Several years ago, I felt a numbness in my arm and ended up in the emergency room. Though every test came back crystal clear, I was admitted to the cardiac unit as a precaution. The next morning, it was determined that I was in fine health and could go home. (The numbness was attributed to a pinched nerve.) Before leaving, the cardiologist spoke to me about exercising and eating right. Unfortunately, he must have weighed well over 300 pounds and was sweating profusely as his gave me his healthy lifestyle recommendations. Though I knew everything he said was spot on, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't take his own advice.

A limited UK survey (only 61 physicians were surveyed) found that many doctors don't practice what they preach. Only 21 percent of those surveyed get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week. In surveys of the general population, 44 percent claim to meet the minimum activity recommendations. The doctors claimed a lack of time, motivation, and workout facilities for their lack of physical activity.

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I hope you aren't headed to the hospital anytime soon but should misfortune land you there, you might find a better variety of food on your meal tray.

Hospitals are apparently beefing up the quality of food they serve patients. Even well-known chefs, like Wolfgang Puck, are serving as consultants to the hospitals aiming to upgrade their menus. Some locations are even offering hotel-style room service, delivering meals when patients are willing and able to eat them.

Typical dishes you might find gracing your tray: Grilled honey-lime grouper with shrimp and watermelon salsa, soba noodle salad and, for dessert, fresh fruit or a slice of heart-healthy cheesecake. How do these picks sit with you?

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This morning was a special day for the mommies in my playgroup and I. Today we donated over 150 stuffed monkeys to the children being cared for at North Florida Regional Medical Center (NFRMC) in honor of our Angel Odessa. Odessa Virginia Webster was born at NFRMC on February 24, 2003, and landed back at the same hospital on March 25, 2004 for care after a fatal head injury. At thirteen months old, Odessa was stolen from her parents Matt and Anita, her loving family, and our already tight playgroup family. It was devastating for all of us, and out of our grief came an intense drive to honor our "Angel O".

To back up a bit, our playgroup began when our infants met at a "new mommy" luncheon hosted at NFRMC when they were two weeks old. Well, the infants didn't exactly meet each other, but us moms did ... and we decided then and there that we wanted to stick together. That made ten families dealing with the insanity of newborns and leaning on each other for friendship, advice, stress relief, and fun. We literally have been getting together for "playgroup" every Tuesday since, and our children are all addicted to each other; the best of friends. At the start, we would have never imagined what would come for us, for her, the following year. I just remember checking my email one day and opening one from Anita with "Odessa Virginia Webster" as the title. I expected to see a new photo from a portrait studio. A portrait was included, but it went along with a letter written by Anita informing us that her daughter was gone. "Please don't call now. I'm not ready to talk" she wrote. I simply can't describe the agony that followed for all of us.

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The girl is tough, that's for sure. Just after being hospitalized for major health issues, singer Amy Winehouse performed at a special birthday concert for Nelson Mandela and then last night, sang for one hour on stage in front of a crowd of 80,000 at the Glastonbury music festival. She even had enough in her to partake in a little altercation with a reveler from the crowd. It's reported that the fan tried to grab Winehouse, and she fought back.

As for Winehouse's health problems, her father says she has emphysema from smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine. Her spokeswomen says she only has pre-emphysema symptoms. Whatever the case, her diagnosis isn't slowing her from performing -- or smoking. Just after her hospital release, she was seen smoking a cigarette.

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When your time on this planet is almost up, do you want a doctor to tell you your days are numbered? Or do you prefer to be in the dark, living your days with hope that there will be a bunch of tomorrows? Me? I think I'd want to know. I'd want to prepare, take care of any final matters, say goodbye to my loved ones.

Many people do not get straight talk from their doctors, who think they are doing patients a favor by giving them hope. New research says these docs are wrong and they aren't doing anyone any favors by keeping their lips sealed.

Being in the know can be healthy. Research shows patients were no more likely to become depressed when told they were dying than those who were not told. They were also less likely to spend their final days in a hospital -- they avoided costly care and lived out their last days perhaps at home and in the care of hospice.

