I’m sure you’ve seen one or more television ads for biphosphonate drugs such as Fosamax (alendronate) or Boniva (ibandronate) that picture healthy, vibrant midlife women selling you on the idea that you need a drug to ensure healthy bones for a lifetime. Would that life were that easy! Before taking or continuing to take one of these drugs, you need to know the full story. Then you can make a truly informed decision.

NEW YORK - Customers at big fast-food chains in New York City are finally facing the facts about their meal choices. And for some, the truth may be hard to swallow — like 1,130 calories for a Big Mac, medium fries and a medium soda.

After months of resistance, the city's chain restaurants have begun obeying a first-of-its-kind rule requiring them to post calorie counts right on the menu.

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I read an incredibly disturbing article today.

For those of you who've visited my blog or professional websites, you know I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. And in my classes, I almost always aim to keep things upbeat, encouraging and confidence-inspiring. And I think I can speak for many women who are apart of the EmpowHer community that this entity has largely the same goal. You can empower people using a positive vibe. Or you can go for the scare tactic. And I almost never use out-right scare tactics.

SATURDAY, July 19 (HealthDay News) -- Falls are a leading cause of serious injury and death among elderly people in the United States, and most of those falls occur in the home, says the American Geriatric Society (AGS).

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, July 18 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers say they have grown in mice the kind of functioning heart blood vessels that cardiac surgeons create with bypass operations.

One ultimate goal is to replace some heart surgery with injections of laboratory-grown cells that would establish themselves in the body, providing a system of blood vessels for damaged hearts that need more oxygen, said Juan M. Melero-Martin, a co-author of a paper in the July 18 issue of the journal Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 13 (HealthDay News) -- Women who smoke are just as likely to get lung cancer as men who smoke, a large U.S. study found.

But, women who never smoked appear to be at greater risk of lung cancer than men who never smoked, according to the report from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Minimally-invasive laparoscopic surgery and open surgery for colon cancer produce similar outcomes, according to researchers who reviewed findings from 12 international studies involving over 3,300 patients.

Recently, I had a family member consult me regarding the prescription of medication for her son who has been diagnosed with a "mild form of ADD". The physcian recommended that he be given a low dose of medication to treat his symptoms. Immediately her mother's intuition sparked and she felt that this may not be the best course of action, however, she didn't know what her options were.

Dr. Friedman Explains the connection between TSH, Hypothyroidism & Cardiovascular Disease.

The sponsors of a planned human trial for an AIDS vaccine canceled the project Thursday, saying they doubted the vaccine's effectiveness and noted that the trial could actually put volunteers at risk of acquiring HIV, The New York Times reported.

The trial, called PAVE (Partnership for AIDS Vaccine Evaluation), was to be conducted by a consortium of U.S. agencies and private organizations. It was to have begun enlisting 8,500 volunteers last October to evaluate a vaccine developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.