Coconut water is not water with coconut flavor added. It's the clear fluid inside the coconut, not to be confused with coconut milk, which is an emulsion of coconut water and fresh grated coconut. So coconut water is a type of juice.

Unlike other juices, unflavored coconut water is low in sugar and calories. Ounce for ounce, typical fruit juices have twice as many calories as unflavored coconut water.

Coconut water is popularly used for rehydration after physical activity or an illness such as diarrhea. It's true that coconut water has natural electrolytes — such as potassium, sodium and manganese — but amounts can vary due to changes that occur in coconut water as the coconut matures.

So, while there's some evidence suggesting coconut water may be comparable to having a sports drink, there's also evidence that coconut water may be no more effective than drinking plain water.

The potassium contained in coconut water can be a benefit to you. Americans typically don't get enough potassium. However, coconut water also contains sodium. That might be a concern if you, like most Americans, already have too much sodium in your diet.

As a casual beverage, coconut water is considered safe. Coconut water does have calories — 45 to 60 calories in an 8-ounce serving. Weighing the pros and cons, plain water is still the smart choice.

While past studies hinted that coffee might have a dark side, newer research suggests that it may actually have health benefits.

Why the reversal? It's hard to look at just one aspect of diet and connect it to a health condition because so many other factors that could play a role. For example, early research on coffee didn't always take into account that heavy coffee drinkers also tended to use tobacco and be sedentary.

When newer studies adjusted for such factors, they found a possible association between coffee and decreased mortality. Coffee may offer some protection against:

• Parkinson's disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Liver disease, including liver cancer
• Heart attack and stroke

Coffee still has potential risks, mostly due to its high caffeine content. For example, it can temporarily raise blood pressure. Women who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breastfeeding need to be cautious about caffeine. High intake of boiled, unfiltered coffee has been associated with mild increase in cholesterol levels.

The bottom line? Your coffee habit is probably fine and may even have some benefits. But if you have side effects from coffee, such as heartburn, nervousness or insomnia, consider cutting back.

It depends on the type of coffee you drink. A plain cup of brewed coffee has less than 5 calories — and no fat. But if you dress up your coffee with extras, whether at home or your favorite coffee shop, you also add extra calories.

See how many calories these extras can add to your coffee:

• Sugar: 16 calories for 1 teaspoon (4 grams)
• Heavy whipping cream: 101 calories for 2 tablespoons (1 ounce, or about 30 milliliters)
• Half-and-half: 37 calories for 2 tablespoons (1 ounce, or about 30 milliliters)
• Fat-free milk: 10 calories for 2 tablespoons (1 ounce, or about 30 milliliters)

When you're at your local coffee shop, check out the nutrition information before you order. Some coffee drinks can have hundreds of calories.

Occasional indulgence is fine. But remember that when it comes to weight loss, all calories count — even calories in liquid form.

Cold and flu virus-laden droplets may remain infectious for several hours, depending on where they fall. Viruses generally remain active longer on stainless steel, plastic and similar hard surfaces than on fabric and other soft surfaces. Other factors, such as the amount of virus deposited on a surface and the temperature and humidity of the environment, also determine how long cold and flu viruses stay active outside the body.

It's possible to catch the flu or a cold after handling an object an infected person sneezed or coughed on a few moments ago. But personal contact with an infected person — such as a handshake or breathing in droplets from a cough or sneeze — is the most common way these viruses spread.

The best way to avoid becoming infected with a cold or flu virus is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water or with an alcohol-based sanitizer. Also avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes or biting your nails. Most importantly — get a flu vaccine every year.

If you tend to get "colds" that develop suddenly and occur at the same time every year, it's possible that you actually have seasonal allergies. Although colds and seasonal allergies may share some of the same symptoms, they are very different diseases.

Common colds are caused by viruses, while seasonal allergies are immune system responses triggered by exposure to allergens, such as seasonal tree or grass pollens.

Treatment of a common cold may include rest, pain relievers and over-the-counter cold remedies, such as decongestants. A cold usually lasts three to 10 days, although some may last as long as two or three weeks.

Treatment of seasonal allergies may include over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays and decongestants, and avoidance of exposure to allergens where possible. Seasonal allergies may last several weeks.

Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold. Although drinking milk may make phlegm thicker and more irritating to your throat than it would normally be, milk doesn't cause your body to make more phlegm. In fact, frozen dairy products can soothe a sore throat and provide calories when you otherwise may not eat.

Colloidal silver isn't considered safe or effective for any of the health claims manufacturers make. Silver has no known purpose in the body. Nor is it an essential mineral, as some sellers of silver products claim.

Colloidal silver products are made of tiny silver particles suspended in a liquid — the same type of precious metal used in jewelry, dental fillings, silverware and other consumer goods.

Colloidal silver products are usually marketed as dietary supplements that are taken by mouth. Colloidal silver products also come in forms to be injected or applied to the skin.

Manufacturers of colloidal silver products often claim that they are cure-alls, boosting your immune system, fighting bacteria and viruses, and treating cancer, HIV/AIDS, shingles, herpes, eye ailments and prostatitis.

However, no sound scientific studies to evaluate these health claims have been published in reputable medical journals. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has taken action against some manufacturers of colloidal silver products for making unproven health claims.

It's not clear how much colloidal silver may be harmful, but it can build up in your body's tissues over months or years. Most commonly, this results in argyria (ahr-JIR-e-uh), a blue-gray discoloration of your skin, eyes, internal organs, nails and gums. While argyria doesn't usually pose a serious health problem, it can be a cosmetic concern because it doesn't go away when you stop taking silver products.

