There are plenty of reasons why I feel guilty when I skip out on exercise. But as a breast cancer survivor, I know that regular vigorous exercise can cut my chance of recurrence by something crazy like 30 percent. So, ditching the workouts, for me, is like rejecting a potent dose of medicine. I've essentially been given a prescription for exercise, and when I don't log my hours, I feel like I'm denying myself a life-saving treatment.

Doctors never told me exercise could save my life -- I figured it out on my own after reading up on breast cancer research. But there is some merit to doctors doling out fitness prescriptions. According to one study, more than half of patients who were prescribed physical activity were more active a year later, which is maybe why some researchers urge physicians to hand out exercise recommendations, just like they do prescriptions for drugs. And just like they do with their hand-written scripts, docs should advise patients about what type of exercise to do, how often, how hard and for how long.

Clearly, we all need a push now and then when it comes to fitness. And for those who have a hard time saying no to authority, or who need to know their health depends on a certain exercise routine, prescriptions might be the way to go.

What do you think: Would you follow your doctor's exercise orders? Do you think you could write your own prescription for fitness?

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Skyrocketing childhood obesity rates have an unwanted side effect -- more kids are being put on prescription medications to combat related chronic diseases.

A recent study revealed there have been surges in prescriptions for children with diabetes and asthma as well as smaller increases in high blood pressure and high cholesterol medications. To varying degrees, obesity can play a role in all of those conditions. While some of the medication increase can be attributed to modified guidelines, the rise is concerning.

If your child is overweight, there are many positive, supportive ways you can help. AOL Health has other suggestions for battling childhood obesity.

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I have a total love/hate relationship with medicine. Although I value science and medicine, quite often I can't stand the affects they have on me. I simply can't stand to be drowsy, foggy or affected in any way. Prescriptions are great if they fix what's wrong with you, but all of the side effects are for the birds. I suppose if we all took each drug correctly, we may have less. So, I was particularly intrigued when Women's Health posted a study regarding drug labels.

According to a survey in the Annals of Internal Medicine, almost half of the participants misunderstood drug warning labels, and most ignored the directions altogether. This gallery provides some of the most common instructions you'll find on those little stickers slapped on each bottle and what they really mean.

A small glass of 100% fruit juice is a good part of a healthful breakfast, right? If you're on certain prescription medications, your fruit juice may be doing more harm than good.

Grapefruit juice, for example, can interfere with blood pressure medication and actually increase its efficacy, subsequently creating a risk of overdose. Conversely, recent research suggests that grapefruit juice may prevent certain anti-allergy medications from absorbing into the bloodstream properly. A component of grapefruit juice called naringin appears to be the culprit.

Researchers state that this finding may be the "tip of the iceberg" as other juices, including orange and apple, also contain naringin-like substances that may have similar effects.

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Every so often, we hear news reports about accidental deaths or overdoses due to over-prescribed, often unnecessary drugs or surgery. But these seems to be rare, right? We'd like to think so, anyway. I recently read some alarming statistics on deaths in the US:

• 12,000 were caused by unnecessary surgery
• 7,000 were caused by medication errors in hospitals
• 20,000 were caused by other errors in hospitals
• 80,000 were caused by infections in hospitals
• 106,000 were caused by non-error, negative effects of drugs.

That's right -- in one of the most medically-advanced countries in the world, hundreds of thousands of people are dying at the hands of medical professionals by errors, unnecessary measures and other preventable causes. Does this seem odd to anyone else? I think its time we began questioning the motivations behind the 'remedies' we're being offered.

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The world is filling up with people, and that means competition in all kinds of different areas of our lives. But maybe one of the most noticeable, and the most stressful, is the competition that we face in our careers while we're at work. If you're not always on the top of your game and blowing everybody away with your amazing abilities then there's somebody right behind you who ready, willing, and waiting to do just that.

So how do you deal with the pressure? Unfortunately a growing number of working people are looking to boost brain power, productivity, and alertness in all the wrong ways. Sports (most recently baseball) have always struggled with keeping drugs and other unnatural means of performance enhancement out of the picture, but now it seems the trend is moving into the working class. People are doping up in the hopes of doing better at their jobs.

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Did you know that many prescription drugs have some less than desireable effects? No, I'm not talking about that litany of disgusting physical maladies that are typically rattled off in Micro Machine Man fashion at the end of a drug commercial. Instead, I'm talking about the depletion of nutrients that occurs as a direct result of taking maintenance drugs.

Vasodilators or Beta-Blockers: You may be taking these to help regulate your high blood pressure. If it's helping, great! Keep taking them. But, beware that your consumption of the vasodilators are causing a reduction of vitamin B6 and the beta-blockers are sapping some Coenzyme Q10.

Statins: Yes, statins are a great way to help lower your cholesterol, so do keep taking them if they are working and your doctor suggests that you stick with them. However, please know that the statins also deplete your body of Coenzyme Q10, which can lead to muscle soreness, fatigue, or even elevated liver enzymes.

Diuretics: A popular treatment for hypertension or congestive heart failure. The downside is that they deplete your body of magnesium, zinc, and potassium, which can cause a weakened immunity.

The good news is that you can easily make up for whatever vitamin or mineral you are losing with the medication by simply being sure to eat lean meats, fish, chicken, whole grains, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. And, if you really want to make sure that you're not missing out, you can also talk to your doctor about taking nutritional supplements.

