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Fireplaces and space heaters help warm you during the cold winter months, but might they be endangering your children?Fire risk goes up during the winter months, in part due to the space heaters and fireplaces many families use to keep their homes warm and cozy. These heat generators can be safe, though, if you use them properly. And, keeping your children safe should be top priority when using heating devices. Listen in as Dr. Corinn Cross discusses ways to ensure your whole family is safe from fire during these cold months.

Is your child constipated? It can be uncomfortable and make your child feel unwell.Bowel patterns vary in children just as they do in adults. Because of this, it's sometimes difficult to tell if your child is truly constipated. If your child's stools are hard, dry and painful to pass, that’s constipation. Because each child's bowel patterns are different, become familiar with your child's normal bowel patterns so you can be aware when something's not right. For instance, make note of the usual size and consistency of her stools. This will help you and your pediatrician determine when constipation occurs and how severe the problem is. Listen in as Manu Sood, MD, discusses constipation and how to guide your child through it.

You're not feeling well. Should you work out or take the day off?If you've got cold symptoms or a nagging injury, maybe you should take the day off or cut back your workout routine. Or should you? Is it better to work through the pain and adjust your workout, or just take the day off entirely? Sometimes giving yourself the day off is more beneficial to your health than if you stuck to your regular workout. Listen in as Dr. Jordon Metzl discusses the best ways to handle those days you just don't feel quite right.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and more are all health risks of inactivity.Diabetes, high blood pressure,and risk of stroke are all health risk of inactivity. Unlike smoking, inactivity is an easy habit to change. Taking breaks from your inactivity is as easy as standing every so often and lightly stretching. Neck pain, wrist soreness,and back aches are all symptoms that you may need to get up and move. Listen in as Jordan D. Metzl, MD discusses ways to help prevent body aches with some great and simple suggestions you can do anytime.

After your workout, do your fingers swell? Do you have a headache? These and other workout maladies can be avoided.If you find yourself having certain health issues after a workout, there are some simple changes you can make to your workout that will help. What sort of maladies might be affecting you? Swollen fingers, sore feet, or a sore "saddle" after cycling class can all be painful and debilitating. Keeping your hand raised while walking, or working your way up to a longer cycling workout can help alleviate some of these symptoms. Listen in to Grace DeSimone as she discusses the various workout maladies you might be suffering from and how you can avoid them in the future.

If your time at the gym is limited, there are some changes you can make to get the most out of the minutes you have.If you only have a limited amount of time to work out, you might find it's just not enough to get get your entire workout in. Some simple changes to your routine can add valuable time so you can ensure you're working out to your fullest potential. Time burglars such as socializing, wandering around trying to decide what to do next, or even too many classes rob your valuable gym time. Listen in as Grace DeSimone discusses the best ways to maximize your limited gym time.

News of the week, toxic dangers, and helpful health tips. You don't want to miss this! Straight talk from You Doc, Michael Roizen, MD. Dr. Mike and co-host Joe Galuski discuss more of the most prevalent health news you need to know from the past week. Plus, find out "What's Toxic & What's Not" from toxicologist and regular contributor, Gary Ginsberg. More from RealAge The Ultimate Anti-Aging Vitamin

After losing family members to cancer, award winning author Karen Page discovered a whole new take on life by going vegetarian.After losing family members to cancer, two-time James Beard Award-winning author and culinary pro, Karen Page, dove into the latest nutrition research and joined the 54% of Americans who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. Along the way, she ditched digestive woes, dropped more than 20 pounds and shared her new-found passion in her book, The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. She joins Dr. Roizen to reveal what she learned from America's top chefs about making delicious, healthy plant-based meals and how you can too. Bonus! Smart Fats for Healthy Cholesterol

