You just never know what's going to work when it comes to dealing with post-election emotional overload. Some folks will strive for balance with a run in the park or an hour of gardening, a hot bath or a cold martini. And for growing numbers of active people who believe in natural medicine, it's a spray up your nose.

Rescue Remedy — a benign blend of five flower essences that you dilute in water and drink or inhale by spray — has been around for about 70 years, and is sold in 66 countries. Once relegated to the back aisles of small stores that sold homeopathic remedies, Rescue Remedy is now one of many alternative therapies widely available. It provides " some [my word] users a calming positive energy to help balance one's emotions and stay in control."

Could this be Barack's most secret weapon? Each little bottle of Rescue Remedy combines five flower essences — Impatiens, Star of Bethlehem, Cherry Plum, Rock Rose and Clemati. Their active ingredients are chemical and vibrational. The blend can keep you calm and aware during a time of crisis or trauma, according to studies done by Edward Bach, the brain behind Bach remedies.

Dr. Bach, a well-known London physician and homeopath in the '30s, created 38 original flower remedies (or "essences") to treat seven emotional categories, including Know Your Own Mind, Live and Let Live, Face Your Fears and, my current fav in this economic downturn, Find Joy and Hope.

I hope you're open to learning about the healing properties of plants and will continue your reading and research at www.rescueremedy.com or www.Bachremedies.co.uk. You'll have to experiment for yourself, but know this: Flower power is nothing to sneeze at.

CALORIE COUNTING MADE E-Z! ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE NEW YORK

I had a healthy lifestyle epiphany the other day. It happened while standing in line at my local Starbuck's in New York City. I glanced over at the display counter of sweets, sandwiches and salads, and lo and behold, something astonishing. Calorie counts!

It's a new law in New York City and probably the reason Mayor Bloomberg gets to run for a third term: Food businesses with over 17 outlets are now required to list calorie counts right next to the price of an item. Oh, brave new world.

A Ruby Tuesday Carolina Chicken Salad adds up to 1,537 calories, the equivalent of spending one entire Tuesday on a treadmill. A Quiznos tuna melt is 1,270 calories. A Pain Quotidien almond meringue made of air and sugar? Four hundred calories. What!

Until now, calorie counts were available on the company website or written in small Sanskrit letters underneath the tables. Making it visible changes everything. A blueberry scone might seem like a better choice than a Starbucks Espresso Brownie, but the brownie is 390 calories, and the scone is 480. What about the sticky rice treat? That's the low cal choice, right? Wrong. The rice square has 470 calories, almost 25 percent of the 2,000 most people should eat in a day. Whoa! What's going on here?

Consumer education. It's a very good thing. Few of us grew up learning the calorie count of our favorite foods. It turns out to be more important than algebra. Simple calorie counting — and not taking in more calories than you burn in a day — is the be-all, end-all of permanent weight loss. And thanks to the New York law, and similar ones in a growing number of locales, easier than ever. Fist bumps all around.

I picked up the Starbuck's high protein meal: a hard-boiled egg, some grapes, a few apples slices, a bit of cheese, crackers, a stab of peanut butter. That's a lot of great food and only 260 calories. In my brain, it's a no-brainer.

And that's when the epiphany hit. Clear, credible calorie counts may be hard to swallow if you're in the fast food business, but it's a great development for conscious consumers who are hungry for smaller portions, healthier ingredients and smarter choices. According to a recent article in the New York Times, about three dozen states, cities and counties have passed or introduced laws that require calorie posting, and I'd bet my last 670-calorie chocolate chip cookie that more are on the way. Bravo!

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! THIS, FROM A BLOSSOMING BRAIN

"I went to a restaurant that serves 'breakfast at any time.' So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance." — Steven Wright

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to [email protected]. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.