Healthier men want more sex for more years
Healthier men, no matter their age, are going to have better sex more frequently and desire it more often than healthier women.
...More
CNN.com - Health
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:08:38 ESTMinorities' higher Alzheimer's risk
Francisca Terrazas and other Latinas are about 1.5 times more likely than Anglos to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, a new report says. Read how her family copes.
...More
Haitian couple await baby's return
In the chaos following January's earthquake, a baby was separated from her parents and brought to Miami. Now a couple await a DNA test to prove the baby is theirs.
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Eat, pray sleep: Survey uncovers our habits
Your racial and ethnic background can shape many aspects of your life: the type of food you eat, where you live, and your political views.
...More
Women drinkers less likely to gain
Some women avoid drinking calorie-filled cocktails, wine, and beer because they're worried about packing on the pounds. Now, a new study suggests that women who are moderate drinkers actually tend to gain less weight over time than teetotalers.
...More
'You just don't look disabled'
People come up to Aimee Mullins all the time and say, "you know, I have to tell you, you just don't look disabled."
...More
Supreme Court takes vaccine appeal
Parents who say that a range of preventive vaccines given their young children can cause serious health problems will have their appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
...More
'Speed-dating' doctors woo patients
A pioneering Texas program invites prospective patients to casually meet and size up a lot of doctors in a short amount of time.
...More
Dems: No health bill sked promises
Despite a call from the White House for health care legislation to pass this month, key Democrats are avoiding any promises about how soon the next steps may come.
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Thought urged on prostate screening
Most men 50 and older should seriously consider the potential risks of treatment before deciding whether to be screened for prostate cancer, the American Cancer Society said Wednesday in revised guidelines.
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Yahoo! News: Health News
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:05:48 GMTHoped-for drop in childbirth deaths not happening (AP)
AP - Eleven days after her son Benjamin's birth by C-section, Linda Coale awoke in the middle of the night in pain, one leg badly swollen. Just as her doctor returned her phone call asking what to do, she dropped dead from a blood clot.
...More
Researchers: AIDS virus can hide in bone marrow (AP)
AP - The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease....More
WHO: over 85M African kids get polio vaccination (AP)
AP - The World Health Organization says more than 85 million children under 5 in west and central Africa will be vaccinated against polio.
...More
Gene test claims to show what diet works best (AP)
AP - Diet not working? Blame your genes. That's the pitch behind a new test that claims to show whether people will do better on a low-fat or a low-carb weight loss plan....More
Appetite may be partly linked to germs in the gut (AP)
AP - Germs in the gut may help drive appetite, says new research into the link between obesity and bacteria....More
Senators: Lift ban on gays donating blood (AP)
AP - The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday....More
Obese Colon Cancer Survivors Face Poorer Prognosis (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Colon cancer survivors who
are moderately or severely obese face tougher survival odds following
treatment compared with their normal-weight peers, a new study
reveals....More
As You Age, Better Health Means Better Sex (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Better health translates
into better sex lives, with healthy people more likely to engage in sex
(and good sex at that) and to express an interest in sex, new research
finds....More
Clinical Trials Update: March 9, 2010 (HealthDay)
HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of
ClinicalConnection.com:...More
Kids Who Get Flu Shots Protect the Unvaccinated (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Children who get a flu shot
help prevent flu from spreading in their communities, Canadian researchers
say....More
Men likelier than women to enjoy sex in old age (AFP)
AFP - Men are more than twice as likely as women to be sexually active in old age but good health is the key for both to feeling naughty, says a study published Wednesday by the British Medical Journal.
...More
Obesity and Depression: A Vicious Circle? (HealthDay)
HealthDay - MONDAY, March 1 (HealthDay News) -- There appears to be a
back-and-forth link between depression and obesity, say researchers who
reviewed the findings of 15 studies that included nearly 59,000
people....More
Researchers back cancer-fighting properties of papaya (AFP)
AFP - Researchers said Tuesday that papaya leaf extract and its tea have dramatic cancer-fighting properties against a broad range of tumors, backing a belief held in a number of folk traditions.
...More
Canadian vaccination study proves 'herd immunity' (Reuters)
Reuters - Inoculating children against flu protects more people of all ages in the larger community, probably because young people tend to spread viruses through physical play, Canadian researchers said on Tuesday....More
HIV Hides Out in Bone Marrow Cells (HealthDay)
HealthDay - SUNDAY, March 7 (HealthDay News) -- Medications can reduce the level of
the AIDS virus in the blood to zero, but HIV doesn't disappear and often
roars back when patients stop taking their pills. Now, research is giving
scientists new insight into how the virus manages to hide and avoid the
killing powers of medicine....More
Increasing Soda Consumption Fuels Rise in Diabetes, Heart Disease (HealthDay)
HealthDay - FRIDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) --Increasing consumption of sugary
soft drinks contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes, 14,000 new cases
of heart disease and 50,000 more life-years burdened with heart disease in
the last decade, a new U.S. study finds.
...More
Asthma Rates Rising Across the U.S. (HealthDay)
HealthDay - TUESDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Asthma rates are increasing
across the United States, a new government study shows, but certain states
have significantly lower rates of the respiratory disease....More
NY seeks 'fat tax' on sodas to fight rising US obesity (AFP)
AFP - New York leaders are pressing for a so-called fat tax on the soft drinks industry, saying that sweet beverages are responsible for an upsurge of obesity across the United States.
