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There are a lot of misconceptions out there about this common procedure. We set you straight on the five biggest ones.

You’ve heard: If you don’t want to wind up in the OR, watch out for doctors whose practices have higher than average C-section rates.

The truth: Before you judge your doctor by the number of C-sections she’s performed, you need to know her patient population. “Some of our finest OBs have rates that are 60 percent,” says Hope Ricciotti, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School. In many cases, that’s simply because more experienced doctors tend to handle the kind of high-risk or multiple pregnancies that are more likely to be delivered surgically.

You’ve heard: Celebrities always demand early C-sections.

The truth: Indeed, says Sheryl Ross, an obstetrician in Santa Monica whose office sees its share of boldfaced names, “A-listers are more likely to convince their doctors that an elective C-section is more appropriate for them.”

Most of them use their busy schedules and need for privacy as excuses. But doctors warn against having the procedure more than a week before your due date. A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine study early this year found that babies delivered by elective C-section before 39 weeks to mothers who previously had an elective C-section had more difficulty feeding, breathing, and required more medical assistance.

Babies at 37 weeks are up to four times more likely than those delivered at 39 weeks to need mechanical ventilation, have low blood sugar, and require a stay in the neonatal ICU.

You’ve heard: There’s no limit to the number of C-sections you can have.
The truth: “The risks start rising as you have more and more Cesarean sections,” says Ricciotti. That’s because the more scar tissue that forms on your uterus, the more likely you’ll run into problems with placenta implantation, bladder lacerations, bowel complications, and infection.

“If you’re going to have one or two kids, a section is no big deal,” says Ricciotti. But as you start having three, four, and five kids, the risks start going way up.”

You’ve heard: You’re always better off scheduling a section when you’re past your due date than trying to induce.

The truth: While induction before your cervix is dilated does increase the chance that you’ll need a C-section in the end due to the possibility that the induction will fail to cause contractions, “in general, trying an induction is the way to go because many people can have uncomplicated vaginal deliveries with less maternal morbidity than with a Cesarean,” says George Macones, M.D., chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine.

 
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Actress and comedian Amy Sedaris, featured in the new movie Jennifer’s Body, shares her very personal tricks for joy-packed days.

Being healthy means …
Never having to say you’re sorry.

My ultimate late-night craving is …
To go to bed with a stomach so full that it’s tight.

Cupcakes are …
Prone to going stale after two days.

You’ll never catch me eating …
Huevos rancheros or a breakfast burrito.

I work out because …
If I don’t, I’ll never leave my apartment.

At the gym, you’ll find me …
Making excuses for why I can’t exercise that day.

The person who epitomizes real beauty is …
A rare breed.

Playing Jerri Blank—who’s not conventionally attractive—in Strangers With Candy has made me …
Receive compliments that I am more attractive than Jerri Blank.

My favorite kind of book to snuggle up with is …
A tragedy, crime novel, or mystery.

The number-one rule for entertaining is …
“Go with what you know.”

My family makes me …
Realize that no matter how hard you try, you really can’t reinvent yourself.

Being humorist and author David Sedaris’s little sister is …
A full-time job.

The best lesson my family taught me was …
Timing.

I am absurdly grateful for …
My health and opportunities that come my way—and that I am only allergic to shellfish.

I spoil myself by …
Not having a cellular phone.

My happy-life motto is …
“This too will change.”

 
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Jack Guy

Her Clueless character, Cher, would be way proud. Fourteen years after Alicia Silverstone, 32, made the world fall in love with a soup-can-collecting Beverly Hills teen, the actress is now taking on a weightier task: Educating women about healthy eating.

Over a vegan lunch in Los Angeles, Alicia gave us a sneak peek at her first book, The Kind Diet, which is part healthy-eating treatise, part diet plan, and chock-full of recipes. She also shared the many ways that down-to-earth living makes her glow.

Q: Your book, The Kind Diet, comes out next month. What excites you most about it?
A: I’m excited about presenting something that can make you feel amazing and look your best. Once you’re informed, then you can be really gentle and kind to yourself, by giving yourself all the gifts life has to offer—like mental clarity and vitality—all while making the planet better.

Q: Do you think you’d write another book?
A: Yeah, but I want to wait until I have kids and then write a book for children. I have a lot to say about kids, but I don’t think anyone wants to hear that when you don’t have them! [Laughs.] So I want to have kids and go through, ideally, a whole natural-birth experience.