It's a tough issue, whether or not to discuss grim prognoses with patients. From an ethics point of view, "it's easy -- patients ought to know," says Dr. Anthony Lee Back of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. "Talking about prognosis is where the rubber meets the road. It's a make-or-break moment -- you earn that trust or you blow it." But people react differently. Some want to know; some do not.

If it were you, how much would you want to know?

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A recent study published in Circulation: Heart Failure reveals that, for heart failure patients, the day that they're admitted to the hospital may dictate the length of their stay.

The researchers reviewed data for more than 48,000 heart failure patients admitted to 259 different US hospitals. Those admitted on Tuesdays had the shortest stays, while patients admitted on Thursdays and Fridays had the longest stays. This finding didn't hold true for heart attack patients.

Researchers theorize that the discrepancy in length of stay could be do to reduced staffing over the weekend. Though many hospitals are already eschewing the old trend of running on a tighter staff over the weekend. If short staffing is to blame for the increased lengths of stay, correcting the staffing issue could potentially save hundreds of thousands for a hospital.

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When teen mom Xochitl Parra gave birth in the shower to the baby she'd been secretly carrying for nine months, she probably had no idea that her secret would soon be national news.

Parra had no phone in her home and thought that it was too early to call the neighbors for help. So she wrapped the baby in a blanket and -- umbilical cord still attached -- walked and jogged four blocks to the nearest hospital where doctors immediately set to taking care of her and the baby.

Parra and the baby are both healthy and safe. Doctors say they are lucky, but that Parra did the right thing by seeking help right away. Though Parra was initially scared to tell her mom about the baby, the family is now making arrangements to raise the baby together.

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Alex Lenkei, a 61-year-old hypnotist, opted against using any traditional anesthetic for his recent surgery, choosing instead to send himself into a hypnotic trance for the duration of the surgery.

He was able to hear the cracking of his bones and the surgeon asking for a saw -- he could even hear the surgeon "hammering away at the bone" with a hammer and chisel. He could feel the doctor "pulling and manipulating" him, but felt no pain.

Much of the medical community is quite interested in this, as studies have shown that using less anesthetic can reduce the time patients spend in the hospital and speed healing. Additionally, many patients are nervous about using an anesthetic, and while they might not opt for using hypnosis only, it might help to calm them and allow a lower dose of anesthetic to be used.

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The title of this post sounds like the title of made-for-TV movie. But it's fact. A baby boy was mistakenly sent home with the wrong family. The mistake happened in March at Heartland Regional Medical Center in southern Illinois. Upon realizing the error, hospital workers immediately contacted the families. Though they were not required to do so, the hospital reported the incident to state authorities.

I don't know how, in today's day and age, an error like this could occur. When people I know have given birth recently there are alarms on the maternity ward, infants and their parents wear matching bracelets, and photo IDs are taken of the children. In addition, unless there are medical issues, infants usually stay with their parents more now than in the past. At the time of writing, Heartland Regional Medical Center's web site isn't responding, so I'm not sure what their internal policies are.

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Some people struggling with eating disorders are finding a new therapy that works: Nourishing others.

Maria Rago, clinical director of an eating disorders program at Linden Oaks Hospital, is credited with this novel treatment approach for patients at her clinic. It works like this: Patients create grocery lists, go shopping, and cook for what Rago calls Real Meals. Essentially, those disgusted by eating prepare meals for large groups, like the homeless, and serve food to those who are suffering in different ways.

"The impact is powerful," says Rago. "They see how lucky they are."

Once, a teen patient burst into tears, afraid to take a bite and a homeless man comforted her. "Everyone ate that night," Rago reports.

Patients who sit down and eat with those in need come to appreciate how they take food for granted, how they deny themselves something central to living. This program allows for a reversal of self-absorption. It gives people a positive purpose. It boosts self-esteem. And it can work for people with other mental health issues too, like depression, anxiety, and alcoholism. Anyone trying to recover from anything can benefit from this type of volunteering.

Not trying to recover? I bet you can still benefit. Whenever you give of yourself, it's healthy.

