Possibly. Some research studies suggest that red and purple grape juices may provide some of the same heart benefits of red wine, including:

• Reducing the risk of blood clots
• Reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol
• Preventing damage to blood vessels in your heart
• Helping maintain a healthy blood pressure

Grapes are rich in health-protecting antioxidants, including resveratrol and flavonoids. These antioxidants are found mainly in the skin, stem, leaf and seeds of grapes, rather than in their pulp.

The amount of antioxidants in grapes depends on many factors, including the kind of grape, its geographic origin and how it's processed. Dark red and purple grapes tend to be higher in antioxidants than are white or green grapes. Likewise, the level of antioxidants, such as resveratrol, found in wine varies, with higher levels in red wine.

Besides grape juice, other grape products, including dealcoholized wine, grape extracts and grape powder, may offer health benefits.

Keep in mind that it's also beneficial to eat whole grapes — not just drink grape juice. Some research suggests that whole grapes deliver the same amount of antioxidants that are in grape juice and wine but have the added benefit of providing dietary fiber.

Yes. Grapefruit and certain other citrus fruits, such as Seville oranges, can interfere with several kinds of prescription medications.

Don't take these interactions lightly. Some can cause potentially dangerous health problems. If you take prescription medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist whether your medication interacts with grapefruit or other citrus products.

You may need to eliminate grapefruit products from your diet. Simply taking your medication and grapefruit product at different times doesn't stop the interaction. Alternatively, you can ask your doctor if there's a comparable medication you can take that doesn't interact with grapefruit.

Problems arise because chemicals in the fruit can interfere with the enzymes that break down (metabolize) the medication in your digestive system. As a result, the medication may stay in your body for too short or too long a time. A medication that's broken down too quickly won't have time to work. On the other hand, a medication that stays in the body too long may build up to potentially dangerous levels.

The list of medications that can interact with grapefruit includes commonly prescribed medications that:

• Fight infection
• Reduce cholesterol
• Treat high blood pressure
• Treat heart problems
• Prevent organ rejection
• Treat anxiety
• Control seizures
• Minimize motion sickness
• Treat erectile dysfunction
• Replace hormones
• Reduce cough
• Control pain

Another potential problem is that some foods and drinks may contain grapefruit but don't say so in the name or on the ingredients list. For example, numerous citrus-flavored soft drinks contain grapefruit juice or grapefruit extract.

Play it safe with prescription drugs. Always ask your doctor or pharmacist when you get a new prescription if it interacts with any foods or other medicines. If the answer is yes, ask whether you need to eliminate that food from your diet.

Possibly. The difference in the diets of the cattle changes the nutrients and fats you get from eating the different types of beef. Grass-fed beef generally comes from cattle that eat only grass and other foraged foods throughout their lives.

Often, conventional beef cattle eat a diet that includes grains, such as corn, at some point. When compared with other types of beef, grass-fed beef may have some heart-health benefits. Grass-fed beef may have:

• Less total fat
• More heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids
• More conjugated linoleic acid, a type of fat that's thought to reduce heart disease and cancer risks
• More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E

Lean beef that's 10 percent fat or less — whether it's grass-fed beef or another type of beef — can be part of a heart-healthy diet. Although many people think grass-fed beef tastes better, it's generally more expensive and there is limited long-term research to definitively prove that grass-fed beef is better for you. Talk to your doctor or dietitian if you're thinking about adding more lean beef, including grass-fed beef, into your diet.

Rarely, people with Graves' disease develop Graves' dermopathy, a skin condition characterized by red, swollen skin, usually on the shins and tops of the feet. The texture of the affected skin may be similar to that of an orange peel. Doctors may also refer to the condition as pretibial myxedema.

Graves' dermopathy results from a buildup of certain carbohydrates in the skin — the cause of which isn't known. Carbohydrate buildup also causes the eye problems associated with Graves' disease. The vast majority of people who develop Graves' dermopathy also have Graves' ophthalmopathy.