Q: Have you seen Ricki Lake’s documentary, The Business of Being Born?
A: Yes! Isn’t it beautiful? I think I’ve had baby fever since I was 2. I know I want to be a mom, and I know my husband [musician Christopher Jarecki] will be a great dad. But then there’s the reality part, where I also have all these other things I feel so passionately about, so we’re not at all trying. [Laughs.] I think I might be ready maybe next year.

Next page: Gardening in the buff and family health concerns

Although it may have been Jon and Kate Gosselin’s unusual family that landed them a reality show, it is their marital problems—to which much of their audience can likely relate—that have made them a household name in recent weeks.

During the previous four seasons of TLC’s Jon & Kate Plus Eight, the couple has bickered, eye-rolled, and jabbed its way through adventures in rearing now 9-year-old twins and now 5-year-old sextuplets. In this past Monday’s record-breaking fifth-season premiere (9.8 million viewers), Jon and Kate finally addressed the very topic that has kept them on tabloid covers for weeks: Their marriage is on the rocks.

(Update: Kate Gosselin filed for divorce on June 22.)

Even without the stress of eight children, rolling cameras, and public scrutiny, all couples encounter tension in their relationships. Below, five trigger points that have tested Jon and Kate in their reality-TV run—and how to make sure the same stressors don’t take a toll on your relationship.

Stress trigger No. 1: A growing family
Whether you’re bringing home one new baby or six, expanding your brood requires adjustment.

Sleep deprivation can trigger depression and anxiety, says Ken Robbins, MD, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin. New moms are also at risk for postpartum depression, and both parents will likely feel stretched for time.

Then there’s the issue of intimacy, which will undoubtedly be affected with children in the house. “Sex lives of people who have children are worse—there’s data to prove it,” says Andrew Goldstein, MD, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the author of Reclaiming Desire. “But a relationship is not like a job where you just have to accomplish what is necessary; you can’t just put it on autopilot.”

Smart solutions: Couples need to work together to find creative ways to support and appreciate each other through this transition.

• Adjust sleep schedules so that one partner sleeps while the other is awake with the baby.
• When possible, get a friend or relative to occasionally help out at night so mom and dad have some time to cultivate their relationship one-on-one. Especially as kids get older, make sure they understand that mom and dad need time to themselves.
• Be aware of the signs of postpartum depression like appetite changes, trouble concentrating, loss of energy, and hopelessness.
• Make activities that promote mental health—such as exercise and social time—a top priority.

Next page: Career changes and intrusive in-laws

Emmy-winning actress and busy mom Mariska Hargitay spoke with Health magazine about Joyful Heart Foundation, her nonprofit organization that helps empower survivors of rape and domestic violence. In this web-exclusive interview she shares her secrets for how she stays healthy despite her hectic schedule.

Q: As a working mom, how do you keep your busy life in order?
A: Don’t procrastinate. Don’t touch paper twice. This is something an old boyfriend taught me. I asked him how he got so much done and he told me, “I do it when I see it.” When I was younger, the more time I had, the more I wasted. If a paper was on my desk, like a letter or a memo, I’d pick it up and put it in another pile—but he would say, “I have to do this now.” You look at the paper, and deal with it. So now I live my life by the Nike ad: Just Do It. Days are finite, our time is finite, and I’m continually in a learning process about how to better utilize my time, schedule it, condense it, and make the most of it.

Q: Let’s talk fitness. What do you do to keep in shape?
A: I’m just an active person. I’m always running around—and I’m the mother of a two-and-a-half–year-old! Swimming is definitely my favorite sport. I live for swimming.

Q: How do you stick to a healthy eating schedule?
A: I’m learning that it’s about paying attention to how you feel after you eat.  I didn’t used to think that way. I used to say to myself, “I want it so I’m going to eat it.” Now I try to be a grown-up and say, “How am I going to feel afterward if I eat that? Is it worth it?”

Next page: What Mariska keeps in her fridge

Sarah Chalke, Scrubs veteran and star of the new Lifetime miniseries, Maneater, shares her back-to-basics approach to living well with Health. Here’s more of our interview.

Easy yummy home meal
My favorite meal is to barbecue some salmon because I grew up in British Columbia, so we had a lot of salmon. That, and a big mixed green salad. I often make this one salad when we go to friends’ houses that included organic mixed greens, goat cheese, caramelized pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, sliced avocado and balsamic vinaigrette that I make with balsamic vinegar and a little bit of maple syrup and Dijon mustard. My favorite dessert is pumpkin pie.

