Fitness Tantra: October 2020

Product Selection Process

At Greatist, we’re 100% focused on how we can all live better — and the products we use are a huge part of that. We’re always on the hunt for stuff that works, makes us feel good, and doesn’t cost a month’s rent.

Everything that’s shoppable on Greatist has been thoughtfully chosen by our editors and reviewers. We only recommend products we genuinely love, and we’ll always let you know our reasons. All opinions are our own. If you like what you see and buy something through a link on our site, we may receive a small cut. There’s no extra cost to you.

Bottom line: Our product picks are here to help — from the little things to the life-changing.

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Terms of Use

Last updated: June 26, 2019

Welcome to Greatist.com (the “Website”). The Website is owned and operated by HL GREATIST, INC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Healthline Media, Inc. (“Healthline”) (collectively referred to as “Greatist”). These Terms of Use (the “Agreement”) apply to your use of and access to the Website, and our health, wellness and fitness content and related services offered on or through our Website. To make this Agreement easier to read, the Website, and our content and related services are collectively called the “Services.”

PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY BEFORE USING OR ACCESSING THE SERVICES. BY USING OR ACCESSING THE SERVICES (INCLUDING YOUR SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION TO THE WEBSITE), YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREED TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS OF USE, INCLUDING THE PRIVACY POLICY (WHICH IS INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE), AND TO COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS. You agree that the Terms of Use, combined with your act of using the Services, has the same legal force and effect as a written contract with your written signature and satisfy any laws that require a writing or signature. You further agree that you shall not challenge the validity, enforceability, or admissibility of the Terms of Use on the grounds that it was electronically transmitted or authorized.

The Services is offered and available to users who are 18 years of age or older. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet the foregoing eligibility requirement. If you do not meet this requirement, you must not access or use the Services.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THESE TERMS INCLUDE LIMITATIONS ON THE LIABILITY OF GREATIST AND OUR OBLIGATIONS RELATING TO THE SERVICES, CERTAIN CONDITIONS WITH RESPECT TO JURISDICTION, AND CERTAIN EXCLUSIONS OF GREATIST’S RESPONSIBILITY.

THE SERVICES DO NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.

CHANGES TO AGREEMENT

Greatist may, at any time and in its sole discretion, amend, modify, delete or add (collectively “Amendments”) to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Your use of the Services after such Amendments have been posted constitutes your agreement with and acceptance of such Amendments.

CHANGES TO SERVICES

Greatist may, at any time and in its sole discretion, modify, add to, delete, suspend or terminate the Services and any content, services or material offered on or through the Services, for any or no reason, and with or without notice.

YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Please refer to our Privacy Policy for information on how we collect, use and disclose information from our users. You acknowledge and agree that your use of the Services is subject to our Privacy Policy and by using the Services, you consent to all actions taken by us with respect to your information in compliance with the Privacy Policy.

Please send any privacy concerns regarding the Services to admin@greatist.com

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OWNERSHIP

All information, materials, images, software, photographs, articles, functions, text and other content contained on or offered through the Services (collectively, “Content”) and all copyrights, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights in or relating to the Content are the sole property of Greatist, its licensors or content providers or other third parties. The Services and all of its Content and the selection and arrangement thereof, is protected as a compilation owned by Greatist under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. Greatist may change the Services or delete any Content or features of Services at any time, in any way, for any or no reason. Greatist reserves all rights not expressly granted in and to the Services and the Content.

Unless otherwise noted, Greatist and all other trademarks, service marks, trade names, and logos displayed on the Services are the trademarks, servicemarks, trade names, and logos of Greatist. All other trademarks, logos and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Nothing on the Services shall be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any trademark, trade name, logo or service mark displayed on the Services without the owner’s prior written permission. Unauthorized use of Greatist and all other trademarks, service marks, trade names, and logos displayed on the Services is strictly prohibited.

Content may not be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, re-delivered using framing technology, transmitted, displayed, performed, distributed or used in any way without Greatist’s prior written permission; provided however, that users may download one copy of any Content on any single computer and print a copy of that Content solely for their personal, private, non-commercial use. No permission is granted to use the Website icons, addresses or other means to hyperlink other web sites with any page in the Website.

NO MEDICAL ADVICE

THE SERVICES MAY OFFER HEALTH, FITNESS, NUTRITIONAL AND OTHER SUCH INFORMATION, BUT SUCH INFORMATION IS DESIGNED FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SERVICES DOES NOT AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONVEY MEDICAL ADVICE AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, NOR DOES IT REPLACE, PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT. GREATIST IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACTIONS OR INACTION ON A USER’S PART BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT IS PRESENTED ON THE SERVICES.

USE OF THE SERVICES

In order to bring our users interesting and engaging information on health, wellness and fitness the Content and related information made available through the Services comes from a variety of sources.

Greatist Content

Greatist may from time to time (i) receive from third party vendors free products that we review and feature in our Content, and (ii) receive compensation for our review and discussion of the products featured in our Content and for the resulting advertisement and promotion of those products and the companies that sell them.

User Submissions

The Services may offer users the opportunity to post Content on the Services in the form of articles, comments, photographs, videos, artwork, and other materials (collectively, the “User Submissions”). By making a User Submission, you grant to Greatist an unrestricted, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable and fully sublicensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such User Submission throughout the world in any and all media and formats, whether now known or hereafter developed, for any purpose whatsoever, without payment of compensation or acknowledgement of its source. You further agree that Greatist is free to use any ideas, concepts, or know-how that you or individuals acting on your behalf provide to Greatist without any monetary or other obligation to you.

You agree not to post on or transmit through the Services any User Submission or other material that:

is unlawful, libelous, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, sexually explicit, profane, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable in any manner;
is an advertisement or promotion for any product or service that had not been approved in writing by Greatist;
is false, misleading, or constitutes an unfair or deceptive trade practice;
promotes the use of alcohol, tobacco, or any illegal substance;
constitutes a breach of your contractual and/or fiduciary obligations or an invasion of privacy;
infringes on any third party patent, trademark, trade name, corporate name, trade secret, copyright, publicity, or other proprietary or property rights; or
contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms or other code, scripts, routines, files or programs designed to alter, interrupt, impede, limit or destroy the performance and/or functioning of any software, hardware, or other equipment.

You further agree that any User Submission you provide does not contain any confidential, proprietary or trade secret information of any third party, and will not be treated as confidential by Greatist. Greatist shall have no obligation to store, keep copies of or return any User Submissions. Greatist further reserves the right (but does not have the obligation), in its sole discretion, to modify, delete or remove any User Submission from the Services that it deems to be in violation of the foregoing requirements.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Greatist shall have the right to:

Remove or refuse to post any User Submissions for any or no reason in our sole discretion.
Take any action with respect to any User Submissions that we deem necessary or appropriate in our sole discretion, including if we believe that such User Submission violates the Terms of Use, infringes any intellectual property right or other right of any person or entity, threatens the personal safety of users of the Services or the public or could create liability for Greatist.
Disclose your identity or other information about you to any third party who claims that material posted by you violates their rights, including their intellectual property rights or their right to privacy.
Take appropriate legal action, including without limitation, referral to law enforcement, for any illegal or unauthorized use of the Services.
Terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Services for any or no reason, including without limitation, any violation of these Terms of Use.