Join Dr. Roizen and his expert guests for the latest health news, wellness advice and most up-to-date research from around the world. World-renowned physician, Dr. Michael Roizen, MD, continues to update your understanding of the meaning of health by providing an in-depth review of the most impactful health headlines. Joined by his co-host, Joe Galuski, they discuss the health news that matters most to you. The duo is later joined by Karen Page, James Beard Award-winning author, culinary pro, and author of The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. After losing family members to cancer, Karen dove into the latest nutrition research and joined the 54% of Americans who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. Along the way, she ditched digestive woes and dropped more than 20 pounds. Bonus! Real Age Tip A Surprising Side Effect of Stress

Listen in as Dr. Mike provides the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions.Here you'll find the answers to a wealth of health and wellness questions posed by Healthy Talk fans. Listen in because what you come to know helps ensure healthy choices you can actually live with. Today on Healthy Talk, you wanted to know: I was diagnosed with A-fib, but it only occurs on rare occasions. What can I do naturally? Atrial fibrillation (also known as A-fib) is an irregular, rapid heart rate (often referred to as a flutter) that results in poor blood flow within your body. A-fib causes palpitations, weakness, and a shortness of breath. Your A-fib episodes can come and go without you even realizing it, or you may experience chronic A-fib and need treatment. If you're considering taking a more natural approach to help decrease blood clotting and naturally thin your blood, you may want to consider incorporating omega-3 fatty oils, garlic, curcumin, and vitamin E into your diet, as well as 500-1500 milligrams magnesium. If you're someone who can feel an episode of A-fib happening, you may want to try a valsalva maneuver (bearing down or deep cough). My HIV prescription is going to have a $400 co-pay. The medication is helping, but I'm not sure I'll be able to afford this. What can I do? The first thing you might want to consider is calling your insurance company and ask about co-pay assistance to see if they can help you out in any way. You may also want to try calling the drug company, as well as any local organizations that can help with any payment assistance. Is it safe to take antacids every day? NO! If you're experiencing heartburn every once in a while, antacids can help ease the burning symptoms. However, if you have to take an antacid every day, you're not addressing the real problem and are only looking for the short-term relief. You might actually be suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This can cause serious problems down the line if left untreated. Instead of popping antacids, you might want to consider talking to your doctor about getting properly medicated, since overusing antacids can deplete your acid level and therefore cause nutrient deficiency. If you have a health question or concern, Dr. Mike encourages you to write him at askdrmikesmith@radiomd.com so he can provide you with support and helpful advice.

There were four top health trends identified in 2014 that will affect you for years to come.It may seem like there has been a continued failure in the healthcare system and drug industry when it comes to misleading and mislabeled products. However, this has led many of you to become fed up and request further research and studies to support new findings. There are also new health trends that seem to appear every single day. But again, you never know whether or not to trust these upcoming health trends and/or demand more research. 2014 was filled with TONS of new diets, new super foods, breakthroughs in medicine, new supplements, and the combination of western and eastern medicine Within this research, The Natural Products Insider recently reported on the four health trends of 2014 and how they will continue to affect you in the years to come. So, what are these four health trends? Integrative medicine is key for the future of public health Trials on natural products Quality standards are improving, but work remains Innovation is primed to continue Dr. Mike discusses the four supplement trends posted on the Natural Products Insider website and why they are extremely beneficial to your health.

There are many health and social benefits associated with kids who play.Over the years, you may have noticed playgrounds have become more sterile, overprotected areas of parent-directed play. This may lead your child to become under-enthused, unimpressed, and not as active. However, there's a movement to build playgrounds that challenge kids physically and socially, focusing the main point on putting kids in charge of their own play. Letting your children build whatever their imaginations dream up without critiquing every move may open and improve their mental capacity. Author and designer, Rusty Keeler, joins Dr. Mike to discuss why playgrounds help expand your child's social, physical and mental health.

