Wow, I never thought I'd see the day: Special K is about to get a makeover! Remember the drug's sleazy clubbing days in the '90s? The highly-addictive drug, called ketamine, started off as a humble animal tranquilizer but worked its ways into the hottest night spots, sending users into an ecstasy that made time stand still -- or, more accurately, into a "dissociative anesthesia" that could lead to a psychotic breakdown.

But here's the latest twist in ketamine's history: It could revolutionize the way depression is treated. I'm not talking your garden-variety blues. This is for real, serious, deep, clinical depression. How could something so toxic for club kids be so helpful for people who are ill?

Average hospital accommodationsEveryone in your family healthy? I sincerely hope so. If not, though, and you think a hospital stay of any duration might be in your or a loved one's future, you might want to start playing the lottery or hatching some other get-rich-quick scheme. Because the rich not only get richer, as the saying goes, it turns out they also get waaaay better hospital rooms.

Yep, according to The New York Times, for a few thousand extra bucks a night (pocket change for the ultra-well-heeled, I guess), a growing number of hospitals are now offering patients the option of addressing their illnesses in ultra-swanky suites, complete with four-star amenities like super-high-thread-count Frette bed linens; organic, gourmet food prepared to order by an actual chef; cushy bathrobes; well-appointed reading rooms; marble bathroom fixtures; and ... wait for it ... your own butler.

Besides being the go-to website for gently used furniture, vacation rentals, and apartment shares, Craigslist is now the site to search for all your human organ needs. And not in a black market I-need-a-human-heart-to-make-a-spell type way, but in a legit, people-helping-people kind of way. It happened recently in Florida. Twenty-eight-year-old Selina Hodge, exhausted by her fruitless search for a kidney donation, posted an appeal on Craigslist. Believe it or not, she got a bevy of responses. Apparently, there are some amazing people out there who selflessly want to help others, even if it requires major surgery, a week in the hospital, and tons of risks in the present and future.

You'll never believe how many people offered Hodge their kidney!

You wake up in the morning feeling like crud: Your throat hurts, your nose is runny, your muscles ache, and all you want to do is crawl back into bed, pull your covers over your head, and sink into a deep, deep sleep.

But how do you know if what you've got is a cold or the flu? Both are respiratory illnesses and share many symptoms, making them very difficult to tell apart, but the flu can sometimes lead to more serious complications, like pneumonia or bacterial infections, which can be dangerous.

We often think about breast cancer screenings as a women's health issue. After all, it's usually our bodies in which the cancer grows -- it's our health and our lives that are at risk. Recently, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care published new breast cancer screening guidelines recommending that early detection methods like routine mammograms for women in their 40s and breast self-exams and clinical exams for women with no symptoms be dropped, as well as that older women undergo mammograms less frequently. It's not surprising Canadian women were as upset as we American women were two years ago when a U.S. task force made similar recommendations.

Remember those days when we all used to slather our bodies with baby oil and bake ourselves in the sun, crisping up our skin in pursuit of the perfect deep shade of tan? Yeah, well, now that we know a few things about skin cancer and UV rays and understand that those sun-baking sessions may prove deadly, those days are definitely over -- and they're never coming back. No loss there.

But every once in a while a new study comes out that makes me wonder whether maybe, just maybe, we haven't taken our mortal fear of the sun just a little too far.

This week brings news of just such a study: Danish researchers have found that women who don't get enough vitamin D, which the body takes in from sunshine, fish, and vitamin D-fortified foods like milk and orange juice, are at a higher risk for heart failure and stroke than women with sufficient levels of vitamin D.

Exciting news on the women's health front this week: a vaccine that shows promise in halting the progress of breast and ovarian cancer and increasing the survival rates of women with advanced cases of the disease.

Hooray!

Although the study exploring the effects of the PANVAC vaccine, conducted at the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, was small, the effects were dramatic. Twenty-six women were treated (all of them with breast or ovarian cancer that had already spread to other organs) with the vaccine. In four women, the disease was brought to a halt. One woman experienced what sounds like a miracle: Her cancer just totally disappeared.

You can get a flu shot. You can try every immunity boosting-prevention tip in the book. And still there are going to be those times when the flu hits you -- and hits you hard.

When that unfortunately happens, you'll be willing to try anything and everything that's rumored to help you feel better. The good news is you might not have to trek all the way to the pharmacy for a fast-acting remedy. That's because there are several items right in your own pantry that can alleviate your symptoms just as well as prescription drugs. Check out these six natural cures that could have you feeling better in no time.