A Healthy Dose - Honey soothes coughs

A teaspoon of honey may beat over-the-counter medicine at soothing kids' coughs. A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine compared the effectiveness of honey, cough medicine and no treatment, and found that the honey before bed seemed to work best at calming coughs and helping children sleep. The study involved 105 children with upper respiratory infections. The children's parents were given paper bags containing a dosing device filled with honey, honey-flavored

cough medicine, or nothing. The parents were asked to rate their children's coughing and sleep on a seven-point scale before and after taking the treatment. All of the children improved after the treatment, but the honey scored best in the parents' ratings, the researchers found. The researchers say the honey may work by coating and soothing children's throats. The Associated Press quotes other doctors who warn that honey should not be given to children under a year old because it carries the risk

of botulism.

Antibiotics Don't Help Sinus Infections: Antibiotics and other prescription medications may not help most sinus infections. That's

the conclusion of a British study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study found that people with symptoms of sinus infection usually improved within two weeks whether they got antibiotics, nasal steroid sprays or a placebo. The study involved 240 adults who had facial pain and a runny nose with greenish or yellowish mucus. The patients were given one of four treatments -- 500 milligrams of amoxicillin three times daily for a week and 400 units of steroid spray for 10 days; amoxicillin by itself; steroid spray by itself; or a placebo. Patients taking medication didn't get better any more quickly than those taking a placebo. The Associated Press quotes other experts who say the study should prompt doctors to reconsider using antibiotics for sinusitis and focus on treatments to relieve symptoms, such as over-the-counter painkillers.

Trouble Ahead for Overweight-Teens: Overweight teenagers are at risk for shorter life expectancies, heart disease, and premature death by the time they reach young adulthood. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine used statistical modeling to estimate that overweight adolescents will comprise 100,000 more cases of heart disease by 2035 than there would have been if they were not overweight, and predicted that obesity-related deaths from heart disease will increase by as much as 19 percent in the next 20 years. The researchers say that since people tend to gain weight as they age, those who are overweight as teens are likely to become obese adults, the Cox News Service reports.

Avandia and Osteoporosis: Longterm treatment with the type 2 diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) could lead to osteoporosis. A study published online in the journal Nature Medicine found that in mice, rosiglitazone increased the activity of cells that break down bones. Previous studies had found a higher risk of fractures in women taking the drug, The Associated Press reports. The researchers say their findings suggest that doctors should be careful of long-term use of rosiglitazone in patients at higher risk of fractures to begin with, and could consider prescribing it alongside an anti-osteoporosis drug.

Steroids and Supplements: A quarter of the dietary supplements sold in the United States could contain traces of steroids, and 11.5% could contain banned stimulants.

In a new study, British laboratory firm HFL purchased the top-selling brands of 10 categories of overthecounter dietary supplements that were suspected of insufficient screening for banned substances as part of quality control. Of the 52 supplements that could be analyzed for steroids, 13 were contaminated. "Testosterone boosters" were the supplements most likely to contain banned substances; six of the nine brands tested contained androstenedione, The Associated Press

reports. The researchers say the findings suggest that some supplement manufacturers are not following good manufacturing practices.