(HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that a little bit of Googling goes a long way toward keeping your mind fit.

This small study doesn't confirm that using an Internet search engine like Google is healthy for the brain. But some middle-aged and older subjects who spent time searching for information on the Internet did show signs of more brain activity than those who simply engaged in reading.

I’m having a baby. Well not really. I’m launching a book,
which isn’t quite as easy as having a baby (joke). The book, called Ride The Pink Elephant, is all about menopause and hormones – how you can go crazy and then find your sanity again.

Similar to having a baby, the initial conception of a book is the best part. Thereafter, the actual writing, followed by the publishing and promotion, are almost as hellacious as raising a troubled teen. I know this because I was one.

You can blame some of your energy crisis on a serious lack of shut-eye, but there may be other reasons you're slogging along like a turtle. Find out how to light a fire under your butt.

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(HealthDay News) -- A new and improved DNA stool sample test to screen for colon cancer is twice as effective at catching cancer and serious precancerous polyps than either current blood stool sample tests or an older version of DNA testing, new research reveals.

"This is a very important finding in that if you don't detect the precancerous lesions, you don't actually prevent cancer," said Dr. David A. Ahlquist, a professor of medicine, and a gastroenterology consultant at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

(HealthDay News) -- Severely brain-damaged patients in a "minimally conscious state" may still feel pain and require painkilling treatment, according to European researchers.

A minimally conscious state (MCS) is different than a persistent vegetative state (PVS), which involves wakefulness without awareness of self or surroundings. MCS patients do show some evidence of awareness of self and their surroundings.

(HealthDay News) -- Being vaccinated against pneumonia halves the risk of having a heart attack two years later, a new Canadian study finds.

The study compared 999 people admitted to Canadian hospitals for heart attacks, with 3,996 admitted for other reasons. It found no difference between those who did or did not have the pneumococcal vaccine in the previous year, but a 50 percent lower rate for those getting the vaccine two years earlier.

Here are some questions I frequently hear from clients, their family members and friends. If you have a specific question that is not addressed here, email it to me and I'll do my best to get a response online ASAP. I will be adding questions and answers to this article every week.

In addition, you can visit my website www.perinatalpro.com where you will find additional information about pregnancy related mood disorders and
mental health.

How long after giving birth does postpartum depression typically appear?

This question has a range of responses. While many women

(HealthDay News) -- Adding occupational therapy to a structured exercise program increases physical activity for most people who have hip and knee osteoarthritis, say researchers.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that leads to the breakdown of the cartilage in joints. In people with osteoarthritis, exercise helps maintain good joint health, manage symptoms and prevent functional decline.

But studies have shown that the benefits of a structured exercise program are short-lived. The beneficial effects usually fade soon after participation in the program ends.

SUNDAY, Sept. 28 (HealthDay News) -- A vaccine that protects against the miserable symptoms of ragweed allergy for a longer period of time -- and with fewer injections -- could be available in the coming years.

Unlike traditional allergy vaccines that are given weekly for several months, new formulations would require only a few injections and would offer longer-lasting relief.

The largest alternative medicine study the government has ever launched has stopped enrolling people while officials investigate whether participants were fully informed of the risks and are being adequately protected, The Associated Press has learned.

More than 1,500 heart attack survivors are involved in the research, which tests a controversial treatment called chelation. It is mainly used to treat lead poisoning.

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