Social media helps patients share their news

Occupational therapist Anneke Meyer, left, works with heart transplant recipient Layla Kahn, 2, center, as her mother, Amena, updates Layla's Facebook page, May 23, 2013, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Susan Stocker/Sun Sentinel/MCT)

HIV cases

Dr. Michael Lange, a specialiist in Infectious Disease Medicine, treats HIV-AIDS patients at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey. (Elizabeth Lara/The Record/MCT)

Microbe research

Argonne computational biologist Daniel Smith swabs the floor in a new hospital room to collect microbial samples at the new University of Chicago Hospital in Chicago, December 5, 2012. The hospital is not open to the public yet. (Alex Garcia/ Chicago Tribune/MCT)

ILLUSTRATION: Flu feel bad

MEDICAL EDUCATION

Dr. Cheryl Johnson observes through a two-way mirror as Cherry Dudley plays the role of patient describing symptoms as fourth-year medical student Emily Bennet practices diagnosing patients at Northeast Ohio Medical University's Wasson Center for Clinical Skills in Rootstown, Ohio. (Ed suba Jr./Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)

bipolar

Harlan Didrickson poses for portrait, August 17, 2012, outside his Rogers Park neighborhood home. He has written about his bipolar disorder and also blogs about his cat Charlie, at left. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Maureen Carling

Maureen Carling received a lifetime achievement award in May from the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care for her work in pain management. (Kaitlin McKeown/Newport News Daily Press/MCT)

When Alzheimer’s isn’t the real problem

Martin Rosenfeld, 90, shown with daughters, Cookie Gonik, left, and Shelley Rosenberg, in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on May 9, 2012, was originally diagnosed with Alzheimer's but further tests showed it was sleep apnea causing symptoms similar to Alzheimer's. (Susan Tusa/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Down syndrome is focus of new blood test for pregnant women

Dawson and Landon Lawrence play in their home in Imperial, Missouri, on November 20, 2011. The family knew that Dawson would be born with Down Syndrome after a blood test during pregnancy revealed the condition. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

Some exercises yield more damage than progress

Fitness trainer John Benz, right, demonstrates how to do an assisted pull-up with Brett Pruitt. (Jim Barcus/Kansas City Star/MCT)

Deadly danger: Women who sit at work all day risk health

DTE Energy analyst Laurie Payne of Rochester Hills, Michigan, sits on a balance ball chair. (Patricia Beck/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Tinnitus treatment music to some sufferers’ ears

Audiologist Rebecca Price, left, tests the threshold of hearing a special tone over white noise, as Teri Kim, in a soundproof booth, responds by pushing a button at Duke Hospital's Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology in Durham, North Carolina. (Harry Lynch/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

Sugar shockers: Everyday foods packed with hidden sugars push most of us way over new recommended limits

Everday foods, such as bread and cheese, contain hidden sugar which can add up to push you over healthy daily limits. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Winter blues can be a form of depression

A woman walks across N. Keeler on the 3700 block in Chicago, Illinois, February 9, 2010. Some 10 percent of Chicago-area residents may have enough psychological and biological symptoms to be diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Would-be marathoner struggles to overcome doubts

Lisa Newman, 36, of Roseville, runs in Grosse Pointe Shores as she trains for the Detroit Free Press Marathon, June 3, 2009. (Patricia Beck/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

Dogs alert owners to oncoming diabetic crises

Kolumbo, a service dog, detects when Kristin Wilson's blood-sugar levels are too low in Fresno, California, on Saturday August 6, 2009. (John Walker/Fresno Bee/MCT)

Caffeine has health benefits, but don’t overdo it

Medical researchers and nutritionists long have touted the health benefits of black coffee, antioxidant-packed teas and dark chocolate. (Mark DuFrene/Contra Costa Times/MCT)

Moms for Moses: 2 dozen women give infant a nurturing, nutritional start

Robbie Goodrich, center, and his 6-month-old son Moses, surrounded by some of the women in the community who are wet nursing Moses, at Goodrich's home in Marquette, Michigan, Monday, July 20, 2009. (Susan Tusa/Detroit Free Press/MCT)

BMI

Alex Moore, 14, performs a "sit and reach" exercise to determine flexibility, May 3, 2013, while being watched by Denise Rossa, a district department chair and gym teacher at Chute Middle School in Evanston, Illinois. It's one of the exercises included in a Fitnessgram assessment. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Jana Begor

Jana Begor, 68, left, who has struggled with her weight for decades, listens to Rebecca Sturges, M. S., in a therapy session in Sacramento, California, March 20, 2013. She has Binge Eating Disorder (BED), which is finally gaining recognition: The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will list it. (Renee C. Byer/Sacramento Bee/MCT)

New Year resolutions

Elizabeth Dixon, wellness director at Chick-fil-A, has started a blog at www.biteanelephant.com (not affiliated with Chick-fil-A) to help people follow through and achieve their goals. Here, she works out at Chick-fil-A headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, January 10, 2013. (Bita Honarvar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)

Psoriasis research, treatment is doctor’s life’s work

Dr. Alan Menter, a world-renowned expert on psoriasis, examines Mary Lou Jeffs in his Dallas, Texas, office. "From a personal standpoint, this is more satisfying than anything else. I love what I do. I adore what I do," Menter said. (David Woo/Dallas Morning News/MCT)

Vintage pharmacy’s shelves groan with patent medicines

Sid Simmons, 90, with his remarkable collection of early 1900's medicine bottles in the "pharmacy" of the new Colonial Drug museum in Los Angeles, California. (Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

breast cancer

Eco-friendly lifestyle brand Gaiam is giving $1 from the sale of each pink-ribbon yoga mat to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The lightweight mat, which has a standard 3-millimeter thickness, comes with a Yoga workout download. (Chicago Tribune/MCT)

young athlete injuries

Morgan Stippel, 19, a multi-sport athlete has had fire knee surgeries over the past five years. Here, she poses for a portrait at her home, July 3, 2012 in Woodbury, Minnesota. (Jerry Holt/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCT)