12/31/04
FDA Approves Pfizer Drug for Diabetes
Pfizer Inc. said Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its medication for pain caused by nerve damage from diabetes or shingles, but it is still under review for treating partial seizures in adults...
12/31/04
Tsunami Survivors Face Serious Disease Risks
Survivors of the deadliest tsunami on record face serious water-borne diseases such as cholera, and will urgently need medicine and access to healthcare in the months ahead, doctors and health experts said on Friday...
12/31/04
Two for the hearts
Ana Retana's worst fears were realized when her youngest son, Carlos Aguero, was diagnosed with the same heart condition that killed two of his siblings and afflicted another brother...
12/31/04
Tackling holiday weight woes
The holiday season may bring gifts and good tidings, but it will also deliver calorie-laden feasts, leftovers and snacks that add up to small but significant weight gains that resound well into the new year...
12/30/04
Cipro-Resistant Gonorrhea on the Rise
In Hawaii, the proportion of cases of gonorrhea that are resistant to treatment with the antibiotic Cipro increased nearly sevenfold between 1997 and 2000, new findings show...
12/30/04
Evening Shift Ups Risk of Gastrointestinal Ills
People who work from mid-afternoon into the wee hours of the night are liable to develop problems such as heartburn, stomach ulcers and constipation, new research shows...
12/30/04
Obesity rises among young kids
The obesity epidemic is reaching down to the playpen: More than 10 percent of U.S. children ages 2 to 5 are overweight, the American Heart Association reported Thursday...
12/29/04
Excess Weight Can Compromise Birth Control Pills
Women who are overweight or obese are more likely to get pregnant while taking birth control pills than women of normal weight are, new research finds...
12/29/04
Diabetes Drugs Might Treat Multiple Myeloma
In the lab, multiple myeloma cells are killed by drugs similar to existing anti-diabetes drugs like Avandia or Actos, according to researchers at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, New York...
12/29/04
Tsunami disease fears
The United Nations warned Wednesday that respiratory and waterborne diseases could break out in areas affected by southern Asia's tsunami disaster "in the next few days."...
12/28/04
Protein Fuels Melanoma's Growth
A protein that plays a critical role in the growth of the deadly skin cancer melanoma has been identified by scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston...
12/28/04
Schooled in country medicine
Wanted: small-town students who want to become country doctors...
12/28/04
Dry, Cracked Hands May Be Dermatitis
Hands that are red, cracked, itchy or sore may be more than just a cold-weather problem with dry skin. It could be a sign of dermatitis, or eczema, according to the December issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter...
12/27/04
Science Makes Strides Toward Alzheimer's Cure
A new element has emerged in the seemingly never-ending battle against Alzheimer's disease...
12/27/04
Twice-Daily Insulin Not Ideal for Diabetic Kids
For preschool children with type 1 diabetes, twice-daily insulin injections do not adequately control blood sugar levels, researchers report. They found these kids had frequent and prolonged episodes of either low or high blood sugar...
12/27/04
In U.S., So Many Obese
In a nation where obesity is the second-leading cause of death, 33 million Americans don't know where their next meal is coming from -- a year-round paradox that only becomes more pronounced during the holidays...
12/27/04
Staying Active Keeps Mind Sharp in Old Age
People who stay just as active after age 70 as they did before are less likely to experience age-related declines in mental functioning, new study findings suggest...
12/24/04
Breast Cancer Diagnosis May Not Affect Job
Contrary to some beliefs, women who return to work after being diagnosed with breast cancer are not typically demoted or otherwise discriminated against in the workplace, new study findings show...
12/24/04
Teen with new heart home for Christmas
Giving a bear hug to his surgeon and a thumbs-up to other hospital staff, a 14-year-old boy went home for Christmas -- the first child to receive a new heart after relying on a newly developed miniature heart pump...
12/24/04
Holiday heartburn -- or heart attack?
For the tens of millions of heartburn sufferers, navigating the gluttonous dinner table during the holiday season can be especially tricky...
12/24/04
FDA urges limits on Celebrex, Bextra
The Food and Drug Administration issued a public health advisory Thursday, recommending doctors limit the use of Pfizer Inc.'s Celebrex and Bextra to patients who can't take other pain medicines...
12/24/04
Cancer study yields clues on gray hair
Those annoying gray hairs that increasingly leer back from the bathroom mirror may have some value after all. Cancer researchers have developed a new explanation for graying hair that they hope will also shed light on the most dangerous type of skin cancer...
12/23/04
Bone Loss Seen with Depo-Provera Use
The results of a new study confirm that using the contraceptive Depo-Provera is associated with bone loss...
12/23/04
Weight Loss Surgery Has Lasting Benefits
Gastric bypass surgery and similar operations for severe obesity lead to long-term weight loss, and people who have undergone such a procedure have lower risks for heart disease and diabetes than conventionally treated individuals, according to a new Swedish study...
12/23/04
Nursing homes improved
The use of physical restraints on nursing home patients has dropped by nearly a quarter in two years and fewer residents report suffering from pain, according to a report released Wednesday by the Bush administration...
12/23/04
Americans remain confident about drug safety
Consumers remain confident in the safety of prescription drugs sold in this country at a time when some popular ones have been linked to health threats, an Associated Press poll found...
12/23/04
Sudafed maker cuts meth ingredient
The maker of Sudafed is offering a new version of the cold and allergy medicine without an ingredient often used to produce the illegal and highly addictive drug methamphetamine in homemade labs...
12/22/04
Fit but fat not good enough
Being fit but fat isn't good enough. Excess weight, all by itself, can take years off your life, even if you get plenty of exercise, a study found...
12/22/04
Study finds genetic link to lung cancer
Lung cancer appears to run in families, researchers said Tuesday, though exposure to tobacco smoke is still the dominant cause of the disease even for those who may be genetically predisposed...
12/22/04
Tenet to pay $395M to former patients
Embattled hospital chain Tenet Healthcare (THC) will pay $395 million to settle lawsuits with former patients who accused one of its medical centers of performing unnecessary heart surgeries, the company announced Tuesday...
12/22/04
False perception about holidays and dying
The common perception that terminally ill people try to hang on until after a major event like their birthday or a big holiday isn't true, a study has shown...
12/22/04
Modest drop in teen drug use
Fewer teenagers are smoking cigarettes or using illegal drugs, but a survey released Tuesday shows a troubling increase in the use of inhalants by younger adolescents...
12/21/04
Workers forfeit millions in health spending accounts
Employees forfeit millions of dollars a year because they don't use all the money they contribute to health care flexible spending accounts by year's end — giving up cash even as they face rising health care costs...
12/21/04
Analysts Bet Celebrex Won't Be Withdrawn
Some analysts are betting Pfizer Inc. won't have to withdraw its arthritis drug Celebrex but they do expect sales to fall after a study of the drug in cancer patients showed it increased the risk of heart attacks...
12/21/04
Cancer screenings can lead to costly follow-ups
It sounded like a pretty good deal to Ken Doerflinger: a government study offering to scope and probe him tip to toe for signs of cancer...
12/21/04
Acupuncture helps arthritis pain
The ancient Chinese therapy of acupuncture can help ease pain and improve movement for people with arthritis of the knee, a new study concludes...
12/20/04
Concerns raised about naproxen
A study testing whether Celebrex or naproxen would reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease was halted Monday after researchers noted an increase in heart attack and stroke among participants who were taking naproxen, an over-the-counter pain reliever on the market for nearly 30 years...
12/20/04
Travel Rx
You've purchased your travel tickets, you've called ahead for restaurant reservations, you've even packed an extra bottle of sunscreen. But what if your medication gets lost en route to your sunny destination? Would you know what to do in an emergency?...
12/20/04
White House: FDA doing 'spectacular job'
The federal drug safety agency is doing a "spectacular job" of protecting the public, the White House chief of staff said Sunday. The assessment drew an immediate outcry from a Senate critic who charged that government oversight under the Bush administration has proved "a catastrophic failure."...
12/20/04
Waning low-carb craze hits businesses
At a combined weight of 890 pounds, the three decided to try the Atkins diet. By sticking to the low-carb, high-protein diet, Champlin lost about 45 pounds and his roommates each lost between 50 and 60 pounds...
12/20/04
Eat what you want, but don't neglect exercise
Hankering for another slice of fruitcake? Hoping it doesn't go to your hips? Better start twiddling your thumbs, tapping your feet and talking with your hands...
12/18/04
Nearly 30 Percent of U.S. Workers Are Obese
Nearly 30 percent of American workers are obese, which can reduce their productivity and greatly increase their cardiovascular disease risk factors...
12/18/04
Depression Ups Diabetes Risk in Middle-Aged Women
Results of a new study provide more evidence that being depressed increases the likelihood of developing diabetes...
12/18/04
Pfizer cites Celebrex heart attack risk
Pfizer Inc. said Friday it had no plans to pull the popular painkiller Celebrex off the market despite data showing that patients using the drug in a long-term cancer study had more than double the risk of a heart attack...
12/17/04
Vitamin C May Be Cancer Fighter
The way vitamin C functions in the body may help explain its possible role in prevention of heart disease and cancer, according to an Oregon State University study...
12/17/04
Nearly 30 Percent of U.S. Workers Are Obese
Nearly 30 percent of American workers are obese, which can reduce their productivity and greatly increase their cardiovascular disease risk factors...
12/17/04
Early detection key in halting anthrax outbreak
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University said Wednesday that early detection -- and not a pre-exposure vaccination -- is the key to limiting an outbreak of anthrax...
12/17/04
German doctors use stem cells to repair skull injury
Surgeons have used stem cells from fat to help repair skull damage in a 7-year-old girl in Germany, in what's apparently the first time such fat-derived cells have been exploited to grow bone in a human...
12/17/04
Pfizer: No plans to pull Celebrex
Drug giant Pfizer said Friday that it had no plans to pull the popular painkiller Celebrex off the market despite data showing that patients using the drug in a long-term cancer study had an increased cardiovascular risk...
12/16/04
Low Iron Levels May Contribute to ADHD
Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seem to have iron deficiency, according to the results of a small study. The researchers suggest that such kids may benefit from iron supplements...
12/16/04
Blood pressure drug combination risky
Older women who combine two popular blood pressure drugs might be raising their risk of death, according to a study of more than 30,000 women. But doctors warned the research has flaws and said it is too soon to know whether the commonly prescribed duo really is dangerous...
12/16/04
Future retiree health benefits disappearing
Many companies are dropping their promise of health benefits for future retirees, who now might have to stay on the job longer and rely on government health care in their old age...
12/16/04
Birth control pill study flawed
Federal officials Wednesday backed away from the findings of two major studies on birth control pills, saying the research was flawed and that a new analysis shows there is no evidence that oral contraceptives cut the risk of heart disease...
12/16/04
Few manage to lose Christmas bulge
It's just a pound or two, right? Cut a few carbs, hit the gym and they'll be gone by February...
12/15/04
U.S. has bad effect on immigrants' waistline
Long-term exposure to American culture may be hazardous to immigrants' health...
12/15/04
Companies Cutting Health Benefits
Many companies are dropping their promise of health benefits for future retirees, who now might have to stay on the job longer and rely on government health care in their old age...
12/15/04
Study Links Obesity to U.S. Residency
Long-term exposure to American culture may be hazardous to immigrants' health. A new study found that obesity is relatively rare in the foreign-born until they have lived in the United States — the land of drive-thrus, remote controls and double cheeseburgers — for more than 10 years...
12/15/04
Body May Keep a Dormant Cancer in Check
Tumor cells found in the blood of breast cancer patients up to 20 years after surgery suggest that the body may have ways of keeping a dormant cancer in check, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday...
12/15/04
Saliva Can Be Used to Detect Oral Cancer
Saliva can be used to diagnose whether someone has oral cancer and may also be a reliable indicator of other cancers and diseases, researchers said on Wednesday...
12/14/04
Smell Test May Predict Alzheimer's
A simple scratch and sniff test may help doctors identify patients with Alzheimer's disease, researchers said on Monday...
12/14/04
Dementia of Parkinson's Similar to Alzheimer's
People with Parkinson's disease and dementia experience a similar average annual decline in cognitive function as people with Alzheimer's disease do, says a Norwegian study in the December issue of the Archives of Neurology...
12/14/04
Diet may protect monkeys from Parkinson
A long-term low calorie diet, already reported to extend life span, may also offer protection from Parkinson's disease — at least in monkeys...
12/14/04
WHO warns of dire flu pandemic
The World Health Organization has issued a dramatic warning that bird flu will trigger an international pandemic that could kill up to seven million people...
12/14/04
Is your desk making you sick?
With cold and flu season reaching its peak and flu vaccine in short supply, many Americans may want to hide at their desks to avoid those hacking and sneezing co-workers. But health experts say that could be the very place that makes them sick...
12/13/04
Male Birth Control Moves Closer to Reality
The day when men can take a pill or rely on an implant to keep them from fathering a child may only be a few years away, experts say...
12/13/04
Flu shot supply grows as demand withers
Rod Watson had to cancel 1,000 flu-shot clinics in four states when the national vaccine shortage cut off his supply two months ago...
12/13/04
Bush nominates Leavitt for health secretary
President Bush has nominated EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt to replace Tommy Thompson as Health and Human Services secretary...
12/13/04
Mice yield psoriasis clue
Researchers said Sunday they may have discovered what causes psoriasis, a common and irritating skin ailment, and said their findings may open the way to an effective treatment...
12/13/04
Gates gives $42.6 million to fight malaria
Combating malaria has been one of the primary goals of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and its latest gift of $42.6 million will fund a nonprofit drug company's high-tech take on an ancient Chinese remedy...
12/11/04
Feds warn Americans about seasonal decorating
You better watch out: Decking the halls for Christmas brings a sharp increase in injuries from falling off roofs, ladders and living room sofas...
12/11/04
'Tis the season to de-stress
Waiting in line at another department store, hung over from last night's office party and dreading the arrival of in-laws, it hits you: Where did all the fun of the holidays go?...
12/11/04
Hospitals cover LiveStrong bracelets
A hospital chain is taping over patients' LiveStrong wristbands because they are yellow — the same color as the "do not resuscitate" bands it puts on patients who do not want to be saved if their heart stops...
12/11/04
Test Predicts Who Will Benefit From Chemo
A genetic profiling test already on the market accurately predicts which breast cancer patients will benefit from chemotherapy and which won't, giving women a powerful tool to help decide whether to undergo the ordeal, scientists report...
12/10/04
Kids with Epilepsy Don't Usually Die of Seizures
Children with epilepsy have a moderately increased risk of dying early, but the cause of death is not usually related to seizures, investigators report. Rather, the increased risk appears to be more closely related to severe underlying conditions...
12/10/04
Steroids Critical to Asthma Management
Asthma patients who don't stick to their inhaled steroid medication regimens probably account for the majority of asthma-related hospital admissions, a new study contends...
12/10/04
Gene Test Can Predict Breast Cancer Chemo Effect
A genetic test for patients with early breast cancer can identify that only some of them will be helped by chemotherapy, but for those women the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, researchers said on Friday...
12/10/04
Video games calm kids before surgery
Letting children play video games on a Game Boy in the operating room before undergoing surgery can help relax them better than tranquilizers or holding Mommy's hand, researchers say...
12/10/04
Ban extended at flu vaccine plant
The UK government has extended by three months a ban on the production of influenza vaccine at Chiron Corp.'s plant in Britain...
12/09/04
Parkinson's Drug May Slow Illness
A drug widely prescribed to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease does not hasten the progression of the illness as some had feared, and it might even slow it down, a study suggests...
12/09/04
Keep the Holidays Safe for Kids
The holiday season can be an especially exciting time of year for children...
12/09/04
Smoking Is Bad for the Brain
Smoking not only damages health, it is bad for the brain too, according to a Scottish study spanning nearly 60 years...
12/09/04
Laptops 'carry risk to fertility'
Teenagers and young men should keep their laptops off their laps because they could damage fertility, an expert said Thursday...
12/08/04
Add an E to ABCD for Spotting Melanoma
The ABCD memory-aid used to recognize early-stage melanoma should be expanded to include the letter E for "Evolving," researchers recommend...
12/08/04
Smoking is bad for your brain
Smoking has long been known to cause cancer, heart disease, impotence and so on -- now, damage to your IQ can be added to the list...
12/08/04
Drug discount card a slow go
Jane Fumich and her team visit Cleveland, Ohio's churches, public housing holiday parties and ward club meetings trying to give away the government's money -- without much success...
12/08/04
New breast cancer drug shows promise
A newer drug clearly outperforms tamoxifen at preventing breast cancer from returning and should become the first-choice treatment for most women who have had the disease, doctors are reporting...
12/07/04
Teens with Diabetes May Face Future Bone Frailty
Despite normal growth and maturation, young people with type 1 diabetes appear to lag in bone development, researchers report...
12/07/04
Obesity Threatens Health Care System
Younger Americans who are overweight today are threatening to hit the U.S. government's Medicare system with big health care bills when they reach old age, according to a report published on Tuesday...
12/07/04
Celebrex appears safer than Vioxx
New research suggests that top-selling pain reliever Celebrex does not carry the same heart attack risk as Vioxx, a similar drug pulled from the market in September because of safety concerns...
12/07/04
1.2 million flu shots on the way
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration has authorized 1.2 million doses of flu vaccine for use in the United States...
12/06/04
Lost sleep equals gained weight
People who put on a few extra pounds may be able to blame a lack of sleep for the added weight, according to two separate studies published Monday...
12/06/04
Flu Season Off to Slower Start
This year's flu season has started slowly in the United States, where there are concerns about a shortage of vaccine caused by production problems at a major manufacturer, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday...
12/06/04
Heart Risk Factors for Obese Kids Murky
More of America's young people are getting fat, but the results aren't showing up consistently in obesity-related risk factors for heart disease, U.S. researchers report...
12/06/04
SARS vaccine 'passes first hurdle'
Chinese researchers have developed a SARS vaccine that has passed the first stage of human trials, state media has reported, raising hopes for the prevention of a virus that killed some 800 people since it emerged in 2002...
12/06/04
Mom's time to exercise
At first, Julia DeCredico pushed her triplets in a stroller to help calm them down when fussy. Now she takes 22-month-old Claudia, Joseph and Davis on morning strolls regardless of their moods...
12/05/04
Meth addiction leads to sexual misery
At a recent task force meeting on widespread methamphetamine use in Appalachia, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen winced when a federal prosecutor described the illegal drug as an aphrodisiac...
12/05/04
Sickle cell study halted over stroke risk
A study aimed at determining if some children with sickle cell anemia could be weaned off blood transfusion therapy has been halted because two young patients who stopped getting the procedure suffered strokes and others developed a high chance of strokes...
12/05/04
Leukemia pill has 86 percent remission rate
A next-generation leukemia pill designed to help patients not cured by the successful drug Gleevec works even better than doctors had hoped, researchers said Sunday...
12/03/04
The quest for a flu shot
Kathleen Gans-Brangs has quite enough stress in her life. A demanding full-time job, two children at home and elderly parents with health problems keep her plenty busy...
