10 Reasons Why Long-distance Relationships Just Don't Work

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Beyond the first few months of giddy affection and the feeling of butterflies, few -- if any -- romantic relationships are easy. Sure, some look that way, but usually that's because two people are putting in a lot of work behind the scenes.

Long-distance relationships are even more difficult to maintain, and the reasons why they can fail are numerous. Many long-distance relationships certainly succeed, but they require careful navigation from the people involved to steer through the obstacles brought on by geography.

Of course, with the right mindset, plenty of emotional preparation and lots of work throughout, long-distance relationships can and do work out. But many potential pitfalls await every hopeful attempt at cross-country love.

What are 10 reasons long-distance relationships just don't work? Here's a clue: Romances rarely come to a boil when conducted by fax.

10 Ways You Can Tell If a Girl Likes You

You sit behind a girl in math class who you're secretly smitten with, and you pump yourself up each day to summon enough courage to ask her out before the bell rings. But your nerves always seem to get the best of you. You walk on to the next class without a Friday night date. Again.

Guys, we know you've all been there at one time or another. You want to ask out a certain girl, but you can't tell if she likes you enough to say yes. Most of you would probably rather bungee jump off of the Golden Gate Bridge than risk being rejected. And, yes, the thought of rejection is terrifying -- we'll give you that. On the flip side, she could secretly be interested in you, too, so we encourage you to overcome your fears, take a risk and ask her out.

So, how can you tell if a girl likes you enough to go on a date with you? Cracking the code to a girl's heart certainly isn't easy, but here's the good news -- guys just like you have been looking into the issue for hundreds of years, and you can benefit from that. We have the research at your disposal. If you look hard enough and pay attention to the signals, the clues are there. You just need to know what to look for -- and we're here to help by sharing 10 big hints that a girl is into you

10 Home Remedies for Cold Sores

It never fails. Every time you have a big meeting coming up or an important presentation to give, you develop an unsightlycold sore on your lip. You wake up with a small cluster of tiny, harmless-looking, white blisters, which quickly explode into a painful sore the size of Rhode Island. (OK, so maybe it just looks that big to you.)

Many people get confused about whether they have a cold sore or a canker sore. But that confusion is easily cleared up. Cold sores, also called fever blisters, are caused by theherpes simplex virus type 1, which is usually acquired in childhood through contact with infected saliva. The type 1 virus is believed to lie dormant in certain nerve cells of the body until it is activated by stress, anxiety, a cold or excessive exposure to the sun. It causes sores on your external lip or near your mouth or nose that last anywhere from seven to 14 days. (Herpes simplex virus type 2, on the other hand, is transmitted through sexual contact and causes sores and ulcers in the genital area.)

Although many people use the terms "cold sore" and "canker sore" interchangeably, they're different. Unlike cold sores, canker sores are bacterial infections inside the mouth that are characterized by small, round, white areas surrounded by a sharp halo of red. And while cold sores are highly contagious, canker sores are not. (For more on canker sores, see Home Remedies for Canker Sores.)

You can't cure cold sores, and they like to keep coming back, usually to the scene of a previous visit. Fortunately, you don't have to suffer in silence with cold sores. In the next pages, we'll look at simple home remedies to ease the discomfort of cold sores and and hasten the healing process.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

Top 10 Natural Ways to Boost Libido

Do you feel like your sex drive just isn't what it used to be? You aren't alone — many people feel that way at some point in their lives. In some cases, a decrease in libido may be due to a medical issue. For many people, however, the situation may be remedied without resorting to medication. Check out the top 10 natural libido boosters, from Dr. Catherine Hood. You just may find one that puts the spark back into your love life.

10 Ways to Get Sexual Satisfaction

Even if your sex life is fantastic, there's always room for increased satisfaction.

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Close your eyes. How long until your mind wanders to sex? Having regular sex, or regularly masturbating, is good for us. Most of us think about it quite a bit, and who can blame us? It feels good, it increases our sense of well-being and it's good for our health. Sex can help boost our immune system, our fertility, even our lifespan. It also decreases depression and enhances happiness [source: Doheny]. But how satisfied are we with the sex we're having, and how can we increase our satisfaction?

First, let's look at the state of sex in America. The average American has sex only about 85 times in a year, which works out to a sexual romp about every four to four-and-a-half days or so [source: UPI]. During those encounters, as many as 75 percent of men report they always have an orgasm as part of their sexual experiences. On the other hand, only 29 percent of women can say the same, and about 50 percent of women admit to faking it [source: Langer, Law]. So far, our sex lives as average Americans don't seem to be all that satisfying.

