Puberty is arriving ever younger in American females -- 8 is no longer considered abnormal.AT 8 or 9 years old, the typical American schoolgirl is perfecting her cursive handwriting style. She's picking out nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs in sentences, memorizing multiplication tables and learning to read a thermometer.

  David Beckhams of the world, Mafia snitches who get their kneecaps broken and even folks prone to whacking their legs on inanimate objects have one more thing to worry about. Injuries to the leg may increase the risk of blood clots.

  Two new studies show a diet-eye health relationship.Dismiss it as boring if you'd like, but "rabbit food" could be just what the doctor orders at your next ophthalmologist's visit.

  Those who suffer from binge eating 'just can't seem to stop it.' And the disorder, which few people recognize, isn't just about hunger.FROM time to time, everyone overeats. For some, the enticing menu at a favorite restaurant proves too much to resist (drinks, a couple of appetizers, a rich entree, maybe a sampling of desserts); for others, a special celebration is the downfall (extra helpings from the buffet and a large corner piece of cake with lots of frosting). Beyond a stomachache and perhaps some mild indigestion, these occasional transgressions don't present much of a problem. But, sometimes, overeating can become an overpowering habit.

  Medical advances settle a baby boomer's fears and illuminate one of life's everyday miracles.IT was an affront to my baby boomer self's illusion of eternal youth to experience a growing inability to decipher freeway signs. I was forced to rely upon passengers, including my teenage son's sharp vision (and tongue) for navigating.

  This is the story of a dog-ophobe, a dog-ophile and the parasite that brought them together. The dog-ophobe (for want of a better word) is a patient. The dog-ophile is her doctor -- me.

  A couple of hundred years ago, physicians had few diagnostic tools. To figure out what was going on inside the human body, they often turned to bodily fluids: blood, saliva, urine. They also noted unusual qualities of human urine when people ate certain foods.

  Fish malodor syndrome causes people to have a certain piscine aroma.Americans are obsessed with smelling good, spending billions each year on perfumes, colognes and deodorant. But for some rare individuals, no amount of sprayed, lathered, splashed or rolled-on fragrance can do the trick; their body odor is in their genes.

  Exercises on and off the slopes can ease your first days back. Simpler runs and more breaks could mean less pain too.I love to ski and snowboard, and I'm getting ready to hit the mountains for the first time this year. But every year, it's harder and harder for me to get back on the slopes, and I get really sore the next day. Are there any exercises I can do to prepare myself and help reduce some of the soreness? I love hitting it hard right away, but I am afraid I won't be able to walk for a week if I do.

  Kent Katich stretches NBA, MLB and PGA athletes to their limits and beyond to improve their games.Kent Katich has spent the last 15 years twisting some of the best professional athletes in the world into yoga poses. Some still haven't forgiven him. A 20-year practitioner of yoga, he has worked with scores of NBA players, as well as all-star baseball players and top golfers. He owns a yoga studio in Westwood and a company called All Sport Yoga. He recently returned from Bora Bora, where he held a yoga retreat for NBA players.