Health Controversy: Is Your "Doctor" Really a Nurse?

When scheduling a postpartum checkup recently, the scheduler said my doc was booked for weeks out, so she asked me if I'd rather see another doctor in the practice or a nurse. Sorry, but if given the choice, I always choose a doctor. But did you know that some nurses are calling themselves doctors, and its legal? Read on for the confusing details...

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The "doctor of nursing" degree program at the heart of the controversy is now offered at about 80 nursing schools in the nation. Here's the deal: When these nursing students complete the program, they're bestowed the title "doctor" even though they haven't gone through medical school. It's sort of like Ph.D. programs (you called your professors "doctor" so and so, right?), except in medicine--throwing around the title "doctor" can be a little confusing.

Health Controversy: Is This Contraceptive Device Leaving Thousands of Women With Unwanted Pregnancies?

Imagine having your doctor put in a contraceptive device, like an IUD, that promises to keep you pregnancy-free for years, and then ... uh oh, you find out you're pregnant! This is what more than 500 women claim happened to them, and their surprise pregnancies are making other women wonder if these contraceptive devices are doing the job they promise to do ...

Have you ever had a pregnancy scare? Imagine the shock (and horror, even) of thinking you're covered in the birth control department and then, bam, you're pregnant.

Scary, right? That's what nearly 600 women in the UK say happened to them after doctors implanted a device called Implanon, a toothpick-sized implant that delivers the synthetic progesterone etonogestrel. Product manufactures say the device is nearly foolproof, providing reliable contraception for as long as three years. (ABC News reports that nearly 500,000 of the devices have been implanted in women in the U.S. since 2006.)

Health Controversy: Do Doctors See You as One Big Uterus?

The Life With Cancer post today got me thinking about a big pet peeve that I (and maybe you?) have: docs who see women as baby machines. Check out Erin's sister's post, here, about a pediatrician's warning to "have your kids while you're young!" OK, nothing wrong with that, I guess, but do you ever feel that doctors sometimes view you as "pre-pregnant" even if you have no intention of conceiving?

Tara Parker-Pope, the fabulous New York Times health writer who runs the blog "Well," wrote about this topic recently. The issue: recent research that pointed out the fact that many women of childbearing age share prescription drugs. This sparked readers and physicians to jump on the unborn-baby bandwagon. Yes, a very valid concern, but she raised a good question: "Are doctors so obsessed with a woman's reproductive health that they forget to treat the whole patient?"

Healthy Sleep: More Couples Are Sleeping in Separate Beds

Does your partner snore? Toss and turn? Get, gulp, violent in his sleep, (a subject we talked about here recently) here recently? If so, have you ever secretly thought of how nice it might be to be a 1950s TV couple and go the twin-bed route? I know, it is kind of funny, and prudish, but some people--even celebs--say they do this in the name of healthy sleep...

My husband snores, so waking up several times a night to ask him to change positions (it helps the snoring) is kind of my norm. Add to that a baby who wakes up several times too, and you get the idea of how my nights are: sometimes not so fun.

Healthy Reminder: Take a Fall Walk Today!

Can you manage to carve out 15-20 minutes for yourself today? Thought so! Strap on your comfy shoes (who cares how they look with your skirt--yes, I am that woman), and get walking. It's the most beautiful time of the year (in my opinion) for a walk, and here's why 15 minutes of walking (even 10 minutes!) is sooooo good for you...

Not only is it a beautiful time of the year to get some fresh air (the leaves in my city are turning shades of orange and red that make me want to squeal--I love fall!), but a brisk walk--even a little one--can have big benefits. No, it may not get you Michelle Obama's arms or Jessica Biel's legs, but even small amounts of exercise, report researchers at the University of Florida can boost your body image in big ways.

Healthy Reminder: Always Ask Your Pharmacist This Question (Every Single Time!)

Dropping off a new prescription at the pharmacy today or sometime soon? Whenever you visit the pharmacy, always--always!!--ask the clerk this question when she takes your prescription. It could save your life!

Everyone jokes about doctors' handwriting, and for good reason! While some doctors print legibly, yes, many don't. And my doctor's penmanship looks sort of like a third grade boys'! Anywho, so what should we all ask our pharmacist when we fill our next prescription?

Here's your script:

You: "You can read what that says, right?"

Your pharmacist/clerk, scrutinizing the handwriting: "Yes, does it say [INSERT NAME OF PRESCRIPTION HERE]?

Healthy Inspiration: 5 Doable Things to Make Your Year Fit, Happy and Healthy

Thinking about New Year's resolutions? If you're looking for a few doable ways to be healthier in 2011, look no further. Here's a list of easy things to inspire you to have the healthy, happy and fit year you deserve!

1. Slim down with ... water! Whether you want to maintain your weight, or maybe lose 10 pounds this year, put good-old H2O to work, say researchers. A recent study found that people who drank two glasses of water before sitting down for a meal took in more calories than those who dove right in. Make it your new eating habit!

2. Buy a healthy cookbook or healthy living book: Your assignment: Head to your local bookstore and hit the healthy living/diet/cooking section. Find a book that resonates with you--whether it's about exercise or vegetarian cooking--and read it in January to pick up some new healthy living tips.

