All of the foregoing couples worked at their relationships, keeping them in alignment. Their harmony involved day-by-day dedication, commitment, and perseverance. They accepted the total reality of each other as well as of themselves, and did not let their defensive postures run their lives or sabotage their relationships. They remained open and devoted to making [...]

While the preceding chapters might be called the bread and butter of this book, this chapter might be considered the dessert. Until now, the games have been designed to get couples in touch with the defensive postures and underlying blocked feelings inside them. This constitutes the main work of overcoming blocks to effective relating. Once [...]

Players: Husband and wife. Activist/s: Wife or both. Setting: Home or hotel. Aim: Force husband to confront underlying fears by engaging in a sexual experience that exaggerates moral correctness. Game Plan: This game is a variation on the previous one, but the goal is the same. The wife can pull this game on her morally [...]

“What do you want with me?” the Beauty asks. “I told you. To be my wife.” “That’s impossible.” “Why?” “Because you disgust me.” “So?” “You’re a creep.” “So?” “You’re a pig.” “So?” “You’re a beast.” “So?” “I couldn’t stand for you to touch me.” “You’ll love me someday.” “Never!” This conversation (or a variation on [...]

Games for perverse couples abound both in life and in literature. In days of yore, such games were played secretly in bedrooms, back alleys, and basements. Today, one encounters more and more couples engaging openly in perverse games, such as those advertised in the “adult classified” pages of newspapers. They are referred to as (S&M), [...]

Only one medication has been shown to be effective in the treatment of trichomoniasis: metronidazole. Although this medicine is also available as a cream, only the pill form is effective for trichomoniasis treatment. The cream form does not treat the infection in the urethra and genital glands; therefore, even though the symptoms disappear, recurrence is [...]

AIDS is defined in an HIV-positive person as a syndrome comprising various clinical conditions, a drop of the CD4 count to below 200, or both criteria. A person with AIDS is usually monitored by measuring the level of his or her CD4 cells. A healthy person typically has a count of more than 500 cells; [...]

If the Pap smear comes back as a higher-grade lesion (CIN II or III, moderate or severe dysplasia, or high-grade SIL), then a colposcopy is recommended, with a biopsy of any abnormal areas and treatment as appropriate. About a third of the changes in this category progress to cancer if not treated. Close follow-up is [...]

Receptive anal intercourse is practiced by both men and women, though many opposite-sex couples are reluctant to admit that they practice anal sex because they fear its stigma as a “gay” sex practice and its reputation as a route for transmitting HIV. Nevertheless many couples, whatever their sexual orientation, find pleasure in anal intercourse. But [...]

Another attempt to shed light on prostate cancer treatment is the national PIVOT (Prostate cancer Intervention vs. Observation Trial) study, led by a Minnesota internist and a Seattle urologist and funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Cancer Institute. Its aim is to find out which works better for clinically localized prostate [...]