Wellness
The V-Spot: Hooking Up Online
Dear Yana, I’m seeking out dating websites that have individuals who are thoughtful and open to trying or having more casual sex, but also respect boundaries in sexual exploration. I don’t trust Craigslist, and I’m not really into OKCupid or Tinder. I would love some...
The V-Spot: Dry-humping Better Than Sex
Hi Yana, I’m an 18-year-old girl with a sex question. I don’t orgasm during sex with a guy, but I usually do orgasm when we’re dry-humping. Do you have any advice about how sex could be made better for me? I still want to have sex to pleasure my partner, but it’s...
The V-Spot: Vaginally High and Dry
Dear Yana, At my last vaginal exam, the doctor could barely get her fingers inside and absolutely couldn’t insert the speculum. She said that I had vaginal atrophy. I’m in my late 50s and my doctor suggested hormone replacement therapy. I am interested in...
The V-Spot: Help! My Orgasms Went on Holiday
Hey Yana, I’m a 28-year-old female with a high sex drive. I’ve always found it easy to come with clitoral stimulation. When my partner and I have sex it’s not unusual for it to last over an hour. My guy loves cunnilingus almost as much as I love getting it. I often...Astrology: Dec. 3-9, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Persian scholar Avicenna was so well-rounded in his knowledge that he wrote two different encyclopedias. Even as a teenager he was obsessed with learning all he could. He got especially consumed with trying to master Aristotle’s...
The V-Spot: ‘Butch’ Lost in Labialand
Hey Yana, I recently started reading your sex column, and it’s really great! There are sooooo many questions I had floating around in my mind about sex, because they don’t really talk about lesbians that much (ahem, at all) in sex ed. My problem is this: I recently...
Back Away From the Breast? Differing opinions on breast cancer screenings cause confusion
Dueling guidelines from national health organizations about breast cancer screening may be confusing patients, but doctors from three area hospitals say that the science driving when to begin tests is imprecise. Patients and doctors should decide among themselves...
Grab Some Health: lunchtime yoga at Fire and Water
Yoga instructor and studio owner Tea Musketaquid ends today’s yoga and lunch class with a smile-asana. “Now carry that posture with you throughout the day,” he tells me and two other students. Walking into the windowless room in the middle of the day, with its mood...
The V-Spot: Horny With HPV – Now What?
Hi Yana, I’m a 26-year-old female with HPV and a high sex drive. Ever since my diagnosis I haven’t been able to have a lasting romantic or sexual relationship because I’m too scared to open up about this. I’ve told my closest friends because I want them to know that...Free Will Astrology Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange,” wrote novelist Carson McCullers. “As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” I’m guessing that these days you’re...
The V-Spot: Freaked About Fellatio
Hi Yana, My friend seriously freaked me out when she told me that I should always use condoms for oral sex when I’m not in a longterm, monogamous relationship. Have I been sleeping on this or is she being dramatic? What are the transmission rates of STDs through oral...Free Will Astrology: Nov. 19-25, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Urbandictionary.com defines the English word “balter” as follows: “to dance without particular skill or grace, but with extreme joy.” It’s related to the Danish term baltre, which means “to romp, tumble, roll, cavort.” I nominate this...
Food Deserts of Springfield: Lack of access to healthy food underlies high rates of diabetes, obesity
Ashley Christian makes one trip to the grocery store every month; it’s a carefully coordinated and premeditated affair. She needs to buy foods that will still be edible at the end of the month, which means fresh fruits and vegetables are mostly out and frozen or...
The V-Spot: Can I Ask my GF to Stop Using Her Vibrator?
Hi Yana, With previous girlfriends it’s been easier over time to bring them to orgasm as I get to know their preferences and bodies, however my current girlfriend owns a Hitachi Magic Wand that she has been using for nine months. It’s significantly more difficult now...Free Will Astrology – Nov. 12-18, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I demand unconditional love and complete freedom,” wrote Slovenian poet Tomaž Šalamun. “That is why I am terrible.” In accordance with the astrological omens, I’m offering you the chance, at least temporarily, to join Šalamun in demanding...
