With concern over the H1N1 flu reaching an all-time high – Americans are scrambling to find ways to either prevent the virus, cure it if they get it or try to get out of getting the flu shot. And as a result, many people are turning to the Internet for help.

I have said it a thousand times and I’ll say it again: It’s not safe to buy medication over the Internet from sources that are not reputable!  There are thousands of medications available on the Web, and more and more companies are popping up each day offering fast access and delivery of both over-the-counter and prescription medications. We know the dangers associated with buying drugs online, but for some reason, people continue to do it!

In fact, it poses such a problem, that in the midst of the H1N1 flu pandemic and the hysteria it’s created, the FDA felt the need to warn consumers about purchasing products over the Internet that claim to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 flu virus. Trust me — nothing could be more dangerous than thinking that you can fight the H1N1 virus with unregulated medications available on the Web.

The FDA issued the warning after the agency purchased and analyzed several products online that were marketed as Tamiflu, which is an antiviral drug that slows the severity of the flu. After checking out the products, many of them were found to be unsafe.

Here is an excerpt taken directly from the FDA press release:

“One of the orders, which arrived in an unmarked envelope with a postmark from India, consisted of unlabeled, white tablets taped between two pieces of paper. When analyzed by the FDA, the tablets were found to contain talc and acetaminophen, but none of the active ingredient oseltamivir. The Web site disappeared shortly after the FDA placed the order. At the same time, the FDA also purchased four other products purported to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure the H1N1 influenza virus from other Web sites.”

The products that the FDA analyzed contained varying levels of oseltamivir, and were not approved in the U.S. And furthermore if you’re ordering medications from other countries, most of them will not even arrive in time to treat someone suffering from the H1N1 flu! It’s just not worth it, people! When you order medications that are not regulated, you’re putting yourself and/or your loved ones at risk for getting counterfeit or contaminated products, and the effects can be deadly.

So instead of logging onto the Internet the next time you need a prescription drug – pick up the phone and call your doctor. After all — that’s what we’re here for.

 Click here for more information from the FDA on how to protect yourself.

Almost 25 million Americans have some sort of flying-related fear, from nerves and anxiety to full-on aviophobia.

And now, recent news of what we now know was the tragic demise of Air France Flight 447 on Sunday night over the Atlantic Ocean has awakened a fear in many people who might not usually dwell on it.

I’m sure, to some extent, most of us feel some level of anxiety or vulnerability as our flight turns the final corner on the runway before accelerating and finally taking off. For some people, it’s nothing a sedative or a pre-flight cocktail can’t quell.

But for those people with a real fear of flying, just the thought of that pivotal moment in their trip can be enough to bring on the sweaty palms and racing heart. And for some, that fear is enough to keep them permanently grounded.

Now, we all know that probability-wise, the risks associated with driving a car are significantly higher than those associated with air travel — with research showing that the latter has actually gotten safer over the last couple of decades.

In fact, statistically speaking, the lifetime odds of dying in an air travel accident are 1-in-20,000 compared with 1-in-100 for an auto accident. And according to the NTSB, highway fatalities account for more than 94 percent of all transportation deaths — airplanes included.

But even though we understand that logically and statistically speaking, our chances of getting in a car accident are much greater than anything happening when we fly, it’s often the fact that we relinquish all control over our own well-being — for however long it takes us to get from point A to point B — to the pilot and his crew.

And for people prone to anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorders, this loss of control and the vulnerability we feel can become overwhelming, triggering a panic attack or worse. So it’s important for people suffering from these disorders to make sure they always carry their medication with them while they are traveling.

Other common phobias that can contribute to a fear of flying include claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces) and acrophobia (fear of heights).

Fortunately, today there are places to get help with your fears. Support groups and therapy are two options that have been around for a long time. But more recently, airlines have started to offer classes with flight simulators to help would-be passengers confront their anxieties and become more comfortable with the experience.

So while it may seem like there has been a lot of aviation incidents between the news coverage of the “Miracle on the Hudson” in January, and the fatal crash involving Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence, NY just a month later — considering the fact that there are more than 87,000 flights in the skies over the U.S. on any given day — flying is still one of the safest way to travel.

