Fred Harteis Health News -A 14-year-old gymnast with a stress fracture in her lower back. A 12-year-old who tore his ACL in a soccer game. A 16-year-old runner with a leg stress fracture. A 15-year-old who tore his meniscus playing basketball.

A single morning's patients for Harvard's Dr. Mininder Kocher provides a window into a troubling trend: Injuries once seen mostly in adult athletes are becoming distressingly common in youth athletes — not just in high school, but in Little League and Pee Wee Football.

These aren't simple injuries. In ...   more »

Fred Harteis News Articles - Times are tough right now, so when raise time comes around most of us feel guilty asking for a raise; when we should just feel grateful to have a job.

Not true. The valuable employees that are reducing expense and bringing in new clients to increase the company revenue should be rewarded with a raise. This also offers incentive for the employees that are the producers to stick around.

Like with any salary negotiation, find out what people in your position are making. You can ...   more »

Fred Harteis Health News - A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra — but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks going all night long.

Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.

...   more »

Fred Harteis Health News - The Supreme Court's landmark ruling on gun ownership last week focused on citizens' ability to defend themselves from intruders in their homes. But research shows that surprisingly often, gun owners use the weapons on themselves.

Suicides accounted for 55 percent of the nation's nearly 31,000 firearm deaths in 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There was nothing unique about that year — gun-related suicides have outnumbered firearm homicides and accidents for 20 of ...   more »