The V-Spot: Help! My Small Penis Doesn’t Measure Up
Hey Yana, Does penis size matter? I’m a 20-year-old male and a tall guy who gyms a lot and has fairly good genetics … all but in the penis department. I’m 6 feet tall and I literally have a 4-incher. I’ve found that a lot of girls are size queens and the girls I...
Stick it to Sniffles: 10 ways to make your cold beat a hasty retreat
I’ll always remember the day I discovered the Neti pot. The year was 2012. It was a sunny, blustery, allergen-loaded afternoon in late September. My girlfriend, miserably congested, pulled a small plastic kettle out of the back of the closet, filled it with salt...
Third Eye Roaming: Some Like it Hot
While in the throes of the dog days, it’s difficult to imagine willingly exposing oneself to a 105-degree room with 40 percent humidity. But now, as the temperatures drop and bodies start hunching inwards in the self-protective pursuit of warmth, yogis of the Valley...
The V-Spot: Fretting Over My First Time
Hi Yana, I’m a 17-year-old virgin. My partner and I tried having sex, but we couldn’t get it in. I went to the doctor for contraception and I asked her why we couldn’t get it in. She said that I needed to relax; how the hell do I relax?! During sex (or trying to) I...
Annual Mannual: Road Trippin’ With The Advocate’s 2015 Best Of List
Feel that chill in the air? It’s only a matter of weeks before we’re all hibernating on the couch, looking out the window at the deep freeze and wondering where all the long, fun days went. Don’t spend the winter as a sad blanket case. There’s still time to bust out...
The V-Spot: Getting What We Came For, how did that advice turn out?
If four years of writing a sex column have taught me anything, it’s that there’s nothing more important than honoring feedback from those you get down and dirty with. Well, and that masturbation is key. So, in keeping with best sex practices, I present you with some...Free Will Astrology: Oct. 15-21, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here’s actor Bill Murray’s advice about relationships: “If you have someone that you think is The One, don’t just say, ‘OK, let’s pick a date. Let’s get married.’ Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two...
The V-Spot: Why Don’t I Want Sex With My BF?
Hi Yana, I’ve been with my boyfriend for six years and he was my first and only sexual partner. Sexually we struggle. Well, I struggle. The thought of having sex is like a chore. I try really hard to do it even when I don’t want to because I know he needs that and...
Between the Lines: Defund cancer screenings? The problem with defunding Planned Parenthood
Is Planned Parenthood “Big Abortion” or women’s health care? Both characterizations are sharing time in the media, but only one of them is true. While Planned Parenthood does perform some abortions, it makes up only 3 percent of the work done at the 700 clinics and...
Scene Here: Before Sunrise
At the end of a long day, there is no separating me from the world. Everyday needs loom large in my mind, and I’m roped, like Gulliver, to a thousand little worries. But at six a.m., when I step onto my front porch, I feel small again. Looking up at a cold, dark sky,...Free Will Astrology: Oct. 1-7, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The next seven weeks will not be a favorable time to fool around with psychic vampires and charismatic jerks. I recommend you avoid the following mistakes, as well: failing to protect the wounded areas of your psyche; demanding perfection...
The V-Spot: Hell-Bent on the Back Door
Hey Yana, My boyfriend and I think anal sex is super hot and are determined to be pros at it! We’ve played with fingers and anal toys and managed to have a pretty successful penile-anal penetration experience once, but it hurt so much that now I’m afraid to do it...
Third Eye Roaming: Too hard for yoga? Inner peace for metal fans
Yoga isn’t for everyone, but that’s not a point the Pioneer Valley is ready to concede. Or at least, it seems that way judging by the varied yoga offerings here. Yoga and beer? Yes, please. Yoga and art? Why not. Yoga with death metal? Yes, that is a thing here. I’ve...
Get in! Summer’s over, but you still gotta sweat: 6 alternative places to get fit
Temperatures are dropping and soon frost will cover the sidewalks. Unless you’re a die-hard, it will soon be time to retire those roller blades, bikes, and running shoes for the season. Lest you become a cold-weather couch potato, here are some places to get you up...