Without limiting the foregoing, we have the right to fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing us to disclose the identity or other information of anyone posting any materials on or through the Services. YOU WAIVE AND HOLD HARMLESS GREATIST AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, LICENSORS, AND SERVICE PROVIDERS FROM ANY CLAIMS RESULTING FROM ANY ACTION TAKEN BY ANY OF THE FOREGOING PARTIES DURING OR AS A RESULT OF ITS INVESTIGATIONS AND FROM ANY ACTIONS TAKEN AS A CONSEQUENCE OF INVESTIGATIONS BY EITHER SUCH PARTIES OR LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES.

However, we cannot review all material before it is posted on the Services, and cannot ensure prompt removal of objectionable material after it has been posted. Accordingly, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we assume no liability for any action or inaction regarding transmissions, communications or content provided by any user or third party. We have no liability or responsibility to anyone for performance or nonperformance of the activities described in this section.

Third Party Content

Greatist may from time to time post Content supplied by third parties and users (collectively “Third-Party Content”). In addition, if you register to receive our free newsletters and e-mails that promote the Services (“Newsletters”), you may receive Newsletters containing Third-Party Content or advertising that was sponsored by third parties.

Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties in the Third-Party Content are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of Greatist. Greatist does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any Third-Party Content, nor its merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Additional disclaimers and limitation of liability are noted below.

DISCLAIMERS/LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW EXCLUSIONS OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, THE BELOW LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

The use of the Services and the Content is at your own risk. When using the Services, information will be transmitted over a medium that may be beyond the control and jurisdiction of Greatist and its suppliers. Accordingly, Greatist assumes no liability for or relating to the delay, failure, interruption, or corruption of any data or other information transmitted in connection with use of the Services.

The Services and the Content are provided on an “as is” basis. GREATIST, ITS LICENSORS, AND ITS SUPPLIERS, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Without limiting the foregoing, Greatist, its licensors, and its suppliers make no representations or warranties about the following:

The accuracy, reliability, completeness, currentness, or timeliness of the Content, software, text, graphics, links, or communications provided on or through the use of the Services or Greatist.
The satisfaction of any government regulations requiring disclosure of information on prescription drug products or the approval or compliance of any software tools with regard to the Content contained on the Services.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Greatist, its licensors, its suppliers, or any third parties mentioned on the Services be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, incidental and consequential damages, personal injury/wrongful death, lost profits, or damages resulting from lost data or business interruption) resulting from the use of or inability to use the Services or the Content, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, and whether or not Greatist is advised of the possibility of such damages. Greatist is not liable for any personal injury, including death, caused by your use or misuse of the Services, Content, or User Submissions. Any claims arising in connection with your use of the Services, any Content, or any User Submissions must be brought within one (1) year of the date of the event giving rise to such action occurred. Remedies under these Terms of Use are exclusive and are limited to those expressly provided for in these Terms of Use.

INDEMNITY

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Greatist, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, and suppliers, harmless from and against any claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting from, or alleged to result from, your violation of these Terms of Use.

THIRD PARTY SITES

Certain links on the Services may lead to other websites, webpages, and resources (“Third-Party Sites”) maintained by third parties over whom Greatist has no control. Greatist accepts no liability or responsibility for any material supplied or contained on such Third-Party Sites or any use of personal information by such third parties. Greatist makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or any other aspect of the information on such Third-Party Sites.

NOTICES FOR REPORTING AND MAKING CLAIMS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

Greatist respects the intellectual property of others. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement and is located on the Services, you may submit a notification of claimed infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Title 17, United States Code, Section 512(c)(2), (“DMCA”) containing the following information:

An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright interest;
A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material;
Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as your address, telephone number and e-mail address;
A statement that your claim of infringement is based on a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
A statement that the information you have provided is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with substantially all of the above requirements of this section your DMCA notice may not be valid and we may not be able to remove infringing content. All notices of claimed infringement shall be sent to Greatist’s copyright agent, whose contact information is noted below:

Greatist c/o Healthline Media, Inc.
Attention: DMCA Copyright Agent
660 Third Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94107
Email Address: admin@greatist.com

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS

You shall comply with all applicable laws, including, but not limited to, as applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation and its requirements related to capturing verifiable consent, obtaining parental consent, responding to data subject requests, complying with international data transfer laws and other requirements relating to personal information, data localization, cookies and recordkeeping requirements.

JURISDICTION, LOCATION, SURVIVAL

You expressly agree that exclusive jurisdiction for any dispute with Greatist, or in any way relating to your use of the Services, resides in the courts of the State of California and you further agree and expressly consent to the exercise of personal jurisdiction in the courts of the State of California in connection with any such dispute including any claim involving Greatist, or its affiliates, subsidiaries, employees, contractors, officers, directors, telecommunication providers, and content providers.

These Terms of Use are governed by the internal substantive laws of the State of California, without respect to its conflict of laws principles. If any provision of these Terms of Use is found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms of Use, which shall remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any of these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or any other term or condition.

Greatist is based in San Francisco, CA, USA. Greatist makes no claims that Content is appropriate or may be downloaded outside of the United States. Access to the Content may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Services from outside the United States, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction.

The following provisions survive the expiration or termination of this Agreement for any reason whatsoever: Location; Survival, Liability of Greatist, and its Licensors, User Submissions, Indemnity, Jurisdiction, No Waiver, and Complete Agreement.

COMPLETE AGREEMENT; AMENDMENTS

These Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Agreement constitute the entire agreement between you and Greatist with respect to the use of the Services and Content.

Greatist, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to update, revise, supplement and to otherwise modify these Terms of Use, and to impose new or additional terms and conditions on your use of the Services from time to time. Such updates, revisions, supplements, modifications and additional rules, policies, terms and conditions (collectively referred to in these Terms of Use as “Additional Terms”) will be effective immediately and incorporated into these Terms of Use upon notice thereof, which may be given by any reasonable means, including by posting to the Services. Your continued viewing or use of the Services following such notice will be deemed to conclusively indicate your acceptance of any and all such Additional Terms.

TERMINATION

This Agreement is effective unless and until terminated by either you or Greatist. You may terminate this Agreement at any time by discontinuing use of the Services (subject to the surviving terms set forth herein). Greatist also may terminate this Agreement at any time and may do so immediately without notice, and accordingly deny you access to the Services, if in Greatist’s sole discretion you fail to comply with any term or provision of this Agreement.

NO WAIVER

Greatist’s failure to enforce strict performance of any provision of these Terms of Use will not constitute a waiver of Greatist’s right to subsequently enforce such a provision or any other provision of this Agreement, nor will any delay or omission on the part of Greatist to exercise or take advantage of any right or remedy that Greatist has or may have hereunder, operate as a waiver of any right or remedy.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Thank you for your cooperation. We hope you find the Website and Services helpful and convenient to use! Questions or comments regarding this Website and Services, including any reports of non-functioning links, should be directed by electronic mail to info@greatist.com or via U.S. mail to Greatist c/o Healthline at 660 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107.

