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Are you or someone you know a vegetarian? Are you or they struggling with disordered eating or an eating disorder? If you or a loved one has an eating disorder you may be wondering whether you or they should become or remain a vegetarian. In order to make this decision, we must first explore the complicated relationship between eating disorders and vegetarianism. Defining Vegetarians There exists only limited research on the connection between vegetarianism and eating disorders; the research that exists is confounded by a number of factors....

If you just discovered that you’re pregnant, you will likely spend the next months ahead wondering how your baby is growing and developing. Questions like: “What color will my baby’s eyes be?” or “When can my baby hear me?” may run through your mind. You may even wonder about your baby’s brain development. Fortunately, fetal brain development typically follows a pretty predictable schedule. In fact, the fetal nervous system, or your baby’s brain and spinal cord, is one of the first systems to develop....

The postpartum period is chock full of hormones. Not only is your body adjusting to not being pregnant anymore, it’s revving up to produce breast milk to feed your new baby. Within the first few days after giving birth, your pregnancy-high levels of estrogen and progesterone plummet while your prolactin levels surge—first making colostrum and then milk. Eventually this storm of hormones evens out and the intense emotions you may have experienced, like whiplash-inducing mood swings, pure elation, and sudden crying spells begin to even out, too....

Along with every other challenge we’ve faced over the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has put our love lives to the test. People have been cooped up with their partners for months on end, shining a spotlight on both the strengths and weaknesses of their relationships. Meanwhile, single folks have been forced to choose between navigating the murky waters of dating during the time of the coronavirus, or riding it out on their own....

Most pregnant parents head into labor and delivery with a set birthing plan in mind, be it a medicine-free vaginal birth, vaginal birth with an epidural, home birth in a tub, or planned C-section. It can be hard when those plans change at the last second. In some cases, the decision to shift from one delivery method to another may be influenced by external factors. Key Takeaways A new study shows how a doctor’s experience at a previous delivery may influence their decisions at subsequent deliveries....

A nipple shield is a breastfeeding product that’s used in special situations. It’s a very thin, soft piece of rubber or silicone that covers the areola and nipple. A small opening at the tip of the nipple area allows breast milk to flow from your breast, through the shield, and to your baby. What Is a Nipple Shield? A nipple shield is a helpful breastfeeding device, but only in certain circumstances....

Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Every Monday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, interviews authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. Meet Ricky Byrd Ricky Byrd is a rock and roll guitar player, singer, songwriter, and music producer. For more than a decade, he was a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, where he contributed background vocals and music to many albums, including two platinum albums and one gold album....

Friendships matter, especially as a parent. Having friends who are also parents can really help navigate the choppy waters that come with raising kids. “Quality friendships as a parent remove some of the uncertainty and self-blame that can come with this [parenting] role, moving us closer to a ‘we are in this together’ mindset,” says Caroline Adams, MEd, LPC, a professional counselor and a podcast host with Peanut. It can feel both comforting and validating to have friends who are available to vent or just drink coffee....

You’ve recognized you have a problem and that your addictive behavior is affecting other parts of your life. Now you want to know how to quit your addiction. Chances are you didn’t expect to become addicted when you started. You may have thought you were just having fun and could stop at any time. Many people who experience addiction are surprised at how difficult quitting can be. You may even end up wondering, Why can’t I quit?...

The negative impacts of insulin resistance on physical health have long been discussed. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that insulin resistance was associated with more than double the risk of major depressive disorder. Key Takeaways Insulin resistance was associated with an increased risk of depression.Participants developing prediabetes within the first 2 years of the study demonstrated 2.66 times the risk for major depressive disorder by the 9-year follow-up....

“I messed up with my older son Zimo,” admits Jill Li, founder of Parent Lab. Li and her husband moved to Portland, Ore. from Beijing with their then six-year-old son. She was working full-time in tech, balancing motherhood, and trying to do what was right for her child developmentally. She thought that by raising a physically healthy and academically advanced child, she was doing all the right things. But now she knows her focus was always on the “wrong” things, which made Zimo struggle....

Microdosing involves taking very low doses of a substance, usually a psychedelic drug. The amount of the substance that is used is significantly below a hallucinogenic dose, yet proponents believe that the practice can produce a range of positive health effects. These low doses are purported to enhance daily functioning while avoiding a dramatically altered state of consciousness. People are motivated to microdose for a number of reasons. These include a desire to:...

If you’ve had a diagnosis of miscarriage, you may be confused if you take a pregnancy test and find that it’s positive. However, it’s common to get a positive pregnancy test after miscarriage for a week or two or even a month. This type of false positive result has a few different explanations. Learn how a pregnancy test works and how long it usually remains positive after a miscarriage. How a Pregnancy Test Works Pregnancy tests detect the presence of the pregnancy hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) in the blood or urine....

Have you ever noticed how the moon looks bigger when it is on the horizon than it does when it is high in the sky? The moon often looks huge as it begins to peek up over the horizon, but hours later as you glance up into the night sky you will note that it now appears much smaller. This phenomenon is known as the moon illusion. While the moon illusion is well known through human history and culture, researchers are still debating explanations for why it happens....

Pregnancy is a time of physical and emotional changes. It’s also a time when nine months can feel like an eternity. And whether you’re four or 34 weeks into this adventure, having access to information, inspiration, and some good comic relief is essential to making it to the other side (aka, childbirth). The good news? There are tons of pregnancy podcasts that can help you through your pregnancy journey. For First-Time Moms Big Fat Positive Podcast Think of the Big Fat Positive podcast as the all-in-one guide for expecting moms....

What Is Emotional Abuse by Parents? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), child abuse and neglect are entirely too common in the United States, with 1 in 7 children being a victim. While any child can be a victim of emotional abuse, the CDC notes that children living in poverty are at greater risk of abuse. Emotional Abuse Emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse, is a pattern of behavior perpetuated by a parent that causes a child to experience emotional distress, harms their sense of self-worth, and affects their emotional development....

Eating disorders frequently emerge during adolescence but often, the symptoms aren’t what parents might expect. Unfortunately, many eating disorders go undetected and untreated because parents don’t recognize the warning signs. Learning how to spot the subtle warning signs of an eating disorder could help you catch a problem early. Be on the lookout for the following warning signs that could indicate your teen may have an eating disorder: Early intervention is key to addressing an eating disorder effectively....

If you suffer from panic attacks, then you’ve been there before. You experience difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, muscle tension, and dizziness. These physical sensations are often accompanied by negative and frightening thoughts. You may fear losing control of yourself and quite possibly your sanity. Despite these overwhelming feelings, there are ways you can regain a sense of control when panic strikes. Below are some simple tips you can use to help ease common symptoms of a panic attack....

The ability to recognize and produce rhyming words is an important phonological awareness skill. Research indicates there is a correlation between phonological awareness and reading ability. Working on rhyming skills is usually part of most programs of reading instruction for that reason. How Parents Can Help Their Children With Rhyming Skills What you can do to help develop your child’s rhyming skills at home. Rhyming Books Read rhyming books to your child....

Quitting heroin can be extremely difficult, but for those who have a sincere desire or motivation to quit, there are a variety of treatments available and recovery is absolutely possible. These include behavioral therapies and pharmacological treatments. Different Treatment Approaches for Heroin Addiction Both approaches to treatment, behavioral and pharmacological, can be effective individually, but research has shown that integrating both types of treatment is most effective for some heroin users....