Milder cases of Graves' dermopathy often improve over time without treatment. Treatment of Graves' dermopathy is usually aimed at correcting the overactive thyroid responsible for Graves' disease. You'll also be advised to quit smoking and to avoid trauma to the skin as much as possible.

Treatment of the affected skin may also include:

• Cortisone creams to reduce inflammation
• Cortisone injections
• Compression stockings

Even with successful treatment of the underlying Graves' disease, you may still have cosmetic issues and have a hard time getting shoes to fit well.

Crying is an important part of the grieving process for many people, but it is possible to grieve fully without shedding tears.

Although grief is a universal human experience, your response to grief might be highly individual. In addition, many factors can affect the grieving process, including:

• The age of the person who died
• How the person died
• The nature and quality of the relationship with the person who died
• The time you had to prepare for the loss
• Your personality

It's OK if you don't feel like crying. You might simply need time and space to grieve the death in your own way. It's important to make sure that you're dealing with your feelings appropriately, however.

If you're persistently isolating yourself or having trouble handling your usual daily activities — or you feel like crying but can't — seek the help of a grief counselor or other mental health provider. A counselor might suggest various behavior therapies to help you deal with your loss. You also might find comfort through a support group. Depending on the circumstances, short-term use of antidepressants or other medications might be recommended.

The grieving process requires time. However, unresolved grief can lead to depression and other mental health problems. If you're concerned about reaching a healthy resolution to your grief, seek the help you deserve.

Your dietary needs and what you can tolerate will depend on how much healthy small intestine remains and how much time has passed since your surgery. Your intestine adapts and functions better with time after surgery.

The types and amounts of food you eat and beverages you drink also play a role.

With these points in mind, here are some general guidelines:

• The first few weeks to a month after surgery, you'll likely be advised to eat a diet that is low in roughage. Limiting roughage allows the intestine time to heal and prevents blockage due to swelling. Foods with roughage include whole grains, raw vegetables and fresh fruit.
• Introduce foods back into your diet slowly to see how your body reacts.
• Eat meals at regular times, eat more slowly and chew well. Also, avoid skipping meals or overeating. These efforts help your remaining intestine digest food, reduce gas, improve "regularity" and control output.

• Over time you'll find that you can eat a more normal diet. You'll learn which foods tend to be constipating, which might have more of a laxative effect, which cause stool to change color, or which cause gas or odor. This varies from person to person and by the length of small intestine remaining.

  Your doctor might advise you to avoid drinking carbonated drinks, drinking through straws, chewing gum and smoking because they tend to increase gas.

• If your stool is very thick, some dietary changes might help. Stool-thinning foods include grape juice, apple juice and prune juice. Some people also find that cooked vegetables and some canned fruits are helpful.

  Be cautious with foods that are constipating. For some people these include applesauce, banana, rice, cheeses and peanut butter.

• Drink at least eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day, including water, broth and vegetable juices. Sip fluids slowly throughout the day.

  To replace salts (electrolytes), drink pediatric electrolyte solutions, such as Pedialyte and Ceralyte, and sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade.

When stool is too thick to easily pass out of the body, pay attention to the balance between stool-thickening foods and the amount of fluid you're drinking. If these lifestyle changes don't help, check with your surgeon or gastroenterologist. Talking with a dietitian also might help.

Theoretically, your skin only absorbs a limited amount of hair dye and other hair grooming and styling products. However, if your skin is infected or irritated, or if there is a break in your skin, you may absorb more of the chemicals in hair dye than usual. Still, research on the use of hair dye during pregnancy is limited.

These chemicals aren't generally thought to pose harm to a developing baby. However, given the lack of available evidence, you might consider postponing any chemical hair treatments until after you deliver.

