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Everyone knows domestic abuse -- either verbal or physical -- is bad.  But did you know it affects the health of those who are abused  long-term? From muscle and joint aches to memory loss, a new study has found that, in a survey of 1,000 women, almost half reported that they were survivors of domestic abuse, and of that 44 percent, 20 percent had chronic pain issues, according to Liz Neporent of abcnews.com. "There's evidence that the majority of the 3 million to 4 million women who report a domestic violence incident each year, according to the American Medical Association, have an exceptionally high rate of health problems," Neporent reports. Domestic abuse victims also reported up to twice as many chronic conditions compared with those who said they were not abused, the survey found. More than 80 percent of domestic abuse survivors, and nearly 90 percent of those who said they had also been sexually abused, reported such problems as low back pain, chronic he...

To many people, domestic abuse means hitting, punching, slapping, and in extreme cases, choking, stabbing, even killing. But here's a chilling thought: emotional abuse is just as devastating.  And it can be the precursor to violence. I saw a lot of violence in my home growing up, beatings with straps, wooden spoons, you name it.  So when I hooked up with a man who shoved me hard one night when he was mad, it was what I knew.  It took me a while to realize I had to get out -- and almost as long to do it. According to the   National Coalition Against Domestic Violence , I was not alone.  Nearly one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. And, in the United States alone, 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by a partner each year, as reported by medicaldaily.com.  Some even die. Now you may think, this will never happen to me. But domestic violence is insidious. It can start out as a shove or a push, any...