One of my close girlfriends had a bad case of hives last summer (had to be on antibiotics, steroids, and I forgot what else). She was under a lot of stress finshing up her law degree and studying for the bar exam.

Now, a year later, she's passed the bar, has a job, and consequently, has less stress in her life (or, at least a different type!)... and her hives have returned! She is extremely frustrated, and is wondering if anyone else has experienced this? Also, she's wondering if the hives were never really caused by "excess stress" in the first place?

thanks!

TUESDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Infections of amniotic fluid are more common than previously believed and may be a major cause of premature births, says a study led by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.

About 12 percent of all births in the United States are premature, and the frequency of premature birth is increasing.

I hate to be such an old misery guts on a nice day like Father's Day.

But why is the news on AIDS still so terrible?

Why has a completely avoidable disease taken millions of women's lives and rendered children unwanted, unloved and uncared for? And why are so many babies still born with this disease?

This past weekend, while on a long run in the countryside with my running group, I had a close encounter with a wild cactus that was reaching out through a guard rail to touch someone, and that someone was me. It just goes to show I can't read (the directions printed out by our run coordinator) and run at the same time! I didn't even see the cactus.

Fortunately, it was a fairly light brush with the plant, but I don't think I got all the really fine needles out and am concerned about possible infection. A friend of mine suggested getting a tetanus shot.

For cactus?

Dr. Marrazzo, Associate Professor, Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington in Seattle explains how often a women should get tested for a sexually transmitted disease.

Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, Infectious Disease, STD/HIV Prevention Epidemiology explains what a sexually transmitted infection is & what women need to know about them.