Her fab hair secret
For my daily life, I rely on really, really great shampoo and conditioner—Kerastase or Alterna. I do a deep conditioning treatment every couple of weeks. Same with moisturizers. My grandmother moisturized every day. My favorite is Crème de la Mer. I find that it’s the one that feels so good on your skin.

Instant look-great trick
For me, I find it’s a little bit of mascara. The best one in the world is by Fresh. It’s all-natural; there’s no alcohol in it and it makes your lashes look twice as long. There’s also this spray called Lisa Ashley moisturizer. You spray it on your face and it instantly moisturizes. You can wear it under makeup, over makeup or with no makeup. Or if you’re on the plane you can put it on. It’s just like a little magic product.

Wedding bells?
Jamie [Afifi] and I were about to start to plan, but then I found out I’d be gone for nine weeks [filming Maneater], so we’ll probably start planning when I get back.

The fiancé effect
I think we have both grown up together in the sense that we’ve been together for 10 years. We met 10 years ago and we have had to do a lot of long-distance, which is why having visits often is really important. He’s one of the most generous and caring and honest people I’ve ever met.

“Rock Band” rivalry
Jamie’s way better. He’s played the guitar since he was 12 and has a musical ear and I am totally tone deaf, so he’s much better. And he practices more.

Great night out
I would go out with Jamie or with a bunch of friends and have some sushi and sake. I love to go dancing, but I don’t do it very often, so I can’t say it would be a typical night out, but it would be a favorite way to spend a night.

Serious relaxation ritual
I grew up in Canada. My dream way to blow off steam is to go skiing, but since I live in Los Angeles, that doesn’t happen enough. My favorite way to cocoon is to go to a ski cabin where it’s all snowy and you want to bundle up and build a fire and have some red wine and dark chocolate under a giant, giant, giant blanket.

Girl’s best friend
I have a chocolate lab named Lola because she walks like a woman and talks like a man. Named after a song. She walks like a lady, but she has that deep, deep, deep Rotweiller bark. The cast of Scrubs got her for me at a charity dinner. She was a chocolate lab nugget and I totally fell in love with her. They all noticed and decided to get her for me. She was our little Scrubs mascot and went on set every day.

Her top money-saving tip
We always had hand-me-downs from my cousin. My grandmother would get some matching thing for me and my sister and my cousin. I was the youngest, so I would end up in it for six years because after I wore mine, I’d get their hand-me-downs.

Her fave comedy
Steve Martin’s movie The Jerk. My favorite scene or line is probably when he’s leaving and he’s like, “All I need is this and this mug and this thing,” and that’s how I felt when I was leaving when I was leaving for Arizona. I was like, “All I need is this Scrabble board and this and this,” and of course I didn’t really need any of it.

Her fave TV show
30 Rock. I mean it’s such a good ensemble. They all play off each other so well and the writers are so good and write so well for each of them. Maybe Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey [are my favorite characters], though I know that is totally predictable. My favorite scenes to watch or them bantering together.

Work can be fun!
There is something really nice about [work] being intense and you are going to be in every single scene and you can go in and just focus on that. There are so many distractions at home, so be able to jump in and dive in and really focus is nice.

Going green
I grew up recycling and composting and all of that and I hang all of my laundry…except for towels, because otherwise they feel like cardboard. But recycling is a huge one for me. I find it crazy when you walk into a set or anywhere that doesn’t have a recycling option. At this point, that’s got to be a priority for everyone. I also use only formaldehyde-free nail polish from Butter and Nars. Your nails are so porous and it’s such an easy way for the chemicals to get in there. They both have a ton of colors. I think Butter is actually free of three things, like maybe carcinogen-free. When you hear that, you’re like, What do you mean? That normally has that in it? I am also going to try to reduce the use of my cell phone.

Natural stress buster
I do acupuncture once a week. I’ve been doing that for two years and I just love it. I find it’s such an amazing way to reduce stress. You go in for one thing and you cure six other things. Also, we always have aloe vera in my house. I am really clumsy and often burn myself.

Vary workouts
Usually I work out in the morning. At the end of the day, I rarely have the energy. I will only get on the treadmill at night if I have a bathing suit scene or bra and underwear scene the next day. Often, we’re handed the script and find out I have that the very next day. I just started doing some classes with a bit of circuit training. They alternate light free weights with abs and core strength exercises. My favorite thing is yoga, but that’s hard to do because they are always an hour and a half or two hours long, so there isn’t always enough time. I want to try to do more of that for flexibility and posture and to reduce stress. That’s such an important thing. I think that’s what causes a lot of illness in all of us.

