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"Every so often, a study comes out to let us know that Facebook could make us more at risk for eating disorders, renders us miserable, or gives us a self-esteem boost. But there are some rather handy applications available within Facebook itself that just might help our health. And I&amp;#x27;m not talking FarmVille or Words With Friends! Organ donation: There are more than 100,000 Americans waiting for healthy organs for transplantation; 18 of those die every day, before ever getting the healthy organs they need. Facebook has added the option of letting all of your friends know that you&amp;#x27;re an organ donor--which helps take the organ donation question out of the DMV and into a more comfortable realm (experts say people generally don&amp;#x27;t like thinking about organ donation while waiting in line for their drivers&amp;#x27; licenses, because it makes them think about dying in car accidents). Facebook also provides a link to organ donation registries in your area, so you can sign up online. (Meanwhile, other people--like Leah Hostalet--are actively using Facebook to find organ donation matches!) Flu blamer: We talked about this last month and, you know, there is definitely some merit to the &amp;quot;Help, I Have the Flu&amp;quot; app. It spins through your friends&amp;#x27; profiles, picking up sick-sounding keywords like &amp;quot;sneezing&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;coughing,&amp;quot; scans check-ins to see who&amp;#x27;s been at the doctor&amp;#x27;s office, and even peeps who&amp;#x27;s been posting late at night, since flu sufferers may have sleeplessness as a symptom. So while it is certainly not scientific, it does give you a heads-up as to who may be fighting the flu. Health tracker: Studies have shown that making your health goals public is a pretty fantastic motivator (who wants to fail in front of everyone, really?). HealthyShare is a Facebook app that&amp;#x27;s designed to make you inspired to reach health challenges (put forth by Olympians!). You click on the health topics most important to you--such as &amp;quot;cancer&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;fitness&amp;quot;--and then engage in conversations with friends and people all around the FB community about health topics. And there are, of course, tons of other health-related Facebook apps--some of them just depend on how much information you&amp;#x27;re willing to share with your friends. Have you found any that you especially like? More on Facebook and your health: * Aw, this vest gives you a hug whenever you get a &amp;quot;like&amp;quot; on Facebook * Open the fridge, and this device will tell all your FB friends * This app will leave your FB friends a message...after you die Photo: Facebook"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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