12/29/06
Study finds preschoolers are too fat; Hispanics at highest risk
Far too many kids are fat by preschool, and Hispanic youngsters are most at risk, says new research that's among the first to focus on children growing up in poverty...
12/29/06
Spices and herbs may help you avoid disease
Imagine going to your doctor with joint pain and leaving with a prescription for ginger. Before the advent of synthetic drugs, that might have happened. Herbs and spices have a long history as folk medicine, and not without merit...
12/29/06
It really is possible to exercise too much
Robert Irwin boosted his running to 80 miles a week when he was in his 20s. It felt good, until it started feeling bad...
12/29/06
Most Americans Want Public Policies to Prevent Obesity
A large majority of Americans say they support changes in public policy to stem the rising tide of obesity among adults, a new survey shows...
12/28/06
FDA gives green light to cyanide treatment
Drug safety officials in the USA have approved an emergency treatment used in France for cyanide poisoning...
12/28/06
FDA: No safety labels needed on cloned food
The government has decided that food from cloned animals is safe to eat and does not require special labeling...
12/28/06
Mental health bill to face House vote
After years of trying, advocates think they have a good chance of getting Congress to pass legislation next year that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses, if their policies include both...
12/28/06
Universal Studios parks ban trans fats
The early reviews are mostly positive at the Universal Studios theme park in Hollywood where the menu changed on Christmas Eve to cut unhealthy trans fats from many junk food favorites...
12/27/06
Shop for shoes, get a shot of Botox
Amy Andrade had been thinking about Botox for a while. So when she spotted a spa-like "cosmedical" clinic in the upscale Dallas mall she visits about once a month, she was immediately interested...
12/27/06
Weight gains as a health concern
There was bad news, and then more bad news, about Americans' weight gain. reviews evidence that kids, teens and adults continue to get heavier...
12/27/06
Study: Weight loss may lower cancer risk
Here's another reason for men to avoid packing on extra pounds over the holidays: A new study has found that losing weight reduces the risk of an aggressive form of prostate cancer...
12/27/06
Study links heartburn drugs, broken hip
Taking such popular heartburn drugs as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50, a large study in Britain found...
12/26/06
What a scary stretch it was
The avian flu bug never arrived on U.S. shores, but health news in 2006 still presented challenges: Is our food safe to eat? Can we slow the use of tobacco? Can we make lifesaving stents safer? A look at the year's highlights...
12/26/06
Study: Kids' bodies trained to tolerate allergies
Elizabeth White's first encounter with peanuts -- a nibble of a peanut butter cracker at age 14 months -- left the toddler gasping for breath. Within minutes, her airways were swelling shut...
12/26/06
Doctors broaden study of skin problems to blacks, Asians, Hispanics
Carlotta Aiken's cheeks are sprinkled with brown spots, just like her grandmother had...
12/26/06
Scientists get OK for engineered peanuts
A leading industry group has given scientists the go-ahead to build genetically engineered peanuts that could be safer, more nutritious and easier to grow than their conventional version...
12/25/06
Hospital clowns boost sick kids' spirits
Stephen Ringold is a clown facing a tough audience — a sick child in a hospital room who needs holiday cheer. For a few minutes, Stephany Nieto sits on her mother's lap, suspiciously eyeing the tall man with the red-and-white checkered shoes half-hiding behind the curtain. Smiling doesn't come easily to the little girl, who her mother says is being examined for a serious illness called moyamoya, an rare inflammation of the brain arteries that can cause seizures and paralysis...
12/25/06
Report: Health care suffers at LA jails
The deaths of at least 14 inmates since 1999 in the nation's largest county jail system came after treatment errors and other breakdowns in their medical care, a newspaper reported Sunday...
12/25/06
Laura Bush discusses her skin cancer
First lady Laura Bush says she first thought a sore on her right shin that turned out to be skin cancer was an insect bite...
12/25/06
12 ideas to keep off holiday pounds
Three French pastries ... two turtle cheesecakes ... and a partridge in a pear sauce...
12/22/06
Hospital policy eyed in L.A. outbreak
The recent deaths of two premature babies at a hospital linked to an outbreak of a common bacterium raise questions about whether officials took the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the hardy germ...
12/22/06
Christmas goodies pack on the pounds
Oh, those holiday pitfalls: a martini and a handful of Chex mix at the office party, Grandma's fruitcake, the plate of gingerbread cookies from your neighbor. Eating all those goodies will definitely cost you...
12/22/06
New flu pandemic could kill 81 million
A flu virus as deadly as the one that caused the 1918 Spanish flu could kill as many as 81 million worldwide if it struck today, a new study estimates. By applying historical death rates to modern population data, the researchers calculated a death toll of 51 million to 81 million, with a median estimate of 62 million...
12/22/06
Study: Teens getting high on legal drugs
Slightly fewer adolescents abused illegal drugs and alcohol in 2006, but fairly high numbers of them continued to abuse prescription narcotics, according to a new study...
12/20/06
Scientists link weight to gut bacteria
Maybe it's germs that are making you fat...Researchers found a strong connection between obesity and the levels of certain types of bacteria in the gut. That could mean that someday there will be novel new ways of treating obesity that go beyond the standard advice of diet and exercise...
12/20/06
Study casts doubt on new blood tests
New blood tests that doctors hoped would more accurately predict which patients are headed for a heart attack or stroke are no better than cholesterol levels, blood pressure and other conventional measurements, a study found...
12/20/06
Bacteria may contribute to obesity
The size of your gut may be partly shaped by which microbes call it home, according to new research linking obesity to types of digestive bacteria...
12/20/06
New blood tests no better for predicting heart attacks
New blood tests that doctors hoped would more accurately predict which patients are headed for a heart attack or stroke are no better than cholesterol levels, blood pressure and other conventional measurements, a study found...
12/19/06
Skin cancer easy to cure if found early
Laura Bush's skin cancer came with a classic symptom, a slow-healing sore...
12/19/06
Holiday stress pushes women to comfort eating
Emi Fujiwara's holidays can hardly be called that as she juggles a full-time job and evening studies and tries to find money and time to buy presents, organize parties and cook for family and friends...
12/19/06
Sterner warnings urged for acetaminophen, aspirin, other drugs
Federal health officials on Tuesday proposed sterner warning labels for acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen, again cautioning millions of Americans who take the nonprescription pain relievers regularly of potentially serious side effects...
12/19/06
Seasonal hangovers: Tricks to help you power through
There's more than one way to overindulge during the holiday season. You can carol until you get a sore throat, or scarf too many cookies at the office party. You can stress over the perfect prime rib, or try to work off 5 pounds in a day so you can fit into that slinky cocktail dress that night...
12/18/06
Brain can repair alcohol's damage
Excessive drinking can damage brain cells but the brain can repair some of the harm, a team of international researchers said on Monday...
12/18/06
Pandemic preparations vary widely by state
Trailers packed with cots and medical supplies are parked in secret locations around Colorado, ready for doctors to open makeshift hospitals in school gyms if a flu pandemic strikes...
12/18/06
If you have allergies, check this holiday list twice
Christmas greenery, holiday flowers and yuletide fires can inflame allergies, causing itchy eyes, runny noses and skin rashes, experts warn. No wonder Rudolph's nose was red...
12/18/06
Survivors recall horror of flu pandemic
At the height of the flu pandemic in 1918, William H. Sardo Jr. remembers the pine caskets stacked in the living room of his family's house, a funeral home in Washington, D.C...
12/15/06
FDA: Implantable heart bag needs study
An implantable mesh bag meant to support the blood-pumping muscle of patients with heart failure shouldn't be approved, federal health advisers said Friday in upholding an earlier government decision...
12/15/06
FDA OKs Celebrex as treatment for kids
Pfizer Inc. won federal approval Friday to market the painkiller Celebrex as a treatment for the tens of thousands of children with a devastating form of arthritis...
12/15/06
Advisers suggest restricting antibiotic
Benefits of an antibiotic linked to rare reports of severe liver problems, including several deaths, outweigh its risks in treating pneumonia but not less serious bacterial infections like bronchitis and sinusitis, federal health advisers said Friday...
12/15/06
Hormone fears rise with cancer news
This week's news that a big drop in breast cancer cases might be due to millions of women going off menopause hormones may lead even more of them to abandon the pills...
12/14/06
Circumcision may reduce risk of HIV
Circumcising adult men may reduce by half their risk of getting the AIDS virus through heterosexual intercourse, the U.S. government announced Wednesday, as it shut down two studies in Africa testing the link...
12/14/06
Lettuce most likely source of Taco Bell E. coli, feds say
Federal health officials said Wednesday lettuce was the most likely source of an outbreak of E. coli linked to Taco Bell...
12/14/06
Feel better, naturally
Thanks to a history of bad reactions, Louanne Weston was willing to do almost anything to avoid anesthesia. So when her doctor advised surgery to remove uterine fibroids that were causing cramps and heavy bleeding, Weston went looking for an anesthesia alternative. She found hypnosis -- and her doctor agreed to give it a try...
12/14/06
N. Korea may have anti-bird flu vaccine
North Korea has claimed it developed a poultry vaccine against the deadly H5N1 type of bird flu and is inoculating chickens as part of stepped-up efforts to prevent the disease following outbreaks in South Korea.
12/13/06
E. coli outbreak said not tied to onions
Onions probably didn't cause the E. coli outbreak linked to Taco Bell, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, as the fast-food chain launched a media campaign to persuade customers its food is safe...
12/13/06
U.S. health system unprepared, report says
The nation's public health system — the first line of defense against pandemic flu, a bioterror attack or other widespread health emergency — remains woefully unprepared to protect the American public, according to a report out Tuesday...
12/13/06
Antidepressant suicide warning may be expanded
Treatment with antidepressants increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients up to age 24, according to proposed changes to the drugs' labels unveiled Wednesday by health officials...
12/13/06
Healthy habits move to the top of workplace agendas
Many companies are starting to sound like moms: They're pushing employees to eat their vegetables and go outside and play. And they're not being gentle about it...
12/11/06
As a gift, surgery cuts both ways
Tina Baldwin, 48, of Newfield, N.J., was thrilled this fall when her husband gave her an early holiday present: any cosmetic surgery she wanted. She chose liposuction...
12/11/06
A nation's eating habits
For Americans, rushing to get dinner on the table between work, soccer, ballet class and bedtime, time is often the missing ingredient, and it leads many people to rely on take-out, fast food and easy-to-fix convenience foods, diet experts say...
12/11/06
More parents waiting, not giving antibiotics right away, for ear aches
That familiar tug on his ear or a restless night's sleep is usually the sign that little Baedden Pollett has another ear infection. The 2 1/2-year-old has had more of them than his parents can count...
12/11/06
Experts puzzle over halt of bird flu
Earlier this year, bird flu panic was in full swing: The French feared for their foie gras, the Swiss locked their chickens indoors, and Americans enlisted prison inmates in Alaska to help spot infected wild birds...
12/08/06
E. coli outbreak now in 7 states; agencies zero in on Taco Bell
As many as 84 people in seven states have been confirmed as having the strain of E. coli bacteria involved in an outbreak that may be linked to Taco Bell restaurants, officials said Friday...
12/08/06
The 7 kids' health myths every mom should ignore
When it comes to colds, flu, stomach bugs, and ear infections, everyone has a theory. Some have been passed down through generations, or are based on outdated science. A few just seem like common sense. But whatever their origin, many just aren't true. The facts behind these myths...
12/08/06
1 death, 19 injuries blamed on magnets
At least one U.S. child has died and 19 others have needed surgery since 2003 after swallowing magnets used in toys, the government reported Thursday...
12/08/06
Drugmaker makes chewable contraceptive
Looking for a contraceptive that's convenient — and tasty? The first chewable birth-control method, a tiny, spearmint-flavored tablet that also can be swallowed without chewing, has hit pharmacy shelves...
12/05/06
Bacteria found in 83% of chickens
Cook your chicken to 165 degrees and wash up with soap and hot water afterward. That's the take-home message of a report released Monday by Consumer Reports. It found that 83% of 525 chickens it tested were infected with either campylobacter or salmonella bacteria or both...
12/05/06
Boys at greater risk of high blood pressure
Adolescent boys are far more likely to suffer high blood pressure than girls in the same age group, setting the stage for other health problems such as hypertension as they get older, researchers reported on Monday...
12/05/06
Dual cholesterol therapy still being tested, despite Pfizer failure
Pfizer Inc.'s new experimental heart drug is dead, but the dual approach the company was testing -- boosting good cholesterol while lowering the bad -- is very much alive, specialists said Monday...
12/05/06
NYC health board votes to ban trans fats
The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the nation's first city to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants — from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries...
12/02/06
Home recipes are on the menu in many campus dining halls
Stung by decades of jokes about mystery meat and soggy sandwiches, college dining halls around the country are borrowing recipes from the ultimate authority on heartwarming meals: Mom. (And Dad, too.)...
12/01/06
Pregnant women warned to avoid antidepressant Paxil
Pregnant women and those who plan to become pregnant should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil if possible because of the risk of birth defects, a group of obstetricians said Thursday...
12/01/06
World AIDS Day marked with warnings, services, art actions
With ceremonies across the globe and the display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in the USA, World AIDS Day is being marked around the world today...
12/01/06
Birth control credited with drop in teen pregnancy
The dramatic declines in teenage pregnancy rates noted in the United States between 1995 and 2002 were largely due to improved contraceptive use, not to abstinence, a new study shows...
11/29/06
The goal: 'Heart-safe' schools
A grassroots effort to put defibrillators in the nation's schools is gaining momentum as mothers who have lost children to cardiac arrest organize online and fight for distribution of the devices...
11/29/06
Tension headaches eased with acupunture, exercise
Several types of nonpharmacologic treatment, including physical exercise, relaxation training, and acupuncture can provide long-lasting improvements for patients with chronic tension-type headaches, physical therapists in Sweden report...
11/29/06
Tension headaches eased with acupunture, exercise
Several types of nonpharmacologic treatment, including physical exercise, relaxation training, and acupuncture can provide long-lasting improvements for patients with chronic tension-type headaches, physical therapists in Sweden report...
11/29/06
Parents of tweens seek balance for fast-maturing kids
Zach Plante is close with his parents -- he plays baseball with them and, on weekends, helps with work in the small vineyard they keep at their Northern California home...
11/29/06
Arby's to cut trans fat from fries
Arby's Restaurant Group announced Tuesday its eateries will no longer serve french fries with trans fat and cut the artery-clogging oil from its other foods...
11/28/06
Feds say there is enough flu vaccine
There's still time to get a flu shot. Federal health officials reminded people Monday that the flu season usually doesn't peak until February or later. There's more than enough vaccine to go around...
11/28/06
AIDS to be 3rd leading cause of death
Within the next 25 years,AIDS is set to join heart disease and stroke as the top three causes of death worldwide, according to a study published online Monday...
11/28/06
Study doubts benefits of universal statin drug use
Cholesterol-regulating statin drugs slightly lower the risk of heart attack and stroke in people with no history of cardiovascular disease but may do little to reduce their risk of death, a new analysis concluded on Monday...
11/28/06
New CT scan could do away with mammogram pain
A new breast scan using a souped-up kind of X-ray called a CT scan may be more accurate than a standard mammogram -- and much less uncomfortable, U.S. researchers reported Monday...
11/27/06
Warning issued on dangers of methadone
People starting treatment with methadone have died and suffered life-threatening side effects, health officials said Monday in warning of the dangers of overdosing on the painkiller...
11/27/06
Enhanced genome map could help disease research, scientists say
Researchers say they have developed an enhanced map of the human genome that could yield breakthroughs in understanding the genetic origins of illnesses such as heart disease, Alzheimer's and various forms of cancer...
11/27/06
Study: Fish oils, vitamins, herbs helpful for depression
Diet and nutrition may play a key role in helping people fight depression, Australian researchers report...
11/27/06
Sleep apnea's real health risks
Do you toss and turn while your partner appears to be in a deep sleep, complete with loud snoring? You may not be the only one who is missing out on a good night's sleep...
11/26/06
Researchers seek routes to happier life
As a motivational speaker and executive coach, Caroline Adams Miller knows a few things about using mental exercises to achieve goals. But last year, one exercise she was asked to try took her by surprise...
11/26/06
Snoring in overweight kids reduced by exercise
Exercise can reduce snoring among overweight children, even if it doesn't result in weight loss, a new study shows...
11/26/06
Study: Money-happiness link is complex
Does money buy happiness? It's sometimes said that scientists have found no relationship between money and happiness, but that's a myth, says University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener...
11/26/06
Pilates can aid some with Parkinson's
Movements in Pilates exercises are controlled — sometimes moving the body only inches — but those small motions are making a big difference to some people with Parkinson's disease...
11/22/06
Nature programs' goal: No child left inside
A back-to-nature movement to reconnect children with the outdoors is burgeoning nationwide...
11/22/06
Surgery or exercise for bad back debated in study
Choosing back surgery over exercise to treat a herniated disc generally provides more relief, but the difference is minimal and fears related to skipping surgery are unfounded, researchers said Tuesday...
11/22/06
4 in 10 U.S. children born in 2005 were out of wedlock
Out-of-wedlock births in the United States have climbed to an all-time high, accounting for nearly four in 10 babies born last year, government health officials said Tuesday...
11/22/06
Taste buds to brain, how you react to food is complex
Woe to those who have a cold on Thursday. If you can't smell the roasting turkey, it just won't taste as good...
11/21/06
Salmonella on the rise in chicken meat
A type of salmonella found in eggs is turning up more often in chicken meat and needs to be reduced, according to the Agriculture Department...
11/21/06
U.N. says 39.5 million people have HIV
The global HIV epidemic is growing, leaving an estimated 39.5 million people worldwide infected with the deadly virus, the United Nations said Tuesday...
11/21/06
Vatican concludes study on condoms
The Vatican's office for health care has concluded a study on the use of condoms in the fight against AIDS, and a long-awaited report on it is now being examined by the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, a senior cardinal said Tuesday...
11/21/06
Doctors say how we taste affects health
Woe to those who have a cold on Thursday. If you can't smell the roasting turkey, it just won't taste as good. And if you think the brussels sprouts are bitter, well, blame how many taste buds you were born with, not the chef...
11/20/06
Mosquito-borne fevers follow Americans home
International travelers can bring home dangerous diseases that pose a risk of spreading in the USA, scientists warn. Disease experts at a meeting last week in Atlanta of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene said two mosquito-borne diseases of the tropics are of concern. USA TODAY's Anita Manning interviewed the experts who explain the risks...
11/20/06
Know your family history
Chantal Kelly, 31, is a genetics counselor who is expecting her first child. But until recently, she had not done the one thing people in her profession say is essential to understanding how genes might affect her health and that of her child: She had never collected a formal family medical history...
11/20/06
Tart and trendy, cranberries are everywhere
Long a jellied side dish at Thanksgiving, cranberries are increasingly bringing their tart taste and health benefits to products beyond Cosmopolitan cocktails and juice drinks...
11/20/06
Happy people may suffer fewer colds
Staying positive through the cold season could be your best defense against getting sick, new study findings suggest...
11/19/06
Sidewalks, parks seen as help in obesity fight
Sidewalks, parks and neighborhood stores could be part of the solution to the ever-expanding U.S. waistline, according to a new report...
11/19/06
Lexapro curbs risk of recurrent depression
Maintenance therapy with the antidepressant Lexapro (also known as escitalopram) significantly reduces the risk for recurrent depression, according to study findings...
11/19/06
Wal-Mart expands $4 generic drugs to 11 more states, adds 17 prescriptions
Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) said Thursday it is expanding its $4 generic prescription program to 11 additional states and adding 17 more prescriptions to the program...
11/19/06
Silicone implants to overtake saline
Plastic surgeons expect breast implants filled with silicone gel to supplant those containing salt water as the most popular choice of the nearly 300,000 U.S. women a year who have their breasts surgically enlarged...
11/17/06
French government bans smoking in most public buildings starting Feb. 1
France's reputation for smoke-filled cafes is soon to be snuffed out...
11/17/06
Los Angeles accuses hospital giant of dumping homeless patients in Skid Row
In an unprecedented crackdown on a practice experts say is shamefully common around the country, prosecutors accused a major hospital chain Thursday of ridding itself of a homeless patient by dumping her on crime-plagued Skid Row...
11/17/06
Tastier 'light' foods let dieters indulge; experts see a 'crutch'
A late-night bowl of chocolate ice cream without the morning-after guilt? That's what the rich-tasting "light" version of ice cream means for Lori Blatt...
11/17/06
Study: Chocolate milk good for athletes
It comes in only one flavor — no Fierce Grape or Riptide Rush available — and you certainly won't see your favorite basketball star gulping it down on the sideline during a timeout. But a group of scientists recently discovered that one of the most effective drinks to help athletes recover after exercise is the same thing moms across America have been giving their kids for years. A simple glass of chocolate milk...
11/16/06
Flu vaccine helps cut heart attacks, deaths
Getting a flu shot can reduce the incidence of death, heart attack or unplanned procedures to open clogged heart arteries in patients with coronary artery disease, Polish researchers said Wednesday...
11/16/06
The truth about happiness may surprise you
The next time you are deciding between ice cream and cake, buying a car or taking a trip to Europe, accepting a new job or keeping your old one, you should remember two things: First, your decision is rooted in the desire to become happy -- or at least happier than you are now. Second, there's a good chance the decision you make will be wrong...
11/16/06
Europeans OK anti-obesity charter
European health ministers from 53 countries approved the world's first charter to fight obesity on Thursday, vowing greater action against the epidemic of expanding waistlines across the continent...
11/16/06
Heart valves grown from womb fluid cells
Scientists for the first time have grown human heart valves using stem cells from the fluid that cushions babies in the womb — offering a revolutionary approach that may be used to repair defective hearts in the future...
11/15/06
Healthy midlife habits help men live longer
Middle-aged men who shed the excess weight and who avoid other risk factors such as smoking can increase their odds of living longer — without the disease and disability that often accompany old age, a study says Wednesday...
11/15/06
U.S. offers holiday toy safety tips as injuries drop
Toy-related injuries are on the decline and government safety officials Tuesday gave holiday shoppers some tips to keep it that way...
11/15/06
Studies: Meat may raise breast cancer risk; vitamins don't help hearts
Eating red meat may raise a woman's risk of a common type of breast cancer, and vitamin supplements will do little if anything to protect her heart, two new studies suggest...
11/15/06
Energy zapped? Try these tips to help you pick up the pace
Tired of being tired? Jessica Postigo was. After switching careers, going from on-the-go film producer to the more-sedentary role of screenwriter, the 36-year-old from Los Angeles began to feel lethargic. "I knew I needed to do something," she says. "I wanted my energy back."
11/14/06
San Francisco restaurants sue to block city's health care coverage plan
A restaurant association has sued to block the city's plan to provide health care coverage to uninsured residents, saying federal law prohibits local governments from requiring employers to pay for insurance...
11/14/06
Want to live to a healthy 85? Stay trim
One of the largest, longest studies of aging found one more reason to stay trim and active: It could greatly raise your odds of living to at least age 85..
11/14/06
Docs test 'suspended animation' as potential battlefield treatment
Losing blood has immediate and guaranteed effects on the human body. In three to four minutes, neurons in the brain begin to die. In four to five minutes, permanent brain damage occurs. In 20 minutes, the heart no longer beats...