...More
msnbc.com: Health
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:15:00 GMTBaby slings to get safety warning after deaths
The U.S. government is preparing a safety warning about baby slings — those popular and fashionable infant carriers that parents can sling around their chests to carry their baby....More
Britain may force owners to microchip dogs
British dog owners may be forced to microchip their pets and take out insurance, part of a proposed crackdown on the country's dangerous canines....More
‘Drugged driving’ a growing threat, official says
Motorists under the influence of drugs are a growing threat on U.S. roads, while the number who drink and drive has fallen thanks to education and law enforcement, a top U.S. drug control official said on Tuesday....More
Chewing gum smacks of wrinkle risks
It freshens our breath and helps us quit smoking, but some cosmetic surgeons believe chewing gum does one more thing: It gives us wrinkles....More
Donating a kidney doesn’t shorten donor’s life
People who donate one of their kidneys are likely to live just as long as someone with two healthy kidneys, assuming they survive the initial somewhat riskier period....More
Brazil's Silva quits smoking after 50 years
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says a recent health scare that sent his blood pressure soaring prompted him to kick the smoking habit he had for five decades.
...More
Assisted suicide network members indicted
A Georgia grand jury has indicted four members of an assisted suicide group on charges they helped a 58-year-old with cancer kill himself....More
Manufacturer expands pet food recall
Nature's Variety has expanded its recall of chicken-flavored pet food because of concerns over salmonella....More
Even a 3-year-old knows power of a logo
New research finds even preschoolers are brand-conscious and can recognize kiddie brand logos and products....More
Seniors pinched by rising costs for home care
As states struggle with red ink, more seniors face new fees or lengthy waiting lists for in-home services like meal deliveries, personal care assistants and visiting nurses.
...More
Nicotine builds up slowly in the brain
Nicotine builds up gradually in smokers' brains rather than spiking after each puff, according to a study that might help point to new ways to help people quit smoking.
...More
Fact? Recession blamed for jump in Medicare costs
The recession will cause an increase in Medicare costs. Msnbc.com fact-checks this claim — and more.
...More
Tenn. woman pleads guilty to faking breast cancer
A Tennessee woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to faking breast cancer in a scam that netted thousands of dollars worth of sick leave donated by her City Hall co-workers and money from a church and other charities....More
Don’t blame fast food for making you fat
What if steaks were healthier than strawberries, and ice cream a better weight-loss tool than carrots? It's time to rethink what you know about the food you eat.
...More
Dutch group backs right to suicide for elderly
A campaign to give elderly people in the Netherlands the right to assisted suicide says it has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, hoping to push the boundaries another notch in the country that first legalized euthanasia....More
Harry Smith colonoscopy to air on ‘Early Show’
CBS says it will be the first time an anchor has had a colonoscopy live on network television and Katie Couric plans to be with Smith as he prepares for the procedure....More
Tax soda, pizza to cut obesity, researchers say
U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults' calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds per year.
...More
Wine may be good for women’s waistlines
Light to moderate alcohol consumption, especially red wine, is not only good for a woman's heart, it's also good for her waistline, according to a study reported Monday.
...More
Ban on sugary drinks in school appears to work
An initiative to get sugary drinks out of U.S. schools has begun to work, with diet beverages and smaller portions replacing some full-size, full-calorie varieties in school vending machines, organizers said on Monday.
...More
Childbirth deaths in U.S. rare but too frequent
Pregnancy-related deaths appear to have risen nationwide over the past decade, nearly tripling in the state with the most careful count — California....More
Too much exercise can lead to overuse injuries
Breaking up your fitness routine is hard to do. But it's crucial for avoiding the bigger heartache of overuse injury, fitness experts say.
...More
Untrustworthy guy? Your instincts may be right
Is he trustworthy? Men with wider faces are not only perceived as untrustworthy, they may deserve the reputation, according to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science ....More
Study finds why ‘sunshine’ vitamin D is crucial
Vitamin D is vital in activating human defenses and low levels suffered by around half the world's population may mean their immune systems' killer T cells are poor at fighting infection, scientists said.
...More
NYT > Health
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:55:29 GMTFlu Shots in Children Help People of All Ages
A study of isolated Hutterite farming colonies in Canada found that giving flu vaccine to schoolchildren protected the entire community from the disease.
...More
Protein Suspected in Alzheimer’s May Be Needed to Fight Infection
Beta amyloid, which was once thought to be a chief villain in Alzheimer’s, may be part of the brain’s normal defenses, researchers at Harvard suggested.
...More
18 and Under: When a Child’s Nosebleed or Bruising Is a Blood Disorder
Some of the ailments, like idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, are usually resolved on their own, but others require treatment.
...More
Rapid DNA Sequencing Can Help Doctors Track Cancer Treatment
If altered bits of genetic material could be picked up in a patient’s bloodstream, they would serve as a direct and sensitive marker of cancer.
...More
Global Update: The Fight Against AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis Goes Online
Using their computers, travelers will be able to donate $2 when making reservations on some Internet travel sites.
