Al and Betty have now (as of this writing) been sober for sixteen years, and both have been pursuing careers in publishing. Because of their abusive family backgrounds, they chose not to have children. “I was afraid that if I had a kid, I’d abuse it,” Betty says. Al adds, “You never know what kinds [...]

“Dear Lady, I have been watching you from afar for a long time now. I feel strangely attracted to you, but I’m sad because I feel that your own deepest passion is dormant. I wish I could draw out this passion so that you could be your true, best self. I know that sounds corny, [...]

Players: Husband and wife. Activist: Husband. Setting: Home. Aim: In an exaggerated fashion, to mirror the wife’s need for politically correct sex so as to point up its absurdity. Game Plan: One evening or weekend the husband approaches the wife and asks how she would feel about having sex. If she says she would like [...]

In this game the husband and wife undress, go to bed, and begin making love. When they are lying in one another’s arms, either before or during intercourse, they should take turns telling each other all the ways in which they hate one other. Each should begin with the phrase, “How do I hate thee? [...]

Players: Playboy (husband), playgirl (wife), and authority (perhaps). Activists: Both spouses. Setting: Hotel. Aim: Play out a primary fantasy of impulsive couples, but with a twist: Instead of writhing and running, writhe and review. Game Plan: This game can be played with or without an actual authority figure—a therapist or a nonprofessional friend. (This book [...]

“Hypoglycemia” means that the concentration of sugar in the blood has fallen to less than 45 mg per 100 cc. Blood sugar levels this low adversely affect the brain, causing jitteriness, weakness, lightheadedness, bizarre behavior, episodes of memory loss, and if the hypoglycemia is sufficiently severe and long-lasting, convulsions, brain damage, coma, and even death. [...]

Because the delicate skin of the eyelids is only about one quarter as thick as the skin elsewhere, it is unusually sensitive to irritants. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for the eyelids to become itchy, red, and swollen in response to an ingredient of a cosmetic that has been applied to some other part of [...]

Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are tasty and convenient, but a lot of them are far from “healthy,” according to Consumer Reports (CR) (51#10:628). Although their basic ingredients, such as corn, wheat, oats, raisins, and nuts are nutritious, many breakfast cereals contain excessive and potentially harmful amounts of saturated fat (i.e., in the form of coconut oil) [...]

Yes, but many people mistakenly believe that some degree of high blood pressure is acceptable as they age. Aiding and abetting them, some physicians used to say that the elderly need a higher than normal blood pressure to force an adequate flow of blood through their hardened and narrowed arteries. These beliefs, unfortunately, are sometimes [...]

Loss of memory for recent events, mental slowness, depression, dementia, deafness, weight loss, weakness, “rheumatism,” constipation, and incontinence in an elderly person are usually regarded as unavoidable features of aging. Some older people who have these symptoms, however, may be suffering from hypothyroidism (abnormally low hormone output by the thyroid gland), the Western Journal of [...]