When I was nine, I had a bad experience while in the hospital with scarlet fever. A nurse restrained me and abruptly poked a needle into my arm, inflicting a pain that felt worse than a bee sting. I avoided having blood taken for the next 20 years, even if it meant risking my health.

My name is Donald. I am a gay Canadian. But I can talk about subjects that aren't "gay" and for the most part I do. Don't assume all homosexuals are alike or like the same things. And just because you know a homosexual or two doesn't mean you "know" us or me.

There is a very prevalent hostility between the sexes, constantly reinforced by today's no-strings-attached dating game. No one has to commit. No one is responsible. Everyone is out for himself or herself. Everyone is on the defensive. So many options and no need to choose. Immediate gratification coupled with complete lack of empathy.

Incredibly, there are no statistics on this. And yet women hear about this topic all the time -- and not just from their mothers. It's an anthem playing throughout our modern culture, along with all those girl empowerment, Beyonce-style pop songs. So HuffPost put the topic to two young single men, active on the dating frontier. In our latest "Change My Mind" debate, you the reader get to decide on the loser. Just be kind. Reject him nicely.

"Orthorexia nervosa - obsessed with eating to improve your health" defined "orthorexia" as "a new type of eating disorder [...] where people are becoming obsessed with eating to improve their health." Uh... where does that leave you and I? I have often said that we could only be so lucky to be named "the healthy one" by those around us.

Mediterranean food includes an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and legumes. By contrast, the western diet is typically heavy on animal foods, processed carbohydrates and sugar, but devoid of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Speed and efficiency are not at the core of Mediterranean cooking. But here in North America, it is.

Many people have the tendency of falling for someone who isn't right for them or interested in them. You may call it human nature, but I call it denial. The truth of the matter is that oftentimes people are blowing you off.

Friday Oct. 14, 2011 is the opening ceremony for the 2011 Pan American Games, and it will be the first Pan American Games in my entire athletic career...

The most important thing that each and every one of us has is our health. Why? Well, you can't take care of your family and those you care about if yo...

Honesty is the glue that holds a relationship together. Even when it might not be the most pleasant news to tell a woman, it is better for a man to be open and honest than to tell a lie

Sorry ladies, apparently attributing your mood to hormones is not acceptable. Surprisingly, men do not enjoy women who may, from time to time, appear like Faye Dunaway in Mommie Dearest.