Health & Balance Features

Want to boost your energy, reduce stress, and get relief from headaches and hangovers? Try oxygen bars, say proponents. But the medical community isn't buying it.

People petrified of public toilets can rest assured that the chances of actually catching something are low -- if they follow some simple advice.

Hypnotherapy is entering the mainstream as a means of behavior and pain control. Could it be right for you? Read on.

If diets and exercise just aren't working, you might want to consider hypnotherapy. The technique is proven to help relieve pain and anxiety, and there's evidence that as part of a comprehensive weight loss plan, it also can help people conquer bad eating habits and slim down for good.

By now, you're probably tired of dark, dreary days. If you're holed up at home, feeling low -- take heart. Here's what to do when winter, and the world outside, get you down.

Jobless dot-commers have an alternative to sitting at home and sulking: Many are attending pink-slip parties.

Whether the pressure you feel comes and goes with the holidays, or it is a year-round fixture in your life, one expert strongly advises you to get things under control.

You can be alone for the holidays but not lonely. Find out how to get through the seasons of gatherings.

I'm heading home for the holidays. Though I love my family, the closer the departure date looms, the more anxious I become.

A look at a book that is a guide for patients and their loved ones caught up in the daily struggle of living with cancer.

For people who suffer from chronic pain, meditation may be the first step to recovery.

Your body speaks a chemical language in which hormonesare the key words. Researchers learning to speak this languagesay they soon will find new ways to treat anxiety, depression,addiction, and other mental and emotional problems by using hormones.

Yoga is something that can be practiced during any phase of life, even pregnancy. Furthermore, proponents of the ancient practice say yoga during pregnancy can actually help the woman prepare for childbirth and parenthood by getting her (and dad!) into mental, physical, and spiritual shape -- gently.

The subject of man-made life and artificial intelligence both fascinates and repels us. But when does a smart machine become a thinking creation?

Imagine a device -- permanently implanted in your bodylike a pacemaker -- that controls anxiety by stimulatinga nerve in your neck that leads to your brain. Can thisapproach -- called vagus nerve stimulation -- be a permanentsolution for people who have gone from drug to drug andtherapy to therapy without success?

They may not even know who they are, the citizens of this nation-within-a-nation. They're the offspring of anonymous sperm donors, oftentimes raised without knowing the circumstances of their birth, without knowing the identity -- and medical history -- of their biological father.

Alternative healers say they've developed treatments that can ease the pain of arthritis using your 'chi' -- the life force that flows through the human body.

Alternative healers say they've developed treatments that can ease the pain of arthritis -- without drugs. But to use them you must start thinking in terms of 'chi' -- the Chinese term for a life force that flows through the human body.

Anyone facing a serious medical condition for the first time may recognize an urgent need not only for expert medical advice and treatment, but for support -- from friends, family, acquaintances, and others who have already passed through the furnace of diagnosis and treatment.

Recent bad press aside, practitioners say most of what we've heard about 'rebirthing' is all wrong. Done properly, rebirthing is a gentle, breath-focused form of personal growth, they say, with benefits for those seeking vitality and energy.

Patient, Express Thyself

The brand-new Physician's Desk Reference For Nutritional Supplements is the complete guide to which alternative remedies really work, which don't, and which need more testing. Taken together with the recently published PDR for Herbal Medicines, it's the definitive 'complementary copy'.

Science is beginning to verify advice long given by spiritual leaders and wise moms and dads: Nursing grudges against those who have done you wrong will hurt you worse than it hurts them. New work shows it can contribute to emotional problems and even heart disease. June 17 to 23 is National Forgiveness Week, an ideal time to work at finding it in your heart to save your heart by forgiving those w

Eleven-year-old Ian is one of 60 boys and girls enrolled in amartial arts class for children with cerebral palsy. The goals:to help kids learn to improve their balance and coordination,build self-esteem -- and kick major butt!

Fight back! It's the toughest battle you're likely to fight -- but your odds have never been better.

Think that cigarette is a good way to calm your nerves, that it's just something to keep your hands busy? Better think again. New studies show that smoking actually increases anxiety levels -- especially in young girls -- and can trigger the onset of lifelong panic attacks.

As mainstream medicine begins to subject herbal therapies to the rigors of scientific testing, the mixed results are leaving some consumers confused. As a result, sales have dropped sharply in the past year. Are we witnessing a pendulum swing -- or a fading fad?

Some therapists are going to the dogs -- and the rabbits, cats, and horses -- to reach patients in need.

A trend away from institutionalization means more emotionally disturbed people are on the streets. Police are seeking new ways to cope with the consequences.

Some see VAX-D as a good alternative to surgery. Others aren't so sure.

As more states pass right-to-view laws for witnessing executions, more professionals are wondering if this is really the way to find closure.

More consumers are trying alternative medicines. Some appear to be pushing the limits.

Traditional therapy has a high failure rate. 'Acceptance therapy' offers a different approach.

In the continuing search for cold relief, mom appears to be right -- as usual.

Did you hear the one about the scientists who said laughter is good for your heart?

Programs to combat dating and domestic abuse are aiming for younger, middle school audiences.

Even if you have two left feet, proponents say this form of therapy can be good for what ails you.

Even as adults, children of divorce can feel caught in the middle of their parents' conflicts. Here's a survival guide.

The ingredients have been used for decades in Europe, but not in well-controlled tests. Researchers are beginning the first U.S. study.

Chronic procrastinators can suffer stress, self-doubt, and poor health. Are you at risk?

Impressed by evidence that it can help heal the brain, doctors are making new use of music's soothing power

We all have them -- moments that are so embarrassing we feel we'll never get over them. But you can -- if you keep your head and maybe try a little humor.

Many doctors aren't sticking to one medical philosophy anymore. They're combining approaches from East and West so they can better diagnose illness.

Standard antibiotics are losing their power. Could tiny 'bacteriophages' be harnessed for healing?

Not all are born with the gift of charisma. But if you lack it, you can learn it.

Disorganized or forgetful? Try these techniques.

Can diet be as effective in dealing with some cancers as it is for heart disease? Dean Ornish, MD, wants to find out.

Violent television programming is harming kids, experts say. The solution? Use the tube as a teaching tool.

Optimists often are more successful and live longer, researchers say. Here's how to cultivate a brighter outlook.

Why? Candidates with positive outlooks almost always win U.S. presidential elections, says a team of researchers. So, who's going to win this time?