. Emily and I met in Chicago. We didn’t do exactly the same thing—I’m a standup comic, and she worked in the adjacent world of musical improv. Emily occasionally did standup too, but it wasn’t make-or-break for her the way it was for me....

The silent repetition of a mantra, or “mind vehicle,” is one method of transportation we can mentally hop into in order to navigate beyond our thinking mind. Mantra meditation is not meant to stop your thoughts altogether. Instead, the goal is to expand your awareness so you can get more comfortable observing your thoughts (and any other external stimuli) without getting immediately involved in them. The more you practice, the more you’ll start to notice that you are inherently more present, with less mind-wandering to the past or future....

That’s how I remember thinking about the best sex I’d ever had, in that moment. I’ve had a complicated relationship with sex for as long as I can remember—as I’m sure most of us probably do. I grew up in a very conservative, religious environment where any mention of sexuality was forbidden. I was sexually assaulted when I was 12 and consequently had all of my sexual agency taken from me....

So instead of letting the process of getting pregnant become an all-consuming obsession, I realized the best thing for my mental health was learning to let go. Here’s how I learned to cope with the hard realities of getting pregnant: I had been looking forward to being a mother ever since I was a little girl, so I hadn’t ever considered the option before. But now, I shifted my mindset from despair and dejection to a new inquiry I had never pondered: I’m not going to have children, so now what?...