The Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU) is issuing a warning for those who overuse opium-based drugs, such as codeine.

Darragh O'Loughlin, a Galway pharmacist, explains, "These medicines, which are available directly from your pharmacist, are very effective in relieving the symptoms of headaches and other forms of pain. Irish pharmacists often recommend these medicines to treat pain."

An international conference of health experts is warning the world that obesity is a far worse pandemic than many realize.

Prof. Paul Zimmet, the chairman of the meeting of more than 2,500 experts and health officials, and an Australian expert on diabetes, explains, "Obesity is an international scourge. This insidious, creeping pandemic of obesity is now engulfing the entire world."

Allergy experts say fresh fruits and vegetables may cause oral allergy syndrome, which results in an itchy mouth, and a swollen throat.

Allergens such as ragweed are responsible for OAS, or pollen-food syndrome.

Dr. Suzanne S. Teuber, chair of the AAAAI's Adverse Reactions to Foods Committee, says in a statement, "The pollen released from ragweed is the airborne allergen most responsible for the onslaught of allergy symptoms at this time of year."

A study presented at the International Papillomavirus Conference in Prague, Monday, suggests that vaccinating all girls under 12 against the virus responsible for causing the cervical cancer, could cut the number of disease related deaths by 75 percent. Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline' said its experimental vaccine Cervarix prevents infection from two strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) which account for about 70 percent of cases of cervical cancer.

In a computer model study sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, the researchers predicted the impact the vaccine would have in Britain if all 12 year-old girls were vaccinated. Although researchers acknowledged that the 100 percent coverage assumed in the study was unrealistic, but asserted that even if 80 percent of the teens were vaccinated it could reduce the cervical cancer cases and related deaths by 61 percent.

Although looks and health can be attributed to genes, personality seems to be something an individual is responsible for. This is from research done at the Center for Statistical Genetics at the University of Michigan. The study consisted of 6,148 participants from the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where most of the residents are related.

The research concluded that hereditary information accounted for approximately 51% of height, weight and body-shape, 25% of cardiovascular fitness, 40% of characteristics related to blood, sugar, and cholesterol.