Handwashing is the single most effective way to fight off cold and flu bugs, but what's the best way to do that?

6:05 minutes (1.4 MB)
Dealing with ear infections in your children is frustrating. Do you give antibiotics or opt against antibiotics? Dave Foreman offers natural approaches to avoid the use of antibiotics and ease the discomfort without that expensive trip to the doctor.

It can be confusing and difficult to fire your doctor -- but there are some good reasons to do so.

Another day, another neurosis about eating right and living a good life. Su Avasthi on why it ain't easy being green.

Parents may want to think twice about the medication they give to their babies. A recent Canadian study has found more evidence to support a disturbing link between antibiotics given to infants and the onset of asthma as children. The connection between antibiotics and asthma is not new , but it is has become increasingly clear that antibiotics given early on play a key role in the development of asthma in later life.

Byproducts of two antibiotics and a substance used in medical imaging have turned up in wastewater treatement plants in Buffalo, heightening concern over how the products we use and consume are affecting the health and safety of our watersheds. The presence of antibiotics in the water system could impact antibiotic resistance.

In another JAMA study published today, kids with sore throats are often prescribed unnecessary or incorrect antibiotics.

The problem may stem from the inaccurate assumption that every sore throat is strep throat. JAMA reports that of the children with sore throats who seek medical treatment, no more than a third actually have strep. The bacterial infection seems to have become a catch phrase for any throat ailment.