According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, acetaminophen overdose is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States. 

William Lee, a researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center determined that 56,700 emergency room visits result from acetaminophen overdose in the United States each year — not counting suicide attempts. According to Lee, "people pop them like M&Ms.”

Because Tylenol is available over-the-counter people think acetaminophen is relatively harmless, he noted.

However, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and other painkillers, Ibuprophen (Advil, Motrin), Aspirin, and Naproxen Sodium (Aleve), have serious side effects if not taken in proper doses or if they are taken in combination with other drugs.

Acetaminophen:Dangerous when taken in combination with other drugs or by those who regularly drink alcohol. It may cause liver damage and has a greater risk of overdose than other OTC painkillers.

Ibuprophen: May irritate or corrode stomach lining. It may also ...

What was considered a landmark study in the late 1960’s proved that even a minimal period of physical inactivity can result in serious deterioration in cardiovascular fitness and work capacity.

The study began in 1966 with five healthy Texans in their 20s — and resulted in five overweight, out-of-shape men in their 50s, who proved that it is never too late to begin exercising.

The five men, decades later — who were overweight and did not exercise — started an aerobic exercise program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

The men walked, jogged or cycled for 30 minutes the first week, then increased 5-10% each week for six months. By the end of the program they were exercising four hours per week. 

"Remarkably, within six months the men restored their cardiovascular fitness to what it had been years earlier, before they went on bed rest — and ...

New research conducted at the University of Illinois determined that simply walking every two to three days can make dramatic differences in helping to maintain normal brain function and the development of new brain cells.

Researchers utilized MRI scans to measure changes in brain activity in adults between the ages of 58 to 78, before and after a six-month program of aerobic exercise.

Participants gradually built up to walking at a moderate pace, three times per week for 45 minute sessions.

At the end of the six-month period, researchers discovered that the brain activity of the walking participants was similar to that of healthy, fit seniors, whereas, little, if any improvements in brain activity were noted among members of the comparison group, whose activities were limited to stretching and toning exercises.

Researchers determined that after several months of regular walking, older adults showed an increase in blood flow to the ...

Food allergies have forced Robert Kennedy Jr.’s six-year-old son, Conor, into the emergency room 31 times and have hospitalized him nine times. Conor is among the seven million Americans who suffer with food allergies each year.

These allergies occur when the immune system overreacts to certain proteins in food. Although more than 200 foods can provoke allergic reactions, most reactions are triggered by nuts, peanuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soybeans, and wheat. 

The most common symptoms include nausea, hives, skin rash, nasal congestion and wheezing. Food allergies also trigger more severe reactions, such as anaphylactic shock, where the throat swells until breathing is shut off. 150 people die each year following anaphylactic shock.

According to a new study of 32 people who died following fatal anaphylactic shock, a clear pattern exists. 30 of the 32 reactions were caused by nuts and peanuts; most were teenagers and young adults, who had ...