Stories by Anneli Rufus

Like it or not, our bowels are the ID cards of our bodies, charting our recent histories with terrifying accuracy. So, how do we ensure a healthy gut?

Proponents claim probiotics can prevent asthma and cure irritable bowel syndrome, colic, yeast infections, acne -- even autism. Have the claims of benefit gone too far?

Whether you call it the Hallelujah Diet, the Maker's Diet or the Lord's Diet, the holy spirit is driving one of America's biggest weight-loss fads.

They say it smooths cellulite and cures cancer. It tastes pickled, sparkly and faintly alive. Sometimes it contains slimy lumps that slither down your throat.

By making paranoia part of pop culture, writers like Dan Brown have made a fortune. Then again, maybe he belongs to a secret cabal.

While consumer culture drowns us in debt, you can count every cent you save while liberating would-be trash.

Eliezer Sobel bowed, chanted, nude wrestled, meditated, and overdosed on 'shrooms in a 40-year search to find God. But he still feels empty inside.

With 150 dead zones in our oceans, some the size of Ireland, author Taras Grescoe argues that there's been a massive die out of sea life.

We are, of course, but a new book on animal cruelty will make your jaw drop about how vicious humans can be to other animals.

Author Thomas Hine argues we're still suffering from that "slum of a decade" that brought us gas lines, pantsuits and shag rugs.

Wendy Shalit's new book suggests there's anti-slut rebellion in the making.

A lifetime of love versus a quick roll with a stranger. It's funny how we can have two seemingly opposite urges at the same time.

Like the children's classic "A Fish Out of Water," Al Gore has outgrown his fishbowl. He has developed a following of millions simply by reminding people that they can use knowledge as a source of influence.

A host of new books by authors who entered the sex trade and wrote about it make you not want to have intercourse again, ever, with anyone.

In such troubled times, shouldn't those of us who can choose our work choose a job that, at worst, doesn't harm anyone and, at best, makes the world a better place?

The appetite for blood porn, zombie flicks and sicko sideshows in America is endless. Is capitalism to blame, or is it a natural extension of a free society?

Tourism in the post-9/11, post-colonial era remains a minefield of moral issues -- and living as a sin-free travel writer is damn near impossible.