I do. Sometimes. Do you?

Greeting someone isn’t just something you do at Wal-Mart after you’ve been downsized, said Robert Sullivan, in this article in Runner’s World. Or is it?

Sullivan, a runner who boldly waves to other runners—and feels dissed if the wave is not returned--believes America harbors an anti-waving bias. To confirm his suspicion, he conducted his own year-long investigation on "exercise gesture awareness."

Among his findings: The earlier in the running day, the more likely people will return waves, and older runners are more likely to wave than younger ones. He also found people are more likely to wave in bad weather, perhaps because you’re in it together. Sullivan says a world composed entirely of wavers would be a "scary thing."

But he says no waving at all is even scarier. Waving, he says, is acknowledging the existence of our fellow human beings.

I wave or subtly gesture when it makes sense; when I'm not doing speed or interval work, when there aren't many other people around or when the person looks responsive to it. How about you? 

Men have Viagra.

So “where is the blissfully happy pill for us?” asked Karin Horgan Sullivan in this article in Chicago Magazine.

It’s coming, though women are far more complicated than men when it comes to sex. A new topical testosterone gel that would increase the sex drive of post-menopausal women has been developed by the Lincolnwood-based pharmaceutical company BioSante.

If all goes well, the product, called LibiGel, might be available in 2011, Sullivan wrote.

Still, testosterone products for women must lead to more “satisfying” sex, according to the Food and Drug Administration, which isn’t an easy standard to meet. There’s no long-term safety data. And some say that testosterone products for women are a solution in search of a problem.

Factors such as “poor communication with her partner [and] too much stress can all negatively affect a woman’s desire for sex,” Sullivan wrote.

Salt is great at melting snow--and we're supposed to get six inches dumped on us tonight--but it's not so wonderful for the planet or your pets, says Diane Macheachern in The Daily Green Guide. 

She suggests you minimize snow and ice by shoveling as soon as you can and scattering sand or birdseed for traction.

Read on for more eco-friendly tips.

Local researcher wants to trip 300 senior citizens

If you’re female, 65 or older and have a fear of slipping on icy sidewalks, consider volunteering for Mark Grabiner’s trip prevention study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

It's true that Grabiner, a professor of kinesiology, is internationally known for his ability to knock down older people. And while he’s a very nice guy, he does plan to try to trip you.

But in the long run, it’ll be worth it. An expert on the biomechanics of human falls, Grabiner’s goal is to train senior citizens to recover their balance to avoid serious, bone-shattering accidents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thinks his hypothesis is so interesting that it has awarded him a three-year, $900,000 grant to recruit 300 women 65 or older. 

If you volunteer, you’ll be given special training while secured in a safety harness. After the training ends, you’ll be monitored twice a month for a year. And Grabiner expects you’ll suffer fewer falls and injuries than those who aren’t given training.

To sign up, contact Noah Rosenblatt at 312-996-2747 or email him at nrosenbl@uic.edu. Or go to this Web site. Let me know if you get involved; I’d love to hear how it goes.

Related Content: A better way to prevent hip fractures

After reading about the Acai berry scam in Sunday's Smart section of the Chicago Tribune, many of you emailed to say you'd fallen for it.

"I was so angry when the second bottle arrived and I found out I had to pay for both bottles," wrote Barbara. "I did call and cancel and also wrote a letter documenting the cancel and requesting a written response. Needless to say, I have not received a written response."

Now she's wondering what to do.

She can start by contacting Tom Joyce at the Better Business Bureau for help. He's at  tjoyce@chicago.bbb.org or 312.245.2643.

Or go to the bbb.org site for more information.

Q: I can't keep up with all the trendy foods out there. How do I pronounce "acai"? And is this fruit really as good as Oprah Winfrey says?

"Read the fine print," advised BBB President Steve Bernas.

Tea sales in the U.S. are expected to double over the next five years, but do Americans really know anything about this unsung beverage?

I sure didn't, until I reported "9 things you should unlearn about tea" which appeared in Sunday's Smart section of the Chicago Tribune. The most shocking revelation? Most herbal tea isn't actually tea.

Read on to see if black tea really has more caffeine than green tea and whether green tea can make you skinny.

