His lungs are unhappy, we promise. | Photo by Rachael Porter via Flickr/used with permission This month, the ScientIST has been focusing on how to make you better in 2009, whether it’s changing your eating habits or getting yourself to the doctor for a checkup, and this week’s column is ...

Photo by Foodwoolf via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr The holidays are over, the merriment has ceased, and that means that reality now rears its ugly head. It's time to make resolutions to be better this year than we were last year, or any other year, or ever will be in the future. For a l...

I resolve to find more gluten-free pastries | Photo by Melisa Moore/LAist The new year marks an official "do-over" in the collective consciousness of the world. It's a time to realize our shortcomings, assess our weaknesses, and take stock of the glaring absences (or over indulgences) in our life th...

Photo by Melissa Moore | LAist What is a New Year’s Eve without an alcoholic binge? (Bringing a bright and shiny New Year’s Day rife with a pounding migraine, vomit-flecked party clothes, and the dim recollection of hooking up with a few ne’er-do-wells, of course.) Booze may have f...

Photo by Melissa Moore/LAist Honestly, at 31 years of age, I'm not afraid of too many things. Those that struck fear in my heart as a child - heights, for instance - have been supplanted by the wondrous world of science. If I'm on the balcony of a holiday party located on the 10th floor and g = 10m/...

Remember when the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol was illegal? Yeah, neither do we, and thankfully so. Around the turn of the 20th century, booze started to get a seriously bad rap as the beverage of the unsavory folk, so the 18th Amendment went into effect in 1920. While this "Noble...

It's hard to believe, but December 1, 2008 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Today we come together as friends and family, as a city, as a state, as a country, and (most importantly) as a global community to educate and inform on the world AIDS epidemic. While others will (and should) de...

Black Friday, Schmiday. Even with the impending recession, we know you dragged/dragging/will drag your kids to the various malls and outlets in the LA area the whole damn weekend. While you may enjoy the thrill of sabotaging your neighbors shopping cart in hopes of snagging whatever Elmo incarnation...

Photo by S.C. Asher via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr This year, with the official start of the holiday season tragically mired in a financial fiasco, the fires and soaring temperatures feeling more Summer than Fall, and Prop 8’s passage reminding us all we’ve still a long way to go, ...

As the saying goes, “Mom knows best�. This is especially true when we’re under the weather, and though there are but few PTA members with legit science and medical degrees, it seems like most Moms could whip up an acute care clinic from the trunk of their Volvo if pressed. We turn to them for ...