Allergy be Gone: Health News for the Week of 9/21/2008

It's time for another health news round-up.This week we have a few scary stories, but we also have some that are truly amazing.

We'll start off talking again about energy drinks. I've brought you a lot of news about energy drinks. Well, here's some more news about them - but this sounds like more than just hype. Experts are calling for warning labels on energy drinks due to the amazingly high levels of caffeine they can contain and the lack of regulation. Caffeine pills are regulated, but not drinks, since they're considered food

Here's something that's truly scary. I might have briefly mentioned prescription drugs in our series on water filtration, but I never realized that health facilities flush about 250 million pounds of drugs every year! The EPA and other agencies are looking for a better way to dispose of these drugs, which run the gamut from heart medications to antibiotics to anti-psychotics

I could lose a few pounds, so I found it interesting to read about the rise of male anxiety about weigh-loss. It's not a new phenomenon - Charles Atlas peddled better bodies back in the 20's - but it has gotten more intense, with men more likely to lie about their weight. While we're on the subject of weight-loss: in an attempt to find a better method of appetite suppression, researchers have found a way to reduce the amount of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin. They did the procedure - which is less invasive than normal stomach surgery - on 10 pigs.

Since I take medication every day, I rely on my pharmacist. He has run interference with my insurance company, advised me when I might be able to get a cheaper alternative to a medication, and warned me when I might take the wrong thing. This list of tips can help you get an edge when it comes to your prescriptions, and maybe keep you from yelling at your pharmacist when the insurance company insists you change to something cheaper.

A new study says that children given acetaminophen during their first year are more likely to develop asthma. Since the study couldn’t definitely say that acetaminophen is the cause, they say you should still give it to your kids (it's still the best choice).

This just blows me away. A doctor in 1878 published a book that said smoking is unhealthy. He even pointed out the dangers of second-hand smoke. But people continued to smoke with abandon until the Surgeon General reported that smoking caused cancer in 1964 - 86 years later!