Perhaps what leaves so many people feeling unsettled and fearful after this most recent accident is the mystery behind it. After a horrible tragedy, part of the healing process is to come to terms with what happened and try to make sense of it all. But as the days pass and the world looks on as investigators try to piece together the clues, it seems in the end, there will be more questions than answers as to the final moments of Flight 447.

Dear Yvonne,
I am a 50-year-old-man who has lost all interest in — and avoided — sex with my partner since she has gained weight. Watching her gobble a double pie a la mode for a nighttime snack was like an anti-Viagra for me. When I met her 3 years ago, she was perhaps 30 pounds thinner. I noticed an older photo of her and she appeared to be perhaps 50 pounds heavier. Do women lose weight to meet a man and seek commitment as if crossing a finish line to find the food again?
—JK 

Dear JK,
Both men and women often seek to be physically fit in order to attract a potential partner. Many do “let themselves go” once they have the commitment since they feel that the woo’ing phase of the relationship no longer requires work. However, it’s hard to say, if your partner intentionally lost weight to “nab” you, and then didn’t have a care in the world when she put the weight back on.

The reasons why people put on weight are very complicated and numerous. Factors that lead to weight gain include:

          o Diets high in calories (sodas), saturated fat (fried foods), and/or sugar (candy)
          o A lack of exercise
          o Not getting enough sleep
          o Stress
          o Health problems, for example, hypothyroidism
          o Medications
          o Menopause

In order to reclaim your sex life, try to spend quality time with your lover in ways that keep both of you active and eating healthy meals. Instead of being critical, try to be compassionate by expressing concern for her health, and offer to be of assistance in any way possible. Feeling sorry for yourself won’t do you or her any good.

Dr. Yvonne Kristín Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of Sexuality Source Inc. She is the author of several books including, “Touch Me There! A Hands-On Guide to Your Orgasmic Hot Spots.”

Recently, I did an “Ask Dr. Manny” video about the potential side effects of recreational Viagra use, and since then, I’ve gotten a lot of questions from our viewers. Not a week goes by where I don’t get a request from a male friend, an acquaintance or the husband of one of my patients asking for a prescription for Viagra or one of the many popular drugs thought to enhance the sexual experience. I always decline these requests because I truly believe that Viagra and similar products should not be seen as the type of drug that could easily be found in a candy store.

These drugs are marketed by pharmaceutical companies directly to consumers and are seen as drugs that are supposed to make you happy, virile and improve your relationship with your partner. But in reality, recreational use without proper indication and assessment by a physician could be quite dangerous.

Yes, Viagra has helped men all over the world with erectile dysfunction — a problem that needs to be addressed for the well-being of the patient as well as his partner. The track record of Viagra in general compared to many drugs is quite good. But one has to realize that there have been deaths attributed to Viagra, as well as many visual and cardiac side effects.

One of the things that I mentioned in the video is the necessity for patients asking for Viagra to be quite open about their medical history and the types of medications they’re currently taking. Viagra is a very potent vasodilator, meaning it dilates the blood vessels. So if a patient has any other medication in their system that dilates the vessels, they could end up suffering from a heart attack, kidney or liver complications.

It’s important to remember that not all kinds of sexual dysfunction are due to vascular problems. So for those patients, even though Viagra may help, it does not properly address the underlying problem — which is why it’s also vital to be open with your physician about the type of sexual problems you’re experiencing.

Finally, I don’t know about you, but I get bombarded with ads for Viagra, Cialis, Levitra and similar drugs through my e-mail! With the state of the world today, with the amount of medication tampering, drug diluting and unscrupulous start-up companies using harmful chemicals just to save a buck, it’s a wonder to me that anyone would actually entertain the thought of purchasing these drugs from online pharmacies. As consumers we must remain vigilant in our efforts to thwart the sale of these and other harmful drugs sold over the Internet by being cautious and smart in our decisions.