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About

Greatist is here to help you sort through the universe and find what’s real, smart, lasting, and workable. And most important, what’s right for you and that precious life you’re putting together.

We cover the health and wellness stuff that matters — plus anything else that’s cool, important, or maybe even life-changing. Our goal is to help you take healthy — or healthy-ish — actions every day to live your best life. We give you the tools. You make the rules.

Whether we’re talking about breakfast, breathing, sex, brain health, or how not to get the flu, you can trust that all Greatist content is evidence-based, science-backed, and expert-approved.

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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 10/14/2020

Thank you for visiting our Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy applies to Healthline Media, Inc., and its
subsidiaries (Healthline Media UK Ltd. and HL Greatist) (collectively “Healthline,” “we,” “us,” “our”), respect
the privacy rights of our users. Healthline’s websites include www.healthline.com, www.medicalnewstoday.com, www.greatist.com, www.psychcentral.com,
and www.healthlinemedia.com (collectively,
the “Websites”). Healthline’s mobile applications include MS Healthline (formerly MS Buddy), Breast Cancer
Healthline, IBD Healthline, Migraine Healthline, T2D Healthline, and RA Healthline (collectively, the “Apps”).
Healthline’s products include the Find Care product on our Websites (the “Products”). Collectively, the
Websites, Apps, and Products are referred to as the “Services.” We are committed to protecting the information
collected through the Services.

We are committed to being your most trusted ally in your pursuit of health and well-being. Whether you’re here to
learn more about a health condition, research a medication, tap into one of our communities, or get tips for a
healthier lifestyle, you’re in the right place.

By visiting and interacting with our Websites, Apps, and Products, you may share certain information with us, as
detailed below. We may share some of the information you share with us between our websites and apps to
provide you with the most relevant content and may use some of the information you share with us to serve you
relevant advertising. (For further details on our advertising and sponsorship policy, click here).

We want to ensure you understand the information we collect, how we use it, how we share it, and how you can
control your information. Please read our Privacy Policy in its entirety, and don’t hesitate to reach out
to us at privacypractices@healthline.com if
you have any questions about our privacy practices.

Introduction

This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) explains:

1. The types of information collected by Healthline and its partners through the Services and
the purposes for which we use it.

2. How Healthline collects, stores, and shares your information.

3. Your rights with respect to such information collection

Your access to and use of the Services is subject to Healthline’s Terms of Use (the
“Terms”). Any capitalized terms used, but not defined, in this Privacy Policy have the meanings provided in the
Terms.

BY INSTALLING, USING, REGISTERING TO, OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING ANY SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY AND
CONSENT TO THE COLLECTION, USE, AND PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF
YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY, PLEASE DO NOT VISIT, INSTALL, USE, REGISTER TO, OR OTHERWISE ACCESS ANY
SERVICES.

Personal Information: “Personal Information” is information that can be used either directly or
indirectly to identify an individual (you). Examples include name, email address, physical address, Internet
protocol (IP) address, mobile ad ID, and your interactions with the Websites that are connected to other
identifying information, such as name, email address, physical address, and Internet protocol IP address.

WHAT KINDS OF INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

We receive information from or about you depending on the nature of your interaction with our Services.

Information you provide to us

You may provide us with information in several ways, including:

Registering/Signing Up in the Services: When you choose to sign up for newsletters, sign up
for an account, on our Services.
Using our Products: When you search for and schedule medical care.
Transactions with the Services: When you submit an opinion or comment through the Services,
contact us, or register for more information regarding products or services.
Promotions: From time to time, Healthline may offer promotions, such as surveys or
sweepstakes, on the Services, for which we need Personal Information to administer.
Apps: When you download and use our Apps.

The Personal Information that you provide may include your name, email address, physical address, birth date,
gender, zip/city, marital status and health information (diagnosis, when you were diagnosed, what medications
you’re taking, or what type of care you’re looking for).

Information we collect about you

When you use our Services, we may automatically collect information, when:

Social Media and Sharing: If you share an article or post a comment or other content with a
friend/contact.
Device Information: we collect information from or about the computers, phones, or other
devices where you install or access our Services, depending on the permissions you’ve granted.
Data Analytics: Web analytics services, including third-party services such as Google
Analytics, collect information about how visitors use our Websites, on both an individual and aggregated
basis (click here for more information about Google Analytics).
Marketing: we, and our marketing partners, collect information indicating an interest in
particular subject matter.

The personal information we collect, when you use our Websites and Apps, typically includes attributes such as
the operating system, hardware version, device settings, device identifiers, connection information (e.g. ISP),
browser type, language and time zone, mobile phone number, mobile ad ID, and IP address; social signals
(including, the friends/contacts content has been shared with); and, Website use information, such as pages
viewed, interactions, dwell time, and navigation.

In addition to other rights detailed below, you may choose to install the Google
Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on to opt out of Google Analytics data collection.

Information we receive from other sources

In order to continue to provide the Services free of charge, we are supported by advertisers and other
partners. As part of our advertising and partnerships, we work closely with third parties (for example,
business partners, advertising networks, analytics providers and search information providers) and may receive
information about you from them.

This could include demographic information, information about your likely interests based on your web browsing,
and information about your interactions with advertisements delivered by our partners.

We may combine this information with other information you have provided to us or which we collected about
you.

For more information on how to review or update your data preferences, please review the “YOUR RIGHTS, YOUR
CHOICE, YOUR SECURITY” section below.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

With appropriate consent, we use cookies (and similar technologies) to help us collect, analyze, improve, secure,
and market our Websites and Services, and to support functionality which enhances your browsing experience. You
can read more about how and why we use cookies in our Cookies Policy (below).

HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

We use personal information about you in connection with the following purposes:

To Provide and Enhance the Services: We use the information we collect to deliver and enhance
our services, including ensuring our content is presented in the most effective manner for your device, to
personalize features and content and make suggestions for you on our Services.

Transactions: We use your Personal Information to process your transactions, to send you
confirmations, to respond to your requests, and for any related communications.

Retargeting: We use your information to allow us or third parties to deliver advertisements
based on your interests on our Websites, affiliated websites or third-party sites. Our retargeting activities
abide by the NAI code of conduct.

Marketing: We use the information we have to improve our advertising systems so we can show you
relevant interest-based advertising and measure the effectiveness and reach of advertisements and services. We
may use your Personal Information for other marketing and market research purposes to learn more about our
users. We will only contact you for direct marketing purposes in accordance with applicable laws. You may opt
out of our use of your Personal Information for marketing, market research, or direct marketing purposes at any
time by sending a rights request as set forth in the “Your Rights” section below. Occasionally, comments may be
anonymized and used in marketing materials.