The medical community is finally starting to recognize the importance of testosterone for women.Testosterone is a hormone that is made within your body and helps maintain sexual function, bone strength, reproductive tissue, and muscle mass. You may think testosterone is only found in men, but women also need testosterone in order for their hormones to stay in balance. In fact, small amounts of testosterone are released into a woman's bloodstream from the adrenal glands and ovaries. If your body is producing way too much testosterone, it can cause your periods to become irregular or even absent. You may also have more body hair (chin, chest, back, etc.) and develop frontal balding, increased muscle mass, acne, fertility issues, a deeper voice, a subsequent increased risk of heart disease, and loss of libido. Depending on how your doctor tests your hormone levels (typically through blood work or saliva), it's also important to list off your symptoms. Just because your levels don't show any abnormalities, doesn't mean your testosterone isn't out of balance. If your doctor has diagnosed you with low testosterone levels, you may be interested in trying testosterone therapy. Testosterone therapy can be taken in the form of pills, gels, creams and patches. Cecilia Lacayo, MD, shares why testosterone is an important hormone for both men and women, and how women can improve testosterone levels.

This flu season's vaccine is not protecting you as originally planned.If you've gotten the flu shot for the 2014-2015 season, it may not be working in your favor. According to a statement released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year's flu vaccine is ineffective against the dominant flu strain. The CDC's director, Dr. Tom Frieden, also stated that it's too late to produce a new flu vaccine, since the production of the vaccine could take approximately four months. The first week of January 2015, the CDC announced the flu is prevalent and widespread in 43 states, and they are expecting more states to become infected as peak season is just around the corner. This means you may be more at risk for complications. You are still able to get a flu shot, but since it's ineffective towards the dominant strain this year, you may want to strengthen your immune system in a natural way. How can you strengthen your immune system? Take a multivitamin Reishi mushroom extract Enzymatically modified rice bran Cistanche deserticola Dr. Mike discusses why the flu vaccine is failing, and ways you can strengthen your immune system so you can stay healthy during the rest of flu season. See corresponding article below: The Failing Flu Vaccine By Alonso Chavarriaga A recent statement released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that the vaccine for the 2014-2015 season may not be as effective against a certain strain of influenza virus.  The CDC is particularly worried because this particular strain has always been aggressive, leading to more hospitalizations and deaths.   An Aggressive Virus Mutates Each year around summertime, the CDC begins analyzing flu viruses that are circulating in the southern hemisphere, to get an idea of what we can expect during the winter months in the northern hemisphere.  Based on that research, scientists can predict which strains will pose a threat.  In this case, the strain in question is H3N2, which can cause severe complications in young children, adults around 60 years or older, and those with chronic illnesses such as asthma or heart problems.   The problem is that since last summer when the vaccines were created, the H3N2 virus mutated just enough to make the shots less effective.  Of the 85 flu virus samples collected and analyzed from October 1 to November 22, 52 percent had changed, indicating rapid mutation.  Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, says that producing a new vaccine for this strain would talk approximately four months; far too long since the strain will probably change again before then.   Flu Vaccines Are Not Totally Ineffective That’s not to say that the flu vaccine is not effective.  There are two types of vaccines available: trivalent, which is generally taken through injection and contains three flu strains, or quadrivalent, which contains four strains and is taken through the nose.  Most people receive the trivalent vaccine, and this year the three strains it included were H1N1, H2N2, and influenza type B.  While the vaccine may not be fully effective against H3N2, it still provides protection from the other two most common strains of flu virus.   Aside from getting flu vaccines yearly, there are natural ways you can improve your immune system.  For example, eating more Reishi mushrooms or taking Reishi mushroom extract with a supplement of CoQ10 can help bolster your body’s defenses and fight viral infections like influenza and swine flu.  Taking in more Ometa-3 fatty acids, primarily found in cold-water fish, can also fight against infections. Lastly, there is Cistanche, which has been called the “ginseng of the desert” and significantly boosts T-cell production.  T-cells, or T-lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in cell immunity.

You can learn to eat nutritious foods that are good for you (but still taste amazing).Do you want to look younger, be fit, and have more energy? Eating healthier and following some sort of fitness training program can help sculpt your body, so you can be full of energy and confidence. Healthy recipes don't have to be bland or tasteless, either. With the right ingredients, they can be delicious AND good for you. Denise Austin joins host Melanie Cole, MS, to share some of her great recipes that can change the way you feel and look... and that taste amazing, too.