So for all you guys out there just looking to enhance one of life’s greatest gifts — I don’t mean to rain on your parade — but you can’t enjoy the gift if you’re not around to receive it!

Have you ever thought about using Viagra for fun?

As the Gulf Coast braced itself on Labor Day in preparation for Hurricane Gustav to hit Louisiana, Fox News anchors were filing compelling reports from New Orleans. Trace Gallagher made the point that after what happened with Hurricane Katrina, people were well advised to follow evacuation orders and get in their cars and go.

But as more than 2 million people left New Orleans and vicinity, it was speculation that this new hurricane was going to cause significant damage - before the fact.  It was also not surprising that despite all the buildup, the storm itself was weakening as it reached land. And as I’ve written about in my 2005 book, False Alarm; the Truth About the Epidemic of Fear, excess worry about potential dangers can cause harm even if the disasters never occur.  For one thing, people rushing to safety can get injured on the way. For another, too much attention and concern about worst case scenarios can create a boy-who-cried-wolf mindset that creates a slower response the next time around. (In fact, the inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina was due, at least in part, to previously overhyped hurricane warnings that caused people not to take the Katrina warnings seriously enough).

So how should we prepare for potential disasters if our system of risk assessment and the media reports that inform them are often premature or inaccurate? Though it is often better to overreact rather then underreact, it is at least as important to stay calm, and to have a generic plan for disaster response that is useful for all disasters.

Here are some useful tips:

*       Don’t overreact. If you make calm rational decisions you are far less likely to be hurt and your response is far more likely to be effective.
*       It is always wise to keep a 3-month supply of your medications on hand. The majority of our medications come from other countries and these supplies might be interrupted during a national emergency.
*       Keeping a several weeks-worth emergency supply of food and water is also wise, but it is not necessary to prepare your stash with an exact kind of disaster in mind. An electrical blackout is far more likely than a hurricane or earthquake, but you can prepare similarly for both.
*       Hospitals have limited surge capacities for disasters. Medical care should be planned without assuming quick access to emergency services.
*       Have a personal evacuation and communication plan in place for you and your close relatives. How will you reach people if cell phones aren’t working?  Where will you go if there is an advisory to leave your home?

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News Medical Contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: the Truth About the Epidemic of Fear” and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic”. Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com

Pfizer Inc.’s once promising anti-smoking drug Chantix received another blow Wednesday after a nonprofit group’s report about serious physical side effects prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to ban the drug’s use by pilots and air traffic controllers.

The report, from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, points out hundreds of serious problems reported since the popular drug was approved in May 2006, including vision and heart problems, dizziness, loss of consciousness, seizures, and abnormal spasms and movements.

A study out of the New England Journal of Medicine finds that people suffering from migraines and depression need to be careful when mixing medication for the two.

Researchers from Georgetown University and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detailed 11 cases of serotonin syndrome associated with the use of triptans.

This syndrome happens when more than one medication is taken that affects the level of serotonin. Symptoms include mental status changes, overactive reflexes, muscle spasms, fever, heavy sweating, nausea, nausea or vomiting.

Those especially at risk are people who take a class of medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro and Prozac, along with migraine medications such as Imitrex, Zomig, Maxalt, Axert and Frova.

American children take anti-psychotic medicines at about six times the rate of children in the United Kingdom, according to a comparison based on a new U.K. study.

Does it mean U.S. kids are being over-treated? Or that U.K. children are being under-treated?

Experts say that’s almost beside the point, because use is rising on both sides of the Atlantic. And with scant long-term safety data, it’s likely the drugs are being over-prescribed for both U.S. and U.K. children, research suggests.

Among the most commonly used drugs were those to treat autism and hyperactivity.

Click here to read the full report

Your comments and thoughts are welcomed!

With trace amounts of pharmaceuticals showing up in the drinking water of major cities, authorities are encouraging consumers around the Great Lakes to drop off leftover and expired medicine at collection centers.

A five-month inquiry by the AP National Investigative Team disclosed the presence of trace concentrations of such things as antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones in the drinking water of at least 24 major metropolitan areas.

Click here to read the full story