Pharmacies such as Krogers or Publix have been offering free or cheap antibiotics in order to keep up with the Joneses, Wal-Mart specifically.  But will this new marketing scheme encourage misuse and abuse of the medicine?

Five of the large U.S. retailers have apparently received letters from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioning pharmacies that giving away antibiotics will lead to the rise of ore drug-resistant bugs.

Dr. Lauri Hicks of the CDC states, “We were a little alarmed, especially when they suggested they’d be doing it during cold and flu season.”

“We know that antibiotics aren’t effective for cold and flu. We don’t want to perpetuate the idea that they are.”

How are your local pharmacy chains handling this situation?

Two National Football League players and another man went missing over the weekend when their boat was capsized off the Florida coast.  The odds of survival after two days in the water is minimal, although for their size and health, the ability to fend of hypothermia gives people hope.

The search for Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, defensive lineman Corey Smith, 29 and former South Florida player William Bleakley continued Monday after former University of South Florida Nick Schuyler was found alive.

 Coast Guard officials would not speculate on the chances of the other men’s survival. 

Petty Officer Robert Simpson stated, “With all of these men being past, present football players, they do have a much larger physique than a lot of people.”

“So their odds are going to be definitely in their favor.”

One in five Americans live with seasonal allergies that exhibit signs such as stuffy or runny noses, watery eyes and sleep difficulties.  One thing that you might not realize, however, is that the same chemicals that can cause allergies, such as hay fever, to flare up are also on certain of your raw foods.

Foods like cantelope have a chemical that is similar to pollen and may cause a similar reaction such as swelled lips or itching.

By working PearlyDreams into your routine, the toothpaste claims to absorb through “thousands of tiny blood vessels in your mouth,” hence making the additive ingredients of the paste bring you to the Sandman.

PearlyDreams Toothpaste uses the natural supplements supplements melatonin, valerian, balm mint and passionflower, which are all known to help you relax.

Women in general who had a high intake of calcium were at a overall reduced risk of various cancers.

The author of the comprehensive study, Dr. Yikyung Park, stated, “Our key finding is that higher total calcium intake is associated with a decreased risk of digestive system cancers.”

“Our study is just one study,” she added. “We need to look to other studies to confirm the finding.”

Does this news make you want to raise your daily calcium intake?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are forecasting the amount of money for health spending and care to jump a full percentage point from last year’s spending.  Although that sounds small enough in itself, this would be the largest one-year increase since the government started tracking this data back in 1960.

What are you and your family spending on healthcare each month?

A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that U.S. teens are more apt to smoke Malboro cigarettes than any other brand.

Also the favorite cigarrette brand for American adults, Malboro wins hands-down by teens as 52% of surveyed teens preferred the brand.

Newport received 21% while Camel came in at 13%.

When you gesture to your child while speaking, such as waving bye-bye, it encourages them to boost their vocabulary and to better understand the meaning of the words. 

Research suggests that the key to your child’s early vocabulary is you speaking them from infanthood and on.  Also using gestures or sign language will increase their understand and young vocabulary.

The study confirms that smokers quit smoking if there is a money prize for their arduous task, especially if is $750 or more.  Research suggests that these smokers are three times as likely to quit and not go back to the old habit.

Study author, Kevin Volpp states, “People are drawn to tangible things.”

“It makes it easier for you to do in the short term what you know is in your long-term best interest.”

What do you think?  If you get $750 to spend as you see it, would you quit smoking and keep it that way?

About half of America pops a multivitamin or dietary supplement on a daily basis, which is why this is a $20 billion-per-year market.  According to the authors of a study released Tuesday, taking these daily supplements may not prevent anything.

The study focused on 162,000 post-menopausal women.  Four out of 10 of those women stated they took multivitamins on a daily basis.  At the end of the eight year study, the vitamin users were just as likely to have died or been diagnosed with common cancers or ailments,  or to have suffered heart-related maladies.

How does this affect your vitamin dosing?