11/14/06
CDC urges more people to get flu shots
U.S. health officials said Monday they are worried that an abundance of unused flu vaccine this year may lead to millions of doses being thrown out, discouraging manufacturers from making as much in the future...
11/13/06
Public advised to take advantage of flu shot
As the flu season heads into its traditional peak period, health officials are urging the public to take advantage of the record number of vaccines available...
11/13/06
The truth about moms and TV: Our love-hate relationship with the tube
On a friend's recommendation, a mom in Laredo, Texas, rents Pirates of the Caribbean for her 6- and 4-year-olds. She has to shut off the TV when her kids start to cry at the frightening images of skeleton pirates. "I knew it was rated PG-13, but it was by Disney, and my friend has kids the same age," she says. "I don't know what she was thinking."
11/13/06
Results mixed on Merck's new painkiller
The first published studies of Arcoxia, the drug that Merck & Co. hopes will take the place of its withdrawn painkiller Vioxx, are getting mixed reviews from doctors, some of whom say the results do not make a case for the medication's approval...
11/13/06
Hospitals want faster heart attack care
Hundreds of hospitals around the country are joining the most ambitious project ever undertaken to give faster emergency room care to people suffering major heart attacks...
11/10/06
Study: Low-carb diet doesn't raise heart risk in women
Eating a low-carb, high-fat diet for years doesn't raise the risk of heart disease, a long-term study suggests, easing fears that the popular Atkins diet and similar regimens might set people up for eventual heart attacks...
11/10/06
New strategies to fight melanoma tested
The body's own immune system can fight the deadly cancer melanoma if scientists can flip the system's "off" switch to "on," two preliminary studies suggest...
11/10/06
Exercise might lower kids' hay fever risk
Regular physical activity might offer children some protection from the sniffs and sneezes of hay fever, a study suggests...
11/10/06
U.N.: Lack of sanitation has human cost
The humble flush toilet, taken for granted in most rich countries, could be a cheap but powerful tool to reduce childhood deaths and boost global development, a U.N. report said Thursday...
11/09/06
FDA may change handling of safety issues
The Food and Drug Administration plans to revamp how it handles safety issues with the stents, pacemakers, implantable defibrillators and other medical devices it regulates...
11/09/06
Low blood pressure can point to heart failure death
Patients with heart failure who also have low blood pressure -- usually taken as a good sign -- may in fact have a higher risk of dying, U.S. researchers report...
11/09/06
Sick-day survival: Holding down the fort when your little one is ill
One of your kids is sick and has to stay home, which probably means you have to stay home too. Keeping him or her comfortable and entertained can make the day go faster for both of you. Parenting.com shares some expert ideas...
11/09/06
11M bottles of acetaminophen recalled
A major manufacturer of acetaminophen sold by Wal-Mart, CVS, Safeway and more than 100 other retailers recalled 11 million bottles of the widely used pain-relieving pills Thursday after discovering some were contaminated with metal fragments...
11/08/06
Billing errors dog Medicare drug benefit since its start
Just days before enrollment for next year's Medicare drug benefit begins, federal agencies are still trying to fix a long-running billing problem that at its peak this summer ensnared about half a million people...
11/08/06
Few Americans favor abstinence-only sex education
Most Americans, regardless of their political leanings, favor comprehensive sex education in schools over abstinence-only programs, researchers reported Monday...
11/08/06
Prof asks: Why do we eat mindlessly, and what would help us stop?
Think much about that popcorn while you're eating it? Or that plate of pasta? That bowl of soup?
11/08/06
Skin patches instead of shots?
Dreaded vaccinations one day could be as simple as sticking on a Band-Aid — ouchless and do-it-yourself...
11/07/06
Online games lift spirits of seriously ill kids
Serious illness such as cancer, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia can be frightening and confusing for children, but the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation wants to help educate today's tech-savvy kids about these diseases in a way that appeals to them: through the Internet...
11/07/06
Australian Senate OKs cloning embryos
Australia's Senate narrowly voted Tuesday to lift the country's ban on cloning human embryos for stem cell research...
11/07/06
70 percent of dieters go solo, with no doctor, survey finds
Besides extra pounds, dieters also seem to carry a hefty independent streak. A survey finds that 70 percent of Americans who are trying to lose weight are following their own diet plans and have no interest in seeking a doctor's help...
11/07/06
Chronic fatigue syndrome is real, CDC says
Chronic fatigue syndrome, once thought by some doctors to be a psychological problem or even a excuse for malingerers, is a real disease that affects more than a million Americans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says...
11/06/06
Barr begins shipping Plan B to U.S. pharmacies
Barr Pharmaceuticals (BRL)said Monday that it began shipping a version of the Plan B emergency contraceptive that will be available without a prescription to consumers at least 18 years of age...
11/06/06
For some, one marathon just isn't enough: Ultrarunners push limits
It's 45 degrees and windy, but the man sitting in the tent signing autographs is wearing a tank top and shorts.
11/06/06
Contaminated tomatoes blamed for salmonella outbreak
Contaminated fresh tomatoes served in restaurants were the cause of a recent salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 21 states, health officials said Friday...
11/06/06
FDA: Bausch & Lomb failed on reporting
Bausch & Lomb Inc. failed to formally report nearly three dozen foreign cases of fungal eye infections later linked to one of its contact lens solutions, according to a federal warning letter...
11/03/06
Christopher Reeve's children continue mission
Christopher Reeve's children are carrying on their dad's crusade: finding a cure for paralysis...
11/03/06
Jimson weed users chase high all the way to hospital
Teenagers seeking a hallucinogenic high from the seeds of a poisonous weed that now is in bloom are landing in hospitals across the country, police and health officials say...
11/03/06
Med students get crash course in drug pitches
Medical schools in several states are boosting programs that teach doctors and students to challenge the sales pitches of drug companies and avoid being dazzled by them...
11/03/06
Health groups raise child care fears
Several health groups are concerned that babies born to illegal immigrants could be denied essential medical care such as immunizations and physicals because of recent changes to Medicaid...
11/02/06
Women sue companies over popular birth control patch
More than 40 women sued the makers of a popular birth-control patch Wednesday, claiming the contraceptive caused serious illnesses and at least one death...
11/02/06
Troubled troops in no-win plight
Chris Packley returned from Fallujah in 2004 a top marksman on a sniper team showcased in the Marine Corps Times for its 22 kills...
11/02/06
Study: Fat, boozing mice stay healthy
Huge amounts of a red wine extract seemed to help obese mice eat a high-fat diet and still live a long and healthy life, suggests a new study that some experts are calling "landmark" research...
11/02/06
Caffeine-stoked energy drinks wire a generation
More than 500 new energy drinks launched worldwide this year, and coffee fans are probably too old to understand why...
11/01/06
Salmonella outbreak apparently over, FDA says
A salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 19 states appears to be over, while investigators remain unsure how it began, a federal official said Tuesday...
11/01/06
Report: Increased suicide risk for breast cancer survivors
Breast cancer survivors are 37 percent more likely to commit suicide than other women, and the elevated risk persists for at least 25 years after diagnosis, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute...
11/01/06
Study: Brain stem defects may cause SIDS
In a small study with big implications, researchers found some of the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome -- a medical and sometimes legal mystery once known as crib death -- may be caused by brain stem abnormalities...
11/01/06
Heart disease still the most likely reason you'll die
It may be America's No. 1 killer, but people aren't scared enough of heart disease, says a top U.S. research cardiologist...
10/31/06
Study: Divorced women have more illness
Women may give up more than a husband by divorcing — they may also lose some of their good health, according to a study by Iowa State University...
10/31/06
This fall, harness the nutritional power of pumpkin
This is the time of year when pumpkin is iconic. Between Halloween, harvest decorations, and Thanksgiving pie, it's the season's symbol...
10/31/06
NYC ponders ban on trans fats
When some KFC restaurants secretly switched to frying oil free of trans fats, customers didn't notice. Attempts to rid the chain's popular biscuits of a shortening filled with the artery-clogging substance did not go as smoothly...
10/31/06
CDC investigating salmonella outbreak
A salmonella outbreak potentially linked to produce has sickened at least 172 people in 18 states, health officials said Monday...
10/30/06
Web health info seekers tend not to check sources
Only one-fourth of Americans who search the Internet for health advice regularly check the source and date of the information they find to assess its quality, according to a survey released on Sunday by the Pew Internet Project...
10/30/06
Survey: In flu pandemic, staying home raises paycheck, care questions
Ask Americans if they would hole up at home to keep from spreading a super-strain of flu, and at first they pledge to cooperate...
10/30/06
A pediatric dentist's tricks for treat night
Halloween can be a scary time of year for dentists and orthodontists. Dr. Kaneta Lott, pediatric dentist, spoke with CNN medical correspondent Judy Fortin about the best and worst kind of treats and how to care for your children's teeth...
10/30/06
Caffeine-stoked energy drinks worry Docs
More than 500 new energy drinks launched worldwide this year, and coffee fans are probably too old to understand why...
10/28/06
Weight gain could mean lower gas mileage
Want to spend less at the pump? Lose some weight. That's the implication of a new study that says Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. Simply put, more weight in the car means lower gas mileage...
10/28/06
Slower breathing can lower blood pressure
In an effort to reduce the number of heart attacks, strokes and other medical problems, doctors are trying to get their patients' blood pressure readings lower...
10/28/06
Teen has breast removed after infection
A teenager who decided to get her breasts pierced for her 18th birthday faces reconstructive surgery after a flesh-destroying infection forced doctors to remove her left breast...
10/28/06
Doctors struggle to save wounded Marine
The chaplain assigned to the medical camp was drafting a homily. The heart surgeon was using the quiet spell to edit a medical paper. The medics chatted over lunch. Twenty miles away, on the desert plain outside Fallujah, an insurgent's bullet tore through the body of a young Marine...
10/27/06
Obesity pill may treat diabetes
A new obesity pill that helps to control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes could provide a novel way to treat the illness, a team of international researchers said on Friday...
10/27/06
Obese Women Face Greater Risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Overweight and obese women are five times more likely than lean women to have polycystic ovary syndrome, a new Spanish study finds...
10/27/06
Report: Top woman golfer has breast cancer
Mickey Wright, whom many consider to be the greatest female golfer in history, has been diagnosed with breast cancer and was having surgery Friday, The Palm Beach Post reported on its Web site...
10/27/06
Seasonal symbol packs nutritional punch too
This is the time of year when pumpkin is iconic. Between Halloween, harvest decorations, and Thanksgiving pie, it's the season's symbol...
10/26/06
3 indicted in basement liposuction death
A Brazilian doctor and his wife have been indicted on manslaughter charges stemming from the death of a 24-year-old woman during a liposuction surgery in a condominium basement...
10/26/06
Wal-Mart adds 12 states to $4 generic drug plan; total now 27
Wal-Mart (WMT), the world's biggest retailer, said Thursday that it is extending its $4 generic prescription drug plan to 12 more states, bringing the total to 27 states...
10/26/06
Doctors warned of Effexor overdose risk
Doctors should limit the number of Effexor pills they prescribe patients to reduce the risk of overdose, the antidepressant's manufacturer and federal health officials said Wednesday...
10/26/06
Study says lung scans may find cancer earlier in smokers, save lives
A controversial new study offers the strongest evidence yet that screening smokers for lung cancer with computerized chest scans can save lives, much as mammograms do for women with breast cancer...
10/25/06
Slower breathing can lower blood pressure
In an effort to reduce the number of heart attacks, strokes and other medical problems, doctors are trying to get their patients' blood pressure readings lower...
10/25/06
Gov't panel recommends shingles vaccine
An influential government advisory panel voted Wednesday to recommend routine vaccines to protect older adults against shingles...
10/25/06
Flu shots safe for babies, toddlers, study finds
The biggest study ever to look at the side effects of flu shots in children confirmed that the vaccine is safe for babies and toddlers...
10/25/06
Racial gaps in U.S. health care seen in studies
Blacks, Asians and Hispanics in California who had complex surgeries were less likely than whites to be operated on at high-volume hospitals where the outcomes are known to be better, researchers said Tuesday...
10/24/06
Middle-aged people can walk off extra weight
As you age, walking can keep the pounds away, according to new research presented at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society, an organization of weight-loss researchers and care providers...
10/24/06
Statins may help smokers' lungs, study finds
Statin drugs, which have become the world's No. 1 selling drugs by cutting cholesterol and the risk of heart attacks and stroke, may also slow the lung damage done by smoking, U.S. researchers said Monday...
10/24/06
Distraction eases kids' shot pain
Think preschoolers don't know geography? Drive 'em to the pediatrician's office. Starting around age 2, they're crying before you make the final turn into the parking lot — they remember where they get shots...
10/24/06
Study: Vegetables may keep brains young
New research on vegetables and aging gives mothers another reason to say "I told you so." It found that eating vegetables appears to help keep the brain young and may slow the mental decline sometimes associated with growing old...
10/23/06
FDA gives OK for schizophrenia treatment
AstraZeneca PLC said Monday that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new formulation of its popular Seroquel schizophrenia treatment, making it the first medicine to treat both the manic and depressive sides of bipolar disorder...
10/23/06
Boutique medicine: When wealth buys health
Dr. Bernard Kaminetsky sees about a dozen patients during a typical day at his Boca Raton, Florida, practice. His patients have his personal phone number and can schedule a same-day appointment with him...
10/23/06
Company recalls egg salad in 17 states
A food company says it is recalling its egg salad in 17 states because of possible contamination...
10/23/06
'Freshman 15' really 5 or 7, but the gains don't stop
The "Freshman 15" is more like 5 to 7, but it is followed by the "Sophomore 2 or 3," say researchers who led two of the largest and longest studies ever done of weight gain among college students...
10/19/06
DEA warns of soft drink-cough syrup mix
When San Diego Chargers defensive back Terrence Kiel was charged last month with illegally shipping cases of prescription cough syrup back home to East Texas, it cast a spotlight on a drug trend authorities say is spreading throughout the South and being celebrated in rap songs...
10/19/06
Flu vaccine slow to arrive at doctors' offices
More flu vaccine will be available this flu season than ever before, health officials say, but many doctors are still waiting for it...
10/19/06
Positive emotions linked to lower blood pressure
Having a positive outlook makes life more enjoyable, and it may also lower blood pressure in older adults. Among more than 2,500 people aged 65 or older, the higher a person scored on a questionnaire measuring positive emotions, the lower was his or her blood pressure...
10/19/06
Study: Virtual colonoscopy as good as other kind
"Virtual" colonoscopies done using a computer-assisted X-ray are nearly as accurate as the standard kind and may entice reluctant patients into having the embarrassing procedure, U.S. researchers say...
10/18/06
Thousands hospitalized annually in U.S. from bad reactions to drugs
Harmful reactions to some of the most widely used medicines — from insulin to a common antibiotic — sent more than 700,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year, landmark government research shows...
10/18/06
Plugging in for 90 minutes daily could hurt your hearing
Listening to loud music with earphones on a digital music player for more than 90 minutes a day can damage your hearing, according to a new study...
10/18/06
Seafood benefits outweigh risks, government says
Americans eat about 16 pounds of seafood every year, and they've heard a lot of mixed messages recently about whether it's safe...
10/18/06
Bird flu vaccine may hit many strains
Human trials indicate an H5N1 bird flu vaccine developed using a virus isolated in Vietnam can neutralize antibodies from H5N1 viruses found in other countries, the vaccine's manufacturer said Wednesday...
10/16/06
Consumer unease with U.S. health care grows
The U.S. health care system — touted as providing the best medical care in the world — is becoming more precarious to most Americans, who are rattled by rising costs, questions about quality and fears about the future...
10/16/06
An appetite for bacteria?
Have you eaten any good bacteria lately? Given the E. coli-in-spinach nightmare, that may seem like an odd question. But, in fact, foods and supplements containing probiotics —living microorganisms that, in sufficient doses, are thought to yield health benefits — are a growing part of the U.S. diet. And manufacturers are making a big new push to get them into the carts of mainstream consumers...
10/16/06
Bigger families see a little boom
Laura Bennett isn't bound by convention. Professionally, at age 42, she's pursuing a mid-career switch into big-time fashion design. At home, she's a mother of five -- with No. 6 due next month...
10/16/06
Aerobic exercise beats gentler 10,000 steps in health study
If walking is your only form of exercise, you may want to pick up the pace a bit on some of those walks, experts suggest. That's because a study shows that low-intensity walking alone is unlikely to generate significant health benefits compared with more moderately intense workouts...
10/13/06
Merits of novel bird flu vaccine studied
A unique study suggests there may be a way to kick-start people's protection against bird flu just in case it triggers a worldwide outbreak years from now...
10/13/06
Get on the scale daily to keep lost pounds off
Losing excess weight is often easier than keeping it off. A new study shows that stepping on a scale every day, and adjusting eating and exercise habits accordingly, can go a long way in helping dieters maintain a weight loss...
10/13/06
More than 20 percent U.S. adults have arthritis, CDC says
More than 20 percent of U.S. adults have arthritis and more than a third of them have limited activity because of it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
10/13/06
FDA: No spinach farm 'off the hook' yet
Local spinach farmers and processors expressed relief upon learning that the search for the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak has been linked to a nearby cattle ranch, but health officials cautioned that their investigation was far from over...
10/12/06
Heavy-duty workouts may impair fertility in men
Men who exercise to exhaustion experience changes in their hormone levels and sperm counts, a new study shows...
10/12/06
Study: Men delay medical care when the game's on
When is a man's medical emergency not all that urgent? Apparently when sports are on the tube...
10/12/06
Reynolds to drop flavored cigarettes
R.J. Reynolds has agreed to a domestic ban on flavored cigarettes such as "Twista Lime" and "Mocha Taboo" that critics say are marketed to youths, officials from 38 states and a U.S. territory said Wednesday...
10/12/06
Study: Decaf coffee has some caffeine
Does that cup of decaffeinated coffee give you a jolt? It may, because almost all decaf coffee contains some caffeine, a new University of Florida study shows...
10/11/06
Study seeks lower student diabetes risk
They winced while their blood was drawn and fidgeted as the blood pressure cuff tightened. But the sixth-graders were excited about becoming test subjects in a nationwide diabetes study, if only to score the $50 gift card being offered...
10/11/06
Rich and red, tomatoes may help cut your cancer risk
Fashion designer Bill Blass once said, "Red is the ultimate cure for sadness." Scientists haven't proven that, but they are finding evidence that the red-pigmented antioxidant lycopene, found in many fruits and vegetables -- especially tomatoes -- may play an important role in reducing risks of many diseases, including cancer...
10/11/06
Recalled California lettuce tests OK
California lettuce recalled over E. coli fears tested negative for a sometimes deadly strain of the bacteria, company officials said Tuesday...
10/11/06
Study links whooping cough to lax laws
State laws that make it easy for children to skip school-required vaccinations may be contributing to whooping cough outbreaks around the country, a study suggests...
10/10/06
Camp sets teens on healing path
The 42 teenagers who gathered here for a camp for burn victims made a typical tourist visit to the National Portrait Gallery. There, amid portraits of dashing Revolutionary soldiers and regal Victorian beauties, they made a special point to stop in front of the work of artist Doug Auld, who has a series of paintings depicting burn survivors...
10/10/06
Give kids more free playtime, docs urge
Here's some soothing medicine for stressed-out parents and overscheduled kids: The American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is more good, old-fashioned playtime...
10/10/06
From burgers to spinach, food chain is vulnerable
The recent outbreak of E. coli in spinach from California exposed a weakness in the nation's food chain: A system that quickly delivers meat, fruits and vegetables to consumers just as easily can spread potentially deadly bacteria...
10/10/06
Study: Statins increase life expectancy
Cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins can increase the life expectancy of elderly patients by an average of two years, a new study by a doctor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences claims...
10/09/06
Paper: Stem cell transplant program sued
A lawsuit against a stem cell transplant program alleges that it failed to ensure its stem cells were in good condition and concealed problems from patients, the Kansas City Star reported Sunday...
10/09/06
Mental health treatment by video growing
Psychiatrists, often in need and hard to find in rural areas, are increasingly turning to video to treat their far-flung patients, illustrating one of the latest growth areas of telemedicine...
10/09/06
Lettuce recalled over E. coli concerns
A popular brand of lettuce grown in California's Salinas Valley, the region at the center of a nationwide spinach scare, has been recalled over concerns about E. coli contamination...
10/09/06
Doctors urge more playtime for children
Here's some soothing medicine for stressed-out parents and overscheduled kids: The American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is more good, old-fashioned playtime...
10/08/06
Beat stress, drink tea
Regular cups of tea can help speed recovery from stress, researchers from University College London (UCL) said on Wednesday...
10/08/06
Gates discusses AIDS with Nigeria leader
Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates met President Olusegun Obasanjo this weekend for talks on fighting poverty and disease on the world's poorest continent, a senior official said Sunday...
10/08/06
CDC funds largest study of autism's cause
The largest federal study to date into the causes of autism was announced Friday -- a multi-state investigation that will involve 2,700 young children...
10/08/06
Guidelines forged to ban unhealthy items from schools
Snacks sold in schools will have less fat, sugar and salt under the latest crackdown on junk food won by former President Clinton...
10/06/06
FDA approves 5th vaccine for flu season
A fifth seasonal flu vaccine gained federal approval Thursday, further boosting the record levels of doses available for the upcoming influenza season...
10/06/06
Health officials: Toddler died from tainted spinach
A 2-year-old boy who died from kidney failure last month had been infected with the same strain of E. coli bacteria that sickened at least 192 people and killed one woman in a nationwide outbreak, health officials said Thursday...
10/06/06
Marijuana may stave off Alzheimer's
Good news for aging hippies: Smoking pot may stave off Alzheimer's disease. New research shows that the active ingredient in marijuana may prevent the progression of the disease by preserving levels of an important neurotransmitter that allows the brain to function...
10/06/06
Breast-feeding, intelligence link probed
Breast-fed children are more intelligent than their bottle-fed counterparts, but this has nothing to do with the content of the milk they receive, a study published in the British Medical Journal said...
10/05/06
Nursing schools short on teachers
Despite a nationwide shortage of nurses, U.S. nursing schools turned away tens of thousands of qualified applicants last year for a reason that's now getting a fresh raft of attention: The schools couldn't find enough teachers...
10/05/06
FBI searches 2 spinach processors
The FBI searched two produce companies Wednesday for evidence of a crime in the nationwide E. coli outbreak that killed one person and sickened at least 191 others...
10/05/06
New hay fever vaccine shows promise
Could the sneezy, runny-eyed misery of hay fever one day be a thing of the past? Scientists are reporting encouraging results from early tests of a vaccine they hope will give long-lasting relief from this seasonal scourge...
10/05/06
WHO calls for improved air quality
The World Health Organization on Thursday called on governments to improve air quality in their cities, saying air pollution prematurely kills two million people a year, with more than half the deaths in developing countries...
10/04/06
Study: Anti-smoking push paying cancer dividends
A new study gives anti-smoking efforts major credit for cutting the country's death rate from cancer...
10/04/06
U.S. funds creation of national health research network
The government gave a dozen top universities about $100 million Tuesday to set up a network to speed scientific discoveries into better health care...
