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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.		Walking for Fitness Fitness walking has something for everyone, even people who are already fit. Walking is one of the safest ways to condition your body aerobically. It can boost energy, help you lose weight, and reduce stress.
Walking OK for Baby, Mom in Early Labor A large study has concluded that walking during the first stage of labor is neither harmful nor beneficial to the mother or baby.		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.
Want Healthier Kids? Get Involved in Your Community To fight the harmful rise of obesity in the young, many schools, towns and states are revamping food and fitness programs, often at parents' urging.		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.
Want to Make Marriage Great? Communicate!		Wanted: The Free Radical
Warm Up to Winter Safety The winter season can carry special risks, from carbon monoxide poisoning to snow shoveling injuries.		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.
Warm-water Exercises for Older Adults Older adults who want to improve their physical health are turning to warm-water exercise.		Warts Warts are painless lumps on the outermost layer of the skin. They are slightly contagious. Most people have a natural immunity to warts and can't get them.
Watch for Signs of Youth Violence The causes of youth violence are complex and tough to measure. Many experts cite mayhem in movies, television shows and video games, as well as family turmoil.		Watch that Backpack Load When your child acts as if she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, maybe you should check her backpack.
Watching Your Diet This Winter		Water-Safety 101: Basic Guidelines Every year, thousands of Americans are injured or killed in boating and swimming accidents.
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?		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.
Ways to Reduce the Impact of Osteoarthritis One of the most important things you should do if you show symptoms of osteoarthritis -- recurring pain, aching, stiffness or swelling in or around a joint --is to see your doctor as soon as possible. Osteoarthritis usually comes on slowly.		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.
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.		Weave Fiber Into Kids' Diets A fiber-rich diet may decrease the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes later in life, so it's wise to get children in the fiber habit at a young age.
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.		Weighing the Risks of Contracting an Exotic Disease The way we gauge the peril a given disorder poses is called risk perception.
Weighing the Risks, Benefits of Back Surgery The reasons for back surgery typically vary with a patient's age.		Weight Management: Exercise and Activity Studies show that people who exercise are the most likely to lose weight and keep it off. Exercise burns calories. It helps build muscle to make your body stronger. Make exercise part of your weight-management plan.
Weight Management: Fact and Fiction Knowing the truth about losing weight can help you separate what works from what doesn’t. Don’t be taken in by expensive weight-loss fads like pills, herbs, and special foods. There’s no magic way to lose weight.		Weight Management: Healthy Eating Food is your body’s fuel. You can’t live without it. The key is to give your body enough nutrients and energy without eating too much. Learn new eating habits to manage your weight.
Weight Management: Overcoming Your Barriers You can keep the weight off, if you make changes slowly and stick with them. Consider that you may never find the perfect time to lose weight. Decide that the right time to be healthier is now.		Weight Management: Take it Off and Keep it Off It’s easy to be motivated when you first start. The key is to stay motivated all along the way. Here are things you can do to keep yourself on the path to success.
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.		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.
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.		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.
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.		Wellness Made Easy: The Real Basics of Better Health
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.		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.
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.		What Are Heart Monitors? 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.
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.		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.
What Are the Kidneys?		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.
What Causes Hair Loss? Losing your hair can be a frustrating process, especially because you often have little control over it.		What Do You Know About Anemia?
What Do You Know About Birth Defects?		What Do You Know About Effective Delegating?
What Do You Know About 'Mad Cow' Disease?		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.
What Do You Know About Prostate Health? Prostate cancer and other diseases of the prostate are common.		What Do You Know About the Personalized Food Pyramid? Find out how much you know about the new dietary guidelines and how they differ from the old food pyramid.
What Do You Know About Using E-Mail?		What Do You Really Know About Fever? One minute you're hot; the next, you're chilled and your teeth chatter. You've got a fever. But look on the bright side: Fever seems to serve a helpful function in the body.
What Do You Really Know About Over-the-Counter Medications? Just because a drug is available without a prescription doesn't mean it's safe to take. Aspirin, for example, can cause problems with asthma.		What Do You Really Know About Sleep? A good night's sleep—everyone needs it, but not everyone gets it. We stay up late and get up early, and then wonder why we always feel tired.
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.		What Is a Cesarean Birth? Right now, you're likely to have a lot of questions. Once your concerns are eased, you can look forward to what's really important -- the birth of your baby.
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.		What Is Angioplasty? When you feel chest pain from blocked arteries, you might see an interventional cardiologist for treatment.