12/03/04
New Method Helps Map Women's Happiness
Having sex is the high point of most women's' days, while commuting is the low point. And most women like being with their kids less than they will admit, according to a study published on Thursday...
12/03/04
Pregnancy Ultrasounds Do Not Harm Baby
Having several ultrasounds during pregnancy does not harm the unborn baby or restrict the child's growth or development early in life, Australian scientists said Friday...
12/03/04
Sex patch decision could slow research
In a move that could chill excitement about experimental drugs to treat female sexual dysfunction, federal advisers refused to endorse a new testosterone patch for women...
12/02/04
First sexual stimulant for women
A skin patch providing sexual stimulation for menopausal women that promises to do what Viagra did for men will begin its approval procedure at the Food and Drug Administration...
12/02/04
Stomach Surgery Helps Obese Patients with Reflux
For obese patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that persists after standard surgery, relief may come from a type of "keyhole" operation that reduces the size of the stomach -- laparoscopic gastric bypass -- new research shows...
12/02/04
40 Percent in U.S. Use Prescription Drugs
More than 40 percent of Americans take at least one prescription drug and one-in-six takes at least three, the government reported Thursday...
12/02/04
HIV rate same as decade ago
Despite the government's promise to "break the back" of the AIDS epidemic by 2005, about 40,000 Americans test positive for the HIV infection every year -- the same number as a decade ago...
12/01/04
AIDS Day around the globe
Campaigners sang, lit candles and marched Wednesday as they observed World AIDS Day by turning the spotlight on the need to protect women and girls, often sidelined in the fight against the disease...
12/01/04
Green Tea Seems to Stem Spread of Prostate Cancer
Green tea appears to inhibit the spread of prostate cancer in a number of ways, says a study in the Dec. 1 issue of Cancer Research...
12/01/04
Depression Returns as Seasons Change
Cold weather enthusiasts may eagerly await the snowy days of winter, but for those with seasonal affective disorder, the change from sunny to gloomy days often brings on a similar change in mood...
12/01/04
Over-the-counter impotence pill recalled
An over-the-counter pill used to treat erectile dysfunction is being recalled because it may contain an unlabeled prescription drug ingredient, the product's maker said Tuesday...
12/01/04
Ricin vaccine ready for human trials
Texas researchers will begin clinical trials of a candidate vaccine against the deadly toxin ricin, a biological agent that can only be tested in select labs...
11/30/04
Truth, lies differ in brain scans
Brain scans show that the brains of people who are lying look very different from those of people who are telling the truth, U.S. researchers said on Monday...
11/30/04
India to trial new HIV vaccine
India, home to the world's second largest HIV population after South Africa, is set to begin human trials of a new vaccine against the virus in January, a research institute said on Tuesday...
11/30/04
MRIs find signs in bipolar brains
Bipolar disorder, a sometimes misdiagnosed mental illness characterized by wide emotional swings, may be identifiable by chemical abnormalities visible in victims' brains, researchers said Tuesday...
11/30/04
Study: Stress ages women's immune cells
The immune cells of women under extreme mental stress age faster than those in women not facing such pressure, a new study reports...
11/29/04
Hyperactivity disorder tied to brain irregularities
Brain scans of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder show abnormalities in the fiber pathways along which brain signals pass, scientists said Monday...
11/29/04
New treatments give hope to stroke victims
Mickey Poduje, 50, had been out all day with her husband Noel on their 32-foot motorboat off the Massachusetts coast. When they returned to the dock, she climbed out to do her usual job of securing the lines. Then she collapsed. It was a stroke. A blood vessel had burst in her brain, paralyzing her right side and leaving her mute at first. At the rehabilitation hospital she just mostly said "when ... when ... when" over and over again...
11/29/04
Supreme Court to weigh medical marijuana laws
Traditional drugs have done little to help 39-year-old Angel Raich...
11/29/04
Swiss vote for stem cell law
Swiss voters have overwhelmingly approved a law allowing stem cell research, rejecting a hard-line campaign that compared researchers to the Nazis' "angel of death," Dr. Josef Mengele...
11/29/04
CT scans find cancer earlier
Using computerized scans to screen for lung cancer can help save lives and should be part of a regular checkup for people who have a high risk for the disease, a new study says...
11/28/04
Singapore Intensifies Battle Against AIDS
Singapore, facing a rise in AIDS cases, is considering making it compulsory for pregnant women to be screened for HIV/AIDS, an official said on Saturday...
11/27/04
Medical-pot fight goes to justices
Angel Raich, a 39-year-old mother of two, smokes marijuana eight times a day in her Oakland home...
11/27/04
Cigarettes cost families, society $41 per pack
Cigarettes may cost smokers more then they believe. A study by a team of health economists finds the combined price paid by their families and society is about $41 per pack of cigarettes...
11/27/04
N.Y. Creates Site on Obesity, Insurance
The state of New York is responding to complaints from citizens about the complexity of health insurance coverage for obesity treatment by releasing an online consumer guide...
11/27/04
'Mini Stroke' Carries Significant Health Risk
Transient ischemic attacks (TIA), short episodes of decreased blood flow to the brain, carry a "not so benign" prognosis, according to a new report in the journal Stroke...
11/26/04
Stomach Cancer May Start in Bone Marrow
Stomach cancer may originate from bone marrow cells rather than stomach cells, as was previously believed...
11/26/04
Effectiveness of Antidepressant Unclear in Elderly
Depressed people 75 or older are just as likely to improve after an 8-week course with an inactive, placebo drug as with an antidepressant, new research indicates...
11/26/04
How to Survive Thanksgiving Overeating
It happened again, didn't it? Despite your promises to cut the carbs, trim the fat and count the calories, Thanksgiving came and the turkey wasn't the only thing that ended up stuffed...
11/26/04
Chest Pain Not from Heart?
People who go to the emergency room with chest pain and are told that it is not caused by a heart attack or angina might want to get a second opinion. Findings from a new study indicate that on rare occasions heart-related chest pain is incorrectly chalked up to something else...
11/26/04
WHO warns of dire flu pandemic
The World Health Organization has issued a dramatic warning that bird flu will trigger an international pandemic that could kill up to seven million people...
11/25/04
Herpes Virus Common in Young Adolescent Girls
Girls as young as 12 years old are commonly infected with various forms of herpes viruses, including the one that causes genital herpes, a study of urban U.S. adolescents shows...
11/25/04
Ovarian Cancer Risk Increases with Estrogen Use
The estrogen component of oral hormone replacement therapy around the time of menopause is associated with ovarian cancer risk, findings from a Danish study show...
11/25/04
Effectiveness of Antidepressant Unclear in Elderly
Depressed people 75 or older are just as likely to improve after an 8-week course with an inactive, placebo drug as with an antidepressant, new research indicates...
11/25/04
CDC: Flu season off to slow start
The flu season in the United States is off to a slow start, with only Delaware and New York reporting significant outbreaks -- a relief to government health authorities, given the U.S. vaccine shortage...
11/25/04
Healthy holiday meal: Pace, portion properly
If you're hoping to keep this Thanksgiving from turning into another gut-busting affair, that's what your plate should look like: a serving of turkey no larger than a deck of playing cards and half a cup each of two starches... (A half-cup is about the size of a computer mouse.)
11/24/04
Turkey Can Stick in Your Craw, Really
Besides the usual increases in cases of heartburn, emergency room workers see a Thanksgiving surge of people with food stuck in their esophagus, according to an expert...
11/24/04
Stress Raises Asthma Risk in Children
Stress caused by events such as moving, changes in family relationships and death can raise a child's risks for asthma attacks four-fold, according to a study in the latest issue of the journal Thorax...
11/24/04
Five Million Smokers Died Worldwide in 2000
Smoking killed nearly 5 million people worldwide in 2000, with men more than three times as likely as women to go to an early grave, according to a study published on Wednesday in the journal Tobacco Control...
11/24/04
Experimental treatment saves rabies victim
A unique combination of drugs has made a 15-year-old girl the first known human to survive rabies without vaccination, doctors said...
11/24/04
States take drug safety into own hands
As Congress and others lobby to create an independent board to review the safety of prescription drugs, a dozen states have been doing just that...
11/23/04
Arthritis Pills Little Use in Beating Pain
Painkillers taken by millions of arthritis sufferers worldwide are actually of limited use in relieving symptoms, Norwegian scientists said on Tuesday...
11/23/04
Older Americans not exercising, eating well
Two-thirds of older Americans take part in leisure-time physical activities, but poor nutrition remains a problem, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables, according to the latest snapshot of aging...
11/23/04
Few Kids Get Alternative Medicine
Many pediatricians don't feel comfortable discussing or recommending complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies for their patients, says a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study in the November issue of Ambulatory Pediatrics...
11/23/04
Obesity Bad for Brain, Study Finds
Obesity is harmful to the brain for women, but it doesn't appear to raise the risk of dying for men who have suffered heart attacks, according to two new studies...
11/23/04
Nearly Half of HIV Adults Are Women
Women make up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults living with HIV and in sub-Saharan Africa the proportion rises to almost 60 percent, according to a UN report released on Tuesday...
11/22/04
Risks Outlined for Women With Breast Cancer Gene
There is good research news for women with breast cancer who carry a cancer-causing gene and are treated with breast-conserving therapy: the risk that cancer will recur in that breast is no higher than for women who don't carry that gene...
11/22/04
Asthmatics Often Have Reflux
People with asthma often have gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), but typical symptoms such as frequent heartburn may be absent, according to Finnish doctors...
11/22/04
Medicare drug benefits to vary
Low-income Americans who get a government subsidy are projected to have most of their spending on prescription medicines wiped away in the Medicare drug benefit that begins in 2006, according to an independent analysis released Monday. But several million people actually would spend more on drugs under the new program...
11/22/04
Doctors want new agency to monitor drug safety
New reports accuse another drug company of being too slow to pull a dangerous medication from the market and question the ability of the federal Food and Drug Administration to protect the public from such risks...
11/21/04
Acupuncture Aids Pain Relief for Knee Arthritis
Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee are eased more when acupuncture is added to treatment with the painkiller diclofenac, Spanish researchers report...
11/21/04
Some Childhood Ills Refuse to Go Away
Like the sequel to a bad movie, some medical conditions can show up years after an initial infection or injury. Many of them are every bit as bad -- or worse -- the second time around...
11/20/04
Wrist Best Spot for Angioplasty in Elderly
The wrist is a better access spot than the groin for performing angioplasty in very elderly patients with heart disease, new research shows...
11/20/04
Obesity a Major Obstacle to Good Sex Life
New research confirms the worst fears of those who worry about putting on extra pounds: Severely overweight people are much more likely to report poor sex lives...
11/20/04
Brain Area Found to Be Smaller in Cocaine Addicts
A part of the brain involved in both drug craving and judgment appears to be smaller in cocaine addicts than in healthy people, researchers have found...
11/19/04
Bottle, Pacifier Can Misalign Baby Teeth
Children who were bottle-fed or used pacifiers as babies are at risk of dental problems in preschool, a new study suggests...
11/19/04
C-Sections gaining popularity in USA
New research bolsters a growing body of evidence that an increasing proportion of women in the industrialized world are choosing to give birth by Caesarean section when there is no clear medical need...
11/19/04
FDA backs safety of approved drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that Senate testimony by a veteran FDA researcher regarding safety risks for five drugs does not reflect the views of the agency...
11/19/04
Rare blood infection surfaces in soldiers
An unexpectedly high number of U.S. soldiers injured in the Middle East and Afghanistan are testing positive for a rare, hard-to-treat blood infection in military hospitals, Army doctors reported on Thursday...
11/19/04
New mad cow case likely, experts say
A final test is likely to confirm a second U.S. case of mad cow disease, experts said on Thursday, though they see a small possibility the animal, which tested "inconclusive" in two preliminary tests, could be given a clean bill of health...
11/18/04
Retiring early?
Those too young for Medicare often forced to pay for pricey private plans, or go back to work...
11/18/04
Walking, the weight-loss equalizer
Here's some weight-loss news that's good for wallet health: If you want to get more exercise, just going for walks can be as beneficial as a gym membership...
11/18/04
Stomach Surgery Linked to Throat Cancer Risk
People who have had all or part of their stomach removed appear to have an increased risk of later developing cancer of the larynx, doctors in Italy report...
11/18/04
More Than Half of Adult Diabetics Obese
An increasing number of American adults diagnosed with diabetes are obese, making it more likely they will suffer heart disease, vision damage and other health problems, U.S. officials said on Thursday...
11/18/04
Merck, FDA grilled at Senate hearing
Merck and federal regulators came under fire Thursday for their handling of Vioxx, but the drugmaker's CEO again defended the company's withdrawal of the drug after increased risks of heart attacks and strokes were found...
11/17/04
Sound waves help stroke victims
The same type of sound waves that pulsate from sonar fish-finders and ultrasound fetal monitors can dramatically boost the power of anti-clotting medicine and help it dissolve brain blockages in stroke patients, a study suggests...
11/17/04
U.S. Launches Giant Study on Children
U.S. government researchers launched the biggest-ever study of children on Tuesday, saying they will track 100,000 children from birth through age 21 to see what makes kids sick...
11/17/04
California Pushes Stem Cell Plan as UN Weighs Ban
alifornia is moving quickly to launch a $3 billion stem cell research program approved by voters this month even as the United States is leading a campaign at the United Nations to ban all cloning of human embryos, including for stem cell studies...
11/17/04
Selenium May Reduce Colon Cancer Risk
High levels of selenium in the blood may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new study that suggests but doesn't prove the mineral's role as a preventive...
11/17/04
Apple a day does keep doctor away
An apple a day really does keep the doctor away, thanks to strong antioxidants that fight cell damage, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday...
11/16/04
White Kids More Likely to Be Allergic to Peanuts
Perhaps because of differences in feeding habits, white children appear to be at increased risk for peanut allergy compared with their non-white peers, new research suggests...
11/16/04
Study Links Sleep Deprivation, Obesity
Weight-loss experts have a novel prescription for people who want to shed pounds: Get some sleep...
11/16/04
A Cure for A Race?
A study showing that a new drug combination dramatically improves outcomes for black patients with heart failure is expected to lead to federal approval of the medication specifically for that group. While some doctors applaud this development, others question its validity and worry about its ethical implications, fearing it will usher in a wave of race-based drug treatments driven more by marketing than by science...
11/16/04
Bush's health plan: Cap suits, contain costs
Limiting jury awards in medical malpractice lawsuits is President Bush's health care priority in his second term agenda, but there is strong disagreement over whether such caps would help contain rising costs...
11/16/04
Warnings on pregnancy-termination pill
The father of a teen who died after taking an prenancy-termination pill says new safety warnings added by the government aren't enough to protect women. Because a third death now has been linked to RU-486, the Food and Drug Administration should bar sales of the pregnancy-termination pill, said the grieving father...
11/15/04
Birth Rate for Young Teens Lowest Since 1946
The birth rate among adolescent and young teen girls in the United States fell sharply in the 1990s, hitting a 58-year-low in 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Monday...
11/15/04
Allergy Sufferers Keen to Try Alternative Therapy
In a survey of allergy and asthma patients seen at a private allergy practice in the US, 62 percent expressed an interest in also being treated with complementary and alternative medicine, such as acupuncture or vitamin therapy...
11/15/04
Looking north for flu vaccine
Many of internist Michael Chase's older patients order prescription drugs from Canada to save money. Given the U.S. shortage, they figured, why not order a flu shot along with their cholesterol-lowering medication?...
11/15/04
Caring for America's aging smiles
A generation or two ago, dentures were common among the elderly, even the middle-aged...
11/15/04
Pill might stop drug abuse
A pill that helps you lose weight and quit smoking? That was amazing enough to capture headlines last week. But scientists say the experimental drug might be even more versatile, providing a new tool to help people stop abusing drugs and alcohol, too...
11/13/04
Smoking and Salt Bad for Stomach Reflux
People who smoke or use high amounts of table salt on their food appear to be at increased risk for gastroesophageal reflux, a disease in which stomach juices flow back into the esophagus, European researchers report. In contrast, tea and alcohol, which have been identified as culprits in past studies, did not increase the risk...
11/13/04
Study reverses course on Gulf War illnesses
Parting company with the findings of a Clinton administration panel on Gulf War illnesses, a new study concludes more must be learned about the effects of toxic substances on those who fought there...
11/13/04
Vice President Cheney taken to hospital
Vice President Dick Cheney is undergoing tests at George Washington University Hospital after experiencing shortness of breath, the White House said Saturday...
11/12/04
Shot Shows Promise As Male Contraceptive
Developing a new contraceptive for men may involve prompting an immune reaction to a protein that is produced in the male reproductive system. The method worked in experiments on male monkeys and could one day supplement condoms and vasectomies, the current methods available to men...
11/12/04
Paxil Appears to Be Effective for OCD in Kids
Paxil is a safe and effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents, according to the results of a short-term study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry...
11/12/04
Respiratory Problems Plague Kids With Asthma
Respiratory infections, not air pollution, cause a significant worsening of health problems in winter for children with asthma, according to researchers at National Jewish Medical and Research Center...
11/12/04
Vaccine Protects Against Cervical Cancer
A vaccine designed to protect against two strains of the human papillomavirus that are leading causes of cervical cancer has been successful in a major trial...
11/12/04
Doctors apologizing to avoid lawsuits
It's a lesson children learn even before their ABCs -- say you're sorry when you hurt someone. But it's now being taught in the grown-up world of medicine as a surprisingly powerful way to soothe patients and head off malpractice lawsuits...
11/11/04
Smoking bans, social forces clear indoor air
The United States is making progress toward the goal of reducing cigarette smoking and cleaning up indoor air, according to two reports published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
11/11/04
Scientists try two-prong attack on cholesterol
Taking one drug to boost "good" cholesterol and another to lower its evil twin can slow the progression of heart disease more effectively than one medicine alone, the first study to test this dual approach has found...
11/11/04
Health minister: Canada not U.S. drug store
Canada's health minister said Wednesday that his country "cannot be the drug store of the United States" -- a warning that comes as several states are pushing to buy low-cost prescription drugs north of the border...
11/11/04
New worries tarnish arthritis drugs
One by one, arthritis drugs that promised to ease pain without causing ulcers are losing their luster...
11/10/04
56-year-old woman delivers twins
A New York woman who delivered twins by C-section Tuesday, three days before her 57th birthday, would not have been accepted at many infertility clinics because of her age...
11/10/04
High Risk of Leukemia in Older Obese Women
Being overweight or obese could more than double an older woman's risk of getting acute myelogenous leukemia, one of the deadliest leukemias, according to University of Minnesota researchers...
11/10/04
Herbs, Lifestyle Changes May Aid Prostate
Men who are bothered by symptoms of an enlarged prostate may find some relief in certain herbal remedies and simple lifestyle changes, according to one expert...
