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Health and Wellness

Wellness Library

Diseases and Conditions

Injuries and Emergencies

Today's Medicine

Wellness Made Easy: The Real Basics of Better Health

The basics of wellness -- eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly and practicing healthful habits -- can help you live a longer, healthier life. Adopting even one of the following components of good health and better self-care can improve your well-being. Embracing all of them will yield significant benefits.

Where's the Wisdom in Wisdom Teeth?

Often these teeth are troublemakers that decide to turn crooked, refuse to grow in completely, or become misshapen.

Swimmer's Ear: Not Just for Swimmers

For Bee Stings, Remove the Stinger

Bee stings are least painful when the stinger is removed as fast as possible -- by any means.

Chilling Tales From the Freezer

Foods shouldn't stay frozen indefinitely. In fact, some foods -- like bacon -- shouldn't be kept in the freezer for much more than a month.

Why We Need to Wash Our Hands

Did you wash your hands this morning? Bravo! Washing your hands helps prevent the spread of potentially dangerous germs.

Sounding Off About Coughs

Coughs, those mini-explosions in your throat, are valuable weapons in your body's self-defense arsenal. Their assignment: keep airways clear by quickly expelling intruders from the lower respiratory system -- principally your throat and upper lungs. If dust, fluid, viruses, bacteria or even tumors block any part of this region, your cough reflex takes explosive action.

The Pituitary Gland

The pituitary gland is one of the body’s endocrine glands. It is sometimes called the “master gland,” because it controls the functions of other endocrine glands.

Feeling 'Pins and Needles' Is a Circulation Problem

Having a limb fall asleep and then feeling pins and needles is more common if you have poor circulation.

Your Lips Need Protection

Your skin contains oil that protects it from drying out and from extreme temperatures, but your lips do not.

When a Reward for Kids Becomes a Bribe

A reward usually doesn't need to be extra large to modify a child's behavior, says a Vermont professor of psychiatry. An extravagant promise, however, "suggests that there's a struggle between parent and child."

How to Let Go of Growing Kids

Getting a Start on Solid Foods

As a child approaches 4 to 6 months of age, most mothers begin to worry about when to start solid foods.

On the Road in Retirement

No matter where you travel, plan ahead for health care when you're on the road.

It's Time to Veg Out

Vegetables are good sources of fiber, and they're chock full of vitamins and minerals.

A Dentist Explains Root Canals

In a root canal, the soft tissue inside the tooth's canal is removed and the space is filled with a material that's compatible with the body's own tissues.

How to Prevent, Treat Choking on Toys

Although people know toys can be dangerous, injuries can still occur.

Why the Eye Doctor Uses Those Dilating Drops

The drops enable ophthalmologists to get a far better look at the tiny, complicated world inside your eyes.

Allergies: Nothing to Sneeze At

Roughly one person in four has some kind of allergy. The most common is "allergic rhinitis," which includes seasonal hay fever and year-round allergies to dust, animal dander, mold and some foods.

Hair: The Long and Short of It

Some hair on your head falls out every day, no matter what your age. And that's perfectly normal.

Pets Fill a Special Role in Seniors' Lives

Having a pet can be a boon to body and soul—especially as we age. Pets can relieve stress—which may help explain why studies have found that pet owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Room for Mushrooms

Are you a "fungophobe"? That's what mushroom lovers call people who are afraid to eat mushrooms. True, some wild ones are deadly -- but that's no reason to fear the rich variety of fresh and dried mushrooms popping up in supermarkets.

Dental Sealants Shield Against Tooth Decay

Children with sealants have 50 percent less tooth decay than children without sealants, dental experts say.

Do-It-Yourself Safety

Thousands of people visit hospital emergency rooms each year for injuries linked to yard and garden equipment, home workshops, or cleaning and painting supplies.

Finding the Best Day Care for Your Child

Is it almost time to go back to work? The idea of leaving your baby with strangers might be hard to swallow. But finding good day care doesn’t have to be difficult, if you follow this advice.

Too Much Juice?

Fruit juice contains a lot of natural sugar, so drinking too much can cause obesity, stunted growth, digestive problems and tooth decay.

Preparing Your Daughter for Changes

A young girl's first period should not happen out of nowhere; it should never be a complete surprise.

Vegetarian Kids

Most nutrition experts and dietitians say that children of any age -- even infants -- can safely follow a vegetarian diet, according to the Nemours Foundation. But some planning is involved to ensure that children receive the proper nutrients, especially if their diet does not include eggs and dairy products.

Baby Blues: Mood Swings or More Serious?

For many women, the "baby blues" pass quickly. For others, the feelings of sadness don't ease and may become worse.

Teens and Talk: What's a Parent to Do?

At the parent-teen communication gap, a simple parent-child conversation just isn't simple anymore. That's because when kids get to be teenagers they think differently than children.

How to Help an Overweight or Obese Child

Ask a parent to name the greatest health threat to children and you'll hear about drinking or drugs. Rarely will anyone cite obesity -- even though it can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Making the Most of Family Moments

The time you spend with your children each day doesn't have to be scripted or scheduled. In fact, if you set aside only specific times as "family time," it puts a lot of pressure on both you and your kids.

A Guide to Eyeglass Lenses

Eyeglasses can be prescribed for a range of vision problems, from nearsightedness to farsightedness to the diminished vision of advancing age.

Why the Doctor Treats Snoring Seriously

The movies and television depict snoring as funny, even hilarious. But snoring is no joke: It's a medical problem that can have serious health and social implications.

Helping Kids to Avoid Cigarettes

Every day, nearly 6,000 teens and pre-teens try cigarettes for the first time, according to the American Lung Association. A third of these first-timers will end up becoming smokers.

Be in the Know When on the Go in Winter

If you live in an area where winter brings snow, slush and ice, the best advice about driving in these conditions is not to. But if you must venture out, be prepared.

Trampoline Troubles

Trampolines are popular. Thousands of children are rocketing skyward, and trampoline injuries are also on the rise.

Knees Are Casualties of Women's Sports

Active women are at least twice as likely to suffer serious knee injuries as men, but it's not just athletes who are at risk.

Smoking Adds Another Wrinkle to Aging

Everybody knows smoking is bad for your health. Now here's something you may not know: Smoking is bad for your looks. It's true.

Preventing Broken Bones

Bones are tough and resilient, but if you push them hard enough—if you fall on a hard surface, for instance—they can crack or break.

What Kids Drink Is Important, Too

Just what should kids be drinking? "I think good old H2O,'' says the director of the Nutrition Information Center in New York. But you can add pizzazz: Buy flavored water or make your own with lemon or lime.

Anger Can Raise Cholesterol Levels

There's evidence that people who respond rigidly to anger-provoking events are likely to wind up with significantly elevated levels of heart-damaging cholesterol.

What the Inside of Your Nose Reveals

Doctors usually don't look inside your nose unless they have a specific reason. Usually, they are looking for an infection or allergy. Sometimes, they're looking for other sources of your breathing problem, such as a deviated septum, the term doctors use to describe a misalignment of the cartilage that runs down the center of your nose.

Working Out in the Cold

Cold weather doesn't have to put a freeze on your outdoor exercise program. If you take precautions, you can still work out when the weather turns chilly.

Smoking and Gum Disease

Do you have healthy gums? You may kiss them goodbye if you're a smoker.

Staying Fit the Old-fashioned Way

The major culprit behind the U.S. decline in physical activity may be our own high-tech and increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

Legs Aid Heart in Pumping Blood

Your heart pumps blood through 60,000 miles of vessels. But it gets help in this huge task from your body's other muscles, especially those in the legs.

Chicken Soup: Good for the Body and the Soul

Feeling a cold coming on? Serve up chicken soup, with some noodles. Feeling well? Try a robust soup, with lots of colorful vegetables, chunks of chicken and big noodles.

Periods, Pregnancy, Menopause—And Sleep

Researchers aren't sure why women seem to have more trouble sleeping than men, but they have noticed that women have the most difficulty when hormone levels fluctuate.

Raise the Alarm Against Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO), an odorless and colorless gas, is created from the incomplete burning of fuels like gas, oil and wood.

Why the Doctor Gives You an EKG or ECG

Did you know that electrical currents flow throughout your body? Because the strongest of these travels through your heart, doctors are able to monitor your heart by placing electrical sensors on the surface of your skin. They do this by giving you an electrocardiogram -- abbreviated either ECG or EKG (from the original German spelling of the word).

Soothing that Sunburn

Here's one effective remedy: Keep a bottle of moisturizing lotion in the refrigerator. If you suffer a sunburn, rub the cooling lotion on your skin. Repeat as often as needed.

Bed-Wetting: Help Your Child Stay Dry at Night

Do not become angry if your child can't stay dry during the night. Never punish or tease your child for bed-wetting. Support and patience are the keys in helping your child.

Smile! Are You Eating Healthy?

If you're not eating right, you may be at risk for problems with your teeth and mouth. Bad eating habits can cause tooth decay and gum disease.

When Your Child Says, 'I'm Sick'

Do you keep her home or send her off to school?

What Is Pertussis?

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract.

All About Endocrine Hormones

Hormones, which are chemical signals, affect growth, metabolism, blood pressure and even behavior.

Work Out Your Health Club Choices

As people learn the benefits of keeping fit, the decision to join a health club can become easy. Deciding which one to join, though, can be tough.

The Reality Behind Metabolism Myths

Boning Up on Marrow

Does Exercise Deliver for Skin Care?

While facial exercises may not give you better skin, overall body exercise probably will.

Blood Vessels: Your Internal Superhighway

Every minute of every day, millions of blood cells trek through about 60,000 miles of blood vessels -- enough to stretch from New York City to San Francisco 23 times -- delivering oxygen and nutrients to every tissue. Your cardiovascular system includes your heart and two basic kinds of blood vessels: arteries and veins.

Vitamin Supplement Advice

If you eat a varied diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, you're likely to get all the vitamins and minerals that you need.

Your Voice Is Unique

What gives each voice its unique, if sometimes deceptive, sound? Why do voices follow patterns?

Why the Doctor Asks for a Urine Sample

Few tests can match the routine urine analysis for telling your doctor what's going on inside your body.

Alcohol and Your Heart

Alcohol may have some health benefits, including lowering the risk for heart disease, but it may also lead to abusive drinking and other diseases.

Be Careful With Kitchen Knives

With a few cutting-edge tips from experts who use knives for a living -- top chefs -- you can avoid the biggest danger of kitchen work.

Is It an Allergy or a Cold?

This information from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) can help you determine if you're suffering from allergies or a cold.

Using Allergy Medications Wisely

Keep these guidelines in mind when looking for allergy relief.

What Those Blood Pressure Numbers Mean

The two blood pressure numbers indicate how much pressure builds up in the arteries as the heart beats and between beats.

All About Blood Pressure Medication

Several kinds of medicine are commonly prescribed for high blood pressure. Here are some of the main types.

The Many Causes of Insomnia

Anxiety and stress are the most common causes of insomnia. But sleeplessness can also be caused by a variety of medical conditions, medications and environmental factors.

How to Bathe Your Baby

As a new parent, you may find "tub time" a bit scary. Here are some suggestions on how to make it less stressful.

Caring for Tiny Teeth

Make sure your baby's developing teeth are not at risk from nursing or bottle tooth decay.

How to Prevent and Treat Ingrown Hairs

Folliculitis, or ingrown hairs, can occur anywhere on the skin or scalp. It resembles pimple-like eruptions or crusty sores.

Start Some Healthy Holiday Traditions

When to Call 911, Your Doctor, or the Hospital

The 911 emergency response system, a hospital emergency room, and your doctor are your choices when you need prompt medical help.

Off-Season Exercises for Golfers

If you're an avid golfer, winter weather can really get you down, as you count down the days until spring arrives.

How to Reduce the Effects of Aging

No need to search for a secret formula to erase the effects of getting older. You already have the power to keep yourself feeling young for years.

Dentistry: It's Not the Same Old Drill

A revolution in dentistry is spawning new devices and products, from laser "drills" to high-tech toothpaste and mouth rinses.

Taking Care of Your Throat

You clear your throat because your larynx -- that upper part of the respiratory tract that contains the vocal cords -- becomes irritated.

When to Keep Your Child Home From School

Here are some tips for deciding what to do when a child awakens with a health complaint and you must determine whether the complaint is serious enough to warrant a sick day.

Air Filters, Dehumidifiers, and Humidifiers

Here are some helpful tips for understanding the air in your house and the air-quality appliances that can alter it.

Pills: Make Them Go Down Easy

Sometimes a pill gets stuck. That tends to happen at the ring of muscles at the top of the esophagus.

Sports Injuries: When to Call the Doctor

Sports injuries can be either acute traumatic, which require immediate medical care, or chronic overuse injuries.

Preventing the Midafternoon Slump

Many people experience late-in-the-day energy lags, but you can take steps to prevent them.

Do I Really Need a Fire Extinguisher?

What Is the Gallbladder?

The gallbladder is a four-inch, olive-shaped muscular sac that lies under the liver in the right side of the abdomen.

Kids in the Kitchen: Let Them in on the Fun

Here are recipes that fit the bill for teaching some baking basics and setting some good nutrition patterns early. All you'll need are some simple tools and tolerance for a few spills. These recipes are safe for a child to make (with adult help) and are practically foolproof.

A Guide to Cooking With Herbs

If you're just getting started with herbs, go at it gradually. Experiment with one or two herbs at a time. For freshness, purchase herbs that have been newly dried, and buy in small amounts.

Athletic Shoes: Lace Them to Fit

Simply lacing your shoes or sneakers properly, along with choosing a shoe that fits your foot correctly, can add comfort to your stride and prevent foot injuries.

Don't Forget to Remember

Your memory is built in three basic steps. Before you can remember something, you have to learn it.

Pets and People: The Health Connection

Say Cheese the Low-Fat Way

As a word, "cheese" always brings a smile for photographers. As a food, it brings lots of flavor to breakfast omelets, luncheon sandwiches or dinner entrees. It's got plenty of bodybuilding protein and bone-building calcium, as well.

Smoothie: A Milkshake Without Fat

What to Do if You Get Something in Your Eye

Fight the impulse to rub furiously until the dust or dirt is gone. You might scratch your cornea or otherwise damage your eye.

All About the Stomach

Your stomach's starring role is as an organ essential for digestion. The stomach breaks down all the food you eat.

The Truth About Lying

If the truth be told, most of us lie to some degree, especially when faced with an alternative like hurting someone's feelings. Some of us, however, lie so often that we stop realizing it.

The Benefits of Beans

From a health standpoint, beans are every bit as magical as the beans Jack of "Jack and the Beanstalk" fame exchanged for a cow -- and much less expensive.

Drugs: Read Fine Print to Avoid Side Effects

If you want to be fully informed, you should read the fine print connected with any drug that you intend to use.

Hand Tool Safety

Although hand tools do not pose the same lethal threat as some power tools, they are still a factor in a high number of accidents each year.

How Your Lungs Work

Your lungs are remarkable organs with multiple roles. Each day, up to 2,300 gallons of air pass through your lungs.

Iron: An Important Mineral in Your Diet

Iron is a metal that is essential for life. It is a part of proteins and enzymes found throughout your body.

What Are the Kidneys?

Why the Doctor Uses a Stethoscope

Your doctor's stethoscope is a simple device that gives him or her crucial information about your heart.

What Is Motion Sickness?

Motion sickness occurs when your senses offer your brain conflicting reports about what you're doing.

How the Nose Works

The nose on your face is just the tip of an iceberg. The important functions—breathing and smelling—actually happen mostly inside your head, in your nasal cavity.

The Do's and Don’ts for Children's Meds

There are some simple rules for using over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for children. The first and most important: NEVER give any OTC medicine to children 2 years and under without a doctor's advice, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Do-It-Yourself Pizza

A Quick Look at Reflexes

What happens when your health care provider taps on your knee with a rubber mallet? Your leg kicks forward, seemingly on its own. And in a sense, your leg has a mind of its own -- in your spine.

A Positive Step Toward Fitness

The way you think about exercise can be the crucial factor in sticking with your fitness program.

Helping Children Conquer Fear

Studies indicate that almost all children report having fears. Some of the most common fears are of bugs or ghosts, and studies have shown that kids are afraid of pretty much the same things no matter where they live in the world.

Softball's Most Dangerous Move: The Slide

The best way to eliminate sliding injuries is to use bases designed to pop loose when they are struck too hard.

A Question of Taste--Or Is It Smell?

Our taste buds are important, but smell seems to play a bigger role. Most people who complain of loss of the sense of taste are surprised to learn they are actually having problems with their sense of smell.

Why the Doctor Examines the Neck and Throat

Your Pancreas

Pound for pound, your pancreas is one of the hardest-working organs you have. It's not very big -- about as long as your hand in an irregular tube shape. But your pancreas does two different yet equally important jobs.

Your Immune System's Constant Battle

Your immune system carries on daily battles with invaders without your knowledge.

Why the Doctor Looks at Your Fingernails

Did you know that at least 40 medical problems can be detected when your doctor examines your fingernails? Their color, shape and condition can tell your doctor a lot about your health.

What Is the Thyroid Gland?

The thyroid gland controls how fast your heart beats, how quickly you digest food, how much you sweat, the speed at which you burn calories, and many other activities.

Letting Kids Grow Up…At Their Own Pace

As much as parents might want to hurry their little ones to the next stage of development, most children follow the same general growth and development pattern that can't be changed much.

Eating Raw Clams: Is It Risky?

The FDA notes that shellfish, especially mollusks, are more likely to cause foodborne illness than fish because shellfish pump water through their bodies.

Think Before Buying a Treadmill

Before you buy a treadmill or any piece of equipment, stop to figure out what kind of exercise you enjoy.

Q and A: Blood Sugar

The purpose of blood sugar is to provide "food" for your body's cells. Glucose is the sugar that provides energy all cells in your body need.

Parents-to-Be Must Communicate

few mothers- and fathers-to-be receive training for the much more challenging and long-term tasks: becoming good parents and remaining close and loving partners in the face of new stresses and strains as their family grows.

Thirst and Dehydration

The average adult has 10 to 12 gallons of water in his or her body, accounting for 60 percent of body weight. That water plays a critical role in nearly every bodily process. And being a quart or two low can affect how you feel.

For Young Women, What's Your Stroke Risk?

Women who are obese or who have gained more than 44 pounds since they were 18 years old are about two-and-a-half times more likely to suffer an ischemic stroke than lean women who have not gained a lot of weight.

Strokes and Heart Attacks: What's the Difference?

Although their symptoms and effects can be similar, strokes and heart attacks are two different medical problems.

Kids' Headaches: The Diagnosis Is Difficult

Most headaches in kids are caused by tension, not disease. Your pediatrician can determine what kind of headache your child has.

Women with Asthma Can Have Healthy Babies

Pregnant women with asthma are just as likely to have healthy, normal babies as women without asthma -- as long as their disease is kept under control.

Protect Your Eyes When Jump-Starting a Car

Auto battery accidents cause many Americans to lose their sight or suffer serious eye injuries.

Kids' Healthy Eating Not Just About Food

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases offers suggestions to help your child develop and maintain good eating habits and to prevent chaotic mealtimes in your home.

Chilling Meat: It's All About Safety

From the farm to the store, meat and poultry products must be chilled -- and kept chilled, packaged and handled properly so it will be safe for consumers to buy. Several government agencies have the responsibility to assure the food's safety. In the home, food caretakers must do their part to store, handle and cook meat and poultry right so it's safe to eat.

A Look at Senior Nutrition

Although older adults still need plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fiber, they need to add or subtract a few things from the diet they followed earlier in life.

Help Your Child Find the Meaning of Sports

Win or lose, experts say, it's far more important for young people to take away from sports some lessons about self-esteem, motivation, discipline and getting along with others.

Is Your Teen Abusing Drugs or Alcohol?

Besides having trouble with school and relationships, teenagers taking drugs may display emotional extremes with irritability, anger and changes in sleep patterns.

Q and A: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Rituals such as hand washing, counting, checking or cleaning are often performed in hope of preventing obsessive thoughts or making them go away. Performing these rituals, however, provides only temporary relief, and not performing them markedly increases anxiety. Left untreated, obsessions and the need to perform rituals can take over a person's life. OCD is often a chronic, relapsing illness.

Break Through the Alcoholic's Psychological Defenses

The most important thing that friends and family can do for an alcoholic is to stop enabling the addictive behavior.

Teens and the Self-Esteem Shield

Research shows that adolescents who grow up with high self-esteem are far less likely to abuse drugs or drink, compared with children who grow up without much sense of self-worth.

How to Help Teenagers With Addicted Parents

Growing up is a tough challenge for most adolescents, but when their parents are abusing alcohol or drugs, the obstacles can seem overwhelming.

Helping Your Partner Cope With Work

A willingness to help your partner overcome job stress is the single most important factor in dealing with the fallout from work.

Is Your Child a Night Owl?

Here are tips for helping (not forcing) your grade-schooler to drift off to dreamland.

A Checklist for Depression

What's the difference between a bad case of the blues and the painful mental disorder known as depression? According to the experts, impaired functioning is usually a clear-cut indication of clinical depression.

Talking Sex with Your Teen

With studies showing that more than half of America's teenagers have experienced sexual intercourse by the age of 18, educating kids about sex is something all parents need to do.

Sexual Harassment's Emotional Toll

According to researchers at the American Psychological Association, nearly 50 percent of American working women will experience on-the-job sexual harassment at some point in their careers.

A Safety Checklist for Parents

You can help keep your children safe by following these precautions.

Racket Sports: Tops in Training

Playing tennis or racquetball is a fun way to boost the intensity of your fitness program, as well as improve your balance, strength and agility.

Keeping Party Drinking Under Control

The holidays can be enjoyed without drinking alcohol. But if you choose to drink, there are responsible ways to consume alcohol.

Strategies to Fight Holiday Weight Gain

The average American gains several pounds in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. This seemingly inevitable weight gain is avoidable; you can fend off added pounds during the holidays without becoming a dietary Scrooge.

Making This School Year Your Child's Best Ever

The amount of planning help a student wants differs by education level. An elementary-schooler needs plenty of help, a middle-schooler expects more freedom. But parents should find ways to stay involved.

Exercise and Target Heart Rate

The key to cardiovascular fitness is getting a good but safe aerobic workout. Heart rate monitors, which monitor your heart rate while you exercise, can help you do that with ease.

Is It Too Hot To Trot?

If you're not careful, you could wind up with a case of heat exhaustion just as easily as the couch potato next door, no matter how fit you might be.

Up for Breakfast? Try this Low-Fat Combo

Why the Doctor Takes a Blood Sample

You probably don't enjoy giving a blood sample, but it's an important part of a physical exam. From a small sample of your blood, your health care provider can order scores of tests.

A Closer Look at Bruises

Bruises are a part of life. By the time you notice a bruise, though, it's already started to heal.

