Is it bad to crack my back if I have scoliosis?

I just was diagnosed with minor scoliosis. I am 38 years old (today!). I do yoga and while at a retreat, was told by the instructor that it looked like I had a little scoliosis on the right side. I crack my back, neck, and so on. I mainly do this on my right side (the side I have minor scoliosis). I feel very tight if I don't do it, and feel better afterwards, but I just know it's wrong. I don't know if my cracking my back is worse with this problem, or if I do it because of this problem. I have tried to stop, but even when I stop for a short period of time (month), my right shoulder "pops" (not snaps or cracks like when I do it intentionally while doing certain activities, like push ups or bench press (and it will happen over and over). This also occurs on my right hip when I do things, such as leg lifts. What do you think? Will this possibly go away if I stop or are they not related?


Where online should I go to get trusted health advice?

The Internet has lots of false facts on it. I want to know if I should consider all the health/drug/sex/emotional stuff as fact in science/doctor advice, and what areas are not so qualified in knowing. The reason being is I want to be more informed, and I don't like to be mistaken in passing along knowledge that I don't know to be credible or not.


How far does my penis go during sex?

My new girlfriend and I had sex for the first time this weekend. Later in the evening, she was curious about something... "Where is that thing going???" she asked. She mentioned that full insertion was painful and she wanted to know what I was hitting, and "how far does it go?" Being admittedly a bit rusty on my knowledge of the anatomy of the female body, I told her that I thought it went no further than the "uvula" (whatever that is), but that I would do a little research, maybe see what I could get off the Net and get back to her.


Is it dangerous to get oral sex from someone with braces?

1) I'm a young gay man, and I'm concerned about oral sex and HIV. What are the risks, statistically and in your opinion, of receiving oral sex without a condom? Also, and this will sound kind of funny, I have braces, so I'm assuming giving head is dangerous.

2) A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend and I were having oral sex and... well, to make a long story short, my penis got "snagged" on her braces and I received a deep cut on the head. I put Neosporin on it every night for a week, but the cut doesn't seem to be healing very quickly. I don't want to go to Health Services because of the embarrassing nature of the problem.

Help me quickly, please, because it also is very painful to urinate, let alone have any sexual activity. I was also wondering if there was a risk in contracting any STDs from this occurrence. I would really appreciate any advice you can give me.


Is there lead in stoneware and if so, is it harmful?

I have purchased a set of stoneware dishes for a friend for Christmas, but my family has told me that stoneware (even when microwave and dishwasher safe) can be harmful due to a high lead content. Is this true of all stoneware dinnerware? I would appreciate any information on the subject. Thanks!


Are petroleum jelly skin care products safe?

How and what does the human body do with the petroleum based skin products we apply to our bodies on a daily basis? I'm sure a lot of these products are absorbed through the skin. What does the human body do with them? Can it break them down? Do they just flush through our systems? What happens after they are absorbed? What are the long-term effects of using these products? What are the health risks?