11/10/04
Vitamin E may do more harm than good
High doses of vitamin E, which millions of people take to protect themselves against heart attacks, Alzheimer's disease and other ailments, appear to actually increase the overall risk of dying, researchers reported today...
11/09/04
Lipitor May Aid Memory in Alzheimer's
A widely used cholesterol-lowering drug improved memory and cognition as well as depressive symptoms in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, according to results of a small study...
11/09/04
Obesity Drug Shows Great Promise
The biggest trial to date on an experimental obesity drug shows the pill is both safe and effective, researchers say...
11/09/04
Pollution, cold snaps linked to heart death
Cold snaps and air pollution can trigger heart deaths, and breathing dirty air day in and day out may help heart disease develop in the first place, researchers said on Sunday...
11/09/04
Colleges frustrated by drinking deaths
It's a sad but recurring campus story: This autumn, students are again drinking themselves to death. Colorado State student Samantha Spady had consumed as many as 40 drinks when she was found dead at a fraternity house in September. Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr., Gordie to his friends, had been taken to the mountains near the University of Colorado with fellow Chi Psi fraternity pledges and told not to leave until several bottles of whiskey were finished...
11/08/04
USA in a fragile state of health
If the USA were a patient, according to the public health doctors who today unveil results equivalent to a nationwide annual physical exam, the findings would portend trouble...
11/08/04
Doctors Eye Apologies for Medical Mistakes
It's a basic lesson children learn even before their ABCs — say you're sorry when you hurt someone. But it's now being taught in the grown-up world of medicine as a surprisingly powerful way to soothe patients...
11/08/04
Medicare: Not enough data on obesity surgery
Obesity surgery has helped many patients lose weight and improve their health, a panel of experts told U.S. regulators Thursday, but they added there was not enough data on how well it has worked for elderly patients covered by Medicare...
11/08/04
America improves health, but risks growing
The average resident of Minnesota stands a better chance of avoiding smoking, car accidents and obesity than a friend living 900 miles to the south in Tennessee...
11/07/04
Obesity Carries Extra Health-Care Costs
Obese and overweight men spend much more on prescription drugs than men with normal weight, says a Mayo Clinic study...
11/07/04
Flu Season Slow So Far, Official Says
The U.S. influenza season is starting slowly but it is still too early to tell how severe the outbreak will be as the nation faces a vaccine shortage, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Sunday...
11/07/04
Different Exercise Makes for Different Effects
People too fat or too weak to start normal exercise may get surprising benefits from a downhill stroll, Austrian researchers reported on Sunday...
11/07/04
Obesity as Unhealthy as Heart Failure
Very obese people are as unhealthy, and probably as likely to die, as patients with heart failure, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday...
11/05/04
Elizabeth Edwards to have more tests
Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, will undergo more tests to determine how far her breast cancer has advanced and ways to treat it...
11/05/04
Stem cells ferry drug to tumors
Texas researchers say they have perfected a method to deliver cancer treatment directly into tumors, bypassing healthy tissue...
11/05/04
Stem cell research may get post-election boost
Stem-cell research, a once obscure area of medical science that crossed over into politics during the 2004 election, may benefit from the re-election of President George W. Bush, supporters said on Wednesday...
11/05/04
Hepatitis B down among children, teens
Cases of hepatitis B among children and teenagers have dropped by almost 90 percent in the past decade, thanks to a vaccination program against the virus, the government said Thursday...
11/05/04
Feds: Obesity raising airline fuel costs
Heavy suitcases aren't the only things weighing down airplanes and requiring them to burn more fuel, pushing up the cost of flights. A new government study reveals that airlines increasingly have to worry more about the weight of their passengers...
11/04/04
Elizabeth Edwards Has Breast Cancer
Just a few hours after her husband and his running mate gave up their quest for the White House on Wednesday, Elizabeth Edwards was told by a Boston surgeon that she has breast cancer, a spokesman announced yesterday...
11/04/04
Pill may end leading cause of blindness
British researchers working in an East African village say a single dose of an antibiotic appears to stop infections that cause trachoma, the world's leading preventable cause of blindness...
11/04/04
Obese Women More Likely to Get Colorectal Cancer
Obese women face a greater risk of colorectal cancer than obese men, says a Stony Brook University study presented Nov. 1 at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla...
11/04/04
Many Older Adults Drink Too Much
Between one-quarter and one-half of adults in their 50s and 60s drink more than the recommended amount of alcohol, putting them at risk of problems related to their drinking, according to new research...
11/04/04
A Jog in the Pool May Spare Sore Joints
Runners looking to ease their aching limbs may want to move their act from dry land to the pool...
11/04/04
Can flu vaccine be stretched?
It might be possible to stretch out the scarce U.S. supply of flu vaccine by diluting it and injecting it differently, U.S. researchers said Wednesday...
11/03/04
Study emphasizes flu shot protection
Yearly flu shots significantly reduce deaths from all causes in people 65 and older, Dutch researchers found in a study that underscores the seriousness of this year's U.S. vaccine shortage...
11/03/04
Shots help elderly
Yearly flu shots significantly reduce deaths from all causes in people 65 and older, Dutch researchers found in a study that underscores the seriousness of this year's U.S. vaccine shortage...
11/03/04
Fruits and Veggies No Help Against Cancer
Consuming a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables seems to reduce the risk of heart attack and strokes, but not cancer, according to a report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute...
11/03/04
Study Indicates Cancer Drugs Getting Safer
Early studies of experimental cancer drugs appear to be getting safer, according to a study that found a sharp drop in patient deaths from 1991 to 2002...
11/03/04
Calif. Voters Back $3 Billion Stem Cell Measure
A controversial California ballot measure that would fund a decade of stem cell research with $3 billion in state money was headed for a resounding victory on Wednesday, initial returns showed...
11/03/04
Teens Exercise Less as They Become Adults
Many teens do not get enough exercise and spend too much time in front of a television or computer screen. Yet, the few who are physically active do not often stay that way as they enter adulthood, according to a team of North Carolina researchers...
11/02/04
Shortage of 200,000 Doctors Predicted in US
Over the next two decades, the US could find itself short of 200,000 doctors unless steps are taken to curb current trends, according to a new report...
11/02/04
Women More Likely to Get Colorectal Cancer
Obese women face a greater risk of colorectal cancer than obese men, says a Stony Brook University study presented Nov. 1 at the American College of Gastroenterology annual meeting in Orlando, Fla...
11/02/04
Vaccine Promising for Certain Lung Cancer Patients
A cancer vaccine for non-small-cell lung cancer (the most common type) appears to be effective for patients whose cancer has not spread to other parts of the body, a Canadian researcher reported Monday at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress...
11/02/04
Cholesterol Pills and Grapefruit Don't Mix
Taking certain cholesterol-lowering drugs at the same time as grapefruit juice can increase the risk of potentially life-threatening muscle toxicity, British regulators warned on Tuesday...
11/02/04
Coffee, Cigarette Combo Is Extra Hard on Arteries
People who like to start the day with coffee and a cigarette may be doing particular damage to their arteries, new research suggests...
11/01/04
Vaccine protects against cervical cancer
Efforts to develop the world's first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer took a key step forward Monday with test results suggesting that it can provide long-lasting protection...
11/01/04
Doctors: Rotavirus vaccine promising
A new vaccine against rotavirus, the diarrheal infection that kills millions of children worldwide, doesn't appear to raise the risk of serious bowel blockages that caused a previous vaccine to be pulled from the market five years ago, doctors reported Sunday...
11/01/04
Cleveland Clinic plans first facial transplant
The Cleveland Clinic says it is the first institution to receive review board approval of human facial transplant for someone severely disfigured by burns or disease...
11/01/04
Girl with rare disease doesn't know pain
Ashlyn Blocker's parents and kindergarten teachers all describe her the same way: fearless. So they nervously watch her plunge full-tilt into a childhood deprived of natural alarms...
10/31/04
Doctors Who Sleep More Err Less
Young doctors make far fewer mistakes when their hours are restricted to let them get enough sleep, according to the first study to directly examine the issue...
10/31/04
Health Care Squeeze
Lucia Kane, who owns a Falls Church spa, spent the last three weeks fretting about health insurance instead of doing oatmeal facials and full-body wraps...
10/31/04
Cruising Into the Golden Years
Sailing the seven seas might be more than just a vacation option for seniors...
10/31/04
Allergies Can Crop Up Indoors
Spring and summer aren't the only seasons that can cause allergies in children...
10/31/04
Taste sensitivity may be linked to lower weight
Could a sensitive palate be the key to a svelte figure? A new Rutgers study, on nearly 50 women in their 40s, found "super tasters," people most sensitive to bitter tastes, were 20% thinner than "nontasters," those not sensitive to bitter tastes...
10/29/04
One Shot Eases Pain After Surgery
A single-dose epidural injection called DepoDur is safe and effective in treating postoperative pain, according to two clinical trials...
10/29/04
Obesity Linked to Higher Stroke Risk
Obesity nearly doubles the risk that an otherwise healthy middle-aged man will eventually have a stroke, a long-running Swedish study finds...
10/29/04
A Man's Weight May Affect His Fertility
Being either too thin or too heavy may lower a man's sperm count, in some cases enough to impair fertility, researchers report...
10/29/04
Scientists say drug may block Alzheimer's
It might be possible to make a pill that prevents the brain damage that marks Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said Thursday...
10/29/04
U.S. works to import 5 million flu shots
The Bush administration said Thursday it is working to buy another 5 million doses of flu vaccine from manufacturers in Canada and Germany, mixing the ticklish issue of prescription drug imports with the flu shot shortage...
10/29/04
CDC: Rare infection may surface in U.S.
A rare sexually transmitted disease that is spreading among gay and bisexual men in Europe could be poised to surface in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday...
10/28/04
Study: Stress makes you forget
How many people have gotten home after a blindingly stressful day and realize they've forgotten some important event or errand?...
10/28/04
Red Wine Slows Lung Cancer, White Raises Risk
Drinking red wine could protect against lung cancer, but white wine may increase the risk, Spanish scientists said on Thursday...
10/28/04
Clinton feels 'kind of distant' from election
Former President Clinton may be out on the campaign trail, but he says he feels a bit detached "from the to and fro of the elections."...
10/28/04
Choices tough for who gets flu shot first
Who should get the flu shot first: A sick nursing home resident or a toddler? A pregnant woman or a jail inmate with AIDS? Those are the choices health officials across the country are struggling with as the government doles out the nation's short supply of flu shots. The decisions are so daunting that federal health officials are consulting medical ethicists to help come up with clearer guidelines for the future...
10/28/04
Sleepy Interns Committing Key Errors
America's doctors-in-training are committing serious errors as a result of being forced to work over 80 hours a week, says new research which suggests the U.S. medical community has been slow to tackle sleep deprivation in its staff...
10/27/04
New Treatment Blocks Cancer's Spread
A new kind of treatment against metastatic cancer cells, which carry cancer from one location to other parts of the body, has been identified by scientists at the Scripps Research Institute...
10/27/04
Americans growing taller and wider
Americans are getting a little taller and a lot fatter...In 1960-62, the average man weighed 166.3 pounds. By 1999-2002, the average had reached 191 pounds. Similarly, the average woman's weight rose from 140.2 pounds to 164.3 pounds...
10/27/04
Thousand pound man recovering from obesity surgery
A man who weighed about half a ton when he was admitted to a hospital was recovering Wednesday from obesity surgery...
10/27/04
Heartburn drugs linked to pneumonia
Widely used heartburn and ulcer drugs such as Nexium, Pepcid and Prilosec can make people more susceptible to pneumonia, probably because they reduce germ-killing stomach acid, Dutch researchers found in a study of more than 300,000 patients...
10/27/04
Experts urge caution in talking to anorexics
They became fast friends in college, sharing rides home and going to parties. Then, month by month, year by year, Lisa Roy noticed her friend getting thinner, alarmingly so...
10/26/04
U.S. Flu Shot Dream Scenario Turns to Nightmare
It should have been health officials' dream year -- Americans flocking to clinics, rolling up their sleeves and demanding flu shots...
10/26/04
Obese People Generate Bigger Health-Care Bills
Obese people have higher health-care costs than those who aren't obese, says a study in the Oct. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine...
10/26/04
New Treatment Blocks Cancer's Spread
A new kind of treatment against metastatic cancer cells, which carry cancer from one location to other parts of the body, has been identified by scientists at the Scripps Research Institute...
10/26/04
Genetic Defect Linked to Brittle Bone Disease
A genetic mutation and environmental factors before and after birth can increase the risk of suffering from brittle bone disease decades later, researchers said on Tuesday...
10/26/04
Flu reality check
Public health officials say Americans should roll up their sleeves for a dose of reality: For most of us, getting a flu shot is not a life-or-death matter...
10/25/04
Rehnquist has thyroid cancer surgery
Chief Justice William Rehnquist has undergone throat surgery after a diagnosis of thyroid cancer, but is expected to be released from the hospital this week, according the Supreme Court...
10/25/04
Exercise Might Protect Against Parkinson's
In research with rats, University of Pittsburgh scientists found that exercising limbs helps protect brain cells that are normally damaged or destroyed by Parkinson's disease...
10/25/04
Illinois negotiating purchase of flu vaccine
Gov. Rod Blagojevich says his administration has negotiated a tentative agreement to purchase at least 30,000 flu vaccinations from British wholesalers, but federal regulators must still approve the deal...
10/25/04
Transplant case raises ethical questions
Log onto an organ donor Web site and you will find desperate people looking for strangers who might give a kidney or piece of liver...
10/24/04
Europe's anti-smoking campaign gets graphic
The European Union unveiled a new anti-smoking campaign that calls on governments to put both horrific and humorous pictures on cigarette packs to deter people from smoking...
10/24/04
Poll: 42% worried about flu
The flu vaccine shortage is causing widespread worries among a substantial group of Americans — the four in 10 who are in families with a member at high risk of getting the flu, an Associated Press poll found...
10/24/04
Americans Flock Across Borders for Flu Shots
Facing a vaccine shortage at home, Americans living near the Canadian and Mexican borders are finding that the flu shots they need may be only a quick car or boat trip away...
10/24/04
Study Looking for Best Ways to Quit Smoking
A large Internet study designed to evaluate the best way to help smokers kick the habit is being sponsored by the American Cancer Society...
10/22/04
Americans run to Mexico for flu shot
Americans unable to find this year's scarce flu vaccine at home are crossing the Rio Grande to buy the shot in Mexican border towns, where pharmacies are struggling to meet demand...
10/22/04
New Method Improves Therapy for Prostate Cancer
British scientists have discovered a new way to improve the effectiveness of drugs used to treat prostate cancer...
10/22/04
More Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Coming
Another 1 million doses of a nasal spray influenza vaccine will be available in the United States this year, Bush administration officials said on Thursday as they sought to calm concerns about a flu shot shortage...
10/22/04
Single Moms More Likely to Have Girls
Whether a woman is living with her partner or not when she conceives seems to influence the sex of her child, new research reports...
10/22/04
Growing danger: Drugged driving
Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper Leonard Gray had stopped to direct traffic around a jackknifed truck in December 2002 when a car, traveling about 50 mph, hit him. Gray, 53, was flipped into the air, his head crashed into the car's windshield and he landed — unconscious, with his legs broken and head bloodied — on the pavement...
10/22/04
Flu vaccine shortage may cost billions
This year's flu vaccine shortage could cost the nation up to $20 billion in lost productivity -- almost twice as much as in a typical year -- depending on the severity of the outbreak, according to one estimate...
10/21/04
Body mass affects sperm quality
Beer bellies may take a toll on men below the belt, not just around it...
10/21/04
Caesarean Birth May Raise Allergy Risk in Babies
Being born by Caesarean section may increase a baby's risk of suffering from food allergies and diarrhea in the first year of life, German doctors said on Thursday...
10/21/04
German Study Links Traffic Jams, Heart Attacks
In a study that gives new meaning to the concept of a "killer commute," researchers have concluded that people caught in traffic are three times more likely to suffer a heart attack within the hour than those who aren't tied up on the road...
10/21/04
Chemo Before Rectal Cancer Surgery
Administering chemotherapy and radiation before surgery for rectal cancer may not help patients live longer, but it produces fewer side effects than when it is given afterward, doctors reported on Wednesday...
10/21/04
Overweight People Struggle to Exercise
Tom Burns realized he was woefully out of shape after he ran a block and a half around his neighborhood and felt "every bone, muscle and joint in my body was killing me." Back then, Burns was obese. At 5-foot-8, he tipped the scales at 220 pounds. The last time he got any regular exercise was in high school when he played for the hockey team. Over the years, the 38-year-old became less active and watched helplessly as his waistline kept expanding...
10/20/04
Vioxx's maker sees promise in new drug
The maker of Vioxx, the arthritis drug pulled from the market Sept. 30 because of safety concerns, reported favorable findings Tuesday from a study of a new, related drug not available in the USA...
10/20/04
Soy Doesn't Affect Fertility
The plant estrogens found in soy don't impair fertility in female monkeys...
10/20/04
Tamoxifen Doesn't Increase Stroke Risk
Taking tamoxifen to treat breast cancer won't increase your risk of stroke...
10/20/04
Americans cross border for flu shots
With a shortage of flu vaccine across the country, Margaret Holmen and others from the Powers Lake Senior Citizens Center have been talking about going to Canada for their shots...
10/19/04
Nearly 1.7 Million U.S. Vets Lack Insurance
Nearly 1.7 million U.S. veterans had no health care coverage in 2003 -- no access to private insurance, to Medicare or Medicaid or to the Veterans Affairs health program, health care advocates said on Tuesday...
10/19/04
Poor, Uninsured Don't Fill Emergency Rooms
A new study on emergency rooms disputes the common wisdom that the poor and uninsured are filling them up...
10/19/04
Gulf War illness may stay mystery
Veterans of the Gulf War suffer more health problems than other members of the military but the causes of the mysterious array of symptoms may never be known, a leading British scientist said on Monday...
10/19/04
Schwarzenegger backs stem cell plan
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has endorsed a $3 billion bond measure that would fund human embryonic stem cell research, a move that bucks Republican leaders and threatens to further strain the state's budget...
10/19/04
Bush says most vulnerable will get flu shots
Before beginning a campaign speech Tuesday in this city with a large population of retirees, President Bush reassured the crowd that the government is working to get flu vaccine to those who need it...
10/18/04
Flu season could cost $20B
A flu season made worse by a shortage of flu vaccine could cost the U.S. economy about $20 billion in health care costs and employee absences, according to a published report Monday...
10/18/04
Study to Probe Gene Role in Breast Cancer
A new national clinical trial will investigate genetic and environmental causes of breast cancer by enrolling 50,000 sisters of women already diagnosed with the disease...
10/18/04
FDA Weighs Morning-After Pill for Teens
Some see easy access to emergency contraception as a way to drastically reduce teen pregnancy, already on the decline since the early 1990s. Others worry that its long-term effects on young women are unknown or argue that the drug, also known as the "morning after pill," encourages teens to have sex. Ultimately, it will be up to Food and Drug Administration officials to decide: Should older teens be able to buy emergency contraception over the counter?...
