Blog Posts by The Editors at Sharecare

Will you vaccinate your child against HPV?

By Maura Rhodes

At my 12-year-old daughter's last check-up, the pediatrician asked if I wanted to give her Gardasil. I said no. I knew that Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine, works by providing immunity against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is primarily shared through sexual contact. Why on earth would I need to protect my child against a sexually transmitted bug? While it might make sense for an older teen or woman in her early 20's to take a needle in the name of warding off a virus she might catch from someone she's sleeping with, sticking it to a seventh-grader (or a fourth-grader: Gardasil is approved for males and females ages 9 to 26) seems tantamount to giving her permission to start hooking up.

Learn about how to prevent HPV infection

Here's what one of the developers of the vaccine, Sharecare expert Diane M. Harper, MD, a professor in the department of biomedical and health informatics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, told me about the HPV

Yoga for digestion

By Sadie Nardini

Improving your digestion with yoga might not sound very exciting until you consider this: When your gut works properly, you reap a whole host of benefits like a more efficient metabolism, weight loss, less bloating, fewer toxins, slower aging and a sense of inner peace.

Take our Beat the Bloat quiz

Whoa. Inner peace? That's just some woo-woo yoga thing, right?

Au contraire. When your belly is happy, you produce serotonin, a feel-good chemical that makes you feel as content as if you'd just eaten a fantastic meal with good friends. What's more, being in this state of calm helps lower your level of cortisol-the belly-fat promoting nemesis of serotonin.

You hear a lot about serotonin in the brain, but your belly? Not so much. So it may surprise you to learn that around 95 percent of your serotonin is produced in your GI tract. It's one of the foundations of proper digestion.

Yoga is a powerful way to get your belly feeling fine and keep that

Did you know? Research shows that working up a sweat could cause fewer symptoms of menopause.

By Su Reid-St. John

When you're suffering from hot flashes, the last thing you want to do is work up a sweat. But research shows that it could be just the ticket to sailing through menopause with fewer symptoms.

In a recent Pennsylvania State University study, 92 menopausal women with mild to moderate hot flashes tracked their exercise for 15 days. The researchers discovered that most of the women who exercised experienced fewer flashes for a full day afterward. The effect didn't hold for everyone-overweight women and women who were out of shape reported having slightly more hot flashes when they increased their exercise- but overall, more movement equaled fewer flashes.

Hot flashes? Mood swings? Get help now

We're not talking intense pavement-pounding here. The women in the study exercised at a moderate pace-ideal for taming those "power surges," says the National Academy of Sports Medicine. High intensity workouts can have the opposite effect, putting you at a higher

By Shannon Jay Dougherty

Looking to fit a little more easily into your Halloween costume, or build enough muscles to tote around an exhausted toddler post-trick-or-treating? We've got the workout for you.

Healthy alternatives to Halloween candy

These nine moves will work your entire body, with a special focus on your core. Using a pumpkin in place of a medicine ball is a great way to work your midsection muscles and train your belly. Besides a heart-pumping, fat-blasting workout, you'll get the great pumpkin payoff: toned abs and a leaner, stronger body.

Take control of your fitness today with Sharecare Fitness

Watch the video:

Learn how to tone your core by taking our quiz

Shannon Dougherty is a fitness and lifestyle model, personal trainer and certified athletic trainer.

Get More Health Tips from Sharecare:

Reverse Aging Now with the Free RealAge Test

The Only Exercises You Need to Know to Burn Fat

What's Your Breast Cancer Risk?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

By Lisa Davis

Is there a woman in America who is not aware of breast cancer? Hard to imagine. So in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, we've brought you five tips from some of the most influential voices on this disease- SharecareNow's Top 10 Online Influencers in Breast Cancer-that might really come as news.

Get advice from Sharecare's top 10 online influencers in breast cancer

1. It's not your job to detect breast cancer
It's too bad, but according to research, breast self-exams (BSEs) don't find breast cancer early or increase the odds of survival, says medical sociologist Gayle Sulik, PhD. Maybe worst of all, she says, is that "boobie" campaigns that promote BSEs send an unspoken message that women are responsible for finding their own cancers. "For women who don't find their cancer themselves, this is a particularly heavy emotional burden," says Sulik. Bottom line? A self-exam may be a way to get to know your body, Sulik says-but you shouldn't think of

Think you're a grocery shopping pro? Here are five steps you should take to protect yourself at the supermarket.

By Rachael Anderson

Think you're a grocery shopping pro? Even if you know how to steer clear of hidden fat and salt traps, you may be falling pray to other pitfalls that are even more dangerous to your health. Dr. Oz teamed up with food safety inspector Roy Costa and registered dietitian Frances Largeman-Roth to reveal five steps you should take to protect yourself from the risky secrets your supermarket is hiding.

1. Look for the cold line
What do you do when you buy eggs? Do you take the carton from the top, open it and check for cracked eggs inside? Not good enough, says Costa. His advice: Buy eggs that are stacked under the cold line. This colored line is painted on the wall of the dairy section cooler. Retailers aren't supposed to stack eggs above this line, where the temperature isn't sufficiently cold. According to Dr. Oz, eggs stored there can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria. Instead of grabbing the top carton, look for that cold line and grab from

Spend time with your family to celebrate Family Health and Fitness Day.

By Su Reid-St. John

Here's a pair of things guaranteed to perk up your day: exercising and spending fun time with the family. And just like chocolate and peanut butter, these two go fabulously well together. In honor of Family Health and Fitness Day, I turned to some of Sharecare's top fitness experts and trainers for their most inspirational ways to get moving with the kids. Ready? Set? Go!

1. Redefine family game night
From NASM Elite Trainer Jeff Croswell:
"Video gaming is a great way for kids and parents to be active together." What better way to connect with the younger generation than doing something they love?" So fire up the Xbox Kinect or Wii Fit and pair off to compete in your favorite games.

Meet Sharecare's top experts in children's health

2. Host a scavenger hunt
From Sharecare fitness expert Todd Townes:
"We recently hosted a day-long outdoor scavenger hunt where we posted pictures of specific items with clues located strategically around the

That glass of vino can help your memory stay sharp.Can't decide whether to order wine with dinner? Go ahead -- it may keep your memory going strong as you grow older. What you drink could help your mind stay sharp and ward off Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Try these five brain-boosting sippers:

How old is your brain? Play this mind game to find out.

Wine

Light to moderate amounts of alcohol may help protect you from age-related cognitive declines or even Alzheimer's disease. In one study, wine drinkers were up to 53 percent less likely to suffer memory loss than teetotalers.

Researchers are still teasing out how booze helps your memory. Some say it protects against inflammation-producing proteins in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer's. Other findings suggest moderate drinking boosts cerebral blood flow by dilating vessels in the brain.

Wine is fine, but beer or even your favorite cocktail can nourish your noggin, too. Just be sure to enjoy in moderation: one drink a day for women, two for men.

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