Las Vegas Review-Journal

With winter forgotten and spring in the air, many homeowners are packing away their snow boots and rolling up their sleeves to get started on long-awaited home improvement projects. Across the country, homeowners and professionals alike will plan landscaping and home-improvement projects this season that require digging.

Did you know that the same number of people die each year from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, as breast cancer? And yet IPF, a rare and debilitating disease that causes permanent scarring of the lungs, is still relatively unknown.

Tour de Cure is a fun way to get out with your family, friends or co-workers and has routes designed for all riders - from 5-mile family rides to 100-mile century rides. It is a ride, not a race, so participants are encouraged to go at their own pace.

When the commotion of the holidays sets in, it's easy to forget the true meaning of the season. Giving back and helping others is what makes this time of year so special. As you rush from store to store buying gifts for your loved one, you might wonder how you can make a difference. Some simple steps can have a big impact, and it's as easy as giving gifts that benefit more than just the recipient.

With schools back in session and the holidays approaching, many of us start to think more about the security of our communities. While crime is down, budget cuts in police departments across the country add to local concerns, and people in your community may be seeking new, cost-effective ways to make your neighborhoods safer.

Studies show and experts agree: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. After a good night's rest without eating, kids' brains and bodies are ready to refuel. Breakfast can help kick-start a child's metabolism, energy and focus for learning according to a report published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. So it's an alarming reality that the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports nearly one in five children across our communities goes without breakfast every day.

In the United States there are nearly 26 million people with diabetes and one of the most common complications of the condition is diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a form of nerve damage. More than one in five of these people experience painful DPN, also known as diabetic nerve pain, as a direct result of this nerve damage. For most people, diabetic nerve pain affects the extremities - the feet and hands - and is sometimes referred to as a sock/glove pattern, as symptoms may be felt at the tips or the fingers or toes and then move along through the hands and feet. These symptoms may go unmentioned during a doctor visit since many people are unaware of the connection of this pain to their diabetes.

With busy work schedules and hectic family lives, many people believe they don't have the necessary time, energy or skills to volunteer. Unfortunately, these myths may deter many people who would make capable and helpful volunteers. For many Americans, volunteer work constitutes small, but empowering acts of service.

Do you sport a retro moustache that complements your style? Or maybe a chevron moustache that says you don't mess around? Now you can use your facial hair style for good when you participate in Movember.

When buying groceries, shoppers have the potential to impact countless people who work behind the scenes producing the foods and beverages that end up in households across America. Purchasing Fair Trade Certified products has been on the rise for the last 30 years, but most people still aren't aware of the impact fair trade has on coffee-growing communities around the world and the difference purchasing Fair Trade Certified coffee can make.

Wouldn't it be great if there was a number you could call if you had any sort of question about resources in your community, from something as simple as where to find the nearest library to something as urgent as where you can find relief after a catastrophic event? Good news: You don't have to wish for this all-in-one help line, as it already exists in vast majority of American communities. It's as simple as three numbers: 2-1-1.

If there's one thing that unites us, it's that doing something nice for someone else has a way of making us feel good. And sometimes, there's no better reminder of this than hearing stories of those who give back to improve the lives of others.

The holiday season is about more than picking the fullest tree, listening to nostalgic carols and planning the perfect family photo. Between addressing holiday cards and toasting the New Year, it's a great time to incorporate charitable giving into your traditions. No matter your time constraints, there are many ways for you to spread goodness, in addition to good cheer, this holiday season.

Many people who encounter a car weaving wildly out of its lane, speeding up and slowing down randomly, veering into oncoming traffic or breezing through stop signs will immediately think "drunk driver." While drunk driving is an extremely dangerous hazard on American roadways, this behavior is just as easily associated with sober but distracted drivers - who can be just as dangerous as drivers who have had too much to drink.

Make wrapping gifts more fun this holiday season. Get your supplies ready, invite some friends and turn up the holiday music.

While there are many devastating effects of war, there is one that has enormous impact across all our armed forces - hearing loss. For those veterans who have a moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears, a cochlear implant may help.