10/18/04
Pfizer to Sponsor Large New Celebrex Trial
Pfizer Inc. said on Monday it plans to sponsor a major clinical study to further assess the cardiovascular safety of its arthritis drug Celebrex following the withdrawal of Merck & Co.'s Vioxx, a drug in the same class...
10/18/04
Inspectors can't vouch for safety of flu vaccine
None of the influenza vaccine produced by Chiron Corp. in its Liverpool, England plant is salvageable, the Food and Drug Administration announced Friday...
10/16/04
New Hope in the Fight Against Breast Cancer
Mammograms have become a rite of passage for 40-year-old American women, and a compulsory exercise for those over 40...
10/15/04
Tumor may be linked to cell phone use
A Swedish study suggests that people who use a cell phone for at least 10 years might increase their risk of developing a rare benign tumor along a nerve on the side of the head where they hold the phone...
10/15/04
Surgeon general: Boost bone health
Half of all older Americans will have bone-thinning osteoporosis or be at high risk of getting it by 2020 -- unless they start strengthening their bones now with a boost of calcium, vitamin D and exercise, the surgeon general warned Thursday...
10/15/04
Ephedra supplements have dangerous effects
A study in dogs confirms that ephedrine weight loss supplements can kill, U.S. researchers said Thursday, supporting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's action to ban them...
10/15/04
Antidepressants to get 'black box' warning
All antidepressants must carry a "black box" warning, the government's strongest safety alert, linking the drugs to increased suicidal thoughts and behavior among children and teens taking them, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday...
10/14/04
Nerve Damage Risk Seen After Obesity Surgery
Weight-loss surgery for severe obesity may carry the risk of damage to the network of nerves that runs throughout the body, researchers reported Thursday...
10/14/04
Officials scramble for elderly's flu shots
Health officials are scurrying to secure flu vaccines so the elderly, who are most vulnerable to influenza, have first access to shots after the nation's supply was cut in half...
10/14/04
U.S. launches major Alzheimer's study
About 800 older Americans will be asked to lend their brains to science this spring, part of a major government study to track early Alzheimer's disease...
10/14/04
FDA OKS implanted medical info chip
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved an implantable computer chip that can pass a patient's medical details to doctors, speeding care...
10/13/04
High Blood Pressure May Be Set Early in Life
Parents' lifestyle choices may help determine their children's blood pressure, even before their kids are born, a new study suggests...
10/13/04
Depressed Mothers, Antisocial Fathers Affect Kids
Many children of depressed mothers also have antisocial fathers, new study findings show, and both parents' problems are associated with an increased risk of depression and conduct disorder among the children...
10/13/04
Report: Number of Overweight Americans Holds Steady
The number of overweight Americans is holding steady as U.S. consumers are becoming more aware of what they eat, an annual report by market research firm The NPD Group said...
10/13/04
Alcohol Linked to Heart Rhythm Irregularity in Men
Drinking too much alcohol may lead to abnormal rhythm of the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, according to a report from Denmark...
10/12/04
Painkiller Lotion Effective for Knee Arthritis
The class of painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can relieve the pain of osteoarthritis, but they may cause stomach problems. The solution might be to avoid the stomach all together...
10/12/04
Obesity Surgery Could Stop Diabetes
Obesity surgery helps patients do more than shed weight — it often cures their diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, researchers say...
10/12/04
Ethnic nursing homes grow in Chicago
First, Jane Ngo noticed that her mother's few words of English were gone. Then it was her mother's memory of where she lived, even as she stood just steps from her door...
10/12/04
Feds probe flu vaccine maker
Chiron Corp., the company that made the flu vaccine that was pulled from the market last week due to safety concerns, has received a federal grand jury subpoena about problems with the drug, the company said Tuesday...
10/11/04
Scientists gingerly tap into brain's power
A 25-year-old quadriplegic sits in a wheelchair with wires coming out of a bottle-cap-size connector stuck in his skull...
10/11/04
With Aging, Blood Vessels Adapt to Exercise
A number of physiological changes occur in the body as we age, including a decrease in heart's ability to pump blood. New findings show that blood vessels in the legs adapt to reduced cardiac output by regulating the flow of blood to the leg muscles during exercise...
10/11/04
Christopher Reeve dies at 52
Christopher Reeve, who portrayed a hero in the "Superman" films and embodied one as an advocate for spinal cord research after being paralyzed in an accident, has died. He was 52...
10/11/04
Study: Few buy drugs online
Only 4 percent of Americans have used the Internet to buy prescription drugs -- and even fewer do so through foreign pharmacies -- despite Web sites maintained by a handful of states to help U.S. residents import medicines more cheaply from Canada, a new study finds...
10/10/04
High Blood Pressure Hurts Sex Life
Not only is high blood pressure a dangerous health threat, it can harm your sex life...
10/10/04
CDC asks healthy adults to forgo flu shots
The Food and Drug Administration is unlikely to clear influenza vaccine made by Chiron Corp. as safe for Americans to use this flu season, Dr. Lester M. Crawford, the agency's acting commissioner, said Friday. It was unclear whether the lack of vaccine might lead to more flu deaths this year...
10/08/04
Don't count on extra flu shots, feds say
Federal health officials held out no hope that extra supplies of flu vaccine could be made in time to protect Americans from the coming flu season...
10/08/04
Metabolic Syndrome on the Rise in U.S. Adults
The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is increasing among U.S. adults, and will likely lead to increases in diabetes and heart disease, results of a study published in the October issue of Diabetes Care suggest...
10/08/04
'Weekend Warriors' Better Off Than Couch Potatoes
Health) - Cramming in the recommended weekly amount of exercise into the weekend appears to offer some health benefits for otherwise healthy men, new research reports...
10/08/04
FDA accused of silencing Vioxx warnings
The Food and Drug Administration silenced one of its drug experts who raised safety concerns weeks before Merck & Co. yanked the blockbuster drug Vioxx due to increased risks for heart attack and strokes, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said Thursday...
10/08/04
Plan takes steps toward reducing obesity
A year ago, Dr. James Hill took a deliberate step to change fat America: Every day, he declared, people should walk a little more and eat a little less to prevent weight gain...
10/07/04
U.S. Scrambles for Flu Vaccines
U.S. health officials began a search for extra flu vaccines on Wednesday after one of only two major manufacturers, Chiron Corp., lost its entire year's production to contamination...
10/07/04
Obesity Raises Death Risk From Breast Cancer
Women who are obese when they are diagnosed with early stage breast cancer are at greater risk of dying from the disease than patients considered normal weight, a new study finds...
10/07/04
More Chlamydia Screening Urged for Women
More thorough screening for chlamydia, a sexually transmitted bacterium that is the most commonly reported infectious disease in the United States, would probably reduce the incidence of the disease and be cost-effective as well, researchers say...
10/07/04
Too Few Older U.S. Adults Screened for Colon Cancer
Many Americans are still failing to get two of the most effective tests for catching colon cancer early, according to researchers with the American Cancer Society...
10/06/04
Parents Strongly Influence Teens' Drinking
Parents who supply alcohol for their teenagers' parties may be encouraging their children to binge drink when no adult is watching, a new study suggests...
10/06/04
Two studies weigh in differently on risks of gastric bypass
Two new studies add to the growing debate over the potential benefits and risks of using bariatric surgeries to treat obesity...
10/06/04
Study: Minority kids get less sleep
Black children are less likely to get enough sleep than their white counterparts, which makes them susceptible to poorer school performance and behavioral problems, a study said Monday...
10/06/04
U.S. appeals for flu vaccine rationing
A top federal health official, lamenting "a very fragile vaccine production system," urged healthy people Wednesday to defer getting their influenza shots so medication will be available for those most at risk...
10/06/04
Task force: Drug bargains in U.S.
A task force led by the U.S. Surgeon General is still drafting its report on drug importation, but one conclusion is already clear: Savvy shoppers can find cheaper prescription drugs in American pharmacies...
10/05/04
Flu shot shortage looms
Patients in the United States faced a shortage of flu vaccines in the upcoming season after Chiron Corp. announced Tuesday it won't be able to make any of the product due to regulatory problems with its British plant...
10/05/04
Patient-Doctor Sexual Relationship Examined
Forty percent of medical students in Scotland believe they could justify having sex with a patient, according to a poll published on Tuesday...
10/05/04
Low-Income Cancer Patients Are Less Informed
Higher-income individuals with prostate cancer feel more informed about the disease and more satisfied with their treatment decisions than do their lower-income peers, new survey findings show...
10/05/04
Minority Children Get Less Sleep
Black children are less likely to get enough sleep than their white counterparts, which makes them susceptible to poorer school performance and behavioral problems, a study said on Monday...
10/05/04
Sibling's Heart Problems Predict Yours Best
Does your brother or sister have heart disease? That may be a better predictor of whether you are at risk that your parents' health history, researchers said on Monday...
10/04/04
Seniors take up mind-body exercise
Balanced on one leg like flamingos, a dozen people older than 60 concentrate on staying upright, as they master the basics of tai chi...
10/04/04
Study: Birth season, schizophrenia type linked
Schizophrenics born during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere tend to develop a more severe form of the mental illness than those born during the winter, a study said Monday...
10/04/04
Kerry: Expand federal research using stem cells
Democratic Sen. John Kerry said Monday that President Bush has sacrificed hopes for disease cures offered by stem cell research to "extreme right-wing ideology."...
10/04/04
Ill., Wisc. launch program to buy refill prescriptions abroad
Illinois and Wisconsin on Monday launched the nation's first state-sponsored program to help residents buy cheaper prescription drugs from both Europe and Canada — despite federal laws banning the practice...
10/03/04
Women Going Back on Hormone Therapy
About a quarter of U.S. women who stopped taking hormone replacement therapy after it was found to raise the risk of heart disease and some cancers have gone back on it, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said on Friday...
10/03/04
Even One Puff of Smoke Damages DNA
Just one puff of a cigarette could damage a smoker's DNA, the first step to cancer and heart disease, researchers said on Friday...
10/03/04
'Superbug' a Growing Problem Outside Hospitals
An antibiotic-resistant germ is increasingly causing skin infections and pneumonia in otherwise healthy children and adults...
10/03/04
Econ. Impact of Calif. Stem Cell Plan Debated
A proposal to spend $3 billion in California state funds on stem-cell research is likely to attract scientists and create jobs, but some critics question whether the investment will pay off...
10/03/04
Doctors Can Be Sentinels for Elder Abuse
Elderly people who are abused are much likelier to die sooner than are their peers who are not mistreated, but medical professionals are in a powerful position to detect cases and even intervene...
10/01/04
Java junkies do suffer withdrawal
A scientific review that appears in this month's edition of the journal Psychopharmacology reports that half of all adults experience drug-withdrawal symptoms when their coffee or soft drink supply is cut off. The researchers came to this conclusion after poring over more than 60 studies on caffeine withdrawal conducted over the last 170 years...
10/01/04
Vitamins Don't Cut Stomach Cancer Risk-Study
Millions of people take them to stay healthy but scientists said on Friday that vitamin supplements do not protect against stomach and other cancers -- and may even make them worse...
10/01/04
Costs Cause Many Older Adults to Skimp on Meds
Out-of-pocket costs may be causing millions of older adults in the U.S. to cut back on prescriptions for conditions as serious as diabetes, asthma and depression, a new study suggests...
10/01/04
Patients possibly exposed to brain disease
More than 500 patients at Emory University Hospital have a remote chance of exposure to a fatal disease similar to mad cow after a brain surgery patient tested positive for the condition, officials said...
09/30/04
People don't sit down to eat
If you eat breakfast in the car, gobble lunch while working at your computer, and watch TV while cooking or eating dinner, you've got a lot of multitasking company...
09/30/04
EPA chief touts anti-pollution efforts
An Indiana public utility was told Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency that it has violated air pollution laws at four coal-fired power plants...
09/30/04
Arthritis drug Vioxx being pulled
The arthritis drug Vioxx, used by millions of people around the world, is being pulled off the market after a study confirmed long-standing concerns that it raises the risk of heart attack and stroke, the manufacturer, Merck & Co., said today...
09/30/04
Panel calls for anti-child obesity effort
Schools, food makers, government agencies and families themselves must work together to reverse the epidemic of childhood obesity, a panel of scientists said Thursday...
09/29/04
Staph Strain Infects More Healthy People
Flesh-eating bacteria cases, fatal pneumonia and life-threatening heart infections suddenly are popping up around the country, striking healthy people and stunning their doctors...
09/29/04
Floridians suffer mental health costs from hurricanes
It's not just roofs that have come apart and walls that are falling down. After four hurricanes in six weeks, many people in Florida are suffering emotional breakdowns...
09/29/04
Heart implant coverage to expand
The U.S. government Tuesday proposed expanding Medicare coverage for costly, potentially life-saving implanted heart devices, a decision expected to benefit makers Guidant Corp., Medtronic Inc. and St. Jude Medical Inc...
09/29/04
Americans concerned about flu vaccine
Americans are caught between worries over the safety of the flu vaccine and fears that they will not be able to get it when they need it, a health official told Congress Tuesday...
09/28/04
Overweight Kids Have Lower Self-Esteem
The self-esteem of children who become overweight or obese is likely to fall, claims a new study that confirms what many heavy children and their parents already know...
09/28/04
Chemo OK for Early-Stage Ovarian Cancer
Women with early ovarian cancer may benefit from chemotherapy in addition to surgery...
09/28/04
Health Insurance Costs Rise Faster Than Wages
Health insurance premiums for workers are rising around three times faster than their wages, and health costs eat up a quarter of earnings for more than 14 million Americans, according to a survey on Tuesday...
09/28/04
Americans Are Worried About Flu Vaccine
Americans are caught between worries over the safety of the flu vaccine and fears that they will not be able to get it when they need it, a health official told Congress on Tuesday...
09/28/04
Iraq vets flock to laser eye clinic
Command Sgt. Maj. Kurt Pinero looked up from the operating table after laser eye surgery and could already make out the pictures on the television screen across the room...
09/27/04
Hands-on training for med students
Carolyn Casey's pager jolted her awake in wee hours of the morning: One of the Harvard medical student's patients had checked into the hospital and needed a Caesarean section. Casey rushed off, arriving just in time to help deliver her first baby...
09/27/04
Report links urban sprawl to health problems
A report to be released Monday found that people who live in areas with a high degree of sprawl are more likely to report chronic health problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing difficulties compared to residents in less sprawled-out areas...
09/27/04
Chocs downsized in obesity battle
Some king-sized chocolate bars will be cut down to size in Britain next year as leading food manufacturers respond to growing pressure about portion distortion and rising levels of obesity...
09/26/04
Skipping Diabetes Meds Ups Risk of Hospitalization
Type 2 diabetic patients who take their oral medications only part of the time have an increased risk of being hospitalized within a one-year period, the results of a new study indicate...
09/26/04
Playing 'Boy' Games Helps Girls, and Vice Versa
Ten-year olds who spend more time engaging in activities typically associated with their gender tend to have more stereotypical academic interests, skills and characteristics two years later, new research reports...
09/26/04
Impotence: A Red Flag for Heart Disease
For men, flagging potency can be a red flag that something's not right in the cardiovascular system. And experts say men who rush to fix the problem with impotence drugs may be ignoring a bigger threat to their health...
09/24/04
Alcohol tied to 75,000 deaths a year in U.S.
Alcohol abuse kills some 75,000 Americans each year and shortens the lives of these people by an average of 30 years, a U.S. government study suggested Thursday...
09/24/04
Diabetic brothers recognized for longevity
Day in and day out, brothers Robert and Gerald Cleveland have meticulously managed their blood glucose levels even though they've had diabetes for seven decades...
09/24/04
CDC urges flu shots for high-risk patients
Of the Americans who most need a flu shot, fewer than half actually get one, federal health officials warned Thursday as they called for special attention to babies, toddlers and the elderly as vaccinations begin next month...
09/24/04
First ovarian transplant baby born
A Belgian woman has given birth to the first baby born after an ovarian tissue transplant, a medical breakthrough that brings hope to young cancer patients whose fertility may be damaged by treatment...
09/24/04
Companies manipulated nicotine
The former head of the Food and Drug Administration testified Thursday that cigarette makers manipulated nicotine to keep smokers addicted, a central allegation in the federal government's $280 billion lawsuit against the industry...
09/23/04
Half of patients get bad care
Requiring doctors and hospitals to report publicly on their performance and tying their pay to the results would dramatically reduce avoidable deaths and costs attributable to poor medical care, says a new report from an organization that works to improve health care quality...
09/23/04
Sex Enhancement Pills Fall Short
Pro-Erex. Big Daddy. Suregasm. There is little doubt what these supplements are promising, but the evidence that they actually can enlarge a man's penis or enhance sexual performance falls short, consumer advocates said on Wednesday...
09/23/04
Report Urges More Prostate Cancer Research
A new report calls for the urgent need to improve treatments and find a cure for prostate cancer, a disease that strikes one in six American men...
09/23/04
Acupuncture helps ease postoperative nausea
Acupuncture, already shown to help ease the nausea patients often suffer after having surgery, may actually work better than drugs, U.S. researchers reported Wednesday...
09/23/04
Half of patients get bad care
Requiring doctors and hospitals to report publicly on their performance and tying their pay to the results would dramatically reduce avoidable deaths and costs attributable to poor medical care, says a new report from an organization that works to improve health care quality...
09/22/04
Walking might keep mind sharp
The health benefits of regular walking may include helping prevent mental decline and Alzheimer's disease, research in patients aged 70 and up has found, bolstering evidence that exercise needn't be strenuous to be good for you...
09/22/04
Genetic testing raises confidentiality questions
Advances in genetic testing are straining the sacred bond of confidentiality between doctor and patient as physicians grapple with whether to keep private diagnoses that might also afflict patients' relatives...
09/21/04
Early Overeating Could Lead to Bulimia Later
Excessive eating and piling on the pounds when young could be warning signs that children will develop bulimia as adults, psychiatrists said on Tuesday...
09/21/04
Injuries Are Deadlier for Obese People
Obese people who suffer critical injuries are much more likely to die than thinner victims because their overall health tends to be worse and surgery is riskier, a study said on Monday...
09/21/04
Too few minorities in health care
The United States needs more black, Hispanic and American Indian doctors and nurses if minorities have any hope of catching up to whites in terms of the quality and accessibility of health care, a special commission said Monday...
09/20/04
Smoky bars top roads for health risk
Which is more harmful to your health -- a smoky bar or a city street filled with diesel truck fumes? Well, you might want to skip your next happy hour...
09/20/04
When Your Child Has Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the most common congenital (existing before birth or at birth) disorders of childhood. About 500,000 children and adults of all ages in this country have cerebral palsy, and the overall incidence is rising because premature babies who once would have died are surviving. A preemie's risk of cerebral palsy is much higher than that of a full-term baby. Premature babies who weigh less than 3.3 pounds (1510 grams) are up to 30 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy than full-term babies...