The V-Spot: New Mom Needs to Get Some
Hey Yana, Recently I listened to Dan Savage talk on the podcast “The Longest Shortest Time” about sex and parenting. The question of how to keep a sex life alive and also co-sleep with your baby came up. He basically said, “Just don’t co-sleep.” Super unhelpful. So,...
Not in Our Backyards: New drug treatment centers in Greenfield and Springfield face neighborhood opposition
Mariette Poginy sighs, pivots in her porch chair, and looks across Norwood Street in Greenfield, where the banging of hammers and the whining of drills emanate from the former Lunt Silversmiths factory. If all goes according to plan, the vacant and overgrown building...Free Will Astrology: Sept. 24-30, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You are destined to become a master of fire. It’s your birthright to become skilled in the arts of kindling and warming and illuminating and energizing. Eventually you will develop a fine knack for knowing when it’s appropriate to turn the...
Free Will Astrology, Sept. 17-23, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I won’t go so far as to say that you are surrounded by unhinged maniacs whose incoherence is matched only by their self-delusion. That would probably be too extreme. But I do suspect that at least some of the characters in the game you’re...Free Will Astrology, Sept. 10-16, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “More and more I have come to admire resilience,” writes Jane Hirshfield in her poem “Optimism.” “Not the simple resistance of a pillow,” she adds, “whose foam returns over and over to the same shape, but the sinuous tenacity of a tree:...
The V-Spot: Help! I Think My Orgasms Are Broken
Hi Yana! I’ve had a sexual concern for the longest time: I have trouble feeling orgasm during sex and masturbation. At first I thought it might be my partner not knowing my spots too well, but I realized I’ve never had any ejaculations by myself either. I’m worried...
The V-Spot: My GF Won’t Let Me Butter Her Toast
Dear Yana, In your recent columns you’ve mentioned the need for sex partners to have a supply of artificial lubrication at the ready. With regard to female sex partners, artificial lubrication isn’t always needed. My first girlfriend was a gushing fountain of natural...
College Survival: Groove Guide, where to shake it every night of the week
Sometimes you just gotta dance. No one gets this quite like you, college student. Many more seasoned adults are too tired or they just downright don’t want to be around a bunch of sweaty people anymore. I don’t ever want to grow up and out of my desire to flail in...
The V-Spot: College Sexual Orientation 101
Welcome back students! As you organize your hipster-ironic Lisa Frank folders, and passively aggressively stake your dormroom territory, I’ve got just one more checklist for you to check off before you start checking out all your new, hot campusmates. First lesson of...Free Will Astrology: Sept. 3-9, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Excess is the common substitute for energy,” said poet Marianne Moore. That’s a problem you should watch out for in the coming weeks. According to my astrological projections, you’re a bit less lively and dynamic than usual. And you may be...
Slow Down and Prosper — your life and your world could depend on it
Multi-tasking kills. This isn’t an excuse of the lazy — researchers are finding more and more that over-working yourself is a fast lane pass to the grave. According to a new study of 600,000 people in Australia, the U.S., and Europe — published August 19 in U.K....Free Will Astrology: Aug. 27-Sept. 2, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You like to run ahead of the pack. You prefer to show people the way, to set the pace. It’s cleaner that way, right? There’s less risk you will be caught up in the messy details of everyday compromise. But I suspect that the time is right...
The V-Spot: Gimme That Grass-Fed Porn
Hi Yana, My wife and I have previously been pretty conservative when it comes to sex and not super-adventurous. Recently we realized our marriage would be better served by us servicing each other. The journey has been great and fun and messy and awkward … but...
Scene Here: Yoga and Beer
AMANDA DRANE PHOTO At 6:20 p.m. on a Thursday I arrive at Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton to do yoga and drink beer. Clad in yoga attire, we the attendees make our way up to the large, bustling farm building on Fort Hill Road. Brightly colored mats, yoga clothes, and...
The V-Spot: Unplug to Buttplug?
Hi Yana! My partner and I both really like butt plugs. We have the “Little Flirt” [a small, silicone butt plug made by Tantus] that we ordered online to experiment with. A friend of ours suggested the Njoy Pure plugs [made of stainless steel and available in a variety...
