Most sinus infections are caused by viruses rather than bacteria and shouldn’t be treated with antibiotics — a common practice that contributes to the development of drug-resistant “superbugs,” according to new guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America . The  guidelines, which also include new recommendations for treating bacterial infections, are the first issued  by the society, which represents specialists in infectious disease. A panel that developed them included experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Physicians . Nearly one in seven people are diagnosed with a sinus infection each year. These cases are the fifth most common reason doctors prescribe antibiotics. But as many as  98% of cases are caused by viruses, which aren’t affected by these drugs. With no test to easily determine whether a sinus infection is viral or bacterial,  many physicians prescribe antibiotics as a precaution. And patients may ask doctors for antibiotics on the mistaken theory “that they can’t harm them and they might help,” says Thomas M. File,  co-author of the guidelines and chair of the Infectious Disease Section at Northeast Ohio Medical University . But in addition to concern about drug-resistant bugs, he adds,  antibiotics can have serious side effects such as diarrhea, rash and headache, and can add to the cost of health care. Sinus infections,  known as  acute rhinosinusitis, are an inflammation of the nasal and sinus passages that can cause uncomfortable pressure on either side of the nose and last for weeks. Most develop during or after a cold or other upper respiratory infection, but allergens and environmental irritants may also trigger them. If symptoms last for 10 days without improvement, or include fever of 102 degrees or higher, nasal discharge and facial pain lasting three to four days, the infection is likely bacterial and should be treated with antibiotics, the guidelines say. Viral infections can also initially seem to improve and then get worse, with the addition of a fever, meaning a bacterial infection has likely developed. In those cases the new guidelines call for shorter treatment time than older guidance from other groups,  which called for 10 days to two weeks of antibiotic treatment for a bacterial infection. The IDSA suggests five to seven days is long enough to treat a bacterial infection without encouraging resistance in adults, though children should still get the longer course. Because of increasing resistance to the antibiotic amoxicillin — the current standard of care — the ISDA recommends amoxicillin-clavulanate, a combination which helps to overcome resistance by inhibiting an enzyme that breaks down the antibiotic. The guidelines also recommend against other commonly used antibiotics, including azithromycin, clarithromycin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, because of growing drug resistance. Whether the sinus infection is bacterial or viral, the ISDA says  use of decongestants and antihistamines  may make symptoms worse. Nasal steroids can help ease symptoms as may nasal irrigation using a sterile solution — including sprays, drops or liquid, says  Dr. File, who also  recommends patients  take acetaminophen for sinus pain and drink plenty of fluids. Image: iStockphoto

Green up your breakfast: kale and avocado morning sammie – Healthy Happy Life More than a snack food, here are five ways to prepare edamame – Vegetarian Times Food myths: don’t be duped by diet half-truths – HuffPost Healthy Living Broccoli and raisins together? You betcha – Eating Bird Food Give your St. Patty’s Day menu a healthy upgrade with these recipes – Shape Healthify your Irish soda bread with two tweaks to the traditional recipe – Daily Spark Munch on! Healthy snacks to satisfy common cravings – Real Simple

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The 2012 award season is finally here, and tonight we’re kicking things off at the People’s Choice Awards! The evening will be full of surprises and major fashion moments, and we want you to be able to follow along through it all! We’re going LIVE on the PCA red carpet and backstage , so make sure to tune in now right here on PopSugar. Want to get in on the action? Keep track of our coverage on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook too! Watch now! The PopSugar homepage ! – We’ll be live blogging from the red carpet as your favorite musical artists, TV stars, and big-screen celebrities arrive. Check back with us frequently to see photos of the show, behind-the-scenes images, and all the moment-to-moment action taking place! UStream – Watch LIVE red-carpet arrivals, backstage interviews, and our fashion coverage with PopSugar editors Allie Merriam and Lindsay Miller as well as FabSugar TV host Allison McNamara Twitter – We’ll tweet LIVE from the red carpet and during the show! Stay tuned for breaking news and be sure to follow us for all your People’s Choice Awards updates Facebook – Be sure to like our Facebook page and keep an eye out for our red-carpet galleries, fashion polls, and pressroom coverage Instagram – Want a behind-the-scenes look at the People’s Choice Awards red carpet, audience, and more? Then follow us on Instagram at @PopSugarEditors! Pinterest – For the hottest, sexiest, and prettiest red-carpet looks, be sure to subscribe to our Red Carpet Favorites board !

Take a private lesson on the finer points of Warrior 3 from Jennifer Aniston ‘s yoga go-to instructor, Mandy Ingber. It’s a challenging pose that involves balance and strength, but with Mandy’s tutorial and tips you will master it in no time.