If you choose to dye your hair during pregnancy, consider these general safety precautions from the Food and Drug Administration:

• Follow package directions carefully.
• Wear gloves when applying hair dye.
• Leave the dye on your hair no longer than directed.
• Rinse your scalp thoroughly after using hair dye.

Ask your health care provider for guidance if you're concerned about the safety of your hair products and hair dye during pregnancy.

Wet hands spread germs more easily than dry hands do. So it's important to thoroughly dry your hands after washing.

Some people prefer paper towels, others prefer hand dryers. Two types of hand dryers are commonly found in public restrooms: jet air dryers that blow air forcefully and warm air dryers that blow air more slowly.

Both types work by pulling in room air and concentrating its flow. Jet air dryers use room temperature air; warm air dryers heat the air before blowing it. These dryers can be effective in drying hands, and they likely use fewer natural resources than paper towels.

Whether you use paper towels or a hand dryer, be sure to make sure your hands are completely dry. Then use a paper towel, your forearm, elbow or shoulder to open the door so you don't re-contaminate your hands.

Hand swelling during exercise is a fairly common problem. The cause isn't completely clear, but hand swelling appears to be a result of the way your body and blood vessels respond to the increased energy demands of your muscles during exercise.

Exercise increases blood flow to your heart and lungs, as well as to the muscles you're working. This can reduce blood flow to your hands, making them cooler. In turn, the blood vessels in your hands may react by opening wider — which could lead to hand swelling.

As you continue to exercise, your muscles generate heat that makes your system push blood to the vessels closest to the surface of your body, to dissipate heat. This response triggers perspiration and may also contribute to hand swelling.

Sometimes, endurance athletes develop hyponatremia (hi-poe-nuh-TREE-me-uh) — an abnormally low level of sodium concentration. Swollen fingers and hands may be a sign of hyponatremia, but other signs, such as confusion and vomiting, are more prominent than is swelling. Drinking too much water, particularly during a marathon or similar long, strenuous event, may cause your body's sodium to become so diluted that you become hyponatremic. Hyponatremia requires immediate medical attention.

There's no proven way to prevent or reduce most exercise-related hand swelling, but these tips may help ease discomfort:

• Remove your rings and loosen your watchband before exercise.
• Perform occasional forward and backward arm circles during exercise.
• Stretch your fingers wide and then make fists several times during exercise.

Drinking lighter colored drinks isn't a good way to prevent a hangover, but it may help a little. In addition to alcohol, compounds linked to a hangover from alcoholic drinks include chemicals called congeners, which result from the fermenting process. Congeners give many types of alcoholic beverages their flavor and can contribute to hangovers or worsen their severity.

Congeners are found in larger amounts in dark liquors, such as brandy, bourbon, darker beer and red wine, than they are in clear liquors, such as vodka, gin and lighter beers. One particular congener — methanol — breaks down into the toxins formaldehyde and formic acid, which can worsen a hangover.

While lighter colored drinks may slightly help to prevent a hangover, drinking too many alcoholic beverages of any color will still make you feel bad the morning after. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause dehydration, low blood sugar, digestive irritation and disturbed sleep — all factors that lead to hangover symptoms.

In several studies, no effective method of hangover prevention was found. The only sure way to prevent a hangover is to drink in moderation or not drink at all. For healthy adults, moderate drinking means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than 65, and up to two drinks a day for men 65 or younger. Women who are or may be pregnant should not drink at all.

One drink is defined as:

• 12 ounces (355 milliliters) of beer — about 5 percent alcohol
• 8 ounces (237 milliliters) of malt liquor — about 7 percent alcohol
• 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine — about 12 percent alcohol
• 1.5 ounces (44 milliliters) of 80-proof distilled spirits — about 40 percent alcohol

Be careful, though — some drinks may contain more alcohol than you realize. Often drinks are larger at bars and restaurants. And some drinks of the same size may contain more alcohol than others. For example, some light beers contain almost as much alcohol as regular beers, and some liquors contain a higher percentage of alcohol than others do.