ALZHEIMER'S
Testosterone level tied to risk
Men with lower levels of the sex hormone testosterone seem to be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's, reports the journal Neurology.
( BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, The Hartford Courant, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

CHILDREN'S HEALTH
Latest in kids' medical advances
Pediatric doctors from far and wide came to Bal Harbour resort to learn about everything from new acne treatments to dealing with behavioral issues.
( BY DANIELA LAMAS, dlamas@herald.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

GET FIT
He's shaping up to have race down cold
Bobsled races? Crew members from the tropics? Is this Cool Runnings II? Not quite. But it's not every day you find someone in South Florida training hard for a space on a U.S. bobsled team.
( BY HOWARD COHEN, hcohen@herald.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

ASK DR. SEAN
Unhealthy concerns for health
Q: Is it possible to be obsessed with health food and a healthy lifestyle? A: From a physical standpoint, there is probably nothing wrong with eating healthily. Low fat, low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables are good for your body.
( BY DR. SEAN KENNIFF, skenniff@wfor.cbs.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

DINING
Restaurant tips
For people counting calories, their best alternative while dining out is to do just that -- count the calories. But if that's not an option, experts offer these tips:
( 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

DINING
When it comes to eating out, more is more
It's not just the foods we eat when we dine out that are so bad for us, it's the quantities. Over the last half century, portions have increased along with our waistlines.
( BY SHARI RUDAVSKY, srudavsky@msn.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

ACTION LINE ON HEALTH
Plastic water bottles risky?
Q: Recently, I received an e-mail regarding plastic water bottles and many other everyday articles made of plastics that contain dioxins, which cause cancer. Is this true?
( 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

CAFFEINE BENEFIT
Java may lower diabetes risk
It's too soon to prescribe coffee as a health tonic, but researchers have found that downing half a dozen cups a day appears to lower the risk of adult onset diabetes.
( Los Angeles Times Service, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

THE JOCK DOC
All thumbs and up to his elbow
Q: I just returned from a skiing trip with an injured thumb. The doctor told me I had ''skier's thumb'' and put me in a cast from my thumb to my elbow. He says I will need a cast for six weeks. What is skier's thumb and is this the right treatment?
( BY DR. HARLAN SELESNICK, jockdoc69@aol.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

GETTING FIT
Soothing a sore leg, conquering treadmill
My cat wouldn't sleep with me the other night. This wouldn't be remarkable except that Spooky prefers to be joined at my hip. Must be because I smeared the back of my leg with deep-heating mentholated balm and I stunk. Marco, my trainer, said he could smell me a mile away at the next morning's 60-minute spinning class at South Miami's M Cycle Gym.
( BY HOWARD COHEN, hcohen@herald.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

EAT WELL
Research shows supplements worth trying
Q: My mother was just diagnosed with macular degeneration. Aren't there supplements to help with this condition? A: Two years ago research was published describing the effect of antioxidants on the progression of macular degeneration, a deterioration of the eye. This large multi-center study determined that a specific combination of antioxidants and zinc reduced the risk of early macular degeneration from progressing to the advanced stage.
( BY SHEAH RARBACK, srarback@hotmail.com, 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

RX by the numbers
Miami, take a bow. In a new survey of heart-healthiest cities in America, the Greater Miami area ranked No. 5 of 50 cities. The top four were Hartford, Conn.; Orlando; San Francisco; and San Diego. (Broward was not included in the study.)
( 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

To your health
BALANCE: Discover the beauty of tai chi with Tai Chi Instructional Videos. You'll learn about correct body alignments, breathing patterns, Taoist philosophy and martial applications.
( 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

Science says: Heart attacks
What the researchers asked: Cardiologists are increasingly interested in detecting markers in patients blood that may signal a patients risk of a heart attack. Recently C-reactive protein has been making headlines for its potential to sound the alarm. Now a group of German scientists have located another inflammation marker called placental growth factor protein, or P1GF, that some think will prove even more promising.
( 02/03/2004 03:01 AM EST)

COMMENTARY | MY MARATHON EXPERIENCE
Soaked and slow -- and yet satisfied
It took me more than five hours to run 26.2 miles on Sunday. Around Mile 3, when it was raining lightly, I felt like a kid happily playing in the rain until a crotchety old woman calls her inside. Around Mile 17, when the weather intensified and my wet socks made squishing noises, I felt like a crotchety old woman.
( BY DESONTA HOLDER, dholder@herald.com, 02/02/2004 03:01 AM EST)

Against all odds
Running on hope. Running on faith. Running to stay alive.
Joe Scott's doctors said he would die in six months if his cancer treatment failed. That was 13 years ago. You may not spot Scott among the long, blurred field of 10,000 participants in the races of Sunday's Toyota Prius Miami Tropical Marathon, but he'll be there.
( BY DESONTA HOLDER, dholder@herald.com, 01/31/2004 03:01 AM EST)

BY DESONTA HOLDER
Joe Scott says he consciously decided not to succumb to his Hodgkin's disease. Thirteen years after his diagnosis, he runs marathons to raise money for cancer research.
By the time Joe Scott of Palmetto Bay was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1991, the disease had progressed to stage 3 of 4 and was widespread in his chest, neck and abdomen. Scott's wife, Annabelle, a nurse at Mercy, found out about the diagnosis on the hospital computer before the doctor had told her husband he would live only six months if treatment failed.
( dholder@herald.com, 01/31/2004 03:01 AM EST)

BY DESONTA HOLDER
Not even multiple sclerosis can keep Lee Munro, a health and fitness instructor in Boca Raton, from earning her second half-marathon medal.
''My three biggest challenges are teaching technology to teachers, being a single mom and keeping MS away,'' said Lee Munro. ``The hardest: teaching technology.''
( dholder@herald.com, 01/31/2004 03:01 AM EST)

`People would gawk at me, and I knew it wasn't because I resemble Brad Pitt'
Larry Herman, overweight since he was 8 years old, hopped on a treadmill last summer and has since lost nearly 100 pounds. Now, he intends to complete a marathon.
Larry Herman will not have to run a foot in order to overcome his biggest challenge in Sunday's marathon. All he has to do is toe up at the starting line.
( BY DESONTA HOLDER, dholder@herald.com, 01/31/2004 03:01 AM EST)