Why Fat Cells Are Important

Fat cells store excess energy in the body. People who tend to become overweight aren't very good at burning up calories; instead they store them as fat.

Myths and Tips About Dressing for Winter

Here are some misconceptions about the cold, and some suggestions for staying toasty this winter.

All About Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps -- involuntary muscle contractions -- are common. But even though they can be quite painful, they don't cause damage.

Why the Family Meal Is Important

When a family sits down together, it helps them handle the stresses of daily life and the hassles of day-to-day existence.

Wanted: The Free Radical

Obese Parents Influence Children's Weight

Children whose parents are overweight or obese are at higher risk for becoming obese themselves, studies have shown. One study, in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that for a child under 10, having an obese parent more than doubled the child's risk for becoming an obese adult.

Hand Washing Prevents Hepatitis A Infection

Aside from immunization, hand washing before eating or preparing food, after using the bathroom or changing a baby's diaper remains one of the best preventions against getting or spreading hepatitis A virus.

House Fires: Don't Underestimate Them

The Warning Signs of Kidney Disease

Kidney disease is a stealth illness. It may often be silent for many years -- until it has reached an advanced stage.

Work and Cancer: How to Cope

Cancer survivors know how important a job can be to their psychological and financial well being. Here are tips to improve the ability to continue working, as well as some ways to handle workplace discrimination during treatment.

The Cluster Headache: Just Like Clockwork

Cluster headaches -- called "cluster" because of their pattern of striking in groups or clusters -- hit at the same time of day for a period of weeks or months, then vanish as suddenly and as mysteriously as they appeared.

Old Makeup Can Cause Serious Eye Infections

Most cosmetics have long shelf lives, but since they can be contaminated with bacteria after only one use, it is a good idea to keep track of how long you have been using products such as mascara and eyeliners.

The Best Ways to Treat, Prevent Tendonitis

Tendonitis is your body's way of telling you, "Enough! You're putting too much stress on this muscle and joint."

Sports-Related Knee Injuries

Knee injuries account for 25 percent of all sports-related injuries, but proper conditioning can help prevent them.

5 Exercises to Prevent an Aching Neck

Although neck pain can be the result of stress, age or injury, it is most often associated with poor posture.

Preparing Your Child for Sleep-Away Camp

Before making a decision on a camp, though, you should consider what kind of camping experience will benefit both your child and family.

Night Terrors Usually No Cause for Concern

Night terrors are sudden arousals from sleep often marked by a shriek, cry or some other sound just before awakening.

Independence Day: Granting Freedom to Kids

Some kids need plenty of time to warm up and become independent, and others would leave home if you let them.

Your Child’s Separation Anxiety

The prospect of new experiences away from parents or other loved ones can be quite frightening, especially for younger children. These worries are a normal part of development for all children.

Aging Eyes and Glasses

As your eyes age, their lenses become less flexible, and they slowly lose their ability to focus. It's an ongoing, lifelong process called presbyopia, which you begin to notice between ages 40 and 45.

Healthy Changes for Staying Young

Time takes its toll on a body, but you don't have to sit back and let the effects of aging take place without a fight.

Turn High-Fat Recipes Into Low-Fat Dishes

It's difficult to be satisfied with grilled squash if you've grown up eating fried chicken. Fortunately, there are ways to eat a healthy diet and still enjoy your favorite foods, nutrition experts say. The secret? Prepare the foods differently.

Learning to Live with Heart Disease

Millions of people diagnosed with heart disease enjoy active, satisfying lives. Instead of looking on their diagnoses as sentences to be invalids, they have used them as catalysts to make positive changes in their lives.

International Adoptions and Medical Needs

Understanding the medical, social and developmental issues unique to international adoption can help parents prepare for the special challenges and special needs of these children.

How Older Adults Can Prevent Hypothermia

Age lowers your ability to endure long periods of cold. You're also at risk if your response to cold is impaired by certain illnesses or medications.

Stopping Blood Pressure Drugs Risks a Stroke

Medication to control high blood pressure only works if you take it.

When Grandparents Raise Grandkids

More than 3 million American children currently live with grandparents or other relatives. In nearly one-third of these households, grandparents are the primary caregivers.

Why Calcium Is a Children's Health Priority

Calcium is one of the most important minerals in the body, and childhood is the critical period in life when calcium stores are laid down.

Eye Protection Keeps Kids in the Game

The sports that cause the most injuries are basketball, baseball, pool sports and racket sports. But any sport that involves a projectile is considered hazardous to the eyes.

Men Over 50 Need Annual Prostate Exam

The best weapon against prostate cancer is catching it early.

Nuts: Snack Causes Problems for Some Kids

If your child is allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, such as walnuts, almonds or pecans, it's important that you teach him or her to ask about any treat offered at school or day care before eating it.

Tips for Driving After Age 60

A person's ability to drive isn't based on age alone. Age-related changes in vision, physical fitness and reflexes, however, may be reasons to reevaluate your abilities behind the wheel.

Remember This: Many Have Memory Lapses

Unpredictable, frustrating and, at times, embarrassing memory lapses can be common. So if frequent bouts of forgetfulness are causing you stress and worry, take note: there is most likely a simple explanation.

For Seniors: How to Prevent Falls

As you age, your risk for falling increases. More than one-third of people ages 65 and older and half of those ages 75 and older fall each year. And many falls in older adults result in fractures and other severe injuries.

Teach the Joy of Gift Giving

Here are some ideas: Adopt a family in need for the holidays. Encourage your child to pass on toys he or she has outgrown.

Common Injuries of the Shoulder

The shoulder is the most mobile joint in the body, but because of this flexibility, it is not very stable and is easily injured.

OTC Meds and Work: Not a Great Combination

You may not realize that common over-the-counter drugs can cause side effects that can jeopardize your health and your ability to perform everyday activities.

What to Do When the Family Feels Claustrophobic

There comes a time when even the closest families find themselves too close together.

The Trouble with Bullies

Bullying comes in different forms. It is commonly thought of as an actual or threatened act of physical violence. But name calling, spreading rumors, unrelenting teasing, and deliberately excluding a child from an activity can be other forms of bullying. Racial slurs, mocking cultural traditions, and unwanted physical contact are bullying.

Solving Battles at Mealtime

Pediatricians say there are easy and effective ways to get your kids to eat well other than playing the food enforcer. Parents need to avoid the bickering and control games that make meals tense and unappetizing.

Cleft Palates Can Be Repaired, Overcome

New Parents...Sore Backs

When it comes to parenting, back injury is an occupational hazard. New mothers, whose backs have just endured the stresses of pregnancy and birth, are particularly vulnerable. So are taller fathers and mothers who must bend farther than others to scoop up tots from playpens.

How to Cut Down on Drinking

It helps to understand why and when you drink if you are going to successfully reduce the amount of alcohol you consume.

Social Drinking vs. Problem Drinking

Alcohol is considered a drug because it depresses the central nervous system and can disrupt mental and motor skills, as well as damage internal organs when used excessively.

Breaking Yourself Out of a Rut

A routine isn't necessarily bad; it can be comforting because it adds structure to your life and it isn't stressful. But dissatisfaction may start to gnaw at you and erode your self-esteem if you believe you want something more in your life.

Protect Your Kids From Internet Crime

Youngsters spend time online messaging, chatting, searching and surfing. Although most of these Internet experiences are likely positive, parents need to be aware of the dangers to better protect their children.

All About Sunscreen

If you're confused by the numbers and types of sunscreen, welcome to the club. Many Americans, it seems, are so confused by sunscreens that they don't even use them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that only about 30 percent of adults regularly use sunscreen.

Follow the Road to Safety

Exercising outdoors can be fun and enjoyable, but you should keep personal safety in mind before you head out the door.

Benefits of Strong Abdominal Muscles

Strong abdominal muscles do more for you than just giving you a trim profile. They help stabilize your torso, which reduces aches and pains in your lower back.

Leave Mushroom Hunting to the Experts

Easing a Child’s Fears and Anxieties About Medical Procedures

Before your child undergoes any medical treatment, it is critical for you to have a full understanding of the diagnosis, procedure and options available. This will help you manage the fears and anxieties your child may feel.

An Ounce of Caution Prevents Heat-Related Illness

The four most common heat-related emergencies are cramps, fainting, exhaustion, and heat strokes. These illnesses occur when the body can no longer cool itself properly.

Staying Ahead of Head Lice

Head lice are tiny parasites that live on a person's scalp, neck and behind the ears.

Growing Up Short or Heavy Can Be Difficult

When children believe they are different in some way, they feel bad. Whether because of their height or some other characteristic, they are going to be aware of differences.

Reading to Kids Helps Their Development

Research shows that reading regularly to young children, especially those between ages 6 months and 5 years, is central to their overall growth and development.

Kids' Health Concerns Ease with Age

When children are young, it's normal for them to have a variety of childhood illnesses and problems. Most go away as the child gets older.

Teaching Kids to Wash Their Hands

It's hard enough to get grownups to wash up. Only two-thirds of adults wash their hands after they use the restroom, studies show.

Why Children Get Carsick -- and What to Do

Carsickness isn't really about the car. It's about the brain's ability to interpret a message based on what it senses.

Peanut Butter Is Still a Healthy Choice for Kids

Peanut butter has a lot of benefits for your kids: It's versatile, delicious, and high in protein and fiber.

Teaching Your Child to Ride a Bike

You may have learned to ride a bike with your mom or dad running alongside to keep you from falling. That method still works, but there's an alterative that separates learning to balance from the other skills needed to ride.

Your Child's Imaginary Friend…What It Means

If your child starts hanging around with an imaginary friend, enjoy the company. It's often part of a child's development and usually happens between ages 3 and 6.

When Children Say 'No' to New Foods

When it comes time to eat vegetables, do your children do the Brussels-sprout pout? Well, don't give up. It can take eight to 10 tries before children accept a new food, experts say.

2-Year-Olds: Terrible or Terrific?

Remember that "terrible twos" phase of a child's life also can be the "terrific twos." Watching your children grow and learn is an enriching experience.

How to Use a Pacifier

It seems everyone has an opinion about pacifiers. That’s because there are both advantages and disadvantages to using them. Get the full facts so you can make the right choice for your baby.

Making Rules for Children Reinforces Love

Here are several specific areas where a parent can use limits to show respect for a child's feelings and at the same time enhance the child's health.

Keeping Kids Safe at Home

Children have fun exploring, and you can keep them safe by controlling the household terrain.

When the Immune System Chooses the Wrong Target

Doctors divide autoimmune diseases in two categories: Those that attack a specific organ and those that target many organs.

Air Bags and Kids

A car with an air bag is considered safer than a car without one. But for children under 12 years old, air bags can be dangerous.

When You Think Your Child Is Faking an Illness

School avoidance syndrome, as described by doctors, is the most common cause of vague, unverifiable symptoms in school-age children and is triggered by stress, says a clinical professor of pediatrics.

Picking Snacks for Picky Eaters

Nutrition experts agree that a wide assortment of nutritionally balanced snacks served in moderation can be a healthy, essential part of a child's diet.

A Primer for Preschooler Safety

Your little ones can learn a lot about safety if you take some time to teach them. Here's an ABC that you and your children can recite together.

Cesarean Doesn't Mean Forever

Many women who have had cesarean births can attempt to deliver vaginally if no risk factors are present.

Diabetes: Take Care from Head to Toe

For people with diabetes, eyes and feet can be potential trouble spots. You should have an eye exam and a foot exam every year.

Hearing Hazards in Everyday Life

It doesn't take a thunderous rock concert to cause hearing loss. Any repeated high-volume experiences or one-shot booms can damage the delicate nerve cells of your inner ear.

What Can My Pharmacist Do for Me?

Today's pharmacists counsel you on how to use your medicine correctly and help protect you against overdoses and dangerous drug interactions.

Antibiotics Not the Cure for the Common Cold

Most of the time, however, a cold passes in a week, with or without the use of antibiotics. Taking these drugs does not help you get better faster. In fact, it can create problems.

Keep Moving to Manage Your Weight

You can lose weight by dieting, exercising, or a combination of both. Including exercise into your daily routine offers other benefits besides weight control.

Caregivers Need to Care for Themselves

More than 22 million Americans are involved in some form of helping elderly family members or friends with their daily routines. If you're part of this group, whether you call yourself a caregiver, or simply a good daughter or son, you know that caring for an aging parent or friend has its rewards and its trials.

Let's Do Lunch

Does your lunch just happen? Is it often a last-minute decision of where to eat and whether or not you want fries with your burger? If so, maybe it's time to show lunch a little more respect.

Helping the Heart Through Cardiac Rehab

A rehabilitation program often can help heart patients live better with their disease and recover from medical procedures like surgery and angioplasty. But experts say that only 25 percent of those who could benefit from cardiac rehab are getting it.

Milestones in Medicine

Medicine has advanced more rapidly in the past two centuries than in all its prior history.

Under the Influence...of Drowsiness

Each year, at least 100,000 vehicular crashes and 1,550 deaths are caused by drivers who are impaired by sleepiness.

Lupus Alert

Andreas Vesalius, Father of Modern Anatomy

Vesalius revolutionized the science of anatomy by basing his findings on direct observation of the body itself, rather than on centuries-old received wisdom.

What Is the Sense of Taste?

Your sense of taste is brought to you by more than 10,000 little taste buds on your tongue that turn eating into a pleasurable experience.

How to Talk About Drugs With Your Kids

The key is communication. Talking to your children is only half the answer. Listening is the other half.

How and Why to Keep a Training Log

A training log helps you organize and save information about your exercise routine so you can work toward your important goals.

A Simple Way to Keep the Flu Away

You can avoid the flu this season by taking one simple step: Get a flu vaccination.

Taking Care of Yourself After Childbirth

Your body continues to change after delivery. Coping with these changes while you adjust to caring for a new baby can present a challenge.

Your Skin's Worst Enemies

As children, many of us were brought up with the notion that looking good meant lying out in the sun to achieve a tan. Little did we know the dangers of excessive sun exposure.

The Doctor Who Discovered Vaccines

Before an English country doctor named Edward Jenner stepped forward to attack it, smallpox killed people by the thousands.

How to Make Tastier Veggies

Adding more fruit to our diet is easy for most of us. It's the vegetables that hang up many people.

Q and A on Generic Drugs

Although many generic drugs are made in other countries, drug makers must adhere to strict manufacturing requirements in order to distribute and sell their products in the United States.

How Your Lymph System Works

Lymph is a colorless, watery fluid that originates as blood plasma. It seeps from the small blood vessels, or capillaries, to bring nutrients to cells and transport waste from the cells.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that involves the regulation of blood sugar and occurs in two different forms, type 1 and type 2.

The Skinny on Skin

The skin is your body's largest organ. It protects you against bacteria, viruses, dirt, wind, heat and cold. And it serves as a "window" to the body, alerting doctors when something is wrong.

Hiccup Remedies

This Doctor Solved the Riddle of Blood Circulation

In 1616, when William Harvey announced that the heart propels blood and that blood circulates throughout the body, his findings were revolutionary.

Tips for a Healthy Restaurant Breakfast

Do you want to cut fat out of your diet, but not give up breakfast at your favorite restaurant? Try healthy alternatives such as Canadian bacon on your egg sandwich instead of cheese and sausage, or a bran muffin instead of hash browns.

Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe?

The color pink in cooked turkey meat raises a "red flag" to many diners and cooks. Conditioned to be wary of pink in fresh pork, they question the safety of cooked poultry and other meats that have a rosy blush.

Cool Tools to Keep Your Kids From Smoking

Many teenagers still think smoking is cool. Here are some tools to help parents stay diligent in keeping their kids from smoking.

Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome

While being a new Mom brings lots of joy, it also brings stress—something a crying baby can make worse. Better understanding why your baby cries can help you deal with this stress in a healthy way and help you avoid the most common form of child abuse: Shaken baby syndrome.

Why the Doctor Presses Your Abdomen

When your doctor presses on your abdomen, he or she is feeling to see if any major internal organs are enlarged or tender, making them painful to touch, which could indicate disease.

Allergy Medications and Vaccinations for Older Adults

As you age, you should check with your health care provider about any allergy medications you take and make sure you are up to date on your shots.

Sports and Americans: A Perfect Fit

Taking Baby's Temperature

For a parent who needs to take an infant's or child's temperature, there are now three digital options.

Avoid Injury Around Barbecue Grills

Because barbecue grills are operated in a casual, relaxed atmosphere, they tend to be taken for granted. And that can lead to serious injury.

Know When a Bandage Will Suffice

The first and best thing to do with a wound is wash it with soap and cool water. If it's bleeding, elevate it above the heart.

How to Keep Bugs From Bugging You

Although most insects are just nuisances, some can threaten our health.

How Safe Is the School Bus?

During the school year, 23.5 million elementary and secondary school children ride a bus to and from school each day. Add in extracurricular activities, and school bus system becomes the single largest public transit system in our country.

Ceramics: Pretty, and Maybe Poisonous

Certain ceramics may cause lead poisoning, and some may leach cadmium into food and drink.

Ability to Concentrate Isn't What It Used to Be

With today's world filled with flashing images of MTV, quick news reports, and fast-food restaurants on every corner, are we capable of concentrating as well as we used to?

Refreshing Summer Meals

When the mercury is high, we all crave meals that are cool and refreshing.

How to Choose Healthy Crackers

Although most crackers live up to their pretty packages and healthy claims, some crackers contain unexpected "extras" in the form of saturated fats and sky-high sodium and calories.

Deskercise for the Office Bound

Many office workers are doing simple exercises at their desks, with surprisingly healthy benefits.

Eat Alone? Make Your Meals Nutritious

Dinner parties, cooking for a crowd, fixing the family meal -- those are easy compared with the challenges of cooking for one. If you live alone, chances are you don't give your meals a lot of thought or preparation.

How to Avoid At-the-Desk Injuries

If your computer, chair and other parts of your workstation aren't positioned properly, you can end up with sore wrists or a backache or other physical problems.

Play It Safe With Kitchen Fires

Most fires in the home start in the kitchen, and kitchen fires can quickly turn serious.

Five Fun Fruits You Should Try

Fruit is one of nature's perfect foods. It's packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber, without fat. Even though they are filling, most are naturally low in calories.

Are Feet at Fault for Back, Hip, and Knee Woes?

If you are having problems with back pain, shin splints, knees or hips, look to your feet. Although these ailments might seem totally unrelated to one another, they can sometimes be linked to problems that start with your feet and how they're built, foot experts say.

Winter's Cool Advice: Watch Out for Hypothermia

Anyone who doesn't dress warmly enough or gets overheated then chilled while outside risks developing hypothermia.

Performance Anxiety Can Choke Up Athletes

Anxiety can help focus and sharpen performance. For some athletes, however, the pressure of performing well takes its toll in the form of performance anxiety, which causes them to do less than their best.

Do's and Don'ts for Grandparents

Tips for getting the most from your relationship with your grandchildren.

A Warning on Medicinal Herbs

Herbal remedies may be popular, but just how many of the hundreds of herbs on the market act on the body isn't clear.

A Guide to Common Medicinal Herbs

Here's a look at some of the more common medicinal herbs. Most herbs have not been thoroughly tested for effectiveness or interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs or foods.

Simple Ways to Make Your Home Safer

The safer and more livable you make your home, the longer you can maintain your independence and avoid debilitating injuries.

Play It Cool in the Hot Tub

What's more relaxing that a good soak in a hot tub? Hot water sure makes you feel great, but hot tubs and whirlpools can sometimes be dangerous -- and even deadly.

Food Preservation: The Case for Irradiation

Irradiation is slowly gaining consumer acceptance as a way to make foods safer. Foods are bathed with low levels of radiation, which kills such deadly bacteria as E. coli, campylobacter and salmonella.

Giving Your Baby the Best Nutrition

How do you know your infant or toddler is getting what he needs in the food department?

Persuading Kids to Eat Nutritious Meals

It's not always easy to get your children to eat enough fruits and vegetables.

TV vs. Activity: Key Choice for Kids

New studies show that a sedentary child will likely become a sedentary adult, and a sedentary life leads to a host of health problems, from obesity to heart disease.

Protect Kids From Lead Poisoning

Although lead poisoning is often associated with the paint of older homes, children may be exposed to lead if the soldering on water pipes is new. In fact, lead may be found in many parts of a home, including soil, food or even the air.

Low-Fat BBQ: Cooking as Delicious as It Looks

Barbecuing uses healthy cooking techniques for a low-fat, healthy lifestyle -- especially when compared with frying.

Weight Room No Longer Off-Limits to Kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Sports Medicine now say that strength training is fine for kids, as long as they are supervised and don't try to lift too much weight.

Time to Fertilize? Wait a Minute!

Keeping Little Shoppers Safe

The number one rule when shopping with your children is to remember you're shopping with your children. Keep an eye on them at all times.

Among the Missing: Vitamin D

Just when you thought you had your summertime outdoors routine down -- plenty of sunscreen, a large hat, limited exposure between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- comes the news that Americans aren't getting enough of the "sunshine vitamin" -- vitamin D.

How Intense Is Your Workout?

Can you keep on talking while working out? Then you're exercising at a moderate intensity.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Still a Mystery

Picture being able to accomplish only half as much each day as you used to—with nothing obvious to account for your exhaustion. That's life for people suffering from CFS.

Side Effects of Medicine May Increase With Aging

Sometimes medicines can cause side effects and actually make a person feel worse. Side effects are more common as people age, so it's important to understand how to identify and prevent side effects.

Keeping Your Kitchen Under Control

The kitchen is the "dirtiest" room in the house, according to a recent study, because people are less likely to use strong cleaners and disinfectants in that room.

Safe Food-Handling Tips

You can avoid foodborne illness by following these ideas for safe food handling and cooking.

Contact Lens Safety Tips

If you wear contact lenses, it's important to follow your eye care provider's instructions on wearing and disinfecting them.

The 'Soft Teeth' Myth

Children who inherit the family trait of cavities don’t have “soft teeth,” as many people suspect. Instead, a mother’s dental history may be to blame. But with the right habits, you can help prevent cavities in your little one.

Don't Rush into Cataract Surgery

Surgery is necessary only when vision reaches a point that, even with prescription lenses, a person is unable to see well enough to do the things he or she wants to do.

When to Get a Colorectal Cancer Check

All women and men at average risk for colorectal cancer should have a screening test for colorectal cancer beginning at age 50. People who are at higher risk for colorectal cancer may need to begin screening tests at an younger age.

Facts About Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, with more than a million new cases diagnosed each year.

Preparing Against Dangers When Out of Doors

Most tragedies that occur in the wilderness could probably be prevented with basic safety equipment or increased vigilance.

Depression Not a Normal Part of Aging

In general, only about three percent of the elderly living independently in the community will experience depression. That figure increases to around 20 to 30 percent of persons in nursing homes or with chronic illnesses like emphysema, heart disease or diabetes.

