Blog Posts by Health.com

IstockphotoFeeling sick? Your doctor may weigh the evidence and say you don't need an antibiotic. If you insist, chances are, she'll sigh, pull out her script pad, and give you one just to get your annoying self out of her office. Physicians are busy people who don't necessarily feel like giving you a lesson in Antibiotics 101 during your three-minute visit.

"Patients will, in many cases, insist that they be given an antibiotic," says Frank Myers, the director of clinical epidemiology at Scripps Mercy Hospital, in San Diego. Some even threaten to see another doctor if they don't get the drugs.

Health.com: 5 ways to tell if you really need an antibiotic

However, there are a lot of really good reasons why you should meekly leave the doctor's office empty handed, save for the standard advice to get enough fluids and bed rest.

For one, antibiotics also kill off good bacteria in your body, which help to digest your food or maintain a healthy balance in your throat or genital tract. "You're not just

By Bethenny Frankel

Valentine's Day can be one big fat trap for even the most diligent of dieters. Boxes of chocolates, sugar-laden candy hearts, and a big dinner out can cost you a whole lot of calories, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't indulge a little. Spread the love and whip up one of of my sweet (and healthy) treats.

Health.com: 8 Valentine's Day treats under 80 calories

Fudge Chocolate Chip Muffins
Unsweetened applesauce keeps these muffins figure-friendly. Raspberries add a festive Valentine's touch.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1⁄2 cup raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1⁄4 teaspoon raspberry extract
3⁄4 cup oat flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips
1⁄2 cup fresh or frozen (drained) raspberries

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a regular-size muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine applesauce, raw sugar,

Getty ImagesBy Su Reid-St. John

So you're chugging along at a nice clip, running or skating or strength training or whatever you like to do, and then BAM! You catch the flu or pull a hamstring or just get totally enveloped in work craziness-and then you're forced to hit the pause button on your workout routine. When you're finally good to go once again, actually getting back into your routine seems as daunting as scaling Everest. Sound familiar?

Health.com: Create your own total-body workout

It does to me. I recently had minor surgery on one toe; that put me out for a week. Then I pulled a muscle in my shoulder, upping my time on the sidelines to two weeks. Once I finally returned to fighting form, it was absurdly hard to get back into the groove-and I'm a fitness editor. I like working out!

It all comes down to Newton's First Law of Motion, which says, in part, that "a body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it." (Who knew Mr. Newton was so

By Julie Upton, RD

If you want to put some sizzle back into your sex life, food can help you set the mood this Valentine's Day. There's nothing better than a romantic, home-cooked dinner, featuring some R-rated foods to help turn up the heat.

"There's a growing body of evidence that some of the vitamins and components in foods can enhance sexual function and sexual experience," says Jennifer R. Berman, MD, director of the Berman Women's Wellness Center in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Health.com: 7 foods for better sex

And if you're sporting a little extra pudge, incorporating these in-the-mood-foods into a healthy, plant-based diet is one of the best ways to help you get back to your sexy self. If you're overweight, research shows losing just 10% of your body weight can improve the quality of your sex life, explains Martin Binks, PhD, of the Duke University Diet and Fitness Center. "We find that among overweight women, they bring their negative self-talk and body image issues to the

By Michael Gollust

Portrayals of death, disease, and disorder have yielded some of film's most indelible performances: Debra Winger's turn as a dying mom in Terms of Endearment, Jack Nicholson's obsessive-compulsive rituals in As Good as It Gets. Hollywood has certainly learned how to use health problems to tug at our heartstrings. But just because a performance is emotionally powerful doesn't make it accurate.

In honor of Oscar season, we've asked Health.com's medical experts to review some of Hollywood's most memorable health-related roles. In the following slideshow, they separate fact from fiction and help you decide what you can-and shouldn't-learn about health and medicine from the silver screen.

Type 1 Diabetes
Steel Magnolias (1989)

In this classic '80s chick flick, Julia Roberts plays a young woman with type 1 diabetes who unexpectedly gets pregnant. Though her doctors advise against it, she decides to have the baby-and pays for it with her life when her kidneys fail.

The Super Bowl is one of the biggest calorie fests of the year for many Americans. The average football fan eats about a day's worth of calories during the game, and the U.S. Calorie Control Council estimates that Americans pack away 11 million pounds of chips on Super Bowl Sunday. Instead, snack on these 10 delicious and healthy game day recipes.

Lemon-Drop Chicken Wings
These spiked wings have a tangy lemon taste and are baked, not fried.
Ingredients: Vodka, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, chicken wings
Calories: 173
Try this recipe: Lemon-Drop Chicken Wings

Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip
A sneaky, low-cal way to get your family to eat iron-rich spinach and beans!
Ingredients: Olive oil, lima beans, cream cheese, Tabasco sauce, capers, mustard, artichoke hearts, frozen spinach, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, green onions, lemon juice
Calories: 59
Try this recipe: Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip

White Bean Dip
Mashing the white beans creates the same creamy consistency as sour

Dasha Wright for Health magazineThe celeb chef lightens up his favorite dishes.

Roasted Shrimp with Smoked Chile Cocktail Sauce
Ingredients: plum tomatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper, chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce, horseradish, lime juice, honey, cilantro, shrimp
Calories: 181
Try this recipe: Roasted Shrimp with Smoked Chile Cocktail Sauce

Chopped Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
"If you aren't a fan of blue cheese," Flay says, "try substituting feta or goat cheese in the salad. Both pair really well with apples and pomegranates."
Ingredients: pomegranate molasses, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, apples, baby spinach, endive, walnuts, blue cheese
Calories: 340
Try this recipe: Chopped Apple Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Spanish Spice-Rubbed Lamb Tenderloin with Farro Salad
"Spice rubs are a great way to add flavor and texture to meat and fish without extra calories or fat," Flay says. "Buy your own spices, and make your own blends to

CorbisBy Norine Dworkin-McDaniel

Whether it's a squeeze of the hand, a big bear hug, a kneading massage, even a bedroom romp, touch is shaping up to be the ultimate mind-body medicine.

From lowering blood pressure and heart rate to increasing immune function and relieving pain, getting touched or doing some touching makes you healthier-not to mention happier and less anxious.

How do you tap into these body-boosting benefits? Let us count the ways.

Get a rubdown
Anyone who's ever gotten a massage-even a quickie at a mall kiosk-knows that it helps you unwind. That's not just a mental sensation: Getting massaged causes muscles to unclench, a racing heart rate to slow, heightened blood pressure to fall, and levels of the stress hormone cortisol to drop. In that relaxed state, your body is able to regroup and recharge. One happy result: a more robust immune system.

"Cortisol suppresses the immune response," explains Roberta Lee, MD, vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at