A vaccine made for infants that prevents severe diarrhea has been declared safe for use by the FDA.

The vaccine, made by pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, has been considered possibly dangerous since the British drugmaker supposedly did not follow U.S. safety regulations when testing the vaccine called Rotarix.

The rotavirus can cause bad diarrhea in infants, and Rotarix was the first vaccine to be approved in the U.S. to help ward off the virus.

RotaShield, a similar product made by Wyeth, was pulled from the market in 1999 due to causing an increase in twisting of the intestines in some subjects.

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Is the term" Organic" becoming diluted or meaningless? I'm not sure I would go that far, but seeing the USDA's Organic seal on a food package or other food items shouldn't give your mind an automatic pass as "perfectly nutrition-filled organic food" is being presented anything like that.

Like all symbols, the USDA Organic graphic on anything is a useful guide, but not a black-white, yes-no statement to eating an all-organic diet. First off, the seal is not "free" to use. Second, look at the standards behind that symbol and see what you think. Impressed? I wasn't.

Since when does the USDA become the authority on what is labeled as "Organic?" Mostly because consumers want a quick and convenient way to determine if foods they buy conform to some semblance of being produced organically. Life takes more research than this -- always has. In case many of us have not realized, the world is gray -- not black and white.

Give this excellent blog entry and read, do some further reading and judge for yourself -- are you really too trusting when it comes to products labeled as "Organic?"

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One central question you can always ask your doctor when you're being seen for a serious medical condition is this: if you were me, what treatment would you suggest?

If that kind of question doesn't get the best answer from your doctor -- regardless of "repair shop" drugs and mainstream ideas -- nothing will. The thing is this: many of those doctors will give you invaluable information if you behave like the perfectly-informed patient that we should all strive to be.

A study of oncologists found that nearly 75 percent of them would recommend a course of cancer therapy that themselves would undergo if cancer was a condition he or she had. The study revealed that 70 percent of colon cancer doctors would flat-out answer the question, while 20 percent would answer when pressed more by the patient.

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New research from British and U.S. experts concluded that middle age can be very depressing to much of the world's population. 80 countries and over two million people were involved in the research, which showed that depression is very common for both women and men in their 40s.

The "U-curve" was explained by the researchers like this: we are happy when born and into our career years, are depressed and unhappy in those middle years, then return to a happy state in those golden years.

Although it's hardly possible, the ride of life can be enjoyed at every age with the right frame of mind. But, if you're in your 40s, what makes this the most unhappy time of your life? A sagging waistline and a possible career crisis? Sound off in comments below.

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The dieter's paradox is known as this: being skinny and having a positive view of your physical body can motivate you more to exercise and maintain that physique.

But, to get there, you have to torture yourself losing weight and exercising to get to a point where you're happy with what you look like. The long-term view is what many dieters forget. Transformation does not happen overnight, even in the instant gratification society we live in.

In a recent rat study, this phenomenon was studied and confirmed. Why do so many people fail at dieting? Because they are not skinny to begin with -- and there's the paradox. You have to look past that fact and to the day when you are skinny enough.

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To those that are currently taking antidepressants -- but have been paying attention to the news recently -- you may want to talk to your doctor first.

Stopping antidepressant medications abruptly may lead to a whole host of potential problems deemed the antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Among the symptoms could be:

• Anxiety.
• Feelings of depression or sadness
• Moodiness and irritability
• Tiredness
• Headaches and dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea

Lowering your dose or finding out about alternative antidepressant treatments may be something you want to talk to your doctor about before quitting that daily prescription cold turkey

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Many a child has been temporarily traumatized by the sight of a shot when vaccine time arrives, and although products like FluMist are safe for adults, kids are still subject to those flu shots when the time comes.

A better, under-the-tongue alternative may be coming your way soon, though. Korean research on mice has determined that a flu vaccine administered under the tongue worked great without the need for a needle prick (and accompanying emotional torture for many kids).

Will most vaccines be delivered without breaking the skin in the near future? It seems that there are always drawbacks to non-shot vaccines, but anything in medicine should be possible now that the human genome has been decoded.

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The new ABC show "Eli Stone" us under fire from the largest Pediatrician's group in the U.S. due to its portrayal of autism possibly being caused by childhood vaccines.

The autism-vaccine debate continues to rage on in the media these days, and the arguments for and against the connection are as fierce as anything in the medical community's modern history.

The drama, set to debut this Thursday, follows a lawyer who wins a case for the family of an autistic child due to an executive at the vaccine maker not allowing his own child to receive the vaccine in question.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has taken a sharp view of the show and has stated "A television show that perpetuates the myth that vaccines cause autism is the height of reckless irresponsibility on the part of ABC and its parent company, The Walt Disney Co."

And the autism-vaccine debate rages on.

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Don't keep all those emotions and feelings bottled up! We've all heard this from the mental health community, and married couples are now hearing it again.

In fact, those married couples who express anger regularly may even outlive those that don't, according to a new study out of the University of Michigan. In other words, express and don't suppress.

Getting anger out into the open and resolving it was found to be much more healthy than bottling up anger and failing to provide any resolution at all. Dr. Ernest Harburg went on to say "If you bury your anger, and you brood on it ... and you don't try to resolve the problem, then you're in trouble."

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A huge health care bill up before the California legislature may be seeing a permanent dirt nap soon, leaving that state to end up not setting a precedent for health care coverage to millions of uninsured people.

Many Senators are reportedly on the ropes on voting no to the legislation that would provide health insurance to all Californians through private or public means. The state's large population makes the current health care insurance battle a sight to watch from all other states, apparently.

Health care is shaping up to be one of the hot-button issues in this year's U.S. Presidential election, and the timing of the California proposal will keep the issue of medical coverage for the uninsured fresh in the minds of millions.

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