But when asked, 70 percent of men and women say they're satisfied with their sex lives. More so in new couples (about 79 percent) and less in long-term relationships (only about half of long-term couples are sexually satisfied). And despite the relative infrequency of sex, as many as 83 percent of men report they enjoy sex quite a bit (we needed a study for that?), and about 59 percent of women report the same -- and both sexes want to have more sex [source: Langer]. Who wouldn't? So let's look at how we can have more sex -- and more satisfying sex. First, let's talk about the one person who always knows what you like: you

Increased Stress May Be Linked to Sleep Problems

Someone needs a nap.

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Many problems and frustrations that have become part of the American way of life, from anger andstress to obesity, may have inadequate sleep and widespread sleep problems as contributing factors, according to a 2002 poll released by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

Poll results show that while many Americans enjoy the benefits of sufficient sleep, as many as 47 million adults may be putting themselves at risk for injury, and health and behavior problems because they aren't meeting their minimum sleep need in order to be fully alert the next day. People in this army of the walking tired are more likely to sit and seethe in traffic jams, quarrel with other people, or overeat, according to the findings.

"The 2002 Sleep in America poll establishes a direct association between how Americans are sleeping and their overall behavior, mood, and performance," said NSF's Executive Director, Richard L. Gelula. "It provides new evidence that the quality and quantity of our sleep plays a significant role in our daily lives. In sum, the poll results paint a new and unique profile of Americans that shows 'you are how you sleep.'" And, based on the findings, Gelula noted, "Some of the problems we face as a society — from road rage to obesity — may be linked to lack of sleep or poor sleep."

The poll compared how respondents described their general moods and attitudes on a typical day with their answers to a number of questions about their sleep. The conclusions suggest a direct correlation between more sleep and heightened daytime alertness with positive feelings that include a sense of peace, satisfaction with life, and being full of energy. Shorter sleep periods and greater indications of daytime sleepiness were related to negative moods such as anger, stress, pessimism, and fatigue.

First Clear Link Between Sleep, Mood

"This is the first time we've actually linked people's mood to their sleep habits in our annual nationwide poll," said NSF President James K. Walsh, Ph.D. "Scientists have documented the link between sleep deprivation, mood and performance in the lab before. But this is the first large-scale view of the extent to which insufficient sleep plays out in the real world each day." Walsh added. Dr. Walsh is executive director and senior scientist at St. Luke's Hospital Sleep Medicine & Research Center in Chesterfield, Mo.

The poll found that nearly one-quarter of American adults, or 47 million people, aren't getting the minimumamount of sleep they said they need to be alert the next day, resulting in what appears to be an epidemic of daytime sleepiness that can impact cognition, performance, and state of mind.

Nearly two in five of those polled (37%) said they are so sleepy during the day it interferes with their activities at least a few days a month, and one in six (16%) said they experience this level of daytime sleepiness at least a few days a week.

Daytime sleepiness is especially acute among younger adults: 44 percent of those aged 18-29 said they experience the problem at least a few days a month compared to 38 percent of 30-64 year olds, and 23 percent of those 65 and over.

Is a daily shower too much for your skin?

Before indoor plumbing and hot water heaters became commonplace in American homes, frequent bathing was a bit of an ordeal. Water had to be fetched and heated over a fire before a person could so much as dip a toe into the bathtub. The process was inconvenient (and still is in many developing nations), and all the members of a family generally used the same water to bathe and carry out other chores, like washing laundry, before it was tossed out.

We have Norwegian engineer Edwin Ruud to thank for inventing the home water heater in 1889. In Ruud's design, a switch ignited the gas heaters when a faucet was turned on in the house, producing hot water on demand [source: Ruud]. The same era saw the introduction of a slew of shower designs. A number of competing showers offered a variety of spray settings and directions, but most had unfortunate closed-system designs; the water that came from the showerhead went into the drain to be recirculated back up to the showerhead once more.

The advent of indoor plumbing would tie these inventions together. The Tremont in Boston became the first hotel in the world to feature indoor plumbing in 1829. Architect Isaiah Rogers would design the prototype for all indoor plumbing schemes to follow [source: Plumbing and Mechanical Magazine]. By the end of World War I, modern bathrooms were common in middle-class homes; by the 1930s, rural Americans had come to know the joy of daily showering [sources:McKendree, Reinhardt and Ganzel].

There's something luxurious about even a mundane morning shower. Anyone who's ever taken a warm shower at the end of a tough day knows the calming influence it exerts. Science backs up these bathers' collective anecdotal evidence. In fact, one Japanese study examined the prevalence of hormones found in saliva that serve as stress indicators. It showed a significant decrease in stress levels following bathing [source: Toda, et al].

Since we have indoor plumbing leading to showers that release hot water onto our stressed shoulders, it seems like a waste not to shower frequently. How much is too much, though, when it comes to the health of your skin? You likely shower every day, but is that more often than you should?