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If you are coping with borderline personality disorder (BPD), finding the right therapist is essential to your health and well-being. Not every therapist is capable of treating BPD and you may not click with the first healthcare provider you meet. It’s important that you keep looking for the right person, as you will be spending a lot of time with them. This article will discuss the qualities to look for in a BPD therapist and how effective therapy is for this condition....

Venom is typically considered a substance to be avoided, and toads aren’t the most appealing creatures. So, why would you ingest or smoke their venom? For the psychedelic experience, of course. Key Takeaways Venom from the Sonoran Desert toad contains a psychoactive compound that can be ingested to induce a powerful psychedelic experience.While illegal in the US, the substance is gaining popularity, and research on its active ingredient shows potential for treating depression....

While some runners choose to go commando, others prefer to run with an extra layer under their shorts, pants, or capris. Depending on the activity, underwear choice can dramatically affect performance and comfort while running. The best options are made with technical fabrics that are breathable—wicking away sweat and keeping sensitive areas dry and comfortable. They also fight painful chafing and irritation. Look for underwear for running that is made of material that is lightweight, quick-drying, and stretchy....

Yoga mats are bulky, awkward, and prone to unraveling. So toting one around can be tough—unless you have a yoga mat bag. “A yoga bag can be handy if you’re on the go,” Monisha Bhanote, MD, Yoga Medicine therapeutic specialist, says. “Plus, some yoga mat bags are great not only for your yoga mat, but also for other yoga accessories, such as straps, blocks, and towels,” she adds. When shopping for a yoga mat bag, consider size, style, and weight....

Knee sleeves are thin, stretchy pieces of fabric that you can wear over your knees for additional support and comfort. “Someone may wear a knee sleeve because they feel it will help decrease their [knee pain] or improve their function,” says Brandon Schmitt, DPT, ATC, chair of the Knee Special Interest Group of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy. While they don’t serve as a replacement for physical therapy, knee braces can be extremely useful in-between sessions....

Infertility is a complicated issue that impacts up to 15% of couples who are trying to conceive. Depending on your unique situation, various infertility factors may be treated through in-vitro fertilization (IVF). The high cost of IVF, along with its emotional and physical toll, may leave you wondering whether IVF is worth a try. The good news is that IVF is generally successful, especially for women under age 35 or those who use donor eggs....

If you have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), your doctor may have explained that you’re at higher risk for other health problems such as depression and heart disease. But you may be surprised to learn that people with PTSD are also more likely to have problems with pain than people who don’t. What’s the story behind PTSD and pain? PTSD and Pain Frequency Studies show that pain is one of the most common physical problems reported by people with PTSD....

Advances in medical technology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have offered insight into the role the brain may play in different mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers have focused specific attention on the hippocampus in cases of PTSD. What Is the Hippocampus? The hippocampus is a part of the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system describes a group of brain structures that surround the brain stem....

Many grandparents are more running shoes than rocking chairs, more social media than social security. The average age of becoming a grandparent is 50, although many individuals become grandparents even earlier, perhaps even in their 30s. These younger grandparents may face a number of challenges. Becoming a grandparent at a young age can scramble all expectations for the second half of life. It can also increase joy and, ironically, keep grandparents young....

When you’re pregnant, there are a variety of tests that are offered at different points throughout your prenatal care. These are generally screening tests, as opposed to diagnostic tests. What’s the difference between the two? Screening tests are generally given to a wide variety of people, including asymptomatic people, to look for early diseases or problems, or to identify any possible risk factors for a condition. A diagnostic test determines whether a condition is present....

Their ability to discern what others are feeling goes beyond empathy, which is defined simply as the ability to understand the feelings of others. Instead, being an empath extends to actually taking those feelings on. Empath An empath is a person highly attuned to the feelings and emotions of those around them. Empaths feel what another person is feeling at a deep emotional level. Science is divided on whether or not true empaths—people who can tap into and take on the emotions of those around them—actually exist, though plenty of people claim to have such abilities....

What Is an Intervention? In the context of substance use and recovery, an intervention is an organized attempt to confront someone with an addiction about how their drinking, drug use, or addiction-related behavior has affected everyone around them. An intervention provides family, friends, and sometimes even colleagues and employers an opportunity to tell someone in their own words how the person’s use of drugs or alcohol has been a problem in their lives....

What Is Othering? Othering is a phenomenon in which some individuals or groups are defined and labeled as not fitting in within the norms of a social group. It is an effect that influences how people perceive and treat those who are viewed as being part of the in-group versus those who are seen as being part of the out-group. Othering also involves attributing negative characteristics to people or groups that differentiate them from the perceived normative social group....

It can be so exciting when you finally get to meet your newborn baby. But brand-new babies in real life don’t always resemble the freshly delivered infants that you see on television or movies. Instead of slippery and clean, real newborns can be a little, well. Messier. In fact, the first time you see your baby, you might notice a thin, patchy layer of white substance covering part of their skin....

Many holiday movies include one character who is a racist family member, making everyone else at the dinner table angry or uncomfortable with their ignorant and inappropriate remarks. It’s a trope that is common because unfortunately, so many of us can relate to it. Over half the population thinks that race relations in the United States are generally bad, and that’s a telling sign. So many of us have seen family members consistently do or say racist things....

It is a universal truth that babies and kids come with a lot of stuff. Between baby carriers, bottle warmers, strollers, cribs, pack and plays, and toys, there always seems to be something new your baby needs. Sorting through the sheer number of products available can be overwhelming! When you consider the cost of some of this baby gear and the space it takes up in your home, it’s understandable to want to throw your hands up in frustration....

There is nothing more joyous than seeing your baby smile for the first time. It’s a milestone that all parents of newborns wait for with bated breath. It makes those months of morning sickness, achy joints, swollen ankles, and all of the discomforts of pregnancy worth it. It’s the reward you are looking for after those grueling hours of labor and delivery. But a baby’s smile doesn’t come right away. In the early days when you first hold your baby in your arms, they aren’t likely to even open their eyes, let alone smile at you....

At 20 weeks pregnant, you are five months along and halfway through your pregnancy. As your baby and uterus continue to grow, you might notice a change in your weight and your belly button. Your Baby’s Development at 20 Weeks At 20 weeks, baby is almost 6 3/4 inches (17 centimeters) from the top of the head to the bottom of the buttocks (known as the crown-rump length), and the baby’s height is approximately 9 1/2 inches (24....

Most people will have at least one ultrasound done during pregnancy as part of their routine prenatal care. These ultrasounds are most often two-dimensional (2D), which means they provide a picture image of the fetus. Ultrasounds in a medical setting are a safe and effective tool for evaluating a fetus and diagnosing complications. Ultrasounds performed for non-medical reasons, however, are typically not recommended. Health experts generally advise against “keepsake” three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) ultrasounds, which produce still and moving images of your baby in the uterus, because there is no medical benefit and the long-term effects of these lengthy ultrasound exposure are unknown....

Before you had a baby, maybe you were living your life, doing your thing, feeling pretty confident about it. Perhaps you had a job you had mastered, an education you’d worked hard for, or a mix of activities and responsibilities you knew how to handle. And then a new little human arrived on the scene and your confidence took a nosedive. Becoming a parent is enough to make anyone feel less than self-assured....