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If you are looking to reduce your alcohol intake but don’t want to miss out on the experience, there are plenty of high-quality non-alcoholic wine, beer, and spirits to choose from. From premixed mocktails to non-alcoholic liquor, there is something for everyone. Higher levels of alcohol consumption can make it more difficult to build muscle and reach fitness goals. Aside from making it easier to improve your fitness, research shows there may be health benefits to reducing your intake of alcohol, or limiting it to a moderate amount....

Most everyone is aware of the discrimination that people belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and people of color face. However, many people don’t realize the compounded life challenges a person faces when they are part of both communities. That’s because they deal with the societal challenges of belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and the challenges of being of color. They may be subjected to both lesbo/homophobia, biphobia, and/or trans(phobia/misogyny) as well as racism simultaneously and at different times throughout life....

There’s no denying the power of a hug. If you’ve ever said you’ve felt starved for touch, you’re actually not that far off. The same areas of our brain that are satisfied by eating are also satisfied by human touch, including hugs. During the initial COVID-19 lockdowns, many, particularly those who live alone, realized the impact of the loss or reduction of human touch in their lives. A consensual and desired hug can be a warm and welcoming greeting, a therapeutic and nurturing touch, and a signal of friendliness and care....

According to Freudian theory, the primary process involves forming a mental image of the desired object in order to satisfy the desire for that object. For example, if you were craving a piece of chocolate cake but sadly did not have any at the moment, you might deal with this by visualizing a delicious piece of cake. How the Primary Process in Freudian Theory Works In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, the primary process works to resolve the tension created by the pleasure principle....

Solomon died on January 15, 2017. It wasn’t sudden, but it still felt that way to me. At 16, Solomon was old for a dog, and he’d been living with a heart condition for several years already. With the help of a veterinarian who specialized in cardiology, my husband, Mike, and I staved off the worst effects of his ailment. So when he collapsed in late December, we assumed it was a sign we’d just have to tweak his medication....

If you are expecting a baby, you may be concerned about the possibility of contracting the COVID-19 Delta variant. Like previous strains of the virus, the Delta variant can be more dangerous for pregnant people and their unborn children. Experts answer parents’ questions about this strain of COVID-19. Key Takeaways The Delta variant, a strain of COVID-19, is more contagious and causes more severe illness than other variants.People who are pregnant have a compromised immune system....

A common concern many new parents have is that their baby always seems to be hungry. While most parents expect that their newborn will need to eat very frequently, seemingly constant hunger can be confusing and even worrying. Parents will often question whether or not their baby is actually getting enough to eat, and breastfeeding moms may begin to question if they are making enough breastmilk. Most likely your baby is just fine....

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon, but they seem to have risen to the forefront of consciousness in recent years. Some controversial examples of such theories include the belief that terrorist attacks and mass shootings were staged events orchestrated by the U.S. government. Other examples include the belief that the pharmaceutical industry intentionally spreads diseases or that vaccines cause illness rather than prevent them. While it might seem like these beliefs are rare or even pathological, research has shown that they are surprisingly common....

Although I’ve always wanted to be a mother, I’ve feared the pain of childbirth for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I’d often ask my own mom how much it hurt: After delivering three children with no pain medication, she always answered that it couldn’t have been that bad—otherwise, why would she have done it more than once? Her reasoning stuck with me when I got pregnant with my son....

Pregnancy is as joyful as it is exhausting. At the end of the day, you probably find yourself wanting to kick back and unwind, which is fully encouraged. What better way to relax while also embracing where you’re at in your journey than taking in a baby-related flick? Being pregnant can be all-consuming, so it’s natural to want to tune into content about this chapter of your life. Whether you’re looking for something lighthearted and funny or a film that’s a bit more substantial, we’ve got you covered....

Though you can follow any matter of pattern when choosing a baby name—whether it’s your favorite pop culture trend or your family’s origin story—one of the simpler tactics is going by letter. Take the letter “L,” for example. There are so many beautiful names that begin with this letter, both unique baby names and popular baby names. Choosing a baby’s name based on a letter can be something for fun or can create a family of names that all work together seamlessly....

October was ADHD awareness month, now it’s November but that’s how it goes sometimes with finishing your to-do list when you have ADHD. In recent years the mental health community has vastly expanded its understanding of a disorder that for too long centered around young boys with the inability to sit still in school. We’re finally bringing women and girls into the conversation and teaching people that neurodivergence impacts every single aspect of life....

Thanks to the internet and social media, it’s now easy to connect, communicate, and build relationships with people from all over the world. But this new connectivity also has opened the doors to deception and cyberbullying, including catfishing. As a result, people are often tricked, bullied, and taken advantage of by people who are not who they say they are. What Is Catfishing? Catfishing is creating a fake identity online and using it to lure people into a relationship, usually romantic in nature....

Prominent digital mental health start-ups that offer prescription medication, like Cerebral, have recently come under fire for allegedly over-prescribing stimulants like Adderall. The company is currently under criminal investigation for violating the Controlled Substances Act while also being the subject of a DEA probe. Key Takeaways Digital mental health companies, like Cerebral, that have come under fire for overprescribing medications are responding—at least in part—to access needs heightened by the pandemic....

If you’re concerned that taking the medication Lamictal (lamotrigine) may cause you to gain weight, there’s good news. It probably won’t affect your weight much at all. If anything, you’re more likely to lose weight because of Lamictal than to gain weight, but either way, the changes will probably be pretty small. The effect of Lamictal on weight has been studied quite a bit and various clinical trials have found a minimal impact gain....

Researchers have mapped out the expected measurements for specific points in early pregnancy, An early ultrasound scan can give a doctor important information about gestational age and viability. An ultrasound is a highly accurate means of dating a pregnancy. In a normal pregnancy, ultrasound can provide an estimate of the gestational age to within five to seven days of accuracy. If a patient is having miscarriage symptoms, a doctor may order one or more ultrasounds to determine whether the pregnancy is viable....

There is no one perfect time to get pregnant. Many people, though, have often been told that having a baby after you are 35 increases many risks. This might have led you to believe that there are not many people who have babies after this point. However, the truth of the matter is that many people are having babies in their 40s. If you’re pregnant at 41, 43, or older, you may understandably worry about how your age may impact your pregnancy....

For many, the COVID-19 pandemic has been marked by months of loneliness and declining mental health. Due to safety protocols such as shelter-in-place orders, quarantines, and general risk avoidance, many have been forced to spend a majority of their time at home and away from friends and loved ones. Key Takeaways COVID-19 has had a major impact on most individuals’ mental wellness.A new study shows that verbal conversations grounded in empathy have a positive impact on mental health and loneliness....

You may have heard about the short-term and long-range effects of being bullied, but what are the effects of being a bully? Children who are bullies have an increased risk for many negative outcomes. Parents who suspect their child is engaging in bullying behavior may want to intervene to help prevent these problems throughout their child’s life. Negative Impacts People who are or were bullies are more likely to drop out of school than their peers....

If you are experiencing signs of miscarriage (such as vaginal bleeding and abdominal cramping), it’s important that you see a doctor as quickly as possible. After assessing your clinical symptoms, the doctor will want to run a series of tests to determine what exactly is happening. Miscarriage is commonly diagnosed using a combination of tests, the most standard of which include the hCG blood test, an ultrasound, fetal heart scanning, and a pelvic exam....