Rarely, excessive doses of colloidal silver can cause possibly irreversible serious health problems, including kidney damage and neurological problems such as seizures.

Colloidal silver products may also interact with medications, including penicillamine (Cuprimine, Depen), quinolone antibiotics, tetracycline and thyroxine (Unithroid, Levoxyl, Synthroid) medications.

People older than age 75 who have been getting regular colon cancer screening since age 50 and who have had consistently negative screenings — no polyps (adenomas) or colon cancer — and are not at an increased risk of colon cancer because of family history may not need to continue getting routine screening. That's according to colon cancer screening guidelines issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the American College of Physicians (ACP).

The upper age limit was set after studies determined that the net benefit of screening after age 75 was small. However, the USPSTF guidelines do recommend colon cancer surveillance for people older than age 75 who have an increased risk of colon cancer, such as family history, a previously diagnosed colon cancer or adenomatous polyps.

The American Cancer Society and the American College of Gastroenterology don't specify an upper age limit beyond which colon cancer screening is no longer recommended.

The USPSTF and ACP recommend that colon cancer screening be done using one or a combination of screening strategies:

• Colonoscopy
• Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT)
• Fecal immunochemical testing (FIT)
• Stool DNA testing
• Sigmoidoscopy
• Computed tomography colonography (virtual colonoscopy)

Talk with your doctor about what colon cancer screening option is best for you. Together, you can decide based on your overall health when screening may no longer be of benefit.

Colon cleansing is normally used as preparation for medical procedures such as a colonoscopy. However, some alternative medicine practitioners offer colon cleansing for other purposes, such as detoxification.

But colon cleansing — also called a colonic or a colonic irrigation — for such purposes isn't necessary. That's because your digestive system and bowel already eliminate waste material and bacteria from your body.

During a colon cleanse, large amounts of water — sometimes up to 16 gallons (about 60 liters) — and possibly other substances, such as herbs or coffee, are flushed through the colon. This is done using a tube that's inserted into the rectum. In some cases, smaller amounts of water are used and are left to sit in the colon for a short time before being removed.

Proponents of colon cleansing believe that toxins from your gastrointestinal tract can cause a variety of health problems, such as arthritis and high blood pressure. They believe that colon cleansing improves health by removing toxins, boosting your energy and enhancing your immune system. However, there's no evidence that colon cleansing produces these effects or is beneficial at all.

And colon cleansing can sometimes be harmful. In fact, coffee enemas sometimes used in colon cleansing have been linked to several deaths. Colon cleansing can also cause less serious side effects, such as cramping, bloating, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Other potential concerns with colon cleansing include:

• Dehydration
• A tear in the rectum (perforation)
• Infection
• A change in your electrolyte balance, which can be dangerous if you have kidney or heart disease or other health problems

If you choose to try colon cleansing, take these precautions:

• Check with your conventional medical provider first, especially if you take any medications or have any health problems, such as kidney or heart disease.
• Make sure your colon-cleansing practitioner is reputable and uses disposable equipment that hasn't been previously used.
• Get a list of specific herbal ingredients and amounts in any colon-cleansing products you use — some ingredients can cause health problems.

Most sports-related head injuries, such as concussions — which temporarily interfere with the way the brain works — are mild and allow for complete recovery. However, concussion in children can pose serious health risks.

Head injuries take time to heal. Children should rest from both physical and mental (cognitive) activities for a day or two after a concussion and then return to activities gradually as their symptoms allow.

Children who return to school after a concussion may require some classroom adjustments, including a lighter course load or a shortened school day. If an activity such as reading or jogging causes symptoms, such as headache, the child should take a break, then resume the activity for shorter periods and gradually work up to pre-concussion levels as symptoms improve.

Children can develop complications if they return to sports and other activities before a concussion has healed. Another blow to the head while the initial concussion is healing can result in longer lasting symptoms or more-permanent damage. Follow the rule of thumb "If in doubt, sit it out." If there's any suspicion of a concussion, it's best not to return to play until symptoms improve.

Concussion symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, irritability and difficulty with thinking skills, such as memory and attention. Post-concussion syndrome is a complex disorder of concussion symptoms that last longer than a normal recovery period.

It's unclear why some people develop post-concussion syndrome and others don't. The severity of the concussion doesn't appear to affect the risk of post-concussion syndrome. Some research indicates that suffering repeat concussions might increase the risk of post-concussion syndrome.

Researchers continue to study other potential long-term effects of concussions. Having a concussion puts children at higher risk of having another. The effects of repeat concussions over years can multiply.

To protect your child from head injuries, insist on appropriate and properly fitted protective equipment — such as a helmet — during sports and other activities. However, even the best protective equipment can't prevent all concussions.

You can have a concussion without losing consciousness. Also, a blow to the body that jars the head can result in concussion. Make sure your child's coach knows if your child has had a concussion. Your child shouldn't return to play until he or she has been cleared by a medical professional.

Signs and symptoms of a concussion may include:

• Headache or a feeling of pressure in the head
• Nausea or vomiting
• Balance problems or dizziness
• Double or blurry vision
• Sensitivity to light or noise
• Feeling sluggish, groggy or dazed
• Difficulty paying attention
• Memory problems
• Confusion
• Slowness in understanding and responding to others
• Sleeping problems
• Mood changes
• Changes in behavior
• Changes in personality

If you think your child has a concussion, seek immediate medical help. Your child's doctor will determine how serious the concussion is and when it's safe for your child to return to sports, school or other activities.