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It’s that time of year again! No, not the holidays — FINALS. Soon college students will be walking around bleary-eyed, cranky and functioning on only a few hours of sleep and multiple energy drinks. I pulled a few all-nighters in my college career at the University of Missouri, and a six-pack of Sugar-Free Red Bull was never far from my desk.

But my favorite jitter-inducing crutches have found their way into my “real life,” too. I’m getting ready to pull an all-nighter of a different kind this weekend when I take a little road trip, and you can bet there will be something caffeinated in my drink holder. I found this article on the common energy drink ingredients both interesting and guilt-inducing.

I know there are healthy ways to make sure you get through the day — such as sleeping enough, exercising and eating properly — but when they’re not options (read, “on the night before three 12-page papers are due”), what do you reach for? WebMD has an article explaining some of the dangers of high-quantity consumption of some of the energy drinks.

What’s your take on it? Will you continue to ride Full Throttle on the Red Bull and feed your Monster’s Rage like a Rock Star?

On this issue, I need your help. I plan to do a story on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recent recommendations against regular mammography screenings for women younger than 50 and against teaching self-examinations.

I found this information a little shocking because it goes against what I’ve always heard about the importance of early detection with breast cancer, and I’ve had several friends and loved ones who’ve battled the disease.

I talked to Dr. Jon Locke, head of the Decatur Memorial Hospital Women’s Center, about the issue, and will be including his thoughts and comments in my story, but I want to hear from you.

Have you or a loved one received a breast cancer diagnosis through the help of regular mammography screenings or self-examinations before the age of 50 and without a strong family history of the disease? What about a breast cancer scare? If you would be willing to share your story, drop me an e-mail at agetsinger@herald-review.com, or leave a comment on this blog.

The Illinois Podiatric Medical Association is jumping into its yearly call-in event feet first once again. In observation of American Diabetes Month, the association invites all people with foot-care questions to call a special free hotline on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to get answers directly from foot doctors. The Chicago-based association represents more than 600 podiatrists statewide.

Although a quarter of the questions IPMA members received last year were diabetes-related, they will answer any foot-care-related questions that come their way, said spokesman Chris Martin.

On Nov. 18, people can call the hotline at 1-888-869-3338 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to the phone method, Twitter users can send tweets to @IPMA, and Facebook users can post their questions on the IPMA Fan Page.

Last year, almost 30 percent of the IPMA’s callers were from right here in the Herald & Review’s coverage area, said Martin. This year, the organization has extended a special method of contact to local readers. Area residents can leave their questions in the form of a comment on this blog, and IPMA members will answer them here. We’ll publish a variety of the questions and answers in next Wednesday’s Herald & Review.

Recently, my doctor gave me the boot. No, I can still go to him, I just got put in an immobilizer walking boot for a stress fracture in my right foot. My enthusiastic approach to physical activity has put me out of commission for at least four weeks. Add that to the six months it took me to go to the doctor for my foot pain. Bad for a health reporter, I know.

I’m trying to figure out exercise I can do to keep up my activity level without putting my injured foot in jeopardy or in pain. Getting a good workout is proving more difficult now that I can’t box, ride my bike, run or really do anything.

I am left to swimming, which I really don’t like, rowing, a special stationary bike that lets me do cardio with just my arms and limited weights. The idea is frustrating to me, but I’ve been in the same situation a few times before. In college, when I tore my ACL, knee surgery kept me out of the exercise picture for several months.

Now, there’s nothing to do but wait. I realize I could be a lot worse off than an injury taking me out of the picture for a bit, but as an athlete who was used to boxing, running and biking, it’s put the brakes on my lifestyle a little.

Anybody been there with a walking boot? How did you cope?

I know admitting this might brand me as a “geek,” but I love museums. Anyway, as the Herald & Review’s health reporter, I fear the geek title already has been bestowed.