Travel musts
I travel with echinacea and golden seal and oil of oregano for when I feel like I am getting sick. You end up smelling like an Italian restaurant, but it’s totally worth it. It comes with a dropper and you can put it in water or juice to make it taste better, but I usually drop it right down my throat. Sometimes you need a little bit more.

About playing a doctor
I think you grow up and feel so invincible. But having gone through having some people close to me get cancer and then working on a medical show, I’ve definitely had a few wake-up calls. Even though it’s a comedy, every script is about some disease or ailment you’ve never heard of that you can add to your list of things to obsess over.

Blues busters
Sometimes I need my fiancé or my good friends to cheer me up or snap me out of it or make me laugh. There are even some stories that you can just think of and make you laugh and put you in a good mood.

Click here to read more of Sarah Chalke’s interview.

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Our thoughts and prayers this week are with the family of Natasha Richardson, after the actress suffered a fatal brain injury while skiing in Canada. But it’s also left many of us wondering exactly how Richardson was hurt so badly—and whether it’s something that could happen to us.

What’s scary about Richardson’s injury is that she didn’t hit a tree or attempt any risky tricks; reports say she simply fell down and hit her head (without wearing a helmet) at the bottom of a beginner’s slope. That’s happened to me plenty of times while skiing, not to mention while biking, playing soccer, and yes, even once while tripping over a curb during a run.

If reports are correct, Richardson said she felt fine, was joking and laughing shortly after her fall, and insisted on walking back to her room instead of seeking medical care. And hours later, she was fighting for her life.

If traumatic brain injuries can occur so easily—and be so hard to identify—what precautions should we take while skiing, biking, or playing sports? And if we do get hurt, how do we know whether we’re in serious danger?

Next page: Doctor’s orders

Portrayals of death, disease, and disorder have yielded some of film’s most indelible performances: Debra Winger’s turn as a dying mom in Terms of Endearment, Jack Nicholson’s obsessive-compulsive rituals in As Good as It Gets. Hollywood has certainly learned how to use health problems to tug at our heartstrings. But just because a performance is emotionally powerful doesn’t make it accurate.

In honor of Oscar season, we’ve asked Health.com’s medical experts to review some of Hollywood’s most memorable health-related roles. They’ve separated fact from fiction and can help you decide what you can—and shouldn’t—learn about health and medicine from the silver screen. View the slideshow.

David Martinez

Wonder how the stars do it—keep their abs, legs, and butt in tip-top shape? We’ve got their secrets. From Halle Berry’s back and shoulders to Jessica Alba’s abs, we talked to the trainers that keep celebrities looking hot. View the slideshow.

Britney’s Breakdown
Following months of questionable behavior, the pop princess was admitted to the psych ward after a custody standoff. See this and the rest of our top celebrity health stories here.

Tainted Tomatoes
You may have missed out on salsa and Caprese salad this summer after tomatoes were recalled nationwide over a salmonella scare. See this and more food stories here.

Weekends and Your Waistline
Are lazy weekends full of takeout or family functions causing you to lag behind on weight loss? You’re not alone, says a study published this year. Even if you watch what you eat on weekdays, you may still see the scale rise. See this and more diet headlines here.

Christina’s Cancer Scare
This scene-stealer and Samantha Who? star announced in August that she underwent a prophylactic mastectomy. See this and more top breast cancer stories here.

Belly Flab and Depression
Depression patients are already at a heightened risk for heart disease, but new research this year found that the disease is associated with increased abdominal fat. See this and more mental health news here.

Not Sleeping? That Can Make You Fat Too
Skimping on sleep can throw your appetite out of whack, and one study found that a sleep deficit is more harmful for women than men. See this and more sleep stories here.

Sexy TV and Pregnant Teens
No, excess Gossip Girl viewing isn’t a fast track to teen motherhood. But a new study published in November found there is a link between unplanned teen pregnancies and what they watch on the tube. See this and more sexual health headlines here.

Racial Preference in the ER?
White men complaining of chest pain get faster treatment than women and nonwhite patients, found one U.S. government study. See this and more chronic pain news here.

Diabetes Rates Soar
The Centers for Disease Control warned that the national diabetes rate has nearly doubled in the past decade. And those numbers aren’t stalling. See this and more top diabetes headlines here.

Clueless About the Signs of Heart Trouble?
Too often the victims of cardiac arrest don’t recognize the symptoms, says one  study published this year. See this and more heart headlines here.