By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Think it's not cool to wear a breathing mask for chronic snoring? Well, Boston Celtics star
Shaquille O'Neal recently got one, and he says -- in the video above produced by Harvard Medical School's Division of Sleep Medicine -- that he intends to wear it every night.

In the video, Shaq says his girlfriend, reality star Nikki "Hoopz" Alexander, first told him he had sleep apnea and convinced him to get evaluated. "It happens when he's on his back," Alexander says in the video. "He gets into this deep snore and then goes like this..." she says, imitating his snore. "It's like he stops; his chest will stop moving and everything. It's like he stops breathing."

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By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

It's nice when sinful foods turn out to be not so sinful, and coffee has been earning high marks lately on the nutrition front -- to the point that some are now calling it a health food. Adding to the growing evidence is a study published yesterday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, which found that drinking copious amounts may reduce the risk of dying from prostate cancer.

"Those in the study who drank one to three cups of coffee a day had a 30 percent lower risk of lethal prostate cancer," says study author Kathryn Wilson, an epidemiologist at Harvard School of Public Health. "The ones who drank six cups a day had a 60 percent lower risk."

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By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Celtics coach Doc Rivers returned to Boston to have throat surgery today for a noncancerous growth. No word on what caused the growth, but last October when he had a biopsy for a "spot"-- which turned out benign -- he blamed it on his yelling a lot and said he gets regular throat screenings.

"I think most coaches should, because we yell and use our throat a lot. It makes you more susceptible," Rivers said in a press interview at that time.

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By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

Sexual problems after cancer treatment aren't usually the prime topic of discussion among patients and their oncologists. Survival rates and acute treatment side effects like nausea and baldness often take first priority in conversations. Yet many cancer patients find that months or even years after their treatment ends, their sex life is still suffering.

Some find their libido never bounces back after chemo. Breast cancer patients often experience vaginal dryness from anti-estrogen treatments and may feel self conscious about their surgery scars. And some prostate cancer patients never regain full function after surgery or radiation treatments. WBUR blogger Rachel Zimmerman wrote this stirring post yesterday about the first-hand experiences of cancer patients dealing with sexual problems after treatment -- complete with videos so you can hear the survivors speak in their own words.

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By Deborah Kotz, Globe Staff

When the eyelash enhancing drug Latisse was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than two years ago, one of the big concerns was hair growth on the eyelids and around the eyes in those who were a little messy when applying the liquidy substance.

Latisse's hair growth potential has probably led some doctors to start prescribing the treatment "off-label" for baldness, ABC News reports. One woman said she used the treatment to restore her over-plucked eyebrows before her wedding. And those treating baldness with the only two prescription remedies on the market -- Rogaine (a lotion) and Propecia (a pill) -- agreed that it would be nice to add a third.

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By Elizabeth Comeau, Boston.com Staff

The US Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission today announced a joint effort to remove products from the market that make unproven claims to treat, cure, and prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Among the products targeted are Medavir, Herpaflor, Viruxo, C-Cure, and Never An Outbreak.

The agencies issued multiple letters to companies warning that their products violate federal law. These products, sold online and in retail outlets, have not been evaluated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. The joint action is the first step in keeping these unproven items from being sold to the public and preventing consumers from being misled.

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By Elizabeth Comeau, Boston.com Staff

Wouldn't it be nice to have a personal trainer at your disposal at all times? I know personally, I'd love to have a trainer and a chef just take up residence in my home. However, since I can't afford that, being able to ask a personal trainer my fitness questions today at noon will suffice. FULL ENTRY

It might be time to ask your boss to cut you a little slack, that is, if you're putting in 11 hours or more a day at your job. Those who worked that much had a 67 percent higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from heart disease than those who logged seven to eight hours a day, according to a study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

That sounds scary, but workers at low risk for heart disease -- defined as less than 5 percent over 10 years -- don't need to worry much about keeling over in the office if they put in overtime. The study of about 6,400 participants at low-risk found that 1.8 percent had some heart event over a two-year period from 2002 to 2004, and that rose to about 1.9 percent in those who worked more than 11-hour days. FULL ENTRY

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe

Dr. Ruth Westheimer was greeted by Ethel Weisberg (left) before she spoke about sex at NewBridge on the Charles.

By Deborah Kotz

Say "orgasm" as loud as you can. That was the command ordered by Dr. Ruth Westheimer to an audience of more than 80 seniors who gathered to hear the famous sex therapist speak on Wednesday at NewBridge on the Charles, an independent living community in Dedham. The audience of mostly women, she tells me, complied.
The questions she gets asked by the AARP crowd haven't changed much through the years -- lack of desire, boredom, the challenge of finding a new partner -- but the vocabulary is different. "People are talking more openly. And I do believe in being explicit and encourage them to be." FULL ENTRY

Here's yet another reason to add sleep to your to-do list: Researchers at Columbia University found that people who are sleep-deprived eat nearly 300 calories more than those who are well-rested.

Women in the study consumed 329 more calories when sleep-deprived than men did, who consumed about 263 calories more.

Need more reasons to find time for adequate shut-eye? University of Chicago researchers found that children who get enough sleep are less likely to become obese. And, previous studies have shown that sleep deprivation increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.