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.		What Is Celiac Disease? People with this disease can't tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, barley and rye.
What Is Colorblindness? Colorblindness, also called color vision deficiency, is an inherited condition that can range from a slight difficulty in telling the shades of a color apart to the rare condition of not being able to identify any color.		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.
What Is Endometrial Cancer? Cancer on the lining of your uterus can be difficult to detect. Therefore, you need to know the early warning signs.		What Is Hemochromatosis? It's a condition in which too much iron is absorbed from food and retained in the body.
What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome rarely talk about it. Yet it affects more than 15 percent of Americans, most of them women.		What Is Motion Sickness? Motion sickness occurs when your senses offer your brain conflicting reports about what you're doing.
What Is Nocturnal Asthma? Nocturnal asthma, also called sleep-related asthma, can happen at any hour during sleep, but symptoms worsen at night.		What Is Ovarian Cancer? Ovarian cancer begins in a woman's ovaries. This type of cancer causes more deaths per year than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
What Is Periodontal Disease? Periodontal disease refers to more than one disease. It's a large collection of diseases involving your gums and the bones inside your mouth.		What Is Pertussis? Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract.
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.		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.
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.		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.
What Is the Appendix? The appendix is a leftover from primitive times -- a leftover that has no function in the modern human body. It becomes a medical concern when something clogs it.		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.
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.		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.
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.		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.
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.		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.
What to Do After a Stroke Stroke may cause physical and mental difficulties. But the good news is that you can recoup some or all of your previous abilities.		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.
What to Do Before You Quit Smoking Everyone who successfully quits smoking makes a commitment to stop smoking, then devises a plan to do so.		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.
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.		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.
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.		What to Do When the Doctor Has Bad News Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong way to proceed. You just have to do the best you can.
What to Do When the Family Feels Claustrophobic There comes a time when even the closest families find themselves too close together.		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.
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.		What to Know About Cryotherapy for Prostate Cancer
What to Look For in a Toothbrush		What to Look for on OTC Drug Labels Always read the label. All OTC medicine labels have detailed usage and warning information to help you choose and use the products.
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.		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.
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.		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.
What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk of 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.		What You Must Know About Meningitis Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
What You Must Know About Suicide In many cases of suicide or attempted suicide, undiagnosed and untreated mental illness—especially depression—is to blame.		What You Need to Know About Adult Asthma Chances are, you know someone who has asthma -- or even have it yourself. This brief summary can serve as an introduction or a review of the facts about asthma.
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.		What You Need to Know About Bird Flu Here are answers to questions you may have about bird flu.
What You Need to Know About Burn Prevention Here are suggestions on how to prevent most types of burns.		What You Need to Know About Coronary Artery Disease If an artery narrows too much, you can feel chest pain. A heart attack occurs if an artery closes all the way or narrows so much that a blood clot blocks the blood flow.
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.		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.
What You Need to Know About Hives Hives occur when something prompts cells to release histamine, a chemical found in the skin.		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.
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.		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.
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.		What You Should Know About Depression People who are depressed have a cluster of symptoms characterized by sadness and a profound lack of energy and well-being.
What You Should Know About Treating Cuts Whether it's a slip of the kitchen knife or a run-in with a nail or slice from a piece of paper, everyone suffers a cut now and then.		What’s New with the Flu This Season? With all the attention that 2009 H1N1 is getting, it's easy to forget that the "traditional" flu is still out there, with the peak flu season hitting during the winter months.
What’s True About the Flu? The flu shows up each fall, and misconceptions come with it. Test your savvy about influenza by taking this quiz.		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.
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.		What's in the Food You Eat? Most food additives are safe and beneficial, experts say. What's more, they're everywhere.
What's the Meaning of Money? How you deal with money depends a lot on your upbringing and cultural influences, which may leave you unhappy with the way you handle it.		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.
What's Your Blood I.Q.?		What's Your Eye-Q?
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.		What's Your Mental Fitness? As you age, you need to exercise your brain on a regular basis, just as you would your body.
Wheeled Shoes Pose Risk of Injury Known as heeleys, roller shoes, or street gliders, the shoes carry safety risks similar to those for inline skates.		Wheezing Wheezing is caused by narrowing airways in the lungs. It's a sign that there is difficulty breathing and is a common symptom of many disorders.
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.		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.
When a Family Member Is in Recovery The person in recovery may seem to have a different personality—more serious, more careful, more private—and the family may feel uncertain about how to relate.		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."