...More
For the Afflicted, a Little Black Box to Jog Failing Memory
Researchers have tested the Sensecam, which contains a digital camera and an accelerometer, as an aid to people with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders.
...More
Vital Signs: New Study Finds Many Americans Say They’re Too Tired for Sex
A National Sleep Foundation report on ethnic groups’ habits found responses on tiredness and sex were similar for most groups.
...More
Vital Signs: One in Four Parents Link Autism to Vaccines, Study Finds
Most reported vaccinating their children, but more than half said they were concerned about adverse effects.
...More
Vital Signs: Cognitive Decline Is More Likely After Hospitalization
A new study found that older people hospitalized for a critical condition had a statistically significant drop in scores on cognitive tests when compared with people who had not been hospitalized.
...More
First Mention: Defibrillators, 1948
In 1899, two Swiss researchers discovered that an irregular heartbeat could be stopped by shocking the heart.
...More
Obama Turns Up the Volume in Health Care Bid
In an appearance that harked back to his 2008 campaign, President Obama made an emotional pitch for public support.
...More
States See Flaw in Obama Plan for Health Insurance Premiums
Experts said state officials might be left to worry about the solvency of insurers, the ultimate consumer protection.
...More
Senate Panel to Investigate Deaths in Long-Term Care
The investigation will focus on Select Medical, which runs more long-term care facilities than any other company.
...More
Dr. Barton Childs, Who Studied Inherited Diseases, Is Dead at 93
Dr. Childs helped shape the understanding of inherited diseases as scientists learned more about so-called inborn errors of metabolism, biochemistry and molecular biology.
...More
Lessons at Tuba City Hospital, Run by Navajos, About Births
A small, underfunded hospital in Arizona, with about 500 births a year, is outperforming richer institutions when it comes to keeping Caesarean rates down.
...More
Nestlé Bringing American-Style Diet Plans to Europe
With obesity on the rise in Europe, Nestlé is betting that Europeans are ready to embrace a concept that has proved successful in North America.
...More
Patient Money: A Child’s Allergies Are Serious but Can Be Treated Effectively
Many dubious remedies exist, but immunotherapy and careful cleaning to remove allergens and immunotherapy may be the best options.
...More
Medivation Shares Plunge as Dimebon, Alzheimer’s Drug, Fails
The drug, called Dimebon, failed in its first late-stage clinical trial, dealing a blow to patients with Alzheimer’s and the companies developing the treatment, Medivation and Pfizer.
...More
Vital Statistics: U.S. Birthrate in 2007 Was Highest Recorded, Pediatrics Reports
An annual survey tallied 4,317,119 births and found that the rate rose in all age groups, including teenagers.
...More
Pop-Tarts O.K. as Bake-Sale Rules Are Set for New York Schools
The Panel for Educational Policy voted unanimously to implement a policy that bans most bake sales but allows students to sell premade items including Pop-Tarts and Doritos.
...More
Obama Wields Goldman Sachs Study of Insurers in Health Fight
Seeking support for an overhaul, the administration is pointing to a Goldman Sachs study suggesting investors buy insurance shares because rates are up and competition is down.
...More
Obama Takes Health Care Deadline to Democrats
President Obama met with insurance executives and selected House Democrats, as party leaders struggled to figure out whether they can meet his timetable.
...More
White House Memo: A Plan to Talk About Jobs, Elbowed Aside by Health Care
The president and many other Democrats, especially those facing re-election, had hoped the conversation would be back on the economy by now.
...More
Obama Offers to Use Some G.O.P. Health Proposals
The president said that he was open to some Republican concerns, but he would press ahead with the overhaul.
...More
The Cost of Doing Nothing on Health Care
In health care, there will be no status quo, with or without an overhaul. Prices will rise beyond reach. Then what happens?
...More
Personal Health: To Keep Moving, Look Beyond the Physical
For many people, regular physical activity is as much about social interaction as it is about being healthy.
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A Conversation With Dr. Peter J. Pronovost: Doctor Leads Quest for Safer Ways to Care for Patients
Dr. Peter J. Pronovost, medical director of the Quality and Safety Research Group at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, travels the country advising hospitals on innovative safety measures.
...More
After Surviving Cancer, a Focus on True Manhood
Dana Jennings, who was treated for Stage 3 prostate cancer, found erectile dysfunction to be a particularly stubborn side effect.
...More
Wash Post Health
Having health insurance doesn't ensure it will be easy to find a doctor
It seemed like a relatively simple process: When you get sick, first call your primary-care doctor. Second, visit said doctor. Third, follow doctor's orders: Fill prescriptions, take to bed, whatever. Fourth, get better.
...More
Group appointments give patients better access to physicians
On a recent weekday morning, 15 expectant mothers are gathered in a circle in a large room at a Washington hospital for a collective third trimester checkup.
...More
Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: Letters about Me Minus 10
Two things I've learned since launching my Me Minus 10 campaign to lose 10 pounds before I turn 50 in December: Many people want to lose 10 pounds -- and many would like to have cartoon images made of themselves! I've received tons of great feedback; here are some of your letters.
