In recent years, gay Americans have achieved many victories including the right to marry and serve in the military, yet current U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines continue to prevent gay men from donating blood.

We’ve all heard the jokes about premenstrual syndrome, but for the many women who suffer symptoms that can include painful cramps, mood swings, and depression each month, PMS is no laughing matter.

If the results of your latest blood test show that you’re glucose levels are higher than normal, you aren’t alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 79 million Americans have prediabetes, a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be classified as full-blown diabetes. A fasting blood glucose level in the 100- to 125-milligrams-per-deciliter range indicates that you have prediabetes.

Although the first vaccine against human papillomavirus, or HPV, which causes cervical cancer, was introduced in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, report the majority of teens still aren’t getting vaccinated.

Being considered the best at anything often means taking on extraordinary challenges and succeeding—even if the odds aren’t in your favor. For the past 20 years, Best Doctors Inc., a company founded by two Harvard physicians, has conducted a peer-to-peer survey of the medical profession asking physicians, “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer them?”

These lists are excerpted from The Best Doctors in America’s 2013 database, which includes more than 45,000 doctors in more than 40 medical specialties. The Best Doctors in America’s database is compiled and maintained by Best Doctors, Inc. For more information, visit www.bestdoctors.com or contact Best Doctors by telephone at 800-675-1199 or by e-mail at research@bestdoctors.com. Please note that lists of doctors are not available on the Best Doctors Web site.

The skies may be cloudy on a late-summer morning at Oakland’s Lake Temescal, but that doesn’t faze Baby Boot Camp owner/instructor Mary McQueen. Cheerfully she greets the day’s group of women and their babies before sending them off, the kids tucked securely in strollers, to warm up with a jog around the perimeter of the parking lot. As the women come back around, McQueen gathers them in a circle near the grass and directs them to begin a couple of sets of jumping jacks. “You got it, Ariana! Nice job, Laura,” she calls. “Grab some water, Megan!” Pretty soon they’re running along a trail into the park to the next station, where they’ll sweat through a round of (aptly-named) burpees—aka squat thrusts—while their babies enjoy the scenery.

Being considered the best at anything often means taking on extraordinary challenges and succeeding—even if the odds aren’t in your favor. For the past 20 years, Best Doctors Inc., a company founded by two Harvard physicians, has conducted a peer-to-peer survey of the medical profession asking physicians, “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer them?”

These lists are excerpted from The Best Doctors in America’s 2013 database, which includes more than 45,000 doctors in more than 40 medical specialties. The Best Doctors in America’s database is compiled and maintained by Best Doctors, Inc. For more information, visit www.bestdoctors.com or contact Best Doctors by telephone at 800-675-1199 or by e-mail at research@bestdoctors.com. Please note that lists of doctors are not available on the Best Doctors Web site.

Juggling the fall routine is getting frustrating. One kid’s in soccer practice, another is in gymnastics, and my work schedule is proving unreliable for keeping my summer strength workout routine. Any advice for what I can do?