Mixed-Race Marriages Boom in Canada

New Census data in Canada was released and it showed that 289,420 mixed-race couples were married in 2006, a third more than in 2001. Nearly 75 percent of Japanese are likely to be in a mixed-race marriage, while South Asians and Chinese are least likely. This article (click here) from The Star in Canada interviews several couples of mixed race. These couples talk about some of the difficulties they've faced. For example, one person mentioned that his relatives didn't speak English very well, so communicating with them was difficult. The article also has a video you can watch. Are you in a mixed-race marriage? We'd love to hear from you.

A Few Minutes of Sex is Best?

A study of sex therapists published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine suggests that the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse is three to 13 minutes. This time does not take into account foreplay. That's a good thing because as our Sexpert Dr. Trina Read has said on numerous occasions, it takes roughly 15 minutes for women to get fully aroused. The 50 members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research did say, however, that one to two minutes is too short. The author of the study said that it's okay if one partner's ideal time is five minutes and the other's is eight. He said, "That's okay." Read the full article here.

How Much Does a Pregnancy Cost?

The numbers are a few years old, but interesting nonetheless. In 2004, the average uncomplicated pregnancy cost was $7,539 according to numbers from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. So where is the money going to? 77 percent went to pay for the hospital delivery ($5,819), 16 percent went to prenatal visits ($1,178), 5 percent went to prescribed drugs ($392), and 2 percent went to other prenatal stuff ($151). Have you found that your pregnancy cost more or less than what they're reporting. Again, this data is going on four years old.

Dr. Haltzman appears on Morning Show

Dr. Scott Haltzman has recently appeared on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet to discuss the topic of infidelity in marriage. Dr. Haltzman did a great job as did some of the other experts who appeared on the show. If you missed the show, not to worry. Click here to view the video. Unfortunately, this website's video player doesn't allow you to fast forward or let us post the video here, but at least it's up and you can view it. If you like what you hear from Dr. Haltzman, be sure to visit his page to get more advice (click here).

Big Belly Linked to Alzheimer's

If you're in your 40s and have a big belly, you're more likely to get Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente. They studied more than 6,000 men. Those who had the most expansive midsections faced more than twice the risk of the leanest. This article from the Washington Post reports that the connection was made between bellies and Alzheimer's, even if the the person wasn't obese. There's a whole bunch of explanation about how fat cells in the belly are worse than fat cells elsewhere because of the proximity to the major organs, but we'll let you read about the fatty details yourself. If you feel a little squishy around the mid-section, maybe you should check out our "health" column.

10 Destinations Where the Dollar is Strong

The economy is struggling, haven't heard a thing about it. Okay, you know that's a lie. If you've glanced at a news website or newspaper in that last month or so, you'd know that the U.S. dollar is getting its butt kicked when compared to the Euro and other currency. However, there are some places in this world where couples can go and still get a good bang for their buck. Concierge.com put together a list of 10 destinations where the dollar is still strong, including Barbados; Ho An, Vietnam; Warsaw, Poland; Jordan and others. If you want to stay out of foreign territory look to Santa Ynez Valley, California according to the website. Click here to read the complete list, with pictures.

Snoring, Bad for Your Health

Is your spouse a snorer? Well, you can tell them that cutting those logs in the middle of the night could be the cause of high blood pressure. Yep. The American Board of Internal Medicine estimates that 50 to 60 percent of habitual loud snorers suffer from sleep apnea. This is when you stop breathing repeatedly throughout the night, which can cause some people to wake up, up to 100 times. This means that the body has to work harder to breath, which puts pressure on the heart, hence high blood pressure. If that were all you might ignore this news, but The Journal of Sleep found that those who snore have 34 percent greater odds of having a heart attack and a 67 percent greater chance of having a stroke. Yikes. Read the complete article here from Newsweek.

Good Marriage Equals Good Blood Pressure

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, an assistant psychology professor at Brigham Young University conducted a study of 204 married people and 99 single adults. Most were white, and it's not clear whether the same results would apply to other ethnic groups. The end results, however, revealed that the more marital satisfaction and adjustment spouses reported, the lower their average blood pressure was. Conversely, couples who were not in good marriages had bad higher blood pressure than single people, who scored lower than the happy married couples. Other studies have shown that marriage is typically beneficial to a person's health, but this study points to the fact that being in a happy relationship is what really matters most.

Keeping Your Sex Life Fresh

Infidelity Is Common Knowledge

Ex-N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer and his highly publicized affair has brought a lot of attention to the subject. USA TODAY/Gallup Poll contacted 1,025 adults and found that 54 percent of Americans know someone who has been unfaithful to their spouse. Whoa! This one is even more interesting. 37 percent of married respondents say they'd forgive their spouse for having a sexual affair while only 30 percent of unmarried said they'd forgive. Where do you stand? Let us know.