Treating Teen Acne

Just about every teen will find at least one blackhead or whitehead on his or her skin by age 17, and some teens will develop more severe acne, which can leave scarring if not treated.

Vaccine Offers Hope for Children’s Earaches

Earaches are common during childhood, but a vaccine can ease the pain for thousands of kids.

Scoliosis

Experts aren't sure what causes most scoliosis, but if anyone in your family has it, your child has a 20 percent chance of developing it.

Sports Eye Safety Is No Game

Sports is the leading cause of school-age children's eye injuries, but most of those injuries are preventable.

Street Hockey: Good Surface, Gear Are Critical

Street hockey is popular because it's cheaper than regular hockey and can be played anywhere there is a hard surface.

We Can Head Off Teen Tragedies

Preventing teen turmoil starts at birth. Parents set examples in the way they interact, express anger, and treat substance abuse.

Monitoring Medications

Side effects of medications are more common as people age, so it's important to understand how to identify and prevent them.

Simple Ways to Improve Your Diet

Eating healthy can reduce your risk of illness and lengthen your life. Eating a balanced, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet reduces your risk of heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke and other diseases. Follow these tips to help improve your diet.

Easy Ways You Can Safeguard Your Sight

Every year, thousands of Americans injure their eyes or damage their vision. Follow these guidelines to help protect yourself and your family.

Habits to Help You Look Good and Feel Terrific

Learn to Be a Smart Pharmaceutical Consumer

Prescription medications have joined the ranks of new cars and breakfast cereals. Many of them are being marketed directly to the public through ads on television and in magazines. Some medications get so much free publicity they don't need to be advertised.

Label Lesson: Flavored Rice Mixes

What Do You Know About Birth Defects?

Preparing for Severe Winter Weather

Knowing how to prepare for a storm, and what to do during and after one, can help keep you and your family safe.

About High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a sneaky ailment. The condition has no symptoms that you can see or feel. Having your blood pressure checked is the only way to know if it is high.

Business Travel Stress-Busters

If you take a healthy attitude toward stress in your travel plans, the payoffs include improved physical well-being, mental alertness and better job performance.

Now Is the Time to Get Moving

As cold weather settles in for the season and the days grow ever shorter, it's tempting to put off any thoughts of becoming active.

Safety Precautions for Kids in Cars

Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of childhood death in the United States. But when properly installed and used, child safety seats reduce the risk of death by 70 percent for infants and 55 percent for toddlers.

What You Need to Know About Strep Throat

Strep bacteria pass from one person to another through nose and throat fluids when an infected person coughs or sneezes or touches another person or object with a hand contaminated by these fluids.

Rating Thirst-Quenching Sports Drinks

Most sports drinks consist of water, carbohydrates in the form of sugar and small amounts of electrolytes, which are minerals such as sodium and potassium that encourage quick replenishment of fluids lost during exercise.

Give Your Energy Level a Tune-Up

Eating smaller, healthy meals distributes energy calories more evenly than large meals and keeps your blood sugar normal throughout the day.

Healthy Secrets: Avoiding the Ravages of Age

You can't stop the aging clock, but research shows you can at least slow it down.

A Healthier Pasta Carbonara

Nutrition's Role in Disease Prevention

Evidence is mounting that a healthful diet can help protect you from some diseases. What you eat -- or don't eat -- may help prevent heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes.

Tips for Healthy Marinades

Preventing Car Crime

Vehicle thefts, carjackings and thefts of vehicle contents are common crimes. Here are suggestions that can help you prevent them.

Strategies to Living the Life You Want

Give Your Diet a Nutritional Tune-up

Between spending long days at work and evenings and weekends attending to personal and family concerns, few Americans have time to eat right. But you don't have to remodel your diet to improve its healthfulness.

Adult Immunizations: Are You Up To Date?

Immunizations aren't just for children. Adults need immunizations, too. Ask your doctor which of the following shots you may need.

Assess Your Goals Year-round

If you set professional goals for yourself at the beginning of the year, don't forget to take a look at what you have and haven't accomplished as the year progresses.

What to Do if Someone Collapses

Would you know what to do if a friend or acquaintance collapsed while you were there? Knowing how to respond in such a situation is crucial to the person's recovery.

Recommended Temperatures for Safe Cooking

Using a meat thermometer to make sure foods reach the correct internal temperature can protect your family from salmonella and other illnesses.

A Healthier Hero

Whether they're called subs, hoagies, heroes or grinders, long sandwiches stuffed with a variety of ingredients are a favorite lunch choice.

Optimize Your Health and Happiness

Staying healthy mentally and physically isn't simply a matter of good genes. It's a proactive project that lasts your entire life.

Guidelines for Raising Smoke-Free Kids

The most important thing is to keep the lines of communication open -- the more you talk to your children, the better chance you have of staying close when things get tough or when important issues like smoking arise.

How Much Do You Know About Vision Care?

If you've ever squinted to see that next line on the eye chart clearly, join the crowd. It's probably time for an eye exam.

Cool Facts About Cold Cuts

Success Secrets

Success is the business of trying to improve the things you do. Success is growing and developing. It's accepting bigger and greater challenges.

Sound Advice for a Healthful Pregnancy

Bringing a new life into this world is a big responsibility. Even seemingly simple things—like soaking in a hot tub or being around people who are painting—could affect your baby.

Beware of Diarrhea Dehydration in Infants, Toddlers

Poopy diapers are bad enough, but who wants to deal with baby’s diarrhea? Unfortunately the condition isn’t just a smelly mess, it’s also a health concern, because it can lead to dangerous dehydration.

Bruise Control

We bruise when blood vessels beneath our skin rupture and bleed. As alarming as these purplish marks can be, they're usually harmless. With passing years, however, they become increasingly common with the mildest bump or blow.

Hypothyroidism and Depression

Chances are you know the difference between occasional sadness and depression. But here's a fact you may not know: Hypothyroidism, a common thyroid disorder, can cause depression.

Helping Kids Cope with a Divorce

Anger, fear, separation anxiety, a sense of abandonment, self-blame, sadness and embarrassment are common reactions to divorce for most children.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Hypnosis: Helps Treat Pain, Other Conditions

The idea that a patient can't resist a hypnotic suggestion is just plain false. Simply put, hypnosis is a normal state of relaxed, focused attention.

A Fresh Look at Common Skin Problems

Skin problems such as pimples, blackheads, rashes, and oily skin are common in both teens and adults. But you don't necessarily need a dermatologist to treat them.

Keep Your Brain Functioning

If your brain gets too much or too little of what it needs, vital processes are disrupted. When things are out of sync in your brain, it can play havoc with your thoughts and emotions. Depriving your brain of sleep, for example, will impair your ability to concentrate and make decisions.

What You Need to Know About Hives

Hives occur when something prompts cells to release histamine, a chemical found in the skin.

How You Can Beat the Stomach-Ulcer Bug

Most peptic ulcers are caused by pesky bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. These bacteria live in the stomach and intestines.

Lessons for Working the Night Shift

Eye-Care Essentials for Computer Users

Medication Terms You Need to Know

Use this guide of common terms used on over-the-counter labels to help you choose and use medicines correctly.

How to Keep Your Gums and Teeth Healthy

Brushing and flossing your teeth isn't hard to do, and doing both properly can help prevent gum disease and tooth loss.

How to Prevent Osteoarthritis

The less unnecessary stress you put on your joints, the less likely they are to wear out prematurely.

All About Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in people older than 60.

Exercise Your Way to a Healthy Pregnancy

You don't have to give up exercising just because you're pregnant. Most women who become pregnant can follow a modified fitness program, with their doctor's approval.

How to Avoid Common Running Injuries

Knowing about common injuries and how to prevent them can keep you on track toward achieving your fitness goals.

How to Recover From a Back Injury

Back pain is something you don't want to repeat. Recovering properly from a back injury and taking preventive measures can help you reduce your risk of going through it again.

Binge Drinking Dangers for Young People

Binge drinkers are most likely found on college campuses, where many students consider a big game or fraternity party an excuse to drink all weekend.

What You Need to Know About Heroin

Until recently, heroin was not considered a problem among children of middle-class parents. But lately, it has been showing up in new places.

Up in Smoke: Cigars and Your Health

Most people realize that cigarettes can cause lung cancer and heart disease. But many people erroneously believe that cigars aren't harmful.

Maintaining Weight Once You've Quit Smoking

Although people generally gain weight when they stop smoking, you can reduce your chances of adding extra pounds by taking steps to prevent it.

Weighing the Benefits and Risks of Alcohol

Excessive drinking can cause potentially fatal conditions, not only high blood pressure, but also damage to the brain, heart or liver; diabetes and stroke.

Important Facts About Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Abuse

Amphetamine abuse is a growing problem in the United States. Each year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration closes down hundreds of illegal laboratories producing these drugs.

A Grandparents' Guide to Home Child-Proofing

Whether they are coming for an afternoon or a week, taking some steps before your grandchildren arrive can help keep them safe during their visit. Consider these guidelines.

Getting Help for Impotence

Nearly all American men experience occasional impotence, and an estimated 30 million suffer from chronic impotence. But despite its prevalence, the condition is treatable in most cases.

How to Plan for Long-Term Care

Most older people are independent. But later in life, you or someone you love may need help with everyday activities, such as shopping, cooking and bathing.

Learning to Manage Multiple Medications

The average American older than 65 takes two to seven prescription drugs daily; managing these medications properly is essential for good health.

Posture Pointers for Preventing Pain

Good posture can help your body function at its best. It promotes movement, efficiency and endurance, and contributes to an overall sense of well-being. It can also help prevent chronic aches and pains that can require medical attention.

Weighing the Risks, Benefits of Back Surgery

The reasons for back surgery typically vary with a patient's age.

The ABCs of Safer Sit-Ups

Doing sit-ups or crunches can strengthen your abdominal muscles. But you have to do them correctly to achieve good results.

After Rehabilitation: Here Are Some Tools

Recovering people can use the tools they learn in rehab to begin the intense challenge of avoiding relapse.

Stocking Your Kitchen With Healthy Foods

One way to ensure that you are able to prepare healthful meals is to buy healthful foods. If you have healthful snacks on hand, when the munchies strike, you can reach for fruits and vegetables instead of chips.

Spice Up Your Workouts with a Little Variety

Stay Fit When You Have a Health Challenge

Working out when you have a serious illness or health problem can be challenging. But for most people who have health issues, exercising can improve their prognosis and well-being. In fact, exercise can play an important role in helping you cope with or recover from a health challenge or accident.

Good News for Breast Cancer Detection and Care

More women are surviving breast cancer because the disease is being detected earlier.

The Healing Power of Tomatoes

Creating a Positive Body-Image

Does something about your body bug you? Maybe you believe you'd be happier if only you were thinner, taller, shorter, more muscular -- whatever.

How to Develop a 'Can-do' Personality

What's the difference between a can-do and a won't-try person? It's usually a matter of bravery.

How's Your Car Safety Knowledge?

Ready to Exercise? Take It Inside

Here are some guidelines that can help you make the right choice when shopping for gear.

Being There: Advice for Expectant Dads

Remember scenes from old movies where the husband paces around the waiting room while his wife is in labor? As a father-to-be today, you know that you can participate throughout your partner's pregnancy.

How to Prevent and Relieve Digestive Problems

Just as simple things can upset your digestive system, simple changes can help. The following tips can help prevent or relieve digestive ills.

Smart Shopping for Women

Strength Training Myths

Taking time each week to build your strength can help you live a more healthy and independent life. Read on to dispel myths and to get the facts about strength training.

On the Road to Recovery

Although you can get support from others, including doctors, friends, and family, you play the biggest role in your own recovery.

Screening for Prostate Cancer

If you are a man, you are at risk for prostate cancer. The risk for prostate cancer increases with age. Your risk is also higher if you are African-American or have a family history of prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends that men over age 50 get tested for prostate cancer once a year.

A Prescription for Good Health

For long-lasting health and well being, stay physically active, challenge your mind and stay involved with others.

Why You Need Water

About 80 percent of the water you take in comes from the water and other beverages you drink; the remaining 20 percent comes from food.

Many Youngsters Suck Their Thumbs

Young children often suck on their thumbs. It's perfectly normal, even though some parents fret about it.

How Old Is 'Old Enough' for Contacts?

Keep Your Noggin Fit with Brain Exercise

Active thinking pumps extra blood into your brain. Getting more blood to the brain is an important way to counteract the effects of aging.

Questions for Men About Prostate Cancer

Important answers about prostate cancer and the fears that accompany it.

A Child's First Dental Visit Fact Sheet

Your child should see a dentist six months after eruption of the first tooth, experts say. The dentist can provide or recommend preventative information regarding baby bottle tooth decay, infant feeding practices, mouth cleaning, teething, pacifier habits and finger-sucking habits.

A Closer Look at Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not a disease; it is a disorder that interferes with the normal function of the large intestine (colon) and is characterized by cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea.

Health Precautions When You Travel by Air

What You Can Do For Baby's Teething

Teething occurs when baby teeth start coming through the child's gums, usually between ages 6 months and 3 years.

All Kinds of Problems Can Beset Your Nails

About half of people with nail problems have fungal infections. For some of these people, antifungal medications may help.

Special Caution on Concussions

Concussions affect many athletes, but these sports injuries are the least understood.

Artificial Teeth

Help Your Babysitter Prepare for Anything

When you're looking for a babysitter, give yourself enough time to be selective.

Straight Talk on Posture

Good posture can enhance your appearance, confidence and self-esteem. It also relieves overcrowding of internal organs caused by slouching.

Brush Up on Toothpaste

Selecting toothpaste is largely a matter of personal preference, but all adults should use toothpaste containing fluoride.

A Fowl Choice: Make It Turkey

In your grocer's case, you'll find whole turkeys and parts — fresh, frozen, and smoked. You'll also see ground turkey, turkey cutlets, turkey hot dogs, turkey sausage, and turkey burgers.

What Is Angioplasty?

When you feel chest pain from blocked arteries, you might see an interventional cardiologist for treatment.

School Lunches: Going Beyond Peanut Butter

Some kids don't want to try new things in their lunch. But a variety of foods gives children a variety of nutrients and expands their palates.

Kids Need Safety Gear for In-line Skating

Having your child wear the appropriate safety gear and use common sense when skating can help reduce the risk for injury.

Is It Time for Toilet Training?

Make a potty available, show your toddler how it works, then offer gentle encouragement.

Baby’s Emotional, Intellectual Development

Because most brain development takes place after birth, parents have many opportunities to contribute to the brain's healthy development.

How Is Your Child's Backpack?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission found that in one year, more than 10,000 children ages 5 to 14 see doctors with backpack-related complaints.

Basketball: Make Safety a Point

Experts say players can avoid injury by strengthening muscles through a supervised weight-training program before the season. That helps prevent injuries to knees and ankles, the most common court injuries.

Nicotine Substitutes Can Help You Quit

For many smokers, nicotine substitutes can ease withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and restlessness.

What to Expect at Your Mammogram

A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. It can find changes in the breast when a lump is too small for you or your doctor to feel.

Quit One Step at a Time

Saying good-bye to cigarettes for good can be difficult. To succeed, you need to make changes to your daily life. But, like the many others who have quit, you too can triumph.

Focus on Keeping Your Spirits Up

Good mental health is just as important as good physical health. But we all face changes in life that can challenge our emotional well being.

Treat It Right: Food Safety

Did you know that home cooking causes more food-borne illness than restaurant food?

Pregnant? Why You Should Know About Lead

If you're pregnant, it's just as important for you to stay away from lead as it is to protect your children from it.

What You Need to Know About STDs

Your body usually tells you when you are in danger -- your heart races, you breathe hard, your palms sweat. But when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), you may not have any warning signs.

Making Changes to Avoid Heart Disease

Your heart is a vital organ that keeps your body functioning. Unfortunately, many people don't treat it that way. They may not realize that their daily habits and lifestyle can overwork and damage their heart. So, take care of your heart and yourself. Start by making the following lifestyle changes.

Exercise Your Way to a Healthy Heart

Physical inactivity is just as big a risk factor for heart disease as high blood pressure and smoking are. So, be the exception rather than the rule. Here are eight ways to exercise for a healthier heart.

On the Road to Safety

Maybe you follow the speed limit, use your signals at every turn, and turn your lights on when it's raining so that other cars can see you better. But there are more safety rules to consider.

Talk With Your Kids About These Issues

Talking with your child about drugs, alcohol and tobacco is tough. But you can't afford to ignore these topics. Children learn about these substances and feel pressure to use them at a very young age.

Live Well with Congestive Heart Failure

If you have CHF, it's important to stick with your treatment, even when you're feeling better. You also need to maintain healthy habits.

Help Your Back Work for You

Your back is important to almost every move you make, but you probably won't realize that until you hurt it.

More Than Just the Baby Blues

As a new mom, your body is going through lots of changes—not just physically, but emotionally, too. If you can’t seem to shake the “baby blues,” there may be a bigger issue at hand than lack of sleep. Discover the warning signs that signal help is needed.

What You Can Do to Prevent Child Abuse

Child abuse can happen in any family and in any neighborhood. Studies have shown that child abuse crosses all boundaries of income, race, ethnic heritage and religious faith.

Solving the Breast Cancer Puzzle

Investigators report headway against breast cancer, the disease that worries women more than any other.

Is Your Child at Risk for Hepatitis B?

Hepatitis B is a highly contagious, sexually transmitted disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver, possibly causing lifelong liver infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer and death.

Adding Up the Benefits of Calcium

The Lowdown on High Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure, you need to know, so you can control it. If you don't, you increase your risk for serious illness.

Many Seniors Go Back to the Books

No matter what you like to do, now is a great time to sign up for a class so that you can explore your interests. Many colleges and other educational organizations offer special discounts to older adults. Here are some ideas about how to get started.

Age Doesn't Matter for Yoga

More than ever before, Americans older than 65 are turning to yoga for exercise. What is yoga, and why is it so popular? Yoga is a series of stretches and poses done with breathing techniques. It offers the powerful benefits of exercise. And since yoga is gentle, almost anyone can do it, regardless of age or fitness level.

Protect Yourself Against Chlamydia

Chlamydia is the most frequently reported bacterial sexually transmitted disease in the United States, but many people don't know about it.

What You Can Do to Prevent Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis can be devastating, causing strokes, heart attacks and death. The good news is that you can take steps to protect yourself from this disease.

How to Map Out a Safe Vacation

By thinking ahead and planning for your vacation before you go, the only surprises you'll encounter are the nice ones.

Prevent Accidents in Your Home

The first and most important rule for preventing accidents is to use common sense. Many in-home accidents occur because people are in a hurry, take shortcuts or do things that they know are not safe.

What Do You Know About Prostate Health?

Prostate cancer and other diseases of the prostate are common.

Comparing Granola Bars

Conditioning Strategies for Peak Athletic Performance

Invest some time at the gym to get your muscles in peak condition.

Stroke Awareness for All Ages

Strokes occur when something interferes with the normal flow of blood to the central nervous system. Stroke is the third-leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease and cancer.

Protecting Your Child from Sports Injuries

Most children depend on recreational and school sports for exercise and fun. But too many young athletes suffer needless injuries.

Buying Guide: Frozen Juice and Punch

Preventing Household Poisonings

Here are tips to help prevent poisoning in your home.

What Are Kidney Stones?

Many stones are as small as a grain of sand. Other stones may be pea- or marble-sized and more difficult to pass.

Making the Transition to a Vegetarian Diet

People decide to eat a vegetarian diet for a variety of reasons. But how they make the change requires they take one of two routes -- the overnight approach or the gradual one.

Finding a Yoga Class That's Right for You

Yoga improves flexibility, increases strength, reduces stress and develops a mind/body connection.

In Language, Two Is Better Than One

For Kids, Games Can Build Strong Minds

Citing the latest research on the brain, experts say chess, Scrabble, Monopoly -- even jigsaw puzzles or tic-tac-toe -- help children build analytical, organizational and creative skills.

Make Variety a Goal in Kids' Sports

Children should avoid specializing in a sport until they reach adolescence, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends. Reason: for every prodigy who becomes a successful athlete, thousands of youths suffer physically or psychologically from being pushed to compete at a young age.

Beware of Supplements for Kids

Firms are advertising herbs and supplements as remedies for everything from colds and asthma to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but dietary supplements and herbal mixtures aimed at children may be a waste of money -- and a threat to their health.

Safety Checklist: How Does Your Family Rate?

Keeping your family safe and sound can be as easy as following simple safety rules consistently. Here's a checklist from the National Safety Council can help you maintain essential safety precautions.

Essential Guidelines for Fireworks Safety

It's best to let the professionals handle the fireworks displays. If you plan to celebrate the holiday with your own fireworks, these precautions can help prevent injuries.

A Serious Look at Fainting

Fainting is a loss of consciousness, falling down or needing to lie down, followed by spontaneous recovery. Fainting by itself is not a problem, but it could be a sign of a serious health condition.

Five Fresh Forms of Indoor Fitness

Cold weather doesn't have to put a chill on your fitness routine, even if the treadmill or stair-stepper seems boring compared with jogging or riding your bike outside.

Are You a Compulsive Shopper?

Compulsive shoppers generally are people prone toward low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, as well as fantasizing, perfectionism and lack of sufficient social contacts, one expert says.

Why Doctors Remove Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens, a clear, soft structure behind the pupil that works much like a camera lens. The top cause of cataracts is aging. In fact, more people over 70 have cataracts than not.

Healthful Hot Dogs

Choosing and Using Leafy Green Veggies

There's a world of greens available that offers you more nutrients than iceberg lettuce. In fact, more than 300 kinds of greens are available in the United States in a variety of flavors.

Martial Arts: Something for Everyone

Action Plan for Osteoarthritis

Taking arthritis medication is important, but what you do for yourself, including exercising, doing relaxation exercises and managing your emotions and attitudes, is just as crucial to your ability to lead an active, productive life.

Child Safety for All Ages

Some safety hazards apply to all children. But many problems are especially dangerous for children at a particular age or stage of development. Keep these precautions in mind as your children grow.

What to Do if Your Child Needs Surgery

If having surgery makes you nervous, imagine how it can seem for a child. By helping the youngster anticipate and face those fears, you can ease the trauma and smooth the way for a quicker, easier recovery.

Putting the 'Fun' Back Into Fitness

Start thinking of fitness as fun. If it's something you want to do, then you'll figure out ways to find time for it.

Planning Ahead for Travel Emergencies

Whether you're headed for the beach, the outback or the big city for your summer vacation, you should add a few more items to your to-do list.

What to Expect in the Emergency Room

A trip to an emergency room (ER) is something you or a loved one may never have to face. But it's wise to know something about emergency medicine in case the unexpected occurs.