...More
A few setbacks and changes in routine to lose 10 pounds
Me Minus 10 got off to a rocky start two weeks ago: No sooner had I pledged to lose 10 pounds than I got, first, a GI-tract malady and then a wicked head cold (both now resolved). Neither helped me mentally or physically. Nor did learning, upon purchase of a new scale, that I have 12, not 10 poun...
...More
Harry Smith colonoscopy to air on `Early Show'
"The Early Show" co-anchor Harry Smith is scheduled to have a colonoscopy Wednesday, with live reports planned as he undergoes the procedure at a New York hospital.
...More
Obama pitches health plan in spirited appearance
GLENSIDE, Pa. -- Stirring memories of his campaign for the White House, President Barack Obama made a spirited, shirt-sleeved appeal for passage of long-stalled health care changes Monday as Democratic congressional leaders worked behind the scenes on legislation they hope can quickly gain passage.
...More
Big in Japan? Fat chance for nation's young women, obsessed with being skinny
TOKYO -- As women in the United States and across the industrialized world get fatter, most Japanese women are getting skinnier.
...More
Salmonella prompts processed-food recall
Thousands of types of processed foods -- including many varieties of soups, chips, frozen dinners, hot dogs and salad dressings -- may pose a health threat because they contain a flavor enhancer that could be contaminated with salmonella, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
...More
Bundled payments might cut hospital costs without reducing quality of care
A decade and a half ago, when I started my solo practice, I would say to my routine HIV patients, "Let's see you back in three months." I was eager to fill clinic slots; also, because of my lack of experience, I felt safer seeing my patients more often.
...More
As Democrats seek to push through health bill, Obama reaches out to Republicans
As Democrats on Capitol Hill prepared a risky effort to muscle sweeping health-care legislation to final passage, President Obama on Tuesday made a last gambit to split Republicans on the issue, proposing to incorporate a handful of GOP ideas into his signature domestic initiative.
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Parity law requires mental health benefits comparable to physical care benefits
Denise Camp was resigned to the double standard that had long applied to her medical bills, forcing her to skimp on other expenses so she could pay for mental health treatment.
...More
Julia Child's co-author succeeded in the kitchen but also in second half of life
The Oscars are coming! And Meryl Streep is nominated for her role as super-chef Julia Child, who chop-chop-chopped those onions to success in "Julie & Julia." The movie tells the tale of Julia's beginnings as a chef in Paris, set against the later story of young writer Julie Powell, who spend...
...More
College students visit heart surgery operating room for artistic inspiration
Aspiring to imitate Thomas Eakins? It certainly looks that way. Last week, a group of students from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania evoked the image of the 19th-century Philadelphia artist when they went to observe -- and then document in their own drawings -- surgery as it was taking place.
...More
Lawsuit attacks patent giving company control over genetic test for cancer risk
After receiving a diagnosis of aggressive breast cancer at age 43, Lisbeth Ceriani wanted to find out whether she had the BRCA gene mutation, which makes women much more likely to get breast and ovarian cancer. If she tested positive for the mutation, she decided, she would have her ovaries remov...
...More
Ted Leonsis of Washington Capitals suggests making goals to ensure a happy life
Ted Leonsis, Internet multimillionaire, Washington Capitals owner and by general acclaim a very nice guy, has some recommendations for being a happier person, and it isn't about getting rich. (Why is it that really wealthy people always say that?) Instead, he writes in his new memoir-cum-self-hel...
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Democrats will have votes for health bill, Obama aide says
Raising the prospect of a "simple up-or-down vote" on health-care reform, White House adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle said on Sunday she thinks Democrats will secure enough ayes on the measure and signaled that the administration could be moving toward trying to pass it along party lines.
...More
D.C. rushing to fix problems with AIDS records at clinics
The District's troubled HIV/AIDS Administration is scrambling to correct dozens of billing and record-keeping deficiencies discovered at Washington area medical clinics that draw federal AIDS funding.
...More
Former vice president Cheney released from hospital after fifth heart attack
Richard B. Cheney's fifth heart attack may add to the lore surrounding the seemingly indomitable former vice president. But his ability to survive repeated coronaries is more a testament to modern medicine's advances in detecting and treating the leading killer than any supernatural powers.
...More
Most parents back vaccines, though many believe autism link
CHICAGO -- One in four U.S. parents believes that some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about risks think their children should be immunized.
...More
Minnesota abortion provider helps meet need in South Dakota
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Carol Ball's day begins in the dark, in another state. By the time she arrives at work, crosses a snowy parking lot and enters the austere one-story Planned Parenthood clinic here, she has flown 200 miles to do something no South Dakota doctor will do.
...More
Michelle Obama shares the emotions behind her movement to boost kids' health
First lady Michelle Obama sits in an upholstered armchair in her East Wing office, a generous bowl of fresh apples on a nearby table. She wears a body-conscious gray sleeveless sheath with an artful corsage of matching fabric decorating the right shoulder. A petite Georgetown student -- one of the...
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Dolphin therapy is booming despite concerns about efficacy and animal cruelty
Do you or does your child suffer from cerebral palsy? Down syndrome? Autism? A knee injury? General ennui?
...More
WHO: Swine flu outbreak has not yet peaked
The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that it was too early to declare that the H1N1 pandemic had peaked and urged nations around the world to remain vigilant.
