Your health

A hug helps, too: There's plenty you can do to make a sick child more comfortable without resorting to over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, which doctors say you shouldn't give to kids younger than 6.

Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can ease sore throat pain and fever, but be careful you give your child the correct dose for her age.

Other tips from pediatrician Dr. Esther Yoon of the University of Michigan Health System:

• For stuffy noses, use nasal saline drops and a bulb suction to loosen and remove mucus.

• For coughs, a teaspoon of honey or corn syrup is soothing for children older than 1 year. Or try warm apple juice or chicken broth.

• Take a coughing child into the bathroom and run a hot shower. The steam relaxes the airway and helps ease coughing spasms.

It's what you eat: Common wisdom says Americans are getting fatter because we're a bunch of couch potatoes who drive everywhere.

A new international study suggests otherwise. Researchers from Loyola University Health System in West suburban Maywood and other centers compared African-American women in metropolitan Chicago (average weight: 184 pounds) to women in rural Nigeria (average weight: 127 pounds).

To their surprise, researchers found little difference between the two groups in the number of calories burned each day through physical activity - 760 for the Chicago women, 800 for the Nigerians.

But there is one big difference: The Nigerian women eat a high-fiber, high-carb, low-fat diet, while the Chicago women's diet was 40 percent to 45 percent fat.

"We would love to say that physical activity has a positive effect on weight control, but that does not appear to be the case," said Richard Cooper, chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology and co-author of the study.

But that's no excuse to give up on your New Year's resolution already. Exercise won't make up for eating too many calories, but it has many other benefits, from strengthening bones and reducing stress to lowering your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Inventory time: It's a new year, do you know how old your aspirin is? The American College of Emergency Physicians says it's a good time to get rid of expired medications and restock your medicine cabinet.

Here's what the ER docs say you should have on hand: Adhesive bandages, gauze pads and adhesive tape; a thermometer (not mercury-based); alcohol wipes and hydrogen peroxide to disinfect wounds; antibiotic ointment; antacid; antihistamine for allergic reactions; decongestant (be mindful of dosages); acetaminophen, ibuprofen and aspirin (no aspirin for anyone under 19) and antiseptic wipes. To learn more, visit emergencycareforyou.org.