Americans gain an average of one pound between Thanksgiving an New Year's, says the USA Today. Is that all? Doesn't seem that horrible to me. In fact, I think I'd be happy to pack on just one pound after pigging out for nearly six weeks. Even sedentary people gain only 1.5 pounds over the holidays. Active folks: They lose a pound and a half.

If you happen to be an average Jane or Joe, get ready for that pound. If you really don't want it to appear, consider how the food combinations in the gallery below can do you in. And think about how hard you'll need to work to keep your scale from teetering into dangerous territory.

Getting ready for second helpings? A brunch celebration? A Santa snack? Get the dirt on these and more are right over here.

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'Tis the season for giving thanks, so get those gratitude muscles ready for a workout. Don't worry, there's nothing strenuous about this workout. A little thankfulness goes a long way and just so happens to benefit your health in major ways. In the spirit of lowering your blood pressure, minimizing stress and depression, bumping up your overall motivation, and decreasing your risk for any number of diseases, I offer you these USA Today tips for pumping up your gratitude.

• Keep a gratitude journal, and list your gifts. Daily, weekly, or twice weekly -- do it when you can.
• List the names of people you take for granted, and think about what your life would be like without them.
• Write a letter of thanks to someone who made a difference in your life. Consider delivering and reading it in person.

Thanksgiving is for giving thanks -- yes -- but really, you should be practicing gratitude more than once a year. It's like exercising, says one professor of psychology. Use it, he says, and you won't lose it.

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Bald may be beautiful, but not for everyone. As I mentioned before in a related post, it takes a certain type of head to pull off the chrome dome. Apart from the use of medication (Propecia) and topical creams (Rogaine), the only other options are badly-fitted toupees and expensive hair transplantation surgery.

Well, there may be a new option available in the not-so-distant future. Whereas current hair restoration surgery involves the transplantation of graphs of hair, a recent breakthrough by scientists at the Cleveland Clinic may help baldies one day get a whole new scalp!!

The problem in the past with the transplanting of tissues and organs (scalps not withstanding, so it would seem) is the risk of rejection by the body. What's more, patients who undergo transplantation of this kind must follow an expensive regimen of drugs for many months to help reduce the chance of rejection. However, the researchers at the Cleveland Clinic discovered a technique that may reduce recovery time for anti-rejection therapy to one week. Though still in the experimental phase, it's not outside the realm of possibility that this science may soon be used for cosmetic hair restoration.

My only question is, Where will they get the donor scalps from?

In a report today, federal health officials announced the decline in deaths by cancer is accelerating. Those are nice words. According to the most recent year of comprehensive data, cancer deaths dropped an average of 2.1 percent each year from 2002-2004.

Cancer deaths started falling in 1992, and while this trend is promising, it is nowhere near the 25 percent drop in deaths by cardiovascular disease seen between 1994-2005. For leading cancers, colon cancer deaths realized the biggest drop, -4.9 percent for men between 2002-2004 and -4.5 percent for women. Prostate cancer deaths dropped -4.1 percent between 1994-2004, while breast cancer fell -2.2 percent for women between 1990-2004. Lung cancer deaths saw a -2.0 percent reduction for men between 1994-2004, while women had a much smaller reduction, 0.2 percent between 1995-2004.

According to one expert, the decline is attributed to several factors, including detection, treatments and Americans adopting healthier lifestyles. Makes me feel doubly good for choosing that healthy breakfast before stepping on the treadmill this morning! Read more in USA Today.

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Hugs are good for our health (USA Today).

Yeah, we knew that. Hugs help relieve stress and enhance heart health.

Please watch this video on YouTube about a man who likes hugging people in Sydney, Australia.

It will inspire you.

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