10/04/06
Kids need help coping with fear over school shootings
For parents hoping to shield children from news of the recent school shootings across the country, the task is nearly impossible..
10/04/06
Flu myths deter some from getting shot
Common misconceptions about influenza and the flu vaccine may be preventing people from getting vaccinated, a new survey has found...
10/03/06
Experts: Events might weigh heavily on kids
School safety experts say that the first order of business in classrooms across the nation today should be to take the psychological pulse of children...
10/03/06
One-third of U.S. kids are out of shape, study finds
A third of U.S. adolescents are unfit, according to a landmark analysis of health data, and experts say it's time to get them moving...
10/03/06
Sleepless nights can cause worse problems than grumpiness
Confession time: My husband has actually uttered the words "I'd rather take a nap than have sex." Is our marriage on the rocks? No, like 75 percent of adults, our problem is sleep -- he has insomnia; I snore...
10/03/06
Female hormone may treat brain injuries
Treatment with progesterone, a well-known hormone that prepares the womb for pregnancy, safely reduces the risk of death and disability in people who suffer a traumatic brain injury, new research suggests...
10/02/06
New fear: A crunch in veggie consumption
After years of encouraging adults and kids to eat their vegetables, nutritionists are worried that there will be a backlash from last month's E. coli outbreak in fresh packaged spinach...
10/02/06
Prematurity causes 30 percent of infant deaths
Scientists now say a third of infant deaths are due to premature births -- a much larger percentage than previously thought...
10/02/06
Study: Kids who slept through fire alarm tone awoke to mom's voice
Children in deep sleep awoke to recordings of their mothers' voices -- calling them by name and ordering them out of their bedrooms -- even if they slept through the beeping sound a smoke alarm makes, according to a small study...
10/02/06
NYC trans fat ban could spark food fight
A city proposal to ban restaurants from selling food containing an unhealthy artificial fat could open a new front in a national fight over the safety of America's food supply, legal experts said...
10/01/06
Best cardiac care found in wealthiest areas, GNS analysis shows
Heart patients in wealthier communities have a better chance of getting recommended treatments at their local hospitals than patients in lower-income areas...
10/01/06
Food illnesses decline, CDC reports
Despite the recent E. coli spinach outbreak, food may be safer now than at any other time in the last decade, with illness occurring at record-low rates, new federal statistics show...
10/01/06
Tamiflu prevents pneumonia in kids, study finds
Children with flu who are given Tamiflu, Roche AG's influenza pill, are 53 percent less likely to develop pneumonia than untreated children, the company reported Friday...
10/01/06
FDA lifts ban on most spinach
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday lifted its two-week-old consumer warning on most fresh spinach, revising the alert to say it now covers only specific brands packaged on certain dates...
09/29/06
ADHD drugs become a family matter
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is becoming a condition that family members are treated for together: Parents of children taking ADHD medication are about nine times more likely to also use the drugs than parents of children who aren't on these drugs, according to a prescription analysis out today...
09/29/06
More college kids eating local farm fare
An earthy abundance from local farms comes through the loading docks of the Culinary Institute of America: sprigs of asparagus in the spring, peas and beets in the summer, apples and squash in the fall. The food — much of it taken from the soil the day before — provides fresh fodder from the Hudson Valley for the riverside school's five restaurants and classroom kitchens...
09/29/06
Weight gain between pregnancies risky
Women who gain as little as 7 pounds between pregnancies can put themselves and their babies at medical risk, even if they don't become overweight, suggests a provocative study of thousands of women...
09/29/06
Watch your weight, cut your cancer risk
The American Cancer Society said Thursday that keeping weight under control is the most important thing you can do to prevent the disease...
09/26/06
Heart attacks decline after smoking bans
A Colorado city ban on smoking at workplaces and in public buildings may have sparked a steep decline in heart attacks, researchers report...
09/26/06
Vaccine aims to wipeout ear, sinus infections
U.S. researchers said Tuesday that they are starting trials of a new vaccine aimed at wiping out childhood ear and sinus infections and many cases of bronchitis in adults...
09/26/06
Diabetes, not obesity, raises severe health risk
Findings from a new study suggest that obesity per se is not a risk factor for organ failure or death. However, the risk is increased with diabetes, which often develops in people with a high body mass index...
09/26/06
Officials zero in on possible source of tainted spinach
Test results linking two bags of Dole brand baby spinach to a deadly E. coli strain have helped health officials focus on a specific batch from a San Juan Bautista processing plant that may be the source of a nationwide outbreak...
09/25/06
2 years later, what has changed?
In the fall of 2004, the USA's public health system got a nasty shock. British health regulators suspended the license of vaccine maker Chiron, effectively cutting the U.S. flu shot supply in half on the eve of flu season...
09/25/06
E.coli confirmed in second bag of spinach
A second bag of spinach contaminated with E.coli bacteria has been found in Utah, and authorities hope it will offer clues about an outbreak that has now sickened 173 people and killed one...
09/25/06
Panel recommends health care guarantee
So what do Americans want when it comes to health care? Two things, according to a citizens group created by Congress: protection for all from high medical expenses and guaranteed coverage for specific checkups and treatments...
09/25/06
Hospitals go organic for patients' sake
Ore. - Patients at Good Shepherd Medical Center like the hospital food so much, some come back to eat after their stay is over...
09/22/06
CDC: Make HIV tests part of routine medical care for all Americans 13-64
AIDS virus testing should be offered regularly to everyone ages 13 to 64 in every hospital, doctor's office and clinic to speed diagnosis and help curb the epidemic, federal health officials recommended Thursday...
09/22/06
Cross-border drug shopping a step closer
Americans could buy and carry home prescription drugs from Canada under an agreement reached Thursday between House and Senate Republicans...
09/22/06
Spinach growers hammer out safety plan
California produce growers and processors hope to salvage what's left of the spinach season and stop millions of dollars in losses by drafting new food-safety measures...
09/22/06
More drug-resistant TB seen in U.S.
The worst forms of the killer tuberculosis bug have been gaining ground in the United States, alarming public health officials over imported drug-resistant strains of a disease that is mostly under control in this country...
09/21/06
Many U.S. couples seek embryo screening
Boy or girl? Almost half of U.S. fertility clinics that offer embryo screening say they allow couples to choose the sex of their child, the most extensive survey of the practice suggests...
09/21/06
Wal-Mart cuts generic drug prices to $4 in Florida; plans to expand
Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) said Thursday that it would slash prices of 291 generic prescription drugs to $4 starting in the Tampa area with plans to expand the plan to all Florida and other states in January...
09/21/06
Health chiefs find 'smoking gun' spinach
Health authorities hunting the source of a nationwide E. coli outbreak are focusing on nine California farms after discovering what could be a crucial clue: an opened bag of spinach left in the refrigerator of someone sickened by the bacteria...
09/21/06
Feds: HIV testing should be routine for Americans
All Americans between the ages of 13 and 64 should be routinely tested for HIV to help catch infections earlier and stop the spread of the deadly virus, federal health officials recommended Thursday...
09/20/06
3rd Ind. preemie infant dies of overdose
A third premature infant has died after being accidentally given an adult-sized dose of a blood thinner medication at a hospital last week...
09/20/06
Gym students sweat for an average 16 minutes
Researchers report that in the typical high school gym class -- where there are a few jumping jacks before a halfhearted game of softball -- students are active for an average of just 16 minutes...
09/20/06
More potent strain of E. coli feared
Federal health officials are investigating whether a more potent strain of E. coli is behind an outbreak linked to fresh spinach that has sickened at least 131 people, half of whom have been hospitalized...
09/20/06
Birth-control patch label warns of risk
Women were warned Wednesday that their risk of blood clots in the legs and lungs may be higher if they use the birth-control patch instead of the pill...
09/19/06
Hundreds of unapproved drugs sold by prescription
They have official-sounding names, like Lodrane XR Suspension and Cortane B. They're listed in the Physician's Desk Reference and advertised in medical journals. You can buy them in drugstores, in person or online, but only if you have a doctor's prescription. They even have generic competitors...
09/19/06
Wounded in Iraq: Shattered bodies, shattered lives
"Ever seen someone have their chest cracked," one of the medics asked me on my first day in May at a combat hospital here in Iraq. How in the world do you answer that question? "Not as far as I can remember," I said sarcastically. "You will," he answered with a sly, childish grin on his face...
09/19/06
AHA pushes to double those who know CPR
Teach yourself CPR? The American Heart Association says you can, with the help of an inflatable mannequin named Mini Anne and some simplified instructions. It's part of a new push to nearly double the number of people who learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation...
09/19/06
Feds seeking source of E. coli outbreak
Federal health officials await test results from California farms and packing plants that could allow them to pinpoint the source of an E. coli outbreak that's sickened spinach eaters across the country...
09/18/06
Human error blamed for 2 preemie deaths
Two premature infants died and a third was in critical condition after being given adult-size doses of medication, prompting hospital officials to review drug-handling procedures...
09/18/06
Study: Osteoporosis shot reduces breaks
An experimental treatment for bone-thinning osteoporosis appears to prevent spine and hip fractures even though it is given only once a year, eliminating the need for a strict daily pill regimen, preliminary data show...
09/18/06
Lingering pesticides linked to Parkinson's
Past exposure to low levels of pesticides that linger in the environment might accelerate the development of Parkinson's, which would put baby boomers and millions of other aging Americans at risk of developing the brain disease earlier in life...
09/18/06
FDA to consumers: Don't eat ANY fresh spinach
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday consumers should not eat any fresh spinach as investigators look for the source of E. coli bacteria that has sickened at least 109 people...
09/17/06
Why is me time such a big deal?
A piece of essential wisdom about our lives is broadcast every time a plane takes off. No, it's not about your tray table. It's this: If the oxygen mask drops and you're traveling with small kids, put yours on first -- before you help them...
09/17/06
Common cause of limp in kids not serious
Ryan Miller was a healthy 4-year-old when he woke up one day in his San Francisco-area home and inexplicably started limping...
09/15/06
Report pleads for a united front against childhood obesity
About 20% of children in the USA will be obese by 2010 if dramatic steps aren't taken to halt childhood obesity, says a report released Wednesday by the prestigious Institute of Medicine...
09/15/06
High infant mortality seen with elective C-section
A new study has found a higher risk of infant deaths among infants born by Caesarean section to mothers who have no medical need for the procedure...
09/15/06
Study: Diabetes drug also may prevent it
A drug used to treat diabetes also seems to prevent it in people at high risk of developing the disease, the largest study ever to test this has found...
09/15/06
FDA issues warning about tainted spinach
Federal health officials worked Friday to find the source of a multistate E. coli outbreak and warned consumers that even washing the suspect spinach won't kill the sometimes deadly bacteria...
09/13/06
FDA whistle-blower Graham blasts new Merck arthritis drug
The arthritis drug that Merck has developed to compete with Celebrex may be as risky for the heart as Vioxx, writes Food and Drug Administration whistle-blower David Graham in an editorial posted online Tuesday by a medical journal...
09/13/06
Michigan legislation would require girls to get HPV vaccine
Michigan girls entering the sixth grade next year would have to be vaccinated against cervical cancer under legislation backed Tuesday by a bipartisan group of female lawmakers...
09/13/06
Sen. Clinton seeks $1.9B for 9/11's sick
Thousands of sick ground zero workers need nearly $2 billion in long-term treatment for ongoing health woes, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday in the U.S. Senate as she offered legislation creating a long-term medical program...
09/13/06
Experts see slow obesity fight for kids
One-fifth of children are likely to be obese by 2010, but efforts to turn that tide are scattershot and underfunded, and the government killed one of the few programs proven to work, specialists said Wednesday...
09/12/06
WHO: Bird flu death toll rises in Indonesia
The World Health Organization has confirmed two more cases of bird flu in Indonesia, one of them fatal, bringing the country's death toll from the virus to 48...
09/12/06
VA report: There is no Gulf War syndrome
There is no such thing as Gulf War syndrome, even though U.S. and foreign veterans of the war report more symptoms of illness than do soldiers who didn't serve there, a federally funded study concludes...
09/12/06
Philip Morris disputes nicotine study
The nation's largest cigarette maker is disputing a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that found nicotine in cigarettes has risen about 10 percent in the past six years...
09/12/06
Where you live linked to life expectancy
Where you live, combined with race and income, plays a huge role in the nation's health disparities, differences so stark that a report issued Monday contends it's as if there are eight separate Americas instead of one...
09/11/06
Lawmakers meet in New York to discuss Sept. 11 health problems
Lawmakers said federal officials failed to protect ground zero workers as they clambered over the smoking pile of toxic debris and have not properly cared for them in the years since...
09/11/06
Well beyond 'baby blues'
Depression affects twice as many women as men, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. And depression in women peaks between ages 25 and 44 — also peak childbearing and child-rearing years...
09/11/06
Red Cross hit with $4.2 million blood fine
The government said Friday it was fining the American Red Cross $4.2 million for violating blood-safety laws...
09/11/06
Antibiotic for sinuses is questioned
An antibiotic proposed as a treatment for acute sinus infections should be studied further because of serious skin reactions associated with its use, federal health officials said in documents released Monday...
09/09/06
WHO: Indonesia's bird flu deaths hit 48
The World Health Organization has confirmed two more cases of bird flu in Indonesia, one of them fatal, bringing the country's death toll from the virus to 48...
09/09/06
WHO plans polio vaccinations in Africa
The U.N. health agency plans to vaccinate nearly 3 million children in the Horn of Africa this year against polio, a crippling disease that experts fear could spread rapidly along the region's volatile and porous borders...
09/08/06
Brain scan detects signs of awareness in vegetative-state patient
A car crash severely injured the woman's brain, leaving her in a vegetative state. But British scientists found startling signs of awareness when they peered deeper into her brain: She seemed to hear and follow — mentally — certain commands...
09/08/06
Killer cancer genes ID'd
Scientists have identified the bulk of the genes that cause breast and colorectal cancers, a finding that eventually could lead to new ways to diagnose and treat two of the leading cancer killers, according to a study published online Thursday in Science...
09/08/06
High price for back-door beauty
Fabiola DePaula's quest for beauty took her to a condominium basement, where, authorities say, she paid an unlicensed doctor $3,300 for a nose job and liposuction performed on a massage table...
09/08/06
Residents: WTC health problems ignored
Angry residents gathered near ground zero to denounce the government's handling of Sept. 11-related health problems, saying they have been ignored for years...
09/07/06
Former conjoined twin to undergo more surgery in Utah
A 4-year-old girl who was separated from her twin sister last month in a 26-hour operation will undergo additional surgery Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said...
09/07/06
Cancer death rate is down, report finds
The death rate from cancer continues to fall and the rate of new cases has leveled off, according to an annual report from four leading U.S. cancer organizations...
09/07/06
Basic medical instructions hard for most adults, study finds
Most adults can determine at what age their children should get vaccinated or discern from a label when to take medicines, but they still need help understanding many basic health instructions...
09/07/06
Thyroid cancer increase in women seen
Death rates from cancer are continuing to decline but scientists have uncovered a surprising jump in cases of thyroid cancer...
09/06/06
How sick is too sick for school?
When a child wakes up with a sore throat and runny nose, parents may wonder whether to keep him or her home from school...
09/06/06
Teens often skip condom use
Many teenagers and young adults fail to use condoms consistently, regardless of whether they have sex with a serious or a "casual" partner, a new study suggests...
09/06/06
Chief of Medicare, Medicaid resigns
Mark McClellan, who oversaw the biggest change in Medicare since its inception, said Tuesday he is resigning and will probably go to work for a think tank...
09/06/06
FDA approves sale of 4,000 heart devices
A Massachusetts company received federal approval Tuesday to sell up to 4,000 artificial hearts a year, though the number of devices implanted annually will likely be far smaller...
09/05/06
Most overweight toddlers don't lose their baby fat
About 60% of toddlers and preschoolers who are overweight or obese during their preschool years still weigh too much at age 12, setting them on a path toward adult obesity and its attendant health problems, a study finds...
09/05/06
Cervical cancer vaccine changes 'the talk' for many parents
What they thought would be a routine physical for her volleyball team found 14-year-old Amanda Zaborowski and her mom facing a big question: Did they want Amanda to get a new vaccine that would protect her against the common and serious sexually transmitted disease HPV, or human papillomavirus?
09/05/06
Fast-food eaters underestimate calories
Next time you go out for that big burger, bucket of fries and super-sized soda, bring along your calculator...
09/05/06
Lung problems rife among WTC responders
Nearly 70 percent of recovery workers who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center suffered lung problems during or after their work at ground zero, a new health study released Tuesday shows...
09/04/06
3-in-1 heart pill could save millions
A new three-in-one pill to treat heart disease could save millions worldwide, said experts Monday at the World Congress of Cardiology. The so-called "polypill" would target developing countries, where rates of heart disease are climbing dramatically...
09/04/06
New heart strategy focuses on lifestyles
Two years ago, Trini Perez almost never ate fish. Now, it's a regular part of her diet, if grudgingly. After her husband Ricardo suffered heart problems last year, the couple from the Spanish city of Valencia took part in Euroaction, a project in preventive cardiology designed to reduce heart problems by improving lifestyles...
09/03/06
Study finds silver fillings not harmful
Silver fillings used to patch cavities aren't dangerous even though they expose dental patients to the toxic metal mercury, federal health researchers said Friday...
09/03/06
Study raises questions about aging surgeons
Most of Dr. Marshall Goldin's medical school classmates have retired or died, but at age 67, the heart surgeon believes he still has good working years ahead...
09/03/06
Poverty and poor health are intertwined, experts say
Poverty in the United States increased 20 percent between 2000 and 2004, census numbers show. And although the trend stalled in 2005, researchers worry poverty will have profound effects on public health in this country...
09/03/06
Health experts: Obesity pandemic looms
An obesity pandemic threatens to overwhelm health systems around the globe with illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, experts at an international conference warned Sunday...
09/01/06
Healthy eating a hard sell for teens
The 13-year-old girl took a whiff of the steamed carrot, then took a taste.She shook her head no and took the carrot out of her mouth. "You just have to adjust your taste buds," her teacher, Towana Wise, told the class of teens. "You're young, and this is the best time to develop good eating habits. It's not going to kill you."
09/01/06
Pill could replace allergy shots for hay fever
Hay fever sufferers may soon be able to get their allergy shots in the form of a pill, according to a European study...
09/01/06
Caesarean birth triples maternal death risk
A Caesarean delivery more than triples a woman's risk of dying in childbirth compared to a vaginal birth, according to a new study from France...
09/01/06
Scientists alter cells to fight melanoma
Government scientists turned regular blood cells into tumor attackers that wiped out all signs of cancer in two men with advanced melanoma. The striking finding, unveiled Thursday, marks an important step in the quest for gene therapy for cancer...
08/31/06
Anger speeds up deterioration of lungs: study
Lung power normally declines as a person ages but being angry and hostile can speed up the process, researchers said on Thursday...
08/31/06
Celebrex is a threat to the heart
Research has long suggested that the popular pain reliever Celebrex might prevent colorectal polyps, which can lead to cancer...
08/31/06
FDA: counterfeit drugs on some Web sites
Testing revealed fake versions of Lipitor and other widely used prescription drugs ordered through Web sites linked to a Canadian pharmacy, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday...
08/31/06
Little League implements new pitch-count rule
Little League Baseball will implement a new pitch-count rule next season, a change organizers hope will reduce wear and tear on youngsters' arms...
08/30/06
Report: Doctors' $275M study questioned
Cancer doctors received about $275 million from the federal government and the elderly last year as part of a yearlong research project that many doctors believe won't produce any useful findings...
08/30/06
New cervical cancer shot hard to find
Many parents hoping to get their daughters a new cervical cancer vaccine at their back-to-school checkups are winding up disappointed...
08/30/06
Long working hours linked to high blood pressure
Workers who clocked more than 51 hours at the office each week were 29 percent more likely to have high blood pressure than those who worked 39 hours or less, a new study from California has found...
08/30/06
U.S. report: More nicotine in cigarettes
The level of nicotine that smokers typically consume per cigarette has risen about 10 percent in the past six years, making it harder to quit and easier to get hooked, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Massachusetts Department of Health...
08/29/06
'Confusion' surrounds plans for flu pandemic
States' planning for pandemic flu has been hampered by a lack of clear direction from federal health officials and a dearth of scientific information on strategies that could slow the spread of infection, researchers say...
08/29/06
A healer who stayed
As the water levels rose and tensions mounted, CNN journalists were directed to leave the city. We had been warned of violence, looting, and most frightening, possible sniper fire...
08/29/06
Meningitis vaccine in demand at colleges
As move-in day for freshmen approached, Linda Echols took stock of health supplies at Swarthmore College and thought she had plenty of the latest meningitis vaccine...
08/29/06
Waistlines continue to grow in U.S.
The gravy train — make that the sausage, biscuits and gravy train — just kept on rolling in most of America last year, with 31 states showing an increase in obesity...
08/28/06
FDA questions drug to prevent premature births
A drug to help women carry their babies to term that is awaiting federal approval doesn't appear to delay the earliest preterm births most often linked to death and serious health problems, according to federal documents released Monday...
08/28/06
The joy of reading
Reading to your child can be one of life's sweetest pleasures. You're spending focused time together and teaching a habit that can open countless doors throughout his or her life...
08/28/06
HPV vaccine creates parental challenge
What they thought would be a routine physical for her volleyball team found 14-year-old Amanda Zaborowski and her mom facing a big question: Did they want Amanda to get a new vaccine that would protect her against the common and serious sexually transmitted disease HPV, or human papillomavirus?
08/28/06
China: Tests find bird flu vaccine safe
A Chinese-developed vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird flu in humans has been found safe in the first round of tests, a government news agency reported Monday...
08/25/06
Could walk-in retail clinics help slow rising health costs?
At 10:50 a.m., Keri Krumm walks through a CVS/Pharmacy store here to MinuteClinic, a 100-square-foot room next to the pharmacy counter...
08/25/06
Californians to get discounts on drugs
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats reached a deal Thursday that they say will help uninsured, lower-income Californians get discounts of up to 40 percent on name-brand drugs...
08/25/06
Shaking the salt habit
Doctors call it "the white-coat effect:" the natural rise in blood pressure that comes with exam-room anxiety. But a simple case of nerves couldn't explain the numbers that Roger Moeller, a 60-year-old editor and publisher in Bethlehem, Connecticut, was hearing during an annual physical...
08/25/06
100-year-old: Try cold showers for long life
Still vigorous at 100 years of age, Edward Rondthaler writes a weekly column for his local newspaper, walks a half-mile every morning and drives himself on errands around his hometown of Croton-on-Hudson, New York...
08/24/06
Busy Americans flocking to circuit gyms
The boxing bell rings and Alan Katz starts pounding away at a punching bag. After 30 seconds the bell rings again and it's off to arm curls at the next station...
08/24/06
Database urged to share bird flu data
Top flu experts called on Thursday for the creation of a new database to share bird flu data, a system they say would promote research on the virus and help countries around the world avert a health catastrophe...
08/24/06
Embryos spared in stem cell creation
Researchers have found a way to create human stem cells from a single cell — without harming embryos...
08/24/06
Morning-after pill to be available without prescription
Women may buy the morning-after pill without a prescription -- but only with proof they're 18 or older, federal health officials ruled Thursday, capping a contentious 3-year effort to ease access to the emergency contraceptive...