Other than the obvious gratification and pleasure that sex brings you, there are several other health benefits that it also brings. There is still a deep seated prudery in society that prevents the open enjoyment of sex, causing us to view it with a degree of embarrassment. This is unfortunate because having a healthy and open relationship with sex can be beneficial both physically and psychologically – 1. Sex improves heart health and lowers blood pressure Studies have demonstrated that those who have sex regularly are less likely to die from heart disease. The physical intimacy between couples that results from sex and even simple hugging can also help lower blood pressure and heart rate in premenopausal women. 2. Sex controls stress Studies have demonstrated the beneficial impacts of sex on stress. People who had sex regularly were seen to perform better in stressful situations. 3. Sex can help keep you fit, boost immunity and help you live longer Sexual intercourse can help you burn significant amounts of calories each time that you do it. Also since sex is known to boost immunity it can prevent one from falling sick as often and therefore live a healthier, longer life. Not just that, there is some evidence to show that sex can help you appear younger , by helping boost circulation and making your skin glow. 4. Sex can improve your relationship The levels of the hormone oxytocin get a boost from sexual activity and orgasms and this can help partners to bond better, build trust and improve their relationship. There is another way that sex can enhance your relationship – it boosts self esteem and therefore makes one feel better about themselves; which is always beneficial for a relationship. 5. Sex helps you sleep better The hormonal changes that sex and particularly orgasms bring about also help one sleep better and the many benefits of restful sleep are well known. 6. Sex helps to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles There are two reasons to do pelvic floor exercises during sex – they help enhance sexual pleasure and they also help to work out the muscles that keep stress incontinence at bay. 7. Sex is a natural pain reliever It is again the hormones that are released during sex that help to relieve pain – headaches, cramps, body aches can all be helped with a little romp between the sheets. 8. Sex helps you smell better While an improved sense of smell may not necessarily be good for health, it can help you live life more keenly, and it would seem that sex helps here as well.

We don’t typically consider oral health as part of overall health, and that’s a mistake, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine . Because the diseases of the mouth are inextricably linked to overall health, “the unmet oral health needs of millions of Americans cannot be neglected,” the report says. “Almost one third of the population reports some difficulty in accessing dental care,” Caswell Evans, Jr., an author of the report and associate dean of prevention and public health sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, tells the Health Blog. Some people lack dental insurance even though they have private health insurance.  (The CDC reported last year that of the 172 million Americans under age 65 with private health insurance, about 27% don’t have dental coverage.) Others who lack coverage are retired — Medicare doesn’t cover dental care , with some exceptions when it’s in connection with covered procedures, like a jaw reconstruction. Some are poor; states aren’t required to provide dental coverage to adults under Medicaid. And while kids are covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, payment rates are so low many have trouble finding a dentist who will treat them. The report calls for a host of systemic changes intended to improve access to care, including training non-dental health pros such as pediatricians and nurses to play a bigger role in oral care, a reassessment of state practice laws to be sure they promote access to care, establishing CMS-funded state demonstration projects to include essential health benefits in adult Medicaid coverage and increasing Medicaid and CHIP reimbursement rates. (A study appearing in this week’s edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that higher Medicaid reimbursement rates were associated with more kids and teens getting dental care.) In a statement, the American Dental Association praises the focus on oral health access but reaffirms its opposition to allowing non-dentists to perform functions like extractions. “Everyone deserves a dentist,” the ADA says. State laws vary greatly in what they permit non-dentists to do without supervision — seven states require a dentist to be present when a hygienist applies sealants, the report says. Specially-trained dental therapists in Alaska, meantime, can drill and fill cavities — but only in Alaska Natives. The authors said they were cognizant of the financial pressures facing the federal and state governments. Evans says marginal increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates wouldn’t be terribly burdensome, though. And the authors said they hope that providing access to basic care might save money in the long run by preventing patients from showing up in the ER with more advanced complaints. More than a decade ago, a U.S. Surgeon General’s report also called for a “national effort to improve oral health among all Americans.” Image: iStockphoto