...More
Alternatives to BPA containers not easy for U.S. foodmakers to find
Major U.S. foodmakers are quietly investigating how to rid their containers of Bisphenol A, a chemical under scrutiny by federal regulators concerned about links to a range of health problems, including reproductive disorders and cancer.
...More
Swine flu wanes, but experts say pandemic strain could reemerge
Even as officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are announcing that the epidemic of the H1N1 flu is no longer widespread in any state, no disease expert is willing to say there isn't a third -- or fourth -- wave of swine flu in the country's future.
...More
Ovaries have not adjusted to many women's decision to delay having children
Whether you are aware of your incessantly ticking biological clock or not, the absolute last thing that any woman of steadily advancing childbearing age wants to hear when she flips on the morning news shows is: Women lose 90 percent of their eggs by age 30.
...More
Obama offers new health-care plan; GOP slams it as 'government takeover'
President Obama made it clear Monday morning that he intends to make a final push for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's health-care and insurance system, offering a new health-care plan that largely embraces the approach already taken by the U.S. Senate.
...More
Researchers say antiretroviral (ART) drugs may prevent HIV infection
SAN FRANCISCO -- The antiretroviral drugs that revolutionized the care of people with AIDS are on the threshold of a new life as tools to prevent infection in individuals and brake the epidemic in populations as a whole.
...More
Goodnight, moon. Good morning, sun.
Riding in school buses in the early morning, then sitting in poorly lighted classrooms are significant reasons students have trouble getting to sleep at night, according to new research.
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Olympic champions must train hard, but the right genes are also essential
Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno trained for the Vancouver Olympics for two years. He sprinted up mountains, lifted weights, ran, biked and skated. He often worked out twice a day, sometimes more. In his first event of the 2010 Games, he won a silver medal.
...More
Salmonella outbreak may be tied to spice suppliers for salami
The company at the heart of a nationwide outbreak of salmonella illness linked to salami says it has detected the bacterium in sealed containers of red pepper from two suppliers, raising concerns that other foodmakers may have used tainted spices in a variety of foods.
...More
Kaiser reverses decision to end after-hours urgent-care services at Md. facility
Kaiser Permanente has reversed a decision to stop offering its heavily used after-hours urgent-care services in Kensington after members protested, a top Kaiser executive said Thursday.
...More
What needs to be in every medicine cabinet
A few weeks ago, it seemed a 24-hour pharmacy would always be a quick car ride away, but the record snowfalls remind us of that old Boy Scout saw: Be prepared. As the snow melts, clean out expired medicine, toss the extra bottles of lotion you never use and stock up on supplies that cover common ...
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Cold, hard, and fast: The danger of Winter Olympics sports
This week, as airborne snowboarders try to complete two flips and three spins before landing on a halfpipe, or skeleton athletes hurtle headfirst at 90 mph just two inches above the icy track, we hold our breath wondering whether they'll make it. From the comfort of our living rooms, they seem ju...
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Migraines, memory loss: Was it all in his head?
Karen Hammerman could see that her son was upset, and when he told her why, she was unnerved. Adam Hammerman, then a 16-year-old sophomore at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Montgomery County, had missed a week of school because of a virus and telephoned several classmates to see what assig...
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Faith complicates a young mother's life-or-death decision on lung transplant
Maribel Perez breathes in short puffs, panting almost, through a hole cut into her trachea and covered demurely with a patch of gauze. Clear tubes connected to a noisy machine in the living room of her small Alexandria apartment pump pure oxygen into her nostrils.
...More
Genomes of Archbishop Tutu, Bushman decoded in developing-world health push
Scientists have deciphered the genetic blueprint of South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and an indigenous Bushman from Namibia as part of an ambitious and controversial project to bring modern genomic medicine to the developing world.
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Blood, toil, tears and a lot of sweat in the medical tent
The day starts about 5:30 a.m., when the hotel turns back on the power. The fans come back on, at least. People begin stirring, snores fade away, backpacks rustle and feet pad around.
...More
Not exactly a ringing endorsement
Lisa Oakley knows that some studies on long-term use of cellphones suggest an increased correlation with cancerous tumors. And she knows of a couple of people who have had brain tumors, and wonders whether their cellphones had anything to do with it.
...More
Stay out of the bathroom
For nosy guests, a medicine cabinet is the holy grail of snooping. But some experts advise not storing medicine there. "There is too much moisture and too much light," said D.C. pharmacist Dave Toth. Instead, fill a drawer with basic medicines and first-aid supplies. Even closets can be too cold ...
...More
First lady Michelle Obama: 'Let's move' and work on childhood obesity problem
In front of a packed audience in the State Dining Room at the White House on Tuesday, first lady Michelle Obama rolled out her national initiative to combat childhood obesity with a show of force that included medical, business and government leaders, grassroots activists, celebrity public service...
...More
Almost 1 in 5 Americans had swine flu; death rate over 11,000
About 57 million Americans, or slightly more than 18 percent of the population, have contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza since April, federal public health officials said Friday.
...More
Hormone-infused nasal spray found to help people with autism
A nasal spray containing a hormone that is known to make women more maternal and men less shy apparently can help those with autism make eye contact and interact better with others, according to a provocative study released Monday.
