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7:00am:
You may not realize it but some drugs made in foreign countries are allowed to be sold here in the u-s and there's supposed to be some FDA oversight.

But according to a government watchdog group. About two thirds of foreign drug manufacturers subject to inspection by the FDA never actually get visited... And years can pass before they get inspected even one time. This of course is a concern in light of recent product recalls from china. The FDA is slated to inspect just 13 Chinese drug companies this year. But likely will only see about 2 percent of them.

How often are US drug makers inspected?

Nearly all U.S. drug makers are inspected at least once every two years, the FDA is not required to conduct foreign inspections with any regularity, even as the number of imports grow. The problem is. That current FDA laws and regulations were never intended to handle the high volume of imports that there are now. About 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used to make drugs sold in the U.S. are imported. And about 40 percent of finished drugs are made abroad.

In other news, we all know that breast is best when it comes to feeding your baby. But there may be a catch when it comes to asthma.

That's right, doctors know that breast milk can protect children from asthma later in life, but a new study says only when the mother does not have asthma herself.

Researchers found that breast-feeding for more than four months helped improve lung function in children whose mothers did not have asthma. But breast-fed children whose mothers had asthma did not benefit and actually showed a significant drop in lung function later in life.

So should women with asthma stop breastfeeding?

Not at all, this study is considered preliminary and the findings require more research. You never want to react based on one study. Plus, the overwhelming benefits of breast milk still make it the best nutritional source for babies. It's digested easily and supplies antibodies that can protect babies from bacterial and viral infections, including many of the respiratory tract.

Speaking of breast milk. There's a woman in Iowa who's selling hers.

This is true. A woman who doesn't want her breast milk to go to waste has taken out a newspaper ad to try to sell it. The 22 year old is offering 100 ounces of her breast milk for $200 or the best offer. She says her freezer is overflowing and she has been pumping since august. Currently she is donating to the university of Iowa’s mother's milk bank, but the 100 ounces of milk she wants to sell was pumped before going through the screening process for the bank and cannot be donated. In case you're wondering. Breast milk can generally be stored in a freezer for up to six months.

8:00am:

1. I am a big fan of no calorie sweeteners but I’ve heard mixed reviews about them. Are they safe?
Jennifer
Morristown, New Jersey

Jennifer, while there has been much debate about the safety of artificial sweeteners all of the current ones available on the market that are approved by the f-d-a are considered safe. Even saccharin, which at one time was found to cause bladder cancer in rats is considered safe in humans. But keep this in mind. Artificial sweeteners have not been around very long. So we don't have any long-term studies on safety. Plus, they can be found in lots of different foods. So at the end of the day you may be consuming much more than you think

2. My daughter bites her nails and eats the skin around her finger. What can I do to prevent this?
Jenne
Yonkers

Dr. Steve:
Jenne, nail biting is a stress relieving habit. Some people do it when they're anxious or nervous, others when they're bored. Many people don't even realize they're doing it. Fortunately, most people outgrow nail biting by age thirty.. But if you want your child to quit.. Try keeping her nails trimmed and filed. And apply a bitter tasting nail polish, which you can buy in drug stores. You can also try substituting other stress relieving activities like drawing, or squeezing a stress ball. If it gets really bad she can wear gloves. Or put colored stickers over the fingers.

3. Iliana from New Jersey
Can consuming too many soy products cause cancer?

Dr. Steve:
Iliana, it is a popular myth that eating soy causes cancer because it contains phyto-estrogens. But the truth is there's no evidence that soy causes cancer. In fact, the opposite is probably true. Studies show soy inhibits cancer growth. But if you don't believe me.. Think of it this way.. For years many Asians have consumed soy as a major part of their diet and there's no evidence of cancer related to soy in that population.