Even nice kids get lice

When children get head lice, parents should remember that the presence of these tiny parasitic insects has nothing to do with dirt. Instead, lice infestations are related to the type of close contact that children are exposed to at school. In addition, children pose rather easy targets for lice because the little creatures are better able to cling to fine hair of thin diameter. Moreover, children often share combs, brushes, hats and other objects that spread lice. The first telltale sign of lice is usually itching behind the ears, on the scalp and at the nape of the neck. Treatment largely consists of an over-the-counter medicated shampoo or rinse containing permethrin or the recently FDA-approved comb-free shampoo ivermectin.

TV makers design for streaming video to stay relevant

Makers unveil new models with 4K resolution at International CES gadget show

School shutdowns raise stakes of digital divide for students

WINNSBORO, S.C. (AP) — Students struggling to get online in a rural South Carolina county received a boost last week with the arrival of six buses equipped with Wi-Fi, some of the hundreds the state has rolled out since schools were closed by the coronavirus outbreak.

Apply for unclaimed controlled hunt tags by Aug. 15

For a wide variety of reasons, some of the lucky hunters who drew tags in the deer, elk, antelope and bear controlled-hunt drawing did not buy their tags.

Food prices are squeezing Europe. Now Italians are calling for a pasta protest

Spain has avoided price controls

Cyber Monday shoppers give retailers sales bump

Frugal food can be found

Healthy eating can cost less, study finds

Amazon vs. everyone else

Battle for holiday shoppers heats up

NEW YORK - This holiday shopping season, it's Amazon vs. everyone else.

Low dose to no dose is no good

Doctors may prescribe a low-dose aspirin regimen to patients who have experienced heart attacks or strokes. Not only can a daily "baby" aspirin help prevent a second heart attack or stroke, it may also reduce the chance of having a heart attack or stroke among patients with certain risk factors (diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or smoking). However, about half of those on daily aspirin regimens discontinue use for various reasons (including stomach upset and simply forgetting). This unauthorized halt of a daily aspirin regimen can pose significant dangers (increased risk of heart attack and death from coronary heart disease) to those who have cardiovascular disease. Consultation with the prescribing doctor is imperative before discontinuing daily doses of aspirin.

Marty and Max: Real Estate Recipes

Today we will discuss two ways to buy an actively marketed home at a bargain, where you actually want to live.

Feeling feverish?

We have all been educated to think that 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average body temperature of humans and that anything above that reading indicates a fever. However, it's not really that simple. Rectal temperature, which most accurately reflects true internal body temperature, varies from 97.9 degrees F. (morning) to 100.4 degree F. (late afternoon). Oral, armpit and ear temperatures, which are less accurate and can be influenced by external factors, can be as low as 94.5 degrees F. To determine your personal "normal" temperature, take three readings (morning, noon and night) at any one of the four sites, and calculate your average temperature for each of the three times of day. Use those numbers as your base temperature.

What to take for arthritic knees

Osteoarthritis of the knees is a common problem, particularly after age 60. While low-impact aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening, and stretching can help increase range of motion and decrease pain, medications are often also necessary. If so, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends the following medications to control symptoms: no more than 4 grams of acetaminophen (Tylenol) per day; non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) taken with food; cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, such as celecoxib (Celebrex); or topical NSAID diclofenac sodium (Voltaren Gel). These recommendations are designed to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. If they cannot be tolerated or greater pain relief is needed, a corticosteroid injection may be needed.

Medication-related weight gain

As if it weren't difficult enough to maintain normal body weight, some people actually put on pounds as a result of the medication they are taking.

Generic-drug tsunami warning!

Patients currently taking prescription drugs should know that, over the coming months, an unprecedented number of expiring drug patents will unleash a virtual tsunami of generic drugs.

Is newer necessarily better?

Pharmacists can perform an important service to consumers by informing them about drug effectiveness. For instance, when an older drug is just as effective as a newer one and costs substantially less, the pharmacist may disabuse a patient of the widely held notion that something newer is necessarily better. Similarly, the pharmacist may help dispel the notion that, if something costs more, it is necessarily better. As a case in point, three of the oldest and least costly medications used to treat type 2 diabetes (metformin, glimepiride and glipizide), when taken alone or in combination, may be better first choices for diabetics than newer brand-name drugs like pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia) and sitagliptin (Januvia). It may pay to ask.

Playing with fire

Nook Tablet is Kindle Fire's worthy foe

Business Briefly August 25, 2011

Google settles pharmacy ad probe

No over-the-counter for Plan B pill

Election-year politics seen in move by Obama administration

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a surprise move with election-year implications, the Obama administration's top health official overruled her own drug regulators and stopped the Plan B morning-after pill from moving onto drugstore shelves next to the condoms.

Briefs

Home blood sugar monitoring

There is no question that diabetics who carefully monitor their blood sugar levels stand the best chance of avoiding complications commonly associated with the disease. To this end, it helps greatly for diabetics to utilize home blood sugar monitoring kits that enable them to analyze their blood sugar levels by testing a drop of blood from a pricked finger on a test strip that is placed in a meter.