With the holidays over, the trickle of students returned to school and employees trudged back to the office, swapping viruses and germs.

But last week,  between December 26, 2010  to January 1, 2011, flu activity decreased slightly compared with the week prior, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There were four deaths related to the flu that week, including one pediatric, and 206 reported hospitalizations. Flu-like activity was highest in New York City and the Southern states of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  For more, visit the CDC.

Criminals posing as law enforcement agents are scamming people who purchase drugs over the internet, the Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers Friday.

The international extortion scam targets people who bought drugs online or from telepharmacies. The victims are called by criminals posing as FDA special agents or other law enforcement personnel. They are told that buying drugs over the telephone or internet is illegal and threatened with police action unless fines ranging between $100 and $250,000 are paid.

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This year you've convinced yourself you're going to eat better, get healthier and all that.  Here's why you should stick to that.

Adding to the evidence about nutrition and fitness benefits,  one study found that men with prostate cancer who exercised more reduced their risk of dying from the disease.  Also, people who eat healthier have less risk of asthma and allergies, according to a review of existing research.

Plus, toning shoes have threaded the path to toning workout clothes, but there's some skepticism.

Exercise reduces prostate cancer deaths

Men who have prostate cancer benefit greatly by having just three hours of vigorous exercise a week, according to a study released this week.

WebMD reports how cancer patients who ran, biked, walked or did outdoor chores had 61% lower risk of prostate cancer deaths compared with men who exercised less than an hour a week.

The study conducted by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of California-San Francisco examined the records of 2,705 men over 18 years. FULL POST

Too embarrassed to ask your doctor about sex, body quirks, or the latest celeb health fad? In a regular feature and a new book, "What the Yuck?!," Health magazine medical editor Dr. Roshini Raj tackles your most personal and provocative questions. Send 'em to Dr. Raj at whattheyuck@health.com.

Q: How many days can I forget to take the Pill without getting pregnant?

None. Skipping even one day can increase your chance of getting pregnant.

One quick exception: If you skipped taking one of the placebo pills at the end of your cycle, you're probably okay. In reality, we don't even have to take those pills; they're usually just sugar pills and contain no hormones. Their sole purpose is to keep you in the habit of taking a pill every day, reducing your chances of missing a pill.

If you realize you've spaced out on one dose, quickly take it or just double up (take two pills) the next day. But if you've missed more than one pill, don't try to catch up; call your doctor. And in either case, use another form of birth control (condoms, for example) for that entire cycle, just to be safe.

As report cards go, this one was pretty depressing. The Women’s Health Care Report Card for 2010 from the National Women's Law Center showed a nation failing the majority of its population. Not a single state in our fine union received a “Satisfactory” grade. Not one!

On just about every count, women’s health is doing worse—from access to care to preventive tests, to measures of disease.

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The internet may be overflowing with information on every topic under the sun, but it's not your teen's destination of choice for information on sex.  In fact, according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, teens are more likely to get information about contraception or abstinence from their parents, friends, or teachers, before they surf the Web.

The researchers interviewed 58 juniors and seniors from three different public high schools, two in New York City and one in Indiana. Only five of the teens considered the internet to be "one of their most trusted sources" when it came to questions about sexual education, according to the study.

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Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, oncologist and cancer researcher at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and author of the New York Times best-selling book, "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer," recently sat down with CNN and answered  questions from iReporters about cancer. See the iReports and his responses, below.

Jeff Pickens of Turnersville, New Jersey asked:

"Every year, I ride, along with over 7,000 cyclists, in the Philadelphia American Cancer Society Bikeathon. We typically raise over $1,000,000 for the American Cancer Society. My question is: What does the American Cancer Society do with the money?"

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