Blog Posts by genConnect.com

By Dr. Marianne Brandon

It's that time again - the trick-or-treaters swarming the streets, the leftover candy you take to the office so you don't gain five pounds before the holidays even begin, and the piles of pumpkins at the grocery store. Fun? Yeah, maybe.

Well let's turn that around. It's time to make Halloween all about adult playtime!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's high time we took this holiday over as our own; and what better place to start than in the bedroom? Think about it - Halloween offers you a fabulous excuse to dress up and role play. Hasn't there been some fantasy that you've wanted to act out but have been a little too self-conscious to do so? Enter Halloween - the ultimate excuse for sexual experimentation! After all, it's all about costumes, isn't it? Ladies, being a witch never looked so good! All you need is your black high heels and a black thong. Maybe find that dark lipstick that you threw in a drawer because it made you look so pale. Tonight, pale is

On Hillary Clinton's 64th birthday, we pay tribute to the U.S. Secretary of State and honor her years of public service, devotion and courage.

The Secretary of State has left an indelible mark on the history of the United States, starting out her public service as First Lady in 1992. During that time, Mrs. Clinton advocated for massive health care reforms including to increase the number of those insured and published her 1996 award-winning book It Takes A Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us.And despite the odds, she ran for - and won - a Senate seat representing New York in 2000, making her the first First Lady ever elected to the Senate and the first woman elected statewide in New York.

Above is a slideshow of Hillary Clinton throughout her years of public service.

For related stories on genConnect:

• Women's Equality Day Celebrates Female Right to Vote
• Celebrate International Women's Day With Geena Davis

Diet coach Judy Weitzman shares tips and tricks for healthy eating

When it comes to eating healthy and losing weight, Judy Weitzman is a pro. Known by her clients as "Diet Coach Judy," she recently released her book, How to Eat When Life Gets in the Way, which includes helpful tips on dealing with the 3 o'clock slump, free food at work or at the grocery store, candy dishes everywhere and other diet-busters. Judy says this is "not your typical diet book."

"It is kitchy and fun with tons of tips for everyday life," Judy told genConnect. "I believe wine and chocolate are major foods groups that everyone should enjoy … in small portions. The tips in my book range from how to make healthy food choices in any kind of restaurant, to how to eat at work, when traveling for special occasions."

Click through the slideshow above for tips to manage portions and control calories while eating out from Judy's new book.

Click here to read the full article on genConnect.

These brave women shared their stories with the world and became advocates for breast cancer awareness

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 31 days dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection and treatment.

While the chances of women developing breast cancer is 1 in 8, due to early detection and advanced treatment, there are more than 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. Many well-known celebrities have had personal struggles with breast cancer, and now speak out to help others suffering from the disease.

Click through our slideshow above of amazing women who have battled breast cancer and survived.

For related links on genConnect:

• Great News in Breast Cancer Research!
• Breast Cancer Survivor Dana Cowin on Staying Positive (VIDEO)
• Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer on the Rise Around the Globe
• Another Reason to Exercise: Obesity Boosts Risk for Aggressive Breast

When this mom took her 19-month-old son on a recent trip overseas, she was stressed about what her picky eater would and would not eat; 6 tips she learned on her adventure

My 19-month-old has turned into a picky eater. Although I meet moms every day who are going through the same, frustrating phase, it's still stressful for most moms worried their child isn't getting enough to eat. No matter how many doctors tell you it's fine, or how many books you read saying this is just a phase and "kids will eat when they're hungry," it doesn't much ease our minds.

So, when my son, Luca, and I accompanied my husband on a work trip to London recently; we spent the following week in Ireland for vacation, my son's picky eating habits cast a pall over the trip. How was I supposed to feed him sufficiently in a tiny hotel room? He barely eats meat - so am I supposed to feed him pasta every night at dinner? Even if I went to the store to buy some kid-friendly food, much of the pre-made toddler

(c) ShutterstockA higher proportion than ever of teenage guys are using a condom the first time they have sex, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Highlights include:

• Eight in 10 teenage males studied during 2006-2010 used a condom during their first sexual encounter - a 9 percentage point increase from 2002 numbers.
  
• 16 percent of teen males used a condom in addition to their female partner's hormonal contraception - a 6 percentage point increase from 2002.
• Boys may be being more responsible than girls on this front: Teenage boys were found to be more likely than teenage girls to have used some type of contraception the first time they had sex.
• 78 percent of girls ages 15 to 19 said they used some sort of contraception the first time, compared with 85 percent of boys in that age group.

Debby Herbenick , PhD, research scientist at Indiana University and author of Because It Feels Good: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Pleasure

Listeria has come into our lives. The serious infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is to blame for the deaths of at least 23 people across 10 states, and sickened 116 people in 25 states -- making this case the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the United States in more than a quarter century.

Here is what you need to know about Listeriosis:

Cantaloupes from Jensen Farms in Holly, CO, was linked to the outbreak, but the fruits from that farm should be off store shelves by now. How to safely consume a melon.

Health officials warn that the death toll may still rise, since symptoms can take up to two months to appear.

Five people each have died in New Mexico and Colorado from eating the tainted fruit, along with two people each in Kansas, Texas and now Louisiana. One has died in Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma and Wyoming. One pregnant woman had a miscarriage due to the illness.

The 2011 New York City Columbus Day parade starts Monday, Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m., on Fifth Avenue and 47th Street and runs to 72nd Street. Wall Street reporter and journalist Maria Bartiromo on what the parade means to her and why she loves hosting it.The Columbus Day parade and Columbus weekend are incredibly important to me because I'm very proud of my Italian American heritage. My grandfather came to this country in 1919 on a ship from Naples called the Rex. He sailed to America and did what he did in Italy. He was a bricklayer, a construction worker.

He built a restaurant and he named it Rex Manor, after the ship that he came to the country on and that was my first job. I was the coat check girl at the Rex Manor. And I'm so proud of the work ethic that I learned from my family that I will do anything that the Italian American community asks me to do because I just feel it's a way for me to give back.

So the Columbus Day parade and hosting that parade are a complete departure from