09/20/04
Hefty Kids Have Higher Risk of Heart Attack
Overweight children are three to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke before they reach 65 than slimmer youngsters, an international charity said Monday...
09/19/04
Doctors less prepared to say people are 'cured' of cancer
At a time when more people are cured of cancer than ever before, fewer doctors seem willing to say so. They call the cancer undetectable, or in remission. They tell patients they can quit seeing cancer specialists. They quote statistics and say chances are slim that the disease will come back...
09/18/04
Eating Habits Improve with Age
Adults eat twice as many fruits and vegetables as they did when they were children and take in less fat and sugar, according to a new study...
09/18/04
Alcohol, Diabetes, Hepatitis Up Liver Cancer Risk
Heavy alcohol use, diabetes, and viral hepatitis combine synergistically to raise the risk of developing liver cancer, according to a new report...
09/18/04
Condom Mishaps Spell Trouble for Men
A new study of people who visited a Colorado sexually transmitted disease clinic found that about half of those who regularly used condoms reported mishaps ranging from breakage to slippage...
09/18/04
Obese Man Drops More Than 370 Pounds
Patrick Deuel, who weighed 1,072 pounds when he was admitted to a hospital in Sioux Falls, is doing more walking and soon will move to a new hospital room, where he will spend more time building his strength...
09/17/04
Defibrillator use allowed at home, without prescription
An automated external defibrillator for the home can now be sold over the counter, federal officials said Thursday...
09/17/04
Deadly consequences of a sporting life
It's autumn and many of America's youth are hitting the gridiron, flipping with the cheering squad or running laps in gym class. It's healthy, wholesome activity, a parent's dream — unless their child happens to have asthma...
09/17/04
Scarce vaccine now in full production
A once-scarce vaccine that protects against a range of infections including meningitis is back in supply and small children should get four doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday...
09/17/04
Delicate issue: Disposing of embryos
The nation's fertility clinics vary widely when it comes to how they perform one of the most delicate aspects of their jobs: disposing of unused frozen human embryos that were created to help infertile women become pregnant...
09/16/04
Conjoined twin dies after surgery
One of the year-old conjoined twin girls who underwent surgery to separate their heads died shortly after the procedure was completed, a spokeswoman for the Johns Hopkins Children's Center said early Thursday...
09/16/04
Sen. Clinton: 'We feel blessed' blockage found
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday "we feel blessed" former President Clinton's artery blockage was discovered in time for him to have successful heart bypass surgery...
09/15/04
Treating Blood Pressure Pays for Itself
Treating high blood pressure would save lives and pay for itself, experts said on Tuesday...
09/15/04
Antidepressants Need Stronger Warnings
Antidepressants such as Paxil and Prozac should come with strong warnings that they raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in some children and teen-agers, a U.S. advisory panel concluded on Tuesday...
09/15/04
Fewer Women Than Men Use Rehab After Heart Attack
Many women, and seniors, do not enter a rehab program after having a heart attack. Yet, participation in cardiac rehabilitation markedly lowers the risk of dying or having a second heart attack during the next three years, results of a recent study show...
09/15/04
Smoking, Drug Abuse Rise as Puberty Progresses
The odds that adolescents will smoke, drink or use marijuana may have a lot to do with their physical development, regardless of their school grade level or how old they are, a new study shows...
09/14/04
Study finds heart benefit to drinking
Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can cut further narrowing of the arteries in patients who have had heart surgery, researchers said on Tuesday...
09/14/04
Flu hospitalizations on the rise
The number of people hospitalized in the United States because of the flu has climbed substantially over the past two decades to an average of more than 200,000 a year, in large part because of the aging of the population, a government study found...
09/14/04
Experts consider antidepressant warnings
Independent experts came to the same conclusion as Food and Drug Administration scientists: There is a definite link between antidepressants and the worsening suicidal fixations of children taking the drugs...
09/14/04
Medical costs eat at Social Security
With a new Medicare drug benefit set to begin in 2006, Americans 65 and older can expect to spend a large and growing share of their Social Security checks on Medicare premiums and expenses, previously undisclosed federal data show...
09/14/04
Gambling elders enjoy better health
It's Friday at the Mohegan Sun casino, and most of the daytime gamblers are retirees like 73-year-old Mike Sanzo. He's checking out the day's races, while his wife hits the slots...
09/14/04
Many don't disclose forgoing drugs
Many chronically ill patients never tell their doctor or nurse they've had to cut back on prescription drugs because they are too expensive, and many physicians never ask if the drugs are affordable, a study said Monday...
09/14/04
Cancer institute starts nanotechnology drive
The U.S. National Cancer Institute announced a new five-year plan on Monday to develop the use of tiny tools to fight cancer, saying nanotechnology just might provide the edge needed to defeat the disease...
09/13/04
Firms struggle to give workers health plans
As a new enrollment period gears up, employers are bracing for how much it is going to cost to cover their workers' health...
09/13/04
Health of Cancer Survivors Often Overlooked
Cancer survivors often don't receive necessary medical care for health problems that are not related to their cancer...
09/13/04
FDA Weighs Antidepressant Risks for Kids
A U.S. advisory panel began meeting Monday to debate whether certain antidepressants should come with stronger warnings about the chances of suicidal behavior in children and teens who take the drugs...
09/13/04
Defibrillators multiply, training doesn't
When rising prep football star Ryan Boslet suddenly went into cardiac arrest during a workout in his school gym, a portable defibrillator was only the length of a basketball court away in the athletic director's office...
09/13/04
FDA lab pushes limits of medical devices
Dr. William Pritchard painstakingly threads a thin tube deep into his sedated patient's beating heart. Then, in a radical move, he pushes a hair-sized needle out of the tube and deliberately punctures a crucial artery...
09/12/04
Conjoined Twin in Surgery Is Stabilized
A year-old conjoined twin was in stable condition Sunday, a day after doctors halted surgery to separate her from her sister, a hospital reported. Doctors at Johns Hopkins Children's Center temporarily stopped surgery Saturday night because metabolic complications caused the girl's condition to become unstable...
09/12/04
Young Black Girls Face High Risk of Obesity
A lack of safe and affordable recreation and too much time spent watching television increase the risk of obesity for young black girls in the United States, says a study in the latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine...
09/12/04
Teen Driver's License Ups Chances of Drug Abuse
High school students are more likely to smoke, drink and use marijuana when they get their driver's license because they get more opportunities to be free of adult supervision, says a University of Missouri-Columbia study...
09/12/04
Idaho Potato Farmers Fight Diet Stigma
Earlier this year, Wada Farms, which grow more than a billion potatoes a year, dramatically changed the labeling on its packaging...
09/11/04
Inventor of PSA Cancer Test Says It's Overused
For many men, a routine PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer has become an annual ritual. Now the developer of the test says it can't be relied on for this purpose, and has led to overly zealous treatment of men with prostate enlargement...
09/11/04
Vitamin C May Improve Smokers' Blood Circulation
A dose of vitamin C may give a quick boost to the poorer-than-average blood circulation seen in healthy young smokers, a Japanese study suggests...
09/11/04
Separated twins walking by Christmas
Carl and Clarence Aguirre, the 2-year-old twins who were joined at the head until five weeks ago, should be walking by Christmas, their pediatrician says...
09/11/04
Clinton released from hospital
Former President Bill Clinton left the hospital and returned home Friday, four days after undergoing heart bypass surgery, his office said...
09/11/04
Members of Congress blast FDA, drug makers
Drug manufacturers acknowledge they face a crisis of credibility that they hope to remedy by releasing information about their clinical trials in multiple locations...
09/10/04
Common antibiotic can trigger cardiac deaths
A common antibiotic prescribed for 50 years to treat everything from strep throat to syphilis dramatically increases the risk of cardiac arrest, especially when taken with certain newer, popular drugs, a study found...
09/10/04
Cannabis May Have Long-Term Benefit for MS
Cannabis-based treatments may have longer-term benefits for multiple sclerosis patients, scientists said on Friday...
09/10/04
Red Meat Ups Diabetes Risk in Older Women
Middle age and elderly women whose diets include a lot of red meat appear to have an increased risk of developing diabetes, according to a report in the medical journal Diabetes Care...
09/10/04
ADHD Costs Americans $77 Billion in Lost Income
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder costs Americans suffering from the condition about $77 billion in lost income a year, more than the total costs of drug abuse or depression, a Harvard researcher said on Thursday...
09/10/04
Americans say they're careful eaters
Nearly 70 percent of Americans say they are careful about what they eat, and even more say diet is essential to good health, according to a new nationwide health poll in which obesity ranked second among the biggest health concerns...
09/09/04
Clinton walking hospital halls after surgery
Three days after undergoing quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery, former President Bill Clinton was up and walking Thursday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, his office said in a written statement...
09/09/04
Hypnosis Effective in Relieving Cancer Pain
Hypnosis can relieve suffering and improve the quality of life of cancer patients, researchers said on Thursday...
09/09/04
Light at Night Might Be a Cancer Risk
It might seem like the wildest of paranoid beliefs, but a growing number of scientists suspect it might be true. The reason: Turning on the lights after dark may affect a small number of "clock genes" that play a major role in controlling how cells live, die and function, these researchers suggest...
09/09/04
Insurance premiums soar 11%
Premiums for employer-sponsored plans rose by 11.2 percent in 2004 -- their fourth straight year of double-digit growth -- despite a modest pull back from 13.9 percent a year earlier, according to a study released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust...
09/09/04
Study links antibiotic use, heart attack
A common antibiotic prescribed for 50 years to treat everything from strep throat to syphilis dramatically increases the risk of cardiac arrest, especially when taken with certain newer, popular drugs, a study found...
09/09/04
Prescribed drugs top abuse list
Fewer American youths are using marijuana, LSD and Ecstasy, but more are abusing prescription drugs, says a government report released Thursday...
09/08/04
Alzheimer's fight focusing on sticky brain buildup
How to prevent a sticky gunk from clogging up, and probably killing, the brain cells of Alzheimer's patients is the newest focus in the fight against the disease...
09/08/04
Chickenpox shots save nearly $100 million
Vaccinating children against chickenpox saves the U.S. health care system nearly $100 million a year in reduced hospitalizations for severe cases of the itchy disease, a study found...
09/08/04
Inactivity May Trump Fat as Heart Disease Risk
When it comes to heart disease, being fit may be more important than being thin, according to a study of more than 900 women published on Tuesday...
09/08/04
Alzheimer Drug Doesn't Help Chronic Fatigue
Treatment with Reminyl (galantamine), a drug used for Alzheimer's disease, does not improve the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), new research indicates...
09/08/04
More PE Time May Fight Obesity in Girls
Just an extra hour of exercise a week could significantly cut obesity among young overweight girls, according to a study that researchers say could lead to major changes in the way schools fight obesity...
09/07/04
A probe-free colonoscopy?
New studies about "virtual" colonoscopy suggest that the colon cancer screening technique, though not ready to replace the gold-standard conventional procedures, might someday be an effective alternative...
09/07/04
Study Links TV to Teen Sexual Activity
Teenagers who watch a lot of television with sexual content are twice as likely to engage in intercourse than those who watch few such programs, according to a study published on Tuesday...
09/07/04
Height Doesn't Influence Kids' Popularity
Parents of a short child who believe growth hormone therapy will better his or her social life may be mistaken, new study findings suggest...
09/07/04
Doctor details new head lice treatment
A new method of killing head lice by suffocating them with a lotion that dries on the scalp like shrink-wrap appears to work as well as many conventional medicines, its inventor said Tuesday...
09/07/04
Clinton off ventilator after bypass
President Bill Clinton was described as doing well Tuesday, breathing on his own as he recovers from an operation to relieve arteries so severely clogged that they had posed imminent danger of a major heart attack...
09/06/04
Clinton 'recovering normally' after bypass
Former President Clinton successfully underwent a quadruple coronary artery bypass operation Monday, his doctor said...
09/06/04
AstraZeneca's Crestor Drug Beats Lipitor in Study
AstraZeneca Plc's cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor performed better than Pfizer Inc's Lipitor sites) in an AstraZeneca-funded study of patients with metabolic syndrome, according to results released on Monday...
09/06/04
Environment May Be Linked to Rising Leukemia
Pesticides or chemicals in the environment may be behind the steady rise in cases of childhood leukemia, which have increased five-fold since the early 1900s, scientists said on Monday...
09/06/04
Smoking and Drinking Are Bad for Semen
A group of investigators from Argentina found that men who both drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes were more likely to have a smaller amount of semen, a lower concentration of sperm, and a lower percentage of active sperm than abstainers...
09/06/04
College students seem alert to dreaded 'freshman 15'
All-you-can-eat dorm dining. Late-night pizza parties. Tacos, burgers, barbecue, beer...
09/06/04
Clinton undergoing bypass surgery
Former President Bill Clinton was undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the surgeon's office told CNN Monday...
09/05/04
Prostate Cancer Survival Rates Climbing
Scientists are chalking up continued gains in the fight against prostate cancer...
09/05/04
Fertility OK After Tubal Pregnancy Treatment
Treatment with the drug methotrexate to end a tubal pregnancy does not appear to have any significant impact on future fertility, French researchers report...
09/05/04
Age, eating habits catch up with Clinton
Bill Clinton is a man close to 60, with a little pudge and a longtime love of junk food. That fits the stereotype for heart disease. Needing bypass surgery, however, suggests that the former president's disease is relatively extensive, and that's surprising for an active dignitary who presumably has top-notch and timely physical checkups...
09/05/04
Bypass surgery among most common in USA
Heart bypass surgery is one of the most common major operations in the USA, with about 350,000 performed every year...
09/05/04
FDA considers drugging healthy kids for science
Is it ethical in the name of science to give a healthy child as young as 9 a controlled substance? That's the dilemma facing the Food and Drug Administration's Pediatric Ethics subcommittee at its first-ever meeting on Sept. 10...
09/05/04
Clinton flooded with well-wishes before surgery
Former President Bill Clinton has been flooded with messages of support from admirers around the world since it was revealed that he faces heart bypass surgery, a spokesman said...
09/04/04
Metabolic Syndrome Not Limited to Obese People
Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of problems that can raise the risk of heart disease, is often associated with obesity, but new research indicates that people of normal weight can develop the condition too...
09/04/04
Clinton Can Have Active Life After Bypass
Former President Bill Clinton can anticipate a fully productive life after coronary bypass surgery, but may need to take a daily handful of pills and curb his fast-food habit to keep his arteries from re-clogging, top cardiologists said on Friday...
09/04/04
Malaria Drug Found Effective Against SARS
The anti-malaria drug chloroquine could be used to treat the SARS respiratory illness which killed hundreds of people last year, virologists at the Belgian Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) said on Friday...
09/04/04
Medicare Payments for Elderly to Rise
Older Americans will have to pay about 17 percent more next year -- the largest increase in Medicare's history -- for their government-run health insurance, U.S. officials announced on Friday...
09/04/04
Illness rarely seen in U.S. kills N.J. man
A New Jersey man who recently returned from a trip to Liberia has died of an illness that had not been detected in the United States since 1989 but is common in West Africa, state health officials said Thursday...
09/03/04
Bill Clinton to undergo bypass surgery
Former President Bill Clinton will undergo heart bypass surgery as early as Saturday...
09/03/04
Should You Have a Mammogram?
A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray picture of the breast. Along with a breast exam, it's the best way to find breast cancer in its earliest stages when it's easiest to treat, the National Cancer Institute says...
09/03/04
Too Much Caffeine Ups Risk of Kidney Stones
People who are prone to kidney stones should limit their caffeine intake, new research suggests...
09/03/04
Melatonin May Prevent Migraines
Melatonin, which is widely used as a sleep-aid, is also effective for migraine prevention, according to findings from a small trial...
09/03/04
Pfizer sues Internet sites selling versions of Lipitor
Pfizer, the world's biggest drugmaker, said Thursday it filed lawsuits against 18 Web sites, charging them with selling illegal versions of its best selling cholesterol medicine Lipitor...
09/02/04
Radiation not for all breast cancer
Many older women with early breast cancer can safely skip radiation after having a lump removed, two studies suggest...
09/02/04
Age may figure in radiation therapy
Many breast cancer patients 70 and older could safely forgo radiation therapy, which has been the standard treatment after lumpectomy, a study out today says...
09/02/04
Fatty acids repel Alzheimer's
A diet rich in a type of fatty acid found in salmon and other types of oily fish might help protect the brain from Alzheimer's, according to new study of mice...
09/02/04
Activists want immigrant sponsors to pay up
Proponents of stricter border controls complain that legal immigrants who cannot pay their hospital bills are a huge drain on the medical system, and they say it is time to force the patients' immigration sponsors to pay up...
09/02/04
Doctors work toward pain-free surgery
All Deborah Keibler knew about hip replacement surgery was the long scar she had seen down the side of her grandmother's body. But when her doctor said the traditionally painful procedure could cure the limp in her right leg, the 49-year-old knew she didn't have a choice...
09/01/04
Unsafe Abortions Kill 70,000 Women a Year
Nearly 70,000 women, almost half of them in Asia, die from unsafe abortions each year despite government pledges made a decade ago to improve human rights and reproductive health, researchers said Wednesday...
09/01/04
Mammography Cuts Risk of Cancer Recurrence
Women whose breast cancer is detected by mammography have a lower risk of the cancer recurring after treatment compared to those who discover a tumor by other means, a Finnish study said on Tuesday...
09/01/04
Health Tip: Breeding Drug-Resistant Germs
Antibiotics are powerful medications designed to stymie disease-causing bacteria, until the germs mutate and become resistant to the drugs, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...
09/01/04
Surviving Cancer Can Take a Long-Term Toll
People who have survived cancer struggle with a lower quality of life, loss of productivity and more health limitations than those who never had the disease, researchers report...
09/01/04
Pfizer ends discount card for elderly
Pfizer, the nation's largest pharmaceutical company, has ended its widely used discount card for the elderly, according to a newspaper report Wednesday...
08/31/04
Tests try to get body to grow bypasses
Peter Cummins lay still as doctors administered 20 injections into the 81-year-old's calves and thighs, hoping the genetic experiment will spur new blood vessels to grow around his clogged leg arteries...
08/31/04
Ovarian Cancer Blood Test Appears Promising
Health experts see great promise in an experimental blood test designed to detect ovarian cancer in its early stages...
08/31/04
Obesity Linked to Worse Prostate Cancer Outcome
Obese men who undergo surgery for prostate cancer are more likely than their non-obese peers to experience a rise in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, a sign that their disease is returning, new research suggests. Moreover, this seems to be true even in cases in which all of the cancer was apparently removed at surgery...
08/31/04
Quick Statin Dose Marginally Helps Heart Patients
Putting patients with heart trouble on a high dosage of statin drugs quickly to lower their blood cholesterol levels offers only a marginal benefit compared to current treatment, a study said on Monday...
08/31/04
Full Body Scans Raise Cancer Risk
People who pay for whole-body X-ray scans in the hope of finding tumors at their earliest stages may, ironically, be raising their overall risk of cancer, doctors warned on Tuesday...