Analytics: We may store details of your visits to our Websites and your electronic interactions
with any emails that we send to you (“Usage Data”) under a pseudonym (i.e. not under your name but under an ID
number), including the pages you visited and services you used. We use such Usage Data to help us learn more
about our users’ preferences, to be able to tailor our Websites according to your interests and preferences, to
help us address problems with and improve our site design, products, and services; to analyze trends and
statistics; and to present content in the clearest and most friendly manner for you.

To Communicate with You: We use your information to send you marketing communications,
communicate with you about our Services, and let you know about changes to our policies and Terms. We also use
your information to respond to you when you contact us. In our Apps, we send you push notifications from time to
time in order to update you about any events or promotions that we may be running. The Apps may also ask for
your permission to access your camera and your photos. If you no longer wish to receive these types of
communications, or if you’ve initially agreed for the application to access your camera and photos and you would
like to stop the Apps from accessing them, you may turn them off at the device level. To ensure you receive
proper notifications, we will need to collect certain information about your device such as operating system and
user identification information.

Other Reasons: We may use and collect Personal Information for other legitimate purposes
associated with protecting your interests, our interests and those of third parties, including, keeping our
services safe and secure, complying with the law, and when obtaining professional advice (for example, from
lawyers).

HOW AND WHEN DO WE SHARE OR DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION?

With the Healthline Family of Websites and Apps: We may share your information with our
Websites (www.healthline.com, www.medicalnewstoday.com, www.greatist.com,
https://bit.ly/320dT8k, and https://bit.ly/2TDSeOy), and Apps (MS Healthline [formerly MS Buddy], Breast Cancer
Healthline, IBD Healthline, Migraine Healthline, T2D Healthline, and RA Healthline) for purposes and uses
consistent with this Privacy Policy.

To Enhance Our Services: We may share your information with third parties who provide services
on our behalf to help with our business activities such as ad technology providers, authentication services,
email service providers, data analyzers, and business intelligence providers for the purpose of enhancing our
products and services. These companies are authorized to use your personal information only as necessary to
provide these services to us. These third parties currently may include: Acxiom,
Adbridg, Amazon, Amobee, AppNexus/Xandr, ComScore, Criteo, DistrictM,
DoubleVerify, Facebook, Google, GumGum, Index
Exchange, Integral
Ad Science (IAS), IQVIA, J&J, LiveIntent,
LiveRamp, Media.net, Nativo, Neustar,
Nielsen, Oath/Verizon, Oracle,
OpenX, Pinterest, PX, Rubicon Project, Sailthru,
SendBird, Taboola, Teads,
The
TradeDesk, TripleLift,
Twitter, Wunderman,
Yieldbot.

Third-Party Marketing: We provide advertisers with reports about the kinds of people seeing
their ads and how their ads are performing, but we don’t share information that personally identifies you
(information such as your name or email address that by itself can be used to contact you or identifies who you
are) unless you give us permission. We may request to share your information (including email address) with
third-party business partners to provide you with information about and enroll you in clinical trials. In these
situations and before sharing your information for these purposes, you will receive a just-in-time notice of the
proposed sharing, and we will obtain your consent, or opt in, to such sharing. If you do not opt in, we will not
share your information for these purposes.

Third-Party Services: When you interact with a third-party advertiser in our Services, the
content creator or advertiser can receive information you share with them, as well as the information needed to
complete the transaction, including medical information and contact details.

Asset Sale: We may transfer your Personal Information to a third party in the event of a
transfer of all or some of our assets to a third party, provided that the third party agrees to adhere to terms
similar to those of this Privacy Policy. Where required by applicable law, we will provide you with an
opportunity to reject the transfer of your Personal Information in such cases.

Legal Requirements: We may access, preserve, and share your information in response to a legal
request if we have a good faith belief that the law requires us to do so. We may also access, preserve, and
share information when we have a good faith belief it is necessary to detect, prevent, and address fraud and
other illegal activity; to protect ourselves, you, and others, including as part of investigations; or to
prevent death or imminent bodily harm.

Online Marketing: As described above, we may use, and when appropriate, disclose your Personal
Information for marketing and market research purposes to learn more about our users and offer and improve our
Services. We will only contact you for direct marketing purposes in accordance with applicable laws. You may opt
out of our use of your Personal Information for marketing, market research, or direct marketing purposes at any
time as set forth below.

Aggregated Data: We may disclose aggregated, non-personal information about Website users
without restriction. We also may share information that has been “hashed” with certain third-party partners.
“Hashed” information is information that has been converted to an anonymized string of characters in an effort
to prevent third parties from unscrambling the anonymized string of characters to recover the underlying
information. To opt out of our sharing of “hashed” information, please click here.

Find Care: When you use the Find Care product, we will neither share your personal
information with the Healthline Family of Websites and Apps, nor will we share or disclose your personal
information for Third-Party Marketing.

HOW LONG DO WE RETAIN DATA?

We keep your Personal Information for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is processed. These
periods vary depending on the nature of the information and your interactions with us.

When the purposes for which we processed your Personal Information have concluded, we will either permanently
delete or destroy the relevant Personal Information or anonymize it, in a manner that ensures individuals are no
longer identifiable.

YOUR RIGHTS, YOUR CHOICE, YOUR SECURITY

Your Rights. You can make the following choices here regarding your Personal Information (if you
are outside of the United States, please use the form in
our EEA/UK Addendum):

Access to Your Personal Information. You may request access to your personal information that we
collect on our own behalf. If required by law, upon request, we will grant you reasonable access to the Personal
Information that We have about you. Note that California residents may be entitled to ask us for a notice
describing what categories of Personal Information (if any) we share with third parties or affiliates for direct
marketing.

Changes to Your Personal Information. We rely on you to update and correct your Personal Information. Note
that we may keep historical information in our backup files as permitted by law. If our Website or App does
not permit you to update or correct certain information, then contact us at the address described below. If we
are processing your information on behalf of one of our partners, then we will forward your modification request
to that partner and/or follow any instructions provided by that partner concerning the modification of
information.

Deletion of Your Personal Information. When we collect information on our own behalf, we
typically retain your Personal Information for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this
Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. You may, however, request
information about how long we keep a specific type of information, or request that we delete your Personal Information by
contacting us at the address described below. If required by law we will grant a request to delete
information, but you should note that in some situations we must keep your Personal Information to comply with
our legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our agreements, or for another one of our business purposes. If
we are processing your information on behalf of one of our partners, then we will forward your deletion request
to that partner and await instructions on whether the information should be deleted.

Objection to Certain Processing. When we process information on our own behalf,
you may object to our use of your Personal Information by contacting us at the address described below. For
example, California residents may be entitled to object, or opt-out, of having their information sold to third
parties. If you are a California resident and would like to opt-out of having your information sold, then please
visit the following link: Do Not Sell My Personal
Information. We do not discriminate against California consumers who
exercise any of their rights described in this Policy.

Find Care. Objection to Certain Processing: If you are a California resident using the Find
Care product and would like to opt-out of having your information sold, then please visit the following link: Do Not Sell My Personal Information.

Online Tracking. We do not currently recognize automated browser signals regarding tracking
mechanisms, which may include “Do Not Track” instructions.

