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Eighties pop icon Rick Springfield’s just released memoir Late, Late at Night is a revealing and honest telling of his struggles with depression and fidelity, the enduring popularity of "Jessie’s Girl", and the wondrous spirituality he finds in dogs.

Though there'll be no more daily commune with the queen of talk once her show goes off the air at the end of this season, but you can bet we'll still be getting a healthy dose of Oprah in our lives, and she promises it will be "bitch"-free. Oprah's new network – aptly named the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) – will hit the airwaves this coming January 1. The queen herself took to the stage at Maria Shriver's Women's Conference in California and announced that her cable network will be "fun and entertaining without tearing people down and calling them bitches. Imagine that. Imagine." We are imagining it Oprah, and we can hardly wait.

Empowered patient: If you've never really experienced depression, it's hard to understand what it's like. Tobin Levy shares her downward spiral from thriving magazine writer to suicidal wreck — and how she's navigating her way to a brighter tomorrow.

Of all of the fates that aging can bring, Alzheimer's disease — which afflicts 34 million people worldwide — is understandably one of the most feared. It's characterized by a mental deterioration that leaves the inflicted unrecognizable to family and friends, which is eventually accompanied by a swift physical decline. But are there steps we can take to avoid contracting Alzheimer's?

If you’ve ever succumbed to bouts of depression, sadness, the blues, whatever you’d like to call it, you may appreciate the struggle in determining how to treat it. Meds? Therapy? Ignore the whole thing and just hope it goes away? ?

Did the low-carb craze make you banish corn? Well, bring it back! It's a source of fibre and potassium, and it's in season right now.

I usually like to plan my vacations for somewhere warm and sunny, but all of a sudden London, England is looking awfully appealing, thanks to news of a new hotel package in the city that's devoted to sleep.

The Statement: “On antidepressants but still in a funk? Try hitting the gym. (A new study) has found that exercise is just as good as a second antidepressant in conquering the blues.” — Toronto Star, August 25, 2011

Like most people, I have a few personal vices of which I'm very fond. I sometimes like ignoring a sensible bedtime. I often love a slightly warm glass (or two) of jammy red wine.

Over 13 million Canadians are overweight or obese, but for those trying to shed pounds, giving up on a full night’s sleep for a 5 a.m. gym session might do more harm than good.

Juggling the responsibilities of work, home, and raising young children—it’s no wonder why many women are stressed to the hilt. Add nagging money worries or depression to the modern woman’s daily cocktail and you’ve got a fairly potent anti-relaxant formula on your hands.

The Statement: “If your skin is super pale, you’re already well aware of your must-have items: sunscreen with a high SPF, and a hat (for shade). But a new study suggests you might also need some vitamin D supplements.” Huffington Post, 10/04/2011

Time to shape up! Exercise can help prevent everything from cancer to creaky joints. Bonus: You'll look as good as you feel

While recovering from a suicidal depression, writer Ray Robertson decided to put together Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to Live, a book that addresses some of life's most fundamental questions.