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Although the toxicology results on the death of singer Whitney Houston won't be ready for weeks, there is speculation that a mix of prescription drugs and alcohol may have played a role.

Public health officials have been increasingly concerned about people who combine medications with alcohol.

By themselves, and in regular doses, doctors say drugs like Ativan and Xanax are relatively safe, although not without side effects.

"It is so common and so many people take it that most people don't realize its potential dangers. It is addictive," warns Dr. David Zich of Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Zich says this class of drugs becomes truly dangerous, and even potentially fatal when combined with alcohol.

"They go into such a deep sleep that they are in a coma and don't breathe enough to get oxygen to their brain. If you have excessive amounts like an overdose you can have seizures, your blood pressure can drop dangerously low," Dr. Zich explains.

More than half of all Americans now report taking at least one prescription drug in the last month, so warnings about the dangers of combining drugs with alcohol, or even other prescription drugs have never been more important.

If the cutesy swooning and doe-eyed drooling of Valentine's Day is too much for you, keep this in mind: being in a loving relationship can have massive health benefits.

Researchers say giving your heart to another person may be the most heart-healthy thing you do.

"When somebody is inspiring us, we may be much more likely to go exercise with them, eat in a healthy fashion..." explains Cleveland Clinic psychologist Dr. Scott Bea.

Study after study has associated health benefits with being with a special someone:

- Research from the University of Iowa found ovarian cancer patients had greater immune system-boosting white blood cell activity around their tumors when they had strong personal relationships.

- A study from the United Kingdom found men who have sex at least twice a week cut their risk of dying from a heart attack in half.

- University of North Carolina doctors found women's blood pressure lowered after spending quality, romantic time with a partner and hugging for at least 20 seconds.

- Married people, especially men, tend to outlive their single counterparts.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - You'll soon be able to Tanka up at Whole Foods. The chain is adding Tanka bars. They're energy bars made from bison meat and cranberries. It's based on a traditional Native American recipe.

 Tanka bars are produced on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota by Native American Natural Foods. University of Florida junior Michael Watson is hooked. He says his aunt gave him a box for Christmas. Many of his frat brothers are fans, too. Watson adds the bison bars are "a very American product."

Girls and boys nationwide have a new vaccination schedule to follow.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control are recommending vaccine changes, starting with a meningitis booster shot for 16 year olds.

Meningitis is a potentially deadly bacterial infection.

Doctors say children should get vaccinated at age 11.

The vaccine weakens over time, leaving as many as half of those kids by age 16.

Texas has already made the shot mandatory to attend college.

Another change: Doctors now say boys as well as girls can get the HPV shot as early as age 9.

Human Papilloma Virus is transmitted sexually and linked to cervical cancer in women, but certain HPV strains are also the cause of many head and neck cancers, particularly in men.

Doctors say the vaccine is most effective at creating HPV antibodies when kids reach age 11 or 12, often before they reach sexual maturity.

"If you wait until you think you they're sexually active, you may miss the opportunity to protect them," warns Dr. Michael Brady of Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Protecting them now gives them the best shot possible at a healthier life.

Kids aren't the only targets for the new vaccine schedule.

Babies too young for a flu shot and the Whooping Cough vaccine can be born with antibodies to both illnesses if their mothers had the shots while pregnant.

Suzie Battle makes the ice cream at her shop Azucar in Miami's Little Havana.

The new entrepreneur is also a thyroid cancer survivor.

"It was right here - it was a little nodule and I had no idea I had it," Battle said as she pointed to the base of her neck.

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped spongy gland.

After Battle was diagnosed four years ago, she started hearing about others with the same cancer.

"I had a boss in my old job who also had it and then I had a friend who also had it," she said. "It seems odd that so many people are getting thyroid cancer these days."

Then her younger sister was diagnosed last month, but the most common type of thyroid cancer is not considered hereditary, says University of Miami Health System endocrinologist Dr. Brian Kim.

"These cases then make us wonder," Kim said. "I have certainly also met families where I've had three sisters who had thyroid cancer, and you always wonder in that kind of case could there be a gene that's involved?"

He points out that family history is a risk factor for thyroid cancer.

So is radiation exposure, as is being female.

It's three times more common in women than in men.

"We're actually finding it more, we're treating it more," he said. "Economically and for the patients involved it's a very big deal."

A woman's immune system and hormones may play a role.

Researchers at the thyroid labs at the UM Miller School of Medicine are studying the gland's role in metabolism.

While only 5 percent of thyroid nodules or lumps are cancerous and most people don't know they have them, there are some possible warning signs.

"If you feel a lump in your neck, if you have trouble swallowing, voice changes for no apparent reason, that would be a reason to talk to your doctor," Dr. Kim advises.

Battle's lump was detected by a nurse practitioner during a routine exam.

"She checked my neck and realized there was something different between last year and this year," Battle said. "She saved me."

The five-year survival rate for all thyroid cancer patients is 97 percent, according to the American Cancer Society.