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Are you expecting? Due to go into labor soon? The American Pregnancy Association recommends that you have necessary items gathered ahead of time to avoid a last minute rush to get everything together. That list of items includes things like:

• Clothing for your stay. You might be more comfortable in your own robe and pajamas after the baby is born. Don't forget socks and slippers too.
• Clothing for you and the baby to go home in. Yours should include maternity clothes that fit you when you were six months along. Your baby needs a hat and socks in addition to whatever special outfit you've chosen for the big day.
• Paperwork: Bring along your insurance card and all completed forms given to you by your health practitioner.
• Your baby's ride. If you're driving, you can't leave the hospital without a proper car seat.
• Lunch. If you're bottle feeding, bring your (sterilized) bottles and formula with you.

This is a list of essentials, but there are a few other optional items you might want to pack. Check out the gallery below to get some ideas, but keep in mind that bringing only what you need will make the trip home that much easier.

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Some readers may recall the case last year of Edith Rodriguez who was virtually ignored while dying on the floor of an emergency room in LA. It brought to light the distress some people may be overwhelmed with while visiting hospitals in seek of help. Thankfully not all medical establishments operate this way, but what are you supposed to avoid doing if faced with such a situation?

This CNN article enumerates five things not to do in the ER. For starters, don't forget to call your regular doctor in transit. If you or someone you know is in need of medical help, reach out to someone familiar. They can spur a quicker response at the emergency room. Don't call for an ambulance unless it's totally necessary. That means if you can walk, you probably don't need it. Why? Because they may ask you to wait with the other sick people when you get there -- an ambulance doesn't fast track anyone through the emergency room.

Don't sit there quietly. Be heard if nobody is helping you. Ask to talk with someone in charge if a nurse isn't providing adequate acknowledgment. This leads to another important point: Don't lie. Overly exaggerating symptoms can leave a person in worse shape than when they got there. And if all else fails, pick up a phone located in the ER and dial zero. Connect with a hospital administrator and get the ball rolling!

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By Friday of last week, 49 patients of Jose Pearson hospital in South Africa escaped medical confinement to spend Christmas with their families. But the problem is that these patients have extremely drug resistant tuberculosis, and had been kept in captivity for the "public good."

Twenty-six individuals returned to the hospital on their own steam, probably knowing the danger they were putting their families in. Authorities are about to conduct door-to-door searches in order to round up the remaining 23 at large. Tensions were building as the patients complained about wanting to see their family for this time of year. Holding someone this way flies in the face of most ethical practices, but provinces have had to take legal action to force them into confinement.

Those people who were less infectious got to spend some of the holiday at home, but only under strict supervision. The others were not so lucky. It must be hard to cope with such a condition, being kept like a prisoner in a hospital. Was the government right for holding these people against their will? Or was it a necessary action for the public good? Let's just hope things get resolved quickly and safely without much confrontation.

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I took my littlest boy to see a movie the other day and a commercial of sorts appeared just before our flick began. It was a motivational bit, shared by celebs Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams, Ray Romano, Bernie Mac, Antonio Banderas, and Reggie Bush about St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. The message was this: Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and give to those who are not.

I love this message. It makes me realize how fortunate I am to have two healthy children. Not everyone does. There's no guarantee, even, that my kids will stay healthy. My mom had two healthy kids for 34 years, then I got breast cancer.

St. Jude's is one recipient of my charitable giving. The place operates on donations alone and a whopping 85 percent of what they receive goes to the care of sick kids, like three-year-old Patient of the Month Tristan who has been fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia since March 2007. Donations are how this hospital, located in Memphis Tennessee, is able to treat little ones like Tristan, regardless of ability to pay.

Click on the magnifying glass right here to see exactly what I saw that day I sat in a movie theater with my healthy four-year-old. See if it motives you, like it did me, to help the kids whose lives are anything but certain.

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How does a celebrity affect a hospital waiting room? It's an amazing thing really, as this Time article points out. Even a minor celebrity can turn the usual unpleasant attitudes (who's ever happy to need medical attention?) into much more positive, trusting, and happy ones. People who would normally be eyeing the doctors and nurses suspiciously are suddenly all too happy to trust whatever they say and whatever they're doing, because after all if they're good enough to care for a celebrity they're good enough for the rest of us, right?

Interesting how fame can suddenly inspire faith in a completely unrelated area like health care, and although it's hardly okay I can totally see how it happens. Celebrity endorsements work for everything else regardless of merit, why not medical care?

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