08/23/06
Disaster chief: U.S. government, citizens alike are unprepared
It's a dangerous world. And even five years after 9/11, the nation remains far from ready to respond in an effective way to a major disaster such as a terror attack or a flu pandemic, says Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health...
08/23/06
Herpes infection declines seen, especially among youth
Nearly 25 years after a news magazine declared that an epidemic of genital herpes threatened to undo the sexual revolution, a new study finds an encouraging decline in the percentage of people infected with the herpes virus...
08/23/06
Obesity Increases Chances of Early Death
Everyone knows that obesity is unhealthy, but now a new study shows that being obese in midlife dramatically increases your risk of dying early...
08/23/06
Japan and China join forces to combat bird flu
Japan and China have joined forces to study bird flu and other infectious diseases through an exchange of researchers, despite strained political ties between the Asian powers...
08/22/06
Accutane linked to heart, liver risk
Accutane, the powerful acne drug already known to cause birth defects, seems to raise the risk for potential heart and liver problems more than doctors had expected, according to a new study...
08/22/06
Obesity, chronic disease drive Medicare costs up
Obesity and certain chronic conditions were major factors driving virtually all Medicare spending growth for the past 15 years, according to a new analysis of Medicare cost and patient data...
08/22/06
No child left out of the dodgeball game?
As more of America's school-age children are growing fatter, the physical education curriculum that might help them win the fight is gasping for air, says a recently released report...
08/22/06
Carpal tunnel may be sign of impending diabetes
In more cases than would normally be expected, people who develop type 2 diabetes have a history of carpal tunnel syndrome. The wrist nerve problem sometimes predates the onset of diabetes by up to 10 years, according to a UK study...
08/21/06
Constant vigilance key to weight maintenance
Successful losers — people who have lost weight and kept it off — are more likely to weigh themselves daily and do at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day than other dieters, a government analysis shows...
08/21/06
'Potato' rap is half-baked
Let's not call ourselves "couch potatoes." That overused label suggests we lifelong non-exercisers have nothing better to do than sit on a sofa and watch TV...
08/21/06
Women get more choices for birth control
Carolyn Westhoff runs a large federally funded family planning clinic at Columbia University...
08/21/06
Positive steps toward HIV awareness
When most people learn they are HIV positive it is a very private moment, and for Tom Donohue it was no different, at first...
08/19/06
Obese men fare well after prostate cancer surgery
Although obese men tend to have more aggressive prostate cancer going into surgery, they do just as well as thinner men in the years afterward, a study suggests...
08/19/06
FDA approves viruses for treating food
A mix of bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on cold cuts, hot dogs and sausages to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday in granting the first-ever approval of viruses as a food additive...
08/19/06
Study: Decorated needles calm patients
Researchers at the University of New Mexico's Health Sciences Center believe they have found a way to make patients less fearful of needles — decorate them with butterflies, flowers and smiley faces...
08/19/06
48 marathons in 47 days -- and still going
There wasn't much left of the Nissan Altima that night, when Sam Thompson almost lost his ability to run, the night he could have died...
08/18/06
Study finds standard "obesity" test badly flawed
Body Mass Index (BMI), the standard measure of obesity, is badly flawed and a more accurate gauge should be developed, according to doctors in the United States...
08/18/06
FDA, MIT to collaborate on drug safety
The Food and Drug Administration and Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced Thursday an agreement to develop an automated system to detect unanticipated problems with prescription drugs and medical devices...
08/18/06
FDA declares bacteria-killing viruses safe to treat meat, poultry
A mixture of six bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on meat and poultry to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday...
08/18/06
Judge rejects fines for cigarette makers
A federal judge says the nation's top cigarette makers conspired for decades to mislead the public about the health hazards and addictive nature of smoking, but she says there's not much she can do to make them pay...
08/18/06
How your child learns
Stick with what works. That's what Judi Newell thought when she started talking about coins with her daughter, Fiona, 3. "A penny is brown and worth one cent," she began, pointing to a drawing of one in a book. "A nickel is worth five cents." This is how she'd taught her older daughter, Anna, 9, about money...
08/18/06
Study: TV more comforting than Mom
Sometimes the numbing effect of TV can be helpful...
08/17/06
9/11-themed films: Too soon?
Oliver Stone's new movie World Trade Center has met with critical acclaim and has fared well at the box office since its release last week, but health experts are divided on whether Americans are emotionally ready for the film...
08/17/06
FDA approves expanded use for blood-thinner Plavix
The popular blood-thinning drug Plavix received expanded federal approval Thursday to prevent the sudden blockage of arteries that can lead to heart attack, stroke and death...
08/17/06
Arkansas gets aggressive with childhood obesity
Rhonda Sanders received an eye-opening letter from her daughter's school three years ago: At age 10, her 5-foot, 137-pound child was heavier than 98 percent of her peers...
08/17/06
Drug-resistant staph on the rise, study finds
A once-rare drug-resistant germ now appears to cause more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms, say researchers who documented the superbug's startling spread in the general population...
08/16/06
More than 1 million in Africa get HIV drugs: WHO
Ten times more people in Africa are getting life-saving AIDS drugs than just three years ago, but still most get no treatment and the pandemic continues to spread, the World Health Organization reported on Wednesday.
08/16/06
Little League considers pitching limits
Strehlow is a Little League pitcher with a big-league injury. The 12-year-old Strehlow tore a ligament in his right elbow last year, a condition that his father Ernie Strehlow said occurred from throwing too much at a young age...
08/16/06
Teen wins court battle to stop chemo
A 16-year-old cancer patient's legal fight ended in victory Wednesday when his family's attorneys and social services officials reached an agreement that would allow him to forgo chemotherapy...
08/16/06
Exercise shrinks abdominal fat cells
Exercise may be especially helpful in reducing the size of fat cells around the waistline -- more so than diet alone, a study suggests. That's important, because fat specifically in the abdomen has been linked to the risk of heart disease and diabetes...
08/15/06
Plan for routine universal AIDS testing draws strong reaction
A push to make HIV tests as routine as a test for high blood pressure provoked a backlash here Monday from opponents who say AIDS' lingering stigma makes the risk of disclosure too great, especially when many patients still can't get access to treatment...
08/15/06
Rotech won't make copies of drugs after FDA warning
One of the nation's largest respiratory therapy companies on Monday said it would stop making unapproved copies of drugs and distributing them to patients, days after receiving a warning from the FDA...
08/15/06
Too high a price for life?
Dying of lung cancer, Carolyn Hobbs tried a new biotechnology drug that produced an unanticipated side effect: acute sticker shock...
08/15/06
Back to school brings sports, injuries
It's that time of year: Kids hit the sports fields running, and often hobble back off. Back to school means back to organized sports for more than 30 million children and teenagers — and roughly 2.5 million emergency-room visits during the year for resulting injuries...
08/14/06
Moms need to weigh their impact
Mom's dieting habits can have a bad influence on the children. Research indicates youngsters learn attitudes about dieting through observation. For some youngsters, that might mean an unhealthy fixation on body image, experts warn...
08/14/06
Cellphone calls affect drivers' brains
Talking on a cellphone while driving sharply reduces brain activity needed to keep track of road conditions and leads drivers to gaze at things without their brains actually seeing them, according to a psychologist at the University of Utah...
08/14/06
Separated twins' condition upgraded
Doctors upgraded the condition of separated conjoined 4-year-old twins Sunday to serious but stable...
08/14/06
White House: Lesser bird flu may be here
Scientists have discovered the possible presence of bird flu in wild mute swans in Michigan — but it does not appear to be the most worrisome strain, the Bush administration announced Monday...
08/12/06
Study: More babies overweight
More babies are heavy now than 20 years ago, which could bode ill for their health, according to one of the first studies to look at overweight infants. The finding is controversial because some experts say there's no clear definition of overweight in the first two years of life...
08/12/06
HIV prevention pill shows early promise
The first test of a daily pill to prevent HIV infection gave a tantalizing hint of success, but a real answer must await a larger study due out next year...
08/12/06
Moms need to weigh their impact
Research indicates youngsters learn attitudes about dieting through observation. For some youngsters, that might mean an unhealthy fixation on body image, experts warn...
08/11/06
Scientists make discovery in Alzheimer's
Scientists have discovered molecular janitors that clear away a sticky gunk blamed for Alzheimer's disease — until they get old and quit sweeping up...
08/11/06
Parents marvel at seeing twins after surgery
A day after the 26-hour surgery that separated their 4-year-old conjoined daughters, Jake and Erin Herrin said they were overwhelmed by their reunion with Kendra and Maliyah...
08/10/06
Bird flu monitoring expands nationally
Monitoring of wild migratory birds to prevent a deadly bird flu virus is expanding to cover the entire nation and U.S. territories in the Pacific...
08/10/06
New test predicts lung cancer risk of spread
Researchers say they have developed a test that can predict with near certainty whether the most common form of lung cancer will return after surgery...
08/10/06
Dads may suffer postpartum depression too
Women are not alone in suffering postpartum depression -- a "strikingly high" number of new fathers are affected as well, researchers reported this week...
08/10/06
Study: More babies overweight
More babies are heavy now than 20 years ago, which could bode ill for their health, according to one of the first studies to look at overweight infants. The finding is controversial because some experts say there's no clear definition of overweight in the first two years of life...
08/09/06
Turkey fights Ebola-like fever outbreak
Turkey is battling the largest recorded outbreak of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, which has killed at least 20 people this year, and experts said Tuesday more cases of the Ebola-like disease are inevitable in coming months...
08/09/06
Safety concerns raised on defibrillators
A review of safety data raises questions about the reliability of the heart zappers that hang on the walls of airports, shopping malls and health clubs...
08/09/06
Allergists offer food safety guidelines for infants
Parents can help prevent food allergies by waiting to introduce certain foods into a child's diet and by feeding a child breast milk exclusively until the sixth month of life, a group of allergists advises...
08/09/06
Obesity studies continue to stir the soft-drink debate
Soft drinks and other sugary beverages contribute to weight gain and obesity, according to a new review of research on the subject...
08/08/06
One high-saturated fat meal can be bad
Eating just one meal high in saturated fat — in this case, carrot cake and a milkshake — can quickly prevent "good" cholesterol from protecting the body against clogged arteries, a small study shows...
08/08/06
Ultrasound scans can affect brain development
Keepsake sonograms have become a popular item with many young parents -- from Tom Cruise to the couple next door. It's a practice many physicians would like to discourage...
08/08/06
Painful steps down
When Gina O'Brien decided she no longer needed drugs to quell her anxiety and panic attacks, she followed doctor's orders by slowly tapering her dose of the antidepressant Paxil.
08/08/06
Conjoined twins successfully separated
Doctors successfully separated 4-year-old twin sisters born fused at the midsection, with just one kidney and one set of legs, and were continuing with reconstruction surgery early Tuesday...
08/07/06
Doctors seek better shopping cart design
With more than 24,000 U.S. children treated for shopping cart-related injuries last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics says better designs and stricter government regulation are needed...
08/07/06
Indian MPs demand Coke, Pepsi ban as firms reject toxic label
Indian MPs called for a ban on the sale of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, a day after a study said the giant US brands contained unacceptable levels of insecticides...
08/07/06
New path for diabetes
Cells transplanted six months ago from pigs into diabetic monkeys are alive and producing insulin — without the need for immune-suppressing drugs, a biotech company announces Monday...
08/07/06
Raw milk: Fit for human consumption?
John Langlois feels so strongly about the benefits of unpasteurized goat milk that he pays $19 a gallon to have it shipped from a South Carolina dairy to his home in Estillfork, Ala. He credits it with giving him more energy, curing his grandson's chronic diarrhea when he was an infant and keeping the boy "steady" rather than "bouncing off the walls" now that he's 5...
08/05/06
Stay hydrated to beat heat
Douglas Casa knows something about heat stroke — and not just because he's director of athletic training education at the University of Connecticut...
08/05/06
Aging face of HIV poses new challenges
Pat Shelton has had the AIDS virus for at least 15 years, and also struggles with hepatitis C and high blood pressure. But what is bothering her most on this sultry summer day are hot flashes...
08/05/06
Government adding fruits and vegetables to WIC moms' shopping lists
Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are being added to grocery lists for low-income mothers and children under a federal program that helps feed more than half the babies in the United States...
08/05/06
You were right: Job stress elevates blood pressure, study says
New study findings confirm what some office managers, senior management officials and other white-collar workers have suspected for years: Working in highly stressful jobs can increase your blood pressure...
08/04/06
Conjoined twins prepare for separation
They were born in a perpetual hug, their little bodies fused at the midsection so that they are practically face-to-face, and have grown into outgoing 4-year-olds who chatter away and finish each other's sentences...
08/04/06
Report: Many teens don't use condoms
Most sexually active teenagers don't use condoms regularly, a behavior that puts them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases, according to a report in Thursday's USA Today...
08/04/06
Blood clot fiber study may aid treatment
The fibers that make up blood clots are more elastic than rubber bands and stretchier than spider webs. They're even tougher than doctors suspected — a discovery that could lead to improved treatment of heart attacks and strokes...
08/04/06
Breast-feeding reduces anxiety into childhood
Years after being weaned, breast-fed children cope better with stressful situations, such as their parents' divorce, than their bottle-fed peers, researchers said on Thursday...
08/03/06
Measles remains a threat despite 'eradication'
Measles was officially eradicated in the USA in 2000, but a report published today points out that Americans are still vulnerable, especially if they're not vaccinated...
08/03/06
Blueberries pack a powerful health punch
Growing up in upstate New York, I remember eating blueberries the size of marbles. But those were cultivated berries -- not the tiny wild ones that are in season right now, as I discovered last year when I visited the wild blueberry fields in Maine. These petite gems don't grow on big bushes like the cultivated ones, but on small plants that barely reach my knees...
08/03/06
Researchers: Dementia risk can be tested
Researchers have for the first time developed a "risk score" to try to predict which people may develop dementia...
08/03/06
Heavy people at risk of passing out in heat
Obese people face a higher risk of passing out — or worse —during heat waves, some health experts say. Layers of fat make it extra difficult for a body to dissipate heat, or to move to a cool location. Add in diabetic dehydration and other conditions common in the obese, and it's a recipe for trouble..
08/02/06
West Nile thriving in searing summer heat
An unusually hot summer has health officials concerned that the upcoming peak of the West Nile virus season could be worse than usual. The virus has been detected in 33 states, which means "any area of the country is at risk," says Lyle Petersen, director of vector-borne infectious diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, only 16 states had reported West Nile activity by the end of July, he says...
08/02/06
Plan B pill snarls FDA nominee hearings
Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, nominated to head the Food and Drug Administration, insisted at his confirmation hearing Tuesday that "medical ideology" — not politics — guided his handling of proposed over-the-counter sales of the morning-after contraceptive...
08/02/06
Baby fat: When to rejoice, when to worry
New parents learn quickly that everyone has something to say about a pudgy baby, with remarks ranging from harmless ("Look at those chubby cheeks") to hurtful ("Isn't he a little big for his age?")...
08/02/06
Teenagers 'bagging' mothballs to get high
The 18-year-old French woman was hospitalized with scaly skin on her legs and hands, appearing unsteady and mentally sluggish, doctors said...
08/01/06
Slower breathing may lower blood pressure
Take a slow deep breath, then exhale just as slowly. Can you take fewer than 10 breaths a minute? Research suggests breathing that slowly for a few minutes a day is enough to help some people nudge down bad blood pressure...
08/01/06
New stop-smoking drug shows promise, but so did others
Smokers who have tried everything to kick the habit have one more option: Chantix, a stop-smoking drug that works differently from others. It arrived on the market Monday...
08/01/06
WTC rescuers suffered 12 years' worth of lung loss
Working amid the rubble of the World Trade Center may have aged the lungs of firefighters and rescue workers by an average of 12 years, a new study shows...
08/01/06
Bird flu-human flu virus mix doesn't transmit easily in animal test
Tests using ferrets suggest that the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus has to undergo complex genetic changes before it could develop into a pandemic flu virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
07/31/06
'Graying' of HIV takes mental toll, too
As the number of HIV-positive Americans over 50 grows, a study shows that this group is likely to have high rates of depression, and many of them have numerous age-related medical conditions that are complicated by their already compromised health...
07/31/06
For portion control, look to the container
How many M&MS are enough? It depends on how big the candy scoop is. At least that's a key factor, says a study that offers new evidence that people take cues from their surroundings in deciding how much to eat...
07/31/06
Vaccine guidelines growing more complex
The growing list of childhood vaccinations reads like an alphabet soup: Hib, HepA, HepB, IPV, PCV, MCV4, DTaP, Tdap, varicella and influenza. Parents dragging their kids to the doctor's office for those required school shots can expect to hear about more vaccines and, if they're uninsured, new expenses...
07/31/06
FDA weighs over-the-counter Plan B sales
The government is considering allowing over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, but only to women 18 and older — a surprise move Monday that revives efforts to widen access to the emergency contraceptive almost a year after it was thought doomed...
07/28/06
Doctors test anti-smoking vaccine
Doctors are testing a radical new way to help smokers quit: a shot that "immunizes" them against the nicotine rush that fuels their addiction...
07/28/06
Obesity, blood glucose tied to enlarged prostate
BPH, or benign prostate hyperplasia, is a common condition in older men, but the risk of developing the condition seems to be increased by obesity and high blood sugar levels, researchers report...
07/28/06
Obesity weighs more heavily on women than men
Being overweight puts a greater burden on women's health than men's, a new study shows...
07/28/06
Study: Students find ways to safely drink
Despite the anti-alcohol warnings and campaigns targeting college campuses, students still find ways to drink and they've developed ways to drink safely, researchers reported Friday...
07/27/06
Unions seek 'popcorn lung' safeguards
Workers in food factories nationwide need immediate government protection from a flavoring chemical blamed for a debilitating lung disease and used in products from microwave popcorn to dog food, labor unions and physicians said Wednesday...
07/27/06
Study: More Americans too fat for X-rays, scans
More and more obese people are unable to get full medical care because they are either too big to fit into scanners, or their fat is too dense for X-rays or sound waves to penetrate, radiologists reported Tuesday...
07/27/06
Sun kills 60,000 a year, WHO says
As many as 60,000 people a year die from too much sun, mostly from malignant skin cancer, the World Health Organization has reported...
07/26/06
A threat to kidneys, life
Children who develop obesity-related diabetes face a much higher risk of kidney failure and death by middle age than people who develop diabetes as adults, a study suggests...
07/26/06
Breast cancer pill saves few lives, study finds
Tamoxifen, the pill that prevents breast cancer in high-risk women, does not appear in the long run to save many lives, U.S. researchers reported on Monday...
07/26/06
Researchers ponder 'Lance Armstrong effect'
A new but unproven theory says body heat might explain Lance Armstrong's astounding victory over testicular cancer...
07/26/06
Bird-flu vaccine may be ready by next year
GlaxoSmithKline may be able to produce a vaccine in mass quantities to protect humans from bird flu by next year, the drugmaker said Wednesday following encouraging results from a clinical trial...
07/25/06
Don't just sit there watching calories — exercise!
Half of Americans say they're trying to control their weight, but many are sabotaging themselves, a study shows.
Weight-loss experts have long said calorie control and physical activity are both necessary for weight control.
Yet of participants in a government study who say they are working on their weight, only 23% are monitoring their calorie intake and doing an average of 60 minutes of physical activity a day on most days, the amount some experts say is needed to prevent weight gain...
07/25/06
Study: Estratest doubles breast cancer risk
Older women who take hormone pills that combine estrogen and testosterone more than double their risk of breast cancer, according to a study of more than 70,000 nurses...
07/25/06
Long-awaited sunscreen approved for sale in U.S.
A sunscreen that blocks the type of ultraviolet radiation linked to some cancers, and which has been available only outside the United States, received federal approval Monday...
07/25/06
Get the right fuel for your workout
Chances are you're not training for the Olympics, but if you exercise regularly, take a cue from elite and professional athletes regarding how to eat to gain the most from every workout. Sports nutritionists encourage the following strategies for eating before and after exercise depending on when -- morning, noon, or after work -- you exercise.
07/24/06
40% of weight-loss surgeries develop complications
About 40% of patients who have weight-loss surgeries develop complications such as a hernia, abdominal cramping or pneumonia in the six months after the procedure, a study shows. Researchers say such complications often add thousands of dollars to patients' medical bills...
07/24/06
Cancer drug may hurt heart
A successful cancer-fighting drug may also damage the heart, but a researcher says leukemia patients who need Gleevec should not abandon it...
07/24/06
Teen loses fight to use alternative cancer treatment
A judge ruled Friday that a 16-year-old boy fighting to use alternative treatment for his cancer must report to a hospital by Tuesday and accept treatment that doctors deem necessary, the family's attorney said...
07/24/06
Long-awaited sunscreen approved for sale
A sunscreen that blocks the type of ultraviolet radiation linked to some cancers, and which has been available only outside the United States, received federal approval Monday...
07/22/06
FDA warns lunch box makers about lead
Soft lunch boxes may be lined with a vinyl containing lead, the government says, but safety officials say the containers pose no immediate danger...
07/22/06
Living with dirty air may boost heart attack risk
Fatal heart attacks may be more likely among people who spend decades living in heavily polluted areas, Swedish researchers report...
07/22/06
Another study advises: Don't treat a runny nose with antibiotics
Children suffering from a common cold and persistent runny noise should not be treated initially with antibiotics, researchers said on Friday...
07/22/06
Catch a wave, not a cold
The waves were flat at Ocean Beach, but Brian Bennett paddled out anyway...
07/21/06
Smoking in pregnancy tied to kids' behavior problems
There seems to be a link between maternal smoking during pregnancy and behavioral problems in preschool-age children...
07/21/06
Fruit and fiber the key to weight management
By studying the diets of 52 normal-weight adults and 52 overweight or obese adults, researchers found that normal-weight adults ate more fiber and fruit each day than their overweight and obese counterparts...
07/21/06
Advocates demand funding for pain treatment
Shawn Spriggs went through a slew of doctors and medicines before he found relief from the waves of muscular pain that shot through his body from muscular dystrophy.
07/21/06
FDA warns lunch box makers about lead
Soft lunch boxes may be lined with a vinyl containing lead, the government says, but safety officials say the containers pose no immediate danger...
07/20/06
FDA seeks information on antidepressant risks in pregnancy
The manufacturers of Prozac and other antidepressants should include prescribing information about an uncommon but life-threatening lung problem that affects babies born to mothers who take the drugs during pregnancy, health officials said Wednesday...
07/20/06
Study finds beaches sicken 1.5M in Calif.
As many as 1.5 million people are sickened by bacterial pollution on Southern California beaches each year, resulting in millions of dollars in public health care costs, a new study has found...
07/20/06
EU bans 22 hair dye chemicals feared unsafe
The European Commission said Thursday it would ban 22 hair dye substances, following the release of a scientific study that concluded the long-term use of these chemicals could cause bladder cancer...
07/20/06
Language barriers plague hospitals
Many hospital patients who have a limited ability to speak English and who need a translator don't get one, which puts them at risk for poor and sometimes life-threatening medical care, an analysis in today's New England Journal of Medicine says...
07/19/06
Study: Blood test may find early lung cancer
A blood test that looks for the body's own immune response to tumors may provide an easy way to find lung cancer in patients long before an X-ray or CT scan could, U.S. researchers have reported...
