TodaysNews

While all of my dogs have occasionally eaten grass, Gina is absolutely obsessed with chomping on greens. She’s 6 years old, and I’ve observed this behavior since I adopted her at 16 months. There’s an old myth that dogs eat grass when their stomachs are feeling queasy to cause them to vomit. But, I’ve known this isn’t the truth with her, because she eats grass daily and has no digestive problems. I was intrigued with Stanley Coren’s post in Psychology Today on the topic. Coren refers to the only research study that has surveyed dogs to find out if their grass eating habits are related to illness or dietary deficiency. The research study took place at The University of California, Davis and was published in Applied Animal Behavior Science in 2008. The survey initially observed the grass eating behavior of about 75 dogs belonging to both veterinary students and patients at the UC Davis teaching hospital. When questioned about their dog’s beh...

If you’re suffering from insomnia it may feel like sleep will never come again. Instead of lying in bed, try this yoga for insomnia series! As someone who has struggled off and on with insomnia, I know how rough it can be. You’re exhausted, and you’re lying in the dark, staring at the ceiling, but sleep just. won’t. come. Maybe your thoughts are racing, or maybe you feel like your body can’t settle down so that your brain can let go. If you deal with sleeplessness, yoga for insomnia may be able to help you sleep better and sleep more deeply. The causes of insomnia are complicated, and yoga isn’t going to be a cure-all for every person who suffers from this condition. It’s definitely helped me and other folks that I know, though so I recommend giving it a go. You’re awake anyway, right? If you’re new to yoga, I would suggest taking a couple of classes before practicing on your own.  The poses below are pretty basic, but learning how to properly align your body is part o...

If you regularly sleep sans pajamas, you’re in the minority. The vast majority of us sleep swaddled in some sort of clothing, be it shorts, a tee shirt, or a full-on onesie. According to a national sleep survey from 2012, only 8 percent admit to sleeping naked. But did you know that sleeping naked is actually great for you? Here are 6 ways nixing your pajamas will improve your health and happiness. Reduce insomnia . As you sleep, your body naturally dips in temperature. It’s beneficial for the body to cool down, and it encourages deeper, more restful sleep. If your body is overheated, wrapped in thick socks and pants, you may not be able to release excess heat, which could rob you of a solid night’s sleep. Studies have shown that insomnia and body temperature are closely related, so take off those clothes if you’re tossing and turning. Improve metabolism . Reduce excess belly fat by balancing cortisol levels, your stress hormone. Cortisol levels drop between 10...

Turn up the AC because these 26 sex facts will have you grasping for the nearest piece of mail to fan your blushing face. Note to self: visit Greece & Japan. Besides it being ridiculously exciting and pleasurable, sex burns off an average of about 100 calories per session. Not a bad workout! Did you get laid last night? You’re not alone. There are an estimated 100 million acts of sexual intercourse had each day. Remember that “once you pop you can’t stop,” Pringles ad? It’s kind of like that with sex, the more you have the more you want. The average amount of time spent kissing for a person in a lifetime is 20,160 minutes. That’s two whole weeks of kissing! Sounds like a good vacation. Women who take hormonal contraceptives tend to be more attracted to men with lower testosterone levels and less super masculine physical characteristics according to research. But, women tend to desire overtly masculine men during their most fert...

Is your bow-chicka-bow letting you down, down, down? You could blame a lot of things like the kids, your headache, or a perceived boredom between you and your partner. But have you considered looking at your plate? Being overweight can certainly affect your libido. We could dig in to the science, but it’s pretty self evident, isn’t it? Eat a bag of McDonald’s and you’d probably rather lay around and think about doing it rather than actually getting up and doing it. Have a much lighter, fresher, good-for-you meal and you are more likely to want to follow through. What you’re eating can play a role in your sex life, but not just in how much of the bad stuff you’re eating. Are you getting enough of the aphrodisiac foods when it really counts? Funny enough, the smellier the better seems to be key with these foods, with oysters, asparagus, and garlic on the list. But what the smelly and non-smelly foods on this list all share is that they’re great for you. They’re s...

It’s a question that has come up many times in my conversations, from chats with friends thinking about getting an IUD to fellow IUD users who’ve been able to feel it while getting it on. Ever since I got my ParaGard three years ago, I’ve been curious, too. The best part about having an IUD is being able to have sex whenever you want without having to worry about pregnancy. (Sexually transmitted infections, a.k.a. STIs, are another story—make sure you use condoms and get tested to prevent them.) While you shouldn’t expect to feel the IUD while you’re getting busy, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that you might be able to. If that weirds you out, keep calm and read on. The feels Here’s the thing: when it comes to being able to feel the IUD, there’s good feels and bad ones. IUD stands for intra-uterine device because the tiny T-shaped device sits inside of the uterus—not in the vagina. Once the IUD is inserted, you shouldn’t be able to feel the...

Image copyright SPL US scientists say they have bred a genetically modified (GM) mosquito that can resist malaria infection. If the lab technique works in the field, it could offer a new way of stopping the biting insects from spreading malaria to humans, they say. The scientists put a new "resistance" gene into the mosquito's own DNA, using a gene editing method called Crispr. And when the GM mosquitoes mated - their offspring inherited the same resistance, PNAS journal  reports. In theory, if these mosquitoes bite people, they should not be able to pass on the parasite that causes malaria. About 3.2bn people - almost half of the world's population - are at risk of malaria. Bed nets, insecticides and repellents can help stop the insects biting and drugs can be given to anyone who catches the infection, but the disease still kills around 580,000 people a year. 'Pivotal role' Scientists have been searching for new ways to fight malaria. T...