...More
Autism and diet: Many questions to digest
Last week, the British medical journal the Lancet, which had originally published a controversial 1998 study by British researcher Andrew Wakefield that implied a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, formally retracted that study. In the wake of this, one of the tan...
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Revision to the bible of psychiatry, DSM, could introduce new mental disorders
Children who throw too many tantrums could be diagnosed with "temper dysregulation with dysphoria." Teenagers who are particularly eccentric might be candidates for treatment for "psychosis risk syndrome." Men who are just way too interested in sex face being labeled as suffering from "hypersexua...
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Sexual satisfaction is a complex process that vexes many women and their doctors
My patient Debra practically waltzes into my office. She is giggling and barely waits for the door to close before she announces: "I am having sex again and really enjoying it. Not only that, but I'm actually having random lusty thoughts." What a change from a couple of months ago, when sex was n...
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Memory lapses are common and increase with age; when do they signal Alzheimer's?
Where did I park my car? What is that lady's name? Where are my glasses? Some call these "senior moments" or "tip-of-the-tongue" experiences. They're mundane for many elderly (and not-so-elderly) adults, but when do they become something more serious? How does one know when it's time to get scree...
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'Village' groups help seniors remain in their homes as they grow older
Nearly three years ago, Harry Rosenberg and his wife, Barbara Filner, met with nine of their neighbors about starting an aging-in-place "village" in the Burning Tree community of Bethesda. The idea: If neighbors could help one another with basic services such as transportation and simple home...
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Nail biting habit can be hard to break; behavioral techniques can help
My friend Katie has a dirty little secret that's actually obvious to anyone who gives her a cursory once-over: Ever since childhood, she has bitten her nails down to the quick, often gnawing at them until the cuticles bleed, especially when she's nervous or bored. This successful 43-year-old mark...
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Super-size equipment helps D.C. area EMTs move the obese
Local paramedics and firefighters don't need to follow television shows about a half-ton teen or biggest losers to track the obesity trend.
...More
Pentagon to stock health facilities with morning-after pill
The Department of Defense will begin making the morning-after pill Plan B available at all of its hospitals and health clinics around the world, officials announced Thursday.
...More
Obama invites Republicans to summit on health care
President Obama moved to jump-start the stalled health-care debate Sunday, inviting Republicans in Congress to participate in a bipartisan, half-day televised summit on the subject this month.
...More
Geriatrics experts discuss the upside of growing older
If you think that getting older is the beginning of the end, think again. Sure, skin loses some elasticity and joints get creaky, and maybe you can't keep your eyes open past 9:30 p.m. But even people well into their 80s are going to yoga and Pilates classes, volunteering, having sex and taking c...
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Earthquake-response doctors in Haiti can't save everyone seeking emergency care
We have three tents for our "triage emergency department." Two tents stand out: the "Jiffy Pop" (look that up, those of you born in the microwave era) and the Blue Tent.
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Congressmen seek accounting of AIDS fraud complaints
Two Republican congressmen who help oversee billions of dollars for people with AIDS are asking the federal government for an accounting of fraud and mismanagement complaints leveled against AIDS programs nationwide.
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In 'vegetative state' patients, brain scanners show some alert minds
Many of the patients were labeled with the same grim diagnosis: "vegetative state." Their head injuries, teams of specialists had concluded, condemned them to a netherworld -- alive yet utterly devoid of any awareness of the world around them.
...More
Problems at D.C.-funded AIDS program also reported at homes for mentally ill
The founder of a city-funded AIDS program that recently closed amid reports of alleged fraud and neglect also operated eight facilities for the mentally ill that were racked for years by similar problems, city officials said.
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Looking forward to life after prostate cancer treatment
After being treated for prostate cancer recently, I did a review of my writings on the subject through the years. Pretty consistent stuff: Get screened regularly, fellows, as I was doing, and stop being so chicken-hearted about those digital exams.
...More
Lancet retracts paper linking vaccine to autism
The Lancet medical journal formally retracted a paper Tuesday that caused a 12-year international battle over links between autism and the childhood vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.
...More
Gates Foundation pledges $10 billion to vaccine research
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND -- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $10 billion over the next decade to research vaccines and make them available to the world's poorest countries, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife said Friday.
...More
Obama 2011 budget request: Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration would see a 6 percent jump in its budget to $2.51 billion. The agency's total resources would reach about $4 billion because of user fees it expects to collect from food, tobacco and drug industries.
...More
Dietary supplements may produce health benefits, but proof is lacking
Shelf after shelf of strangely named bottles fill an entire aisle at Whole Foods Market. There are "CoQ10" softgels, "charcoal" pills and mysterious "hoodia" tablets. But why would anyone take charcoal? What exactly is a CoQ10? And can you eat a hoodia?
...More
Obama's pick for food safety chief surprises consumer advocates
Soon after taking office, President Obama highlighted food safety as a domestic priority. A string of national outbreaks of food illnesses were a "troubling trend," the president said. He called the problems "critical" and said they presented a "risk to public health."
...More
Evidence is thin that multivitamins are beneficial, but they seem benign
Earlier this month, I found myself standing in front of a massive display of multivitamins at a local grocery store, confounded by the options: There were supplements for children, teens, males, females, pregnant women, adults "50 and wiser," those in peri-menopause and menopause, and seniors; fo...