08/30/04
Know How to Tame Asthma
More than 70 percent of Americans with mild to moderate asthma who are taking medication to control their condition don't know about national treatment guidelines, according to a survey from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)...
08/30/04
Gates leads Calif. effort for stem cell research
Silicon Valley tycoons, Nobel laureates and Hollywood celebrities are backing a measure on California's Nov. 2 ballot to devote $3 billion to human embryonic stem cell experiments in what would be the biggest-ever state-supported scientific research program in the country...
08/30/04
UK Seeks Global Support for Stem Cell Research
Britain's leading scientific institution said Monday it is urging countries to back a campaign to stop a possible ban on stem cell research as part of a global treaty banning human cloning. The London-based Royal Society is stepping up its drive to push the United Nations to ban the cloning of babies, but to make no ruling on using the technology for medical research, or therapeutic cloning, at its 59th General Session in October. The 191-nation U.N. General Assembly is divided over whether to allow therapeutic cloning to continue or to adopt a broad cloning ban championed by the Bush administration and Costa Rica with strong backing from the U.S. anti-abortion movement and many predominantly Roman Catholic nations...
08/30/04
Scientists May Use Drugs to Stop Addiction
Can Prozac help you kick cocaine? Can Ritalin? How about a blood pressure pill or medicine for muscle spasms? If you're an alcoholic, could you get help staying sober by taking an anti-nausea drug used by cancer patients?...
08/29/04
Chocolate boost to blood vessel health
Scientists have found that eating dark chocolate appears to improve the function of important cells lining the wall of blood vessels for at least three hours...
08/29/04
Sanofi Drug Reduces Irregular Heart Beat in Tests
A new drug from Sanofi-Aventis reduced significantly episodes of atrial fibrillaton or irregular heart beat in two clinical studies released on Sunday...
08/29/04
Bayer Drug Prevents Heart Attack, Stroke
A long-acting form of Bayer's blood pressure drug Adalat prevents heart attacks and strokes in angina patients and cuts the need for operations to treat blood vessel blockages, a study showed on Sunday...
08/29/04
Most Heart Attacks Easily Predictable
Virtually the entire risk of heart attack can be predicted and the impact of factors causing attacks is the same whether you live in a rich country or a poor one, a global study released Sunday showed...
08/29/04
Booming business in caring for obese
At St. Luke's Hospital, each of the 14 new neurology intensive care rooms has a feature that's becoming standard in the health care industry: a patient lift system that can handle 600 pounds...
08/28/04
Plastic surgeon sucks out own fat cells
Calling himself the biggest fat sucker in Texas, a plastic surgeon performed liposuction on himself in full view of television and newspaper cameras to promote the potential use of stem cells that can be harvested in such an operation...
08/28/04
Dietary Plan Stops Short of Urging Less Sugar
A panel of nutrition experts proposed new U.S. dietary guidelines on Friday that acknowledge a link between soft drinks and weight gain, but stopped short of telling increasingly overweight America to eat less sugar...
08/28/04
Nature Outings Reduce ADHD Symptoms
The great outdoors provides great benefits to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder...
08/28/04
Got Grapefruit? It May Help You Lose Weight
Eating half of a grapefruit three times per day before meals appears to help people shed unwanted pounds, according to new study findings reported this week...
08/28/04
No Reason to Panic Over Flu Vaccine Problem
Contamination in a British factory that supplies flu vaccine to the United States is expected to cause some delays but no shortage of flu shots this year, federal health officials said on Friday...
08/27/04
Eat more whole grains, exercise more
Not any bread will do, a panel of doctors and scientists told the government Friday in issuing its final recommendations about what advice should go into the federal food pyramid...
08/27/04
Doctors use man's back to make jaw
A German who had his lower jaw cut out because of cancer has enjoyed his first meal in nine years — a bratwurst sandwich — after surgeons grew a new jaw bone in his back muscle and transplanted it to his mouth in what experts call an "ambitious" experiment...
08/27/04
HRT Can Affect Mammography Results
A mammogram may be less effective if a woman is on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), a new British study finds...
08/27/04
Weight Loss Helps Ovulation Problem
Weight loss appears to improve egg release in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a disease involving enlargement of the ovaries often associated with obesity, menstrual problems, and infertility, new research shows. This could increase their chances of becoming pregnant...
08/27/04
More Americans visit doctors, drug prescrip. up
Americans made an estimated 890 million visits to the doctor in 2002, a 1 percent increase from the previous year, according to a survey released Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
08/26/04
Tainted flu vaccine discovered
The nation's supply of vaccine for the impending flu season took a big hit Thursday when Chiron Corp. announced it had found tainted doses in its factory...
08/26/04
Platinum found in women with implants
Researchers have found high concentrations of platinum in women who got silicone breast implants and in the children they bore and breast-fed afterward...
08/26/04
Government preps for flu pandemic
Closing schools, restricting travel and rationing scarce medications may be the nation's first protections if a powerful new flu strain spurs a worldwide outbreak because it will take months to brew a vaccine, say government preparations for the next pandemic...
08/26/04
Siemens Warns Loud Phone Tune Could Damage Hearing
Mobile phone tunes are considered by many to be a curse of modern life, but for users of some Siemens handsets they could be a positive hazard to health, the German engineering giant warned on Thursday...
08/26/04
Music Lessons May Raise Kids IQs a Few Points
Music lessons may give a boost to the IQ scores of children, even if they're less than musical prodigies, new research suggests...
08/26/04
One Billion People Still Drink Unsafe Water
More than one billion people drink unsafe water and over 2.6 billion, around 40 percent of the world's population, have no access to basic sanitation, U.N. agencies said on Thursday...
08/25/04
Cutting costs by closing door on drug reps
The company, based in northeast Wisconsin, cleared its clinics of clocks, calendars and other freebies dished out by drug companies. The goal: to strip away promotional items that encourage doctors to prescribe pricey brand-name drugs...
08/25/04
Scope of illness outbreak complicates probe
The wide scope of an outbreak that sickened hundreds of travelers to a Lake Erie resort island will make it difficult to find a source for the illness, infectious disease experts said...
08/25/04
New pill may limit yeast infections
Women who get lots of painful yeast infections can safely ward them off with a weekly pill, the largest study on the subject has found...
08/25/04
Grapefruit Lowers Weight, Fights Cancer
A grapefruit or two a day, along with a healthy diet, could help shrink widening waistlines. It might also cut smokers' risk for cancer as it inhibits a carcinogen in tobacco smoke...
08/25/04
Nursing shortage: Too few teachers
At nursing schools from New Jersey to California, a surge of applicants that could ease the nation's worsening shortage of nurses is being turned away because many schools can't find enough qualified professors...
08/24/04
Sugary Soft Drinks Raise Risk of Diabetes
U.S. rates of diabetes have soared alongside soft drink consumption, and scientists said on Tuesday the spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels triggered by the sugary drinks may be at least partly to blame...
08/24/04
Viagra Abuse May Boost Sex Diseases
San Francisco has petitioned federal regulators to warn that the anti-impotence drugs like Viagra use could increase the risk of sexually transmitted disease and HIV officials said on Monday...
08/24/04
Obesity Raises Risk for 9 Cancer Types
Heart disease and diabetes get all the attention, but expanding waistlines increase the risk for at least nine types of cancer, too. And with the obesity epidemic showing no signs of waning, specialists say they need to better understand how fat cells fuels cancer growth so they might fight back...
08/24/04
Lipitor Cuts Artery Clogs After Heart Attack
Early treatment with Lipitor (atorvastatin), a "statin" cholesterol-lowering drug, reduces the build-up of artery-clogging plaque in patients who've had a recent heart attack, new research suggests...
08/24/04
Report: More have high blood pressure
As Americans get older and fatter, the number of adults with high blood pressure has climbed to almost one in three over the past decade, putting more people at risk of a stroke, heart attack or kidney failure, government researchers said Monday...
08/23/04
Aromatherapy May Soften Memory of Pain
The pleasant scent of essential oils may not dull the body's physical response to pain, but it may make a person's memory of the pain less bitter, a small study suggests...
08/23/04
Injected Contraceptive Raises STD Risk
Women who use the injected contraceptive Depo-Provera have a higher rate of sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. researchers reported on Monday...
08/23/04
Attention Disorder Takes 2 Years to Detect
A disorder beginning in childhood which is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsive behavior and attention problems often goes undetected for long periods, said a survey of parents in eight countries on Monday...
08/23/04
Protein Prompts Spread of Prostate Cancer
A protein called hepsin promotes the spread of prostate cancer by causing disruption of tissue organization, says a study in the August issue of Cancer Cell...
08/23/04
Diet panel: Leave room for dessert
Group considers adding treats into nutrition guidelines. Such treats would be bonuses for healthful living, under proposals being considered by the advisory panel that's drafting an update of the nutritional guidance...
08/22/04
Keep Your Kids Cavity-Free
Here's some back-to-school meal and snacking advice to help protect your children from tooth decay -- the single most common chronic childhood illness, affecting more than half of children aged 5 to 17 years...
08/22/04
Hiking with dog gets both in shape
People who love to hike find taking along a four-legged companion can have physical benefits for both ends of the leash...
08/21/04
Heart Risks 'Acceptable' with Breast Cancer Chemo
Some types of chemotherapy are known to be potentially damaging to the heart, but for most women with breast cancer the benefits appear to outweigh the risks, French researchers report...
08/21/04
Patch Helps Teens Cut Back on Cigarettes
Nicotine replacement therapy can help teens quit or at least cut back on smoking, research suggests...
08/21/04
New Diabetes Drug Doesn't Increase Weight
Insulin, Glucotrol, and drugs like Avandia and Actos are all effective treatments for diabetes, but they can produce weight gain. In contrast, an experimental drug called liraglutide seems to control sugar levels without this frustrating side effect, Dutch researchers report...
08/21/04
Tired of waiting for a doctor?
The idea, which experts say is gaining steam, is that scheduling patients immediately for even routine physicals will keep them healthier and happier, while saving money in the long run. If people know they'll get quick appointments, the reasoning goes, they're less likely to ignore their health problems, which will reduce costly emergency-room visits...
08/20/04
Food pyramid content debated
Keep the food pyramid but make it more understandable, food industry and consumer group officials told a panel of Agriculture Department officials...
08/20/04
Low-carb invades supplements market
Stroll down any pharmacy aisle these days and you'll find that the low-carb craze has invaded the $20 billion dietary supplement industry...
08/20/04
Survey connects teen sex and drugs
Teens who say at least half their friends are having sex are more likely to report having tried marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes...
08/20/04
Bush mulls importing prescription drugs
With political pressure mounting to allow imports of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada and other countries, President Bush appeared to move closer to supporting the idea Wednesday -- but only if the safety of the drugs could be assured...
08/20/04
Study finds older boys are bad influence
Parents who forbid their daughters to date older boys may be on the right track. A study published on Thursday finds that teenage girls who associate with older boys are more likely to smoke, drink and use drugs...
08/19/04
Tiniest preemie now 'just a normal teen'
Madeline Mann once weighed less than a can of soda as the tiniest surviving newborn known to medicine. Next week, she enters high school as something even more extraordinary -- an honor student who plays violin and likes to Rollerblade...
08/19/04
Building new kind of hospitals
Greeters direct new arrivals at the elevators. Wireless telephone systems and Internet access are available. And every guest room is private, cheerful and with a fold-out chairbed...
08/19/04
Anti-Pollen Cream Helps with Hay Fever
A cream that blocks allergic substances from entering the nose seems to reduce symptoms in patients with hay fever, new research shows. The cream, known as Alergol, is applied inside the lower nose where it traps these substances...
08/19/04
Snake Venom Provides Clue to Heart Drugs
For once, snake venom may be helping save lives rather than putting them in danger. Scientists say a protein in venom gives valuable insight as to why a group of new heart medications called integrin antagonists cause more harm than good in some patients...
08/19/04
Troubled Kids More Likely to Become Smokers
First graders who misbehave in school may be more likely to be regular smokers as young adults, according to new study findings...
08/19/04
Blood Test Gauges Breast Cancer Treatment
A new blood test holds promise for improving the treatment of advanced breast cancer, researchers report...
08/18/04
Swimming Can Cause Fluid Build-Up in Lungs
Even for healthy people, swimming can lead to an accumulation of fluid in the lungs, called pulmonary edema...
08/18/04
ASU to Get Grant for STD-Killing Drugs
Arizona State University's new Biodesign Institute is getting a five-year, $7.4 million federal grant to work on drugs that kill sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS...
08/18/04
Vitamin E Wards Off Colds in Elderly
Vitamin E supplements ward off colds in the elderly and may help some seniors avoid upper respiratory tract infections that can prove deadly, researchers said on Tuesday...
08/18/04
Stress Test May Miss Early Heart Disease
Stress tests aimed at detecting blocked arteries in patients may miss more than half the cases of early heart disease, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday...
08/18/04
Therapy Plus Drug Best for Depressed Teens -Study
Talk therapy can allay thoughts of suicide among seriously depressed teenagers who are taking an antidepressant drug and the combination of therapies is more effective than the drugs alone, a study said on Tuesday...
08/17/04
Colonoscopies Overdone, U.S. Study Suggests
Doctors may be overdoing it a bit on colonoscopies, a procedure to screen for colon cancer using a tiny camera, even though they can save lives, researchers reported on Monday...
08/17/04
Cutting Fat, Boosting Fruit May Fight Weight Gain
Modifying the consumption of different food-groups may keep body weight from creeping up over time, new research suggests...
08/17/04
Illinois to fight FDA on drug imports
The state of Illinois is set to announce a program to help its citizens buy drugs at a cheaper price from pharmacies in Canada and Europe, according to published reports, a move that would put it at odds with the Food and Drug Administration...
08/17/04
Tiny corkscrew clears blood clots
The first device to remove blood clots from the brains of people suffering strokes -- a new treatment option that could save lives and shave the $53 billion annual bill to treat strokes -- has been approved by the government...
08/16/04
Heart Drugs Target AIDS Virus, Study Shows
Statin drugs that lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease may also help slow down the AIDS virus, Spanish researchers reported on Monday...
08/16/04
Exercise Spurts May Improve Blood Fats
Short bursts of exercise may help reduce the potentially dangerous spikes in blood fats that occur after fatty meals...
08/16/04
Kids Can Have a Lot to Say About Their Health
Even young children can paint a picture of their health and well-being, though it doesn't always match parents' perceptions, research shows...
08/16/04
Diesel Exposure Raises Ovarian Cancer Risk
The risk of ovarian cancer increases with increased exposure to diesel exhaust, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer...
08/16/04
Steroid Shot Suitable After ER Visit for Asthma
After an ER visit for asthma, a single steroid shot is just as good as an 8-day course of steroid pills at preventing a disease relapse, new research suggests. The authors believe that the shot might be particularly useful for patients who have difficulty taking the pills as prescribed...
08/15/04
Time is of the essence with cardiac arrest patients
About 60,000 people a year collapse in sudden cardiac arrest, in need of a shock to restore the quivering heart to a healthy rhythm. When a shock is not immediately available, the patient needs CPR in the meantime...
08/15/04
Avastin use increases risk of stroke
The government and Genentech are warning doctors that Avastin, used to treat colorectal cancer, increases patients' risk of heart ailments including chest pain, strokes, ministrokes and heart attacks...
08/15/04
Blood Test Detects Ovarian Cancer
A test to detect ovarian cancer by identifying three proteins found in the blood of women with the disease has been developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center...
08/14/04
Extra Help for Impotence
The use of a testosterone gel in combination with an erection pill may help men with sexual dysfunction who don't respond to an erection pill alone, new research says...
08/14/04
Oral Cancers Deadlier for Black Men
Black men in Florida with oral and pharyngeal cancer don't live as long as white men with the same kind of cancer and are less likely to have surgery necessary for optimal treatment of the disease...
08/14/04
HDL Cholesterol Inversely Related to Stroke Risk
Levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol, are inversely associated with stroke risk in elderly men, according to a new study...
08/14/04
Birth Month May Influence Brain Cancer Risk
The time of year in which a person is born may somehow sway the risk of developing brain cancer in adulthood, new research suggests...
08/14/04
Twin gives birth to 2 sets of twins
The odds of a fraternal twin giving birth to two sets of identical twins may be one in a million, but Geana Morris can attest to it...
08/13/04
Prescription bargains can lead to jail
Officials and politicians on both sides of the border are taking steps to clarify the rules about Americans buying prescription drugs and bringing them back to the U.S. after a 66-year-old Phoenix man was arrested and spent nearly eight weeks in a Mexican prison...
08/13/04
Vaccine Could Prevent Most Cervical Cancers
A vaccine based on the seven types of human papillomavirus (HPV) most commonly linked to cervical cancer could prevent most cases of the deadly disease, researchers predict...
08/13/04
Calif. Can't Dodge U.S. Obesity Woes
Fearing an epidemic in child obesity, advocates in health-obsessed California urged federal regulators on Thursday to clamp down on advertising that celebrates America's love affair with fast-food...
08/13/04
Imagination Takes Kids' Mind Off Pain
Guided imagery, along with medication, can reduce post-operative pain and anxiety in children, new study findings suggest...
08/12/04
Nutrition guidelines: More fruit, vegetables, workouts
Americans need to spend more time working out and less time chowing down...
08/12/04
Heart Drugs Can Cause Potassium Overload
Drugs used to treat high blood pressure and other conditions can cause a dangerous build-up of potassium and patients taking them need to be watched closely, U.S. researchers cautioned on Wednesday...
08/12/04
DEA, doctors write new narcotic guidelines
Doctors cannot be arrested for properly prescribing narcotic painkillers that are the best treatment for millions of suffering patients, according to new guidelines from pain specialists and the Drug Enforcement Administration...
08/12/04
Obesity Is a Big Problem in Tennessee
Obesity is a big problem in Tennessee, more than in many other states. But the solution may be in small steps...
08/11/04
Deaths raise stomach-stapling concerns
Massachusetts woman and her 8-month-old fetus died of complications 18 months after stomach-stapling surgery, an apparent first that is leading to warnings about the risks of pregancy soon after the surgery...
08/11/04
Man aims to lose more than 700 pounds
A man who once weighed more than half a ton has lost 321 pounds under the care of a team of doctors and hopes to lose 450 pounds more...
08/11/04
Barrier Diaper Rash Drug Effective in Study
Barrier Therapeutics Inc. on Tuesday said its cream to treat a severe form of diaper rash was twice as effective as a current standard of care in a late-stage clinical study and it will seek approval of the drug from U.S. regulators this year...
08/11/04
Shortage of Seasoned Breast Cancer Surgeons Seen
In the wake of research suggesting that experienced surgeons are more likely to successfully remove breast tumors, a new study finds that seasoned breast cancer surgeons might be few and far between...
08/11/04
Allergy Vaccine Could Hit Market Soon
A Belgian researcher was quoted on Wednesday as saying a vaccine to tackle allergies could hit the market within two years following promising results from trials involving birch pollen...
