All the usual healthy habits are good for your sex drive—even if your low libido is caused by a condition such as diabetes or hypertension. Remember, sexual health and general good health are profoundly interconnected.

1. Get plenty of exercise

If you want to be "hot-blooded," then improve your circulation. Physical fitness can increase blood flow, which in theory can make sex more pleasurable since sexual arousal for both men and women involves increased blood flow to the genital area. And that can increase desire itself—if it feels great, you tend to want to do it more.

Exercise boosts endorphins, which lift your … Read More

Should boys be vaccinated against HPV? This is the new hot button question after the Food and Drug Administration approved Gardasil use in men last week. The New York Times recently reported that advisory groups recommended boys between the ages of 9 and 25 soldier into doctor's offices and get injected with the costly, but effective, shot. Sex Does A Body Good

Gardasil, on the market since 2006, was previously just recommended for women as it protects against two strains of HPV that if undetected can lead to 90 percent of cervical cancer cases. While the shot prevents … Read More

Dating someone new means learning about each other's quirky behaviors, emotional baggage, and the past experiences that have shaped both of your lives. But what if this involves a health or medical secret you're hesitant to talk about?

Jill*, a 33-year-old from New York City, knows that finding Mr. Right also means telling him that she has bipolar disorder. Though she takes medication to manage her condition, she still lives with residual symptoms: She has trouble sleeping for more than two hours at a time, and can't shake her cigarette habit—traits that she feels a date might question.

"It's the smoking … Read More

It's a common perception that only older women get breast cancer—old enough that they don't really care if they ever have sex again. And boobs? Whatever, take 'em… They already nursed their kids and the ta-tas are just getting saggy anyway. Right?

Wrong! I'm 26, and I have cancer in my breast. And no matter what age, women still want to be treated like the gorgeous creatures we are, even when hairless, probably throwing up and left ravaged by a mastectomy.

When I discovered my lump at 24, I was nearly scoffed out of a male breast cancer specialist's … Read More

Love Bytes: Twelve must-click sex, love and relationship links.

The curious and amazing history of birth control: Pessaries, cervix blockers and why "penis sheaths" didn't catch on. [Health.com]

Nice guys suck and will never get laid. [The Countess]

Work hard, play hard: Good sex improves work performance. [LimeLife]

Reflections on and a guide to checking out women. [Double X]

Like dry firewood meeting a flame, and other weird ways we talk about love the world over. [Asylum]

Strap-on sex won't turn your guy gay. … Read More

In a classic case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" new research suggests that marriage initially improves one's health, but then quickly deteriorates it with divorce or spousal death. Marriage Advice for Guys

Based on data from more than 9,100 Americans age 50 and older who took part in a national health survey in 1992, those who were married reported feeling healthier than those who never married. However, recently divorced or widowed responders were on average 20% more sickly than the lifelong bachelors of the group. Remarried folks were healthier than the … Read More

More often than not clients wanting to improve their relationship skills at some point had to realize the importance of personal and interpersonal forgiveness to their well-being and overall happiness. The truth is that all of us have transgressed or acted in a way that brought about a negative impact on our self or someone else. So from this perspective, none of us is without the need for forgiveness, and each of us will encounter the opportunity to grant forgiveness. With that in mind, here are some important benefits associated with practicing forgiveness.

1. Good physical health. If you aren't … Read More

Commitment is linked to weight gain finds a new study published in the July issue of the journal Obesity, reports an article in New Scientist. When researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill followed weight shifts and relationship status of nearly 7,000 men and women for several years they found that married people are twice as likely to become obese as men and women who are dating.

What's more, it was not only commitment as defined by marriage that led people to pack on a pouch. The study also found that women who moved in with a romantic … Read More

Everyone knows that vegetables are good for you. They lower your risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke. They can help you stave off diabetes and kidney stones. They can even help you lose weight. The problem with veggies, however, is that they're not full of fat and sugar and do not taste like a Snickers bar. 

As we mentioned in this piece, some people (cough, men, cough) think a meal isn't a meal unless it involves meat. Which is fine, as long as they also eat their veggies. But some people don't like broccoli and kale and all those … Read More

Just in case you needed another reason not to get married, scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) have come up with a big one: marriage makes you fat. And not just a little bit. According to their research, married people are twice as likely to become obese as those who are merely dating.

We know what you're thinking: In that case, why not just shack up and not get married?

Oh, if only it were that easy.

After following the weight and relationship status of 6,949 individuals for several years, the UNC nutrition epidemiologists found that even unmarried … Read More