By Christine Cioppa

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Now new research shows that regularly performing mind-body relaxation techniques (e.g., yoga, meditation, prayer) may also keep your physician away.

The study, published by PLOS, shows that patients who received mind-body training to build resilience and counter stress, were 43 percent less likely to need health care services.

I recently saw a picture with an accompanying quote, “Remember: Nurses are like icebergs. At any one time, you are only seeing about one fifth of what they are actually doing.”

Thinking back to my orthopedic days, this is quite accurate. But, the world of nurse case management is an even more incognito way for nurses to help others outside of the stereotypical hospital shift, and, without people even seeing what is involved.

When you read job notices, sometimes they all start to look the same. Read the same. Sound the same.

Most include phrases such as: must have good driving records, be a self-starter,  fast-paced environment, good communication skills.

But what do those key words actually mean? You can read between the lines to find out what duties the job you are applying for may include.

Analysts expect holiday sales to be solid. But retailers, they say, won’t be hiring many extra employees to manage the flow of customers.

Every fall Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., a global outplacement consultancy, releases a holiday hiring outlook. This year the firm expects retailers to hire only the same amount of staff as last year, roughly 755,000 nationwide from October to December.

For comparison, the largest holiday hiring boom came in 1999 when retailers hired an extra 850,000 to manage the gift shopping crowds.