It was back-to-school for New York students this week, but there was a new policy in place. This year, a new policy went into effect, and students are being weighed as part of their health certificate. The data will enable health officials to map childhood overweight and obesity trends based on location.

There are 12 other states -- Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia -- with some form of student BMI reporting.

As a parent, I'm not overtly opposed to it. In fact, I remember getting weighed in gym class and during all of my physicals in order to play school sports. I do have a couple of concerns, though. I would hope that student privacy is maintained and their weight isn't being taken in a line where all the kids could see the number on the scale. I would also hope that health and a positive body image is being promoted -- the self esteem of children can be a fragile thing and I hope it's being protected.

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Wellness programs are gaining popularity with employers (about 1/3 of companies in the U.S. now offer them) and for many, it's a real blessing, after all who wouldn't want a free gym membership sitting out there that they can use or not, or free health screenings and flu shots available right on the job site?

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Bethany announced on May 22 that Google has launched its own health information service. Called Google Health, this internet-based system allows individuals to store and manage their personal health details in one convenient location. Privacy issues aside -- who knows how many crafty folks will tap into your confidential matters -- Google Health might just work for you. And here is exactly how it works.

Log In -- If you already have a Google account, you won't need to sign up for anything. Just log in. If you don't have an account, you'll need to create one. Then you can begin building your profile.

Add Information -- This is the hard part. Gather your paper records, prescription receipts, lab test results, and other important documents and start creating your profile. Be sure to include all conditions, procedures, and allergies here.

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Google recently launched a new health information service, aptly named Google Health. The service allows users to store their personal medical information online, and offers services such as links to pharmacies and medical laboratories, a medication reminder, and a physician finder.

Internet users know, however, that anything you put online has the potential to be viewed by another person, perhaps many different people, so Google's launch of this new site has not gone without question. Google says every effort has been made to insure that information stored on Google Health stays private, including storing the information on a separate set of computers on their premises.

I took a minute to check it out, and it's definitely a unique service. If you have are on the lookout for a system to centralize all of your health information, then Google Health may be exactly what you need. Many patients will even be able to schedule appointments and refill prescriptions online ... very convenient!

Have you tried Google Health? Would the privacy issues concern you?

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Did you know that former President Grover Cleveland once had jaw surgery aboard his yacht to keep his cancer diagnosis secret? In today's world of tell-all press, it's hard to imagine a president getting away with such a thing. Still, during this year's exciting election campaign, a candidate's health issue that could lead voters to turn to vote for someone else is more likely to be swept under the rug than shared with the public.

Some people are asking -- do we, the public, have a right to know what's inside a candidate's medical records? Though it's routine for candidates to reveal their records voluntarily, some are saying that candidates should be required to undergo a full and thorough physical by a non-biased medical professional, and that the results should be made available to voters.

Because presidential candidates are still citizens, letting the Average Joe dig through personal information is obviously a privacy issue. What do you think -- should candidates bare all in order to be elected, or should their health information be kept private like everyone else?

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Fingerprint technology is something most of us only see on movies and TV, or with big corporations that have a lot to protect. But it may be showing up (and already has in some cases) in an unlikely spot: your child's school cafeteria.

Schools have been coming up with different ways to keep track of children's lunches and lunch money for decades, and it seems fingerprint identification is the newest idea up on the block. Instead of punching in a code at the lunch line, or running an ID card through, some schools are moving towards having students hold up their fingers instead. Part of the thinking is that by making it impossible to steal or lose lunch money, or use it to buy other things, it will be easier to make sure individual students are getting the right healthy lunches they're supposed to be.

What do you think? Easy, smart, efficient use of today's technology or a completely unnecessary invasion of privacy?

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OK now.... I just saw an advertisement for a dating site that said "Boy friend season is coming up." Really? Are there really seasons for boyfriends and girlfriends now? Am I to think that mating seasons for humans have kicked in just like mating seasons for deer, geese, dogs in heat, and more wildlife. When exactly is that season because I feel left out of the loop?

Cyber dating and dating service memberships have hit in blossoming numbers. What can you really find out about someone through a computer? I mean really...how many lies are being told and how much of what is being typed in is really fact? It seems to me that it would be REALLY easy for untruths to be told when not sitting face to face with someone. When did we stop looking for actual places to meet people face to face like coffee shops, churches, acoustic music shows, the gym, etc. I feel like if I am going to be interested in dating someone that I will look for someone where I hang out or go to like places that are fun to me. Acoustic music venues, coffee shops, browsing downtown shopping stores, golf courses, the beach, church functions, and community social gatherings. More than likely that will be fun places for them too and that will be a common ground of interest for us to get to know each other better. To me there seems to be a lot of safety issues and privacy issues with trying to meet and date someone online and I have heard people talking about this in circles and these relationships never seem to last. I have even heard of people making plans to move in with each other or even getting married without ever meeting face to face. Maybe I am an old fashioned gal but I am still a believer in meeting and getting to know someone slowly. The time I did result in talking a lot to someone on the computer that I met in person once, only brought me heartache and pain. So I guess this old gal has learned from some good old fashioned experience. Love is not a quick find and found through a cold, non pulsing, blood carrying machine hooked up to cyber space. You can fall in love with the idea of that person but you will only know if that idea is a reality in person over time.