How You Can Avoid Aggressive Drivers

Where to Turn for Mental Health

It's normal to feel stressed or anxious now and then. But it's time to call for help if emotional issues interfere with your life, your job or your personal relationships.

Eating the Right Foods for All-Day Energy

If your blood glucose drops too low -- which can happen if you go too long without eating -- you're going to feel lightheaded and lethargic.

Labor Pains: Reducing Your Desk-Job Ailments

If your job requires you to sit for much of the day, sooner or later you may experience pain in your back, neck, shoulder, hands or wrists.

Handling Hazardous Materials at Home

Many common household products contain chemicals that can cause injury or death if they are handled, stored or used improperly.

Warming Up to the Microwaves

Microwaves are superb for seafood and vegetables. You can cook shellfish in less than five minutes, using the bowl you'll put on the table. Vegetables keep their color, crispness and water-soluble nutrients because you can microwave them using just the water that remains after rinsing.

A Strategy for Scars

To reduce scarring, keep the skin area out of the sun. Ultraviolet rays can darken your scar, making it more noticeable.

Seniors: Keep Key Documents Handy

How can you ensure you'll get the medical services you need in the future? Gather what documents you might need to get those services now. It helps to have a record of the names and addresses of your health care providers, the dates of your office visits, and hospitalizations.

Ministrokes Deserve Maximum Attention

A ministroke, or transient ischemic attack (TIA), is a brief episode of stroke symptoms caused by temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain. Most people suffer TIAs without realizing it.

Five Myths About Water

When a Child’s Tonsils Need to Come Out

While it doesn't take long -- about 20 to 30 minutes -- for an ear, nose and throat specialist to remove a child's tonsils, a tonsillectomy should be recommended only after careful consideration.

Preparing for Your Best Year of Fitness

How to Respond to a Medical Emergency

Taking a standard first-aid and CPR class can help prepare you for most medical emergencies. The National Safety Council, the Red Cross and many hospitals offer classes. The following suggestions can help you respond appropriately.

Tips for Tuning Up Your Nutrition

Eating healthier food to improve your health or reduce your waistline isn't as difficult as you may think.

The Benefits of Adding Soy to Your Diet

Middle Ear Infections in Children

Middle ear infections are the most common cause of earaches in children. Most youngsters have had at least one such infection by the time they are 3 years old.

Teen Suicide: Learning to Recognize the Warning Signs

More than 70 percent of teens who attempt or commit suicide do so in a state of crisis, responding to some acute conflict with peers, parents, or other authorities.

Doing Your Part to Help Prevent Drunken Driving

Just about everybody loves a party. But if your party menu includes alcohol, be a smart host and insist that your guests to play it safe on the way home.

What You Need to Know About AIDS

Homosexuals and heterosexuals alike are at risk. Infected people can pass HIV on to anyone with whom they have intimate contact. Men can infect female or male partners, as can women.

The Seven Best Foods We Never Eat

Stuck in a food rut? You don't have to go far to find some overlooked food choices that are easy to prepare, pack a nutritional wallop and avoid unhealthy fats.

Why a Colonoscopy Is Important

Many people worry about having their large bowel examined with a colonoscope. While anxiety is normal, the colonoscope is an amazing instrument that gives gastroenterologists like me a very close view of the large bowel, also called the colon.

Why Measles Remains a Threat

Children still need immunization because measles remains a significant threat abroad. Worldwide, more than 800,000 children die each year from measles.

An Rx for RSV

Earlier Is Better to Catch Hearing Loss

Many experts urge hearing tests before newborns leave the hospital. Every year, several thousand babies with hearing problems are born in the U.S.

Does Your Child Have a Make-Believe Friend?

Having a make-believe friend is a normal part of your child's growth and usually happens between ages 3 and 6.

Treat Children's OTC Drugs With Care

Over-the-counter drugs can help ease a child's aches and pains, but you should know a few things before you pop open a bottle.

Building a Healthier Sandwich

If you're tired of turkey, bored by bologna and had it with ham, think about giving some va-va-va-voom to what you put in your child's brown bag.

Swing’s the Thing

Dance and fitness instructors say swing dancing or swing aerobics can elevate your heart rate quickly.

Paybacks for Lost Sleep

Do you have sleep debt? Lack of sleep, or "sleep debt," can leave you feeling tired, listless and sleepy on a daily basis.

Use Your Sun Smarts

Skin cancer can strike at any age, but it is more common in older people because they've had more years of sun exposure. Fortunately, you can take steps to reduce your chance of getting skin cancer, even if you haven't been careful about the sun before.

Maintain a Healthy Weight for a Lifetime

Which is more important to you -- being able to wear the jeans you wore five years ago, or being able to move better, have more energy and improve your health?

The Facts About Fibroids

Fibroid tumors may sound like a serious condition, but for many women who have them, they're just a fact of life.

Using Antibiotics Safely and Wisely

Antibiotics have been misused so much in recent years that doctors now face an alarming problem. Bacteria that once were easily controlled have become resistant to many antibiotics.

A Woman's Guide to Cancer Screenings

You run two miles every other day and lift weights twice a week. You've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat. You don't smoke. When it comes to your health, you figure you've got everything covered. But when was the last time you saw your doctor for a health screening?

11 Ways to Raise a Healthy Child

Now that you’ve brought your baby safely into the world, there are some important things you should know to help you keep your little one healthy, safe, and happy throughout the formative years.

Exploring New Food Frontiers

Here are some new foods to try. All of them are highly nutritious and have been used in other cultures for hundreds of years.

When a Family Grieves

Learning about grief and how it affects your family can help you get through the difficult times together. It may even help your family grow stronger.

Anti-Aging Hormones: Do They Work?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could look and feel years younger just by taking a supplement? The makers of "anti-aging" hormone supplements would like you to believe that this is possible. But before you accept their claims and open your wallet, see what medical researchers say.

What Every Parent Should Know About Vaccinations

Where can you as a parent turn to for the facts about vaccine safety? The first place to go is your child's doctor.

Try Team Sports for Fun and Fitness

Many people find exercise more rewarding when they can share the experience with others.

An Rx for RV Living

More than a million people have pulled up roots and hit the road full time in recreational vehicles (RVs). If you're thinking of joining them, be sure to consider your health.

Don't Miss Out on These 5 Nutrients

You've heard of vitamin C and calcium. But have you gotten the word on all the other nutrients you need for a healthy diet?

Protect Your Hearing on the Job

If you think you don't need hearing protection at work because you're used to the steady roar of equipment or trucks, damage has already begun.

How to Reduce the Risk for SIDS

The number of cases for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, is starting to decline. A lot has to do with proactive steps parents are taking to lower their babies’ risk. Here are nine every parent should know and follow.

Think About Your Beverage

Feeling parched is usually the first reason we reach for a glass. Women need at least three quarts of water a day and men need about four quarts a day to replenish water used for vital functions.

Scoping Out Sunglasses

You may think we wear sunglasses for comfort and fashion. But here's another important reason to wear sunglasses: to protect the health of your eyes.

Work Out on the Water

With a sailboat, canoe, kayak, windsurfing outfit or pair of water skis, you can explore a whole new world of activities. Once you've embraced proper training and safety, you'll get a fine, fun workout.

Driving Safely on Your Family Vacation

When traveling by car, your chances for arriving safely increase with a healthy respect for the realities of the highway.

Everyday Ways to Activate Your Life

Moderately intense activities such as walking briskly from your parked car to the mall entrance, won't help you train for a sport. But they can help you achieve and maintain a healthful weight and improve your overall fitness level.

Using Dumbbells for a Fast and Effective Workout

Dumbbells, one of the most underrated and versatile types of exercise equipment, can help you build strength and muscular endurance.

The Facts on Fat: What a Healthful Diet Should Include

News reports on the role fat should play in your diet can be confusing. Some new studies suggest the type of fat you consume is more important to your health than the amount of fat eaten. Other recent reports contradict these findings.

How to Be a Savvy Medical Consumer

The benefits of being an active medical consumer include better health, more effective health care, and lower health costs.

How to Keep Your Baby or Toddler Safe

Here are tips on the basics of child safety.

Biking Your Way to Better Health

Riding a bicycle can be an excellent fitness activity. Cyclists can burn 400 to 700 calories an hour when they're pedaling at a good pace.

Success Secrets of Losing Weight

The majority of dieters regain the weight they lose within five years. But they could avoid doing so by gradually changing their eating and exercise habits. Your approach to weight loss should be to make changes you can keep up for the rest of your life.

What's Good (and Bad) About Our Favorite Foods

Here are some foods whose virtues you may be overestimating and foods you can substitute for increased nutrition.

Simple Exercises to Make You Limber

Stretching is an easy thing you can do to improve your health, yet it's often the most neglected part of people's fitness regimens. Stretching can reduce your injury risk and help you become more limber, regardless of your age and physical condition.

Twelve Weeks to a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle

Heart disease is a killer, but you can do plenty to reduce your risk and prolong your life. Research shows that making lifestyle changes can decrease your risk of cardiovascular heart disease and help you control it if you already have it.

How to Cook Faster, Healthier Meals

Cooking a healthier, low-fat meal doesn't take any longer than cooking one that's high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

Smart Choices: Eating Healthy at Any Age

At every stage of life, healthful eating fuels health and fitness.

Using Sports Psychology to Improve Your Fitness

Fitness has a mental component, in addition to physical challenges. Even if you're in great shape, you can encounter intellectual obstacles that can decrease your motivation and stifle your performance.

Caring for a Child With Type 1 Diabetes

If your child suddenly develops a fever and grows weak, tired and nauseated, the youngster probably has the flu or some other virus. But the symptoms could also be warning signs of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.

Lifting Your Way to Weight Loss

If you've tried a dozen diets but the pounds always sneak back, you may be able to lose them for good by making strength-training an integral part of your weight-loss program.

Break the Cycle of Repeated Accidents

Make Sure Bunk Beds Meet Safety Rules

The bed should meet federal requirements to keep your kids safe. It's also important to set guidelines for your kids on how to use the bunk bed.

How to Respond to an Eye Injury

If you suffer a serious eye injury, what you don't do immediately afterward may help more than what you do.

All Family Time Is Quality Time

Quality time should be woven into our lives. As our children get older and slip away, we need to stop worrying about the extraordinary and think more about the ordinary."

Hazardous Substances Demand Your Respect

Depending where you work and the substances you handle, you may be at risk of accidental poisonings, chemical burns or suffocation. Knowing and following the right precautions can help keep you safe.

Peanut Allergies Require Planning, Communication

If your child is allergic to peanuts, this common food can fill you with dread. Peanuts are the top cause of severe allergic reactions to food, says the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).

Save That Tooth!

If your child gets a tooth knocked out, find it if you can and treat it with care. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Avoid Soccer Injuries in Your Kids

In Child Discipline, Spanking Is No Hit

Spanking in general teaches children what not to do and doesn't teach them what to do instead.

Sore Throat: Is It Strep or Viral?

Although many people assume that a sore throat means strep throat, most sore throats are not strep.

Going Bananas

For optimum eating, choose a plump, evenly colored yellow banana flecked with tiny brown specks. The specks indicate ripeness, but blemishes indicate bruising.

It’s Never Too Late

911 Basics: Responding to a Heart Attack

Chest pain could be simple indigestion or a heart attack. Knowing the warning signs of a heart attack, and knowing how to respond, could save a life. The following guidelines can help you make the right decisions and take the right steps when seconds count.

Indispensable Health Insurance Glossary

Understanding your health insurance policy and the benefits to which you're entitled, can improve your health care and reduce your costs.

Seven Proven Treatments for Arthritis Pain

Although there's no cure for arthritis, the symptoms can be treated effectively in many cases. Here's a look at some proven treatments.

Weight Matters: When Willpower Isn't Enough

Most medical weight-loss programs first try to help you make the long-term behavioral changes necessary to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This includes exercising regularly and eating healthy food. If you still remain seriously overweight, you and your doctor might discuss these options.

Balanced Ways to Attain a Healthy Weight

Whether you have tried to lose weight on your own or with the help of a weight-loss program, the focus is too often on severely restrictive diets and unrealistic goals, nutrition experts say.

Bike-Helmet Safety Smarts

Whether on an adult or a child, a helmet that has been approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and fits correctly will cushion the head in a fall and protect it from impact with other objects.

Functional Foods—Hype or Health Benefit?

Many Americans are betting that "functional" foods—also called herbs, supplements, nutraceuticals or phytochemicals—can make them healthier. Whether they get what they pay for -- or more than they bargained for -- is an issue that concerns some experts.

Some New Information on Alcoholism (Alcohol Dependence)

Like cancer or heart disease, alcoholism is a primary chronic disease with its own symptoms and causes. The disease is progressive and often fatal if not treated.

Planning the Care of Your Aging Parents

Many children of aging parents wait until there's a crisis, and then they're left scrambling for mediocre options.

Keeping Envy and Jealousy Under Control

When someone gets a raise or a special perk, can you say congratulations and mean it? Or do you seethe inside and think, "That really should have been mine?"

Why Leg Pain Can Break Your Heart

How do you know the difference between ordinary cramps and a real medical problem? Take this quiz and learn some distinctions.

Worried About Clots? Take a Hike

Whether you're stuck on an airplane or glued to a computer, staying put for hours can be risky.

Dry Mouth: It's a Warning Sign

A dry mouth may not sound like a health threat. But that parched feeling can cause tooth decay and gum trouble, as well as discomfort when eating or speaking.

Fitness Folly Times Five

Do you make these fitness mistakes? Failing to warm up? Using improper form? Doing the same old routine? Focusing work on one area of the body? Exercising too hard or barely breaking a sweat?

How to Soothe Sun-Damaged Skin

Want to save your skin? The first step is to stop new damage.

Balancing Food Flavors, Textures

Combining opposing flavors and textures can add interest without adding much fat. And joining sweet to sour can help reduce the amount of salt you put on food.

Is It Time for a New Joint?

Millions of us struggle with pain and loss of motion because of joint damage caused by arthritis. If other treatments fail to offer relief, you may wonder about turning in your worn-out joints for new ones.

Guarding Against Medical Scams

These tips will help you reduce your risk of being ripped off and putting your health in danger.

Taking Good Care of Your Eyes

Often, people with vision problems wait far longer than necessary or sensible before getting an eye examination. Everyone should have a regular exam every year or two.

Getting the Most for Your Health Club Dollar

Joining a fitness facility is costly -- from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000 per year. To make sure your money is well spent, manage your membership the same way you would any other significant investment -- by keeping your eye on your goals.

Vegetarian Diets: The Myths vs. Facts

Roughly 20 million Americans are vegetarians, from partial vegetarians who limit the amount of animal flesh they eat, to vegans, who eat only plant foods -- no meat, poultry, fish, dairy products or eggs.

Make Room for Versatile Rice

Rice contributes protein, some essential B vitamins, and, depending on the type of rice, fiber, vitamin E and important nutrients such as folate.

Adjusting Your Attitude About Menopause

Today's women understand that menopause is not a disease. It is a normal event; a passage from one stage of life to another.

A Prescription for Health in Menopause

Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults

ADD can have a significant social impact on a person's life, affecting relationships in the family and on the job.

Prostate Cancer: A Range of Treatment Options

If your health care provider has told you that you have prostate cancer, you may soon face a difficult choice of treatment options.

Sprains, Strains, Breaks: What’s the Difference?

If you've sprained your ankle, you know what pain is. But maybe that "sprain" was a "strain" or possibly even a "break." The amount of pain in each case can be virtually equal.

Exercise for the Seriously Unfit

You can't walk across a room without huffing and puffing. Your arms get tired unpacking a bag of groceries. You're carrying more and more excess body weight. And you can't remember the last time you got any real exercise.

Teaming Up with Your Pharmacist

Pharmacists do much more than count tablets and pour liquids. Their main job is to focus on the medications you take and the effect they have.

How to Fight Stress-Related Diseases

No one can avoid all stress -- and a certain amount actually is good for you. But it's always best to keep unhealthy levels in check when possible.

Sunny Self-Talk: Seeing Through the Storm

How you view any situation has a lot to do with how you feel.

Older Moms, Healthy Babies

The fact is that most women in their 30s and 40s have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. To ensure a healthy pregnancy, you should do what any woman should do: Prepare for your baby with healthy lifestyle choices. Talk with your doctor about your risk factors and learn what you can do to prevent potential problems.

Good Oral Health Practices

Brushing twice a day will help get rid of plaque, the main cause of tooth decay and gum disease.

A Food Lover's Guide

Here's your guide to the best foods to nourish you, as well as those foods best left for that occasional need to indulge in guilty pleasures.

Watching Your Diet This Winter

Road Rules: Teaching Your Teen to Be a Good Driver

Teen drivers have the highest accident and fatality rates of any age group. If you're the parent of a young driver, you can help protect your child by learning about the problem and taking steps to decrease your child's risk of dying in a car crash.

Recognizing Medication Tampering

No packaging system is completely safe, so it's important that you check for signs of tampering whenever you buy or use a medicine.

A Guide to Jogging Strollers

Jogging strollers come in a variety of shapes and sizes to match almost anyone's needs, including parents with twins or children with physical disabilities.

Exercise Your Duty to Keep Kids Fit

It's important for parents to be aware of how much exercise their kids are getting so they can make adjustments.

Breastfeeding Helps Mothers and Children

The Sweet and Sour Facts About Sugar

Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome

Fitness Gifts That Keep on Giving

Goal Setting for Everyday Success

Setting goals gives direction to your life. Without goals, you can drift and go nowhere.

Buying Guidelines for Safe and Fun Toys

Toy-related injuries send tens of thousands of children to the emergency room each year. Most injuries occur when parents give their children toys meant for older children.

Safe Handling of Food Gifts

The Dangers of Binge Drinking

Too many young people are participating in a dangerous practice called binge drinking, or drinking to intoxication. It's defined as having five or more drinks in a row for men; for women, it’s four-plus drinks in a row.

The Facts About Marijuana

Knowing about marijuana can help you recognize its use in children and others and help a user seek treatment.

Could Your Child Have a Drug Problem?

Before assuming your child is taking drugs, find out if something else may be causing him or her to behave unusually.

What You Need to Know About Hearing Aids

If your doctor recommends a hearing aid, these suggestions can help you determine which kind will suit you best.

A Must-Know Guide to Drug-Drug Interactions

Drug-drug interactions occur when one drug interacts or interferes with another drug. Such interactions are dangerous because they can alter the way one or both of the drugs act in the body. They can also cause unexpected side effects. The following information can help you avoid drug-drug interactions.

Protecting Yourself Against Medical Errors

Every year, thousands of Americans die because of medical errors. Such errors can occur anywhere in the health-care system and can involve medicines, surgery, diagnosis, equipment and lab reports.

Tips for Safe Ladder Use

Water-Safety 101: Basic Guidelines

Every year, thousands of Americans are injured or killed in boating and swimming accidents.

Is Bursitis Busting Up the Joint?

Bursitis can make simple movements of your shoulder, elbow, hip or knee seem monumental.

Injuries Plague Athletic Baby Boomers

As we age, our bodies change. Knee joints have less cartilage; bones become more brittle and connective tissues less pliable.

Savoring the Ease of a Casserole Meal

Casseroles are all about efficiency. Making a meal in one pot means you do everything at the same time.

The Mystery and Misery of Endometriosis

Pelvic pain, disabling cramps, extreme fatigue, painful sex, or infertility—all can warn of endometriosis.

Pilates: Power and Motion

The Pilates workout includes about 500 well-defined exercises done on a mat or special equipment.

Soothe That Sore Throat

Sore throats abound in cold, flu, and allergy season. Do you know when you should put up with a sore throat, take a pain reliever, or see a doctor?

Should Tattoos Be Taboo?

People who are thinking about getting a tattoo should slow down and think twice.

The Risks of Mix 'n Match Medicine

Are you taking a chance by combining too many prescription drugs, OTC medicines and supplements?

Bone Spurs Are a Thorny Problem

Scientists believe bone spurs occur because of osteoarthritis or when the body tries to heal itself after a trauma by replacing bone.

A Winter Cold: Not Inevitable

Although colds cannot be prevented -- or cured -- you can take precautions to reduce the chance of infection.

Unwrap the Gift of Toy Safety

Your challenge is to find toys that your children will enjoy and that you know are safe.

A Holiday Help Guide for Stepfamilies

No one is fond of change, and big changes during the holidays can be particularly difficult to cope with for everyone involved.

Caring for the Caregiver

Caregivers come in all shapes and sizes. They can be adult children, spouses, siblings, friends or neighbors, who help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding and clothing.

A Recipe for Food Safety

Although most foodborne illness stems from raw animal foods -- such as eggs, meats and dairy products -- fruits and vegetables may carry germs, too.

Six Facts on Obesity

We've all heard warnings, yet many of us keep gaining weight. More than half of American adults are overweight or obese, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Varicose Veins Rarely Pose a Threat

It's alarming to see them, twisted and bulging, on your legs or feet, but varicose veins usually aren't dangerous.

Why Your Doctor Tests Your Blood Sugar

In adults, a screening blood sugar test is generally used to determine if your blood sugar is too high. For adults, having an elevated blood sugar usually will not give you symptoms and may indicate a pending or current problem with type 2 diabetes.

Put Off-Road Vehicles Off-Limits for Kids

If your young child begs for an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), doctors say you should resist, because these off-road vehicles can kill.

Children and Cholesterol

If you, your parents or your parents' siblings had a heart attack before age 55, you should have your child's cholesterol tested.

Mental Health: Finding the Help You Need

When your life seems to be spinning out of control, it's OK to seek professional mental health help.

All About Gallstones

Gallstones are rocklike substances that form inside the gallbladder, a sac-shaped organ that is on your right side, just under the liver.

A Woman's Guide to Beating Heart Disease

Surveys show fewer than one in 10 women perceive heart disease as their greatest health threat. But it's the nation's number one killer, and women are its prime target.

Attention Men: Doctor Knows Best

Men who think they're too "macho" to seek medical help could end up making more trips to the doctor's office in the long run.

Why Your Doctor Uses Medical Imaging

If you're scheduled for an X-ray or imaging test, here are some things you should know about various procedures, what they're used for and any risks involved.

No Sweat? No Good!

Even if you're fairly well conditioned, overdoing it may lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heatstroke, causing the body to lose its ability to sweat.

Exercising for Health and Longevity

In their quest to live a longer and healthier life, many people turn to supplements, herbal remedies and other forms of complementary medicine. But one remedy for a longer life costs nothing and requires no additional studies to prove its effectiveness.

Drinking Water Quality and Safety

With drinking water, it's important to consider not just the water itself, but how that water gets to you.

Primer: A Parent's Guide to Inhalant Abuse

Inhalants are breathable chemical vapors that produce mind-altering effects. Knowing the facts about inhalants can help you protect your children.

Get the Most From Your Doctor Visits

To avoid wasting valuable time, be prepared for every doctor visit, using these suggestions.

