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Holiday Feasts
What do you do to keep off the holiday pounds?
Work out. I put in extra hours at the gym to stay fit.
Cut calories. Less is more when it comes to enjoying holiday meals.
Skip desert. Bring on the stuffing, but pass the pie.
Nothing. I was blessed with fast metabolism.
Avoid the scale. What you don't know can't hurt you.
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Eww, gross! (But will it make you sick?)

-- By Julie Deardorff | Chicago Tribune

Several experts assess the risk of some everyday germ encounters. The advice can be summed up in three sentences: "Germs are everywhere. Live your life. And wash your hands."

For example, you sit on a public seat or lean your head on a headrest in an airplane. As long as the germs aren't on your hands—and then the hands go to the mouth, eyes or nose—you're fine.

THE VERDICT: Minimal risk.

The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts

SWOLLEN SALIVARY GLANDS: TREATMENT DEPENDS ON THE CAUSE

Q: I've been diagnosed with inflamed salivary glands. A: Salivary gland inflammation can occur for many reasons, so it's important to determine the cause.

LIFESTYLE CHANGES MOST PROMISING WAY TO REDUCE RISK OF PROSTATE CANCER

Q: I'm thinking about taking a special supplement for prostate health. A; Good timing on your question.

HYPNOSIS CAN BE THERAPUTIC

Q: I've smoked for 20 years and want to quit. A: Hypnosis is one of the oldest forms of psychotherapy in the Western world. Hypnosis involves focusing attention inward and using your imagination and positive mental images to alter your perceptions.

SAVING ON MEDICATIONS DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

Q: I've been out of work for the past 6 months and barely have enough money to pay my rent and utility bills. A: It's always uncomfortable when patients tell me they stopped taking one or two medicines because they had to pay for rent and food.

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BMI calculator

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Health news photos
Leila Veiga receives a treatment with hialuronic acid at the Brazilian Society for Aesthetic Medicine, as part of a free beauty treatment on November 13, 2008 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 400 people with low income apply to receive free treatment with botox, hialuronic acid and other drugs for free. The beauty treatments, applied by medical school students, serve as real-life practice for the society's professional education program. (ANTONIO SCORZA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
L.A. Times: Booster Shots health blog

It's all in the wrist: Gymnasts may be developing more hand and wrist injuries

Considering the pounding gymnasts? bodies take, it?s no secret they?re prone to chronic and serious musculoskeletal injuries. This is especially worrisome since many start at a young age when bones are still growing. A new study finds that teenage gymnasts...

In 2008, U.S. health is, frankly, about the same as 2007

Vermont is the healthiest state (again). Louisiana has fallen a spot to earn the distinction as the unhealthiest state. And California moves up a notch to find itself almost exactly between the two. So says America's Health Rankings 2008. The...