Promotional Emails. You may choose to provide us with your email address for the purpose of
allowing us to send free newsletters, surveys, offers, and other promotional materials to you, as well as
targeted offers from third parties. You can stop receiving promotional emails by following the unsubscribe
instructions in emails that you receive. If you decide not to receive promotional emails, we may still send
you service related communications.

Promotional Mailings. If at any time you do not want to receive offers and/or circulars
from us you can remove yourself from our mailing lists by emailing us (our contact information is below) with
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are prepared in advance of their being sent. Although we will remove your name from our mailing list after
receiving your request, you may still receive mailings from us that had been initiated prior to your name being
removed.

Text Messages and Push Notifications. If you receive a text message from us that
contains promotional information you can opt-out of receiving future text messages by replying “STOP” or
“UNSUBSCRIBE.” You control on your device whether you receive push notifications.

Revocation of Consent. If you revoke your consent for the processing of Personal
Information, then we may no longer be able to provide you services. In some cases, we may limit or deny your
request to revoke consent if the law permits or requires us to do so, or if we are unable to adequately verify
your identity. You may revoke consent to processing (where such processing is based upon consent) by contacting
us at the address described below.

If you do not want to make requests for access, deletion, or Do-Not-Sell using our online form, you may call 877-336-3738. To get in touch with
us about any other privacy requests, you may contact us at privacypractices@healthline.com or in writing
at:

Healthline Media, Inc.

660 Third Street

San Francisco, CA 94107

Attn: Privacy Officer

Your Choice

We also partner with third parties and partners to display advertising on our Websites or to manage our
advertising on other sites. Our third-party partners may use cookies or similar technologies in order to provide
you advertising based upon your browsing activities and interests. Please visit http://preferences-mgr.truste.com/ if
you wish to opt out of interest-based advertising. Please visit http://www.youronlinechoices.eu if
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click here. Please
note you may continue to receive generic ads, not based on your Personal Information. You can also choose not to
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Your Security

The security of your Personal Information is important to us. We follow generally accepted standards to protect
the Personal Information submitted to us, both during transmission and once it is received, and we take various
precautions to protect information against loss and misuse. Nevertheless, transmission of information over the
internet is not completely secure, we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information, and any
transmission is at your own risk.

If you have any questions about the security of your Personal Information, you can contact us at privacypractices@healthline.com.

Links to third party websites

Our Services may contain links to other websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those other websites and
we do not accept liability for the content of any other website. Please check the privacy policy of any other
website before using and submitting any Personal Information to it.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our information practices. If we make any material
changes, then we will notify you by email (sent to the email address specified in your account) or by means of a
notice on this website prior to the change becoming effective. We encourage you to periodically review this page
for the latest information on our privacy practices.

Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect, maintain, or use Personal Information from our Website about children under the age
of 18. We request that persons under the age of 17 not use our Website without supervision from a responsible
adult. We will never request Personal Information from a child under the age of 17 without verifiable parental
consent. If we become aware that a child under the age of 17 has sent Personal Information to us without prior
parental consent, we will remove his or her Personal Information from our files.

Find Care: Information Provided on Behalf of Children

A parent or legal guardian of a minor child may, in compliance with the Find Care product’s Terms of Use and this
Privacy Policy, use the Find Care product on behalf of a minor child. Any information provided on behalf of a
minor child will be treated as Personal Information as otherwise provided herein.

WEBSITE LOCATION, US TRANSFER & PROCESSING

THE SITE IS OPERATED BY HEALTHLINE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND PERSONAL INFORMATION WILL BE PRIMARILY STORED IN THE
UNITED STATES. BY PROVIDING PERSONAL INFORMATION TO US, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE COLLECT, MAINTAIN, PROCESS, AND TRANSFER SUCH INFORMATION IN AND TO THE UNITED STATES AND
OTHER COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES, PURSUANT TO THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OR SUCH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, WHICH
MAY PROVIDE LESSER PRIVACY PROTECTIONS THAN EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA COUNTRIES, AND TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT
PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOUR INFORMATION MAY THUS BE SUBJECT TO U.S. FEDERAL AND
CALIFORNIA STATE LAW AND OTHER FOREIGN LAWS AND ACCESSIBLE TO U.S. AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, COURTS, LAW
ENFORCEMENT AND REGULATORY AGENCIES. BECAUSE HEALTHLINE IS LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES, THESE DATA TRANSFERS TO
THE UNITED STATES ARE NECESSARY TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES TO YOU AS SET FORTH IN OUR TERMS OF SERVICE AND TO
OPERATE OUR WEBSITE. WHEN APPLICABLE, WE WILL OBTAIN YOUR CONSENT FOR THESE DATA TRANSFERS TO THE UNITED
STATES.

CONTACT US

Healthline Media, Inc.

660 Third Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA 94107

Telephone Number: (+1) 415-281-3100

Email address: privacypractices@healthline.com

EEA/UK Addendum

The following Addendum applies to users who reside in the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and the United Kingdom,
the provisions of which shall prevail over conflicting provisions in this Privacy Policy for EEA/UK residents
only. This addendum does not apply to the Find Care product, which is only available in the United States.

Data Controller

For the purposes of data protection law, the controller is Healthline Media UK Limited, which can be contacted
at:

Data Protection Officer c/o Red Ventures, Healthline Media UK

The Cooperage, 5 Copper Row

London SE1 2LH

Email: dpo@redventures.com

Our Legal Basis for Processing

Our legal basis for processing your personal information will typically be one of the following:

Consent. You have actively consented for us to process data by completing a form on the site, or
have indicated your consent with another affirmative act.

Legitimate Interests

Our Legitimate Interests in processing your personal information are:
To ensure our website meets the high standard of usability and security you would expect;
To help us identify areas for improvement;
To enable us to communicate effectively regarding services we offer; and
To enable us to process contacts, queries, or complaints.

Legal Obligation. It is necessary for us to process your personal information for us to comply
with our legal or regulatory obligations.

Contractual Obligation. It is necessary for us to process your personal information to perform
the tasks associated with a contract to which you are a party, or to take steps at your request prior to you
entering into a contract.

Your Data Rights

In addition to your rights of access and correction (rectification) described in “Your Rights” (above), EEA and
UK residents have certain other rights defined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data
Protection Act 2018. We will handle your request in accordance with the law. This means there may be legal
reasons why we cannot fulfill all requests.

Consent Withdrawal. You have the right to withdraw your consent in relation to our processing of
your personal information based on your consent.

You can unsubscribe from our marketing emails at any time using our email preferences page, or by clicking
on the “unsubscribe” link.
If located in the United Kingdom or European Union, you can opt out of EDAA members online advertising
networks and behavioral advertising through the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance (EDAA)’s
consumer opt-out page here (http://youronlinechoices.eu/).

Erasure. You have the right to ask us to right to request deletion of your personal information
in certain circumstances.

Restriction of Processing . You have the right to request that we restrict the processing
of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Object to Processing. You have the right to object to the use or disclosures of your personal
information.

Data Portability. You have the right to request we transmit your personal information to you or
another company in certain circumstances.