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Creepy crawlies can really get under your skin
Carla Sguigna laid her daughter's head in her lap as they watched a movie in their basement family room in her North Bethesda home. Sguigna methodically combed through her 4-year-old's hair, strand by strand, fingering each shaft down to her scalp.
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Omega-3 fatty acids may reduce heart disease risk
Suddenly, they're everywhere: in your pasta, your peanut butter, your baby's formula. Omega-3 fatty acids have been known to doctors since the 1930s. But their recent bump in popularity stems from a 2004 ruling by the Food and Drug Administration that labels could say foods containing omega-3s may...
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Rise in teenage pregnancy rate spurs new debate on arresting it
The pregnancy rate among teenage girls in the United States has jumped for the first time in more than a decade, raising alarm that the long campaign to reduce motherhood among adolescents is faltering, according to a report released Tuesday.
...More
Genetic tests give consumers hints about disease risk; critics have misgivings
Last fall, Sgt. Timothy Gall, an Army medic stationed at Fort Belvoir, sought clues to the multiple sclerosis and heart disease that ran in his family by looking into his DNA. All it took was some spit and about a thousand bucks.
...More
How to choose the best multivitamin
Many people take just one supplement, a multivitamin. Here are some tips for choosing the best multivitamin, from Andrew Weil, founder of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, which focuses on combining alternative treatments with conventional medical practices.
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SE hospital believes nonprofit status could help finances
United Medical Center, formerly known as Greater Southeast Community Hospital, is seeking a nonprofit charitable status to help stave off a financial crisis that appears to have worsened -- two years after it received nearly $80 million from the District.
...More
High cholesterol puts 1 of 5 teens at risk of heart disease
One out of every five U.S. teenagers has a cholesterol level that increases the risk of heart disease, federal health officials reported Thursday, providing striking new evidence that obesity is making more children prone to illnesses once primarily limited to adults.
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Denise Austin is still going strong
Most people greet strangers with a "pleased to meet you." Denise Austin prefers a more direct approach: "Touch my tummy."
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'Health Heroes' dish up nutritious food at Clinton high school
As a substitute teacher in Prince George's County, Kim Carrington, 44, has stepped up to the head of a lot of different classes, from kindergarten to high school French. But it was the food and nutrition class she taught at Surrattsville High in Clinton that came to mind when she got an e-mail on...
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In Ohio, Obama says he won't 'walk away' from health-care fight
ELYRIA, OHIO -- Offering both a passionate defense of his policies and a populist pitch, President Obama told audience members in this economically struggling region Friday that he will continue fighting for them even in the face of stiffening political opposition.
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Pelosi: House won't pass Senate bill to save health-care reform
As Democrats continued to grapple with the consequences of their loss in Massachusetts, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday eliminated the most obvious avenue for completing health-care reform, saying the House will not embrace the version of the legislation already approved by the Senate.
...More
Virginia medical team reaches Haitian city, begins to treat patients
JACMEL, HAITI -- After 2 1/2 days of travel, over the sea, across borders, in planes so small they had to leave most of their food and water behind, the emergency relief workers from Northern Virginia had finally arrived.
...More
Doctors changed diagnosis after woman said allergies weren't causing runny nose
Rebecca Yates was sick of sounding like a broken record -- and tired of getting the same response from the internist at her HMO.
...More
Debate on circumcision heightened as CDC evaluates surgery
Circumcision, long one of the most emotionally charged surgical procedures performed in the United States, has become the focus of yet another intense debate as leading health authorities are about to issue major new evaluations of the potential health benefits of the operation.
...More
Insurer okayed out-of-network care for heart patient but family faces huge bill
RICHMOND -- Five months into pregnancy, Jodi Lemacks discovered that her unborn son had a severe heart defect and would require a complex operation as soon as he was born. But the local pediatric heart surgeons didn't inspire confidence.
...More
WHO official denies exaggeration about dangers of swine flu pandemic
A top World Health Organization official dismissed charges Thursday that the agency exaggerated the threat posed by the H1N1 virus and that it had been unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry to issue dire warnings about the swine flu pandemic.
...More
FDA can't block importing of 'electronic cigarettes'
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration may not block the importation of "electronic cigarettes," battery-powered versions of conventional smokes.
...More
Democrats seek quick deal on health-care bill
President Obama and congressional leaders raced Friday to strike a compromise on far-reaching health legislation, hoping to settle lingering disputes before Tuesday, when a special election in Massachusetts could hand Republicans their 41st vote in the Senate and the power to defeat Obama's top...
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Reversing itself, FDA expresses concerns over health risks from BPA
The Food and Drug Administration has reversed its position on the safety of Bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastic bottles, soda cans, food containers and thousands of consumer goods, saying it now has concerns about health risks.
...More
In Haiti, relief agencies rush to meet desperate need for water
Port-au-Prince, Haiti's densely populated capital, is home to more than 2 million people, each of whom, under normal circumstances, needs to drink about a gallon of clean water every day, just to survive. Basic needs such as washing and cooking add another three gallons or so per person each day.
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One in five Americans got swine flu vaccine, CDC reports
ATLANTA -- About one in five Americans has been vaccinated against swine flu, according to the government's first detailed estimates of vaccination rates against the pandemic.