08/10/04
Seniors Unhappy with Medicare Changes
Older Americans are confused and unhappy about upcoming changes in the federal Medicare health program, according to a nonpartisan survey released on Tuesday that indicates the issue could help Democrats win the November vote...
08/10/04
Study: Vaccine stops most chickenpox cases
A vaccine prevents most cases of the chickenpox, and even when the vaccine fails, children tend to have a less severe case of the malady and are less likely to be contagious, researchers said on Tuesday...
08/10/04
Scientists report headway with experimental strep vaccine
Scientists say they are making headway in developing a vaccine against a common strep germ, the cause of millions of sore throats as well as a deadly but uncommon flesh-eating disease...
08/10/04
Poll: Seniors Back Drug Imports Proposal
Older and disabled Americans strongly support proposals to permit prescription drug imports and to allow the government to negotiate prices of medicines, said a poll released Tuesday...
08/10/04
Study: Preemie boys more affected
Babies born prematurely show the effects years later, with parts of their brains significantly smaller when they are 8 years old, U.S. researchers said Monday...
08/10/04
Buying time for tiny hearts
Four-month-old Damaris Ochoa was near death, born with an enlarged heart that was quickly giving out. Obtaining a transplant in time was a long shot. Then Dr. Edward Rhee attached a souped-up adult pacemaker to her tiny heart, and six months later Damaris is thriving...
08/10/04
First lady defends Bush on stem cell research
First lady Laura Bush defended her husband's policy on embryonic stem cell research Monday, arguing that it is an ethical and moral issue "that must not be treated lightly" by political critics...
08/09/04
Separated twins' mom gets chance to choose
The mother of twin toddlers who were born joined at the head said Monday that as the boys recover from their separation surgery, she cherishes the chance to cuddle them one by one...
08/09/04
Working moms shape kids' family roles
Having an employed mom leads college-age men to expect that they'll be doing more child care than the sons of homemakers, who assume that their wives will take the lead in tending to the nest. It's just the opposite for daughters: If their mothers work, they plan to spend less time with their kids than do women whose moms stay home, according to an online survey released at the end of July...
08/09/04
Heavy bodies, heavy hearts
Mary Ellen Bowman, 52, of Upper Darby, Pa., hates being 50 pounds overweight...
08/09/04
Avoiding temptation
Nutritionists say you should have occasional treats when you are trying to lose weight so that you don't feel deprived, but you shouldn't go hog-wild...
08/09/04
Consumer-driven health insurance catching on slowly
Most of the 75 employees hadn't heard of the consumer-driven health plan the company signed up for with BlueCross BlueShield of Florida, office manager/partner Elizabeth Butler said. Now, almost half the staff has signed up...
08/08/04
Heart Disease Differs in Women
At first, Kathy Kastan's symptoms just seemed weird. An avid athlete, she would get oddly tired, struggle to catch her breath, and wince at the pain in her shoulder and back when she exercised. She tried shaking it off, but the problems kept nagging her, so the 41-year-old consulted a cardiologist...
08/08/04
Vending machines getting healthier
The typical vending machine fare consists of chocolate bars and potato chips, leaving few options for people seeking low-calorie or low-salt snacks...
08/07/04
Antioxidants Don't Protect Heart of Male Smokers
Neither vitamin E nor beta-carotene supplements protect male smokers against heart disease. The antioxidants may actually be harmful, cardiologists report in the European Heart Journal...
08/07/04
Parkinson's Drug Linked to Heart Valve Damage
Heart valve disease appears to be relatively common in Parkinson's disease patients treated with pergolide (Permax), according to results of a new study. Evidence suggests that the degree of damage correlates with lifetime dose of the drug, but the effects may be reversible...
08/07/04
Fear of Terror May Raise Heart Disease Risk
Israeli women who are extremely afraid of terrorism appear to have higher levels of a marker of blood vessel inflammation, a sign they may be at risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers report...
08/07/04
Genes might be key to hepatitis C
Genes that take the brakes off the immune system may help explain why some people essentially cure themselves of liver-destroying hepatitis C, research suggests...
08/06/04
Hospital gives uninsured a break
A large Mississippi hospital agreed Thursday to offer free medical care to some uninsured patients and provide sharp discounts to others, as part of an agreement negotiated with attorneys who are suing the not-for-profit hospital industry...
08/06/04
Autoimmune Drugs Linked to Tuberculosis Cases
Drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases have been linked to tuberculosis cases in California, U.S. health officials said on Thursday...
08/06/04
Fish Oil Helps Some Cancer Patients with Wasting
Loss of weight and muscle mass, common among people with cancer, may be improved with fish oil supplements, according to a new report...
08/06/04
Doctors say separation a success
With a 17-hour operation and its one nasty surprise behind them, the surgeons who separated 2-year-old conjoined twins said Thursday that it will be days before they can see how the boys respond to their transformation...
08/06/04
Eating Lots of Carbs May Raise Cancer Risk
High-carb diets may increase more than just waistlines. New research suggests they might raise the risk of breast cancer. Women in Mexico who ate a lot of carbohydrates were more than twice as likely to get breast cancer than those who ate less starch and sugar, scientists found...
08/05/04
Herpes Risk from Ancient Form of Circumcision
Eight infants developed genital herpes following an ancient Jewish ritual of circumcision, highlighting the dangers associated with this procedure, researchers report...
08/05/04
Few Mothers Meet Breastfeeding Goals, Study Shows
Only 14 percent of U.S. mothers exclusively breastfeed their babies for the minimum recommended six months, according to government data released on Thursday...
08/05/04
Twins 'strong and stable' after surgery
Two-year-old twins from the Philippines born with the tops of their heads fused together were "strong and stable" after being separated in a marathon operation that stretched into early Thursday...
08/05/04
Antidepressants harm youth: report
Newspaper says FDA exploring link between antidepressant drugs, suicidal tendencies in young people...
08/05/04
Viagra use triples with men under 45
Impotence pill users are growing fastest among younger men, posing headache for health insurers...
08/04/04
Study Finds Agreement on 'Ideal' Nose
People who opt for a nose job are no different from anyone else when it comes to their vision of the "ideal" nose, a study suggests...
08/04/04
Study Links Cholesterol, Breast Cancer
Overweight women with low levels of the so-called good cholesterol seem to have a higher risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, Norwegian researchers reported Tuesday...
08/04/04
Do Kids Without Insurance Miss Doctor Visits?
Nearly half of the 8.5 million U.S. children who lack health insurance have not seen a doctors or nurse for a medical check-up in the past year, according to a study published on Tuesday...
08/04/04
Heart Attack Patients Without Support Fare Poorly
The support of family, friends and others may be key in how well a person recovers after a heart attack, according to a new report...
08/04/04
Maggots make medical comeback
Think of these wriggly little creatures not as, well, gross, but as miniature surgeons: Maggots are making a medical comeback, cleaning out wounds that just won't heal...
08/03/04
Fewer getting health insurance through jobs
The percentage of people who get health insurance through employers fell sharply from 2001 to 2003, resulting in 9 million fewer people with employer coverage after accounting for population growth, researchers said Tuesday...
08/03/04
Flu in Pregnancy Linked to Schizophrenia
A bout of the flu during the first half of pregnancy may damage the fetal brain and raises the risk of children developing schizophrenia later in life, researchers said on Monday...
08/03/04
MRIs Safe with Pacemakers, Study Finds
Patients with pacemakers, defibrillators and other implanted heart devices can usually safely undergo magnetic scans, researchers said on Monday...
08/03/04
Heart Patients Often Stop Their Medication
You've survived a heart attack and made it out of the hospital. Wouldn't you stick to the medication you've been prescribed? A surprising number of people do not, apparently...
08/03/04
Survey: 9 percent abuse alcohol
About nine percent of Americans abuse alcohol and nearly 15 percent have a personality disorder, according to a U.S. government survey...
08/03/04
Free home STD test kits studied
A free kit that allows women to test themselves for a sexually transmitted disease in much the same way they can test themselves for pregnancy will be studied across Maryland, U.S. researchers say...
08/02/04
Fat activists protest diet industry
Unashamed of their size, fed up with fat jokes, and angry at the national obsession with dieting, overweight activists are mounting a feisty protest movement against what it calls the medical establishment's campaign against obesity...
08/02/04
Apple's Jobs has cancer surgery
Steve Jobs, the charismatic chief executive of Apple Computer Inc. and Pixar Animation Studios, said Sunday he had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas but added he expects a full recovery...
08/02/04
Health Reforms May Reduce Birth Rate
German health reforms have increased fertility treatment costs and threaten to lower the dwindling annual birth rate, already one of the lowest in the world, by a further 10,000, a doctors' group said on Monday...
08/02/04
Researchers Hope Drug Brings Leg Relief
Researchers hope a drug used to treat Parkinson's disease will help put a major medical cause of insomnia to rest...
08/02/04
Docs Need to Focus on Kids' Obesity, Hypertension
Obesity and high blood pressure in children -- two major, often related health hazards that were rare in this age group not so long ago -- need more attention and treatment from pediatricians...
08/02/04
Study: Pediatricians Can Miss Obesity
A study at one hospital points to a potential obstacle in the fight against childhood obesity — pediatricians failing to see it, according to a study released Monday...
07/30/04
CDC: Public pools making swimmers sick
Seeing diaper-clad infants in her neighborhood swimming pool without protective rubber pants led Karen Byers to search for a new place to take a dip...
07/30/04
New Pill May Help Recovering Alcoholics Stay Sober
A new pill that aims to keep alcoholics from drinking again after they have quit could hit the shelves by the end of this year after U.S. health officials approved the drug on Thursday...
07/30/04
Chickenpox Vaccination May Not Prevent Infection
During an outbreak of chickenpox in Minnesota in the fall of 2002, more than half the children who became infected had been immunized with the varicella vaccine, according to a new report...
07/30/04
Seizure Drug Helps Reduce Cancer Pain
A drug used to prevent seizures can improve pain relief for some people taking opioids for cancer pain, European researchers report...
07/30/04
CDC: Child vaccinations at record high
About 79 percent of the nation's toddlers are getting vaccinated on time, a record level but not yet good enough, especially in pockets of the country where inoculations lag, federal health officials reported Thursday...
07/29/04
Heart tumors might be more common
Scientists studying a rare genetic disorder have made a surprising discovery that helps explain why certain heart tumors develop and suggests they may be more common than had been believed...
07/29/04
Teens' cosmetic dreams don't always come true
While studying human resource management at Baylor University, Long decided to change her look. She modeled herself after Julia Roberts in her Oscar-winning 2000 portrayal of a famous office worker — Erin Brockovich...
07/29/04
Hospital errors cause 195,000 deaths
As many as 195,000 people a year could be dying in U.S. hospitals because of easily prevented errors, a company said Tuesday in an estimate that doubles previous figures...
07/29/04
Medicare Drug Discounts: Confusing But Worth It
A new report finds the Medicare drug discount card program is still bewildering to many beneficiaries, but it can offer savings to those who persist long enough to figure it out...
07/29/04
MRIs Better on Breast Cancer
In women at high risk of breast cancer, new research suggests MRI scans find nearly twice as many tumors as mammograms do, but they cost a lot and trigger more unneeded biopsies...
07/28/04
Clue to Preventing Premature Births
Researchers said on Tuesday they have identified "biomarkers" created by infections in amniotic fluid that could help lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of womb infections often to blame for premature births...
07/28/04
Flu Shot Doesn't Prevent Kids' Asthma Flare-Ups
It's recommended that children with asthma get an annual flu shot, but a new report indicates that this does not prevent asthma exacerbations. In fact, there's a hint that influenza vaccination might make asthma worse...
07/28/04
New doctors work less but problems persist
Doctors fresh out of medical school are working fewer hours compared to their predecessors, thanks to new rules that went into effect a year ago curbing duty time...
07/28/04
Yellowstone visitors hit with gastrointestinal illness
A highly infectious illness sickened 134 people at Yellowstone in June and early July, the National Park Service said...
07/27/04
Health considered in companies' building designs
In some ways, Mary Still is a typical weight-loss success story. She changed her eating habits, started working out and dropped 82 pounds in a year...
07/27/04
Demographics Influence Cervical Cancer Rates
Cervical cancer occurrence and death rates remain higher among women of lower socioeconomic status than among better-off women, according to a new report...
07/27/04
The Body, Not the Mind, Predicts Cancer Survival
Terminal cancer patients may feel anxious or spiritually distressed, but their physical symptoms -- not their emotions -- are what signal the beginning of the end, an international research team reports...
07/27/04
An Egg a Day May Be Too Much for Some Women
Women who eat eggs on a daily basis may have a higher risk of dying than other women their age, study findings suggest...
07/27/04
Medicare wants cancer drug rates cut
The Bush administration proposed cutting Medicare payment rates Tuesday for doctors providing cancer treatment in their offices, projecting savings of $530 million amid concerns that some specialists would reduce their practices...
07/26/04
Long painkiller use may harm kidneys
Long-term, habitual use of the painkiller acetaminophen may cause a decline in kidney function in some people, a study of middle-aged women said on Monday...
07/26/04
Eating Fish Protects Against Stroke
More evidence that fish consumption reduces the chances of having a stroke comes from an analysis of results from several large studies...
07/26/04
Study: Caffeine Interferes with Diabetes Control
Caffeine could interfere with the body's ability to handle blood sugar, thus worsening type 2 diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday...
07/26/04
YMCAs Team Up to Fight Obesity
West Virginia's 10 YMCAs are teaming up to fight obesity though a national pilot project called "Activate America: Pioneering Healthier Communities."
07/26/04
AIDS poll: Americans worry about kids
Fewer people believe the overall threat of AIDS is very serious these days, but a majority of Americans say they worry about the impact of the sexually transmitted disease on the nation's children, an Associated Press poll found...
07/25/04
Feds give guidance on health savings
The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued comprehensive guidance Friday in hopes of clearing up confusion over new accounts that allow people to save tax-free to meet health care expenses...
07/23/04
Maker tries again for easier sales of morning-after pill
A maker of morning-after birth control asked the government Thursday to reconsider allowing over-the-counter sales of the pills — but only for women 16 and older...
07/23/04
Overregulating Health Care
Lawmakers should resist piling too many regulations on the U.S. health care industry and try instead to foster more competition, antitrust authorities said on Friday...
07/23/04
Unwanted Support in Breast Cancer is Harmful
Although support from family and friends is important for women battling breast cancer, support that comes in unwanted ways may do more harm than good, research suggests...
07/23/04
Eating Fish Protects Against Stroke
More evidence that fish consumption reduces the chances of having a stroke comes from an analysis of results from several large studies...
07/23/04
California reports first West Nile death
A 57-year-old man died from the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, becoming California's first human fatality from the illness since it arrived in the state last year, officials said...
07/22/04
Against advice, some still soak up the sun
When the morning fog lifts and the sun comes out, so does Gina Privitere...
07/22/04
Price of cancer drugs called 'mind-boggling'
Although new cancer therapies have nearly doubled the life expectancy for those with advanced colorectal cancer, their staggering costs may keep the drugs out of reach for some patients, according to an editorial in today's New England Journal of Medicine...
07/22/04
States, NYC target power companies
Attorneys general from eight states and New York City are stepping into the debate over global climate change, vowing to force the nation's largest power companies to cut their carbon dioxide emissions...
07/22/04
Two Alzheimer's drugs show potential
Two experimental Alzheimer's drugs have the potential to prevent or halt the progress of the brain-wasting disease, doctors said on Wednesday...
07/22/04
Heat Therapy Said to Hold Promise in Breast Cancer
Therapy that "cooks" small tumors could soon provide an alternative to surgery for women in the early stages of breast cancer, according to one researcher...
07/21/04
President signs vaccine legislation
President Bush on Wednesday signed a bill to develop and stockpile vaccines and other antidotes to biological and chemical weapons...
07/21/04
AIDS Drugs Fight Cervical Cancer,
Drug cocktails used to control the AIDS virus may also work to prevent cervical cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday...
07/21/04
Blacks, Hispanics Develop Alzheimer's Earlier
Hispanic and black Americans are more likely to suffer symptoms of Alzheimer's disease at an earlier age than their white counterparts, new research says...
07/21/04
'Good' Cholesterol Protects Women Against Dementia
For women, maintaining high levels of "good" HDL cholesterol may be one of the most effective strategies for fending off Alzheimer's disease according to new research...
07/20/04
Stronger pot causes policy shift
Alarmed by reports that marijuana is becoming more potent than ever and that children are trying it at younger and younger ages, U.S. officials are changing their drug policies...
07/20/04
Breast Cancer Cells Have Unlikely Allies
Researchers have discovered that breast cancer cells depend on non-cancerous "support cells" to spur their growth, and the finding could lead to an overhaul in chemotherapy treatment for the disease...
07/20/04
Miscarriage Linked to Arthritis Risk
Women with a history of miscarriage before they developed rheumatoid arthritis seem to be at increased risk for progressive joint disease, according to a new report...
07/20/04
Investigators: Hospital 'deficiencies' overlooked
The private organization that clears hospitals to receive Medicare payments missed most problems later identified by state inspectors, potentially compromising patient safety, congressional investigators said Tuesday...
07/20/04
Medicare Obesity Treatments Not Immediate
While health experts are applauding the decision to allow Medicare coverage of treatments for obesity, that coverage probably won't take effect until next year, officials said...
07/19/04
Experts: Flying not risk for some heart patients
Flying is not as risky for heart patients as doctors once thought, researchers say...
07/19/04
Doctor uses metal in breast implants
A German cosmetic surgeon has developed a new procedure for breast implantation using titanium...
07/19/04
High Meat Intake May Raise Odds of Endometriosis
What a woman eats can influence her risk of endometriosis, according to a new study...
07/19/04
Permanent Hair Dyes Tied to Adult Leukemia Risk
People who spent years using older permanent hair dyes may have somewhat higher odds of developing leukemia, a new study suggests...
07/19/04
Drug might delay Alzheimer's
People with a common memory disorder that often leads to Alzheimer's disease may be able to briefly delay that fate by taking a drug normally prescribed for Alzheimer's, a new study indicates...
07/19/04
Flicking mosquitoes might prevent infection
Flicking away pesky mosquitoes may be better than swatting the bloodsucking insects, which can risk infections if their body parts are smashed into human skin, researchers say...
07/18/04
New Calif. Power Lines Stir Health Debate
Lara Lighthouse is fighting the planned route of a 230,000-volt power line near San Francisco because she's afraid it will make her family sick...
07/18/04
Cancer Patient Did Not Take No for an Answer
Jerry Mayfield figures he has had two lucky breaks. The first was after he was diagnosed with leukemia, and found a new drug called Gleevec, making headlines because of its astonishing effects in some cancer patients...
07/18/04
Medical training goes virtual
The days of new doctors practicing on real patients may be numbered...
07/18/04
HMO glitch gives retirees free prescriptions
A health maintenance organization is still trying to calculate its losses after a computer programming glitch told pharmacists to give thousands of Minnesota retirees free generic prescriptions...