We process all requests in accordance with the law, and there may be legal reasons why we cannot fulfill all
requests. To exercise these rights, please use our online
form. We have one month to respond to you. You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your
rights. For any other questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at privacypractices@healthline.com if
you wish to make a request.

International Transfer. We operate in the United States and transfer, store, and process
personal information outside of the EEA/UK. By submitting your personal information, you acknowledge this
transfer, storing, and processing.

We rely on approved data transfer mechanisms (for example, the EU Standard Contractual Clauses) to ensure that
personal information is adequately safeguarded.

Cookies and other Tracking Technologies. With appropriate consent, we use cookies to help us
collect, analyze, improve, secure, and market our Websites and Services, and to support functionality which
enhances your browsing experience.

You can read more about how and why we use cookies in our Cookies Policy (below).

Facebook pages in the UK/EU/EEA. When you visit Healthline Facebook pages, Facebook records
details collected in connection with your interactions with our content. For this processing, Healthline and
Facebook Ireland act as joint controllers under the terms of this agreement.

Questions & Concerns. If you have any comments or questions, or are concerned about the way
in which we have handled any privacy matter, you can contact us using the details below:

Post:

Data Protection Officer c/o Red Ventures, Healthline Media UK

The Cooperage, 5 Copper Row

London SE1 2LH

Email: dpo@redventures.com

You may also contact us at privacypractices@healthline.com or in writing at:

Healthline Media Inc.

660 Third Street

San Francisco, CA 94107, USA

Attn: Privacy Officer

Email: privacypractices@healthline.com

Complaints (UK). We hope that we will be able to resolve any questions or concerns you have.
However, you also have the right to lodge a complaint about our processing of your personal information with the
Information Commissioner’s Office, which is the Supervisory Authority in the UK. Contact details are as follows:

https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

0303 123 1113

casework@ico.org.uk/

Cookie Policy

Cookies on our services

When you use our Services, you may receive cookies or other similar technologies such as pixel tags from us and
the third parties that collect information on our Services. We use cookies to determine that we give you a
high-quality experience on our Services. We use session cookies that expire at the end of a browser session
(from when a user opens the browser window to when they exit the browser) and persistent cookies that remain on
your hard drive until you erase them or they expire. How long a persistent cookie remains on your browser
depends on how long the visited website has programmed the cookie to last or they can be stored for longer. If
you access our Services from your mobile device, we may collect unique user ID, cell phone model, operating
system, and carrier. Gathering your information helps us ensure our website and other services work correctly
and support our customer analytic efforts.

We also use cookies to show you advertising that is relevant to your interests. We may share your information
with third parties who provide services on our behalf to help with our business activities such as ad technology
providers, authentication services, email service providers, data analyzers, and business intelligence providers
for the purpose of enhancing our products and services. These companies are authorized to use your information
only as necessary to provide these services to us. These third parties include but are not limited to: Acxiom,
Adbridg, Amazon, Amobee, AppNexus/Xandr, ComScore, Criteo, DistrictM,
DoubleVerify, Facebook, Google, GumGum, Index
Exchange, Integral
Ad Science (IAS), IQVIA, J&J, LiveIntent,
LiveRamp, Media.net, Nativo, Neustar,
Nielsen, Oath/Verizon, Oracle,
OpenX, Pinterest, PX, Rubicon Project, Sailthru,
SendBird, Taboola, Teads,
The
TradeDesk, TripleLift,
Twitter, Wunderman,
Yieldbot.

We also may share information that has been “hashed” with certain third-party partners. “Hashed” information is
information that has been converted to an anonymized string of characters in an effort to prevent third parties
from unscrambling the anonymized string of characters to recover the underlying information. To opt out of our
sharing of “hashed” information, please click here.

However, if you prefer, you can change your cookie settings. Some browsers have options that allow the visitor to
control whether the browser will accept cookies, reject cookies, or notify the visitor each time a cookie is
sent. You may elect to reject cookies by adjusting your settings, but doing so will limit the range of features
available to you on our Services and other major websites that use cookies.

Managing
Cookies

To opt out of interest-based advertising across browsers and devices, please opt out through the Digital
Advertising Alliance website and also through the settings within the mobile app or your mobile device.
Your opt-out choice may apply only to the browser or device you are using when you opt out, so you should opt
out on each of your browsers and devices if you want to disable all cross-device linking for interest-based
advertising. If you opt out, you will still receive ads but they may not be as relevant to you and your
interests.

Digital Advertising Alliance

Our Services also occasionally use “local shared objects” (also known as “Flash cookies”). Like browser cookies,
Flash cookies may be used for coordinating content delivery, website functionality, maintaining preferences,
advertising, or analytics. Unlike browser cookies, “Flash cookies” are not stored in the browser. You may be
able to manage these Flash cookies by visiting the Adobe website.

In the EEA/UK, we are a registered Consent Management Platform (CMP) with IAB Europe and are compliant under the
Transparency & Consent Framework. This framework allows us to communicate your consent choice regarding the
cookies on our Services to any third-party vendor participating in the framework.

Categories of cookies used on our Services (except for UK, EU, and EEA):

1. Essential: These cookies enable you to use our Services. These cookies are essential to
enable you to browse our Services and use certain features. Disabling them may prevent you from using certain
parts of the Services. Without these cookies, services such as shopping activity and paying activity cannot be
provided. These cookies also help keep our Services safe and secure.

2. Information Storage and Access: The storage of information, or access to information
that is already stored, on your device such as advertising identifiers, device identifiers, cookies, and similar
technologies.

3. Personalization: The collection and processing of information about your use of this
service to subsequently personalise advertising and/or content for you in other contexts, such as on other
websites or apps, over time. Typically, the content of the site or app is used to make inferences about your
interests, which inform future selection of advertising and/or content.

4. Ad Selection, Delivery, and Reporting: The collection of information, and combination
with previously collected information, to select and deliver advertisements for you, and to measure the delivery
and effectiveness of such advertisements. This includes using previously collected information about your
interests to select ads, processing data about what advertisements were shown, how often they were shown, when
and where they were shown, and whether you took any action related to the advertisement, including for example
clicking an ad or making a purchase. This does not include Personalisation, which is the collection and
processing of information about your use of this service to subsequently personalise advertising and/or content
for you in other contexts, such as websites or apps, over time.

5. Content Selection, Delivery, and Reporting: The collection of information, and
combination with previously collected information, to select and deliver content for you, and to measure the
delivery and effectiveness of such content. This includes using previously collected information about your
interests to select content, processing data about what content was shown, how often or how long it was shown,
when and where it was shown, and whether the you took any action related to the content, including for example
clicking on content. This does not include personalisation, which is the collection and processing of
information about your use of this service to subsequently personalise content and/or advertising for you in
other contexts, such as websites or apps, over time.

6. Measurement: The collection of information about your use of the content, and
combination with previously collected information, used to measure, understand, and report on your usage of the
service. This does not include personalisation, the collection of information about your use of this service to
subsequently personalise content and/or advertising for you in other contexts, i.e. on other services, such as
websites or apps, over time.

