Your health: Natural decongestants work well

Got a stuffed-up nose? If you want to avoid drying medicines, Prevention magazine suggests an herbal alternative.

Try irrigating your nose with warm saline solution, using a syringe or a Neti pot, which looks like a small tea pot.

Or try putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the floor of your shower and inhale the steam.

Chat threat

Despite the focus on dangers of social networking sites like www.myspace.com, researchers find children are more likely to be victimized through instant messaging and chat rooms.

The Growing Up With Media study, in the journal Pediatrics, suggests that parents focus on children's online behaviors rather than restricting use of social networking sites.

Internet safety experts recommend sharing private information only with known friends and family.

Migraine alternative

Good news for those who suffer from migraine headaches.

A new medication that works differently from current drugs shows promise in tests.

The study by Merck shows MK-0974 relieved pain for more than two-thirds of patients and lasted more than 24 hours.

If approved by federal regulators, it could be available next year as an alternative for those who can't get relief from triptans.

Baby OD prevention

Doctors widely suggest acetaminophen, found in Tylenol and other over-the-counter medicines, as a safe painkiller for children.

But overdoses can damage the liver.

Overdoses commonly occur when parents are in a hurry or mix acetaminophen with medicines such as cold medicines that already include the drug.

Or parents might think infant drops and toddler elixir are equivalent, when infant drops are three times as concentrated.

If children get hold of the drops on their own, they might drink it down, so always keep it out of reach.

-- Robert McCoppin