Feet First: Choosing the Right Footwear for the Job and Sports

Both men and women should wear safety shoes and boots appropriate for the job and designed specifically to protect feet.

Adopting a Pet--Cats and Dogs

If you've been thinking about adding a cuddly new cat or dog to your household, take some time to think about what type of pet will best suit you, your family and your lifestyle.

Emphysema and AAT Deficiency

The first symptoms of AAT deficiency usually are shortness of breath, wheezing following activity, and a decreased ability to exercise.

Keeping Blood Sugar in Check

The official term for blood sugar is glucose, and having either too little or too much of it occupies the minds of people with diabetes daily -- even hourly. But keeping blood sugar at safe levels can be achieved by most patients through monitoring, diet, exercise and drug therapy.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

It is normal for men to experience changes in erectile function, such as taking longer to achieve an erection. When the problem becomes persistent, it can be a sign of a physical or emotional problem.

Jog or Walk? Both Boost Your Health

Walking is easier on your joints, but jogging burns calories more quickly.

Grow Older in Good Health

Get a jump on the rest of your life by committing yourself to making the following changes in your lifestyle today.

Beyond Cholesterol

Scientists have learned that other substances may give you and your doctor new clues about your heart disease risk. And that's good news. Coronary heart disease, in which fatty deposits build up in your arteries, is the nation's top killer.

In Case of Emergency...Be Ready for Anything

Don't wait to think about disaster until you're dealing with one. In the hurried confusion, you're likely to miss important items as you prepare your home or leave to seek shelter.

Keep Clear of Golf's Hazards

While many view golf as a leisure activity, more golfers are becoming fitness-minded. The sport demands superior flexibility, strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Laser Surgery Can Improve Vision Problems

Laser vision surgery is a popular treatment of vision problems that eliminates the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Metabolism's Weighty Role

To stay at the same weight you were when you were younger, you just need to keep doing what you've always done—and maybe a bit more.

Glasses Can Help Even Young Children

Doctors who specialize in children's eye care say children usually become near- or farsighted between ages 6 and 12. But even infants can wear glasses if they need help to see well.

As Snack Attacks Rise, Seek Healthy Options

Youths of all ages from 2 through the teen years snack more often. With 13 to 14 percent of children and adolescents overweight, we can blame eating between meals for part of the trend.

This Is the Reason... Fall's a Great Season

When there's just a bit of a bite in the air, it's time to get outdoors and have some fun. Here are some ideas for fall activities that will get your family moving.

A Few Tricks for Halloween Treats

It's important to encourage good eating habits, while allowing kids to enjoy the fun of the holiday.

Have a Hazard-Free Halloween

Halloween safety begins at home, with the child's costume. Every part of the costume -- masks, beards, wigs and clothing -- should be made of flame-resistant material.

Even with Weight-Loss Drugs, Losing Pounds Isn't Easy

Out of the millions Americans who are overweight and go on a diet each year, many regain all or a part of the weight they lose within five years.

Eating Disorders in Men

Boys and men have eating disorders, too. Males make up 5 to 15 percent of patients with anorexia or bulimia and 35 percent of those with binge-eating disorder.

The Road to Table Food

At the beginning of your baby’s life, milk was the only thing she needed to grow. Now she’s grown by leaps and bounds and even has teeth! You may be wondering how to introduce her to solid foods. Here’s a guide to how and when to introduce her to new foods.

Prevention of Heart Disease Starts in Childhood

By teaching your kids to follow a healthy lifestyle, you can help reduce their risk for heart disease later in life. Although children and teens usually don't show the symptoms of heart disease, the silent buildup of plaque (fatty deposits) can start in childhood and can have a serious impact on their adult life.

Unlocking the Mystery of Recurrent Miscarriage

In the past, a woman who miscarried several times might never know why it happened. Today, more and more women are finding out the causes of their recurrent miscarriages.

Taking OTC Pain Relievers

At first glance, visiting the pain-reliever section of your drugstore might just give you a headache -- if you don't already have one. After all, there are more than 150 products on the market to choose from.

Incontinence: A Fairly Common Problem

Bladder and bowel control are complex processes that involve the brain, spinal cord and muscles of the bladder, bowel and pelvis. Loss of bladder or bowel control can be caused by problems with any of these components.

Monster Mites

It's not the dust mite itself that causes trouble for people, but its shed skin and fecal matter. These substances bring misery to millions of allergy sufferers.

Morning Sickness

It’s hard to think positive when you’re feeling sick and nauseous. But those common pregnancy symptoms can benefit your baby. Find out how, and what it takes to ease your symptoms.

PMDD: Debilitating but Treatable

The most severe form of premenstrual syndrome, called PMDD, is marked by a depressed mood, increased anxiety and difficulty with interpersonal relationships.

A Rational Diet for Bodybuilders

Many of today's generation of musclemen are told by nutritionists and bodybuilding experts that well-balanced meals will offer enough protein for all but the most intense exercisers.

The Perfectly Healthy Pumpkin

Pumpkins are packed with vitamins and fiber, and they are low in calories.

When Your Child Has a Fever

Most medical professionals agree a fever by itself is not an illness; it is a symptom of an underlying problem. Fevers actually can be a positive sign the body is fighting an infection. However, a fever can cause discomfort for a child.

Is It a Milk Allergy or Intolerance?

A food allergy is not the same as food intolerance, although some of the symptoms are the same.

Is It a Virus or a Bacterium? Know the Difference

Knowing whether your infection is caused by a virus or a bacterium makes a difference in how it is treated.

Discovering Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy usually occurs after a person has had diabetes for at least 20 years or has had poor control of blood sugar.

Figure on These Factors When Drinking Alcohol

If you drink, you most likely want to drink reasonably and responsibly. But what are the factors that can help you keep a check on your blood-alcohol content so you don't embarrass yourself or, worse, hurt yourself or others?

Help for the Holiday Blues

The unrealistic expectations of the season, time and financial pressures, missing loved ones and reflecting on past events as the year comes to an end all contribute to the blues.

Treadmill Routines Make Indoor Exercising Less Routine

Here are some workout ideas to keep your treadmill workout creative.

All About Kidney Stones

A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney out of substances normally dissolved in the urine.

Sensible Use of Sleep Aids

Visions of Light Desserts Dance in Our Heads

Cancer Screening: Beating Your Fears for Good

The good news is that being screened for cancer doesn't have to be a traumatic experience for anyone.

The Myths and Facts About Donating and Receiving Blood

Many myths are associated with donating and receiving blood, including the threat of catching HIV, hepatitis, and other communicable diseases.

For Your Heart's Sake, Lower Your Cholesterol

High cholesterol contributes to heart disease, which kills more Americans than all cancers combined.

Fit for the Ages

Need inspiration? Look to these five Americans who show just how physical you can get in later life.

Thriving After a Heart Attack

Over the long term, your quality of life is tied to how severe your heart attack was and how it was treated. Beyond that, any change will depend largely on you.

Vitamins: Too Much of a Good Thing?

Remember being warned as a kid that if you didn't take enough vitamin D, you'd come down with a scary disease called rickets? Or that if you didn't get your calcium, your bones wouldn't grow right? Chances are you heard the message about getting enough vitamins and minerals. But have you heard about the risks of an overdose?

Ease the Pain of Muscle Cramps

Cramps do not mean there is a problem with the muscle itself; rather, experts believe they happen when the fluid and electrolyte imbalance catches up to you or when a nerve overstimulates a muscle.

Nuts to You!

Nuts offer valuable fiber, protein, and nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and vitamin E.

What Do You Know About 'Mad Cow' Disease?

How to Get Your Kids in Shape

Experts recommend children get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most days to maintain good health and fitness and for healthy weight during growth.

Who's Who in Health Care

This list of health care professionals, which excludes doctors, can help you understand the wide array of people called upon to render care.

What's Your Healthy Weight?

In today's society, there's much confusion over what constitutes a healthy weight. Here are some ways to find out where you stand on the weight issue.

Offbeat Ways to Eat Better, Exercise More

To improve your eating habits and work more exercise into your schedule, consider these tips.

For Good Health, Know Your Cholesterol Level

The amount of cholesterol in your blood has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease.

Primer: What You Need to Know About Ecstasy

Ecstasy, or MDMA -- also called "Adam," "E," or "XTC" on the street -- is a synthetic, mind-altering drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties.

How to Quit Smoking, Again

Fewer than a quarter of those who attempt to quit are able to make it beyond three months before resuming smoking. Women usually find it harder to quit than do men, even though women have a higher risk of smoking-related diseases. The following suggestions can help you kick the habit, again, for good.

Take Care of Your Hard Hat

Family Meals: More Than Good Nutrition

If you don't have a family meal each day, it's time to get out the plates. Table time yields benefits that go far beyond food.

Head Lice Are No Reason for Shame

Don't panic if your child has head lice. They are common and are more of a nuisance than a health risk.

Indoor Air Can Cause Health Problems

Don't assume you're safe just because you're inside. The air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.

Curb Antibiotic Abuse in Children

Antibiotics are not necessary for the majority of infections seen in the pediatrician's office.

Teach Teens to Stretch

An adolescent athlete can never stretch too much, experts say. Stretching to stay flexible is vital -- particularly when a child reaches puberty and goes through a growth spurt.

Could That Stomachache in Your Child Be Appendicitis?

A "tummy ache" is a common complaint in children. Usually, it's nothing serious.

Reducing Your Risk for Breast Cancer

Your health habits may play a role in helping to reduce your risk for this serious disease, and they're particularly important as you get older.

Stress Can Increase Your Risk for Heart Disease

Mental stress does more than diminish your sense of well-being. It also can increase your risk for heart disease.

Understanding Domestic Abuse

Although the most common form of abuse is males abusing female partners, females can abuse male partners, and abuse also takes place in same-sex relationships.

A Real 8-Minute Fitness Routine

Eight minutes in the morning -- that's all it takes to help launch you toward a fitter, trimmer lifestyle.

Help Your Kids Quit Smoking

Every day, about 3,000 U.S. teenagers start smoking. If you're a parent of a young smoker, you can take steps to help the child quit. But first, it helps to understand why teens light up.

Tinnitus: Stopping the Sound in Your Head

How to Help Your Kids Avoid Type 2 Diabetes

Until recently, type 2 diabetes was also known as adult-onset diabetes. Now, the adult-onset prefix has been dropped because so many children are developing the condition.

Help Your Mate Stay Healthy

Your Guide to Food Additives

AEDs: High-Tech Help for Heart Attacks

Technology has given us the automated external defibrillator (AED), which is turning up far from hospitals. Some schools and public buildings already have AEDs.

Potbellies Warn of Later Problems

The fact is, you might not care as much about looks as your wife does, but that fat around your abdomen is no laughing matter. A man's potbelly often warns of later problems ranging from heart disease to cancer, diabetes, arthritis, back pain, and sleep apnea.

Five Steps to a Safer Kitchen

Your kitchen is a hub for family life -- but it's also rife with risks. While you can't foresee every hazard, you can make the room safer.

Getting Down to Lunch Basics

When Exercising, Don't Skip Stretching

While it's true that stretching won't strengthen your heart or flatten your stomach, it can help you reach those goals more efficiently.

What to Look For in a Toothbrush

Teach Your Children Safety, Awareness

You want to keep your children safe, yet not make them virtual prisoners in their own home.

Keep Kids Safe from Bugs

Many products seek to prevent bug bites, but products containing DEET (usually listed on labels as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) are quite effective.

How to Cut Your Hospital Bills

Although you may not be able to avoid a hospital stay, there are ways to trim the expenses.

Helpful Hints for a Healthy Weight

You can lose a significant amount of weight by making small changes in your eating habits that don't require record keeping or a food scale.

Make Friends with Your Meds

What makes some people sticklers for following through with their medications, and others haphazard at best?

Understanding Teenage Depression

The medical community once thought depression affected only adults. The risk for the condition begins in the early teens, however, and increases steadily through the mid-20s.

Managing Prehypertension Without Drugs

Even if your blood pressure is normal or high-normal, you're still at increased risk for hypertension (high blood pressure), the condition in which your heart works too hard and the resulting forceful blood flow harms arteries.

Stretching at Tee Time

Just 15 minutes of flexibility stretching with controlled breathing are ideal before strolling the links, and can result in a stronger game.

Cardio Workout Equipment Primer

Here are tips to help you get the most out of your workouts when you use cardio equipment.

The Side Effects of Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy and radiation treatments save lives. They also can bring a variety of temporary but unpleasant side effects.

A Weighty Issue: Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is more prevalent in the Northeast, followed by the Midwest, South and West. It is also more prevalent in cities than in rural areas.

Making Sense of Medical Advice

If seemingly contradictory health news has you confused, it's time to learn how to read between the lines.

Give Young Athletes Plenty of Fluids

During hot weather, if young athletes don't get enough water to replace what is lost through perspiration, they face the risk of dehydration.

Sprained Ankles Need Attention

When you sprain an ankle, one or more ligaments on the outside of your ankle become stretched or torn.

Eating Without Heating

With a little imagination, some basic provisions and a refrigerator, you can prepare a satisfying dinner for four that will make you the star of the patio on a hot summer night.

How Much Exercise Is Enough?

A private advisory group's call for 60 minutes of physical activity each day are in line with the 2005 USDA Guidelines for exercise of 30 to 60 minutes. The new advice was meant to get people moving, but some experts are worried about recommending 60 minutes.

Get Help to Get Around

Many people see canes and walkers as a badge of advancing years and frailty, and go to great lengths to resist using them.

Keeping an Eye on Your Bones

Don't Get Burned by Tanning Salons

If you're looking for a safe way to tan, a tanning booth or salon is not the answer, experts say.

Are You at Risk in Amusement Parks?

Thrill rides at amusement parks and traveling shows are higher, faster and wilder than ever. But are they dangerous?

Tips for Using Home Medical Tests

Home tests can reduce doctor visits and medical costs, but you need to ask: Are they right for you?

Walk Your Way to Better Health

A growing body of research has found that a regular program of moderate exercise—such as walking—may add years to your life.

A 7-Step Plan for Weight Loss

The latest studies conclude that a successful weight-loss plan is a mind/body undertaking that not only involves monitoring calorie intake and expenditure, but dealing with the psychological side of weight loss and habit change.

Helping a Friend With an Addiction

When a friend shows signs of abusing alcohol or other drugs, it's hard to know what to do or say.

Tips for Preventing an ACL Knee Ligament Injury

The ACL is most often stretched or torn (or both) by a sudden twisting motion -- when, for example, your feet are planted one way and your knees are turned another.

Treating Back Pain

If the pain occurs because of an accident or injury, or fever is present, you should see your health care provider immediately. Pain not accompanied by fever or not associated with an accident or injury may not need immediate treatment.

Living Better with Low Vision

If you have low-vision symptoms, talk to your eye-care professional, who can help you find resources and visual devices to make the most of your remaining vision.

Managing Your Medicine Cabinet

Stocking your medicine cabinet isn't difficult and doesn't take much time. You'll first want the essentials for first aid and symptom relief, rounded out with a few items that meet the special needs of you and your family.

When You Have an Eye Allergy

Eye allergies usually affect both eyes. The main symptoms of an eye allergy include itchy eyes, increased tearing, red or pink eyes, and mild swelling of the eyelids.

COPD: More of Us Are Out of Breath

You take an average of 16 breaths every minute. It's a reflex—you don't pay attention unless there's a problem. But a rising number of us literally can't catch our breath.

Don't Swallow Your Emotions

Clear the Way for a Fitness Program

Let Your Children Raise Their Kids

So who's in charge, the parent or grandparent? Experts say it's the parent's job to parent unless grandparents are told otherwise.

All About Hair

Are you going bald? Which conditioner should you use? Here are the answers to these and other questions about your head of hair.

Take Care When You Take a Walk

Children and older adults are two groups at higher risk for injury as pedestrians. Here are some ideas on how to help keep them safe when they are on the street.

Beware of Over-the-Counter Contact Lenses

Contacts that aren't properly prescribed and cared for can lead to allergic reactions, bacterial infections, corneal ulcers, and corneal scrapes. Some problems can end in blindness.

Working Out a Workout at Work

The office may seem like an odd place to work out, but you spend most of your day there. Even short bursts of movement count.

Living with Eczema

Eczema is an inflammation of the skin that can have a variety of causes. There are acute and chronic forms of eczema. Two common types of eczema are atopic and contact dermatitis.

How to Properly Manage Medical Devices

Many people with chronic illnesses depend on elaborate medical devices, such as cardiac pacemakers or blood-glucose monitors for their health and well-being. Countless others help their loved ones, young or old, deal with an oxygen machine, asthma medication inhaler or other device. No matter how sophisticated or simple the piece of medical equipment is, it's crucial to use and maintain it properly.

How to Find Dr. Right

Your relationship with your health care provider is one of the most important in your life.

Weight-Training Moves That Boost Metabolism

Starting as early as your 20s and throughout your 30s, you'll naturally start to lose muscle -- and gain fat at a rate of about 2 percent per decade, especially if you have a sedentary job or lifestyle.

Influenza Shots Urged for Young Children

Each fall you hear that the flu threatens senior citizens and folks with chronic ailments. But the rate of hospital stays is highest in another group—young children.

A Heads-Up for Football Safety

Coaches should tell players not to tackle or block with their heads or run head-down with the ball.

Eczema in Kids: Annoying, but Treatable

A scaly, red, itchy, dry rash can show up in the first weeks of life. It signals a vexing but treatable skin problem called atopic dermatitis (AD), often known as eczema. Most children outgrow AD, but in some cases, it may recur in the teenage years or in adulthood.

When Kids Want to Buy, Buy, Buy

Don't argue about cost. Do talk with your children about money management and media messages.

Whole Grains in the Teen Diet

Better health for your teen could be as close as your breadbox. The more whole grains teenagers eat, the leaner they are and the less likely they are to develop diabetes.

In Children: Corticosteroids for Asthma

Daily inhaled corticosteroids are a key part of the treatment for children with mild, moderate or severe persistent asthma. "The possible side effects of medication are far less important than the known effects of untreated asthma," says William E. Berger, M.D., president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Five Ways to Age Gracefully

In recent years, an increasing amount of scientific evidence has supported the idea that people can do quite a lot on their own to lengthen their life span and to enhance the quality of life as they age. Here are five steps to take every day that can promote healthy aging and boost longevity.

Nutrition Needs in Older Adults

As we grow older and our bodies and lifestyles change, our nutritional needs change, as well.

For Seniors: How About Losing Weight Today?

Some weight gain is unavoidable, because as the body ages, body fat increases as lean muscle mass and bone mass decrease. Body weight increases until you reach age 60, when it begins to decline.

For Seniors: Is It More Than the Blues?

Although anyone can suffer from depression, it is particularly common among older adults. Depression affects 15 out of every 100 adults older than 65.

Pneumonia and Influenza

Flu and pneumonia are respiratory illnesses that should not be taken lightly. In the United States, pneumonia and the flu combined are the sixth leading cause of death. Older adults are at greater risk than younger adults for contracting pneumococcal pneumonia, the most common bacterial form of the disease.

Rosacea and Adult Acne

Rosacea causes redness, tiny bumps or pimples and small blood vessels to appear on the cheeks and nose.

10 Ways to Keep Your Family Safe

Enlist These Foods to Help Prevent Cancer

Plant foods, which contain antioxidants, may help reduce your risk for many cancers. Try to eat two to three servings of fruit, three to five servings of vegetables and at least six servings of whole grains every day. Be sure to make room on your plate for the following nutrition-packed foods.

Memory Boosters

Most experts agree that there is no solid proof that memory-enhancing supplements work. These products may not even contain much of their "active herbal ingredients."

Over-the-Counter Remedies for Seniors

It's easy to forget that OTC remedies are drugs that can cause side effects and affect other medications. That's why it's important to read the dosage instructions, health risks and warnings on the packaging.

Fitness From Within

Close the Door on Intimate Partner Violence

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines intimate partner violence as actual or threatened physical or sexual violence, or psychological and emotional abuse, directed at a spouse, former spouse, current or former boyfriend or girlfriend, or dating partner.

After Delivery, Taking Care of Yourself

Having a baby is a life-changing experience, and there's no way to know just how exhilarating and challenging the first few months can be.

How Do You Fuel Your Workout?

Energy bars, fitness drinks, protein powders, sports supplements -- are these the best ways to power your workout?

Safety for Snow Sports

Whether you're heading for the mountain to ski or just taking your sled to the hill, you can enjoy a great day out and get some exercise at the same time.

Answers to Your Diabetes Questions

What causes diabetes? Scientists aren't sure, but heredity, obesity, lack of exercise and other factors play a part.

10 Reasons to Keep Fit as You Age

"Physical activity has been engineered out of our daily lives," laments an expert on preventing disease. "We used to rake leaves by hand and walk to the market. Now we have leaf blowers and take the car everywhere." So here is a list of 10 reasons why you should make physical activity a part of your everyday life.

Want to Get Pregnant? Follow the 90-Day Guide

At least 90 days before starting to try to conceive, both men and women should take steps to improve their diet and exercise routines, as well as fine-tune any medications they may be taking.

Healthy Strategies for Weight Loss

Experts say the long-term success at weight loss requires a balance between diet and physical activity.

How to Prevent Childhood Obesity

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, one in five children in the United States is overweight or obese. That's twice as many overweight children as 20 years ago.

How to Stick With Your Treatment Plan

Many Americans suffer from at least one chronic disease, and most rely on regular tests and treatments to be healthier, more comfortable and more productive. But many people with chronic illnesses find it daunting to keep up with prescribed treatments.

Are You Getting Enough Fruits and Vegetables Daily?

What if you could do one simple thing to significantly improve your health? Eating at least five servings a day of fruits and vegetables can do just that by reducing your risk for cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Managing Hypertension with the DASH Diet

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet reduced blood pressure. This diet is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products.

Understanding Trans Fat

Research indicates that trans fat raises LDL cholesterol. You can find out how much trans fat a food contains by checking the label.

Weight Training for Teens

Once children hit puberty, and hormones make it possible to build muscle, weight training can become a part of a healthy exercise program for youths. Research suggests strength training has a lot to offer some teenagers in terms of health, fitness and fun.

What to Do After Your Diagnosis

If you or a family member has been diagnosed with a serious or chronic condition, you likely have a lot of questions regarding treatment and long-term health. Here are some suggestions on how to find accurate information.

Strength-Train with Yoga

Yoga is more than a stretching regimen. It can help you build stronger muscles, as well as help you relax and focus.

When to Call the Doctor for Chronic Disease Problems

Between regular appointments, what should you do if symptoms flare up, or new ones appear?

Easy Ways to Remember to Take Your Medications

If you have more than two medications to manage, consider getting a pill organizer -- a special container marked with the days of the week. Besides housing multiple medications, a compartmentalized organizer can be useful for keeping track of the medications you've taken.

