I have a recording where my ex laughs, “If you were standing there battered and bruised, then maybe you’d have a leg to stand on.” Because it’s so covert, you doubt your sanity. No doubt, the person is gaslighting you—telling you you’re too sensitive, and it’s all your fault. These are some of the things (besides physical violence) that suggest your significant other might be abusive. That was when he was getting desperate....
Some men feel that online dating is especially challenging for them, though, largely because they struggle to get as many interactions as they’d like. According to couples’ therapist Kyle Zrenchik, Ph.D., LMFT, ACS, straight men “typically have to work significantly harder to find their match, where women have to often weed through the suitors to find their match.” Despite those challenges, dating apps can absolutely work for men with some patience and the right approach....
The reality is that it is very easy to spot emotional manipulation when it happens to people you love, but professionals say it is hard to spot the puppetmaster pulling your own strings. We spoke with licensed psychologist Kate Balestrieri, Ph.D., CST, and mental health counselor Destiny McCoy, LMSW, about the different types of manipulation that exist, telltale signs to confirm it’s happening to you, and solutions to curb manipulation in relationships....
Viruses “do their damage by invading human cells, taking over the machinery, and replicating themselves like mad,” says Heather Moday, M.D., an allergist and immunologist who is board-certified in integrative and holistic medicine. There are no targeted medical treatments for viruses—antiviral medications may lessen the severity of symptoms, but they don’t stop the virus directly. Many antiviral herbs have been studied, primarily in vitro, but it’s important to know that human research is very limited, and more is needed before making definitive statements about the effects of natural antivirals....
Base your desire to be in your relationship on your present experience, not on some future idea of what you want it to be. Don’t let fantasy bonds keep you in a relationship that’s going nowhere. When we feel pressured to maintain a certain emotional equilibrium around our partners, we breed secondary emotions—guilt, shame, and anxiety—for experiencing anything other than happiness and calm. Inevitably, life will throw more things than just happiness and calm your way, so it’s important to feel safe feeling those less comfortable emotions in the presence of your partner....
“Vulva are as unique and individual in their appearance as a fingerprint,” OB/GYN Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, M.D., tells mbg. “And that uniqueness is part of their beauty.” Here are a few of those variations, according to health experts. The labia could undergo slight variations in color for different reasons. “Some people may notice that the labia may become a little redder or larger in appearance when aroused because of the increase in blood supply,” Irobunda explains....
Here, experts weigh in on what self-fulfilling prophecies are, when they happen, and how to overcome negative ones. That perspective, she says, then “drives certain behaviors that make the outcome become more likely.” For example, if you convince yourself you’re going to have an awful time at a party, you will behave as such, and might end up having an awful time indeed. According to psychiatrist Anna Yusim, M.D., when we have certain things we believe or fear, we manifest them through putting our attention on them—and often in negative or undesirable ways....
