By MARY POWERS, Scripps Howard News Service

Evolutionarily their days may be numbered, but the current debate about if and when wisdom teeth should be removed suggests they won't go quietly.
This year, it is estimated that more than 4 million Americans, mostly teen-agers, will have their wisdom teeth pulled in a rite of passage as American as braces or a first pair of contact lenses.

Ultimate cold and flu survival kit:-- Soap and hand sanitizer. Look for hand sanitizers that contain at least 65 percent ethanol or isopropanol.-- Warm salt water for gargling or throat lozenges or spray to ease sore-throat pain.

A global recession looms.Home values are falling. Unemployment rates are rising. Nights are getting longer. Days are getting colder. And the holiday shopping season is poised to begin.Which means now is the perfect time to prepare for the cold and flu season.