Tribune file photo

A friend who knows that another woman once breast fed my son just sent me this story about actress and UNICEF spokesperson Salma Hayek cross nursing a baby in Sierra Leone.

Hayek was in the West African country in September as part of her involvement in the fight against tetanus, one reason Sierra Leone has the highest infant and child death rate in the world.

But I'm guessing her humanitarian efforts won't draw as much attention as the "Nightline " television footage that showed Hayek breast feeding. 

Bloggers, as expected, are going crazy.

“There is a close enough view that I could count swallows!” exclaimed Tanya on Motherwear’s Breast Feeding Blog, who was “blown away” that the scene was shown on network television.

Problem: I take a water exercise class three times a week in a chlorinated pool. Afterward, I can use a hot tub, a dry sauna or a steam room. Which would be most beneficial for my skin?

—Sharon Ferguson, Naperville

Solution: Your best bet is the steam room, because the high humidity will temper the drying effect of hot temperatures on your skin, said Dr. Aleksandar Krunic, a dermatologist at Chicago's Swedish Covenant Hospital.

The steam room is also less likely to turn you into a prune than the hot tub, and there's a lower risk for infection unless the steam room is overcrowded or you forgot your flip-flops, said Krunic. Moreover, the high humidity can also have beneficial effects on your respiratory system, making it easier to breathe. Limit your exposure to 10 to 30 minutes.

Saunas, which emit dry heat around 160 to 210 degrees, don't have much humidity. This dries out the skin, making it "sensitive, scaly, fissured [broken or slit] and prone to dermatitis [inflammation] and irritation," said Krunic.

Finally, while hot tubs might feel good, they're crawling with bacteria. "The heat of the water dissipates chlorine more rapidly, and the level can easily drop below the recommended antimicrobial effect, causing a bacterial infection known as 'hot tub folliculitis'—inflammation of follicles, especially hair follicles," said Krunic. Yuck. If you do sit in a hot tub, take off your swim cap so you don't overheat.

And remember, steam rooms and saunas are not for everyone; if you have acne, rosacea or psoriasis, the heat can make your problems worse, said Los Angeles dermatologist Ava Shamban.

Dermatologists often stress rinsing the chlorine off immediately after swimming and using a hydrating body wash, lotion or oil.

Tribune photo by Charles Osgood

While the Loop and Near North Side boast the highest concentration of gyms in Chicago, some neighborhoods like Washington Heights have none.

Read the full Red Eye article by Tracy Swartz.

AP file photo

Do you have a 'Venus Week?'

This is the time of the month when women feel invincible: their hair shines, their energy levels soar and the men in their life seem irresistible.

The term "Venus Week" was coined by Kentucky obstetrician and gynecologist Rebecca Booth. I recently talked to her about what the week entails and how you can use your menstrual cycle to your advantage.

"Hormones drive our bodies and our behavior, and often we feel like they're driving us crazy," Booth told me. "But it's not,'What's wrong with me?' It's that nature has a different priority for your body during certain times of the month."

Simply knowing Mother Nature's plans better equips you to handle the changes and can improve how you feel overall.

Read the rest of the story, which ran in Sunday's Smart section of the Chicago Tribune.

Risking the wrath of his publicists and shareholders, John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John’s Pizza, has warned diners not to overindulge in his product.

“Pizza’s actually healthy for you if you don’t eat too much of it,” he said in an accidental public service announcement during a BBC radio interview Thursday. “You can’t eat five or six slices.”

Well, d’ough! But that’s the problem with pizza: It’s impossible to eat just one slice. That’s why  food scientists work day and night inventing  ways to make unhealthy products—like pizza, which can be nutritious but usually isn’t--healthier. 

Chemists at the University of Maryland are trying to figure out how to boost the antioxidants in pizza dough. Never mind that fruits and vegetables give us antioxidants without the excess calories, saturated fat or sodium.

And while most people may agree in theory with the former pizza delivery boy’s message of moderation, they often find it difficult to put in practice.

We want pizza!

Have you tried a saline pool?

Indoor swimmers know that chlorine is a necessary evil. We love the harsh, sanitizing chemical when we see how many unshowered people inhabit public pools. We hate its clinging smell and that it leaves us with red eyes, green hair and see-through swimming suits.

