Years ago, when I was all but flattened by a raging sinus infection, a doctor named Lorber offered the following advice:

Mix up an 8-ounce glass of warm water and a half-teaspoon of salt. With a bulb syringe (the kind you use to clean out a baby’s nose), squirt it in one nostril and let it run out the other. Do that every four hours or so.

I was desperate, so I tried it. And by the end of the day I could actually breathe. It was unpleasant and pretty gross. And messy, because I had to tip sideways, keeping one nostril over the sink while squirting the water into the other. But for years whenever I got a cold I would stand with lots of towels at the ready and faithfully flush my sinuses. Read on …

Learning stress-reduction techniques, how to solve common problems like fatigue, strategies for tackling treatment side-effects, plus diet and exercise tips can actually increase cancer patients’ chances of survival. As part of their ongoing Stress and Immunity Breast Cancer Project, researchers at Ohio State University monitored more than 200 patients who had been surgically treated for Stage II or Stage III breast cancer. They found that those who learned coping strategies and stress reduction boosted their chance of survival by 56% after 11 years and reduced cancer recurrence by 45% – possibly because they lowered stress levels. One of the most effective techniques appeared to be progressive muscle relaxation, as participants in the study who practiced this most often showed the greatest reduction in stress and physical symptoms. The study will be published December 15 in the journal Cancer.

More about the study …

More about progressive muscle relaxation … 

– Christina Elston

It’s sniffly, snuffly sore-throat time. And with many experts now considering cold medicines for kids a no-no, you’re likely looking for a safe way to provide a little comfort. Bee M.D., a honey-based, USDA certified organic throat drop ($3.49 per 21-count bag; www.drugstore.com) is all that. Sweet and not at all medicinal tasting, these little drops in Natural Honey and Honey Lemon are both soothing and safe. With no artificial ingredients or preservatives, they’re like a hug for your throat.

The bag in my desk drawer was quickly depleted during a recent round of colds among my colleagues. Everyone who tried one seemed to need another!

… and I can perform CPR to it! Yes, medical students and doctors trained to perform CPR chest compressions while listening to the disco hit “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees stayed close to the ideal rhythm of 100 compressions per minute – even weeks later. In a study from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, 10 doctors and five med students practiced CPR and listened to the hit from the movie Saturday Night Fever, which has 103 beats per minute. Five weeks later, they performed CPR without listening to the music and stayed at an average of 113 beats per minute, well within the acceptable range.

“Properly performed, CPR can triple survival rates for cardiac arrest, but many people hesitate to jump in because they don’t feel confident about maintaining the proper rhythm,” said researcher David Matlock, M.D. “A number of pop songs have the right rhythm for CPR, but of course the meaning of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ is pretty powerful when you are trying to save someone’s life.”

The research is scheduled to be reported Oct. 27 at the annual meeting of the American College of Emergency Physicians in Chicago, but you can start practicing now. Just fire up the disco ball and boogie!

Once upon a time, we were all told to flush our expired and disused medication down the toilet to keep it away from children and pets. But when you think about where those flushed drugs end up – and consider the fact that drug sales have doubled during the past five years – that route doesn’t seem like such a good idea.

In fact, in government testing conducted in 1999 and 2000, 80% of samples from 139 streams throughout the U.S. were found to contain acetaminophen, steroids, hormones, codeine, antibiotics, antimicrobials, ibuprofen or other drugs, usually in very small amounts. And studies have shown these chemicals can impact local fish and wildlife.

California is facing the issue with the No Drugs Down the Drain campaign, a series of events Oct. 4-11 that offer a free, easy and safe way to get rid of unwanted medications. NoDrugsDownTheDrain.org offers a list of these events, searchable by zip code.

No event near you? Another option is to add water, salt, and ashes or dirt to the medication in its container, cover with several layers of masking tape or duct tape, and place into the trash as close to collection time as possible.

If you’ve ever seen the letters “D.O.” – rather than “M.D.” – after a doctor’s name and wondered what they meant, you’re not alone. I’ll admit that I knew precious little about what a “Doctor of Osteopathy” did before my recent conversation with Dr. Eric Dolgin, D.O., who practices in Santa Monica.

An osteopath, according to Dolgin, has all of the same training as a traditional M.D., plus 300 to 400 hours additional in osteopathy. And about 80% of osteopathic doctors practice just like M.D.s. 

But those who do use osteopathy to treat their patients hold to a few common principles:

Read on …

Here’s a piece on how to talk with your pediatrician about your child’s medication from  Steven Brown, MD, PhD.:

Every week, a front-page article warns us about a terrible side effect of a different medication.  This can be especially frightening if you’re a parent, and your child’s medicine is suddenly on high-alert.  So, what should you do when one of your child’s pills is on the news? Read on …