Morning after pill OK for ages 15 and up

A matter of timing

If you take prescription medication to control high blood pressure, a slight change in your daily dosing schedule may provide you with an important advantage. New research indicates that taking blood pressure medications at bedtime instead of in the morning reduces the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems by about two-thirds.

Tapering off anti-depressant medication

If you are being prescribed the antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), you may feel that, for one reason or another, the time has come to stop taking the medications.

Homebuyers scramble as mortgage rates jump

WASHINGTON - The era of record-low mortgage rates is over. The average rate on a 30-year loan has jumped from about 5 percent to more than 5.3 percent in just the past week. As mortgages get more expensive, more would-be homeowners are priced out of the market - a threat to the fragile recovery in the housing market.

Midwest restaurant chain tries pay-what-you-want experiment

Local pharmacies report no shortage of flu shots

Spotty inventory has led some local residents to wonder if North Idaho was running low on this year’s flu vaccine.

Cooking and coughing: Respiratory diseases plague Kenya as more people burn wood to save money

Respiratory diseases have been the most prevalent diseases in Kenya for the past several years and are on the rise, according to government authorities, with 19.6 million reported cases last year.

REFORM: U.S. drug costs grossly inflated

We have been hearing a lot about medical health reform lately from our government. This weekend I had an experience that relates directly to this situation.

Retailers take on Silicon Valley

Target, Kohl's among those opening technology test labs

Obesity and medication use

While prescription medication use is high among all age groups in this country, especially among older adults, obese U.S. adults use more of a number of particular prescription drugs than adults of normal weight. These include medications to treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels (at the top of this most-used group), followed by drugs used to treat diabetes, asthma and thyroid problems, as well as antidepressants and painkillers. Obese patients were also as likely as adults over the age of 65 to be taking multiple medications at once. Members of both groups should understand that taking multiple prescription drugs increases the risk of "adverse events." With this in mind, a review with the pharmacist may be in order.

Consumers spend and earn more

Latest government data suggest an improving picture of the economy

WASHINGTON - Americans earned more and spent more last month, and the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in more than two years. At the same time, demand for long-lasting manufactured goods and new homes fell off.

Microsoft unveils 'Surface' tablet

LOS ANGELES - Microsoft has unveiled Surface, a tablet computer to compete with Apple's iPad.

Our closets are naked - of clothes made in USA

Two percent.

Sky's the limit on credit card interest

Credit card debt is one of the worst kinds of debt to have. Interest rates can be astronomical. It used to be that the “thumb breakers” on the street corner were the only ones loaning money and charging outrageous interest rates. The U.S. had laws against usury. No more. The laws were repealed in 1978.

Officials: airlines should disclose bag, seat fees

WASHINGTON - Passengers love the idea, but airlines hate it. The government wants to require that travelers be told upfront about basic services that aren't included in the price of a ticket and how much extra they'll cost.

Barnes & Noble to add Google Play app store

Planting a position: The business of political yard signs

The ubiquitous reminders of the upcoming election continue to thrive.

Groupon sizzles in public debut

First iPad 2 sales greeted by lines

New model comes with several improvements

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The updated version of Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet computer went on sale Friday afternoon, and was greeted by the now-familiar lines of buyers outside Apple stores.

Rebooting the PC industry: Tablets force a shift

More than one million PCs are sold every day

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The personal computer industry needs a jumpstart - and it's counting on a rescue from emerging markets and a late-to-the-party push into tablet computers.