Healing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

People who feel they're unable to regain control of their lives because of their responses to the trauma may have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Treadmill Workouts: How to Go the Extra Mile

Working out on a treadmill can be a fun and effective way to stay in shape. And because it's not dependent on weather conditions, it offers you the flexibility of exercising at any time. Some tips on getting the most out of your workout.

Managing Arthritis with Exercise

Exercise has important health benefits for everyone -- regardless of age and physical condition. But for people with arthritis, working out regularly, and within their limits, is critical.

Eating Well When You Have Cancer

If you have cancer, eating the right kinds of foods can help you feel better and stay stronger. This means foods and beverages that contain vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fat and water.

How to Spot Drug Use in Kids

Although most adolescents who use drugs don't become drug abusers or drug addicts in adulthood, drug use in adolescence can put their mental, emotional and physical health at risk.

Getting the Most From Physical Therapy

Physical therapists teach people recovering from surgery or with injuries, sprains or arthritis how to perform exercises that will help them gain strength and mobility and prevent recurring injury. Here are suggestions to help you get the most from physical therapy.

Celiac Disease Can Harm Digestion

Celiac disease, or celiac sprue, is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.

Diseases from Your Pets, Both Common and Exotic

Whether you have a turtle or a parrot or a tabby cat, the best prevention against disease is cleanliness.

Potato's Potential Lies Far Beyond French Fries

Bake it, boil it, steam it, fry it. There's no question that America's favorite vegetable is the potato. Each of us ate an average of nearly 140 pounds of potatoes.

Seniors Can Volunteer Their Way to Fitness

If you try to exercise by yourself, you'll generally come up with any excuse not to do it. With volunteering, you are involved with a group where you have to make a commitment. You're not going to let the group down.

Hospices Offer Comfort at Life's End

As medical progress prolongs our lives, the end can linger. So, more and more people are turning to hospice care.

Help for a Child with a Cold

You want to help a child with cold symptoms feel better, but choosing among countless over-the-counter (OTC) cold medicines can be daunting. Here are some guidelines that can help.

Five Mealtime Survival Tips for Harried Parents

You and your kids need to eat right. But with your busy schedule, it's tough to make sure everyone has nutritious meals and snacks. Check out these timesaving tips for preparing nutritious meals for the whole family.

Know How Your Preemie Will Grow

Premature babies may grow at a slower rate than full-term babies, but usually catch up in height and weight by 2 years of age. But premature babies are more likely to have trouble with speech, motor skills, hearing or vision.

Find Nutrients for Children in Food, Not Pills

While you want to make sure your child gets the right vitamins and minerals, it's best for kids to get all the nutrients they need from food. But there are some children who may need a supplement.

Spare Your Baby From Diaper Rash

The top cause of diaper rash is moisture, made worse by chafing or rubbing. That's why it's important to check your baby's diaper often and change it.

Put Peer Pressure in Its Place

Peer pressure can get the best of children and push them to do things that they don't really want to do. Parents can counter it, if they're ready to help.

Eat Well, for Your Children's Sake

You can tell your children how to eat well, but experts say it's better to show them. Children must learn from their parents and caregivers to value themselves, eat nutritiously, and get proper exercise and rest.

Alcohol Use Among Teens Is Epidemic

The leading substance-abuse threat to children may be as close as your refrigerator. About 10 million adolescents drink alcohol. In fact, minors drink 19 percent of the alcohol consumed in the United States.

Keeping Depression at Bay

It's important not to underestimate the dangers associated with depression, especially if you've had multiple episodes or lingering symptoms. For example, people who don't get treated for their depression have a higher risk for suicide.

Helping to Prevent a Second Heart Attack

Most Americans survive a first heart attack. By taking action, however, they can significantly reduce their chances for a second heart attack.

A Guide to Healthier Eating

You should cut back on foods that have only limited nutritional value, that are overprocessed or that contain too much fat, salt, sugar and refined white flour.

Strength Training at Home

Getting to the gym for a weight workout isn't always easy. That's why it pays to have weights at home as a backup, or even as a substitute.

Checking Your Own Blood Pressure

Did you know you can purchase your own blood pressure monitor and check the reading yourself at home?

Helping Your Children Cope With Death

Children deal with death in many different ways, and not necessarily in the same manner as adults.

Cycling Safely

Many biking accidents could be prevented if riders protected themselves with the right equipment and maintained their bikes with safety in mind.

Options in Nicotine Therapy

By using nicotine replacement therapy to reduce withdrawal symptoms, smokers who try to quit have a better chance of succeeding.

The Truth About Club Drugs

Ecstasy, GHB, Rohypnol and Ketamine are some of the so-called club drugs used by teens and young adults at nightclubs and raves -- all-night dances.

Smoking and Asthma Don't Mix

One of the major triggers for asthma attacks is cigarette smoke. Cigarette, pipe or cigar smoke is especially harmful to people with asthma because it damages the cells in the lungs that make the protective coating lining the bronchial tubes.

Easy Ways for Older Adults to Prevent Falls

Many older people fall because of unsafe surroundings at home. Use these suggestions to safeguard against some likely household hazards.

All About Aging Eyes

Do you know the difference between normal changes in vision that occur with age and abnormal changes caused by age-related eye disease? Here are some answers.

Where's Your Body Fat?

It's important to note that it's not just how much extra body fat a person has, but where it is stored on the body that determines how risky the extra pounds are.

Keeping Your Anger Under Control

Learning where your anger comes from and how to deal with it can help lead to a happier, more productive life.

Choose My Plate Now Tailored to You

Many of us used the old Food Pyramid for years to help make sure we were following a balanced diet. Its replacement, Choose My Plate, was introduced in 2011.

Allergy Terms to Know

A short glossary of asthma terms.

COPD: Finding the Hidden Joys of Exercise

Exercise can help reduce COPD problems, such as shortness of breath and limits on your activity level.

Don’t Let Asthma Triggers Dampen Spring Fever

Don’t let your asthma triggers dampen spring fever. You can still enjoy the season by managing your exposure.

Is My Asthma Medicine Working?

To make sure that you are getting the most benefit from your asthma medicines, here are questions to ask yourself.

Asthma Action Plan Worksheet

Your health care team will help you fill out your Action Plan. Provide the information requested to see how well you are managing your asthma.

Common Questions About Corticosteroids in Asthma

Here's where to find out more about these important asthma medications.

Know Your Peak Flow

You and your health care provider can use information from a peak-flow meter to help stop a flare-up in its tracks.

Asthma Terms to Know

It's important to understand common terms used in asthma management.

Overcoming Exercise Barriers With COPD

Here are some common reasons people don’t exercise. Are any of these true for you?

Insulin Pump Use

Insulin pumps are used most often by people with type 1 diabetes, but some people with type 2 diabetes use them, too.

Type 2 Diabetes and Food Choices

Understanding how food affects blood glucose is the first step in managing diabetes. And following a diabetes meal plan can help keep you on track.

Diabetes and Sensitive Topics

Diabetes affects every part of your life, and it can create problems that aren’t easy to talk about with your health care provider.

COPD and Summer Heat

Becoming overheated can put people with COPD at risk for serious illness. Stay cool this summer with these tips.

End-of-Life Planning

For many people, end-of-life planning brings peace of mind and a sense of control. It also takes the burden off loved ones, because they don’t have to guess what you would want.

Traveling With a Chronic Condition

Any trip requires advance planning so you can be comfortable and lower your risk for worsening symptoms.

Get to the Heart of Oral Health

Evidence is mounting that people with periodontal (gum) disease may be more at risk for heart disease and stroke.

Heart Failure: Getting the Care You Need

It’s important to ask your provider questions during your visit to make sure you understand your condition and what your treatment involves.

Living with COPD and Asthma

If you have COPD and asthma, you know that they cause similar symptoms.

Heart Failure: After Hospitalization

Here’s how you can stay healthy and prevent the problems that lead to a stay in the hospital.

How to Manage Diabetes During Illness

The stress of illness or injury can cause blood sugar to rise and make insulin less effective. This can lead to serious problems, including diabetic coma. That’s why it’s important to know what to do when illness strikes.

Understanding Kidney Disease

Too often, diabetes leads to kidney disease. But it doesn’t have to. When kidney problems are caught early, you can take steps to prevent more serious kidney disease.

Traveling with Asthma

Whether you pack a suitcase every week or once a year, you probably know that traveling takes a little extra preparation when you have asthma.

Score an A+ with Your Child’s Asthma Action Plan

The best way to prepare the school staff to meet your child’s needs is to develop an asthma action plan.

Help Your Teen Take Charge of Asthma

Having asthma isn’t easy, and for most kids, neither is being a teen. Here are some common teen issues and suggestions for easing your child’s concerns.

Asthma Medications and Emotional Side Effects

Although medications can successfully treat asthma symptoms, they may also have side effects that leave you feeling jittery.

The Connection Between Heart Failure and COPD

If you have COPD, it may be difficult to tell whether you also have heart failure (HF). This is because the two diseases have similar symptoms and common risk factors.

Heart Disease: Managing Multiple Medications

Whether you take prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicine or both, there are important guidelines to follow to get the most from them.

COPD: Managing Sodium and Potassium Intake

Two nutrients that are critical to keep in check when you have COPD are sodium and potassium. Here are tips on how to watch your intake of them.

COPD: Tips for Easier Dressing

When you have COPD, even getting dressed can sometimes seem like a challenge.

Insulin and Type 2 Diabetes

Many people with diabetes need to change their treatment plan at some point. There are advantages to this. For example, taking insulin can make it easier to manage your blood sugar.

Diabetic Skin Troubles

About one-third of people with diabetes get a skin problem sooner or later. Fortunately, most problems can be prevented or easily treated.

Metabolic Syndrome Worksheet

To help manage your condition, fill in the dates on which you had or will have the following tests or checkups.

Understanding Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis can start as early as childhood and can lead to many health conditions, including heart disease and stroke.

Metabolic Syndrome: Managing Salt

A key way to reduce the effects of metabolic syndrome is to lower high blood pressure. Reducing the amount of sodium and salt in your diet is a great start.

What Is Cardiac Asthma?

Cardiac asthma can the same symptoms as true asthma, but the symptoms are caused by heart failure, which leads to buildup of fluid in the lungs.

Strength Training and Heart Disease

If you think that you can’t begin a strength-training program because you have heart disease, think again.

Heart Failure: Breathe More Easily

Heart failure makes it hard for oxygen to get into the blood, causing shortness of breath.

People with Asthma Need Yearly Flu Shot

Getting the flu can be serious business for people with asthma. That’s why it’s important to take steps to prevent it.

Heart Disease: Considering Cold Relief

Colds and the flu can be serious for people with heart disease.

What Is a Transient Ischemic Attack?

A transient ischemic attack (TIA), also called a ministroke or warning stroke, causes symptoms similar to those of a stroke.

Clinical Guidelines for Heart Failure

As a patient, understanding the basics of the guidelines can help you take a more active role in your treatment.

Heart Disease: Terms to Know

A short glossary of medical terms associated with heart disease.

Heart Disease: Communicating with Several Providers

If you are like most people with heart disease, you have several providers who each treat you for a different health issue.

Migraines and Endometriosis

Women who have endometriosis may also be more likely to have migraines, according to a recent Italian study.

Asthma: Dealing with Your Child's School

Research shows that informed, supportive teachers and staff can play a big role in helping students manage their asthma.

Migraines and Auras

Auras may include visual disturbances (jagged lines with bright spots or flashes); temporary, partial vision loss; numbness; and tingling sensations.

Even With Asthma, You Can Kick the Habit

If you want to quit smoking but feel discouraged, don’t lose hope. Try taking a new perspective.

Spring Survival Guide for Asthma

For many allergy sufferers, pollen and mold are the main problems.

Asthma Controller Medicines - Leukotriene Modifiers

The newest drugs to join the asthma controller lineup are called leukotriene modifiers.

Potentially Harmful Remedies for Migraines

Triptans, prescription medications used to treat migraine pain, and tricyclic antidepressants, used to prevent migraine, may interact with certain herbs.

Migraine News: How’s the Weather?

More than half of migraine sufferers are affected by weather.

Migraine: It’s Time to Call the Doctor

If your migraine pattern changes or your headaches suddenly feel different, it could be a sign of a more serious medical condition.

Migraines: A Monthly Misery?

Women who experience migraines around the start of their period may be able to prevent them.

Fight Asthma with the Right Nutrition

Some experts believe that you may reduce your asthma symptoms by eating certain foods.

Heart Failure and Physical Activity

If you have congestive heart failure, you may wonder if physical activity is good for you.

Asthma on Campus

College can pose challenges for the student with asthma. New and unfamiliar living quarters, school and social stresses, and other factors can trigger a flare-up.

Help for COPD and Depression

Having a chronic condition such as COPD can lead to depression. You can get help. Talk with your doctor about your symptoms.

Understanding Status Asthmaticus

Asthma can be unpredictable, but it is important to recognize the difference between a minor flare-up and an attack that could be life-threatening.

Keep Autumn Triggers Under Control

Autumn means pumpkins, colorful leaves and, for some, worries about asthma.

Tracking Symptoms of Heart Failure

If you have congestive heart failure, knowing your body can help you manage your condition.

Know About Niacin

Along with diet and exercise, treatment to lower cholesterol may include the B vitamin niacin combined with drugs such as statins.

What Is Spinal Stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal canal narrows and pinches the nerves, resulting in back and leg pain.

Smoking Hurts Your Back

Smoking damages your arteries, and it’s thought that the damaged arteries in the discs and joints in your back may lead to pain and injury.

How to Cut the Fat and Keep the Flavor

By adopting a dozen or so of these eating habits, most people can continue to enjoy the foods they like and still lose pounds. Don't forget to include daily exercise in the plan.

Forgetting to Take ALL Your Medication

About half of all prescriptions are not used correctly by patients, experts say. And nearly a quarter of patients never bother to get their prescriptions filled.

Exercise Goals for Healthy Living

You know it's important to stay active but still find yourself falling back on old habits. What can you do? Planning for exercise isn't hard if you make it a priority.

How to Wear Your Bike Helmet Correctly

Riders whose bicycle helmets don't fit right are at twice the risk for serious head injuries, compared with those whose helmets fit properly.

Measuring Your Meal

Portion sizes are bigger today, and that increase has contributed to the growing numbers of overweight or obese Americans.

5 Tips for Controlling Your Child's Asthma

If you have a child who has asthma, there's a lot you can do to help keep the asthma under control. Here are five key suggestions to consider.

Breathe Easy: Effective Asthma Management

Early diagnosis is one key to effective asthma management. This helps you prevent or minimize damage to airways and lungs that accumulates over time. Once the disease is diagnosed, it's important you take control of it. Proper treatment includes seeing your health care provider regularly.

Why It May Be Time to Throw Away Your Scale

Your scale may not hold the whole story on your weight. Here are other factors to consider.

Treating Chronic Pain as a Disease, Not a Symptom

After upper respiratory infections, pain is the next most common problem seen by primary care providers, one expert says.

The World's Best Anti-Cancer Diet

In your quest to reduce your cancer risk, don't overlook the obvious: Improving your diet can play a substantial role in preventing the disease.

An Introduction to Chinese Medicine

More than half of Americans have used an alternative therapy instead of -- or in addition to -- Western medical treatment for their conditions. Among these therapies are acupuncture and other Chinese-medicine practices that have been used for more than 3,000 years.

Cutting Calories and Fat When Eating Out

To better control your calorie intake you need to know how much you eat. But if you're like most Americans, proper serving sizes are a mystery, thanks to mega-burgers, biggie fries and saucer-sized bagels.

When to Seek Help for Your Mental Health

What distinguishes mental illness from problems of daily living is its severity or persistence over time. Mental illness includes mental disorders of thought, mood or behavior. People with a mental illness may have great difficulty with daily routines and tasks, responsibilities of family, work or school, or personal relationships.

Working With an Online Fitness Coach

Using Exercise to Ease Chronic Conditions

"We now know that exercise is the most underrated health precaution anyone, even those with chronic conditions, can take," says J. Larry Durstine, Ph.D., a spokesman for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Coping with Food Allergies

Although many people believe they have a food allergy, true food allergies are not that common.

Essential Self-Care for Arthritis

If you have arthritis, taking your medication and following your doctor's orders are essential. But self-care can be just as important in your daily and long-term management of the disease.

The Power of Resilience

When tragedy strikes with the death of a loved one, a serious illness or a job loss, some people fall apart, while others adapt to such life-changing events more easily. Being resilient is what makes the difference.

What Tests Does Your Newborn Baby Need?

You may think your child's first test will come in school, but it will actually happen before leaving the hospital's newborn unit. Early screening tests for babies can find problems before symptoms arise, prompting early treatment.

Keep Kids Safe in the Car

All 50 states have a combination of laws that require drivers to restrain children in car seats, booster seats, and seats belts. Specifics vary by state, based on the child's age and size.

The Metabolic Syndrome Puts Teens at Risk

Doctors think teens who have the metabolic syndrome face a high risk for the early onset of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Your Child and Vitamin D

Shunning milk and the sun is more and more common for children, and the result is a lack of vitamin D.

Give Bad Breath the Brush-Off

Although it's rarely a sign of a major medical problem, bad breath can cause embarrassment, low self-esteem and even social isolation.

Get Real Behind the Wheel

Don't Forget the Fiber in Your Low-Carb Diet

How to Be a Happy Camper -- or Hiker

Whether you're a first-time hiker out for an easy walk in the woods or an expert camping in the wilderness, think about safety before you head outdoors.

You Can Keep Yourself From Falling

The best way to reduce your risk is to improve your overall level of fitness and flexibility.

Tap the Power of Water

When you don't drink enough water, your body can't work at its best. As dehydration sets in, you'll feel lethargic and you may have trouble thinking clearly.

Finding the Right Mix of Carbs, Proteins, and Fats

All three are essential for good health.

Use Caution with Pain Relievers

Over-the-counter pain relievers are safe and effective when used as directed. It's when a person doesn't follow the label's advice that problems may occur.

Staying Fit on the Road

Whether you're a frequent business traveler or heading out on a family vacation, leaving town doesn't have to wreak havoc with your fitness routine.

The Power of Meditation

Meditation allows you to become more awake and more deliberate about your actions. It teaches you how to respond rather than react to situations in your life.

Diet Traps That Keep You From Losing

With all the diets out there to choose from these days, it's hard to know which ones are legitimate and which are diet fads.

Help for Inguinal Hernias

A hernia doesn't occur overnight. The most common kind is actually set in motion right before you're born.

Putting Healthy Fats on Your Plate

Certain types of fats can actually help your heart, so you don't need to avoid fat altogether. Instead, watch how much and what type you eat.

Emergency Care: When Is It the Right Choice?

You may think of the ER as a source of the most immediate medical attention, but if your situation is not a real emergency, this isn't true.

The Nutritious Apple

Apples are a convenient, wash-and-go fruit to eat. They are low in calories, nutritious, filling and they taste great. There's an apple variety for almost every taste.

How to Find Good Child Care

A lot of firsts in your child's life will make you smile: first laugh, first step, first word. One first that isn't as appealing is the first day you have to leave your child with someone else.

Chlamydia Can Lead to Infertility

A lot of us don't realize that chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can cause no symptoms, meaning you could have an STD and not know it.

Tame Your Fear of the Dentist

Does the mere idea of visiting a dentist send chills down your spine? If so, you've got company.

You Can Head Off Stress Fractures

A stress fracture occurs when you increase the length or intensity of your workout too quickly.

Using Herbal Supplements? Use Caution, Too

Unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, supplements can make it to market without proving purity, composition, effectiveness, or even safety.

Steer Clear of Sports Supplements

Youths see their sports heroes using what seem to be magic potions, and they want to do it, too.

Ways for Working Parents to Tame Stress

As a working parent, do you need some relief from the stress of managing a career and a family?

Cut Your Cholesterol, Without Drugs

People with a strong genetic predisposition to high cholesterol need medication to control cholesterol. But a lot of us don't.

What's in the Food You Eat?

Most food additives are safe and beneficial, experts say. What's more, they're everywhere.

Bridge the Gap With Teen Grandkids

If you want to develop a closer relationship with teen grandchildren, the key is arranging for one-on-one time, without parents in the picture.

A Red Face Could Signal Rosacea

Although the cause of rosacea is unknown, people with fair skin who blush easily may be at the greatest risk for it.

How Hobbies Help Your Health

That hobby you've been toying with could be your prescription for a healthier, more satisfying life.

For Women: Take This Risk to Heart

Women often perceive heart disease as an older person's disease that need not concern them until menopause.

Making the Grade on School Tests

Parents can do a lot to ease test anxiety, both in their children and themselves. Start by focusing on the learning and not the scoring.

Find Safe, Fun Ways to Keep Young Kids Active

Kids need to move to build cognitive and motor skills and to learn that physical activity is fun.

Vegetarian Teens Need Diet Advice

If your teen wants vegetarian options, you may worry that dropping meat, poultry and fish will be unhealthy.

Health Myths and Facts

There are a number health myths where knowing the facts can make a world of difference to your health.

Using Yoga to Relieve Stress

Yoga is one of the few stress-relief tools that has a positive effect on all the body systems involved.

Exercise and Eat Smart to Keep the Weight Off

People who keep lost weight off tend to have several habits in common. Here are strategies that can help you be a successful long-term loser.

The Moms' Guide to Meal Makeovers

Taking small steps each week in the right direction in terms of what you buy and cook can improve your family's eating habits.

Talking with Your Doctor About Alternative Medicine

Here are suggestions that can help you work with your doctor if you choose to use alternative therapies.

How to Manage Prehypertension

Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the very real risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don't take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.

Getting Back on the Workout Wagon

For many of us, getting regular exercise is challenging enough. But it can be even tougher when you've taken off a month or more.

COPD Remains Widely Undetected

COPD develops slowly, and people are often not diagnosed with it until their 50s, when the disease has greatly affected their lung function.

How to Prepare for Scheduled or Elective Surgery

People who prepare mentally and physically before their operations are likely to have fewer complications, less pain and a quicker recovery than those who don't prepare.

Tip the Scales in Your Child's Favor

Excess childhood weight is placing "an unprecedented burden" on children's health. It's triggering a host of dangerous health problems once seen only in adults.

How to Fit In Fitness

To get your kids moving, find physical activities they can enjoy at their own pace -- and become active with them.

Make Healthy Eating a Habit

The earlier you teach children such sound habits, the more likely they are to maintain a healthy weight.

Diabetes Tops Child Obesity's Health Risks

Children who weigh too much face a broad array of health problems, with type 2 diabetes leading the list.

If Your Child Needs Treatment for Weight Issues

If your doctor suggests a treatment program to help your child lose weight, look for one that involves both you and your child.

Creating a Home Gym

For many people, a home gym works better than an actual gym because they don't have to travel to it.

