Health Flash

MUSCLES, FRIED. Did your last tennis match leave you sore all over? Decode strains, sprains and other injuries with When Your Body Aches by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Rosemont, Illinois (Walker & Company). This go-to guide to preventing and treating bone, joint and muscle ailments will keep you on your game.

HUNGRY? SLEEP!. Your Letterman addiction and potato chip binges could be related. Clocking too few zzz's may increase your appetite (as well as exacerbate a host of health concerns), a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine notes. Set a to-bed deadline that gets you at least seven hours of rest. Visit www.sleepfoundation.org for more good-night tips in time for National Sleep Awareness Week, which starts March 28.

LENS LOGIC. On average, disposable contact wearers keep lenses in for about 15 hours a day, several hours longer than they should, suggests data from contact lens company CIBA Vision in Atlanta. That extra time is critical: Wearing any type of lenses longer than 10 hours at a stretch reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches your eyes, irritating and possibly damaging your cornea, experts say. To go frame-free for your date after work, wear your specs, then pop in those lenses at lunchtime.

MISSING MINERAL. Skimping on calcium can contribute to osteoporosis as well as other conditions like high blood pressure. Americans are taking in far too little of the nutrient, according to a recent surgeon general's report. Aim for 1,000 milligrams a day from dairy, green veggies and supplements, and put the kibosh on smoking and excessive drinking, both of which can interfere with calcium absorption.

NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT. Don't let allergies keep you from having a garden that billows with blooms. Buy plants (like snapdragons) that are pollinated by insects. They have less pollen than those that fertilize via the wind.

CHARITY CHECK. You work hard for the money, so your favorite health charity better treat it right. Visit www.give.org, a Better Business Bureau website that lists info on more than 500 national organizations. It tells you what your dollars are used for and provides details on groups that declined to disclose their practices when asked, one hint something may be fishy.

GLOWING REVIEW. Oral cancer often begins when women are in their 20s and 30s but isn't usually caught until lesions appear. If it's detected at a late stage, only a third of patients will survive longer than five years. Enter ViziLite, a wand that shines diffused light to illuminate tissue abnormalities below the skin's surface, so cancers can be nabbed early. Drill your D.D.S. about it next visit.