07/19/06
Alzheimer's patients may get skin patch
Alzheimer's patients may soon get the first skin patch to treat the creeping brain degeneration, a novel way to deliver an older drug so that it's easier to take and might even work a little better...
07/19/06
Impotence could be sign of heart disease, study says
Men suffering from impotence should be screened for cardiovascular disease because it could be an early sign of the illness, Italian researchers said Wednesday...
07/19/06
Yoga catches on for soldiers, sailors looking to release stress
When Marine Lt. Alan Zarracina finally did the splits after months of struggling with the difficult pose in yoga class, the limber women around him applauded...
07/18/06
Report: Women misled on abortion risks
Women who consult with pregnancy resource centers often get misleading information about the health risks associated with having an abortion, according to a report issued Monday by Democrats on the House Government Reform Committee.
07/18/06
Stem cell therapies still years away
Here's a reality check amid Congress' showdown with President Bush over stem cell research: The potential treatments for diabetes, spinal cord injury and other devastating disorders are years away from being tested in people...
07/18/06
Adolescent Obesity Linked to Premature Death
Teenage girls who are obese run a three-fold greater risk of premature death in middle age, according to a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
07/18/06
FDA approves implantable contraceptive
Implanon, a rod-shaped contraceptive implanted in the upper arm for up to three years, received federal approval, health officials said Tuesday...
07/17/06
Experts: Aging of Europeans affects all
Heaps of dumplings and schnitzels. Free drinks. A three-man band. It's party time at a Vienna retirement home — but two women in the silver-haired crowd just can't get into the mood...
07/17/06
New drug prevents breast cancer, raises other risks, study finds
Women with heart disease or a high risk for it would trade one set of odds for another if they took the drug raloxifene to try to prevent breast cancer, a new study suggests...
07/17/06
Study: Blood test may find early lung cancer
A blood test that looks for the body's own immune response to tumors may provide an easy way to find lung cancer in patients long before an X-ray or CT scan could, U.S. researchers have reported...
07/17/06
Class gives special-needs students a chance to get moving
Lee Jones' Down syndrome doesn't keep him from exercising -- or from getting others to join in...
07/16/06
Uproar in Peru over genetically-engineered diarrhea treatment
It should have been a triumphant moment for Dr. Nelly Zavaleta when many of the diarrhea-stricken babies she treated with an experimental U.S. drug got better quicker than expected...
07/16/06
Indonesian man dies from bird flu
A 44-year-old man died of bird flu in Indonesia, a senior health official said Sunday, putting the country on the cusp of being the world's hardest hit by the disease...
07/16/06
Yoga trend catching on with soldiers
When Marine Lt. Alan Zarracina finally did the splits after months of struggling with the difficult pose in yoga class, the limber women around him applauded...
07/15/06
Girl with facial growth has 3rd surgery
A 15-year-old Haitian girl who once suffered from a massive tumor-like growth that had engulfed her face underwent a third surgery that included reconstruction on her eyes, nose and upper lip, a doctor said Friday...
07/15/06
FDA panel recommends against 'bionic eye'
In the 1970s TV show "The Six Million Dollar Man," the strapping young astronaut got a bionic eye. A U.S. company had hoped that next year that might be your grandmother. Not so fast, a federal advisory panel said Friday...
07/15/06
Working long hours harder on women's health, study says
Working long hours has a greater negative impact on women than men because it makes them more likely to smoke, drink coffee and eat unhealthy food...
07/14/06
Primary care doctors want to earn more
International tests confirmed the death of a 3-year-old girl from bird flu, bringing the number of people killed by the disease in Indonesia to at least 41, a health official said Friday...
07/14/06
More disabled kids live with single women
Children with disabilities are more likely to live with a single woman — whether she is a mother, grandmother or a female foster parent — than other children, according to a new study...
07/14/06
Quadruplets born to LA mom of 3-year-old triplets
After delivering triplets three years ago, Angela Magdaleno thought she was done having babies. She was wrong four times over...
07/14/06
Schools go on health kick as federal law takes hold
They're promising to keep closer tabs on student lunch trays, pull sugary treats from vending machines and classroom celebrations and encourage more pulse-raising activities during the school day...
07/13/06
Obesity, Diabetes Drive High Rate of Kidney Failure in U.S.
Compared to Europeans, Americans with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are more than twice as likely to progress to end-stage kidney disease, researchers say, and higher rates of obesity and diabetes may be to blame...
07/13/06
Report says 1 in 8 babies born premature
More than half a million babies are born prematurely each year, and specialists are urging that doctors take new steps to battle one cause: infertility treatments that spur twins, triplets and other multiple births...
07/13/06
In-home eating rules may improve teens' diet
A team of dietitians and nutritionists in California say they've identified a number of promising ways to help adolescents make healthier food choices -- such as reaching for fruits and vegetables instead of cookies and sweets...
07/13/06
Teen cancer patient battles to choose own treatment
A teen cancer patient fighting to use alternative medical treatment said he told a juvenile judge in a closed hearing what it's like to go through chemotherapy and he didn't want to relive it...
07/12/06
Study: Even light activity helps elderly
Forget jumping jacks and treadmills. Just doing household chores and other mundane activities of daily living is enough to help older adults live longer, new research suggests...
07/12/06
Imported tuna may have higher mercury level
Many imports of canned tuna have mercury levels higher than the federal limit, according to analysis by an environmental group...
07/12/06
Race, weight, smoking tied to menopause symptoms
African-American women are more likely than other racial groups to suffer frequent hot flashes and night sweats throughout the years leading to menopause, new research suggests...
07/12/06
Calcium may help women keep weight in check
Getting plenty of calcium might help fight middle-aged spread, a new study shows...
07/11/06
Tobacco may kill 1 billion this century
Curbing tobacco use and taking other steps to eliminate some of the most common risk factors for cancer could save millions of lives over the next few decades, health officials said Monday...
07/11/06
Music provides 'audio analgesic' for some, but studies are ongoing
Have a throbbing head or an aching back? Here's one possible prescription: Take two Mozart movements — or a big dose of pop, country or jazz, if you prefer — and call the doctor in the morning...
07/11/06
Failed heart drug could be a 'genetically targeted' success
A heart failure drug that was shelved because it failed its biggest scientific test may launch a new era of genetically targeted medicine for heart disease, researchers reported Monday...
07/11/06
Race, weight, smoking tied to menopause symptoms
African-American women are more likely than other racial groups to suffer frequent hot flashes and night sweats throughout the years leading to menopause, new research suggests...
07/10/06
High Tylenol doses linked to liver woes
Healthy adults taking maximum doses of Tylenol for two weeks had abnormal liver test results in a small study, researchers found, raising concerns that even recommended amounts of the popular painkiller might lead to liver damage...
07/10/06
More getting Parkinson's before age 50
Colin Campbell walked out of the support group for Parkinson's disease in shock: His fellow patients were all 20 or 30 years older, with symptoms very different from his own — leading him to doubt, even disobey, his doctor's treatment advice...
07/10/06
Eating fish seems to protect against macular degeneration
Two new studies give one more reason to eat a diet rich in fish: prevention of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in old age...
07/10/06
Tobacco could kill 1 billion this century if current trends hold
If current trends hold, tobacco will kill a billion people this century, 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century, public health officials said Monday...
07/09/06
High fever in children warrants workup for bacterial infection
Children with a very high fever, defined as a rectal temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, have a heightened risk for serious bacterial infection and for viral illness, or both, report clinicians in the current issue of Pediatrics...
07/09/06
Short legs related to excess weight and diabetes
Being short and especially having short legs appear to increase the risk being overweight and developing type 2 diabetes in middle age, new research shows...
07/09/06
Lipitor faces first big generic hurdle
As employers look to cut prescription drug costs, some consumers are finding Lipitor, the world's most popular drug, harder and more expensive to get...
07/09/06
Death risk rises in women as obesity worsens
Obesity is known to increase a person's risk of death and now, new findings from a study of more than 90,000 women indicate that the risk continues to increase as the severity of obesity worsens...
07/08/06
Obesity, smoking raises impotence risk
Many of the same things that are good for a man's heart may also be good for his sex life, new research confirms...
07/08/06
States line up for anti-flu medication
South Carolina is in. Utah and Alabama, too. Some states aren't waiting for an Aug. 1 deadline to seek help from the federal government in buying anti-flu medicine for a possible pandemic...
07/08/06
Spain confirms its first case of bird flu
Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The deadly strain was found in a water fowl in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria...
07/08/06
Ex-President Bush pushes cancer research
Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, lost a child to cancer 53 years ago, but they're still fighting for cancer research and prevention...
07/07/06
EU scientists warn of tanning lamp risk
European Union experts warned Thursday sunbeds and tanning lamps may increase the risk of skin cancer, and advised against their use by children and other people at high risk...
07/07/06
FDA warning to vaccine maker has echoes of shortage of '04-'05
Now that the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to the manufacturer expected to produce half of next season's flu vaccine, Americans might be wondering whether they're in for a repeat of the 2004-05 season, when another manufacturer had its license suspended...
07/07/06
Mediterranean beats low-fat diet for heart health
Mediterranean-style diets, rich in healthy fats from olive oil or nuts, may be better for the heart than low-fat regimens, a new study shows...
07/07/06
Spain confirms H5N1 bird flu case
Spain has recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu, the Agriculture Ministry said Friday. The strain was found in a wild bird in a marsh area outside the northern city of Vitoria, the ministry said in a statement...
07/06/06
Experts debate whether children should be called obese
Is it OK for doctors and parents to tell children and teens they're fat? That seems to be at the heart of a debate over whether to replace the fuzzy language favored by the U.S. government with the painful truth -- if kids are obese or overweight, telling them...
07/06/06
Study supports hair dye-lymphoma link
Using hair dye may increase the risk of a type of cancer known as lymphoma, a European study shows..
07/06/06
Study: Breast milk helps smallest preemies
The tiniest premature infants fed with breast milk in the hospital did better on tests of mental development later in life than did others fed only formula, a new study has found...
07/06/06
Study shows doctors miss flu in children
Doctors fail to diagnose the flu in the vast majority of young children, depriving them of medicines that could shorten their illness and keep them from spreading it to others, a study suggests...
07/05/06
Man's brain rewired itself after crash severed nerve connections
Doctors have their first proof that a man who was barely conscious for nearly 20 years regained speech and movement because his brain spontaneously rewired itself by growing tiny new nerve connections to replace the ones sheared apart in a car crash...
07/05/06
Chronic job strain may raise blood pressure
Workers who are under constant stress may start to show it in their blood pressure readings, researchers reported Thursday...
07/05/06
Cancer, premature menopause linked
Women who survived cancer during childhood are at risk of premature menopause, researchers report Tuesday...
07/05/06
High Tylenol doses linked to liver woes
Healthy adults taking maximum doses of Tylenol for two weeks had abnormal liver test results in a small study, researchers found, raising concerns that even recommended amounts of the popular painkiller might lead to liver damage...
07/04/06
Brittle truth of bone drugs
Osteoporosis was once a little-known condition with few treatment options. Broken hips and hunched spines often were seen as inevitable signs of old age, especially for women...
07/04/06
Experts debate labeling children obese
Is it OK for doctors and parents to tell children and teens they're fat? That seems to be at the heart of a debate over whether to replace the fuzzy language favored by the U.S. government with the painful truth — telling kids if they're obese or overweight...
07/04/06
Fat people not more jolly, study says
Fat people are not more jolly, according to a study that instead found obesity is strongly linked with depression and other mood disorders...
07/04/06
Use of backyard fireworks and related injuries on the rise
Backyard use of fireworks and related injuries are increasing nationwide, according to industry and government data, and researchers say thousands of children each year are among the victims...
07/03/06
Discovery could lead to sleep treatments
A newly discovered clue to the workings of a protein that helps regulate sleep could point scientists to better treatments for sleep-related illnesses...
07/03/06
Face-transplant patient progressing, doctors say
Seven months after receiving the world's first partial face transplant, a French woman continues to improve, doctors said in the first detailed account of her surgery, published Monday with dramatic before-and-after pictures...
07/03/06
Benadryl doesn't help babies sleep through the night, study finds
An antihistamine most commonly sold as Benadryl does little to help infants sleep through the night even though parents and some doctors think it does, according to a study published Monday...
07/03/06
Docs: Comatose man's brain rewired itself
Doctors have their first proof that a man who was barely conscious for nearly 20 years regained speech and movement because his brain spontaneously rewired itself by growing tiny new nerve connections to replace the ones sheared apart in a car crash...
07/02/06
Poll: Overweight America does read labels
Oh, the irony. A nation full of overweight people is also full of label readers. Nearly 80 percent of Americans insist they check the labels on food at the grocery store...
07/02/06
Drug approved to combat major cause of blindness in elderly
The first drug shown to significantly improve the vision of patients threatened by a major cause of blindness in the elderly won U.S. government approval Friday...
07/02/06
Chronic job strain may raise blood pressure
Workers who are under constant stress may start to show it in their blood pressure readings, researchers reported Thursday...
07/02/06
Ebert condition serious after operation
Film critic Roger Ebert, who has battled cancer in recent years, was in serious but stable condition Sunday following an emergency operation to repair complications from a previous cancer surgery...
07/01/06
FDA OKs 3-drug combo pill to treat HIV
The first three-drug combination pill to treat HIV as part of foreign AIDS relief efforts won federal approval Friday...
07/01/06
Study: 3rd depression drug rarely helps
The large group of depression sufferers who haven't recovered with two common medications stand little chance of success from a third drug, says the latest report from the nation's most ambitious study of depression treatment...
07/01/06
FDA approves generic version of Zoloft
Pfizer Inc.'s patent on Zoloft expires Saturday. The New York-based company is authorizing its own generic version of the drug to undercut Teva's sales...
07/01/06
Drug approved to combat elderly blindness
The first drug shown to significantly improve the vision of patients threatened by a major cause of blindness in the elderly won federal approval Friday...
06/30/06
Weighted toys may help burn calories
Doctors and health advocates have warned for years that American children are getting fatter. Now even some kids' teddy bears are packing on the pounds. But these heavy toys aim to combat obesity, not add to it...
06/30/06
'Hybrid' hamburger: tastes like chicken — or beef, or pork, or turkey
What's a health-conscious burger lover to do? The real thing tends to have too many calories and too much fat, but meatless burgers seem to lack the flavor and consistency of real beef...
06/30/06
Report: 20% of transplant centers fall short
About one-fifth of the nation's organ transplant centers don't meet federal standards for patient survival or perform the required minimum number of operations annually, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles Times...
06/30/06
Hawaii Biotech plans West Nile virus tests
Hawaii Biotech Ltd. aims to start human clinical trials for a West Nile virus vaccine during the first half of next year, marking an important milestone for the startup, the company's chief executive said Thursday...
06/29/06
Formula helps find some colon cancers
Scientists have developed a simple formula that can help find colon cancer patients with certain inherited bad genes — information that can help determine the best course of treatment and identify family members at risk of developing the disease, too...
06/29/06
Study: B vitamin pills don't keep brains sharp
Folate and B vitamin pills failed to help keep elderly people's brains and memories sharp in the longest study yet to test this approach...
06/29/06
Weight loss may reduce arthritis disability
Overweight adults with osteoarthritis who lose just five percent of their body weight can reduce the amount of physical disability associated with this most common form of inflammatory joint disease, results of several studies suggest...
06/29/06
Panel to consider age for HPV vaccine
Should a new vaccination against a sexually transmitted disease be given to girls as young as 9 years old?...
06/27/06
Heart troubles often lead to depression
Doctors believe the depression is brought on by the mental stress of facing serious illness, or perhaps by microscopic damage done to the brain by the surgery itself. For some patients, the depression is a new thing; for others, it may have been present beforehand...
06/27/06
Are you fat? It must be...
Why are so many people fat? Scientists have come up with some novel excuses, including air conditioning, lack of sleep, fewer smokers, and more sex among obese people, which can produce chubby kids...
06/27/06
Coffee drinking may lower diabetes risk
Consumption of coffee, particularly the decaffeinated variety, is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine...
06/27/06
Surgeon general: No safe level of secondhand smoke
Separate smoking sections don't cut it: Only smoke-free buildings and public places truly protect nonsmokers from the hazards of breathing in other people's tobacco smoke, says a long-awaited surgeon general's report...
06/26/06
Maybe it IS Alzheimer's
A study found that in a disturbing number of cases, embarrassing "senior moments" such as forgetting a recent conversation or drawing a blank on someone's name may really be a sign of Alzheimer's after all...
06/26/06
Study: Cell phone signals excite brain
Cell phone emissions excite the part of the brain cortex nearest to the phone, but it is not clear if these effects are harmful, Italian researchers reported on Monday...
06/26/06
West Nile beginning its summer assault
Pull out the bug spray: West Nile virus is beginning its summertime assault...
06/26/06
Second recall issued for heart devices
Boston Scientific Corp. on Monday recalled nearly 23,000 pacemakers and defibrillators that could fail because of an electrical flaw, and the company asked doctors to check 27,000 patients already implanted with potentially faulty devices...
06/23/06
Flu vaccine makers expect high production
After years of flu shot shortages and production delays, vaccine makers on Thursday projected that supplies will reach a record 100 million doses for the coming season and create a possible surplus...
06/23/06
Study: U.S. doctor visits up 31 percent
Americans are seeking medical care in greater numbers than ever before with the number of visits growing at three times the rate of population growth, according to government statistics published on Friday...
06/23/06
McPhee one of millions with bulimia
Katharine McPhee's revelation that she has battled bulimia puts the American Idol runner-up in the company of millions of Americans...
06/23/06
At home and school, kids are sedentary
At home, the phrase "Go watch TV" to kids has replaced "Go outside and play" in many families. At school, the daily hour of recess is dwindling. The combination is contributing to many kids not getting enough exercise, according to some experts...
06/22/06
Scientists want bird flu report withdrawn
Chinese scientists said Wednesday that a man initially thought to have SARS actually died of bird flu in November 2003 — two years before the communist country reported any human bird flu infections on the mainland to the World Health Organization. At the last minute, the scientists asked without explanation to withdraw the report, but a medical journal had already printed it...
06/22/06
Vasectomy Reversals May Raise Birth Defect Risk
Men who undergo vasectomy reversal may be at significantly higher risk of producing abnormal sperm and possibly even causing birth defects in children, a new study suggests...
06/22/06
Carbohydrates, Sugar, and Your Child
Often called carbs, carbohydrates are the body's most important and readily available source of energy. Even though they've gotten a bad rap in the 2000s and have often been blamed for the obesity epidemic in America, carbohydrates are a necessary part of a healthy diet for both children and adults...
06/22/06
Condoms proven to protect against virus
For the first time, scientists have proof that condoms offer women impressive protection against the virus that causes cervical cancer...
06/21/06
At-home program lowers mortality among elderly
A training program of occupational and physical therapy individually tailored for older people living on their own not only helps them stay independent longer; it may help them live longer, too...
06/21/06
Diabetes rate doubled in last 30 years
The occurrence of new cases of type 2 diabetes has doubled over the past three decades, according to a report in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation...
06/21/06
Melanoma deadlier in blacks and Hispanics
Melanoma may be more common in whites but the most serious form of skin cancer is deadlier in blacks and Hispanics because it is more likely to go undetected, researchers report...
06/21/06
Brand name drug prices up nearly 4 pct.
Brand-name drug prices jumped nearly 4 percent during the first three months of the year, raising costs for taxpayers subsidizing the Medicare drug program and for some of those participating in it, AARP said Tuesday...
06/20/06
Heart Association sets new limit on trans fat
The American Heart Association has become the first big health group to urge a specific limit on trans fats in the diet -- less than 1 percent of total calories -- in new guidelines released Monday. Also for the first time, the organization's dietary guidelines include lifestyle recommendations, including an emphasis on getting exercise and not smoking...
06/20/06
Antidepressants May Boost Sleep Disorder
A sleep disorder characterized by violent dreams, often acted out while sleeping, may be more common in people taking antidepressants, new research suggests...
06/20/06
New gene tied to added breast cancer risk
Icelandic women with a bad gene that raises their risk of breast cancer were virtually certain to develop the disease if they also had a mutation in a second gene, scientists reported Monday...
06/20/06
New strain of mad cow disease not tied to feed
The discovery of a new strain of mad cow disease that may strike spontaneously rather than through contaminated feed could mean that it will be impossible to completely stamp out the brain-destroying illness in cattle...
06/19/06
Aging, obesity contribute to increase in osteoarthritis
Former NFL wide receiver Sam McCullum injured his knee nearly 30 years ago. Now, at age 53, he's paying the price.
McCullum, who played pro football for 10 years, has osteoarthritis, a potentially disabling disease that afflicts about 21 million Americans...
06/19/06
The future of primary care: Home sweet (medical) home?
Every time Donna Dunlop called her daughter's pediatrician, she started from scratch, describing the girl's complex history of seizures and other neurological problems to someone in a remote office who had never heard of her...
06/19/06
Vegetables may help arteries stay clear
A healthy dose of vegetables every day may help keep the heart arteries clear, a study in mice suggests. Researchers found that lab mice given a diet full of broccoli, carrots, green beans, corn and peas developed far less artery narrowing than those reared on a veggie-free diet...
06/19/06
Seizure leads Novartis to recall patches
A child suffered a seizure after chewing on a cough-suppressing vapor patch, leading Novartis AG to recall the patches Monday. The Swiss drug company warned consumers to stop using its Triaminic Vapor Patches immediately...
06/17/06
Hospital performs new heartburn technique
Doctors at a Dutch hospital performed a new kind of surgery on Friday to correct heartburn without making any external incisions, using a tube than runs down a patient's throat and into the stomach...
06/17/06
Lawsuit asks: Is your sunscreen doing its job?
How confident are you when you slather on sunscreen? What do "waterproof," "all day," "UVA/UVB protection," and "sunblock," mean to you? An important step in protecting against skin cancer, right?...
06/17/06
Study: U.S. smokers not being helped to quit
U.S. smokers are not being helped to kick the habit, even though there are strategies that work, such as mass media campaigns, counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, a panel of experts reported on Wednesday...
06/17/06
Acupuncture shows promise for fibromyalgia
Acupuncture may help relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia, especially the fatigue and anxiety that often come with the condition, a new study suggests...
06/16/06
New drug combination for treatment of cervical cancer
A drug already used to fight ovarian and lung cancers received expanded federal approval Thursday as part of a combined treatment for late-stage cervical cancer...
06/16/06
Study: Amateur marathon runners risk heart trouble
Amateur marathon runners who run less than 40 miles per week during training often show signs of cardiac dysfunction after the race and some of these abnormalities may persist for up to a month after they cross the finish line, a study shows...
06/16/06
Philly finds a fix for its weight problem
Just as Philadelphia's newly elected Mayor John Street was taking office, he got the bad news. In 2000, his city, cheesesteaks and all, earned the ranking of fattest city in the country on Men's Fitness Magazine's Fittest and Fattest Cities List...
06/16/06
Wealthy couples travel to U.S. to choose baby's sex
The Chinese want boys, and the Canadians want girls. If they have enough money, they come to the United States to choose the sex of their babies...