07/17/04
Is HIV fight empowering women?
When historians reflect on the global battle against the HIV epidemic, one possible bright spot could be women's empowerment in the developing world, specialists say...
07/17/04
Early Risk Factors Linked to Child Aggression
The seeds of a child's aggressive behavior may be planted even before birth, according to a new study -- suggesting, researchers say, that interventions to prevent youth violence should begin as early as pregnancy...
07/17/04
Anxiety in Pregnancy Ups Kids' Behavioral Problems
Women who are chronically stressed out during the middle of a pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children who develop behavioral problems later in life, researchers reported Friday...
07/17/04
Acupuncture as a Cancer Treatment?
Acupuncture is a technique by which thin needles are inserted into the skin at specific places to restore healthy energy flow and balance to the body...
07/17/04
Side Air Bags Can Save Lives in Crashes - Study
Installing side air bags in all cars in the United States could prevent more than 2,000 deaths or cases of serious brain injury, emergency medicine experts said on Friday...
07/16/04
Study Links Kids' Obesity to Watching TV
Children who watch more than two hours of television a night seem to be at higher risk of becoming smokers or being fat, out of shape or having high cholesterol as adults, according to a new study...
07/16/04
Science Comes a Step Closer to a Workout in a Pill
Ever wished you could wash down that pizza, cheesecake and beer with a magic pill to make it all vanish from your waistline?...
07/16/04
Study: Kids Fatter But Teen Pregnancies Down
Violence and pregnancies among American teens have decreased in recent years but children are getting fatter, according to government figures released on Friday...
07/16/04
Medicare Redefines Obesity As an Illness
Medicare now recognizes obesity as an illness, a change in policy that may allow millions of overweight Americans to make medical claims for treatments such as stomach surgery and diet programs...
07/16/04
Illinois OKs HIV-infected organ donation
Illinois on Thursday became the first state with a law specifically allowing HIV-infected people to donate organs to others with the virus. But before such donations can take place, federal rules will have to change...
07/15/04
Alzheimers often mistakenly diagnosed
Ask anyone to name a brain disease that causes dementia and eventually death, and the most likely answer you'll get is Alzheimer's disease...
07/15/04
Infant blindness boosts music acumen
Infants who go blind at a very young age develop musical abilities that are measurably better than those who lose their sight later in life or retain full vision, according to a new study...
07/15/04
Niacin May Protect Against Alzheimer
High intake of the vitamin niacin, particularly from food sources, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and age-related mental decline, according to a new report...
07/15/04
Early Binge Drinking Tied to Later Health Problems
Young teens who begin a habit of binge drinking face an increased risk of poor health as young adults, study findings suggest...
07/15/04
Experts urge work on anti-HIV gels
Experts called Thursday for urgent work on HIV-killing gels that could help protect women who can't rely on condoms, while democracy icon Nelson Mandela told the world not to ignore tuberculosis in its battle against AIDS...
07/14/04
Study: Customized Vaccines Help Delay Cancer Death
An anti-cancer vaccine made with a patient's own brain tumor has helped several sufferers live much longer than expected, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday...
07/14/04
Child cancer survivors face higher risks later
Two-thirds of children who survive cancer go on to face higher risks of another cancer, heart disease or other health problems as they grow up, researchers reported Wednesday...
07/14/04
NIH to open national 'stem cell bank'
The government plans to open a "national bank" to better grow the only embryonic stem cells eligible for government-funded research, holding firm against critics who want Bush administration restrictions on the controversial cells lifted...
07/13/04
Fading Social Life May Signal Trouble in Diabetes
Older diabetic patients who withdraw from their normal social activities may be showing early signs of deteriorating health, new study findings ...
07/13/04
USDA looks to reshape food pyramid
Most Americans are familiar with the federal Food Guide Pyramid -- but a lot of people don't understand how to use it...
07/13/04
Stress May Raise Endometrial Cancer Risk
The role of social stress in increasing the risk for cancer has not been clearly established, but a new study in monkeys suggests that it could double the possibility for endometrial cancer...
07/13/04
FDA: Glaxo Vaccine Information Wrong
Product materials for several GlaxoSmithKline Plc hepatitis vaccines contain false information about flu vaccines that could lead to public health problems, U.S. regulators said in a letter released on Tuesday...
07/13/04
Search for AIDS vaccine falters
The two-decade search for an AIDS vaccine, the only way to end the global crisis, is all but starting over, researchers here said Monday...
07/12/04
Experts: AIDS vaccine years away
Scientists have played down hopes that an AIDS vaccine could be developed within the next few years...
07/12/04
Discovery could ID diabetes-risk kids
Scientists have discovered a gene mutation that contributes to juvenile diabetes, a discovery that could improve screening for the disease and help identify children at risk...
07/12/04
Zithromax Not a Sure Bet for Curing Syphilis
Doctors increasingly rely on an oral antibiotic called Zithromax to treat patients with syphilis instead of the traditional therapy -- two painful injections of penicillin G benzathine in the buttocks...
07/12/04
Obesity Surgery Doesn't Just Shrink Stomach
Gastric bypass surgery might help lower a person's weight beyond simply restricting the amount of food he or she can eat, suggests an article in the July issue of the Archives of Surgery...
07/12/04
Healthy Exercise Helps Treat Eating Disorders
Adding an exercise program to the treatment of eating disorders appears to help women who have an unhealthy attitude toward exercise, new research shows...
07/10/04
Hospital Hardball
Chris Huston makes about $25,000 a year walking dogs for a living in Chicago. Medical insurance is beyond her reach, but dog bites are not...
07/09/04
New HIV therapy shows promise
Researchers may finally be on track to fight the AIDS virus by blocking a long-elusive target, an HIV enzyme called integrase. An experimental drug that inhibits the enzyme helped to keep the infection in check in monkeys...
07/09/04
Adult Stem Cells Transfer Improves Heart Function
Adult stem cells taken from bone marrow can improve heart function in patients who have suffered a heart attack, German researchers said on Friday...
07/09/04
UV Light May Give Frequent Tanners a Lift
For frequent tanners, the tanning bed may offer more than a bronzed skin. The ultraviolet (UV) radiation used in indoor tanning may actually raise their mood and make them feel relaxed, new research suggests...
07/09/04
Report: Teens Seeing Too Many Magazine Alcohol Ads
Teenagers may be more likely than adults of legal drinking age to come across alcohol ads in their favorite magazines, new research suggests...
07/09/04
Regular folks get the star treatment
Did he or didn't he? He did, and retired industrial engineer Bill Mullen is not only thrilled he got an eyelid lift at age 60, he's not afraid to talk about how much better he feels about his appearance...
07/08/04
Mutant syphilis strain resists common cure
A fast-spreading mutant strain of syphilis has proved resistant to the antibiotic pills that are offered to some patients as an alternative to painful penicillin shots...
07/08/04
Overtime hikes nursing errors, study shows
Nurses in U.S. hospitals about 40 percent of the time are working long shifts that raise the risk of medical mistakes such as giving the wrong medication or the wrong dose, a study released Wednesday said...
07/08/04
Soy Safe When It Comes to Breast Cancer
High dietary levels of natural plant estrogens found in soy don't appear to increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer, says a Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center study...
07/08/04
Asthma Often Does Not Go Away as Kids Get Older
Contrary to the commonly held view, asthma does not remit during adolescence in many cases, according to a new study...
07/08/04
Depression Ups Risk of 'Metabolic Syndrome'
Women who have had an episode of depression have increased odds of having "metabolic syndrome" -- a cluster of conditions such as abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar and unhealthy cholesterol levels, that set the stage for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke...
07/07/04
Enrollment issue shadows drug discount cards
The Bush administration is resisting calls from across the political spectrum to broaden the automatic enrollment of poor people in the Medicare discount drug card program...
07/07/04
Study: Rich and poor skip immunizations
Struggling, inner-city parents are more likely to neglect to completely vaccinate their children, while parents who refuse to vaccinate at all tend to be white and well-off, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday...
07/07/04
Milk Helps Prevent Colon Cancer
A little more than a glass of milk a day can reduce the risk of cancer of the colon and rectum, according to the most comprehensive study ever done on the subject...
07/07/04
New Surgical Technique Could Mean Faster Recovery
A new surgical technique may help doctors operate on internal organs without making any cuts in the skin, researchers reported on Wednesday...
07/07/04
Genes Up Heart Attack Risk for African Americans
African Americans are more likely than European Americans to have variations in their genes that have been linked to an increased heart attack risk, according to a new report...
07/06/04
Alzheimer's Mutations Found in Brain Cells
The genetic mutations that lie behind most cases of Alzheimer's disease may be found inside cell powerhouses known as mitochondria, U.S. researchers said on Monday...
07/06/04
High Scores on Video Games Pack on Pounds
Children who spend a lot of time racking up high scores on video games are also more likely to pack on too many pounds, says a U.S.-Swiss study...
07/06/04
Parents Urged to Fight Kids' Obesity
Susan Hedrick and her 18-year-old daughter are turning the tide on years of fast food and sedentary living. In a bid to shed a combined 180 pounds, they have been eating healthier and taking long walks this summer...
07/06/04
Study: Overweight Children Risk Iron Deficiency
Overweight children are at double the risk of being iron deficient, perhaps because of bad diet or lack of exercise, a study said on Tuesday...
07/06/04
Early Vitamin Use Linked to Asthma, U.S. Study Finds
A study of more than 8,000 infants found a possible link between the use of multivitamin supplements and the risk of asthma and food allergies, researchers said on Tuesday...
07/02/04
Combat stress: The war within
Almost two out of every 10 U.S. troops who have faced combat in Iraq may return with serious symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, according to an unprecedented study...
07/02/04
Kids Do Much of Their Munching in Front of TV
Elementary school children appear to down many of their daily calories while planted in front of the television, a new study shows...
07/01/04
Chemo More Dangerous Than Thought for Kids
Children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) who suffer genetic damage caused by chemotherapy may face an increased risk of further cancers and other diseases later in life...
07/01/04
Smokers, Drinkers Show Gene Changes in Mouth Cells
Many healthy people who smoke or drink may have a genetic alteration in the cells of the mouth and throat that could signal an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers at the University of Hong Kong...
07/01/04
More adults lack health insurance, CDC reports
The number of American adults who live without health insurance surpassed 20 percent last year, the second consecutive yearly rise, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said...
07/01/04
Mice May Help Protect Humans in Bio Attacks
Australian scientists have identified the immune response that determines why some mice are infected with mousepox and others are not, a discovery that could lead to better protection for humans in a bio-terror attack...
07/01/04
Study: Obese kids face heart attack risk
Extremely obese youngsters can have heart abnormalities that put them at serious risk of heart attacks and chest pains, U.S. researchers have said...
06/30/04
Relapse Common After Anorexia Treatment
Many women who are successfully treated for anorexia are in danger of relapsing for at least two years afterward, new research suggests...
06/30/04
FDA: OK to market bloodsuckers
The government has lent its seal of approval to a marketing an age-old medical device -- leeches...
06/30/04
Group: Drug costs up after Medicare discounts started
Prices for medicines most used by older Americans rose steadily after the Bush administration enacted the new Medicare law late last year, the nation's largest group representing the elderly said Wednesday...
06/29/04
Rat drug may boost sex drive in women, study finds
A drug that seems to drive female rats mad for sex may offer the first real scientific aphrodisiac for women, U.S. and Canadian researchers have said...
06/29/04
Hormone peak differs in thin men, study finds
A hormone that affects hunger acts in surprising and different ways in lean and fat men -- a finding that may offer new ways to treat obesity, U.S. researchers have reported...
06/29/04
Chronic Stress Tied to Heart, Stroke Risks in Men
A stress-filled life really does seem to raise the odds of heart disease and stroke down the road, according to a large study from Sweden...
06/28/04
Sperm count, cell phone link dismissed
Mobile phones may damage men's sperm, Hungarian scientists say, in a study that fertility experts dismissed Monday as inconclusive...
06/28/04
Pudgy category pumps weight debate
Riding to the mall one Saturday, Joanne Ikeda's younger sister turned to her and asked, out of nowhere, "Do you know that I am now overweight?"...
06/27/04
Asthma Emerging as Genetic Disorder
Asthma rates have risen sharply in the United States in recent decades. The chronic condition, in which the airways become inflamed and stifle breathing, now affects more than 20 million Americans, including more than five million children...
06/26/04
Early Radiation Therapy Extends Prostate Cancer Survival
Prostate cancer patients who receive radiation therapy within six months of surgery typically live longer than patients who don't receive early radiation treatment, a new Italian study finds...
06/26/04
Cost-Cutting on Drugs Has Health Cost
Middle-aged and elderly Americans who cut back on prescription drugs for chronic illnesses because of the expense do so at the expense of their health...
06/26/04
Pain Pills May Protect Against Brain Tumors
Treatment with aspirin, Advil (ibuprofen) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may protect against a highly lethal type of brain tumor called glioblastoma multiforme, new research suggests...
06/25/04
Science Finds Clue to Stopping Cancer's Spread
Cancer cells commandeer a normally dormant protein to aid their spread to other organs, a new study has found...
06/25/04
Overweight Women Overestimate Physical Activity
Young women, especially those who are overweight, tend to overestimate their levels of physical activity, according to a new study...
06/25/04
Widely Used Alzheimer's Drugs Found Ineffective
Cholinesterase inhibitors, the most widely prescribed drugs for Alzheimer's disease, do not slow progression of the mind-robbing condition and do not affect the rate at which patients must be admitted to nursing homes, a British study finds...
06/25/04
Pregnancy Bad for Good Cholesterol
Pregnancy seems to cause a drop in "good" HDL cholesterol levels that may persist for up to 10 years, according to the results of a new study...
06/25/04
More Americans Surviving Cancer Than in 1970s
The number of Americans who live at least five years after a cancer diagnosis has risen sharply since the mid-1970s due to increased screening, improved medical treatment and overall higher life expectancy, federal health experts reported on Thursday...
06/24/04
Experts slam low-carb trend as rip-off
Popular low-carbohydrate diets are leading Americans to poor health and spawning a rip-off industry of "carb-friendly" products, health experts and consumer advocates have said...
06/24/04
Study: Weight loss aids erectile function
Obese men with difficulties in getting an erection can improve their sexual function by exercising and losing weight, Italian researchers have said...
06/24/04
Few Women Comply with Mammogram Guidelines
Findings from a new study indicate that only 6 percent of women get a screening mammogram every year starting at age 40 as recommended by the American Cancer Society. Because annual screening has been shown to improve breast cancer survival, such underuse is particularly concerning...
06/24/04
CDC: 100 million flu shots to be available
Determined to avoid a repeat of last year's flu-shot shortage, the government announced that vaccine makers will have 100 million doses ready for this winter...
06/24/04
Breast milk compound shrinks warts
A compound in breast milk has been found to destroy many skin warts, raising hopes it might also prove effective against cervical cancer and other lethal diseases caused by the same virus...
06/23/04
Genes in Smokers' Lungs May Predict Disease
Lung cell gene expression in smokers appears to differ from that of nonsmokers and former smokers, and may help predict a smoker's likelihood of developing lung cancer or other chronic airway diseases, researchers say...
06/23/04
Climate Tied to Asthma, Eczema Rates in Kids
Changes in weather may influence rates of asthma and eczema in children, says a study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine...
06/23/04
Do Millions of Women Get Unneeded Pap Smears?
Nearly half the 22 million American women who have had a hysterectomy and whose cervix was removed are getting unnecessary Pap smears to test for cervical cancer, researchers said on Tuesday...
06/22/04
Cool Head May Mean Calm Heart - Study
Young adults who keep a cool head under stress may be less likely to develop high blood pressure as they age, U.S. researchers said on Monday...
06/22/04
Doctors must double-check before surgery
Starting July 1, operating rooms are supposed to be a little safer: Surgical teams must take new steps to prevent operating on the wrong body part or wrong patient...
06/21/04
New Scanner May Improve Cancer Care
In cancer diagnosis and treatment, pinpointing the stage to which a tumor has progressed is critical. Now, scientists in Germany say a new integrated PET/CT scanner is more effective at staging tumors than either PET (positron emission tomography) or CT (computed tomography) alone...
06/21/04
Environmental Toxin Linked to Parkinson's
Environmental toxins called proteasome inhibitors cause a Parkinson's disease like movement disorder in rats, according to new research...
06/21/04
Mammogram message unheeded, stats show
After more than a decade of urging by doctors that women over 40 should receive mammograms yearly, few actually do so, according to a large cancer study...
06/20/04
Smokers, Quit Early to Regain Health
People who quit smoking before the age of 35 can eventually live as long and healthy lives as people who never smoked, a new study shows...
06/19/04
Tiny Beads Treat Inoperable Liver Cancer
A new, minimally invasive treatment that uses tiny glass beads to deliver high doses of radiation to liver tumors is being used to treat people with inoperable liver cancer...
06/18/04
Study Finds Many Kids Deficient in Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency may be a common but unrecognized problem among U.S. adolescents, new study findings suggest...
06/18/04
Scientists 'predict menopause age'
Scientists have developed a method that aims to predict how fast a woman's biological clock is ticking and when she is likely to go through menopause...
06/17/04
Teen Dieting May Lead to Adult Obesity
New research suggests that the dieting habits of teenage girls offer a crystal ball into their futures. The news isn't good: Those who try the hardest to lose weight as adolescents are most likely to become obese adults...
06/16/04
Medicare to cover scan for Alzheimer's
Using PET scans to check for evidence of Alzheimer's disease will be covered under U.S. government insurance, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said...
06/15/04
Doctors put spotlight on Plan B pill
The American Medical Association voiced its support for over-the-counter sales of morning-after birth control, saying the Food and Drug Administration was wrong to reject such sales and urging doctors to write advance prescriptions...
06/15/04
Fitness Boosts Removal of 'Bad' Cholesterol
Being physically fit boosts levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and improves the removal of "bad" forms of cholesterol, researchers in Australia report...
06/14/04
Report: Cholesterol drugs cut glaucoma risk
Cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins appear to reduce the risk of developing the most common type of glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, researchers said Monday...
06/14/04
Fruit fends off vision trouble, study finds
Eating fruit regularly earlier in life may help ward off macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults, a study said Monday...
06/14/04
Trim Down to Fight Prostate Cancer
If you're a man who is suffering from prostate cancer, check to see if there's a spare tire hanging around your middle...
06/12/04
New Treatment Promising in Type 2 Diabetes
In a study of type 2 diabetic patients, treatment with an investigational drug called liraglutide administered by injection once daily, improved control of blood sugar levels without increasing weight, European investigators report...
06/12/04
Ovarian Cancer Risk from Fertility Drugs Found Low
Drugs used to stimulate ovulation during fertility treatment do not appear to greatly boost the risk of subsequent ovarian cancer, a large study shows...
06/12/04
Breast Cancer Factors Similar for Blacks and Whites
Having fewer children and not breastfeeding have both been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer. Now, new research indicates that the impact of these risk factors is similar for black and white women...
