Bankrupted by Medical Bills
High medical bills, which cause almost 2 out of every 3 bankruptcies, plunge Americans deeper into the financial abyss.

Instead:
Save on your scripts!

Lower your medical bills!




Graphic Meth
Ad Campaign Hits
The hopeful outcome of the disturbing ads?
To wake up kids to the dangers of meth.




Milestone Vaccine Could Protect Children Worldwide

The World Health Organization says a vaccine, which can prevent a diarrhoea and vomiting virus, should be given to all children as a routine vaccination.









CT says Nay to BPA
Connecticut became the first state in the nation to ban the chemical bisphenol A.

Health sans Wealth

Chow on the Cheap
Five healthy foods that won’t bust your bank.




Sun Shielders
Women’s Health’s top 7 sunscreens to keep the burn at bay.











Subtle Signs of Health Problems
Learn to ID these signals—it could be more serious than you think.











Six Health Woes Women Hide
Shape shares six surprisingly common conditions, so you can get rid of them once and for all.

Poor in Chicago?
Here’s some free stuff!

Spring into Summer

10 Worst Cities
for Spring Allergies

Where does your city rank?








Ticks Dig the Heat
Global warming may increase the severity of Lyme disease this summer.




Shield Your Skin
There will be about 47,700 new cases of melanoma in this country this year, according to the cancer society, and 7,700 people are expected to die of the disease.

Lather up!


Protect your pooch from the heat!



Do it!
Host a Southern Picnic

Nights Bites
Bedbugs have increased 71 percent in the past five years. Here’s how to prevent them from crawling into your bed.

Ugh, I’m itchy just thinking about this!


Quick tip: Spring clean—vacuum your home, wash all your clothes and linens, and wipe down the baseboards, walls, curtains, and books.



Men are Pigs
(whoops, I mean, Men and Pigs)
Richard da Costa took time out from the corporate world to spend four days living with pigs.








Will Stevia Stoke Your Hunger?
Critics wonder if newly FDA-approved Stevia will encourage sweet intake, like other artificial sweeteners.




Recession Pros and Cons


The good news: The rising price of cigarettes keeps teens smoke free

The bad news: When the economy plummets, child abuse spikes








Are You an Organ Donor?
It’s quick and easy, here’s how to become a donor in your state.

Is that a hive in my mouth?
Some people with seasonal allergies also have food allergies associated with pollen.






Women Pay the Price for Health Insurance
Younger and older men don't go to the doctor as often as women, and it shows in our bills.










Live to be 100!
In four hot spots around the globe, people live to 100 in great numbers.

Here’s why.






Have 6 Times More Sex
A spray can help men with premature ejaculation problems prolong the length of time they have sex.





From "House" to the White House
Actor Kal Penn is leaving the show to become part of Office of Public Liaison.

World’s Saddest, Smallest, and Scariest

World’s Saddest School Policy
No more high-fives, no more hugs




World’s Smallest Frog
As the smallest known frog species in the world's second largest mountain range, this new amphibian is easy to miss


World’s Most-Armed Beetles







World’s Scariest Mom
If you think a day with your mom is tough, think again











To do:
See Half-Priced Movies
Join the 5-buck club

Make Your Cat Smile, or at least do that content eye-blinking thing

Living Cheaply_Monday, March 23

Can’t Afford to go the Doc?
You’re not alone. A new survey finds 24% of respondents skip medical care when they're sick or injured.




Shampoo Less, Save More
Americans lather up an average of 4.59 times a week, twice as much as Italians and Spaniards. It may be time to go sans suds.












World’s Cheapest Car Launched…in India
A slightly bigger European version, the Nano Europa is due to follow in 2011.









When It's All Going Down the Tube, What Stuff Sticks Around to the End?
Our last things are who we are.





What would be the last possession you'd be willing to part with if you were to fall on hard times?

Fri., March 13

Smoker’s savior?
(Virginia) slim chance






Doodle for your Noodle
Looks like your mindless doodling may serve a purpose

How do you doodle?