This month marks 30 years since the first case reports were published about HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. A new report analyzes the factors that helped patient advocates drive research into and drug development for that disease, and tries to figure out whether there are lessons to be learned for other disease advocates. The paper, called “Back to Basics: HIV/AIDS Advocacy as a Model for Catalyzing Change” and co-authored by consulting-firm HCM Strategists and the nonprofit group FasterCures, is based on in-person and telephone interviews with activists, scientists, government officials and policy makers involved with the HIV/AIDS advocacy movement. It credits patient advocates with helping to implement regulatory changes that sped up access to investigational drugs and with ushering in an era where patients are taken seriously and their views represented on governmental and scientific committees. Despite those breakthroughs, Margaret Anderson, the head of FasterCures, tells the Health Blog that many patient advocacy groups today are concerned about the lack of progress in their particular diseases. “There is a growing sense of frustration that the system isn’t going faster,’’ she says. While advocates now have a level of access and face time with policy makers and officials that took years for HIV/AIDS activists to win, the report argues that this doesn’t mean advocates “have their attention and, in some instances, it only means that the decision makers can ‘check the box’ about consulting with the community without having really listened.’’ In the past decades, patient-driven foundations have raised huge amounts of money to help fund research and have hired scientists to staff their organizations. But it’s still crucial to have an actual patient sitting at the table along with the scientists, drug company executives, and policy makers, the report says. Patients shouldn’t simply “defer to the organizations and scientists representing their interests.” There are some specific steps taken by yesterday’s HIV/AIDS advocates that could help today’s advocates be more effective. Among them: focusing on specific problems that hold back research or drug development and proposing solutions; creating a sense of community among advocates so that different groups are driving towards a common goal; training patient advocates to understand the scientific and policy issues in their disease and figuring out the key issue limiting research progress and then developing an approach to fix it. Kathy Giusti, who launched the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium following her own diagnosis, says one reason she hired the groups’ chief operating officer, Walter Capone, last year was his background working at pharmaceutical companies on HIV/AIDS drug development. On one hand, HIV/AIDS patients put a face on the disease and created urgency in government and the pharmaceutical industry to do something, Capone says. But despite the activists’ visibility, drug development “quickly got mired in the structures of government and industry,” he says. There was no real group that could adjudicate and act as arbiter to drive basic and clinical research, he says; that’s the role he sees for today’s patient advocacy groups. FasterCures’s Anderson also endorses the need for external pressure to drive R&D. “No one is going to challenge the system from within,” she says. Image of HIV by C. Goldsmith via CDC

Johnson & Johnson’s latest recall was caused by a typo that inserted the bête noire of high-school English teachers — a double negative — into dosing instructions on more than 667,000 Sudafed packages. The incorrect wording reads: “do not not divide, crush, chew, or dissolve the tablet.” That was enough to prompt a recall at the wholesale level of nine lots of Sudafed 24 Hour Extended-Release packages of ten tablets, the Sudafed website says . Customers don’t need to return the products, which have the correct wording on the blister packs that hold the tablets. No adverse events have been reported as a result of the typo, J&J says. We first heard about the recall from Bloomberg News, which reports the recall affects 667,632 packages . We’ve been keeping tabs on J&J’s string of recalls, which cost it about $900 million in sales last year. Here’s a running list: Last week, J&J said it was pulling at least 395 injection pens preloaded with rheumatoid-arthritis drug Simponi because they may not deliver a full dose of the drug. Days before, Dow Jones Newswires reported that the company’s Ethicon unit recently recalled 700,000 vials of a liquid wound sealant and also a hernia-treatment product. Earlier that week, J&J said it was recalling 70,000 syringes preloaded with its Invega injectable anti-psychotic drug because cracks have been found in the syringes that could theoretically lead to infections or under-dosing in users. In January J&J said it would pull 43 million bottles of certain Tylenol, Benadryl, Sinutab and Sudafed products because they were made at the company’s Ft. Washington, Pa., plant at a time when equipment may not have been properly cleaned. J&J also said it would pull almost 4 million units of Rolaids due to a labeling problem. In December the company said it was recalling all lots of Rolaids Extra Strength Softchews, Rolaids Extra Strength Plus Gas Softchews and Rolaids Multi-Symptom Plus Anti-Gas Softchews following consumer reports of foreign-particle contamination. A few weeks earlier J&J recalled a dozen different Mylanta liquid products and one AlternaGEL product because they were mislabeled to omit the presence of small amount of alcohol. (Consumers don’t need to stop using the products or return them to stores.) And it separately widened a recall of daily-use contact lenses in Japan and elsewhere due to traces of an acid that can cause stinging. Contacts made in the U.S. aren’t affected. In November the company recalled three Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom products , also pulled from retailers and wholesalers due to an alcohol labeling issue. Consumers can keep taking the meds, J&J says. Also in November the company also recalled children’s Benadryl and Motrin products . Again, J&J said they weren’t dangerous and consumers didn’t have to stop taking them. In October, there was a recall of 127,000 bottles of Tylenol 8-Hour caplets due to a musty odor. In August, J&J’s DePuy Orthopedics unit pulled two hip implants off the market because of an unusually high rate of replacement surgeries. Also in August there was a recall — the one that was recently widened — of about 100,000 boxes of 1-Day Acuvue TruEye contact lenses . Some OTC medicines were pulled in July , including varieties of Benadryl, Tylenol and Motrin. This was a follow-up to a recall of musty-smelling products made at a plant in Puerto Rico. In June, the company widened the recall of drugs made at the Puerto Rican plant by five lots. The largest batch of children’s medicines were pulled in the spring . In late 2009 there were recalls of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets due to that musty odor issue. J&J officially recalled batches of Motrin in July 2009, but has come under fire for an earlier so-called “phantom recall” of the product . Photo: Associated Press