While many worthy policies and programs need funding, it's hard to think of any more universally necessary than protecting our nation's food supply. The sequestration means, however, the FDA will be forced to reduce the number of inspections it conducts.

A considerable body of scholarly work seeks to explain what might have created the folklore of the vampire or Nosferatu -- a name that comes from the Greek nosophoros, or plague-carrier.

Except for the added cost, there isn't much of a downside to buying organic. But if you can't afford the added cost of organics, fill up your recyclable shopping bag with the freshest produce you can find and you'll be serving yourself and your family well.

If you want to stay healthy and well, it may surprise you that a summer break may just be what you need -- and what this doctor is recommending.

When the finely honed bodies of elite athletes break down, these players' compulsion to get back in the game sometimes can lead them to embrace medical procedures that eventually may benefit the duffers among us and more.

As you declare your independence this week and we splash the skies with patriotic fireworks and stirring music, don't forget to stash some great summer reads in your tote for that annual retreat to the mountains or shore.

It seems like only yesterday you were bounding across the tennis court with the finesse of a Williams sister. Now your hips and knees ache just getting out of bed in the morning. Well, you're not alone.

Within the borders of the United States, precisely where you live has a lot to do with your health, your health care and what it costs.

While I offer no moral nor aesthetic judgment to would-be piercers, they should just be aware that today's trendy practices change in a blink. And while most piercings will close over time, there are medical risks.

The anti-aging industry has gone wild diagnosing men with nonspecific and virtually ubiquitous symptoms with dubious hormonal deficiencies, which they then proceed to treat at great expense.

If you're a trend-watcher, there's an intriguing statistical uptick that's worth a second glance and it involves women, their health and where they're giving birth.

A growing body of scientific study, "inactivity research," shows that prolonged sitting can lead to serious health problems, regardless of whether you exercise and are at fighting weight.

Before we start indiscriminately dumping statins into the water supply as an easy way to reduce cardiovascular disease, we must individually -- patient by patient -- examine the tradeoffs.

The goal of quality patient care is and always should be the same: Health care professionals should do the right thing for the right patient in the right setting with the right resources.

So what does the research tell us? We need to talk to both young women and men, not once but early and often about sexual health and responsibility.

The movement of what was once a relatively inconspicuous disease to an epidemic of significant public health concern remains both worrisome and mysterious.

Combining movement with meditative practices can help protect your good health -- but let common sense control expectations.

Now that the federal government has sought to get schools across the country to make healthier lunches, there's another tough question for us all: Will kids eat them?

To hear their advocates, liquefied fruits, veggies and herbs offer an amazing elixir to lose weight, boost the body's immunity, prevent cancer, and cleanse the liver and colon -- and more. Be careful if you buy all these claims.

There is a spectrum in the process of dying. It ranges from unbearable suffering for patients and their families to a reasonable quality of life in which symptoms are controlled until the end. Either way, survivors are left to grieve.

Even as it leads the planet in medical and scientific accomplishments, the United States also has some downright shameful disparities in its health care, and one of the worst is in the area of infant mortality.

In the human health equation, love in all its varieties rains down benefits for us. So let's take this day to celebrate the joy, pleasure and positive psychology that love from all sources brings to our mental and physical health.

It's easy to understand why millions of patients with cancer, infections, heart disease, central nervous system conditions and pain get riled up when they learn there are shortages of drugs for what ails them.

As snow sport enthusiasts invade ski resorts this winter, two to three in every 1,000 ski visits and nearly seven snowboard visits will result in an injury. Fortunately, most ski and snowboarding injuries are not serious or life threatening.