Zoo-goers Beware
Chimps are sick of people staring at them






How safe is your baby shampoo?
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that more than half of baby toiletries contained carcinogens

Slides of March







Health quiz of the week

Think Thrifty_March 6

Halve Your Grocery Bill
Eat well while you're pinching your pennies




Starving Artist Christiane Jory is onto something—hand her a Hamilton and she can eat healthy for a week. Check out her 99-Cent Only Stores Cookbook


Heal Faster--Lick Your Wounds
Study shows that human saliva hastens healing.









Tapping Into Clean Water
It’s estimated that half of the world's poor suffer from waterborne diseases. A shocking 6,000 people die daily from consuming
unsafe water.
The Tap Project allows patrons at participating restaurants to donate $1 to Unicef each time they order free tap water with their meals rather than costly bottled alternatives.

Brita has nothing on LifeStraw
Designed to be worn around the neck, this life-saving accessory scores big time points for functionality, transforming any old muddy puddle into a refreshing sip of water. Best of all, it requires no training to use and lasts for roughly a year (if used by a single person) without any maintenance what so ever.




Is the Economy Keeping You Up at Night?
The "average night's sleep" is now down to six hours and 40 minutes.
Here are some tips on how to get back to bed.








DIY Commode Cleaner
Make your own toilet bowl cleaner with baking soda





Take the New York Times health quiz

Fri., Feb. 27

Potty Mouth
The straight scoop on where public bathroom germs lurk



Liquid Assets
How many of your daily cals are coming from a cup? Check out these common liquid offenders.










When Kids are Caregivers (not kids)
Hundreds of thousands of children take care of sick parents or grandparents, and the numbers are growing as the economy falters.


Scientists Turn Crocs Into Magnetheads
Crocodiles are notoriously territorial and when biologists move them from urban areas to new homes in the wild, they often go right back to the place where they were captured, traveling up to 10 miles a week to get there, relying on the Earth's magnetic fields to get them there.

Scientists are halting their instinct to head home.


Can a toothpaste help you sleep?
Can shoes tone your butt?
Will the Ped Egg change my life?
Find out here.

Oddsball_Friday, Feb. 20th

1 in 4
Americans are struck with food poisoning each year. Diarrhea (Cha cha cha)!

Tip: Clean your cutting board


1 in a million
ladies paint their baby bump

Tip: Use water-based paint.






1 in 8
adults over 65 is affected by Alheimer’s disease.

Tip: Put on your walking shoes. “Six months of exercise will buy you a 15 to 20 percent improvement in memory, decision-making ability and attention,” said Arthur F. Kramer, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois. “It will also buy you increases in the volume of various brain regions in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, and more efficient neuronetworks that support the kind of cognition we examined.”

More age-smart tips


Holy shape-shifting sea serpent!


Quiz yourself! Take the Times weekly health quiz.

Friday, Feb. 13

Stop Smoking for Spot
Survey of pet owners show 28 percent would stop smoking to prevent secondhand smoke to animals.


Ant Pranks
Caterpillar noise tricks ants into service





Travel tip
What's the best time to buy a plane ticket?

Turns out it's Wednesday from midnight to 1a.m. in the time zone of the airline's "home base."

Why?
That's when the computer systems of most airlines get rid of the reserved but unbooked lower fare reservations. Most of us at one time or another have booked a reservation, then let it go without purchase. Snap-up these discounted fares right after this happens and you're likely to get a significant discount.
Source: AARP



Skin Soothers
3 of my favorite products to help calm your itchy winter skin

Johnson’s baby oil gel
Use this post shower to lock in the moisture the shower heat took away. Go for the gel for less oily mess--it’s a great hydrator.

A&D ointment
I know it sounds a little gross to use baby’s butt cream on your body, but trust me; A&D soothes skin irritations in a snap. It smells a little medicinal, but it's a simple way to kiss an itchy, dry spot goodbye.

Aquaphor
This vaseline-like goo helps heal irritated skin, and it soothes extremely dry, chapped or chafed skin in the process. Lather it on your dry spots before bed, it’s a little greasy but you’ll wake up soft and soothed.

Video of the week
Kittens inspired by kittens



Take the health quiz, New York Times style