06/15/06
Experts: Half of Americans risk diabetic condition
Poor control of blood sugar may be a much bigger health risk factor than most people realize, experts told a meeting on Monday...
06/15/06
Separated twins responding
Regina and Renata Salinas Fierros lay in side-by-side beds for the first time in their 10-month-old lives Thursday after doctors separated and rebuilt the twins' bodies in a marathon surgery...
06/15/06
Sunscreens faulted on cancer protection
Think slathering on the highest-number sunscreen at the beach or pool will spare you skin cancer and premature wrinkles? Probably not, if you're in the sun a lot...
06/15/06
Heavy wrinkles could be sign of lung disease
Smokers' heavily wrinkled faces could be an early warning sign of a serious lung disease, researchers said on Wednesday...
06/13/06
AMA: Health insurance should be required
The nation's largest doctors group said Tuesday that Americans who can afford health insurance should be required to buy it, a recommendation aimed particularly at young adults who tend to postpone coverage...
06/13/06
Meditation benefits patients with heart disease
In a study of adults with coronary heart disease who were stable and were receiving optimal medical care, 16 weeks of transcendental meditation not only led to significant reductions in blood pressure, but also improved heart rate variability and insulin resistance, which is associated with an increase risk of diabetes...
06/13/06
Coffee may cut alcohol liver damage
Could Irish coffee be the perfect drink?...
06/13/06
Who can safely skip chemo for breast cancer?
Claudia Lowry had a scary decision: Could she safely skip chemotherapy after surgeons removed her breast cancer?...
06/12/06
Fractures, joint pain common in overweight kids
Overweight children are more likely than their normal-weight peers to suffer fractures, muscle and bone pain and other orthopedic complications, a new study shows...
06/12/06
Study: A daily pill could narrow the scope of diabetes
If everyone who had the most common form of diabetes were given a daily "polypill" that combined low-dose aspirin with commonly used drugs to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, it would prevent 7.2 million deaths and disabilities that result from the disease, the president of the American Diabetes Association says...
06/12/06
Baby born to brain-dead woman is stable
A girl born prematurely last week to a brain-dead woman in a Milan hospital was breathing well Monday, but doctors cautioned that it would be at least a month before the newborn could be considered out of danger...
06/12/06
After dropping for years, teen smoking in the U.S. has leveled off
A survey released this week showed that smoking among high school students held steady at around one in four teenagers between 2003 and 2005. Two other surveys in the past year or so found that teen smoking has apparently plateaued since 2002...
06/10/06
Surgeries using cadaver tissue pose risks
Don't worry, the doctor told Brian Lykins' parents, as he prepared to use cartilage from a cadaver to fix their son's knee. A million people a year have operations that use tissue from donated dead bodies. The nation's largest tissue bank had supplied this cartilage. It was disinfected and perfectly safe, he assured them. But it wasn't...
06/10/06
Researcher: Worms may help bowel disease
The upside of Linda Mansfield's research is that it may lead to a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. The downside is that it would involve swallowing worm eggs. Mansfield is a professor of microbiology at Michigan State University who specializes in the study of parasites...
06/10/06
Survey: Teen smoking in U.S. levels off
The long, steady decline in teen smoking in the U.S. since the late 1990s appears to have come to a standstill, health officials said Friday...
06/10/06
Infants' food allergies less common than parents believe
Parents are more likely to think their infant is allergic to certain foods than is actually the case, according to a new study from England...
06/09/06
Lawsuits filed over Lipitor side effects
Two men who believe they suffered lasting muscle damage from taking the popular anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor are suing medication's maker, Pfizer Inc., claiming the company didn't issue loud enough warnings about potential side effects...
06/09/06
Exercise suggested for menopause symptoms
Once at the mercy of hourly hot flashes, Margaret Corino has been keeping them at bay with regular trips to the gym...
06/09/06
High blood pressure common in ethnically diverse teens
About one-quarter of U.S. 14-year-olds from ethnically diverse backgrounds have high blood pressure, and a substantial proportion have cholesterol and other lipid abnormalities, researchers report...
06/09/06
Working out might tame hot flashes
Once at the mercy of hourly hot flashes, Margaret Corino has been keeping them at bay with regular trips to the gym...
06/08/06
Exercise suggested for menopause symptoms
Once at the mercy of hourly hot flashes, Margaret Corino has been keeping them at bay with regular trips to the gym...
06/08/06
FDA halts unapproved antihistamines
Manufacturers of cold, cough and allergy medicines that contain the antihistamine carbinoxamine and have not been approved have been given 30 to 90 days to stop making the products...
06/08/06
ACE inhibitors linked to birth defects
Some blood pressure drugs previously thought to be safe when taken early in pregnancy now appear to substantially raise the risk of major birth defects, doctors say...
06/08/06
FDA approves cervical cancer vaccine
Women for the first time have a vaccine to protect them against cervical cancer...
06/07/06
Breast cancer worse for young black women
Younger black women who get breast cancer are far more likely than other afflicted women to have a particularly aggressive and lethal form of the disease, a study found...
06/07/06
Report links asbestos to larynx cancer
There is evidence that asbestos can cause cancer of the larynx, the Institute of Medicine reported Tuesday...
06/07/06
Leavitt: States will ration bird flu vaccine
States will get to decide how to ration scarce vaccine if bird flu triggers a worldwide epidemic, the nation's health secretary said Tuesday -- a decision that means where someone lives could determine his or her protection...
06/07/06
Tulsa player died of rare infection
The cause of death for a University of Tulsa football player who died in April was a rare infection known as flesh-eating bacteria, according to state health officials...
06/06/06
Officials warn of scarce bird flu vaccine
States will get to decide how to ration scarce vaccine if bird flu triggers a worldwide epidemic, the nation's health secretary said Tuesday — a decision that means where someone lives could determine their protection...
06/06/06
Doctors remove 3rd arm from Chinese baby
A 2-month-old Chinese boy was recovering Tuesday after surgery to remove an unusually well-formed third arm...
06/06/06
Study: sperm quality declines with age
It isn't only women who face a ticking biological clock when planning parenthood...
06/06/06
Study: 16 million might have road rage disorder
To you, that angry, horn-blasting tailgater is suffering from road rage. But doctors have another name for it -- intermittent explosive disorder -- and a new study suggests it is far more common than they realized, affecting up to 16 million Americans...
06/05/06
Drugs hold promise in kidney cancer fight
For decades, it has been one of cancer's great mysteries: Why do about 4 percent of kidney tumors spontaneously disappear? ...
06/05/06
Study: Yoga helps breast cancer patients
Women going through treatment for breast cancer felt better when they tried yoga, according to one of the first scientific studies of its kind...
06/05/06
World Bank: Bird flu spending lags pledges
Just $286 million has been spent to fight bird flu out of nearly $1.9 billion pledged last January by nations and organizations that said they wanted to make a "massive effort" against the virus, according to a World Bank report...
06/05/06
Strict parenting can lead to obese kids
"Clean your plate or else!" and other authoritarian approaches to parenting can lead to overweight children, a new study finds...
06/03/06
Vets warned of possible exposure to virus
More than 22,000 veterans who underwent prostate biopsies at veterans' hospitals across the country are being warned that improperly sterilized equipment may have exposed them to deadly viruses...
06/03/06
Experimental drug delays breast cancer
A new experimental drug delayed the growth of advanced breast cancer in women who had stopped responding to the drug Herceptin and were out of treatment options, doctors reported Saturday...
06/03/06
Ontario, Quebec snuff out public smoking
Smokers were required to light up outside across much of eastern Canada Wednesday, as one of North America's most restrictive bans went into effect...
06/02/06
Report: Restaurants should shrink portions
In the fight against obesity, restaurants should shrink portions, provide more nutritional information and bundle such calorie-laden food as burgers and pizza with healthier side dishes, according to a federally commissioned report to be made public Friday...
06/02/06
Extra pounds raise heartburn risk
Women who put on extra pounds raise their risk of getting frequent heartburn or making symptoms worse -- even if they aren't overweight, a new study found...
06/02/06
Japan's fertility rate hits record low
Japan's fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime -- fell to an all-time low of 1.25 in 2005, the health ministry said on Thursday, the latest sign of the threat to the world's second-biggest economy from an ageing, shrinking population...
06/02/06
Diabetes on the rise, study finds
More than one out of every three individuals in the United States has diabetes or impaired fasting glucose, a condition that increases the risk of developing diabetes, new study findings suggest...
06/01/06
World hasn't met AIDS targets, U.N. warns
The world has fallen far short of fulfilling the promises made five years ago to fight HIV/AIDS, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned at a high-level meeting where leaders from around the world gathered to think up new ways to tackle the deadly virus...
06/01/06
Study: College grads are fussier dads
Men who have earned a college degree plan fewer children but tend to fuss over them more than guys with less schooling...
06/01/06
Study: Better to comfort bawling babies
Comforting babies is better than letting them cry and ultimately results in fewer tears, at least during the first few weeks of life...
06/01/06
Midwives delivering more babies
Instead of a conventional hospital birth, Heidi Teeple and her husband, Rod, brought baby Logan into the world while soaking together in a freestanding tub of warm water in their living room, with a fire in the fireplace and two midwives at their side...
05/30/06
Gender differences in lung cancer studied
Lung cancer acts differently in women than in men, and major new studies are exploring if estrogen is a key reason — and whether harnessing the hormone might help fight the No. 1 cancer killer...
05/30/06
Study: Global warming means itchier poison ivy
Another reason to worry about global warming: more and itchier poison ivy...
05/30/06
U.S. is an impatient nation, poll finds
An Associated Press poll has found an impatient nation. It's a nation that gets antsy after five minutes on hold on the phone and 15 minutes max in a line. So say people in the survey...
05/30/06
Does estrogen make cancer behave differently?
Lung cancer acts differently in women from the way it does in men, and major new studies are exploring whether estrogen is a key reason -- and whether harnessing the hormone might help fight the No. 1 cancer killer...
05/29/06
Standards, costs keep docs from digital age
Dr. Brian Zell was an early adopter of electronic health records when he switched his suburban Philadelphia practice to a computerized system five years ago -- but he still uses reams of paper...
05/28/06
Happy Memorial Day from Enetinsurance
From all of us here at Enetinsurance, we wish you a Happy Memorial Day - and may God bless all the veterans who have protected us throughout the years.
05/28/06
WHO puts Tamiflu maker on bird flu alert
The World Health Organization put the maker of the global stockpile of the anti-bird flu drug Tamiflu on alert for the first time after human-to-human transmission was suspected in Indonesia, officials said Saturday...
05/28/06
Most cities, states not ready for flu pandemic
Most states and cities lack adequate plans to dole out drugs and respirators needed to combat a flu pandemic, leaving the nation with a critical gap in preparedness, public health officials say...
05/27/06
Baby with heart condition recovers
A 10-month-old twin boy born with a potentially fatal heart condition improved so dramatically that he was released from the hospital Thursday without the transplant he was awaiting...
05/27/06
FDA approves Merck's shingles vaccine
A new and more potent version of the chickenpox vaccine has won federal approval to prevent shingles, the often excruciatingly painful disease that can strike the elderly when the chickenpox virus emerges after lying dormant for decades...
05/27/06
Report: More than 2 million kids have HIV
More than 2 million children under the age of 15 are living with HIV, almost all in sub-Saharan Africa where there is no access to treatment and death almost certain, seven leading child advocacy organizations said...
05/27/06
Women at war: Mental health toll unknown
More American women are closer to combat in Iraq than in any other modern war, and there are many unknowns about the mental health effects they may experience when they come home from the war zone...
05/26/06
Research suggests HIV originated in Cameroon chimps
Researchers who picked up and analyzed wild chimp droppings said on Thursday they had shown how the AIDS virus originated in wild apes in Cameroon and then spread in humans across Africa and eventually the world...
05/26/06
Extended-cycle birth control pill wins FDA approval
An extended-cycle birth control pill that limits women to just four menstrual periods a year received federal approval Thursday...
05/26/06
Thalidomide approved for cancer treatment
Thalidomide received federal approval Thursday for treatment of bone-marrow cancer, marking the further rehabilitation of a drug originally banned more than 40 years ago after it caused thousands of birth defects...
05/26/06
Looking forward to running backward
Timothy "Bud" Badyna has broken world records. He ran a marathon in under four hours. He finished a 10K race in 45 minutes...
05/25/06
Study: ADHD drugs send thousands to ERs
Accidental overdoses and side effects from attention deficit drugs likely send thousands of children and adults to emergency rooms, according to the first national estimates of the problem...
05/25/06
Study: Video games can help cut surgical errors
A new study suggests that people preparing for surgery ask their doctor: "Have you played your video games today?"...
05/25/06
Six-organ transplant for baby girl
Doctors in Spain have carried out a six-organ transplant on an 18-month-old girl who was born with cancer, a Madrid hospital said...
05/25/06
'Healthy' foods can be pitfall for dieters
On a mission to whip herself into shape, Kate Kowalczyk tossed out the junk food and stocked up on her idea of good-for-you staples including yogurt and low-fat cookies...
05/24/06
Prince Charles Touts Traditional Cures
World Health Organization members should make better use of traditional techniques, particularly acupuncture and herbal medicines, to improve health care around the world, Britain's Prince Charles said Tuesday...
05/24/06
Device Tested That Zaps Asthmatic Airways
In a radical experiment, doctors are snaking wires inside the lungs of asthma patients to essentially burn off some of the tissue that blocks their ability to breathe...
05/24/06
Study: Obesity rises faster in poor teens
Older American teenagers living in poverty have grown fatter at a higher rate than their peers, according to research that seems to underscore the unequal burden of obesity on the nation's poor...
05/24/06
Bird flu scare: Human spread?
The World Health Organization says a cluster of bird flu cases in Indonesia may have been caused by human-to-human transmission...
05/23/06
Doctors test device to zap asthmatic airways
In a radical experiment, doctors are snaking wires inside the lungs of asthma patients to essentially burn off some of the tissue that blocks their ability to breathe...
05/23/06
Study backs high-dose flu vaccines for elderly
Elderly people, whose immune responses typically weaken with age, can be safely protected against common influenza with doses of vaccine that are up to four times stronger than usual, researchers said Monday...
05/23/06
First generic version of Lexapro approved by FDA
The first generic version of Lexapro, one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants, with more than $2 billion in sales last year, received federal approval Monday...
05/23/06
Patients get the silent treatment
The sound echoed throughout Montefiore Medical Center, like somebody pounding dozens of nails around the clock...
05/22/06
'Healthy' Foods a Pitfall for Dieters
On a mission to whip herself into shape, Kate Kowalczyk tossed out the junk food and stocked up on her idea of good-for-you staples like yogurt and low-fat cookies...
05/22/06
First Non-Drug Asthma Treatment Tested
In a radical experiment, doctors are snaking wires inside the lungs of asthma patients to essentially burn off some of the tissue that blocks their ability to breathe...
05/22/06
Child cancer survivors face employment troubles
People who survived cancer as children were twice as likely to be unemployed than those without a history of childhood cancer, Dutch researchers reported on Monday...
05/22/06
Study: Obesity raises risk of breast cancers
Women who gain weight as adults face a higher lifetime risk of all types of breast cancer, researchers reported Monday...
05/21/06
Menstruation Is Fast Becoming Optional
Thanks to birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives, a growing number of women are taking the path chosen by 22-year-old Stephanie Sardinha...
05/21/06
As Babies Are Born Earlier, They Risk Problems Later
More and more babies each year are being born just shy of spending a full pregnancy in their mothers' wombs, putting more infants at risk of health and possibly developmental problems because they enter the world before they are ready...
05/21/06
Botox Appears to Ease Depression Symptoms
Kathleen Delano had suffered from depression for years. Having tried psychotherapy and a number of antidepressant drugs in vain, she resigned herself to a life of suffering...
05/20/06
Panel neutral on multivitamins
Americans spend billions of dollars on vitamins each year, but an expert panel says there's not enough scientific evidence to determine whether a multivitamin/mineral supplement every day helps prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer...
05/20/06
Rare Disease Traced to Sperm Donor
A sperm donor passed an extremely rare and dangerous genetic ailment to five children born to four couples, doctors reported Friday in a case that exposes a gap in the screening process...
05/20/06
Cancer-Causing Benzene Found in Drinks
A government analysis of more than 100 soft drinks and other beverages turned up five with levels of cancer-causing benzene that exceed federal drinking-water standards, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday...
05/20/06
Antibiotic Linked to Liver Problems
An antibiotic linked to a growing number of reports of liver failure, including four deaths, should bear stricter warnings about its effect on the liver, according to an internal Food and Drug Administration memo. The drug's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, said Friday it was in talks with FDA officials about those reports...
05/19/06
It takes a society to treat kids' diabetes, expert says
It will take the combined efforts of all segments of society to stem the rising incidence of diabetes and obesity that threatens the health of American children, an expert in pediatric diabetes said Wednesday...
05/19/06
Colo. Patient Dies of Rare Brain Disease
Officials at a suburban Denver hospital alerted six brain surgery patients after another neurosurgery patient died of classic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare degenerative brain ailment, the hospital said Thursday...
05/19/06
Doctor: States Unprepared for Bird Flu
Bird flu will hit the United States — it's only a matter of time — and not all states are ready to respond to the deadly virus, the Homeland Security Department's top doctor warns...
05/19/06
Vitamin overload a risk, NIH says
Over half of U.S. adults use multivitamins, mostly the pretty healthy people who also eat nutrient-fortified foods. Yet there's little evidence that most of the pills do any good -- and concern that some people may even get a risky vitamin overload, advisers to the government said Wednesday...
05/18/06
New Antibiotic Aimed at Resistant Germs
Scientists have found a chemical that might one day prove critical in the ongoing fight against germs that have developed resistance to existing antibiotics...
05/18/06
Merck: Vaccine could slash cervical cancer deaths
Giving girls as young as 9 a first-ever vaccine that blocks infection by four types of human papillomavirus could slash global deaths from cervical cancer by more than two-thirds, Merck & Co. officials said Thursday in seeking federal...
05/18/06
Lack of volunteers threatens rural ambulances
Dorreen Beaver is a medical assistant, a junior nursing student at Jamestown College, a single mother of a 13-year-old boy, and a bait shop operator...
05/18/06
FDA OKs new drug for Parkinson's
Parkinson's patients on Wednesday gained a newly approved drug to help block the breakdown of a chemical that contributes to problems with movement and coordination that mark the progressive disease...
05/17/06
Carter Center closes in on Guinea worm
Former president Jimmy Carter says he will never forget the "beautiful young woman" of about 20, living in a tiny village near Accra, Ghana, looking as though she were holding a baby to her breast...
05/17/06
Breast-feeding curbs obesity in at-risk kids
Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy are liable to have large babies, which in turn can lead to obesity in childhood -- but that chain of events may be interrupted if the mother breast-feeds, researchers report...
05/17/06
FDA: Bausch & Lomb Didn't Disclose Cases
Bausch & Lomb Inc. failed to promptly notify federal regulators about 35 cases of a potentially blinding fungal infection among contact lens wearers in Singapore who reported using its newest contact lens cleaner, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday...
05/17/06
Cervical Cancer Vaccine Seen As Safe
A vaccine that blocks infection by the four virus types that cause most cervical cancers and genital warts appears safe and effective, but may actually enhance disease in some patients, according to Food and Drug Administration documents released Wednesday...
05/16/06
Cancer Risks Detailed for Arthritis Drugs
Rheumatoid arthritis patients taking Humira or Remicade face triple the risk of developing several kinds of cancer and double the risk of getting serious infections, a study led by the Mayo Clinic found...
05/16/06
Army: HBO documentary could trigger stress disorder
The Army surgeon general is warning that the HBO documentary "Baghdad ER" is so graphic that military personnel watching it could experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder...
05/16/06
Cancer death rate higher in nonsmoking men
Lung cancer isn't common in people who never smoked. But when they do get it, doctors have long thought that women were more likely to die than men. New research suggests the opposite...
05/16/06
Teen prescription drug abuse 'entrenched'
Teen smoking and drinking continued to drop, but teenage abuse of prescription drugs has become "an entrenched behavior" that many parents fail to recognize, a survey released Tuesday showed...
05/15/06
Military Vets Wage War Against Obesity
Vietnam veteran Abdul Baseer-El survived a rocket attack in Da Nang in the '60s. Today he is fighting a new enemy: obesity. The 57-year-old former Marine has worked hard to lose 100 pounds with the help of doctors at a Veterans Affairs hospital. He's one of millions of veterans struggling with weight problems and the health complications that come with it...
05/15/06
Surgically Separated Twins Improving
Five-month-old twin girls who were surgically separated last week were upgraded Monday from critical to serious condition, the Mayo Clinic said...
05/15/06
Bausch pulls contact solution off market
Bausch & Lomb said on Monday that it is removing from the market a brand of contact solution that has been linked to fungal infections in the eyes of its customers...
05/14/06
Happy Mother's Day from Enetinsurance
From all of us here at Enetinsurance, we wish you a Happy Mother's Day.
05/13/06
Pfizer anti-smoking pill gets federal approval
A Pfizer drug shown to help more than one in five smokers quit after a year's use received federal approval on Thursday, adding another option to the limited pool of effective stop-smoking prescription medicines...
05/13/06
'Superbugs' spread fear far and wide
On Christmas night, 14-month-old Bryce Smith came down with pneumonia caused by a drug-resistant staph infection called MRSA. His father, Scott Smith, says Bryce's pediatrician told him and his wife, Katie, that the baby had a cold and that they shouldn't worry...
05/13/06
Formerly Conjoined Babies Begin Recovery
For the parents of conjoined twins Abbigail and Isabelle Carlsen, placing their baby daughters on an operating table was one of the hardest moments...
05/13/06
More veterans may need extra help for post-combat stress
Less than one-quarter of the U.S. military's Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who show signs of post-traumatic stress are referred for additional mental health treatment or evaluation, a government study finds...
05/12/06
Smoking, obesity pose risks for 80 million Americans
More than 80 million American adults are smokers, obese or both and face an increased risk of poor health and an early death, researchers said on Friday...
05/12/06
Study: Vioxx Users Not at Increased Risk
Vioxx users in the study that led to the painkiller being pulled from the market weren't at increased risk of heart attack or stroke in the year after stopping the drug, Merck & Co. said Thursday...
05/12/06
Anti-smoking pill receives federal approval
A Pfizer drug shown to help more than one in five smokers quit the habit received federal approval on Thursday, adding another option to the limited pool of effective stop-smoking prescription medicines...
05/12/06
Mayo Clinic doctors attempting to separate conjoined girls
Abbigail and Isabelle Carlsen have never been more than inches apart...
05/11/06
FDA OKs Pfizer Anti-Smoking Pill
A Pfizer drug shown to help more than one in five smokers quit the habit received federal approval on Thursday, adding another option to the limited pool of effective stop-smoking prescription medicines...
05/11/06
Asthma Treatment for Toddlers Falls Short
Giving inhaled steroids to toddlers at high risk of developing asthma helps them in the short term but doesn't prevent the chronic condition as had hoped, a federal study suggests...
05/11/06
FDA rejects health claim for green tea
There is no credible scientific evidence that drinking green tea reduces the risk of heart disease, federal regulators said Tuesday in rejecting a petition that sought to allow tea labels to make that claim...
