Let's say you want to start trying a more natural approach to Parkinson's diseases. First things first, you'd have to go off the drugs. Well, that's not as easy as you might think—in fact, new research likens the process to going off one of the most dangerous illegal drugs out there: cocaine.

What ever happened to keeping drugs AWAY from kids?

Now, pediatric pushers are shoving dangerous antipsychotic meds at an alarming rate on small children -- even toddlers -- for bogus diagnoses like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and disruptive behavior disorder.

Kick the Can

Before you open that can of soup or pop the lid on that water bottle, ask yourself this: How much do I really care about my endocrine system?

Your answer is important because even if you’re hazy on exactly what your endocrine system does, I’ve got a feeling you’re a big fan.

Do you consume artificial sweeteners over real sugar, thinking you’re doing your health a favor by avoiding the extra calories?

Well be warned that although you may be fooling your taste buds, your brain likely is not buying it. While artificial sweeteners may be able to confuse your taste buds, the suspicion is growing that your brain is not so easily fooled.

Yes, you read it correctly. A West Virginia woman has undergone brain surgery as a last chance effort to lose weight. She is the second woman in the country to have this procedure.

     You are in your doctor’s office because of some stomach pain you have been having. After pushing and prodding a bit, he says to you, “I’d like to send you for a CT scan.” Would you simply agree? I know I would. After all, the doctor knows best…right?

Dear Pharmacist,

Could you give us quick tips that can help improve health? Don’t get me wrong, I love your informative columns, I just wish you could talk about more topics in each column so I could find myself in them more frequently.

--T.D. Gainesville, Florida

    The writer and social critic, H.L. Mencken once wrote, “For every complicated problem there is a solution that is simple, direct, understandable and wrong.”

    Our ancestors believed that the stars rotated around the Earth. From our perspective, it made perfect sense. Of course, the idea was completely wrong. In fact, throughout history, people have believed ridiculous things. And we believed them so strongly you would have been persecuted for suggesting otherwise.

    So little has changed…

Pulling a Fast One

Healthcare fraud is going to cost us. One way or another– through higher taxes, higher medical bills, higher insurance premiums–we’re going to pay.

About $260 billion per year is lost to worldwide healthcare fraud and error, according to Reuters Health.