Have You Heard of the Lying Down Game? (It's Quite Possibly The Stupidest Thing Ever)

Have you heard of the weird new "game" that's circulating the world? Here's how it works: You lie down on the ground--in weird places like in the street, at the mall, or on top of a (parked) car--then submit a photo of yourself in such precarious positions. Who is doing this? Apparently a lot of people. Wait until you hear who got suspended recently for playing the "game."

You like to think of the doctors, nurses and techs that treat you at the hospital to be professionals, right? Well, according to reports, a group of hospital workers in England were suspended for taking photos of themselves playing the "Lying Down Game" at work. Apparently this "game" is that simple: You go lie down in weird places then upload photos of yourself and giggle. Photos surfaced of the UK hospital workers lying on floors and just about everywhere else in the hospital floor where they worked.

Hatchoo! The Top 5 Worst U.S. Cities for Fall Allergies

Pollen, trees, weeds and mold--they're a problem in the fall, too, and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has compiled a list of the worst, and the best, cities for fall allergies. Does yours make the list?

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America based it's rankings on a analysis of three factors: airborne pollen counts from grass, trees, weeds, and mold spores; the number of allergy medications used per patient; and the number of allergy specialists per capita in each area, according to WebMD.

The top five worst cities for allergies in 2010:

Dayton, Ohio (eeks--poor Ohio! They were featured multiple times on the bedbug list, too!)

Halloween's Over, But the Candy's Still Around: Which Kind Tempts You Most?

I hardly ever eat candy, so I'm not someone who's hard on myself for splurging a little on Halloween. You too? But have you found that you go a little over board when it comes to a certain fave candy or chocolate bar? Oh my goodness, I think someone needs to lock up these bars--I'm powerless to resist them ...

My Halloween candy weakness? The mini Nestle Crunch Bars. Normally I'm more of a gourmet chocolate kind of gal, but the Halloween aftermath has me ga-ga for these bars (so much for that great trick we talked about). I think I need my husband to hide them from me. P.S. I also have a crush on Kit-Kats around this time of the year.

Got a Minute? 10 Healthy Things You Can Do for Yourself Right Now!

My dears, how are you doing today? Are you stuck at the office? If you have a minute (and by that I mean 60 seconds--tops!), here's a list of things you can do to improve your health this very moment ...

1. Take a vitamin D supplement. Most Americans don't get enough (including me--my levels were shockingly low!), and vitamin D has so many known, and unknown, health benefits that it's not worth being deficient.

2. Give someone a hug. It will boost their mood and increase the production of serotonin (the feel-good hormone) in your bod.

3. Stand up and stretch. Stretching is an instant energizer because it gets blood pumping throughout your bod.

Found! A New Calming, Stress-Reducing Fragrance

I like to wear perfume, but recently I've had some fragrance flops. One gave me a headache. Another, which smelled great in the store, suddenly smelled synthetic and artificial at home. I almost gave up the hope of finding a soothing, natural, healthy fragrance, until I spritzed this one on...

Are you a fan of Aveda? I am--I think their stuff smells exactly like the spa. Ahhhhhhh. I also love that it's free of artificial chemicals and additives that tend to give me a headache. I recently splurged on a new perfume from Aveda. It's called Ancient Attar, and I swear, this stuff has a detectable calming effect on me. OK, so the complimentary hand massage the Aveda sales clerk gave me before I bought it helped, too.

Fitness Poll: How Flexible Are You? Have You Ever Been Able to Do the ... Splits?

I think there's a time in every gal's life when she can do the splits--like when she's 10! I used to be uber-flexible, but now? Not so much (and the baby in my belly doesn't help much with that!). But, whether you can do the splits or not, flexibility is so key to fitness and injury-prevention. One of my goals this year is to up my flexibility. How flexible are you?

I was inspired by this photo of a FitSugar blogger in a yoga-splits pose. I wondered, will I ever be able to get down into this position again? I hope so!

How flexible are you?survey software

Can you do the splits? How flexible are you on a scale of 1 to 10?

Fitness: Do You Work Out Harder When You're Angry? Would A Photo of Mel Gibson Motivate You?

I'll be honest, when I'm fuming about something, I run faster and longer than I usually do. That's one good thing about anger, I guess: It can be motivating. But I had to laugh when I read that one gym is plastering shamed actor Mel Gibson's face on its workout machines, in hopes that it motivates folks. Would that work for you?

Would that face cause you to burn more calories on the Elliptical? FitSugar pointed out a funny photo of a gym advertising that they're putting photos of Mel Gibson on their machines to motivate calorie-burning. They even have a so-called "Mel Gibson membership special"--just $40 a month.

Finally, a Celeb Who's Setting Realistic Weight Loss Expectations After Having a Baby

You gals know I'm not a fan of the crazy pressure women put on themselves--especially in Hollywood--to snap back to their old bods after pregnancy and childbirth, so I want to praise one celeb and new mom who says to hell with those crazy expectations ...

Yay for Tiffani Theissen (you remember, the cutie from "Saved By the Bell," who's also starring in "White Collar"), who just had a new baby in June and is sending out the message that her body isn't back to where it was pre-baby, and that she's OK with that.

"I'd love to be my size again but my body is just not that way," Thiessen, 36, told PEOPLE. "It doesn't work that way for me and I'm okay with that."