05/11/06
Rare germ killed more than RU-486 users
A rare germ that killed four California women who took the abortion pill RU-486 has been implicated in the deaths of even more women after childbirth or miscarriage, broadening the debate beyond abortion on the eve of a meeting to examine the bacterial mystery...
05/10/06
US states underestimate obesity problem
The obesity problem in individual U.S. states appears much greater than official health surveys have indicated, according to a new study...
05/10/06
White Whole-Wheat Becoming Popular
Whole wheat is looking a whole lot less wheaty these days. That's because food processors are selling more of a newly popular flour that merges whole-wheat health benefits with the color, taste and texture of white bread...
05/10/06
CDC: Most infected lens wearers used same cleaner
Nearly two-thirds of contact-lens wearers who contracted a potentially blinding fungal eye infection reported using Bausch & Lomb Inc.'s newest lens cleaner, health authorities said Tuesday...
05/10/06
'Life and death every day' for Iraq medics
"Don't let me die! Please, don't let me die," the U.S. soldier said repeatedly as medics carried him to the trauma room...
05/09/06
Fertility Options Exist for Cancer Patients
A week before Carrie Lintner began radiation treatment for her cancer, doctors cut tiny holes in her abdomen and pushed her ovaries out of the way of the damaging beams...
05/09/06
Doctors: Have emergency birth control Rx on hand
Get an advance prescription for emergency contraception so it will be on hand if you need it, the nation's largest gynecologist group advised women Monday...
05/09/06
U.S. has second worst newborn death rate in modern world, report says
An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, according to a new report...
05/09/06
CDC wants HIV tests for everyone
Testing for the AIDS virus could become part of routine physical exams for adults and teens if doctors follow new U.S. guidelines expected to be issued by this summer...
05/08/06
First Hours Critical for 3rd World Newborns
A baby born in the developing world must fight to survive right from the start. Up to 2 million newborns die in the first 24 hours of life every year, according to a global report on mother and infant mortality...
05/08/06
Women Urged to Get 'Morning After' Pill
Get an advance prescription for emergency contraception so it will be on hand if you need it, the nation's largest gynecologist group advised women Monday...
05/08/06
Supermarkets urge families back to dinner table
For working parents and heavily scheduled school kids, family mealtime is as out of fashion as the scene in Norman Rockwell's iconic Thanksgiving supper painting...
05/08/06
Study: DNA marker linked to prostate cancer risk
Scientists have identified a common genetic marker that signals a 60 percent heightened risk of prostate cancer in men who carry it, and it may help explain why black men are unusually prone to the disease, a new study says...
05/07/06
Eleven seen as a key age for obese children
Children who are overweight or obese by the age of 11 are likely to carry their excess weight into adulthood and to suffer from related health problems, researchers said on Friday...
05/07/06
EU: Popular sugar substitute safe
European food safety experts have good news for dieters with a sweet tooth, announcing Friday that the popular sugar substitute aspartame does not raise the risk of cancer...
05/07/06
Inside the autistic mind
The road to Hannah's mind opened a few days before her 13th birthday...
05/06/06
Nations Urged on Bird Flu Response Time
Only half of the human bird flu cases detected by countries are being reported to the World Health Organization within two weeks — a response time that must be improved to head off a potential flu pandemic, a senior WHO official said Saturday...
05/06/06
Newspaper: Kaiser slow in transferring kidney transplant patients
Kaiser Permanente's speedy rollout of a vast new kidney transplant program in 2004 overwhelmed regulators with paperwork, putting organs out of reach for hundreds of patients, a newspaper reported Friday...
05/06/06
150 years of Freud
At the Cafe Freud, a whimsical watering hole two doors down from the apartment where Sigmund Freud plumbed the human psyche, a world-famous poster commands instant attention...
05/06/06
CDC reports more eye infections
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday said it has confirmed 102 cases of a serious eye infection that has hurt the fortunes of eye products maker Bausch & Lomb...
05/05/06
New Autism Estimate Is 5.5 Out of 1,000
About 300,000 U.S. children have been diagnosed with autism, according to the largest national study so far of the prevalence of this complex behavioral disorder...
05/05/06
Folic acid raises chance of IVF twins
Folic acid does not improve the chances of achieving a pregnancy but scientists said on Friday it can increase the odds of twins when two embryos are transferred during fertility treatment...
05/05/06
Eleven a key age for obese children
Children who are overweight or obese by the age of 11 are likely to carry their excess weight into adulthood and to suffer from related health problems, researchers said on Friday...
05/05/06
Study: It really does hurt to wait
Anyone who's ever taken a preschooler to the doctor knows they often cry more before the shot than afterward...
05/04/06
HIV/AIDS Conference Eyes Indigenous People
American Indians and Alaska natives need more research on how HIV and AIDS affect their communities, and culturally sensitive treatment needs to be created to combat the diseases, officials said at a health conference Wednesday...
05/04/06
World Children Exercise to Fight Obesity
As children exercised in unison in school yards across the world Wednesday, sweat flowed, calories burned, and, perhaps some lives will be saved...
05/04/06
Chaos Feared in Pandemic Flu Plan
President Bush's plan for dealing with a flu pandemic warns that the federal government won't be able to bail out communities reeling from illness and economic upheaval, and calls on businesses and individuals to take steps now to keep vital services running...
05/03/06
Strokes in children: A medical dilemma
Melissa Welch was shelving jeans at her after-school job when her vision blurred and her world tipped over...
05/03/06
Half-ton man may get gastric bypass
A Mexican man who at 1,200 pounds is possibly the heaviest person in the world hopes to travel to Italy for a life-saving operation to shed weight...
05/03/06
Kids' antipsychotic drug use soars
The number of children taking antipsychotic medicines soared 73 percent in the four years ending in 2005, far outpacing the increase in adults, according to a report released by pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions Inc...
05/03/06
Companies pulling sodas out of schools
School soda pop machines are about to lose their high-calorie fizz...
05/02/06
Stomach surgery may have a role in moderate obesity
For adults who are mildly to moderately obese, gastric banding -- a popular, minimally invasive type of weight loss surgery -- appears to be more effective in reducing weight and improving health and quality of life than behavioral modification plus drug therapy, Australian investigators report...
05/02/06
Enzyme May Play Role in Weight Loss
Researchers say manipulating an enzyme in the body may someday help people to lose weight...
05/02/06
Smuggled birds add to flu fears
Bird flu entering the U.S. through smuggled wildlife is a growing worry for government officials already on the lookout for migrating wild birds...
05/02/06
Report: U.S. bracing for massive flu disruptions
Employers should have plans to keep workers at least 3 feet (1 meter) apart, colleges should consider which dormitories could be used to quarantine the sick, and flight crews should have surgical masks to put on coughing travelers under a draft of the government's pandemic flu plan obtained by The Associated Press...
05/01/06
Pediatricians urged to add fitness checkups
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants to turn children's doctors into activity police, encouraging them to routinely monitor how active patients and even their parents are each day to help conquer obesity...
05/01/06
Transplant patient feels new face
The French woman who received the world's first partial face transplant has complete feeling in the new tissue five months after the operation, she told a Sunday newspaper...
05/01/06
Doctors Asked to Monitor Patient Activity
The American Academy of Pediatrics wants to turn children's doctors into activity police, encouraging them to routinely monitor how active patients and even their parents are each day to help conquer obesity...
05/01/06
Spray Flu Vaccine May Be Better for Babies
Spraying flu vaccine into the noses of babies and preschoolers offers significantly more protection than shots, says one of the largest comparisons of flu inoculations ever performed...
04/29/06
Teen scholars tackle weight problems
To stop the obesity epidemic, this country needs a "shock and awe" campaign similar to public drives to stop smoking. There should be attention-grabbing posters and advertisements that illustrate grim health consequences, such as heart attacks, cancer, stroke and type 2 diabetes...
04/29/06
CDC: Milder-than-normal flu season ending
This year's flu season draws to a close as one of the mildest in recent years, partly because the vaccine was a good match for this winter's most common virus...
04/29/06
Genetics Researcher Wins $500,000 Award
A biologist whose pioneering research in genetics led to the exploration of diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's has been awarded the nation's richest prize in medicine and biomedical research...
04/28/06
Study: Kids Worldwide Can Grow the Same
Children born anywhere in the world who are given an optimum start in life can all develop to within the same range of height and weight, the U.N. health agency announced Thursday...
04/28/06
CDC: Milder Than Normal Flu Season Ending
This year's flu season draws to a close as one of the mildest in recent years, partly because the vaccine was a good match for this winter's most common virus...
04/28/06
Hospitals Offer Obesity Programs for Kids
As the waistlines of America's young keep expanding, more hospitals are establishing weight management centers for kids. The programs offer a variety of resources, from nutritional counseling to bariatric surgery for the most extreme cases...
04/28/06
Drug plan leaves some in the hole
Mildred Lindley is stuck in a hole, the doughnut hole -- "right in the middle of it," she says -- that comes with Medicare's new prescription drug benefit...
04/27/06
Study: Kids Worldwide Can Grow the Same
Children born anywhere in the world who are given an optimum start in life can all develop to within the same range of height and weight, the U.N. health agency announced Thursday...
04/27/06
Study: U.S. couldn't slow flu pandemic
A mostly unprepared United States could do little to slow pandemic flu if it hits anytime soon, according to a new computer model...
04/27/06
Tricking the stomach to fight obesity
The company that invented the heart pacemaker is employing the same technology to trick obese patients into thinking their stomachs are full...
04/27/06
It's hip to be pregnant
Like any expectant mother, Kai Walter, six months pregnant, has lots to get done before the big day. One of her most important errands: an upcoming trip to the West Coast, where she has an appointment to take off her clothes and be photographed...
04/26/06
Percentage of Uninsured Americans Rising
The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found...
04/26/06
Weight loss reduces frailty in obese older adults
In obese adults in their 60s and 70s, moderate weight loss achieved through diet and exercise goes a long way in improving physical function and combating frailty, a study shows...
04/26/06
Study: Cancer Rate Linked to Textile Site
A disturbingly high number of cancer cases outside Boston are linked to a former textile dye-making plant with waste ponds that some children swam in, state health officials concluded Tuesday...
04/26/06
Replacing Recalled Heart Devices a Risk
When a manufacturer recalls an implanted heart defibrillator because of a potential flaw, patients and doctors must decide whether to leave the device in the body or replace it...
04/25/06
Insomnia drugs: A wake-up call?
Reports about patients who eat, cook and even drive in their sleep after taking Ambien have raised questions about the safety of the insomnia drug and have led some to criticize the nation's growing use of prescription sleep aids...
04/25/06
Narcolepsy Drug Eyed for Cocaine Users
The hottest topic in cocaine addiction is another drug — a medicine already sold to wake up narcoleptics...
04/25/06
Fatal Disease From Flavoring Raises Flags
A potentially fatal lung disease linked to chemicals used in food flavorings poses a growing health risk, according to government scientists who are questioning the food industry's willingness to protect its workers...
04/25/06
Depression, anxiety in Katrina's kids
Each time the 3-year-old gets in the bathtub, she thinks she's going to drown. Monica whimpers when her grandmother turns on the faucet, sobbing softly at first, then wailing as the tub begins to fill...
04/24/06
Tests: Pigeons Don't Pose Bird Flu Trouble
City folks, don't worry. Nobody expects pigeons, more common than manhole covers, will bring the deadly bird flu virus. Pigeons are not immune from the virus. But tests indicate the birds pick it up only when they are exposed to very high doses, do not always become infected under those conditions and are carriers only briefly...
04/24/06
Women's HIV Gel Said Possible by 2010
A safe and effective gel allowing women to protect themselves from the AIDS virus may be available by 2010 if current trials involving thousands of women are successful, researchers said Sunday...
04/24/06
Scientists Solve Bone Disease Mystery
Scientists have discovered a mutant gene that triggers the body to form a second, renegade skeleton, solving the mystery of a rare disease called FOP that imprisons children in bone for life...
04/24/06
Many Cancer Survivors Stop Mammographies
More than a third of breast cancer survivors gradually stop getting annual mammographies, according to a new study...
04/22/06
N.D. Researchers to Study Anorexia Nervosa
The Neuropsychiatric Research Institute here and the University of North Dakota medical school in Grand Forks are leading a $2 million project that will research the eating disorder anorexia nervosa...
04/22/06
Oregon Man Survives 12 Nails to the Head
An Oregon man who went to a hospital complaining of a headache was found to have 12 nails embedded in his skull from a suicide attempt with a nail gun, doctors say...
04/22/06
Mixture Limits E. Coli, Salmonella in Meat
Consumers soon should be able to buy beef and poultry products that have an added level of safety against two sometimes fatal sources of food poisoning...
04/22/06
States Spar Over Federal HIV/AIDS Funds
AIDS started as a big-city epidemic infecting mostly gay white men, and now it's prevalent in the South and among minorities. Yet the federal law that helps the neediest patients has not kept up with that evolution...
04/21/06
Obesity Driving Diabetes Epidemic
America's obesity epidemic is definitely driving the nation's type 2 diabetes epidemic, says a new study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
04/21/06
Genetics May Play Role in Chronic Fatigue
Chronic fatigue syndrome appears to result from something in people's genetic makeup that reduces their ability to deal with physical and psychological stress, researchers reported Thursday...
04/21/06
Liver Transplant Saves 10-Day-Old Baby Boy
Keeley Gibbs knew it was risky to get pregnant. Doctors warned that she and her son born in January could have died. The young woman from Eldorado, Ill., like generations of her family's females, carries the gene for a rare metabolic disorder of the liver...
04/21/06
FDA says no to medical marijuana
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it does not support the use of marijuana for medical purposes...
04/20/06
Her goal: Put MS out of business
Martha Crowninshield brokered high-stakes business deals all the time as a venture capitalist...
04/20/06
Miss. Medical Board Bars Ear Stapling
A state medical board has ordered 14 weight-loss businesses that perform a procedure called ear stapling to close their doors, alleging they are operating illegally...
04/20/06
U.S. Records Drastic Decline in Death Rate
In what appears to be an amazing success for American medicine, preliminary government figures released Wednesday showed that the annual number of deaths in the U.S. dropped by nearly 50,000 in 2004 — the biggest decline in nearly 70 years...
04/20/06
Case of bubonic plague confirmed in L.A.
A woman is in stable condition with bubonic plague, the first confirmed human case in Los Angeles County since 1984, health officials said Tuesday...
04/19/06
Mumps Cases in Iowa Climb to 815
The number of reported cases of mumps this year has climbed to 815 in Iowa, the state at the center of the nation's biggest epidemic in almost two decades...
04/19/06
Experts Suggest Spacing Pregnancies
Women can maximize their chances of having healthy babies by spacing their pregnancies at least 18 months but no more than five years apart, researchers say...
04/19/06
Fungus has contact wearers looking for glasses
William Spadafora had tried reading glasses, distance glasses and bifocals. He had lost glasses, stepped on glasses, and dropped glasses off the side of a boat...
04/19/06
Alzheimer's patients reconnect with art
At first, Arden White seemed a little, well, bored. The 80-year-old even nodded off a little as she sat in a gallery at the Museum of Modern Art, before a gentle nudge from her son brought her back...
04/18/06
Bird flu plan to include drive-through exams
In the event of a bird flu outbreak, U.S. money could be produced overseas and Americans checked in drive-through medical exams for signs of infection, according to government plans being finalized...
04/18/06
Breast cancer drug 'a little less scary'
A newer drug prevents breast cancer in older, high-risk women just as well as today's standby tamoxifen -- but with fewer side effects, the National Cancer Institute announced Monday...
04/18/06
NIH wants stronger flu shots for elderly
Put aside hypothetical worries about bird flu: Regular flu already kills elderly Americans in droves every winter because the vaccine simply doesn't work as well inside aging bodies as young ones...
04/18/06
Doctors cast off kids' rite of passage
The black Velcro bandage strapped on 3-year-old Ben Crotty's left arm looks like a Rollerblader's wrist guard, but it's really a mini medical milestone...
04/17/06
U.S. Prepares Bird-Flu Plan for Approval
In the event of a bird flu outbreak, U.S. money could be produced overseas and Americans checked in drive-through medical exams for signs of infection, according to government plans being finalized...
04/17/06
Firms in Dispute Over Antiviral Drug
Global fears over bird flu have sent sales soaring for an antiviral drug once dismissed as a commercial dud, but the two companies responsible for the drug are locked in a bitter court battle over profits...
04/17/06
Obesity Finds Niche in American Marketing
From the cradle to the grave and most points between, obesity has found its niche in American marketing. Make that a wide berth. Baby seats, doorways and caskets are but a few examples from a long list of life's accouterments that are getting much bigger to accommodate much bigger people. There are also vacation resorts for those embarrassed to be seen in a bathing suit...
04/17/06
Pregnant robot tests medical talents
Noelle's given birth in Afghanistan, California and dozens of points in between. She's a lifelike, pregnant robot used in increasing numbers of medical schools and hospital maternity wards...
04/15/06
Fast-food fries, chicken fattier in U.S.
Order french fries or hot wings at a McDonald's or a KFC in the United States and you're more likely to get a super-sized helping of artery-clogging trans fats than you would be at their restaurants in some other countries...
04/15/06
Sisters of Breast Cancer Victims Studied
When Gina Gordick heard her younger sister had breast cancer, she wanted to do something more than just make her soup and run errands. Gordick, 55, of Fayette, says watching someone you love fight breast cancer is a "painful, miserable, awful" experience...
04/15/06
Hawaii prepares for flu pandemic
Hawaii, both tourist mecca and western gateway to the nation, is ahead of many states in preparing for a possible global flu epidemic...
04/15/06
Maker says not to use contact lens solution
The maker of a contact lens solution linked to a potentially blinding eye infection on Thursday warned consumers not to use the product and asked retailers to pull it from their shelves...
04/14/06
Boy Who Fought Tumor Now Healthy
An 11-year-old who nicknamed his brain tumor "Frank" has been given a clean bill of health by the surgeon who removed the cancerous mass a year ago...
04/14/06
Injection to Treat Alcoholism OK'd
A once-a-month injection to treat alcoholism won federal approval Thursday, expanding availability of a drug previously sold only in daily pill form...
04/14/06
Doctors Remove Girl's Extra Donor Heart
A girl who was given a second heart 10 years ago had the extra organ removed after her own heart grew strong enough to pump on its own, her doctor said Thursday...
04/14/06
Hawaii prepares for flu pandemic
Hawaii, both tourist mecca and western gateway to the nation, is ahead of many states in preparing for a possible global flu epidemic...
04/13/06
Donor Heart Removed; Girl's Heart Improves
A girl whose body began to reject a donor's heart has had it removed because her own heart is now strong enough to pump her blood on its own again, her doctor said Thursday...
04/13/06
Procedure Helps Women Avoid Incontinence
Four extra stitches can help prevent a lifetime of bladder problems in tens of thousands of women each year who have surgery to fix sagging internal organs, a new study suggests...
04/13/06
Study: U.S. fast food fries pack in more trans fat
The great virtue -- or perhaps the great drawback -- of McDonald's and KFC is that the food is pretty much the same all over the world. But a new study suggests the fries and the chicken served in the United States may have more artery-clogging trans fats...
04/13/06
Air travelers eyed in mumps outbreak
Two infected airline passengers may have helped spread Iowa's mumps epidemic to six other Midwestern states, health officials said Wednesday, the latest example of how quickly disease can spread through air travel...
04/12/06
Everyone's fat but me, Americans say in poll
Ninety percent of Americans know that most of their compatriots are overweight, but just 40 percent believe themselves to be too fat, according to a study published on Tuesday...
04/12/06
Chemo Praised for Hard-To-Treat Cancer
Research offers hopeful news to women whose breast cancers are typically more difficult to treat: Modern chemotherapy means more of them will survive than previously thought...
04/12/06
Lens solution linked to fungus outbreak
Bausch & Lomb voluntarily suspended shipment of a contact lens solution after federal health officials linked it Monday to a fungal eye infection that can cause temporary blindness...
04/12/06
U.S. expert: Bird flu no imminent threat
Even if bird flu does arrive on U.S. shores on the wings of a migratory bird, the virus is unlikely to makes the inroads in poultry -- or in people -- that it has in less developed countries, the nation's top avian influenza expert says...
04/11/06
Obesity Plus Arthritis Disabling for Older Women
Osteoarthritis plus overweight greatly lessens an older woman's ability to get around without help, a new study finds...
04/11/06
Study: Estrogen-Only Pills Pose Risk
Estrogen pills raise older women's risk of blood clots, but not as much as supplements that also contain progestin, according to new data from a landmark government study on more than 10,000 women...
04/11/06
Doctors Try Balloon Fix on Sinusitis
It's like an angioplasty to clear out clogged sinuses. A new procedure lets doctors snake a balloon up the noses of chronic sinusitis sufferers, stretching their sinus passages to help them breathe easier with less pain than the standard sinus surgery that 350,000 Americans undergo each year...
04/11/06
Study: Obesity not in eye of beholder
Obese people have a blind spot when it comes to their own weight problem, according to a study that showed only 15 percent of people in that category view themselves as obese...
04/10/06
A gluttony of glug-glugging
You are what you eat, you've no doubt heard. But, increasingly, we are what we drink: By 2001, soda, juice, milk, beer and other beverages accounted for 21% of the calories consumed by Americans, up from 16% in the 1970s, says Barry Popkin, a researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...
04/10/06
Calif. Lab Helping to Lead Bird Flu Fight
The middle-age man with fever, cough and shallow breath told his doctor he had just returned to Northern California from a chicken farm in Vietnam...
04/10/06
Drug Company Eyes OTC Sale of Fat-Blocker
The fat-blocking drug in Xenical could become available without a prescription later this year, GlaxoSmithKline said Friday after federal health officials told the company the potential blockbuster pill was "approvable."...
04/10/06
Study: Obese People Lack Health Awareness
Obese people have a blind spot when it comes to their own weight problem, according to a study that showed only 15 percent of people in that category view themselves as obese...
04/08/06
Study: 9/11 Escapees Have Health Problems
A majority of survivors of the 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center suffered from respiratory ailments and depression, anxiety and other psychological problems up to three years later, federal health officials said Friday...
04/08/06
Study: Health Care Costs Worry the Wealthy
Wealthy Americans_ with financial cushions ranging from significant to substantial — worry that rising health care costs will eat through their assets, with a majority of them citing providing for their health care as their top financial concern, a new study said...
04/08/06
Drug Company Eyes OTC Sale of Fat-Blocker
The fat-blocking drug in Xenical could become available without a prescription later this year, GlaxoSmithKline said Friday after federal health officials told the company the potential blockbuster pill was "approvable." ..
04/07/06
Norovirus Outbreak Kills 2 in Washington
A viral outbreak at a retirement center has left two people dead and sickened more than 40 residents and workers, authorities said...
04/07/06
First British case of deadly bird flu strain confirmed
The first British case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed Thursday, a sign that containment measures aren't preventing the spread of the disease...
04/07/06
Lawmakers Want Junk Food Out of Schools
Trying to shrink the growing waistlines of children, lawmakers want to expel soda, candy bars, chips and other junk food from the nation's schools...
04/07/06
Britain Rolls Out Bird Flu Crisis Plan
Wildlife officers were keeping watch on 3 million birds and a dozen dead swans were being tested for the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus Friday, as the British government rolled out a crisis plan after the country's first confirmed case of the disease...
