When it comes to separating people from their money, Valentine's Day is second only to Christmas. My inbox has been clogged lately with press releases for everything from games to books to gas-free diets, all with a romantic twist.

"Ever worry about what to eat on a date?"

So begins a press release for "21-Day Tummy," a gas-free diet that promises to eliminate unwanted gastrointestinal bombshells that could turn a romantic evening into a "Saturday Night Live" skit.

"We all know to avoid chili with beans ... but what about other surprise foods that leave people bloated and ultimately gassy? Some of the most common "healthy" foods that we nosh on every day — such as apples, asparagus, mushrooms — are actually what causes stomach inflammation and even scarier on a date, GAS."

All of which begs the question: Would you rather have gas on a date or walk out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to your shoe? Discuss.

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What with going to work, shoveling snow, watching sports, shoveling snow, napping, taking out garbage, watching more sports and shoveling more snow, it's hard for guys to find the time, let alone the energy, to tell their wives they love them. Which is why there's now a website to remind them — Tell My Wife I Love Her. And here's a bonus, according to the press release, 52% of people who regularly say, "I love you," have a better sex life.

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Single women who find themselves dateless on Valentine's Day can band together and play "Landing Mr. Right," a board game devised by a pair of "serial daters" as a way for single women to "bond and share funny, embarrassing and even disastrous stories about their dating lives."

(Hey! I thought that's what my column was for!)

According to the press release, the game, which takes women on a virtual dating journey to find Mr. Right and dump the Mr. Wrongs, has been dubbed "therapy in a box."

(Hey! I thought that was code for a box of Godiva dark chocolate salted caramels!)

Here's what I found interesting about this press release — "A Million First Dates: Solving the Puzzle of Online Dating" was originally published as "Love in the Time of Algorithms." Which tells me that the audience for a book that dares ask the question "Does more online dating mean better relationships or more breakups?" doesn't know what an algorithm is. Which I guess means me.

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When people have written in for advice after they've been cheated on or dumped or left at the altar, I've often said, "Nobody dies of a broken heart." Now I'm beginning to think I was wrong.

According to a press release for life coach Kelly Walsh, Valentine's Day, for those who are alone and lonely, can be a killer.

"Broken heart syndrome — also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy (it's real, I Googled it) — is a temporary condition that can cause chest pains that the Mayo Clinic says may mimic a heart attack. It comes on during a stressful situation and may include an enlarged heart that doesn't pump well, although the condition normally subsides along with the overwhelming stress. The same stress that can be life-threatening in broken heart syndrome can also drive people to irrationality."

That makes me think that anyone planning on breaking up with someone should consider having a defibrillator with them.

How do you plan on spending Valentine's Day? Send your tale, along with your questions, problems and rants to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And check out my new website askcheryl.net.