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NEW YORK — Can crunches create six-pack abdominal muscles? Do weight-lifting women risk bulging biceps? Is stretching always a good idea? Experts say disentangling folklore from fact is not easy in fitness, where misconceptions are as pervasive as pu

Dear Dr. Roach: My neighbour had to change dentists. Her initial exam with the new doctor resulted in full-face X-rays. She objected, but was told they were low-dosage and would present no problems. Six to eight X-rays were taken.

TORONTO - In what's being described as a world first, 91Ô­´´ researchers have used a technique called deep-brain stimulation to treat a small group of patients with long-standing and life-threatening anorexia nervosa.

TORONTO - It's a thing you notice about the people who came through the SARS crisis of 2003. Survivors, responders — they remember the outbreak in exquisite detail.

Dear Dr. Roach: Why do commercials for cholesterol-lowering medications have a goal of 100 for bad cholesterol? I thought it was 180. I heard a guest on a television show say that everyone over 40 should be on a statin drug. T.Z.

CHICAGO - Want to know your chances of dying in the next 10 years? Here are some bad signs: getting winded walking several blocks, smoking, and having trouble pushing a chair across the room.

TORONTO - A new guide for restaurateurs seeks to improve the understanding of food allergies and create a safer environment for diners at risk of allergic reactions.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Health officials are reporting an alarming increase in some dangerous superbugs at U.S. hospitals. These superbugs from a common germ family have become extremely resistant to treatment with antibiotics.

Ten years ago, a new, unnamed disease was spreading out from China to various parts of the world, including Canada.

TORONTO - It's not something most women want to talk about — well, maybe to their closest gal pals — but as medical conditions go, this one is pretty common and irritatingly so.