It's been a frenetic week on the health care reform front. Couple that with some interesting studies and other health tidbits and here you have it -- your weekly installment of health news:

+   Health care overhaul goes over-the-top: Stephanie summed up above the latest drama with the Senate's end-of-life provision and the ugliness of town halls meanwhile, I blogged earlier about the misinformation over euthanasia claims in the health care bills. With that in mind, here's a roundup of fact-check links to help you sort the real from the absurd. This is great, too: Seven lies about health care reform.

+   Sleep out for medical care: Town halls aside, some folks are actually trying to get health care to people who need it. In Los Angeles, hundreds slept outside to a basketball arena to get free medical care. The effort was founded by a man who spent years in the Amazon rain forest helping folks in need.

+   Swine flu and you: I reported this week on the start of trials for a swine flu vaccine at the University of Maryland, which aims to have initial results about whether the shot is safe and effective within weeks. Meanwhile, H1N1 infection is on the rise among soldiers in Iraq. Add the President of Costa Rica to the people sickened by the pandemic. Look out for Stephanie's story this weekend about the efforts to make a universal flu vaccine.

+   Stealing not uncommon among children: A doctor tells us stealing in childhood does not mean your kid will grow up to be a criminal. Young kids are still figuring out what the rules are and child development experts call a minor shoplifting incident a "teachable moment." 

+   Sleep genes: My husband can survive on four hours sleep. Me? I need eight or I'm a cranky mess. A new study says a genetic mutation could be why some people can function on less sleep than others.

+   Surviving allergy season: I know I've been sneezing up a storm. You too? Here are some tips for getting through it.

And with that, have a happy and healthy weekend.