Can you remember the exact names of all the drugs you're taking? If you can, you're one of the few -- a new study shows that many people think they are giving the correct name of their prescription drugs when, in fact, they're not. 40% of people couldn't accurately name the drugs they were on, and this number jumped to 60% in people with low health literacy.

Obviously, this is a very serious matter. Doctor's will need to know with complete accuracy what drugs their patients on -- both in emergency situations and when they are prescribing addition medications.

So if you're on a number of prescription drugs right now, make sure you know what they are -- your life could depend on it.

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In what could be considered one of the wackier lawsuits in recent medical history, the state of Kentucky is suing Purdue Pharma over its pain relief narcotic drug, OxyContin. However, the suit has no basis in patients with a prescription having troubles after taking the drug. No -- it has to do with the drug itself being so addictive that it's being widely abused. Are you kidding me?

In prime litigious fashion, an attorney for Pike County, Kentucky stated this in relation to the suit: "Make no mistake about it - this is war." Apparently in Kentucky, the mere fact that some choose to abuse a prescription painkiller is grounds for a lawsuit. Perhaps this will allows all who choose to abuse pain drugs the chance to sue the drug's manufacturer. Maybe pot growers could be next, eh?

On the surface, this appears to be a waste of any judicial resources, but hey -- this is the land of meritless, frivolous lawsuits, right? This one seeks reimbursement for costs for drug abuse and rehab programs, among other things. Sigh -- I'm rarely for pharma companies, but I am on this one. Although OxyContin was found to be addictive in recent times, where does idiocy and personal responsibility meet? Nowhere, from the looks of things.

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Now this is something that boggles the mind. The FDA said this week that it may want to increase the number of medicines available to customers that will no longer require a doctor's prescription. All that will be required will be a pharmacist's recommendation.

Although pharmacists most likely know quite a bit more than a GP about the interactions of drugs and the specific conditions of each drug, are we to trust ourselves to try and explain what ails us in order to get that 'no doctor required' prescription-level drug directly from that local pharmacy?

The standard thinking by the FDA references ease of access for the uninsured, but this will surely benefit drugmakers in selling more products since the physician will be out as middleman in many cases if this proposal reaches fruition. Note, though, that the drugs in question will be "behind the counter" drugs (hidden from view unless asked for), not 'over the counter' drugs, which anyone can buy off the shelf.

What do you think -- is this a good idea or a bad one?

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While it's mostly an issue for older adults, mixing medications and taking too many different types at one time is a concern for everyone. Even if you're in close contact with your doctor there is still a significant risk to your health if you're on more than a couple different meds -- drugs are getting so complicated these days human error is inevitable when it comes to remembering, and predicting, side-effects and drug interactions.

How many meds are you or your loved ones currently taking? Are you aware of and watchful of potential side-effects and are you absolutely sure you need them all? When it comes to your health you are your own best ally, so educate yourself and be involved.

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There are lots of pill boxes and pill management systems out there, but this one now has the FDA's stamp of approval. Called EMMA (Electronic Medication Management System), it's a gadget about the size of a breadbox that's designed for older patients and those with complicated dosing schedules. It stores the medications, alerts when it's time to take them, and releases the correct pills into a tray when activated by the patient at the right time. Dosages and times can be accessed and adjusted online by the doctor, pharmacist, or other health care professional.

Neat!

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I admit that I'm not married and I don't have any kids. My parents are still married too. As a result, I can't personally relate to being divorced, being a child of divorce or raising a child while going through a divorce. However, I do find this article regarding a study that shows kids with divorced parents are more likely to be prescribed Ritalin very interesting.

According to the study, slightly over 3% of kids whose parents stayed together during the course of the study ended up on Ritalin compared to over 6% of children in the study whose parents separated. The article gives possible reasons for this difference including a possible genetic link. Basically, a hereditary trait that caused inattention and acting up in the kids is also present in the parent(s), resulting in their inability to keep a marriage together. While I think this is possible, I don't think it's probable.

What I think is more likely, and sadder, is that unfortunately the kids are getting lost in the shuffle. Their parents are going through an incredibly tough time, just like they are. It's natural for kids to act up more often when they are upset and going through some major life upheaval. At the same time, the parents likely don't have the time and presence of mind to work through this behavior with their children, and an increased amount of Ritalin prescriptions is the result.

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With all the new medications being developed practically on a daily basis, and new health benefits being found for "old" supplements and herbs, it's no wonder that people are ending up with more and more substances floating around in their bodies all together at the same time. Doctors and scientists are noticing more and more life-threatening side-effects being created by people mixing medications. Not necessarily just prescriptions meds, either, but also seemingly harmless supplements and OTC drugs.

A good rule of thumb is to remind yourself that if you expect it to do something good for you then it has the potential to do something bad also, if not taken properly. Just because something is "all natural" or doesn't require a prescription doesn't mean you can take it willy-nilly in whatever doses and mixed with whatever else you're taking. Read labels and ask your doctor if you have any questions. It's great to be involved in your own health, just take care not to hurt yourself and get sicker in the process.

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You can save a lot of money by switching to generic medications, right? If you have insurance, then yes. But if you're one of the many Americans who don't have adequate prescription coverage (or no health coverage at all) then generics may cost you more than you expect.

The Wall Street Journal took a closer look at this issue and found that generic medication costs "can vary wildly and may not be nearly as cheap as expected." I was surprised to read that pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS started dropping certain prescription prices by $40 or more once questioned about seemingly high prices.

Ugh, money and health care is really starting to give me a headache.

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