Coping with Food Cravings

Some people experience food cravings only now and then, while others have them daily or weekly.

Recognizing Domestic Violence

Domestic violence is behavior someone uses to control a spouse, partner, date or elderly relative through fear and intimidation.

Breaking the Habit: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

The symptoms of OCD vary widely from person to person. Without treatment, OCD can last for a lifetime.

Steps Women Can Take to Reduce Their Diabetes Risk

Type 2 diabetes can be especially deadly for women. Of the nearly 16 million Americans with diabetes, more than half are female.

Protect Your Child from Medical Errors

A medical error can occur when something that was planned for medical care doesn't work, or when the wrong plan was used in the first place.

Act Now to Cut Your Health Care Bills

It's important to reduce your medical expenses. Even if you have health insurance, you pay a percentage of every health care bill you incur.

For Healthy Eyes, Take the Long View

There's a lot you can do to head off eye problems, including following a healthy diet and getting regular eye checkups.

Interval Training Can Spice Up a Workout

Interval training alternates short bursts of intense activity with periods of "active recovery," which means more moderate forms of that same activity.

It's Time for Boomers to Face the Facts

Even though boomers are rewriting the script for aging, they can't stop the clock. Age brings many changes, and boomers must change with it.

Is an Insulin Pump for You?

Insulin pumps deliver a steady, measured dose of insulin through a flexible plastic tube called a catheter.

Understanding Cocaine and Crack

Cocaine use ranges from occasional to compulsive. There is no safe way to use the drug.

Helping an Unwilling Alcoholic

You don't have to wait for someone to hit rock bottom to act. Here are steps to help an alcoholic get treatment.

All About LSD

LSD, also called acid, is one of the most commonly used hallucinogens or psychedelic drugs.

Foot Care for Walkers

Wearing the appropriate type of shoe is the most important part of foot care for walkers.

Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis

The treatment goals include reducing joint swelling, relieving stiffness, preventing joint damage and maintaining joint function.

Massage Therapy for Back Pain

More than half of American adults seek medical treatment for back pain at some point in their lives.

Preventing Falls One Step at a Time

Although it's impossible to prevent all falls, you can help keep yourself safe by improving your balance and employing "fall-proofing" behaviors.

What's Up With Sinusitis?

Millions of Americans are affected by sinusitis every year. Even so, it's often misdiagnosed and misunderstood by people with the condition.

Appendicitis: Children and Teens

Appendicitis, an infection of the appendix, is the most common reason for a child to need emergency abdominal surgery.

Avoiding Non-Impact Eye Injuries

You may think wearing goggles is enough to protect your eyes, but many injuries can happen to your eyes that goggles won't prevent.

Making Your Lifestyle Heart-Healthy

The millions of Americans diagnosed with heart and cardiovascular diseases can benefit from making healthy choices in their day-to-day lives.

Cough Medicine Abuse by Teens

A common ingredient in many cough and cold remedies has become a popular substance to abuse by teenagers searching for a cheap, easy high.

Evaluating Complementary Cancer Cures

Although some complementary and alternative methods have been scientifically proven to promote healing or reduce symptoms, many have not.

Your Child's Diabetes Care Team

Having a child with diabetes can be overwhelming. Fortunately, a team of experts can guide you now and in the years to come.

Essential Eye Care for Diabetes

If you have diabetes, you can take steps to reduce your risk for vision loss or blindness.

Alternatives to Alcoholics Anonymous

Some treatment programs teach problem drinkers to reduce their drinking, an approach that appeals to people who otherwise might not seek treatment.

Osteoporosis: Evaluate Your Risk

Many people are unaware they have osteoporosis until they have advanced symptoms, which may include a broken hip or wrist, low back pain or a hunched back.

For Older Adults: When You're Cooking for One

You can avoid nutritional problems by selecting the right foods, making mealtimes more enjoyable and adjusting your cooking habits.

Women's Guide to Staying Healthy

Women can't always stay healthy and prevent disease. But by having certain screening tests and practicing healthful behaviors, they are more likely to live long, healthy lives.

How Sweet Is It?

Cutting back on sugar is a smart move for many people. Luckily, there are other ways to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Medication Strategies During Pregnancy

No one can say for sure that a medication is safe to use while you're pregnant. But, avoiding medicines may not be a good idea, either. It may be wiser to treat an illness than ignore it.

Taking Steps Against Athlete's Foot

Athlete's foot usually develops between your toes and on the bottoms of your feet.

What Is Celiac Disease?

People with this disease can't tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye.

Mammograms: What Every Woman Needs to Know

This low-dose X-ray produces an image of the inner structures of the breast. It can detect tiny calcium deposits or microcalcifications that are too small to feel.

Target Your Heart Rate for Better Health

By knowing your heart rate, you can gauge how fit you are and whether you're working out at a moderate pace.

Three Cheers for Breakfast!

Breakfast gives you energy, keeps your mind sharp and may help you to lose weight.

Build Your Bones with Exercise

You can help prevent osteoporosis by including enough calcium in your diet and exercising regularly.

Managing Adult Acne

Shifting hormone levels make women prone to breakouts. This is especially true if you have ovarian cysts, are pregnant or are starting or stopping birth control pills.

Strategies for Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Here are some common obstacles that you may have encountered and tips for getting beyond them.

Biofeedback: Another Way to Manage Pain

This technique can ease migraines and tension-type headaches, as well as low back pain and fibromyalgia.

Getting the Better of Back Pain

Back pain is a common complaint: Nearly everyone will have low back pain that interferes with work or daily activities at some point in his or her life.

Summer Foot Care for Diabetes

Here are suggestions that can help you to enjoy the summer months while protecting your feet.

Skin, Eyes and the Sun

Using sunscreen, covering up and wearing sunglasses that block UV rays will help you enjoy the sunshine safely.

Could a Nutrition Expert Help You?

If you need to change your eating habits for the sake of your health, have you considered talking with a registered dietitian (RD)?

Hypertension: Children Can Have It, Too

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, isn't limited to those 18 and older.

Have Meals Lost Their Appeal?

Your loss of appetite may be because of anxiety or depression, aging, medications or a health concern.

Don't Rule Out Adult-Onset Asthma

Women are more likely than men to have asthma. Women also have more asthma attacks.

Migraines: Should You Take Preventive Medication?

For some people, taking medication every day can help prevent migraines and make them less painful when they occur.

Planning for End of Life

You need to understand your options and take time to consider what will help you reach the end of your life with dignity, comfort and a sense of control.

Make a Scrapbook for Your Grandkids

If a grandchild is special to you, put your heart into showing it by creating a scrapbook.

Put Up a Food Fight Against Disease

Here's food for thought on dietary changes that can help you prevent several serious conditions.

Ways to Improve Your Workout

A proven way to improve your health is finding -- or making -- the time to exercise. But just going through the motions won't give you the health benefits you want.

Reducing the Sodium in Your Diet

Table salt sprinkled on food accounts for about 15 percent of most people's daily sodium intake. An additional 10 percent occurs naturally in foods. The remainder -- 75 percent -- comes from processed and restaurant food.

Shape Up Safely

Regular exercise can improve your health and longevity. But doing too much too soon or not taking proper precautions can cause injury.

When and How to Stop Antidepressant Medication

Deciding when and how to stop taking several popular antidepressants is something you should always discuss with your health care provider.

Helping Teens Embrace Self-Care

By involving teens as full participants in their self-care, they're more likely to choose healthy behaviors throughout their lives.

Pilates: A Core Conditioning Program

Pilates is a conditioning program that strengthens the joints and muscles used in everyday actions such as walking, sitting, twisting, bending and lifting.

All About Work-Related Asthma

Occupational asthma is a lung disease in which the airways overreact to dust, vapors, gases, smoke or fumes that exist in the workplace.

Olympian Advice on Preventing Sports Injuries

Neither Olympians nor weekend warriors are immune to tendonitis, ankle sprains, low back problems, and knee pain.

6 Vital Nutrients Women May Be Missing

Here are nutrients that women are often deficient in, either because they lose too much of a nutrient, don't get enough of a nutrient, or both.

How to Say No to Preteens

As children grow older, risks get more complex and restrictions harder to enforce.

The Appeal of the Apple

Studies show the nutrients and fiber in apples have health benefits that range from better digestion to lower cholesterol.

How to Stop a Crying Baby

Some babies cry for long stretches at 3 and 12 weeks of age during steps in development when their sleep is less settled.

Beating an Eating Disorder

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have risen steadily to affect nearly 10 million women (and 1 million men).

Take a Hike to Family Fitness

Even if you live in the city, you can still get out for a walk together to a city park or to the store.

Making Sense of Nutrition Labels

One of the easiest tools to help you watch your weight is the nutrition label on packaged foods.

Focusing on Folate

If you're a woman of childbearing age, one of the B vitamins -- folate -- is especially critical.

Your Asthma Health Care Team

An entire team of health care experts is on hand to help people with asthma manage their symptoms and continue to live normal, active lives.

Putting the Brakes on Fast Food

You don't have to give up fast food to get your diet on the right track. You can make your meals-on-the-go healthier by ordering wisely.

How to Be an Active Patient

People who are actively involved in their medical care stay healthier, recover quicker when they're ill and live longer, healthier lives.

Immunization Update for Older Adults

This guide can help you determine if you need to be immunized. Talk with your health care provider to be sure your immunizations are up to date.

Exercise Can Ease Fatigue of Chemotherapy

Although exercise is an important for everyone, it's especially beneficial for those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy.

Walking Works for Everyone

Walking is easy because you can do it almost anywhere and at any time. It also offers a range of health benefits.

Coping with PMS

PMS symptoms occur one to two weeks before your period and may be severe enough to interfere with your normal daily activities.

How to Lower Your Financial Stress

Whether your credit card balances are soaring, or you and your partner are arguing constantly over nickels and dimes, there are things you can do to relieve financial stress.

For Adults: Take Care with Antidepressants

These drugs take time to be effective. It may take weeks to know if one is helping you.

All About Generic Medications

Every year, more than 400 million prescriptions are filled with generic medications in the United States.

Your Arthritis Health Care Team

No matter what form of arthritis you have, your role as part of your health care team can make the difference in how well you function with pain, stiffness or inflammation.

Fight Back Against Fat

obesity increases the risk for illness from 30 serious medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and several types of cancer.

The Value of a Second Opinion

If your provider suggests non-emergency surgery or a major medical test, it can be worthwhile to get a second opinion

The Healthy-Bones Diet

The right amount of calcium in your diet helps maintain your bone strength, reducing your risk for osteoporosis.

How Much of a Threat Is Bird Influenza?

Influenza, with its fever, aches, fatigue and threat of complications, seems a uniquely human illness. But the flu, caused by a virus, can infect animals and birds, as well.

Maintaining Your Personal Health Record

A PHR can help reduce or eliminate duplicate tests and allow you to receive faster, safer treatment and care in an emergency. It also can help you play a more active role in your health care.

Get in the Swim

Besides providing a good workout for your heart and lungs, water offers constant, gentle pressure on every part of the body, which, in turn, helps improve circulation from the outside in, eases joint and back pain, and increases flexibility and range of motion.

Depressed Kids Need Help

Teen depression is a serious illness. The benefits of getting help, including taking medications if needed, far outweigh the potential risks.

Blood Pressure Rising Among Children

High blood pressure has joined type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol on a list of ailments that once struck only adults but now afflict children.

Help Girls Stay Active as Teens

The teen years often bring a sharp drop in physical activity, especially for girls.

Plastic Surgery Is Up Among Youths

Plastic surgery is not for every youth. For some procedures, the child must reach milestones in age, growth and physical maturity.

A Good Walk Can Make You Young

Walking is one of the best and easiest exercises someone can do.

Make Your Doctor Your Partner in Health

It's no picnic being a patient. But as long as you have to be one, it pays to make the most of it.

7 Steps to Happiness at Your Health Club

Before joining a health club, shop around. Choose two or three that you want to investigate, then take these seven steps before you sign up.

The Quest for Whiter Teeth

The experts say most of us can have whiter teeth. What's more, many of us can do it ourselves with an over-the-counter (OTC) tooth-whitening product.

Managing Midlife Weight Gain

Between the late 30s and late 40s, it's not uncommon for both men and women to gain 10 pounds.

Learn About Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes does not cause birth defects. Most women with gestational diabetes have healthy, full-term babies.

What You Can Do About Dog Bites

Dogs are responsible for 85 to 90 percent of all animal bites. But, many incidents can be avoided.

Sweet Dreams as You Age

Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as younger adults: seven to nine hours per night, on average.

Helping Others Understand Your Migraine

You and your loved ones will benefit if they understand your condition and how best to help.

Practicing Better Posture

Good posture improves your appearance and reduces stress on muscles, joints and ligaments.

Cold Sores: A Common Complaint

Most people who get cold sores were infected with HSV1 before age 20, usually by kissing someone with the virus.

Stay Awake Behind the Wheel

When you're behind the wheel, you may believe that you can stop yourself from falling asleep, but you can’t. You may not even know you’ve dozed off.

Basics About Your Newborn’s Body

Even the best-prepared parents may be surprised by a few things that are quite normal in newborns.

Helping Someone with a Mental Illness

Caring for someone you love who is sick or disabled is never easy. When the illness affects your loved one’s state of mind, the demands placed on you can be especially difficult.

For Seniors: Don’t Brush Off Dental Care

Older adults may have dental concerns that can’t be totally taken care of with just brushing and flossing.

SAD: Let the Light In

During the dark days of winter, many people develop signs of depression that are tied to the changing amount of daylight.

Paging Dr. Mom

One of the many hats that parents wear is that of a “first responder.” When their child is sick, they are the first to assess the symptoms and treat the illness.

Ready, Set, Run!

It may not be as trendy as Pilates or power yoga, but running still delivers a great fat-burning, stress-reducing aerobic workout.

Exercise for the Ages

While regular physical activity is a cornerstone of wellness at any age, it’s during your 30s, 40s and 50s that exercise becomes especially important.

What Is Post-Traumatic Stress?

For some people, frightening memories of a terrible event can resurface months or even years after the ordeal. In reliving the event, people become fearful and unable to cope with daily life.

Childhood Immunizations: Get the Facts

If you are the parent of a young child, you may be confused about the safety of immunizations.

Take a Lap With Indoor Cycling

In indoor cycling workouts (also known as spinning classes), participants ride stationary bicycles specially designed to mimic outdoor bikes.

Your Guide to Health Savings Accounts

With a health savings account, part of your monthly pretax income goes into an account for use toward future medical expenses.

Finding Support for Emotional Issues

How do you know when your emotions are of the everyday sort, or when you could benefit from seeing a therapist?

Primer: GHB, the Club Drug

On the street, GHB is used for is ability to produce a feeling of euphoria and hallucinations.

Update Your Workout With a New Fitness Class

Here’s a rundown of the latest class offerings you’re likely to find in health clubs and fitness centers throughout the country.

8 Mistakes Heart Patients Make

The way you respond to a heart attack can make a profound difference in what happens to you in the future.

10 Good Reasons to Try Yoga

Regardless of which type you choose, yoga is an excellent way to stretch and strengthen your body, focus your mind and relax your spirit.

Caring for Your Sick Child

You should always call a doctor if you have any doubts or questions about how to take care of your sick child at home.

Take Action to Beat Heart Disease

Even if you already have atherosclerosis or have had a heart attack, there’s a lot you can do to prevent future heart problems.

A Parent’s Guide to Choosing Child Care

As a parent of a young child, one of the most important decisions you will make is choosing who will care for your child while you’re at work.

The Word on Talk Therapy

Talk therapy helps people gain insight into and resolve their problems through verbal exchanges with the therapist.

Free Your Home of Asthma Triggers

Common asthma triggers are dust mites, pets and pet dander, cockroaches, mold, tobacco smoke and pollen.

Hope on the Horizon for Breast Cancer

In recent years, researchers have discovered new and better ways to detect and treat breast cancer—and to keep it from coming back.

Taking Time for Tea

In recent years, scientists have conducted tests on tea to better understand what its health benefits may be.

Male Menopause

Male menopause is a condition caused when testosterone levels decrease in aging men.

Retired? It's Time to Join the Club

Now that you've retired, what are you going to do with all that spare time?

Exercising With Arthritis

Exercise is an important part of a comprehensive arthritis treatment plan. A complete program consists of three types of exercises: range-of-motion exercises, aerobic exercises, strengthening exercises.

Living Wills Offer Peace of Mind

A living will tells others how you want to be treated when it comes to life-sustaining measures.

Take a 'Back in the Day' Tour

Grandchildren really do like learning about how life used to be, even if they don't directly say so.

For Better Posture, Strengthen Your Core Muscles

No matter what your activity -- even standing or sitting with good posture -- you use your core muscles.

The Egg Bounces Back

Eggs are a great protein source. If you're on a diet, protein helps satisfy your hunger.

Why Real Men See the Doctor

Waiting until you are ill before you see your health care provider can put your health in jeopardy.

Leave No Children on Their Behinds

As concern grows over children's harmful weight, physical education gets less and less emphasis in many schools.

A Checklist to Help You Spot Hearing Loss

Parents and pediatricians should know how to detect hearing problems at various stages during a child's first three years of life.

Don't Sell a Short Kid Short

Some children grow more slowly than others. Height in the low normal range is still normal, doctors say.

Survive Your Little One's First Flight

Parents need to be prepared to focus their energy on soothing, distracting or comforting their child during the flight.

Give Eating Right a Green Light

Trust that when kids are hungry enough, they'll eat the healthy options you serve.

Working with Your Diabetes Health Care Team

Diabetes affects the body in many complex ways, and having a team to help you stay as healthy and vital as possible, for as long as possible, is key.

Modifying Recipes for Better Health

Make recipes more nutritious and lower in fat by reducing high-fat ingredients or substituting healthier ingredients.

Choosing the Right Group Fitness Instructor

The best group fitness instructors make exercise fun and help you improve your conditioning by appropriately challenging you according to your fitness level.

What Is Rotavirus?

Rotavirus is a viral infection that causes severe diarrhea in children. A vaccine is now available to help protect youngsters against this illness.

All About Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm, or the 24-hour cycle of biological processes called your "internal body clock."

Over-The-Counter Medicines for Infants and Children

OTC drugs have information on the bottle or box. Always read this information before using the medicine.

Toss Your Baby Walker, Pediatricians Say

Walkers can cause children to roll down stairs, causing head injuries and even death. This is the most common way children get hurt in walkers.

For Obese Teens, Surgery Is the Last Resort

Extreme obesity plagues more than a million teens and young adults, experts estimate. What's a parent to do?

Bullies Go High-Tech

You can now add bullying to the list of things made easier by technology. Bullies use e-mail, instant messaging, and text messaging on cell phones to reach victims.

Female Teen Athletes: At Risk for Injury?

Teen girls who are athletes face unique obstacles when it comes to their bodies and how well they perform.

Babies Need 'Tummy Time'

Putting babies to sleep on their backs has dramatically reduced the incidence of SIDS. One unexpected side effect: Many infants now have a flattened head.

Get Serious About Playtime

Since the late 1970s, children's playtime has fallen 25 percent and their outdoor activities have dropped 50 percent.

Keep Kids Safe During Yard Work

Power tools make yard work easier, from mowing the lawn to trimming the bushes. These tools, however, also pose a threat to children if precautions aren't taken.

Techniques for Taming Tantrums

Preventing a tantrum is much easier than stopping one. Here are ideas on how to do that.

Put a Stop to Nerve Injuries Called Stingers

Stingers occur when the shoulder and head go in opposite directions, the head is moved quickly to one side, or the area above the collarbone is hit.

Steroids, Sterols, Anabolic Steroids, and Corticosteroids: What's the Difference?

Steroids are important compounds used in medicine, but people often misunderstand what they are.

With Diabetes and Insulin, Carbohydrates Count

Carbohydrates are one of the three main parts of food; fats and proteins are the other two. All three components can affect your blood sugar level, but carbohydrates do so more quickly.

All About Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

According to the American Heart Association, there are five main types of cholesterol-lowering medications.

Oral Health and Asthma

If you have asthma, does your dentist know? This is important for good oral health, especially if you use a corticosteroid inhaler.

What You Need to Know About Bird Flu

Here are answers to questions you may have about bird flu.

Clinical Trials: Should You Participate?

Being involved in a clinical trial has risks and benefits. Being informed and asking lots of questions can help you make a decision.

Living With a Chronic Health Condition

Learning about your condition and doing your best to manage it can help you live a less fearful and more expansive life.

How to Raise Healthy Eaters

Here are suggestions to help you help your children attain and maintain a healthy weight.

Choosing a Safe Weight-Loss Program

The not-so-secret secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat. This can be done safely and effectively by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

You Can Outwit Your Appetite

If you're trying to lose weight, here's good news: You can control your appetite and feel satisfied eating less food and fewer calories without feeling deprived.

Keeping Your Cool When Parenting Teens

As difficult as it is being a teenager, being a parent of one is even harder.

Avoiding Joint Injuries

Common injuries include a twisted ankle, sprained wrist, overextended elbow and damaged knee ligaments. Fortunately, you can take steps to help prevent joint damage.

What About Vitamin E Supplements?

Although many researchers have believed that vitamin E might help reduce the risk for cancer and heart disease, recent studies suggest that large doses of vitamin E have no proven clinical benefits. They may even be harmful.

Keep Your Kidneys Working Well

Your kidneys are your body's filters. They remove waste and excess fluid from your blood.

Twins and Premature Birth

If you’re pregnant with twins, you’ll want to carefully consider this advice. It can help increase your chances for a full-term pregnancy.

Answers to Questions About Your Child's Mental Health

Although some behavior problems can be attributed to normal child development, some require professional help.

Understanding Outpatient Surgery

More than 60 percent of elective surgery procedures in the United States are now performed as outpatient surgeries.

Optimal Timing for Screenings, Appointments and Medications

Get your timing right, and you'll whiz through waiting rooms at doctor's appointments. Your medications will work their best.

Smart Fitness: Boost Your Calorie Burn

Certain forms of physical activity are better than others at burning calories while you're exercising.

Understanding Alcohol's Effects

The extent of alcohol's effect on the central nervous system depends upon how much is in your blood and how much blood you have.

Helping Someone with Memory Loss

In older people, it's easy to mistake memory problems for the everyday forgetfulness that some people experience as they grow older.

Stroke Recovery Begins with Rehabilitation

A stroke can cause problems with speech, vision, memory, balance or coordination. It can leave part of the body weakened or paralyzed, among other physical problems.

Understanding Diuretics

Diuretics help your blood pressure go down by helping your body to get rid of extra water and salt by producing more urine.

Tips for Staying Healthy and Safe at Work

Most of us may not think much about our health and safety on the job, but we probably should.

There's Hope for Sciatica

Sciatica is often painful but rarely causes serious or permanent damage.