A New Push for Marijuana Legalization
On Aug. 5, the marijuana legalization group Bay State Repeal filed three versions of a new ballot question with the state Attorney General’s office, all of which would allow persons 21 years of age or older to legally grow, acquire, and possess marijuana for personal...
The Promise of Pot: Medical marijuana patients have the green light, but uncertainty remains
For cancer patient Valerie, marijuana makes the difference between walking and not walking. “I’ve totally outlived my expiration date,” she says, laughing. Valerie, 61 — a long time Western Mass resident who asked to be identified only by her first name — has fought...Free Will Astrology: Aug. 20-26, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You’d probably prefer to stay in the romantic, carefree state of mind. But from what I can tell, you’re ripe for a new phase of your long-term cycle. Your freestyle rambles and jaunty adventures should now make way for careful introspection...
The V-Spot: Bi-curious at Bedtime
Dear Yana, While I don’t think labeling one’s sexuality is always necessary, I’ve always considered myself a heterosexual woman. I’ve been attracted to members of the opposite sex for as long as I can remember. During puberty, I plastered my bedroom walls with...Free Will Astrology: Aug. 8-12, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Charles de Lint is a novelist whose stories are influenced by folklore, myths, and science fiction. In his book Yarrow, a wizardly character named Toby is skilled at conjuring. He can make small objects appear and disappear, for example. But...
Be Well At Work: De-zombify office life
When a zombie plague hits London in the movie Shaun of the Dead, several scenes pass before the protagonist realizes that his trudging, moaning white-collar cohorts have transformed. If you’ve ever wandered through the office like the resident undead, you should...
Pay It Forward With Produce: Where to donate your extra garden greens
Summer is a great time to celebrate the bounty of Pioneer Valley farms, but many households face difficulties — financial and otherwise — in planning meals, feeding mouths, and accessing good nutrition. According to The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, about one in...
The V-Spot: Hey baby, what’s your number?
Hi Yana, What are your thoughts on how much/what of your sexual history you should divulge to your current partner(s)? I always ask about most recent STD/STI tests, but is your current partners’ number of present (and past) sex partners important to know? I recently...Free Will Astrology, July 30 – Aug. 5, 2015
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I am very much in love with no one in particular,” says actor Ezra Miller. His statement would make sense coming out of your mouth right about now. So would this one: “I am very much in love with almost everyone I encounter.” Or this one:...
Between the Lines: Why I Am Pro-Abortion And You Should Be Too
I am pro-abortion in the same way I am pro-triple bypass surgery and chemotherapy. In general, I am “pro” any helpful, legal medical procedure. Being pro-abortion is different than being pro-angioplasty, though, and that’s because, ostensibly, there is a second human...
An Open Letter to Kale: What happened to you?
Let me tell you a story, kale. My Uncle Dale — his musical world was anchored by the “Moods in Music” LPs from George Melachrino. He loved those mellow vinyl releases, emblazoned with hair-helmeted women lazing around on shiny upholstery and gazing over Atomic Age...
Plotting Out a Harvest: Northampton Community gardeners dish on what they’re doing with the harvest
The green-thumbed spend hours in the summer sun growing delicious food that all seems to be ready to harvest at the same time, in abundance. So, what happens to the over-abundance of bounty once it’s pulled from the ground? We stopped by the Northampton Community...
13 Things You’ll Actually Want To Do With Kale
By Advocate Staff Like an itchy sweater your auntie knitted, you can’t just throw kale out, you have to do something with it. Lord knows eating it is out of the question, so here are some suggestions for how to get the most out of that claw-like green: 1. Hang a sprig...
The V-Spot: So, You Want to Sleep With a Lesbian
The first time I slept with a girl it was awkward as hell. Sure, I had dabbled in the giggling French kisses of curious high school sleepovers, but never did I go to a girl’s room with the intention of having lesbian sex with her. But this is what I did one tipsy...
Our crappy diets are speeding up climate change: Livestock responsible for 20 percent of all greenhouse gases
E veryone has counted calories at some point. Some of us tally them religiously. I only think of them when I’m staring at the side of a cereal box at two in the morning. But given the state of our warming world — rising sea levels, falling bee populations, and all...E-Edition
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