Can Acupuncture Really Help You Lose Weight? Here's What You Should Know

Unless you're freaked out by needles, you might have considered acupuncture as an alternative pain relief treatment. This traditional form of Chinese medicine dates back thousands of years and is based on targeting specific trigger points in your body using small, thin needles. Research finds that it may help alleviate some health issues, like back pain, sports injuries, or even anxiety.

Modern acupuncture is mostly used to stimulate your nerves, muscles, and blood flow. And in the past few years, there's been some buzz surrounding acupuncture's ability to help you shed pounds, too. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, Korean researchers randomly assigned 91 overweight people to a group receiving treatment at five ear acupuncture points, one ear acupuncture point, or a sham control group. They found that those receiving acupuncture saw their body mass index (BMI)—a marker of their weight—decrease by roughly six percent after eight weeks.

5 Sex Positions That Guarantee She’ll Finish With a Mind-Blowing Orgasm

We hope you’ve nailed down one or two sex positions that work best for her during sex—but how you end your romp can also make a huge difference when it comes to her orgasm.

Finishing with the same position every time you have sex is like having ice cream every time you want dessert. Will she like it? Sure, but there’s a whole slew of moves to be explored—and who knows, you might find a new one that you both love?

We asked Kat Van Kirk, Ph.D., a licensed marriage and family therapist and certified sex therapist, to come up with some newer, sexier ways to top off a night in the sack. Here, five sex positions that practically guarantee an orgasm she’ll never forget.

Are You Datable or Are You a Fling?

I’ve spent a lot of time trying to make relationships out of booty calls. Because all great relationships are built on a foundation of phenomenal sex and the occasional inside joke, right? (RIGHT?!) I mean, if you’re making me orgasm multiple times a week, why wouldn’t I want to keep you around long term and try to build a solid, lasting relationship with openness, honesty, and commitment. I can totally tell you’d be good at that while your head is between my legs...

Having This Much Sex Might Make You Smarter

Okay, so there are tons of reasons why you should have sex right now. But here’s one you might not have thought of: Having frequent sex might boost your brain, researchers from Coventry University in the U.K. suggest.

In the study, researchers asked 73 older adults how often they had sex, and then had them perform tasks that tested their brain function—including things like attention, memory, fluency, language, and visuospatial abilities.

How Eating Olive Oil Can Boost Your Memory

You now have one more excellent reason to shelve the store-bought dressing in favor of the homemade stuff: Eating a diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil may protect your brain as you age, researchers from Temple University suggest.

In the study, researchers genetically modified mice to express three key characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease: memory impairment, the buildup of sticky proteins called amyloid plaques, and tangles of tau proteins. Then, when the mice reached six months of age, they had some mice eat chow supplemented with extra-virgin olive for six months, while the others ate their regular food. This food change occurred before the mice began to exhibit signs of Alzheimer’s.

​Stop Buying Fancy Antibacterial Products, Health Experts Warn

That “antibacterial” label on your soap might be making you feel safe, but it might not be doing much of anything at all—or, maybe just not anything good. Antimicrobial compounds may be harmful to both your health and the environment, a new consensus paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests.

More than 200 international scientists and medical professionals concluded that these common antimicrobial compounds don’t provide any health benefits, as the paper detailed.

8 Teeth Whitening Products That Actually Work

These days, there are so many teeth whitening products on the market that the very idea of brightening your smile can become more overwhelming than exciting. Should you invest in teeth whitening kits or trays? Toothpaste or gel? Strips or pens? And which of the countless treatments available garner the best results—or any results at all?

Then there’s the biggest question of all: Is it better to whiten your teeth at home or at the dentist’s office? “When you choose to whiten at home, you’re choosing to take a slow and steady approach to whitening, which translates to less side effects, such as tooth sensitivity,” says New York-based cosmetic dentist Edward Alvarez, D.D.S. “You’ll also have a healthier mouth overall because you’re using products that will increase the pH of your mouth for a sustained period of time, ultimately killing bacteria and lessening decay.”

Plus, let’s not forget how much money you’ll save. But still, which teeth whitening treatments are worth the money you do spend? Here, dental pros share their top product recommendations.

You Won't Go Blind

It's something people don't talk about, but almost everyone does it: masturbation. In one national study, 95 percent of men and 89 percent of women said they had masturbated.

"We are programmed, as best we know, to need orgasms," says Gloria Brame, Ph.D., a clinical sexologist in Athens, Ga. "It's a fundamental aspect of men's health, right up there with brushing your teeth." And the more you know about what satisfies you solo, the more pleasure you get from sex.

You likely know that a little wanking won't make you go blind or cause your penis to fall off. (Let's face it, you'd know by now.) In fact, a little time alone is perfectly healthy for you.