In Midlife, Keep Your Weight Under Control

Midlife weight gain may put you at risk for serious health conditions, such as diabetes.

All About Genetically Modified Foods

The first genetically modified food product for human consumption was a tomato, which went on the market in 1994.

How Diets Work

If you’ve tried everything, yet weight loss continues to elude you, don’t give up. There are ways to up the odds and increase your chance of success.

Weight Training for Women

Misconceptions about weight training -- often based on unfounded fears of becoming too muscular -- can keep women from pushing their fitness levels.

How to Make Love Last Forever

Keeping your primary relationship healthy, positive, supportive and together isn’t easy. But it can be done.

Lifestyle Choices for Cancer Survivors

Life as a cancer survivor can be as rich and rewarding as you decide to make it. In fact, increased awareness of mortality is all some people need to feel more alive than ever.

How to Get Medications for Less

Here are strategies from the Food and Drug Administration to help you cut your prescription costs by 50 percent or more.

How to Get Optimal Medical Care

To get the best medical care you can, you should be an informed patient who works closely with your health care provider.

Salad Days: It’s Easy Eating Green

At home or when dining out, here are suggestions on how to add the goodness of greens to your diet.

What to Do If You Have to Evacuate Your Home

Consider in advance what kinds of disasters might strike your area. Do you live in an earthquake zone? Is flooding a possibility? Then think about what you’ll do in an emergency.

Managing Work-Related Stress

It’s not the job that creates stress, it’s the way a person responds to the urgencies and demands of each workplace environment that makes them stressed or energized.

Pedal Your Way to Work

Trading your car for your bike for all or part of your commute can save you cash, increase your fitness and help the environment. You may be surprised at how easy it can be.

Food Freshness: What Those Dates Really Mean

Here a rundown on the dates you find on food labels and what those dates mean, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Arthritis and Exercise: Q and A

Doctors and physical therapists say people with arthritis can improve their health and fitness through exercise without damaging their joints.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: It's All in the Wrist

Do you spend your days using a computer, sorting mail or assembling small parts? If your workplace duties put stress on your wrists, you may be at risk for carpal tunnel syndrome.

Answers to Questions About HPV

Learning about HPV can help you avoid infection and seek treatment, if necessary.

Infectious Diseases in the 21st Century

Infectious diseases have always caused illness and death, but in the last decade, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has noticed a disturbing trend: The number of new infectious agents has been on the rise. These include the West Nile virus, monkey pox and hantavirus.

Take-Out Foods, Restaurant Meals Tied to Obesity Trend

Obesity has become a public health crisis in the United States, in part, because Americans are consuming more calories than they did 30 years ago. A large part of that increase in consumption can be pinned on a greater use of foods prepared away from home -- those ready-to-eat items available at restaurants, grocery store food counters and fast-food eateries.

Set Your Clock to Workout Time

What's the best time to exercise? There are some surprising pros and cons to exercising at different times.

Make a Sensation with Sauce

A sauce can be many things. A sauce can be hot or cold -- think gravy or salad dressing -- chunky or creamy, sweet or savory.

Seniors Can Maximize Happiness by Minimizing Clutter

It's tough to enjoy the golden years among bundles of old newspapers, stacks of store receipts and collections of used margarine tubs. You're also at higher risk for falls and fires.

Someone's in the Kitchen with Grandma

Now is the time to share your tried-and-true recipes and kitchen sense with those who will appreciate them the most: your grandchildren.

Senior Centers: A Range of Opportunities

Senior centers enrich the lives of older adults with a range of opportunities for socialization, learning, travel, volunteerism, and physical and mental challenges.

Help Your Children Breathe Easier

Air pollution hurts infants and children more than adults, studies show. Kids' lungs are still developing, they breathe faster and they spend more time outdoors.

Get Your Kids to Log Off

Rising "screen time" can cost kids the exercise they need to keep fit.

Concussions: Caution Is a No-Brainer

Although concussions range from mild to severe, they're all serious injuries that can harm the way the brain works.

Save Your Child From Injuries

Every day, injuries send 25,000 children to emergency rooms. Simple precautions could head off most of those trips.

Sleep and Your Child

Without enough shut-eye, children are more likely to struggle with their school studies, do poorly on the playing field, and suffer depression.

Take a Hard Line Against Soft Drinks

Kids who drink soda tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables, and get less calcium, protein and vitamins A and D, because they are drinking less milk. They also take in more calories.

The Inside Scoop on Outdoor Fitness

Want to go out and play? Here are some ideas.

Take Care With Nasal Sprays

A medicated nasal decongestant spray may offer fast relief when your nose is congested and running. It can reduce swelling and clear mucus from your nasal passages quickly.

Understanding Tonsillitis

If your child often has a sore throat, you may wonder whether he or she has tonsillitis, or inflamed tonsils.

Air Pollution Can Break Your Heart

Most people know air pollution can hurt your lungs and make it tough to breathe. But a growing body of research shows air pollution can be as bad or worse for your heart.

Movie Watching: Something to Share

Movie watching rates two thumbs up as an occasional activity that is easy, affordable and fun for every generation.

Working Mom? Aim for Less Stress

In the United States, 78 percent of all mothers with kids ages 6 to 17 work in paid jobs. Most—including married working moms—also are responsible for child care and housework.

On the Barbecue, Charred Is Barred

Researchers have found that cooking muscle meats -- beef, pork, poultry and fish -- at high temperatures may pose a risk for cancer.

Kayak Your Way to Better Health

Unlike most sports, rowing and paddling activities such as kayaking concentrate on the upper body rather than on the legs.

A Healthy Kitchen Makeover

From the food you stock in the freezer to the silverware you put on the table, your kitchen is your partner in health. When you fill your kitchen with the right tools and foods, you reap the benefits.

The Threat of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that greatly raises your risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Serve a Super Summer Salad

Today's salads offer a variety of greens, often with fruits, nuts, cheese, seeds, roasted or grilled vegetables, and beef, chicken or fish.

For Seniors: You Can Beat the Heat

After age 65, your body can't adjust to changes in air temperature -- especially heat -- as quickly as it did when you were younger. That puts you at risk for heat-related illnesses.

For Seniors: Welcome to the World of the Web

The Internet is a great way to stay connected. Older adults can use it to send messages, keep in touch with family, learn new things or be entertained.

Warm-water Exercises for Older Adults

Older adults who want to improve their physical health are turning to warm-water exercise.

Stop Dating Abuse Before It Starts

Although teen dating violence is worrisome, it's not inevitable. You and your teen can avoid potentially perilous situations and reduce the risk for problems.

Is Your Child Too Sick for Day Care or School?

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association have guidelines that can help you make up your mind.

All About Viruses

Viruses are familiar from the common diseases they cause: colds and flu, for instance. But what are they, and how do they cause sickness?

Keeping Your Liver Healthy

The liver is a multitasking organ, with many functions. Nearly all the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines passes through the liver for processing.

What You Need to Know About Vomiting

Although nausea and vomiting can make you feel miserable, it's important to remember that these are not diseases, but rather symptoms of many illnesses.

Treatment Options for Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer is a type of cancer that typically develops in men ages 20 to 35. It can be treated and is usually curable.

What Do You Know About Mono?

Often called "mono" for short, mononucleosis is an infection by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of the herpes viruses.

Moving Beyond All-or-Nothing Thinking

When you lapse from your goals, remind yourself of all you've learned and how much you've accomplished.

Make Exercise a Family Affair

Like adults, children should be physically active most, if not all, days of the week.

Primer: Smokeless Tobacco

Many people think using smokeless tobacco is safer than smoking. Just because there's no smoke, doesn't mean it's safe.

Understanding the Power of Addiction

When addicted, the drug user will do just about anything to obtain the drug.

The Lowdown on Low Blood Pressure

Doctors often consider chronically low blood pressure too low only if it drops suddenly or causes noticeable symptoms.

For Seniors: Choosing a New Doctor

Whatever the reason for needing a new primary care physician, these suggestions can help you find the right doctor.

All About Child Passenger Safety

Installing your child's car seat properly and using it every time your son or daughter rides in the car is one of the best ways to help keep him or her safe in case of an accident.

Buying a Bike for Your Child

Most youngsters learn the basics of pedaling, steering and braking on a tricycle or "big wheel" cycle, and around age 4 are ready to try a two-wheeler with training wheels.

Losing Weight at Work

Here are strategies that can help you troubleshoot and personalize your weight-loss plan to manage common workplace weight-loss roadblocks.

Emergency Symptoms for People Who Use Insulin

Under certain circumstances, people who take insulin can have symptoms that require immediate action and, in some cases, treatment in a hospital emergency room.

Offsite Health Care Options

Many forms of emergency treatment take place outside the emergency room, and even many surgeries are performed in locations other than a hospital operating room.

Why Physical Activity Is Important

The more sedentary you are, the more likely you are to lose flexibility, endurance, strength, balance and coordination, which in turn will affect every aspect of your life.

Managing Food Cravings

Although there’s nothing wrong with wanting a particular food, giving in to cravings can make it difficult to maintain a healthy weight.

Foods That Help You Lose Weight

Low-calorie, high-fiber foods such as fruits and vegetables fill you up but don't add that much to your daily calorie total.

Nutrition Glossary

Whether you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight or lose a few pounds, knowing the definitions of terms relating to diet and exercise can help you make good choices.

Phobias Are Common, But Treatable

Most of us worry or get nervous every now and then. But, for people with anxiety disorders, these feelings occur all too often, and they may be overwhelming.

The Truth About Triglycerides

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in your body. Most of your body's fat is stored as triglycerides.

What Is Scalp Ringworm?

Scalp ringworm isn’t caused by a worm. The infection is the result of a fungus, the same one that leads to athlete’s foot.

When Your Child Has Type 1 Diabetes

With knowledge, practice and a supportive health care team, you can take care of your child without diabetes taking over your lives.

Self-Treat? Or See a Doctor?

When you’re sick, knowing whether you should treat yourself at home or see your doctor can save you time and hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars a year.

What's in a First Aid Kit?

Whether you buy a first aid kit at a drug store or put one together yourself, make sure it has all the items you may need, such as medications and emergency phone numbers.

How to Assess Your Risk for Chronic Disease

Here are ways to help you fine-tune your lifestyle to promote optimum health.

Ways to Take a Bite Out of Your Dental Bills

The most effective way to lower your dental bills is to take care of your teeth, and to make sure your children do the same.

Contraception: Many Options

For a woman who wants to plan when she becomes pregnant, there are many choices.

What Is Hemochromatosis?

It's a condition in which too much iron is absorbed from food and retained in the body.

Taking Care of Cuts and Scrapes

Cuts and scrapes are everyday occurrences, and most can be safely treated at home. Knowing how to clean and care for a cut yourself and when to seek a doctor’s care can help reduce infection and speed healing.

What You Must Know About Meningitis

Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Avoid the Top Mistakes in the Gym

Not progressing wisely—exercising too much, too hard, or too often instead of gradually working out longer and harder—is a common mistake made by many fitness enthusiasts. But it’s not the only one.

Avoiding Fall Allergy Triggers

If allergies bother you in the fall, you’re most likely sensitive to one or more molds, weeds, trees or grasses.

Understanding Your Osteoarthritis Medication

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, most often affects weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips. It also can affect the hands and spine.

Recognizing a Partner's Emotional Abuse

Physical violence is just one form of domestic abuse. If you have a partner who verbally humiliates you, demands all your attention, blames you for everything that goes wrong or threatens to harm you or your children, you’re also being abused.

Choosing a Hospital

You don't have time to choose a hospital if you have a health emergency. But if you’re facing surgery or treatment for a particular health condition, taking time to find a hospital that meets your needs is well worth the effort.

Understanding Menu Terms

One of the challenges of healthy eating is knowing how to spot lower-calorie, lower-fat dishes on a menu. Here's a guide to help you make informed choices.

Avoiding Salmonella Infection

Salmonella causes diarrhea and gastroenteritis, and, rarely, typhoid fever. It is often spread through contaminated food or water.

When Spiders Bite

Two types of spiders found in the United States can cause illness in people. One type is the widow spider, of which the "black widow" is the best known. The other type is the fiddleback or fiddler spider, of which the brown recluse is the best known.

Hypertension and African-Americans

High blood pressure is more common among African-Americans than other ethnic groups. Nearly 40 percent of non-Hispanic blacks have hypertension.

5 Ways to Avoid Colds and the Flu

You don't want to spend this winter battling a runny nose, a nagging cough or a fever. Here's what to do.

The New Face of Aging

Not only do baby boomers expect to live into their 80s or 90s, but they are expecting to be independent, one expert says.

Heart Attacks and Women

For many women, a heart attack may feel like a strange discomfort in the back or some other easily ignored sign, instead of crushing chest pain.

The Menace of Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is related to the legal stimulant amphetamine, but has stronger effects.

Know Your Family's Health History

To find out what your family risks are, ask people on both sides of your family. Start with your parents, siblings and children.

Cheerleading Safety

A safe cheerleading program will include direct adult supervision, proper conditioning, skills training and warm-up exercises.

Understanding the Latest Diet, Nutrition News

Does a low-fat diet protect against heart disease? Will taking calcium supplements help reduce the risk for osteoporosis?

How to Take Part in Every Medical Decision

Well-informed people who play a significant role in deciding how they’re going to treat their health conditions are likely to feel better about the decision process.

How Women Can Avoid Midlife Weight Gain

Whether you’ve already gained a few extra pounds or have yet to reach perimenopause, here are strategies to help you maintain a healthy weight in midlife and beyond.

Life After Loss: Walking the Path to Wholeness

Whatever the nature of your loss, active grieving can help you get through the following months and years.

Real-Life Ways to Manage Diabetes

If managing diabetes seems like a full-time job, keep in mind it’s a task that can’t be taken lightly. Diabetes is the fifth-leading cause of death by disease in the United States.

High Blood Pressure Glossary

Knowing the definitions of terms your doctor may use when talking with you about your blood pressure is important.

The Good and Bad News About Stomachaches

Most stomachaches are nothing more than indigestion or gas. But stomach pain also could be appendicitis, gallstones, or a tubal pregnancy.

Understanding Joint Pain

Sprained ankles and wrists, arthritic knees and hips and torn rotator cuffs all have one thing in common: They result in joint pain.

Understanding Prehypertension

Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don’t take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.

All About Your Nails

Did you know that fingernails grow faster than toenails? Or, that nails grow faster in the summer than in the winter?

Choose My Plate Shapes a Healthier Senior Diet

It is important to control the portion size of even nutrient-rich foods to avoid consuming too many calories. Most people need fewer calories as they grow older and their activity level decreases.

Avoid Injury When You Exercise

Staying active—getting regular exercise—is one of the best ways to minimize the effects of aging. Exercise helps prevent chronic illness and loss of function in older adults.

What About Energy Drinks for Kids?

As some schools ban colas from vending machines, ads are hyping a source of even more caffeine: energy drinks.

A Chubby Baby Is Not a Sign of Obesity

With childhood obesity on the rise, should parents worry about the weight of their babies?

Sound Advice for MP3 Users

Experts say today's small music players pose a big risk of hearing loss. One reason: The "earbuds" used with iPods and other MP3 players fit into the ears, not over them.

Phys Ed: What's Up at Your Child's School?

The new PE focuses on total wellness and developing lifelong health habits rather than just teaching students sports.

Five Tips for Handling a Bad Report Card

A disappointing grade can become an emotional tripwire for parent and child alike.

Second Opinions for Cancer

Whether you’re facing major surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, a second opinion can help ensure you’re getting the most targeted, effective treatment for your condition.

Understanding Long-Term Care

When people of any age need others to help them with medical, physical or emotional needs over an extended period of time, they need long-term care.

What You Need to Know About Burn Prevention

Here are suggestions on how to prevent most types of burns.

Go for the Whole Grains

Compared with refined grains, they have more fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. Whole grains are also a healthy way to control weight because they are digested slowly, so you feel full longer with fewer calories.

Learning to Be a More Valuable Employee

Before you walk in the door to work, make sure you bring along your talent, knowledge, skills and positive attitude.

What You Need to Know About Mental Illness

Every year, one in four Americans suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder that interferes with their ability to function at work or school or in their daily lives.

Stop the Spread of Germs at Work

Illnesses such as the flu and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. They’re usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Snacking Can Help You Maintain a Healthy Weight

Many nutrition experts say that having a healthy snack midmorning or midafternoon can help you maintain your energy and prevent you from eating too much at lunch or dinner.

The Power of a Food Diary

Keeping a food diary is critical for weight-loss success because it helps you understand and face up to your eating habits.

Understanding the Teen Brain

Parents need to realize the rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until he or she is 25 years old or so.

Your Personal Rx for Exercise Success

Like your signature, the exercise routine you prefer is individual. If you’re outgoing, for example, working out in a group situation could be what keeps you coming back for more. A more reserved person, however, might do better exercising solo.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Coronary Heart Disease

Omega-3s are a beneficial and essential form of fat, one that your body needs but can't make.

How to Help a New Coworker Succeed

To help someone who is starting out in your company, remember how you felt on your first day. Was it a pleasant experience? If so, what made it that way?

How to Make Heart-Healthy Food Choices

Maintaining a healthy diet is one of the best weapons for fighting cardiovascular disease and other heart conditions.

Super Stretches for Your Upper Body

Fatigue, stress and bad posture can cause stiffness and soreness in the shoulders, neck, chest and upper back. Doing stretches regularly can help prevent and relieve these conditions.

Make Sure You Understand Your Treatment

For optimum health, you need to understand your health problem and your treatment plan, including how to take prescription medications.

Stages of Substance Abuse

People who become addicted to drugs or alcohol typically go through predictable stages of abuse. Understanding these stages can help you recognize a problem and seek help before substance use becomes an addiction.

What to Do About a Pain in the Neck

Most neck pain is caused by sleeping on a bed that’s too soft, poor posture, stress, neck strains or degenerative joint disease that occurs when the joints of the neck become inflamed or a disc pushes outward from its normal position.

Relaxation Techniques That Really Work

To keep stress at a minimum and reduce its effects on your life, you need to find and practice healthy ways to manage it.

What Are the Health Effects of Air Pollution?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tracks five major air pollutants that cause significant health effects: ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide and microscopic particles called particulate matter.

Everyday Ways to Lose Weight

Moderately intense activities, such as walking briskly from your parked car to the mall entrance and taking your dog for a quick jog after dinner, won't help you train for a sport. But they can help you achieve and maintain a healthful weight and improve your overall fitness level.

Multiple Births Delivery

If you are having triplets or more multiple births, your doctor will perform a scheduled cesarean delivery. If you are having twins, your doctor will discuss with you options for delivery.

Food and Emotion: Why Some People Eat Too Much

America has a weight problem. More than half of us are classified as overweight, say officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the trend shows no signs of slowing down.

Fake Foods: A Nutritional Update

Posture Perfect: Standing Up for Your Back

Correct posture—while standing, sitting, or sleeping—is important for a healthy, pain-free back.

Hope for Macular Degeneration

People who lose their central vision to macular degeneration can usually be helped by low-vision specialists.

Women, Alcohol, and Drugs: The Risks Are Higher

As a woman, your body is much more sensitive to the effects of alcohol and more easily damaged than a man’s body. Because women have less water in their body than men, alcohol doesn't dilute as much and more of it gets absorbed into the blood. That’s why women suffer greater physical damage and often become more intoxicated than men when they drink identical amounts of alcohol.

ADHD Drugs Safe, Experts Say

Parents of kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a tough choice: whether to medicate their children or not.

Activity Can Help Control Diabetes

Being active is a great way to help control diabetes. Exercise helps lower your blood sugar.

Controlling Type 2 Diabetes With a Healthy Lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle will help you attain and maintain a healthy weight, manage your blood glucose level, lower blood pressure if you have high blood pressure, reduce stress and improve your mood.

Kids Need for a Good Night's Sleep

Children of different ages have different sleep needs—from 10 hours for younger kids to 8-/12 or more for teens.

Don't Ignore Dry Eyes

The condition called dry eyes may feel a sand-like grittiness that can range from mild to severe.

Just Do It—But Don't Overdo It

Exercise is good for you. You're probably sick of hearing that message. But did you know too much exercise can make you sick?

Secondhand Smoke, Firsthand Problems

Breathing even a little smoke can be harmful, because there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke. The only way to protect yourself and the people you love is to provide a 100 percent smoke-free setting.

Seniors Can Cook With Class

You can enjoy cooking classes, even if you've prepared meals most of your life. You can learn techniques that help your health and your budget while you're having fun.

Retire Your Excuses for Not Exercising

Most of us know we should exercise, but we have a lot of excuses for why we don't.

Are You Frenetic About Genetics?

Experts say you should pay close attention to what is, by far, the most useful genetic knowledge—your family medical history.

Thyroid Trouble Is Tough to Pin Down

What causes thyroid disorders, and why do they strike women five to eight times more often than men? The answers aren't clear.

Grandparents Can Provide a Critical Need: Attention

Being a cheerleader for your grandchildren doesn't require any special training. All you need to invest is some time and energy to become their biggest fan.

Take the Bite Out of Spring

Mosquitoes can be more than a nuisance -- they can ruin your outdoor plans and threaten your health. So it’s a good idea to protect yourself and your family as the weather heats up.

Sweetness and Light

Sugar fuels the body and every cell in it. The more you eat it, the more you want.

How to Be a Wise Health Care Consumer

Here are common problems you may run into as a health care consumer, with tips for wise responses.

Cross-Cultural Adoptions Raise Sensitive Issues

As the parent of an adopted biracial/bicultural child, it's important to acknowledge that your child is different. The goal is to help your child feel a sense of pride about his or her culture and race so it becomes a positive part of his or her identity.

Guard Your Baby from Rotavirus

A vaccine can protect babies from rotavirus, the most common cause of severe diarrhea in infants.

Facing Up to Alcohol in the Workplace

Alcohol-dependent employees incur twice the health care costs of the average employee, are more likely to steal from their employers, are more likely to be involved in workplace accidents and are five times more likely to file worker’s compensation claims.

Allergies on Vacation

If you’re heading out of town, and you or your child has allergies or asthma, proper planning can help you keep sneezes, sniffles, wheezing and attacks under control.

Taking Care of Head Injuries

The most common causes of head injuries are auto and motorcycle accidents, falls and violent assaults.

What’s Up with Shortcut Workouts?

There are plenty of options to choose from if you want to get fit but don’t have 45 to 60 minutes daily to devote to exercise. But there’s a catch to taking shortcuts.

You Can Sleep Better as You Age

A good night’s sleep is as important to your health as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. As we age, however, it can become more difficult to get deep sleep.

Be Comfortable Walking in Cold and Wet Weather

Don't let cold temperatures or rain deter you from your walking routine. Take weather-related precautions, and a change in the weather won't tempt you to skip your workout.

How to Make Your Home Allergy-Proof