By LISA RYCKMAN, Scripps Howard News Service

For folks who are very sedentary and/or overweight, even walking into a gym can feel like an exercise in terror akin to crossing into enemy territory.

Should I worry about MSG (monosodium glutamate) in foods? Is it safe?

For most people and in reasonable amounts, research seems to say, it's OK. MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in all kinds of foods, and it's gotten a bad rap over the years because of reports linking it to nerve damage in mice and adverse reactions in some people.

Question: I have heartburn, and I've heard that ginger can help. Is there anything to it?

Answer: Chinese healers have used ginger for centuries to cure all kinds of stomachaches and intestinal ailments.