Two bits of distressing news - news that vexes in fact:

Got a cough? Doctors say over-the-counter syrup doesn't work

The doctors at the American College of Chest Physicians:

"Cough syrups may suppress a cough a little bit. But they don't treat the underlying cause," said Dr. Michael Alberts, a Tampa pulmonologist who is president of the physician group. "They won't make you better any faster."Another option that some doctors recommend: Just tough it out, because colds typically go away on their own.

Are you for real Dr. Alberts (whose email I couldn't track down so I'm asking rhetorically)?? It's not called "Cold Curing Syrup", it's called Cough Syrup. Even Dr. Alberts admits it works to suppress a cough and hey, that's why I took it in the first place. Whatever you do, don't take my Nyquil away!

Next up:

Prostate cancer test may leave men even worse off

Oh man, this doesn't help. It seems that neither the PSA test nor the DRE reduce prostate cancer deaths:

A study in the US suggests that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, when used to screen healthy men with no symptoms of the disease, does not reduce deaths.

A positive result often causes anxiety and leads men to have a painful biopsy. If this, too, proves positive they may have a prostate operation that can leave them impotent and incontinent — without ever being sure that they needed it.

Doctors should stop worrying about cough syrup and start concentrating on cancer! Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men.