Keeping Your Feet Happy

Tye Lee Tze, a Singapore podiatrist, cautions woman against wearing spiked high heels. "The shoes you wear now can cause pain and deformities into the future." he says.

The wrong shoes can create back problems. leg paints, knee problems and toe deformities. Buy the right ones instead.

1. Active? Sports, such as tennis, that see you running in different directions use one type of shoe, while activities such as jogging need another.
2. Footwear should have plenty of room for the toes. Women should avoid wearing pointy-toed shoes.
3. There should be one thumbnail-width from the end of the shoe to the longest toe while standing. "some sales people will say the shoes will stretch to fit" says Tye. "That shouldn't be necessary."
4. Your feet tens to swell during the day, so it's best to try to buy shoes in the evening.

Slow Down for Strength

The latest fitness craze is slow-motion weight training. Recent hype claims that it's all you need to stay strong and fit. While strength training is important, and less time-consuming than aerobics, you need to combine it with some cardio, says Richard Cotton from the American Council on Exercise. We list the health benefits of each ty

CARDIO
1. Burns more kilojoules Thirty minutes of aerobics can slash twice as many kilojoules as half an hour of weightlifting.
2. Strengthens your heart Aerobic exercise cuts your heart disease risk.
3. Reduces cholesterol Cardio actually changes the size of cholesterol-carrying proteins, so they do less damage.

STRENGTH TRAINING
1. Prevents osteoporosis Weightlifting puts stress on your bones, aiding calcium retention.
2. Improves athleticism Lifting weights enhances performance in everyday activities, such as grocery shopping and heavy lifting.
3. Increases muscle s we age, we lose muscle, making us more susceptible to weight gain and injury.
4. Burns more fat The more muscle mass you have, the more kilojoules you burn.

Should you Starve a Fever?

"A fever is the body's normal reaction to certain illnesses, usually a bacterial or viral infection," says Dr Lorna Lavin-Simangan, a paediatrician at St Luke's Medical Centre in Manila.

A fever is a symptom of an another problem. Low-grade fevers don't need special attention, but high-grade fevers - above 38.4 degrees - should be treated.

Acetaminophen or paracetamol will usually ease a fever. A cool, moist cloth can be applied directly to the skin, but don't use ice.

As for starving a fever, Lavin-Simangan says it's bad advice. Good nutrition helps the body fight off the virus or infection.

Grow It, Then Eat It

Your child doesn't like green beans? Have him grow his own. In a recent study, preschool-age children who planted, weeded, watered and harvested a plot showed increases in their willingness to eat vegetables, especially green beans. "Gardening lets children make a connection between their food and where it comes from," says study author and dietitian Suandra Lorenz. And this may make the kids less likely to think vegetables are icky.

Straighten Out Your Cyberkids

A study at Australia's Curtin University of Technology found 60 percent of kids using computers at school showed signs of repetitive strain injury. Here are some desk exercises.

1. Stretch your arms above your head and spread your fingers. Then lower your arms so they're straight out in front. Hold for a few seconds.

2. Push the bottom of your right palm against the top of your left palm, so you feel a stretch along the underside of your left forearm.

3. Sit with your back straight, look over your right shoulder, then your left. From the centre, nod slowly three times. Turn your head in a "no" motion three times, then stretch as if laying your hed on each shoulder.

4. Keep your hips forward and turn to look behind on each side, with your arm across the back of the chair, stretching your back.

5. Push your chin forward to stretch the jaw and neck.

6. Sit and roll each shoulder forwards and around then back and around. Lift each shoulder to your ear and down.

For Skin Like a Peach

If you're keen to look after your face but blanch at the cost of skincare products, you can make cleansers, toners and nourishers from fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs, says herbalist Pierre Jean Cousin, author of Natural Recipes for Perfect Skin. Many fruits have a nourishing, revitalising and astringent action. Some vegetables fight inflammation and contain vitamin A. Here are some recipes to try:

Cucumber cleanser Peel, seed, puree and sieve one-quarter of a small cucumber. Stir two tablespoons of honey into two tablespoons of the juice and add a tablespoon of full-fat milk. Apply to the face and neck for 20 minutes, then wash off with bottled water.

Banana face mask Mash a small banana and stir in two tablespoons of fresh double cream , one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of potato flour. Apply for 30 minutes and then rinse off.

Lemon toning mask Beat one egg white until stiff, then fold in the juice of half a lemon. Apply to the face for 20 minutes, then wash off.

Online Cancer Info

Not all websites are reliable. British researchers reviewed 32 alternative medicine sites for cancer patients, and found that 22% promoted a product, 16% discouraged conventional treatment and 3% advocated ignoring doctors' advice. To surf smarter:

Be sceptical Any claims should be backed by studies in respected medical journals, says Dr Ted Gansler of the American Cancer Society.

Double-Check If you read about a treatment on one site, see what other sites say. There should be consensus.

Consider the source Some nonprofit groups, universities and government agencies have updates on alternative treatments and clinical trials.

Sneaky Signs of Diabetes

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be tricky, which helps explain why millions of people have the disease but don't know it. You may know the classic symptoms of fatigue, recurrent infections and frequent urination.

Lesser known signs:

Bad Breath (a smell like nail polish remover) Excess sugar in saliva prompts bacteria growth, which help create foul-smelling gases.

Swollen gums Increased bacteria can lead to inflammation and bleeding.

Blurred vision Sugar in the lens of the eye makes it swell and refract light improperly.

Frequent thirst in an effort to eliminate sugar, the body demands plenty of fluids.

If you have two or more symptoms, and any other risk factors (being over age 40 or overweight; having a family history of diabetes; having high blood pressure or cholesterol), see your doctor.

Don't Mix Your Meds

You took your medicine an hour ago. Is it safe to take a motion sickness tablet now? DrugDigest.org can tell you. The Interaction Checker database has more than 5000 over-the-counter drugs, supplements and prescriptions. Pick your pills from the list to get information on 11,500 possible interactions, plus any known problems with food and alcohol. Mix ginko biloba and aspirin, for instance, and you can increase the risk of stomach bleeding. Experts at the American Pharmacists Association say the site is safe and has good info, but warn not to a doctor or pharmacist.