Categories of cookies used on our Services (in UK, EU, and EEA):

1. Store and/or access information on a device: Cookies, device identifiers, or other
information can be stored or accessed on your device for the purposes presented to you.

2. Select basic ads: Ads can be shown to you based on the content you’re
viewing, the app you’re using, your approximate location, or your device type.

3. Create a personalised ads profile: A profile can be built about you and your interests to
show you personalised ads that are relevant to you.

4. Select personalised ads: Personalised ads can be shown to you based on a profile about ads
that are relevant to you.

5. Create a personalised content profile: A profile can be built about you and your interests to
show you personalised content that is relevant to you.

6. Select personalised content: Personalised content can be shown to you based on a profile
about you.

7. Measure ad performance: The performance and effectiveness of ads that you see or interact
with can be measured.

8. Measure content performance: The performance and effectiveness of content that you see or
interact with can be measured. be measured.

9. Apply market research to generate audience insights: Market research can be used to learn
more about the audiences who visit sites/apps and view ads.

10. Develop and improve products: Your data can be used to improve existing systems and
software, and to develop new products.

11. Ensure security, prevent fraud, and debug: Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent
fraudulent activity, and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely.

12. Technically deliver ads or content: Your device can receive and send information that allows
you to see and interact with ads and content

13. Match and combine offline data sources: Data from offline data sources can be combined with
your online activity in support of one or more purposes.

14. Link different devices: Different devices can be determined as belonging to you or your
household in support of one or more of purposes.

15. Receive and use automatically-sent device characteristics for identification: Your device
might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends, such as IP address or
browser type.

from Greatist Health RSS Feed https://bit.ly/35Y2iYG

Starter Guide to BDSM: Rules, Core Values, and Words You Should Know

It’s safe to say BDSM has entered the mainstream. But while the “Fifty Shades” craze revealed the not-terribly-surprising fact that a lot of folks (read: your mom and most of her friends) have a sexually deviant streak, the book and movie did not do a great job at educating the world about how to (safely) practice BDSM.

There’s still quite a bit of problematic misconceptions — especially regarding consent — to the wade through to get to the heart of what BDSM is all about.

But, as we all know, when battling stigma and personal bias, wading through misconceptions to find the truth is worth it. At the other end lies the potential for improved self-confidence, deeper self-knowledge, and intimacy on another level.

“Through kink I learned to own my power and found my voice. This helped me build my self-esteem and confidence in the boardroom and the bedroom,” Kenneth Play, 39, co-founder of International Sex Hacker and Educator, & Co-Founder of Hacienda Villa, an intentional sex-positive community.

You may want to jump right in, but, for the safety of everyone involved, it’s important to get some basics down first. Below we go over important rules, tips for getting started, and how to bring it up with a partner.

What is BDSM?

BDSM stands for bondage/discipline, submission/dominance, and sadism/masochism. These categories refer to a wide array of kinks and erotic practices.

Practicing BDSM is about a lot more than the act of having sex. In fact, “a scene” may not involve sex or, even touching, at all. You’ll find that many of the common themes — power dynamics, pain, humiliation, the taboo — are psychological in nature.

If you’re thinking that sounds intense, don’t worry! It’s completely up to you how deep you want to get and how far you want to go with something. In BDSM, enthusiastic consent is paramount: you and only you decide how you want things to go.

BDSM, defined

This is a very basic description of what the BDSM subcategories mean. And remember, every aspect of these types of play is consensual and talked about beforehand.

Bondage/discipline. Bondage refers to someone being physically restrained. Discipline refers to a set of rules and punishment, usually enforced by the dominant partner onto the submissive.
Submission/dominance. Sub/dom play is when one person, the sub (or bottom) permits the dom (or top) to essentially be in charge. This may be an agreement you make for one night of play or it may be a 24/7 arrangement.
Sadism/masochism. Sadism is the enjoyment of doling out pain. Masochism is the enjoyment of receiving pain. If you like both? Well, that’s what we call a sadomasochist.

The BDSM dictionary

With all distinctive cultures come an expansive vocabulary! This is by no means an exhaustive list but it’ll give you a start.

Aftercare	a post-scene ritual intended to help the dominant and submissive wind down and check in
Breath control play	restriction of oxygen to increase pleasure (i.e. choking, asphyxiation)
Chastity	denial of a partner to have sex and/or masturbate — sometimes devices are used to ensure chastity (cock cages or chastity belts)
Collared/collaring	worn to indicate someone’s status as a submissive (collaring can indicate belonging to a dominant, and to some is seen as the ultimate level of commitment)
Cuckold	a man/masc person who enjoys watching their femme partner have sex with someone in front of them
Dom/domme/dominant	the partner who leads the power dynamic in a dominant/submissive scene
Edgeplay	bringing a partner to the brink of orgasm, but not letting them orgasm
Fetish	intense sexualization of an act, object or scenario
Golden showers	the act of a partner urinating on another
Hard limits	limits that never will be negotiable
Leather	a subset of BDSM culture dictated by leather-wearing practices
Pegging	refers to a woman/femme identifying person having anal sex with a man/masc identifying person, typically with a strap-on
Playspace	an area designated for a scene or BDSM play
Risk aware consensual kink	an alternative to SSC (below), as the term is disliked in the community for it’s ableist language (RACK also argues that kink isn’t ever safe, but that those that participate acknowledge the risks)
Safe, sane, consensual (SSC)	a BDSM philosophy dictating the pillars of BDSM play
Safeword	a word or physical cue meant to end play
Subspace	a mental space submissive’s can go through in the middle of a scene; it’s often considered “dreamy” or “floaty” like a high
Switch	a partner who can be dominant or submissive
Topping from the bottom	a bottom/submissive telling their top/dominant what to do to them
Vanilla	non-kink/BDSM activity

Rules and practices for BDSM

1. Leave alcohol and drugs out of it

Drugs and alcohol and BDSM don’t mix. It’s a safety risk for everyone involved. Intoxication can make it harder — or impossible — to give consent and muddy your ability to make decisions.

And if you also feel the need to get high or drunk to participate in these activities, that’s good indication you have inner work to do before you’re ready to jump in. Consider chatting with a a therapist — or even a trusted friend — to untangle your feelings around BDSM.

2. Talk about how it will go beforehand

In BDSM, this is called the negotiation and it’s a requirement for any type of play. This is where you state what you’re comfortable with and what’s off-limits. Because these activities leave us open for physical or emotional harm, getting specific about your boundaries is essential.

“Start out slow and talk to your sexual partner before you jump into things. The chat in itself can often be a turn-on,” says journalist and sex expert Almara Abgarian. “Discuss the various aspects you want to try, which role you want to hold and then try your way forward. You might find that what you like is something completely unexpected.”

Don’t know where to start? This negotiation cheat sheet is a good place to start (and printable!).

3. Give and get consent throughout

It goes without saying that consent is the most important aspect of BDSM. Because of the intensity of BDSM play and the real mental and physical risks involved in many types of play, you absolutely need to make sure every act is consensual.

