B vitamins. You hear about them all the time, but what do they actually do? It's not too far a stretch to say that the B vitamins keep your body running properly. Just about all of the body's functions rely on B vitamins to perform, from the brain to the heart to just about every other organ in the body.

The basic job of your immune system is to identify things that are a part of your body, and to rid your body of things that don't belong. This process allows your immune system to detect and fight off dangerous microorganisms. But not all invaders are equally dangerous, and some are even benign. People suffering from allergies are actually mounting an immune response to a material that, while it doesn't belong in the body, is normally harmless.

It was my last day at a very stressful job. My coworkers were gathered at a going away party, when I had a bad attack of indigestion. For weeks I'd been having bad indigestion and had been living on antacids; I'd just chalked up my "stomach problems" to the miscarriage I'd had earlier in the month and the pain of leaving a start-up I'd helped grow but finally had to leave in frustration. I went into the women's room to take a dose of antacid.

Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses. About 70% of all children have one infection by age three, and a third of these children will have multiple ear infections. Ear infections are a source of concern because they can lead to hearing loss and speech development delays in young children. The annual cost of treating ear infections in the United States exceeds $3.5 billion.

I'll admit it up front: I have very pale skin, and gave up on tanning at an early age. When I was growing up, my friends slathered oil on their bodies and soaked up rays until their skin was a nice, healthy brown. The serious tanners even used aluminum foil reflectors to magnify the sun's rays. I got freckles, spots and sunburns, and tried to avoid getting too much sun. Now that we know more about the effects of sunlight on our skin, I'm reassured that staying out of the sun was the best thing I could have done for my skin.

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

Clutter. Disorder. Disarray. I have come to respect these words, in the same way that one enjoys a Lewis Carroll poem.

Is your house cluttered? If you answered "are you kidding?" you're not alone. I have what I call a horizontal filing system--stacks of papers, magazines, photos, lists, and catalogs that cover almost every table and countertop in my house. It's a constant battle, and it's one I wage in minutes stolen between naps, meals, and play. If you're not sure where to start in your home, try one of these quick ways to battle the clutter.

As the mother of three small children, I am always looking for ways to get the house cleaned quickly, and the clutter organized, so we can go play. While talking with my sister one day, we both came to a revelation that has changed both our home and work lives. It had to do with what is not always considered an honorable profession, but one that helped both of us work our way through school. No, not that! Read on!