by Dr. Jordan Karp

Chronic pain is one of the most frequent reasons for seeking medical care. A 2010 survey of United States residents estimated chronic pain at 31 percent. Getting older, divorced or separated and being female all contribute to suffering from chronic pain. Some other factors, such as being overweight and smoking also contribute to chronic pain. Chronic low back pain, neck pain and osteoarthritis are the most common types of pain and increase with age.

WASHINGTON (AP)—The White House has fully embraced one of eating’s hottest trends—seasonal cooking with ingredients grown at home.

Presidential chef Cristeta Comerford credits the change in the food coming from the White House’s kitchen to Michelle Obama’s decision in 2009 to start a garden on the South Lawn as part of her Let’s Move campaign to encourage kids to eat healthier.

Comerford says the garden has also inspired her in her own home, where she planted a plot and she and her 10-year-old daughter, Danielle, cook together. Comerford herself lost 15 pounds last year.

BURBANK, Calif. (AP)—Jay ate the veggies.

First lady Michelle Obama cajoled Jay Leno into nibbling on apples, sweet potato fries and a pizza made with eggplant, green peppers and zucchini on the “Tonight Show,” breaking his long-held aversion for all-things-healthy in his diet.

Leno once told a magazine he hadn’t eaten a vegetable since 1969, and he insisted he tasted his last apple in 1984. That didn’t dissuade the first lady, who’s promoting her “Let’s Move!” campaign to get kids excited about fitness and healthy eating habits.

GUEST APPEARANCE—In this image released by NBC, first lady Michelle Obama speaks with host Jay Leno during an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” on Jan. 31, in Burbank, Calif. (AP Photo/NBC, Stacie McChesney)

Earlier, Obama poked at him in a Twitter post, hinting she’d “get Jay to eat some veggies” on the NBC show.

He did.

NEW YORK (AP)—Few things make me feel as clueless as a bill from my doctor’s office.

I don’t recognize the abbreviations or understand the jargon. I can’t tell when I’m being charged too much. And there’s no screen on the wall, at least not at my doctor’s office, tallying the cost of each extra test I agree to or question I ask.

SHOP AROUND—Doctors look over X-rays in Chicago. Even people who studiously comparison-shop for their digital camera or winter coat don’t always realize they should do the same for medical services. But prices can vary significantly, so it pays to look around. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)