Shortly after my 40th birthday, I took a sip of Pinot Grigio and immediately felt a stabbing pain in my neck and shoulders. I was at a cocktail party with colleagues and didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I continued chatting. But the pain lasted for several hours. At first I wasn't too worried—I had recently had a massage, and I figured the therapist must have pushed too hard on my neck and around my collarbone. But during the next few weeks it kept happening. Whether I had a glass...

In scientific speak, light sensors are used to gather information about an object without actually coming into contact with said object. As humans, we do this all the time. Our sight, smell and hearing are good examples of “remote sensing.” Digital cameras are another tool we use to gather information remotely. Now, technology offers us more sophisticated cameras, or spectral sensors, that can be used to gather information about turf quality. These spectral sensors measure light in specific...

We've all been there: You notice something unusual on your body, and suddenly you're querying all your friends and sleuthing around online to figure out what's wrong. Does that odd rash mean you should switch moisturizers, or should you be thinking skin cancer? Even those of us without hypochondriac tendencies tend to get spooked now and again by body oddities. "It's easy to jump to the worst-case scenario, but it's always a good idea to take a step back and calm down," says Renée Scola, MD,...

Bothersome bladder problems, alarming odors, hair growing in all the wrong places. We all have issues that we're too embarrassed to bring up with anyone-including our doctors. But rest assured, your doc has heard it all before. "It's our job to help you, not judge you," says Laura Dean, MD, a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who practices in Stillwater, Minnesota. Still, inquiring about a delicate health problem can be uncomfortable. That's why we...

Bothersome bladder problems, alarming odors, hair growing in all the wrong places. We all have issues that we're too embarrassed to bring up with anyone—including our doctors. But rest assured, your doc has heard it all before. "It's our job to help you, not judge you," says Laura Dean, MD, a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who practices in Stillwater, Minnesota. Still, inquiring about a delicate health problem can be uncomfortable. That's why we...