Compared to a job like deep-sea welding, working in an office behind a desk seems like a pretty safe career move. You might think that there's little chance for injury, but don't forget that there are still are a few dangers: Weight gain from inactivity, depleted eyesight, poor posture, and let's not forget probability of severe mid-afternoon fatigue.

Divine Caroline has some excellent rules for avoiding some of the dangers of the desk job:

• The 20/20 Rule - Save your eyesight by looking away from your computer every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something three feet away.
• The Floating Mouse Rule - When moving your mouse, move your whole arm instead of just your wrist.
• The Mini-break Rule - take a 30 to 60 second break every 30 minutes -- use this time to take a short walk or do some stretches.

They have even more excellent tips to share ... click here for more info.

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My little family of four and I have already blasted through 12 bottles of sunblock since early May. At nine dollars a pop ... the cost is certainly adding up. But then I think about the investment I make each day, and the price it will prevent us all from paying some day in the future. Here's a short list in no particular order.

• Painful Sunburns -- Ouch!
• Freckles
• Moles
• Leathery Skin
• Sunspots
• Flaking
• Chemotherapy -- Not cheap!

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For the parents out there: do your children spend a lot of time in front of a screen most of the day? If you have teenagers (or happen to be one) then "screen time" is another term for "hobby." I played sports as a kid, but even back then I tried to absorb video games and TV like a sponge. Well according to Canadian researchers, some teenagers spend as much time in front of a screen as it takes to be employed in a full-time job.

That's in the ballpark of 40 hours per week. Over a thousand teens were studied for half a decade beginning in 1999 to assess habits related to watching TV, playing games, and using computers. Collectively, this was known as screen time.

Guys are the big offenders, over half of whom absorbed over 40 hours in total time spent in front of a screen. Only about a quarter of the girls spent that much time soaking up the technology. It's always interesting to see connections like this drawn, even if they refer to teens of a different region. Judging by activities back in the States, things are not drastically dissimilar over here.

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People who get annual exams tend to worry less about their health. A review of 21 studies reveals this interesting tidbit, along with another nugget that's worth mentioning: People who have regular physicals are more likely to get screening tests, such as cholesterol checks, Pap smears, and mammograms.

If you're not getting regular check-ups, it may be because current treatment guidelines don't recommend them for people without symptoms of illness. Many doctors don't agree, though. Either do I. There are just too many conditions that progress without symptoms. Once they appear, it may be too late. Now I'm not promising that an annual visit with your doc will reveal every possible problem that may be lurking in your body. But it will keep you in the health loop, allow you to ask your medical-inspired questions, and prompt the professionals to screen you as appropriate.

My unsolicited advice on this topic: Schedule your own annual exam, get your screenings, and put your worries to rest.

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Let's face it, nobody enjoys going for their yearly Pap test. It's just one of those parts of being an adult that we women do because it's good for our health (and unfortunately way too many women don't bother at all). I assume men feel the same way about prostrate exams. It's not fun, but still we've got to get it done.

The good news is that apparently a new, more effective test to screen for cervical cancer has been developed. A study conducted at McGill University, which is about to published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the HPV test was able to detect pre-cancerous lesions in up to 94.6% of study participants while the Pap test discovered only 55.4%. That's a pretty major difference, especially where cancer screening is concerned.

Also, according to the article, women who receive negative results from an HPV test, which screens for the HPV virus which causes most if not all cases of cervical cancer, will only have to repeat the exam every 3 years. Unfortunately, those who have the HPV test and receive a positive result will also have to undergo the Pap test to check for pre-cancerous cells. If you want to know more about the study, take a look at the entire article here and for more information on the HPV test, consult your physician.

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Being overweight increases a woman's risk of getting cancer, but sadly is also decreases the odds that she'll get screened and tested for it as recommended. A study shows that despite doctors recommending tests like clinical breast exams, mammograms, and pap smears equally to women of all weights as it is indicated, severely obese women are 10% less likely to be up-to-date on the screenings and are also much less likely to follow the advice of a doctor to have it done.

It is obviously now a priority to figure out exactly why obese women are so much less complaint. It's possible of course that women are simply embarrassed and uncomfortable wearing gowns and being examined, or possibly equipment in the clinics is inadequate.

For more information on preventing or managing cancer please visit The Cancer Blog.

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