As a child, I remember being lucky enough to take quite a few museum trips with my parents. We’d make visits to Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, and St. Paul’s Science Museum of Minnesota. The exhibits that fascinated me the most were always the ones that allowed me to explore the inner workings of the human body.

A couple summers ago, I saw Gunther von Hagens’ Body Worlds exhibit in St. Paul. Walking into it gave me a strange feeling , though . The hall was filled with literally hundreds of “plastinated” human bodies and organs. The process, invented and fine-tuned by von Hagens, involves preserving bodies in polymer. Right down to the vessels that make up the organs and body systems to entire bodies permanently frozen in a wide range of different poses.

All the bodies in the exhibit were donated for the purpose of education, which made me feel a little less voyeuristic as I walked from specimen to specimen. It was incredibly interesting to see preserved smokers’ lungs and the ways in which various diseases affected other organs. I think whenever we, as regular, non-scientist types, get the chance to have an in-depth look at how the human body works, we ought to take it.

The Museum of Science and Industry has an interesting exhibit going on now called “You! The Experience.” It allows people to explore what makes people unique. From their DNA to their individual thoughts, people can visit a variety of hands-on stations to learn more about themselves and humanity as a whole.

If you’re planning a trip to Chicago, you should check it out. I haven’t made it to the museum yet, but here’s a list of the areas I’m looking forward to hitting up when I go.

-The “Real Food?” exhibit allows visitors to find out a little bit about what’s actually in some of their favorite food items. You can learn about all the different types of sugars and dyes found in circus peanut candies, the canola oil in your SunnyD and why there’s calcium sulfate in your Hot Pockets.

-“Mindball” is a game in which visitors try to “out relax” each other. Players wear brainwave-detecting headbands that monitor a person’s stress level.

-A human-sized “Hamster Wheel” exhibit teaches people about the benefits of physical activity over time.

-The 13-foot-tall, three-dimensional, interactive “Giant Heart” exhibit promises “the most amazing view of the heart you can get without rib spreaders.”

Who knew two letters and two numbers could cause such a ruckus? H1N1 has hit the Macon County scene, and from the sound of things, it’s hit pretty hard. On Tuesday, the Macon County Health Department reported the first local death from the flu strain.

I know that helping people understand what they can do to protect themselves from H1N1 is serious business. I’ve tried to keep my coverage helpful, relevant and to avoid spreading the “Media Fear-mongering Flu” or passing along exaggerated rumors about the disease.

But to fully understand how H1N1 has affected our community, I need your help. I want to seek out diverse sources of information on the flu strain — to talk to people who’ve had the disease and recovered, people who’ve opted to get the vaccination and those who have decided not to.

Got the scoop on something regarding H1N1? I want to hear from you.

Do you have questions or opinions on the strain that you don’t think are being addressed by local media? Give me a call.

If you have something to contribute, please contact me by commenting on this blog, e-mailing me at agetsinger@herald-review.com or calling me at 421-6968.

Dear Blog Reader,

For the weekend I leave you with this: It’s a Newsweek magazine health quiz designed to gauge your overall wellness by asking you 11 simple questions. You don’t need anything special to take the test, and you can do it at your computer right now.

Right. Now.

Take three minutes and take the test. I’ll wait. Plus, you could be surprised by your findings.

Did you take it? I did, and I received a B (a shocking, scandalous score for a health reporter, I know). But the quiz is based on some common sense things like making sure you eat in a healthy way, get a regular physical, wear a seatbelt, protect your skin from the sun and avoid heavy drinking and tobacco use.

They’re things we might forget or think about putting off for another day, but they can affect your health a lot in the long-term. So, if you still haven’t taken the quiz, take it, and pick one or two of the areas on which you could have scored better to focus on this weekend.

Enjoy your homework.

Four years ago this past Saturday, I lost my uncle to the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. He was sick, but cancer didn’t devour his body, nor did cardiovascular disease quiet the beating of his heart. My uncle Rick took his own life.

He loved baseball, Janis Joplin and penguins. He loved us, and in a moment, he was gone.