A lot of this will happen in the negotiation but also check in with your partner throughout scenes. Just because something is okay once, doesn’t mean it always will be, so communicate throughout the entire interaction!

How to ask questions without ruining the mood

Asking for consent doesn’t have to be formal, it can be part of the dirty talk flow. Like this:

“Your ass looks so good. Is it OK if I spank you?”
“Do you like it when I hold your legs down like that?”
“Can I turn you over and touch you from from behind?”

4. Always have a safe word

This is a word that signals to your partner you want to stop. It needs to be different than “no” because depending on the type of play, begging or saying no may be part of the exchange.

Many folks choose the stoplight system to incorporate check-ins. Red means stop, yellow means proceed with caution and green means go.

Along with having a verbal safe word, it’s important to have a nonverbal safe word if you’re incorporating gags or breath play. Maybe this is a signals or stomps or tapping with your hand a la wrestling.

5. End play with aftercare

Aftercare is an essential part of BDSM, in which partners wind down together after the experience. Dom/sub interaction, impact play, and other aspects of BDSM can be intense. You get a ton of endorphins and even sometimes an adrenaline boost!

However, the come-down can be harsh. Aftercare is an attempt to mitigate that, often by cuddling, cleaning up, or just reflecting on the scene. Aftercare is different for everyone and should be discussed between partners before scenes begin.

Some other tips for getting started

Don’t get in over your head. Don’t head straight to dungeon activities. Maybe start with some spanking at home first.
Have the right tools to get out of sticky situations. Using handcuffs? Avoid ones where you can lose the key. Safety scissors are also an essential.
Watch porn to learn what you like. Try out websites like Royal Fetish Films, Deeper or Kink.com. Also consider following dom(me)s, rope artists and other BDSM performers on OnlyFans.
Try taking this BDSM Test. It introduces you to important BDSM terminology and information and rates you in categories to give you an idea of what kind of play you might be most into.

Advice from folks who’ve been there

“If you’d like to dip a toe into BDSM, I suggest first masturbating on some fantasies and isolating why they’re so hot to you. Once you have a better idea of what you want to explore, start with recommended resources and educators to understand everything you need to do to practice BDSM safely, sanely, and consensually.” — Melissa A Vitale, 27, Publicist, NY

“Experiment as much with yourself as you do with partners. Only play with someone you feel to your core is completely safe and knowledgeable/willing to learn.” — Lexi, 29, OR

“My advice to people exploring BDSM would be just this: Don’t be afraid to ask if your partner would be interested in exploring a particular element of BDSM. They may say, ‘No,’ and that’s totally fine. But I bet there’s a decent chance they’re into the same thing(s) as you are — they were just too afraid to ask.” — Zachary Zane, 29, Writer and Promescent Brand Ambassador, NY

“It’s important for me to have critical conversations with my peers, playmates, and dynamics about not only the negotiated power exchange, but also those power dynamics that exist socially and systematically. When the world around us affects our kink, it’s inevitable for our kinks to affect how we show up in the world. And that is something to be conscious of.”—Morgan, 22, Vancouver

BDSM culture is about knowing yourself

BDSM can improve your life by teaching you to advocate for your needs, and communicate more clearly. “[BDSM has] given me grounding confidence that someone can find me at my most beautiful when I am feeling at my most vulnerable, exposed and self-conscious state of being,” says Lexi.

In the end, you’re the captain of your BDSM ship, and that’s what’s so powerful about it. You decide what it looks like and what you want to get out of it. Don’t let mainstream culture (ahem, “Fifty Shades”) lead you to believe otherwise.

“BDSM is rooted in consent; by being a submissive, you are willingly giving over your power because you want to and because it turns you on,” says Abgarian. There’s nothing more empowering than that!

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What Is an introvert? A Complete Intro to Introversion

If your ideal Friday night is sitting on the couch, curled up with a novel instead of partying at a nightclub (you know, back when that was a thing) you may have been called introverted. But what is an introvert?

Introverts tend to get lumped into a one-size-fits-all box, with labels like quiet, thoughtful, and … wait for it … introspective. News flash: introverts are a lot more complex.

What is an introvert?

According to the American Psychological Association, an introvert is someone who tends to turn inward rather than outward like their extroverted counterparts.

Psychologist Carl Jung made introversion a household name in the 1960s, after he described the two distinct and fundamental personality types: introversion and extraversion.

But your personality isn’t black or white. Introverts and extroverts are two opposite ends of a spectrum and most people fall somewhere in the middle.

4 signs you’re an introvert

If all this has you wondering: Am I an introvert? we’ve got you. Here are a few ways to tell if you’re a little more into introversion.

1. You enjoy being alone

Striking up small talk at a company party feels draining and you get burned out from socializing. You might prefer the comforts of home to the noisy chaos of a coffee shop or restaurant or find it easier to focus when you’re alone. Being alone recharges and energizes introverts.

2. Small talk isn’t your jam

When you speak it’s deliberate, rather than filling space with words. And while you’re not the first person to volunteer thoughts on any particular matter, when you do talk, people listen.

3. People assume you’re quiet or shy

You’ve been told you’re hard to get to know, but small talk seems pointless, even tiring to you. FYI: People often confuse introversion with shyness and extroversion with friendliness, but these correlations aren’t true. Instead, introversion and extroversion describe a person’s relationship with social engagement.

4. Your blood pressure spikes at the doc

If your blood pressure spikes at your yearly physical, introversion could be to blame. A 2006 study found that introverts had lower blood pressure at home than they did at the doctor’s office.

These results were “significant” even when researchers controlled for factors like age, smoking history, and medication.

Is there a cause for introversion?

While there’s no evidence of an exact cause of introversion, there does seem to be a connection between your brain and your personality.

A 2011 study showed extraverts have high brain sensitivity when it comes to faces. They scanned the brains of 28 healthy people while looking at pictures of both human faces and flowers.

Researchers were looking for the “P300” reaction (which got its name because it occurs in the brain within 300 milliseconds of seeing something new).

It turns out extroverts like people. They had a stronger P300 after seeing a face, but the flower photos didn’t get the same reaction. People described as introverted weren’t quite so impressed. They had the same reaction to faces as they did to flowers.

Self-care for the introvert

Knowing this aspect of your personality type helps you take better care of you. If social interactions are super draining, re-charge your batteries with your favorite solo activity, like:

reading a book
taking a walk
watching your favorite television show or movie
listening to music while you finish household chores
meditating
journaling
exercising

No matter what self-care looks like for you, it’s important to give yourself the time and space you need in order to live your best life.

A 2015 study showed that happiness doesn’t depend on how outgoing you are. It found that introverts with quality relationships and the ability to self-regulate their emotions when times got tough showed high levels of happiness.

The introvert advantage and why it matters

Introverts have often been described as everything extroverts are not, but that just isn’t the case. Your personality is likely somewhere between those extreme labels, and each has its own unique strengths.

You can get the most from your introvert superpowers with a little TLC. If you’re feeling like you need a break, take it, and remember to nurture the relationships with those that matter most, including yourself!

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