A new statistical analysis of 10,000 households, whose members were asked questions about their happiness over a 15 year period, reveals that for married parents, each child makes them progressively happier. In contrast, those who are single, separated or living together are more likely to have negative feelings about parenthood.

Writing in the Journal of Happiness Studies, Dr. Luis Angeles, an economist at Glasgow University, said "raising kids makes married people happier" and that "the more they have, the happier they are."

Researchers tracked 1,000 couples who were either married or in serious relationships over the course of five years, and then looked at patterns amongst those who were still together after five years. What they found is that the man should be at least five years older than the woman and the woman should have more education than the man for the best chances of the marriage standing the test of time.

This of course did not prove true in the case when either one or both partners had been divorced previously, and the scientists added that using "objective factors" such as age, education, and cultural origin "may help reduce divorce". If one partner had been divorced in the past, it lessens the chances of the relationship surviving. Interestingly though, if both partners had been divorced previously, while their chances of surviving are still not as good as those who had never divorced, the chances of survival are slightly better than those in a relationship where just one partner had been divorced.

One example of a celebrity relationship that according to this study is likely to last is that between Beyonce Knowles, 28, and her husband, Jay-Z, 39. She's younger, and also more educated. Jay-Z did not even receive a high school diploma.

Ever since the first cases of swine flu broke out earlier this year, demand for hand sanitizer has skyrocketed. Some makers of the gels are now scrambling to keep up with the demand.

The marketing research firm Panjiva recently estimated that 3 million kilograms of hand sanitizer were shipped in the 3rd quarter, compared to 1 million kilograms during the same quarter last year. Panjiva CEO Josh Green says that concerns over the H1N1 virus is the "most likely explanation" for the surge. Given the outlook for a particularly bad flu season, demand is only expected to rise further.

In response, companies like Purell are ramping up production and are urging customers not to hoard the product. Purell manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) says that demand for Purell has been "heavy" since the first swine flu cases were reported.

J&J spokesman Marc Boston said in a statement:

"Due to the influenza A (H1N1) virus outbreak this past spring and resurgence this fall, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. has experienced heavy demand on supplies of Purell.

Boston said that the company is working to increase production for the remainder of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, but acknowledges that supplies could be limited in some areas:

In a big departure from the policies of the George W. Bush era, the Justice Department issued a new policy memo to prosecutors on Monday telling them that pot-smoking patients and their sanctioned suppliers should not be targeted for federal prosecution in states that permit medical marijuana. In the 3-page legal memo, federal prosecutors are told it is not a good use of their time to arrest those who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state law.

The guidelines issued by the Justice Department, however, make it quite clear that federal agents can and will go after those who's marijuana distribution goes beyond what is permitted under state law, and those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other crimes.

Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

"It will not be a priority to use federal resources to prosecute patients with serious illnesses or their caregivers who are complying with state laws on medical marijuana, but we will not tolerate drug traffickers who hide behind claims of compliance with state law to mask activities that are clearly illegal."

Drew Carey may have left his hometown of Cleveland for fame and fortune in Hollywood, but he hasn't forgotten the little people. When a man by the name of Drew Olanoff, a cancer-fighting blogger, decided to auction off his enviable Twitter.com username - @drew - and donate the proceeds to LiveStrong, he anticipated he could raise $10,000. He never expected that his auction would capture the attention of Price Is Right host Drew Carey, and he especially did not anticipate the hefty $1 million offer that Carey would eventually make. And while some may think that Carey is simply trying to get publicity, he insists that that's not the case and that he didn't even think about his bids when he made them.

An active Twitter user ( @DrewFromTV), Carey surpassed Olanoff's $10,000 expectation by tweeting an initial bid of $25,000. He then decided to quadruple his offer, moving it up to $100,000 if he could get 100,000 Twitter followers. This generous offer was topped when Carey - without really thinking - decided to increase it even more: he would donate $1 million if he can get one million followers by midnight on December 31, and if he doesn't reach a million followers he will give a prorated donation of $1 for every follower.

In an email exchange with The Cleveland Leader, Drew Carey says:

Health insurance coverage denials know no age limit. Alex Lange, a four month old baby from Colorado, was recently denied insurance after he was deemed to be too fat for his age.