You’d be forgiven if you thought that raw is always healthier than cooked. For many fruits and vegetables that’s certainly the case, but it’s not always the case. Cooking some vegetables actually breaks down their tough cellular structure and makes it easier for the body to absorb nutrients. Of course, by cooking we mean cooking them the right way. Cooked kale may be healthier than raw kale, but deep-fried kale isn’t better than a raw kale salad. And, sure, if you love your raw kale salad and you can’t stand steamed kale, by all means, keep eating those salads. In the end, though, the best thing you can do is rid yourself of the idea that raw is always healthier than cooked. 1. Spinach . Cooking spinach boosts your body’s ability to absorb all of the fantastic nutrients this leafy green is loaded with, ...

The lymphatic system, or lymph system as it is also called, is a system made up of glands, lymph nodes, the spleen, thymus gland and tonsils. It bathes our body’s cells and carries the body’s cellular sewage away from the tissues to the blood, where it can be filtered by two of the body’s main detoxification organs: the liver and kidneys. This sewage is made up of the byproducts of our bodily processes, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, illicit drugs, cigarette toxins, other airborne pollutants, food additives, pesticides and other toxins. The Fat Flush Plan author Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, estimates that 80 percent of women have sluggish lymphatic systems and that getting them flowing smoothly is the key to easy weight loss and improved feelings of well-being . If you are suffering from injuries, excess weight or cellulite, or pain disorders like arthritis, bursitis, headaches or others, a sluggish lymphatic ...

When’s the last time you saw a pit bull? How did you react? The average person might shrink back from an encounter with a pit bull, scooping up their kids or crossing to the other side of the street. Pit bulls have the reputation of being vicious fighters, liable to snap and attack without a moment’s notice. You might be surprised that this reputation has been forced onto pit bulls by human misinformation, rather than earned through behavior. As Rebecca O’Connor writes for National Geographic, pit bulls used to be America’s darling breed. “An American favorite, the pit bull was featured in army recruitment posters during World War I and there were several famous pit bulls that served in the American military. They were a dog that was seen as a protector, a friend and an athlete, the sort of dog Americans aspired to have by their side…Pit bulls were also seen as a child’s best friend. On the silver screen the pit bull was a constant companion to the ...

Tea is a miraculous thing. Bursting with antioxidants and health benefits galore, civilizations have been imbibing it for centuries. Drink it iced in the throes of summer or steaming hot to stave off that winter flu. Any season, any time of day, tea is there to boost your health while bringing you serenity and comfort. But, wait… could there be a dark side to this naturally healing beverage? Thanks to modern food practices and processing shortcuts, harmful chemicals could be lurking in your teacup. Follow these 3 guidelines to make sure you are getting pure, delicious tea, and not a tainted impostor. Always choose an organic, non-GMO tea. It is widely known that Celestial Seasonings is loaded with pesticides. But, did you know that even loose-leaf, high-end brands like Teavana have tested positive for dangerous pesticides in 100% of samples? Just because a product has a natural desig...

Often when coaching single female clients, the topic of talking to men comes up. In particular, talking to men they’ve never met before or men who seem interesting. I’ve noticed these women’s answers tend to fall into two camps: “I’m OK talking to him if the man starts the conversation.” “If the man starts by saying something embarrassing or awkward, I’m not OK with talking to him.” I tell these clients that there’s a third thing to consider, which is: did you know that, in general, men are quite flattered when a woman talks to them first? Men are usually the ones who walk all the way from the other side of the bar to approach a group of women (we’re always in groups) to ask one of the women to dance. And after that, the woman has to confer with all her friends about whether she should accept. Perhaps it’s not surprising that men feel relieved to be approached! But then the question come...

The  withdrawal method, a.k.a. pulling out, sometimes gets a bad rap—some people don’t even consider it a “real” method of birth control, even though 60% of couples have used it at least once. Because pulling out is often dismissed as “better than nothing” by researchers, we don’t know as much about it as we do about some other methods. But before you write it off, make sure you’ve got your facts straight. Myth 1: Pulling out doesn’t work, so don’t even bother. Out of 100 couples who were withdrawal rock stars—meaning they pulled out correctly every time they had sex—about four of them would get pregnant in a year. But it can be a challenge to pull out for  lots of reasons , and most people have days when they’re not feeling like rock stars of any kind. That’s why out of 100 average couples using withdrawal,  22 will get pregnant in a year . It’s not that pulling out doesn’t w...

 A young girl whose family had one dog and two cats asked her mother, a college graduate and wife of a college professor, "Mommie, do animals have feelings?" Mommie answered, "I don't know dear. Science hasn't discovered that yet." That was a true episode overheard directly by this author. Now, science is figuring out if dogs recognize photos of their human masters apart from photos of other human faces. A study conducted in Helsinki, Finland, entitled "How dogs scan familiar and inverted faces: an eye movement study" determined that facial recognition among dogs is probable. Hooray for science. Tell us more! (Sarcasm implied.) The study was recorded in the journal Animal Cognition just recently, December 2013. According to the study abstract, they understood that dogs seem to be able to use facial cues from their masters. The researchers took 23 pet dogs and eight kennel dogs for their experiment. They applied facial inversion ef...

New Year’s resolutions have been around a long time. Some of us make them half-heartedly, some of us do it with great purpose. Few of us actually achieve our goals by the end of the year. Maybe it’s because making resolutions just after the holidays is particularly bad timing, what with our tendencies to overindulge, overspend, and generally let the chips fall where they may. Or maybe it’s because we are completely unrealistic or entirely too vague with our resolutions. The good news is that even some of the worst resolutions can work if we eliminate broad statements and boil them down to specifics. 10 Worst New Year’s Resolutions and How to Make Them Work 1. Join a Gym Ah, the January gym membership. We all know how that one turns out. Gyms are brimming with activity in January, but no so much come April. It’s an expensive lesson. If you really want to exercise , make a long-...