When Back Pain Needs Care Now If you have loss of bowel or bladder control, seek emergency help at once. Paralysis of the bowel and bladder could result if not attended to promptly.		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.
When Drugs Cause Dementia (Pseudodementia) What looks like dementia may actually be confusion or forgetfulness caused by some other agent, such as a drug interaction.		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.
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.		When Kids Want to Buy, Buy, Buy Don't argue about cost. Do talk with your children about money management and media messages.
When Seconds Count Medical emergencies can be frightening and confusing. But the good news is that emergency treatment often saves lives.		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.
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.		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.
When to Call the Doctor for Childhood Illnesses Many childhood illnesses are mild enough to be treated at home. But what about when the symptoms are more severe?		When to Call the Doctor for Chronic Disease Problems Between regular appointments, what should you do if symptoms flare up, or new ones appear?
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.		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.
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.		When to Worry About That Messy Desk
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.		When You’re Taking Heart Medications These medications are life-giving and powerful. It's important to take them just as your doctor has prescribed.
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.		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.
When Your Child Says, 'I'm Sick' Do you keep her home or send her off to school?		When Your Diet 'Disconnects' Even with some basic knowledge about how to accomplish weight-loss goals, 66 percent of us are still overweight.
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.		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.
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.		Whiplash
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.		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.
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.		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.
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.		Why Fitness Really Matters Simply put, inactivity is hazardous to your health. Study after study has shown that being inactive nearly doubles your risk of heart disease.
Why I Do a Colonoscopy 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 I Use Psychotherapy Contrary to what many people believe, psychotherapy for anxiety, depression, phobias or stress doesn't have to be a long and costly process. Feeling better doesn't require a lifetime of intensive psychotherapy.
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.		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.
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.		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.
Why Portion Sizes Are Important Most people are serving-size challenged, thanks to today's large portions: mega-muffins, heaping plates of pasta, behemoth burgers and extra-large bagels.		Why Real Men See the Doctor Waiting until you are ill before you see your health care provider can put your health in jeopardy.
Why the Doctor Examines the Neck and Throat		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.
Why the Doctor Gives You an EKG 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).		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.
Why the Doctor Looks in Your Nose 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.		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.
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.		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.
Why the Doctor Uses a Stethoscope Your doctor's stethoscope is a simple device that gives him or her crucial information about your heart.		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.
Why the Family Meal Is Important		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.
Why We 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.		Why Worry When You Can Be Concerned? If you keep thinking about the problem and don't take action, you worry. If you take appropriate action, that's concern.
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.		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.
Why Your Doctor Uses Medical Imaging What can doctors see on an X-ray? Large and small fractures are first on the list.		Winning the Race Against Cancer Cyclist Lance Armstrong is proof that you can not only survive cancer, but that you can actually resume a normal livelihood, one of his doctors says.
Winter Self-Care To Do List		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.
With Alzheimer’s, Planning Is Key We expect people to act in certain ways. When their behavior is difficult, we expect them to change in response to care or attention. But people with Alzheimer's can't change.		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.
Women and Anger Learning how to express anger assertively and constructively can improve your personal interaction and your health.		Women and Depression: Understanding the Gender Gap A woman’s unique biological, social, and cultural factors may increase her risk for depression.
Women and Lung Cancer Over the last 20 years, according to the American Lung Association, more women have died each year from lung cancer than breast cancer.		Women and Substance Abuse When a woman has a substance-abuse problem, her whole family is affected because she’s often the key to family stability.
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.		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.
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.		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.
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.		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.
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.		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.
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.		Working Well with Everyone at Work Getting along with everyone at work creates a cooperative, cheerful atmosphere that can help you and your company succeed.
Working With an Online Fitness Coach		Working with Your Cancer Care Team Cancer is increasingly viewed as a long-term chronic illness, rather than an acute one.
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.		Workplace Goals for the New Year Resolutions are important not only for your personal life, but also for your career. Here's how to improve your on-the-job enjoyment and your productivity.
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.		Wound Care
Wrist and Hand Pain Together the wrist and hand are composed of 29 bones: 19 in the hand and fingers, 8 in the wrist, and 2 in the forearm.		Wrist Arthroscopy: Conditions Treated Wrist arthroscopy is used for diagnosis. But in some cases, it is used in treatment. It works best for showing ligament tears, or damage to the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) or cartilage.
Write On! Help Your Child Start a Journal If your kids are angry or upset, tell them to write it down. A private journal helps bring resolution to things that have been troubling you. It helps you explore how you feel about something.