At 25-inches long and 17lbs., Alex is above average. Alex's father Bernie Lange and his wife Kelli say that their insurance went up 40% when he was born. So when they went to shop for better premiums, they were shocked to learn that the size of their baby matter.

An insurance underwriter for Rocky Mountain Health Plans simply wrote, "Your baby is too fat."

Alex born at a healthy 8 1/4 pounds. He boasts quite a healthy appetite, which is why he has been packing on the pounds. For a baby of his age at his weight and height, he ranks in the 99th percentile.

Bernie, a part-time news anchor for KKCO-TV in Grand Junction, CO said:

"We can't put him on the Atkins diet or on a treadmill."

Kelli added: "He's healthy in our eyes. It's like we're being punished."

Dr. Douglas Speedie, director of Rocky Mountain Health Plans, explained:

"We do it because everybody else in the industry does it."

The advent of oral contraceptives, aka the "Pill", ushered in the sexual revolution of the 1960's and gave women control over their own fertility. However, according to a new study, the Pill may have also changed women's taste in men. Researchers say that the hormones in the Pill suppress a woman's interest in masculine men, and make boyish men more attractive.

Dr. Alexandra Alvergne of the University of Sheffield in the UK says that the Pill may also alter the way women pick mates, which could have long term implications for society:

'There are many obvious benefits of the Pill for women, but there is also the possibility that the Pill has psychological side effects that we are only just discovering. We need further studies to find out what these are,' she said.

Battling a cocaine addiction is much tougher than researchers initially thought. This is exemplified in the research of a widely reported experimental vaccine which is used to counteract coke addiction. The vaccine showed strong results at first, but lost its effectiveness after a few months.

The vaccine works by increasing antibodies that bind to cocaine, which stops the high. The vaccine was tested on 94 adults selected from methadone maintenance programs, who also received behavioral therapy. Thirty-eight percent of participants developed enough antibodies to repress their cocaine use. However, after two months the effect tapered off.

Jeffrey T. Parsons, professor and chair of psychology at Hunter College, said "The results are promising, to be sure, but still the majority of participants did not respond."

This past spring,sixty Cleveland Clinic doctors nominated one hundred medical breakthroughs for consideration to be included in the Clinic's list of the Top 10 Medical Innovations of 2010. Since then, they have narrowed down the list, revealing the Top 10 on Wednesday morning at the 2009 Medical Innovation Summit.

In choosing the Top 10, doctors looked at four major criteria:

• Significant potential for short-term clinical impact -- either a major improvement in patient benefit or an improved function that enhances healthcare delivery
• A high probability of success
• On the market or close to being introduced
• Sufficient data available to support its nomination

Here are the Top 10, with the top vote-getter snagging the number one spot on the list:

1. Bone Conduction of Sound For Single-Sided Deafness: A new non-surgical, removable hearing and communication device designed to imperceptibly transmit sound via the teeth to help people with single-sided deafness.
2. Low-Volume, Low-Pressure, Tracheal Tube Cuff To Reduce Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A device that dramatically reduces the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia and death in hospital ICUs by providing continuous effective airway seals.

When the first swine flu vaccinations begin being given to the general public in just a few weeks, there will be some people who get them that will have strokes or heart attacks. Some pregnant women may miscarry, and some children may have seizures. However, officials are warning that these events will not necessarily have anything to do with the flu vaccine.

Federal officials are aware of the potential public relations challenges, recalling how sensational reports of death and illness thwarted the large-scale swine flu vaccine drive of 1976. This time, however, they are prepared and have begun making plans to quickly respond to such events to reassure the wary public that the vaccine is not the culprit.

It is important to keep in mind that each year 200,000 Americans will have their first seizure, and there are 1.1 million heart attacks, 795,000 strokes and 876,000 miscarriages. Some of these will inevitably occur within hours or days of receiving a flu shot.

Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg says that the government "is right to expect coincident deaths, since people are dying every day, with or without flu shots." Fineberg is the president of the Institute of Medicine, and co-author of "The Epidemic That Never Was", a book on the history of the 1976 swine flu vaccination drive.