His death leveled our family’s emotional defenses like an atomic blast. What was left in the rubble was rawness, anger and sadness. I have spent these past four years rebuilding that place in my heart to make it inhabitable again, and I am reaching out to you.

I’m writing this not to talk about my family’s own experiences but hopefully to call attention to a few things not all of us are thinking about. In 2006, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there were 33,300 reported suicide deaths nationwide. For every 90 Americans who take their own lives each day, more than 2,000 attempt to do so. Chances are that you know a real person who has been affected by these statistics.

There are quite a few factors that contribute to suicide, and loved ones left behind are often left with many more questions than answers. But the foundation asserts that a key way to prevent these tragedies is through the recognition and treatment of depression and other psychiatric illnesses.

Mental illness is so stigmatized in our society. I see evidence of it every day. These attitudes force those already living with the pain of illness to shoulder the further burdens of isolation, discrimination and even threats or violence.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, which is active locally, has a network dedicated to addressing stigma, and actress and advocate Glenn Close has recently filmed a public service announcement on the same issue.

I have seen communities come together around those who are sick and dying. I have seen people proudly sporting brightly colored ribbons to raise awareness for different health causes.

We must realize that people living with mental illness are not at fault and that their conditions can sometimes be as deadly as the ones we unhesitatingly rally behind. We must make it our business to help people get help and to overcome shame.

We have wonderful mental health resources in our community — from local psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors to the Macon County Mental Health Board, the Mental Health Association of Macon County, our local NAMI affiliate and Heritage Behavioral Health Center.

I urge you to get to know them. Learn about what they do and who they serve, and if you or someone you care about needs them now or in the future, use them.

And know that no matter the outcomes, the love and compassion you provide to those you care about in their times of need are some of the greatest gifts we human beings can ever give.

If you, or someone you know, is in suicidal crisis or emotional distress please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

For more information, visit the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Web site.

This blog is usually a forum for me to express some of my views and opinions on health care topics, but I realize that people are affected by health and wellness issues in many different ways. One of the things I’ve been most interested in researching lately is something that’s going to affect us all, though — proposed national health care reform.

It seems to be a topic of discussion in settings ranging from dinner tables to break rooms to doctor’s office waiting rooms, and everyone has an opinion. I’m interested in all types of opinions because there are so many different stakeholders. Everyone depends on health care in one way or another — some as individuals and others as businesspeople, too.

I want to investigate more of those stories. I want to know what your questions and experiences regarding the issues are. I believe that only when we can create a civilized dialogue on the issue will we be able to come up with any kind of solution that will respond to all the different voices on the debate. To do this, it’s vital that we listen to each other’s stories.

I’m inviting you to comment here, to share your experiences and ask your questions and hopefully start a conversation with me on the topic.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to make a decision that required a little thinking on my part. Trust me, it’s rare.

At 24 years old, I fall on the cusp of one of the H1N1 vaccine priority groups (6-month-old infants to 24-year-olds). In December, I turn 25, and because I don’t have any chronic conditions, I fall out of the priority range for the vaccine.

I covered a story at Decatur Memorial Hospital about a free vaccine clinic being held for adults who qualified, and hospital officials asked me if I wanted to be vaccinated. I decided that with the work I do, the number of people I meet on a weekly basis and the amount of time I spend in the health care setting as a reporter, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.

H1N1 is pretty prevalent in our area now, and so far I’ve been lucky not to have a close contact affected by the flu strain, but it could only be a matter of time before I come in contact with it myself. I knew that if the H1N1 situation were to worsen, and I decided I wanted the vaccine after my birthday, it would be too late. So I rolled up my sleeve and got the shot.

If you or your loved ones have the opportunity to get vaccinated, please read today’s story in the Herald & Review Life section about the vaccine and its risks and benefits. I think it’s important for community members to be informed about any preventive steps they can take against H1N1 and to make their decisions based on information rather than rumors and fear.