Blog Posts by Katie Couric

Katie's Take

It’s Monday morning, and the day begins with a moment of panic.

“Where are my keys?”

As the search begins, the clock is ticking and you're already late for work. After turning over pillows, opening drawers and even checking the trash can, you find them in your bag…where they've been all along.

As frustrating as they can be, moments like that are pretty common and probably brought on by stress induced memory loss. I spoke to Dr. Gayatri Devi about all these little lapses of memory we experience, how to prevent them and when they may be a sign of something more serious. Dr. Devi, a neurologist and director of New York Memory and Healthy Aging Services, suggests that simple mind exercises can help, particularly ones that utilize a very different part of the brain than you're accustomed to using. If you sit at a computer analyzing data all day, do something physical or manual to wake up the rest of your brain.

We begin to experience memory loss at the early stages of

Katie's Take

Remember those old commercials for Lubriderm, "See you later, alligator?"

The wintertime has many of us feeling a bit reptilian, dry and flaky. All that cold, dry air is the culprit. I spoke to Dr. Lisa Airan, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist practicing in New York City, whose remedies provide a soft solution for winter skin.

Hydration is key. We might think we need to drink more water in the summer, but it's just as critical in the colder months. Caffeine and alcohol dehydrate your skin, so she recommends avoiding them.

Everyone loves a long hot shower when the weather outside is frightful, but the hot water will dry skin out and eliminate natural oils. Dr. Airan suggests a short luke warm shower in order to keep in some moisture. Also, moisturizers applied in the shower or directly after patting down with a towel will lock in the moisture.

Maintaining a comfortable humidity in your home will not only help remedy dry skin but it will keep away other winter time

Katie's Take

When the typical cough or cold strikes, the average person can recognize how to ease the pain, but what about when it comes to more serious health issues? Not everyone can think like a doctor, which is why a checkup is necessary every now and then.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, Senior Medical Contributor at the ABC New Medical Unit focuses on what to pay attention to, how to analyze it and when to worry. Dr. Ashton highlights the importance of the patient’s own intuition so that the physician can follow their own medical instincts.

A feeling of knowing when something’s just not right can help both the patient and the doctor in determining the diagnosis. Symptoms can occur in circles, such as depression and fatigue. A person that experiences one of these symptoms is more likely to experience both, knowing how to treat just one of these symptoms can solve both problems.

Dr. Ashton mentions the internet as an endless stream of explanations for symptoms, doctors know how to properly

Katie's Take

It’s a new year and whether that means you’re in the middle of a career change, seeking a promotion at work or debating starting a new business, Laura Fredricks, author, speaker and the Expert on The Ask sits down with Katie as she talks about the top “New Year, New You” questions you need to be asking!

Laura says she has the ability to show people how to ask the right questions using the right words so that they can get exactly what they want.

For over 20 years, Laura Fredricks has applied her practical and successful background in law, business and communications to raise millions of dollars for nonprofits by teaching the ways of The Ask. Her expertise has been featured in Shape, SELF, the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and ABC.

Some of her ‘asks’ have led her to various successful career paths all because she asked the right questions.

For example, her career took off when she was an attorney and winning her defense cases as a result of asking the witnesses the right

Katie's Take

These days, most Americans spend about an hour choosing a doctor, less time than we spend choosing a car or a refrigerator.

Dr. Archelle Georgiou, Physician and Strategic advisor to HealthGrades.com, says that most times, people confuse convenience with quality. When looking for a doctor, many people just wonder if he or she will be covered by their insurance or if the doctor's office is close to home or work.

There are, however, more important things to consider when making this critical choice. Dr. Georgiou introduces the five P’s of finding a doctor: Professional, practice, procedure, performance, and personal. Using free online networks, like healthgrades.com, to research your doctors or hospitals will help you make an informed decision for you and your family.

But, why is it so important to research your doctor or hospital?

According to Dr. Georgiou, in Chicago, for example, there are 18 hospitals within a few miles of each other and the mortality rate for a heart

Katie's Take

Acupuncture may be an ancient Chinese practice, but it's only been in the U.S. since the 1970s, and most of us probably don't fully understand what it is or how it works.  In other words, what's the point? (Get it?)

While it's still considered an "alternative" form of medicine, it's gaining acceptance in the mainstream as a supplemental treatment for everything from back pain to infertility. Jill Blakeway, founder of the YinOva Center in New York City, says that the practice was based on the idea that we all have channels running through our bodies like rivers. The belief is that the ‘rivers’ get blocked up and acupuncture needles open them again to allow a healthy flow of energy in our bodies.

Today, doctors view it in a less metaphorical way. When a needle goes into a patient, the doctor is accessing the nervous system and it causes the body to release chemicals which will either interrupt the signal of pain or invoke your body’s own healing capabilities.

But isn't the

Katie's Take

Somewhere between Edith and Archie Bunker and June and Ward Cleaver you'll find all the rest of American couples.  Not fighting constantly, but not on a permanent honeymoon, either.

The average couple argues 312 times a year.  Sometimes it's about big things like money and child raising, but most of the time it's probably as simple as what to have for dinner or what movie to see on Friday.

Psychotherapist Rachel Sussman says it's always a good idea to pick and choose your battles and moments.  Think before you speak, decide if this is the appropriate time to take a stand and if it's worth the fight.  If not, it's usually wiser to hold your tongue.

At the same time, it's never a good idea to keep all of your feelings bottled up—they could eventually build up to a needlessly explosive altercation.

When you do vocalize your argument, Rachel says you should use language that isn't accusatory, but helps your partner understand the way their actions made you feel instead. Talk

Katie's Take

Between parties, family get-togethers and, for many of us, lots of travel, it's no wonder people are prone to gaining weight during the holiday season. In fact, Americans gain, on average, between one to two pounds from Thanksgiving and Christmas!  I spoke to fitness and Pilates expert Brooke Siler to get a few pointers on winning the battle of the holiday bulge.

According to Brooke, one of best things you can do is keep moving, especially while traveling, and it's not as hard as you might think.  Brooke says she has no problem doing lunges down the airplane aisle! It might get you a few funny looks, but exercise and stretching are very important to do, especially when you're stuck in a cramped airline seat for hours.

Stretching is not only important for blood flow and circulation,  it can also help reduce holiday related stress by loosening up our bodies and allowing us to breathe more freely.

Brooke says that there should be no excuse to miss a workout during the