04/06/06
HPV vaccines show progress, but need for booster in question
The first two vaccines against cervical cancer are moving closer to the U.S. market, but it will be years before scientists know for certain whether booster shots are needed...
04/06/06
Tests Confirm Bird Flu Found in Scotland
Britain confirmed its first case of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in a wild swan on Thursday, setting the stage for concerns the disease could spread across the Atlantic...
04/06/06
Teen Drug Use Dips, Drinking Unchanged
Drug use among teens has dipped nationwide but underage drinking persists, with jumps in California and Wisconsin, according to a study released Thursday...
04/06/06
FDA OKs First Attention Deficit Patch
The FDA on Thursday approved the first skin patch to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children...
04/05/06
Federal Study Rejects Aspartame Risks
A huge federal study in people — not rats — takes the fizz out of arguments that the diet soda sweetener aspartame might raise the risk of cancer...
04/05/06
Heart Disease, Stroke Plague Third World
Each year cardiovascular disease kills 13 million people in developing countries, almost triple the number who die from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, researchers said Wednesday...
04/05/06
Are germs good for children's health?
Little Madison Sukenik crawls around her Fort Lauderdale home, grabbing everything in sight, putting much of it in her mouth...
04/05/06
Tipping point in obesity epidemic?
Could the obesity epidemic be peaking?...
04/04/06
Health Expert: Flu Pandemic Can Hit Anytime
A potential flu pandemic is like waiting for an earthquake along the San Andreas fault: It's just a matter of time before the next big one strikes, a health expert said Tuesday...
04/04/06
Depression Linked to Approach of Menopause
Two separate studies show a woman's risk for a first bout with depression rises sharply as she approaches menopause...
04/04/06
Study: Autism rise from labeling, not epidemic
A rise in autism cases is not evidence of a feared epidemic but reflects that schools are diagnosing autism more frequently, a study said Monday...
04/04/06
Doctors grow organs from patients' own cells
Kaitlyne McNamara no longer worries about feeling different at school...
04/03/06
Science makes strides against immune defect
Lacey Conners is just 12, but she already has experienced more illnesses than most people do in a lifetime...
04/03/06
Nicotine Patch, Gum May Undermine Chemo
Lung-cancer patients who use nicotine supplements such as patch or gum to help them quit smoking may undermine their chemotherapy...
04/03/06
Obesity Epidemic Hits Child Safety Seats
Many young children are too heavy for standard car-safety seats, and manufacturers are starting to make heftier models to accommodate them, according to research on the obesity epidemic's widening impact...
04/02/06
HIV Infections Down in San Francisco
New HIV cases have fallen by almost 10 percent over the past five years, the city's first decline in infections since the late 1980s, health officials said...
04/02/06
Schizophrenia Drug Gets Vote of Confidence
A schizophrenia drug as well-known for its risk of dangerous side effects as for its effectiveness gets a vote of confidence in a new federally financed study...
04/02/06
'Closed-Heart' a Less-Invasive Alternative
Dr. Samuel Lichtenstein cut a 2-inch hole between an elderly man's ribs. Peering inside, he poked a pencil-sized wire up into the chest, piercing the bottom of the man's heart. Within minutes, Bud Boyer would have a new heart valve — without having his chest cracked open. Call it closed-heart surgery...
04/01/06
Study shrugs off prayer's power to heal
Some say prayer can move mountains. But can anyone prove it helps heart patients sail through surgery? Researchers from six hospitals across the USA set out to try...
04/01/06
Hospitals Make Changes to Care for Obese
Going to the hospital is rarely fun. If you weigh over 300 pounds like Beth Henk, it can be embarrassing. "I've flipped an exam table — I sat on the end of it and it just flipped up," said Henk, whose weight peaked at 745...
04/01/06
Schizophrenia Drug Gets Vote of Confidence
A schizophrenia drug as well-known for its risk of dangerous side effects as for its effectiveness gets a vote of confidence in a new federally financed study...
04/01/06
'Closed-Heart Surgery' Is Newest Frontier
Dr. Samuel Lichtenstein cut a 2-inch hole between an elderly man's ribs. Peering inside, he poked a pencil-sized wire up into the chest, piercing the bottom of the man's heart...
03/31/06
457-Pound Woman Set to Be Cremated
A 457-pound woman whose body lay in a morgue for nearly two months because of a dispute over the cost of her cremation will be cremated within the next few days, officials said Thursday...
03/31/06
Study: Prayer doesn't affect heart patients
In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications...
03/31/06
Heavy patients put strain on hospitals
Going to the hospital is rarely fun. If you weigh over 300 pounds like Beth Henk, it can be embarrassing...
03/31/06
Study questions whether kids spread flu
Small children, long blamed for being little germ machines who spread colds and flu every year from nurseries and classrooms to the rest of the community, may be only a minor factor in the annual influenza epidemic, U.S. researchers said Thursday...
03/30/06
Hormone Injections' Promise Brings Risk
Richard Weisman is drinking deeply from what he considers the Fountain of Youth. The 44-year-old Las Vegas car dealer injects himself with human growth hormone six times a week, in addition to swallowing a handful of dietary supplements every day...
03/30/06
FDA: No concern from benzene tests in soda
No safety concerns have arisen from tests for the cancer-causing chemical benzene in soft drinks, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday...
03/30/06
Study: Bird-flu vaccine safe, but only partly effective
An experimental bird-flu vaccine for humans has been deemed safe, but it provides only partial protection from the H5N1 strain of the virus, according to a study published this week...
03/29/06
Surgeons Remove Two Fetuses From Infant
Surgeons operated on a 2-month-old Pakistani girl Tuesday to remove two fetuses that had grown inside her while she was still in her mother's womb, a doctor said...
03/29/06
Study: Pumping iron helps cancer survivors
Weightlifting appears to improve breast cancer survivors' outlook on life, suggests one of the first studies to scientifically measure the effects of such exercise...
03/29/06
Fidgeting in Classroom May Help Students
The fidgety boys and girls in Phil Rynearson's classroom get up and move around whenever they want, and that's just fine with him...
03/29/06
Study: Child well-being improving
Children have shown few gains in educational achievement over the past three decades, a sour note in a broad social report card that also cites declines in drug use, pregnancy rates and crime...
03/28/06
Poll: 20 percent of teens get enough sleep
They drive drowsy, oversleep and doze off in class: Many of America's adolescents are going through life sleep-deprived...
03/28/06
Promising AIDS drugs tested on humans
Scientists have long believed that a vaccine is the best way to stop the spread of AIDS, but efforts to invent one have miserably flopped...
03/28/06
Second Egyptian Woman Dies of Bird Flu
A 30-year-old woman died of the H5N1 bird flu strain on Monday, Egypt's second human death from the virus since it appeared in the country last month, the health ministry announced. Czech authorities said they suspected their first case of H5N1 in a dead swan...
03/28/06
Loneliness Linked to High Blood Pressure
Loneliness in people over 50 greatly increases their risk of high blood pressure, researchers say in the latest study to underscore the health advantages of friends and family...
03/25/06
Mouse Testicle Cells Behave Like Stem Cells
German scientists say cells from the testes of mice can behave like embryonic stem cells. If the same holds true in humans, it could provide a controversy-free source of versatile cells for use in treating disease...
03/25/06
Colorectal Cancer Screening Not Catching On With Many
The campaign to recruit Americans for colorectal cancer screening is lagging, said the CDC today...
03/25/06
Sex syndrome 'needs more research'
Doctors called on Friday for more research into a very rare, poorly understood syndrome that is the opposite of the most common sexual complaint in women...
03/25/06
Fewer physicians offer free care
The percentage of physicians who provide free care to the poor has dropped over the past decade, signaling a growing problem for the uninsured, a survey suggests...
03/24/06
Panel: ADHD drugs for kids need hallucination warning
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended Wednesday that the agency add information about a possible risk of hallucinations in children to the labels of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder drugs...
03/24/06
Report raises flag on fluoride
Government limits on fluoride in drinking water aren't protecting the public from possible tooth and bone damage, a prestigious advisory panel says...
03/24/06
To head off allergies, expose your kids to pets and dirt early. Really.
Here's the conventional wisdom: Pets promote allergy, kids shouldn't eat peanuts until they're at least 3, and intestinal worms are nothing more than an icky reminder of life before flush toilets...
03/24/06
CDC Reports Increase in Resistant TB
Health officials said Thursday they are seeing what appears to be a disturbing increase around the world in tuberculosis infections resistant to both the first- and second-line antibiotics used against TB...
03/23/06
Lead poisoning prompts kids' jewelry recall
More than 800,000 pieces of children's jewelry are being recalled by two companies because of the danger of lead poisoning that killed one child, the government said Thursday...
03/23/06
Flu season peaks later than usual
This year's flu season is peaking at a time it's usually coming to an end, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
03/23/06
Study: Second antidepressant often works
The largest study ever done on treating depression has found that patients who didn't get well with the first medicine they tried had a good chance of succeeding the second time around...
03/23/06
Meth addiction hits boomers hard
Mike Walls never envisioned his golden years as a fight with drug addiction when a friend gave him a plastic bag of crystal-like powder and a promise of youth nearly two decades ago...
03/22/06
Weight-loss surgery also eases hypertension: study
Weight-loss surgery has the added benefit of dropping high blood pressure levels as it slims morbidly obese patients, researchers said on Monday...
03/22/06
Advisers Reject Strong ADHD Warnings
Federal health advisers said Wednesday that Ritalin and other drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should not carry strong "black-box" warnings about potential cardiovascular and psychiatric risks...
03/22/06
Study: Changing Medicines May Aid Depressed
Many depressed patients who didn't get better on one medicine were able to overcome their crushing dark spells with another, according to the largest study ever of treatments for America's top mental health problem...
03/22/06
Scientists: Bird flu too deep in lungs to spread
Scientists say they have found a reason bird flu is not spreading easily from person to person: The virus concentrates itself too deep in the respiratory tract to be spewed out by coughing and sneezing...
03/21/06
Bird Flu May Arrive in U.S. This Year
Bird flu is likely to arrive this year in the United States, with the increased testing of tens of thousands of wild birds expected to reveal dozens of suspected cases, the Bush administration said Monday...
03/21/06
Survey: Stigma, denial delay Alzheimer's diagnosis
Stigma and denial can delay diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease for years, meaning patients do not receive treatment that could slow its progress, according to a survey released on Tuesday...
03/21/06
More adults using ADHD drugs, fewer young kids
Use of attention deficit drugs rose nearly 19 percent among ages 20 to 44 in 2005 while falling 5 percent in children under 10, according to statistics released Tuesday amid a U.S. review of the drugs' safety...
03/21/06
Study: Treating mom can prevent kids' depression
Researchers say they've shown for the first time that treating a mother's depression can help prevent depression and anxiety disorders in her child, a provocative finding with potentially big public health implications...
03/20/06
Company Details True Cost of Health Care
As the Bush administration presses for wider use of health savings accounts, experts acknowledge that a big piece of the puzzle is still missing: ready access to the true cost of a medical procedure...
03/20/06
Anti-psychotics for kids raise concerns
Soaring numbers of American children are being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs -- in many cases, for attention deficit disorder or other behavioral problems for which these medications have not been proven to work, a study found...
03/20/06
Report: Parkinson's drug-gambling link studied
Medical researchers are investigating suspicions that drugs prescribed to treat Parkinson's disease could turn patients into compulsive gamblers, the Washington Post reported on Sunday...
03/20/06
Service helps shop for health care
As the Bush administration presses for wider use of health savings accounts, experts acknowledge that a big piece of the puzzle is still missing: ready access to the true cost of a medical procedure...
03/17/06
Bangladesh to Resume Polio Vaccinations
Experts in Bangladesh confirmed the country's first case of polio in nearly six years, prompting the resumption of mass vaccination against the crippling disease next month, the health minister said Friday...
03/17/06
More Kids Are Getting Anti-Psychotic Drugs
Soaring numbers of American children are being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs — in many cases, for attention deficit disorder or other behavioral problems for which these medications have not been proven to work, a study found...
03/17/06
Study: White kids most likely to abuse inhalants
Kids who try to get high by sniffing glue, lighter fluid and other chemicals are more likely to be white and come from families that make more than double the poverty level, according to a federal study...
03/17/06
Study Links Atkins, Possible Health Risk
The popular Atkins diet could be linked to a life-threatening complication which one woman who claimed to be following it developed, according to doctors who published a case report on it Friday in a British medical journal...
03/16/06
Study: Drugs Better for Elderly Depression
For elderly people who suffer bouts of depression, drugs work surprisingly better than psychotherapy at keeping these black spells from returning, suggests the longest study ever in patients so old...
03/16/06
Study: Genes May Cause Risk for Anorexia
Researchers studying anorexia in twins conclude that more than half a person's risk for developing the sometimes fatal eating disorder is determined by genes...
03/16/06
Study: Most Get Mediocre Health Care
Startling research from the biggest study ever of U.S. health care quality suggests that Americans — rich, poor, black, white — get roughly equal treatment, but it's woefully mediocre for all...
03/16/06
Doctors: Africa needs new HIV drug
A humanitarian group urged U.S. drugmaker Abbot Laboratories Inc. on Wednesday to make a new HIV drug accessible in developing countries, especially Africa...
03/15/06
NIH panel to review soy safety
An independent scientific panel convened by the National Institutes of Health this week will review the latest research about the safety of soy baby formula and a plant estrogen found in soy products...
03/15/06
FDA works to streamline drug approval
Federal regulators, working with patients, academics and pharmaceutical companies, are listing dozens of potential research projects they believe would help shorten the time it takes for new drugs to reach patients...
03/15/06
Study: Tofu, Oatmeal Lower Cholesterol
Maybe your doctor should write up a grocery list to help lower your cholesterol, suggests a small study that showed a rigid diet seemed as effective as cholesterol-lowering pills...
03/15/06
Drug May Delay High Blood Pressure in Some
Treating people who don't yet have high blood pressure but are well on their way to it can delay the condition but not permanently prevent it unless drugs are taken lifelong, new research suggests...
03/14/06
Drug ads trying to clean up their act
Client confidentiality prevents Andrew Schirmer from revealing specifics, but it's easy to believe his claim that his job has been especially challenging lately...
03/14/06
Cochlear Implants Aim for Age-Related Loss
Cochlear implants may not be just for the profoundly deaf anymore: Iowa scientists are developing the next generation, a "hybrid implant" to combine the best of bionics with regular hearing aids for age-related hearing loss...
03/14/06
Study Shows Drug Reverses Heart Disease
High doses of a powerful cholesterol-lowering drug seemed to actually reverse heart disease — not just keep it from getting worse — new research showed...
03/13/06
Study: Exercises Can Prevent Fainting
Feeling faint? Cross your ankles. Squeeze your knees. Grip a ball. Simple muscle-tensing exercises like these can keep you from passing out, say researchers who did a scientific study of the problem...
03/13/06
Mad cow disease found in Alabama
A cow in Alabama has tested positive for mad cow disease, the Agriculture Department said Monday, confirming the third U.S. case of the brain-wasting ailment...
03/13/06
Blood pressure drugs may combat Alzheimer's disease
Medications used to combat high blood pressure appear to be linked to a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published on Monday...
03/13/06
Quit lines help smokers kick habit
Counseling smokers over the telephone helps them kick the habit, researchers said on Monday...
03/12/06
Deadly Bird Flu Expands in Africa, Asia
The deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu was detected for the first time in poultry in Myanmar and Cameroon, officials in the two nations said, in the latest sign of the disease's expanding range in Africa and Southeast Asia...
03/12/06
Virtual Medical Checkups on the Rise
Wayne Wilson is cheered when the computerized voice tells him his blood pressure and heart rate are holding steady...
03/12/06
Doubt Cited on Aspirin-Blood Thinner Combo
Some people taking the blood thinner Plavix on top of aspirin to try to prevent heart attacks, as many doctors recommend, now have good reason to stop...
03/12/06
Safer Method Found to Treat Heart Failure
An amazingly simple method of filtering excess fluid from the bloodstream appears safer and far more effective than the "water pills" that have been used for decades to treat hospitalized heart failure patients, doctors reported Sunday...
03/10/06
Study Tests Alternatives to Gastric Bypass
Volunteers 100 or more pounds overweight will test various combinations of diet, exercise and medication in search of a non-surgical "gold standard" of treatment for the severely obese...
03/10/06
Bird Flu Found in Stone Marten in Germany
A weasel-like animal called a stone marten was infected with the deadly bird flu virus, marking the disease's spread to another mammal species, a German laboratory said Thursday...
03/10/06
N.C. Probes Flesh-Eating Bacteria Death
North Carolina health officials are investigating the death of a woman who died last week of a flesh-eating bacteria three days after accidentally jamming her hand in a wheelchair while working at a nursing home...
03/10/06
Asian Bird Flu Death Toll Reaches 91
Indonesia, which has come under fire for its attempts to prevent the spread of bird flu, confirmed its 22nd human fatality from the disease Friday, bringing the death toll in Asia to 91...
03/09/06
Drug Stops Working in Myeloma Patients
Thalidomide, a drug that caused ghastly birth defects a generation ago but has been resurrected in recent years as a promising cancer treatment, failed in a study to prolong the lives of patients with multiple myeloma...
03/09/06
Bird Flu Could Appear in U.S. in Months
A deadly strain of bird flu could appear in the United States in the next few months as wild birds migrate from infected nations, Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said Thursday...
03/09/06
Researchers Aim to Regenerate Body Parts
Like no war before, the war in Iraq has seen unprecedented numbers of injuries due to surprise bomb attacks. And like no other war before, troops are often surviving those attacks, though many of them lose limbs or suffer severe burns. That has led researchers to create the Soldier Treatment and Regeneration Consortium with the goal of growing back body parts, like ears and fingers, and treating burns...
03/09/06
U.S. increasing bird flu screening
The spring migration of birds from Asia to Alaska is expected to start next month, and this year it will encounter a beefed-up federal effort to look for bird flu...
03/08/06
Study: More Than 1 Dose to Stop Blindness
A two-year study in eight Ethiopian villages found that a single dose of an antibiotic is not enough to end infections that cause trachoma, the world's leading preventable cause of blindness...
03/08/06
Coffee May Spell Heart Trouble for Some
Here's a real caffeine jolt — heart attacks might be a risk for coffee drinkers with a common genetic trait that makes caffeine linger in their bodies, a study suggests...
03/08/06
Bird flu kills Chinese girl
A nine-year-old girl has died of bird flu in China, state media said on Wednesday, as the United Nations stepped up efforts to battle the rapidly spreading virus...
03/08/06
FDA panel mulls rare reversal on MS drug
Only one prescription drug has ever been returned to the market after being pulled because of dangerous side effects. Tysabri, a promising multiple sclerosis drug, could become the second...
03/07/06
Dana Reeve, widow of Christopher Reeve, dies of lung cancer
Dana Reeve, who won worldwide admiration for her devotion to her "Superman" husband, Christopher Reeve, through his decade of near-total paralysis, has died of lung cancer at the age of 44...
03/07/06
Exercise may slow Parkinson's
Heather MacTavish leaped around the circle of drums, singing and waving her arms to urge the drummers louder, faster...
03/07/06
Many parents don't admit their child is overweight
Many parents do not identify their child as "overweight," but will select a sketch of a heavier model when asked to choose one representative of their child, new study findings show...
03/07/06
China Urges Nations to Share Bird Flu Info
China on Tuesday urged other governments to share more information about bird flu cases in people to prevent a human pandemic, and an official report said many residents in China's vast hinterland are uninformed about the disease...
03/06/06
Advair, Other Asthma Drug Get Label Alerts
The asthma medication Advair and a related drug will bear stronger warnings of an increased risk of death associated with one of their ingredients...
03/06/06
Rare Disease Linked to MS Drug Worries FDA
The risk of a rare brain disease and other infections remains a concern for regulators as they seek independent advice on whether to allow a promising multiple sclerosis drug back on the market, according to documents released Monday...
03/06/06
U.S. developing new bird flu vaccine
A second vaccine against the deadly H5N1 virus is under development, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Monday...
03/06/06
Scientists in food fight over soda
Low-fat, low-cal, low-carb. Atkins, South Beach, The Zone. Food fads may be distracting attention from something more insidiously piling on pounds: beverages...
03/04/06
'Mentoring' program helps teens with chronic disease
Besides juggling school, sports and everything else that goes along with being a teenager, 16-year-old Corinne Cline has to deal with managing her diabetes...
03/04/06
Pesticides found in most rivers, streams
Pesticides linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders contaminate almost all of the nation's rivers and streams and most fish found in them, but seldom at concentrations likely to affect people, government scientists said Friday...
03/04/06
Study: Lifting weights attacks belly fat
By just lifting weights twice a week for an hour, women can battle the buildup of tummy fat that often takes hold with aging, a new study suggests. And they didn't even diet...
03/04/06
Experts mixed on diet soda, weight control
Nutrition experts who are soured on soda often take a sweeter view of diet soda, which doesn't contain the sugar calories that many of them blame for weight problems...
03/03/06
When sleep is just a dream
You're reading this, but given the opportunity, you'd gladly snooze or slumber. For this is a nation in dire need of a nap...
03/03/06
Guidelines May Speed Vaccine Development
Federal regulators published draft guidelines Thursday on ways to speed new flu vaccines to market for common winter influenza as well as an even deadlier strain of the virus, such as bird flu that has health officials worldwide worried about a pandemic...
03/03/06
Report: More People Seeking Meth Treatment
Drug treatment centers have seen a substantial rise in the number of people seeking help for methamphetamine abuse, a report released Thursday said...
03/03/06
Stroke Victims May Regain Weak Arm Use
As long as five years after suffering a stroke, people were able to regain use of a weak arm when their strong arm was restrained during two weeks of intensive therapy, new research shows...
03/02/06
Studies Find Withdrawn MS Drug Effective
A promising multiple sclerosis drug that was suspended from the market because three people developed a rare brain disease now appears relatively safe and quite effective, three studies found...
03/02/06
Feds May Remove Some Food Warning Labels
Hundreds of warnings on food labels would vanish under a measure being debated Thursday in the House...
03/02/06
Sanjay Gupta: Grassroots effort important to combat fat
One of the most difficult things I face as a journalist is the feeling of helplessness when I see a tragedy unfolding that I can do nothing about. I felt it as I covered the hurricanes in New Orleans, the tsunami in south Asia and most recently the earthquake in Pakistan. As reporters, we dive into stories to report tragedies, but not to act -- that is not typically our role...
03/01/06
Half of Europe fat but sees no health threat: report
Half of Europeans are obese or overweight, but citizens do not see obesity as a major health threat, a food industry report said on Tuesday...
03/01/06
Obese People Might Be More Sensitive to Pain
Obese people may be more sensitive to pain than people who aren't overweight, a new study suggests...
03/01/06
Childhood depression tied to adult asthma, obesity
Young adults with asthma appear to be at greater risk of becoming obese later in life -- and childhood depression may play a role in the connection, according to researchers...
03/01/06
Study Casts Doubt on Glycemic Index
Diets that distinguish between "good carbs" and "bad carbs," are not an effective way of controlling blood sugar levels, a new study suggests...
02/28/06
Study: State Family-Planning Efforts Vary
A wide gap exists among states in their effort