Some hotels and health clubs, however, say there's a new alternative to ease the burn: saline pools. These saltwater pools that taste like the ocean are often touted as an "eco-friendly" and "healthy" answer to chlorine because fewer chemicals are needed.

But don't be fooled: Saltwater or saline pools use chlorine too.

Read the whole article, which appears in today's Chicago Tribune.

For a list of pools around the world that use alternatives to chlorine, go to the "Healthier Swimming" blog.

A severe shortage of mammography professionals could threaten early detection rates for breast cancer, according to a new study in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

No one knows this better than officials at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where the wait for a routine screening mammogram at the Lynn Sage Breast Center is nearly a year.

Though Northwestern officials have apologized--the Web site encourages women to schedule routine mammograms at least eight months in advance--the next available appointment is in January of 2010.

(For faster options, including centers that can take you in less than a week, go here.)

Northwestern offiicals believe the problem will resolve itself by summer when more radiologists are available. But the researchers from the Albany School of Public Health warn "there will be drastic reductions in the number of mammography professionals per woman age 40 years and older over the next 15 to 20 years."

Unlike some preventive care, mammography requires hands-on participation of workers. Compounding the problem is that the number of women over age 40 is expected to grow dramatically over the next two decades.

"It is a question of access to care," said lead study author Margaret Langelier.

Problem: I'm wearing a strapless dress for my wedding. What's an easy way to tone my arms?

Solution: Luckily, you can sculpt the upper body more quickly than the larger muscles in the legs and the deeper muscles in the abs. But don't forget about the shoulders and the back; they're "just as important as arms when it comes to a strapless dress," said personal trainer Amy Krause of InsideOut Fitness in Evanston.

We asked Krause and business partner Kathy Jen to design a simple workout targeting a bride's upper body, one that requires nothing but your body weight. After a warm-up, do two -- or three if there's time -- sets of the following exercises:

Some couples take dance lessons to prepare for their wedding day. Others get premarital counseling. Chicago's Julio and Julie Hernandez took pilates.

But the core-strengthening classes gave them more than good wedding photos. For the Hernandezes, fitness is how they keep themselves, and their marriage, healthy.

Working out isn't just something many couples do together; it often improves how they are together. Exercise, a proven mood lifter, can clear your mind, improve your sex drive and diffuse stress. It can make you feel better about yourself and, thus, kinder to your family.

For married couples, the beneficial effects of exercise can be more far-reaching. Yale University researchers have shown that when one spouse exercises, quits smoking or stops drinking alcohol, the other is likely to do so as well. On the flip side, when one spouse is hospitalized, the partner's risk of death increases, according to a study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging.

Finding ways to keep fit as a couple

1. Sign up for an event together, suggested Robin Karlov (at left with husband Jeff Hansen), who met her husband while volunteering for the Fleet Feet Elvis Is Alive 5-kilometer run. Then make time to do it. It could be a walk, a 5K run, a neighborhood sports league or partner yoga. The kickoff to the running season -- the 8K Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle on March 29 -- is large, crowded and fun for newbies.

When Dr. Charles Lo tried acupuncture for his neck pain in the 1980s, scientists couldn't fully explain how or why the slender, silvery needles actually worked.

Lo (left with wife Alison), a budding young internist who had graduated from Northwestern University's medical school, didn't care. He'd tried the conventional answer to most ailments -- prescription drugs -- but he still couldn't sleep or function at work.

After just three treatments from his father, a doctor and acupuncturist, Lo's disabling pain vanished. And so did his desire to pursue a career in Western medicine.

Chemicals commonly found in food packaging, upholstery and carpets may be damaging women's fertility, according to a study in the Journal of Human Reproduction. Read the BBC story.

Q:  Should I use a tanning bed to treat seasonal depression?

A: No. It's both ineffective and dangerous.

"Duration, intensity and wavelength are the keys to light being an effective treatment for SAD," said Michael Young, a psychology professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology, who researches depression and seasonal mood disorders."Tanning is caused by the UV part of the spectrum, which is unnecessary for the antidepressant effect," he said.

The other problem is that for light to work, it needs to get into your eyes -- where UV would cause damage. That's why tanning salons have people cover their eyes, Young said