Dr. Steve: Wednesday

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7:00 Fit For Life Segment Info:
Bad news to those of you visiting the emergency room. Researchers say US emergency rooms are more crowded than ever, which is leading to longer wait times for treatment. A recent study showed a four percent annual increase in wait times from 1997 to 2004.

In '97, patients typically waited 22 minutes for treatment, but by 2004, they were up to 30 minutes. Researchers say the problem has to do with a shortage in hospital staff and inpatient beds as well as growing numbers of people without health insurance.

Also, the FDA now says that cloned animals are safe to eat. Scientists say that meat and milk derived from cloned livestock are just as safe as those obtained by animals that are bred the old-fashioned way. The finding removes the last big US regulatory hurdle to marketing products from cloned animals. However, sales of cloned products aren't scheduled to begin right away.

8:00 Fit For Life Segment Info:
A new test could help predict the future for men concerned about hair loss. A US biotech firm has announced a genetic test kit that predicts the likelihood of baldness in men before the age of 40. The company checks DNA samples for a variation to the x-chromosome, which can predict male pattern baldness. It can be ordered over the internet for roughly $150.

And, it's a new-millennium baby boom. Researchers say babies are being born at an astonishing speed in the u-s. There were nearly four-point-three million births in 2006 alone. That's the largest number of children born in this country in the past 45 years. Hispanics account for nearly a quarter of all new US births.

Also, there's a new "blue-light special" at the pharmacy. K-mart has just announced it will lower the price of a flu shot to just ten bucks. The cheap flu shots will be available in most stores while supplies last. Prices in California, Hawaii, Louisiana and other states may be slightly higher due to state regulations.