...More
Functional training exercises compete with machine-based workouts in D.C. gyms
As they do every January, people are cramming into gyms to lose weight. But this year, some gyms are also working to slim down -- by excising rather than exercising. Instead of love handles and jiggling arm flesh, their problem area is the equipment loaded with stacks of hefty plates meant to wor...
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District, NIH announce new initiative aimed at HIV/AIDS epidemic
The District government and the National Institutes of Health on Monday announced the launch of a $26.4 million initiative to attack the city's HIV/AIDS epidemic with expanded testing and treatment to reduce the level of the virus in its victims and hopefully decrease their chances of spreading t...
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Battery-powered pump is implanted in teenager with unexplained heart failure
It was the kind of complaint any mother of a 16-year-old has heard a hundred times: "Mom, I don't feel well."
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Pharmacists dispense pills, counsel patients, screen for illness, give vaccines
When Charley John tells people he's a pharmacist, he knows what many of them think: that he spends his workdays sequestered behind a counter doling out pills, dropping them into little plastic vials and handing them to customers.
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House Democrats confer on health-care reform
Worried House Democrats held a caucus-wide conference call Thursday to strategize about health-care reform before lawmakers return to Washington next week.
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Healthful-living experts weigh in with their New Year's resolutions
By the time you turn 49, as I recently did, the tradition of making New Year's resolutions has lost some of its luster. What remains to be resolved that hasn't been resolved before?
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Mayo Clinic publishes book detailing healthy diet and weight-loss program
Grapefruit, bacon, cabbage soup: They're impostors, staples of fad diets billed as Mayo Clinic weight-loss plans but never endorsed by the medical institution .
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Health bills would shift Medicare money to Mayo and other 'high-value' hospitals
As House and Senate lawmakers start to reconcile their health-care bills with an eye to final passage, a little-noticed provision is already prompting celebration from a small group of influential hospitals that stand to gain millions in Medicare dollars.
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D.C. moves to curb sidewalk smoking, youths' access to tobacco
The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to enact far-reaching proposals to curtail smoking by giving store owners a tool to prevent smoking on public sidewalks and by assessing new penalties on anyone younger than 18 who possesses tobacco products.
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Obstretricians debate whether Caesarean section is always best for breech babies
About 32 weeks into her first pregnancy, Christie Craigie-Carter's obstetrician told her that the baby she was carrying was stuck in a bottom-down position -- a breech baby -- and that she'd have to give up her dream of a natural delivery and have a Caesarean section instead.
...More
MiamiHerald.com: Health
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:51:29 ESTBig fantasies weigh on our heroes
Every night I wake from the dream screaming, ''doctor,'' and ''you've got to help me.'' It's always the same: Jennifer Aniston is curled up on a couch across the room, wearing a slithery cobalt-blue peignoir, and as I approach her my brain is tingling with desire streaked with confusion about the fact that I even know what a peignoir is, much less how to spell it, and then I'm at the couch, on my knees, my moist hands reaching out for . . . a pizza on the coffee table. And that's when I wake up, bathed in clammy sweat, shrieking, WHERE'S THE PEPPERONI?...More
She's an expert in defying gravity
Lift one foot off the ground. Then the other foot. No, at the same time. Impossible? Not for Kathryn Budig, who's renowned for her ability to put her body into all sorts of positions while propped on just her palms. You may have seen her hanging out on her forearms on the cover of Yoga Journal, or airborne with one leg hooked over her shoulder in ads for Toe Sox. And she travels the country teaching workshops; she'll visit Winter Park in May. (See the schedule at www.kathrynbudig.com/classes.)...More
Founder of SOBeFiT expands with DVD set
Talk about building a brand name: In 14 months, Marta Montenegro started SOBeFiT and marketed the magazine to the point that its 5K run on Feb. 21 sold out at 1,600 entries. She now has a set of three fitness DVDs coming out this month, called the Montenegro Method ($39.98; montenegromethod.com). Books, clothing, cosmetics and nutritional products are next, via her MM Branding LLC....More
Skin Health and Beauty
Ask Dr. Leslie Baumann your questions...More
Mental Health
Social worker Shirley Malove on mental health...More
Sports Medicine
Dr. Harlan Selesnick on sports injuries...More
All right already, you asked for it
Admit it. You don't give a rat's skinny hindquarters who wins The Miami Herald Fitness Challenge. Andrew Richardson, Lisett Araujo and I could all be loaded into dump trucks and sunk off Key Biscayne to form a new coral reef, and it would be just fine by you. You don't care about exercise tips, either, or even what makeup Lisett wears in those videos to cover all her prison tattoos. You just want the recipe for the eggplant pizza....More
Singing a sad song after weigh-in
The Miami Herald Fitness Challenge now has an official theme song: the old Nat King Cole record Smile. You remember it: Smile though your heart is aching/smile even though it's breaking . . . Light up your face with gladness/hide every trace of fatness . . ....More
Scientists exploring a connection between autistic children and diet
Recently, the British medical journal The Lancet, which had originally published a controversial 1998 study by British researcher Andrew Wakefield that implied a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, formally retracted that study. In the wake of this, one of the tantalizing areas to be explored is the role diet might play in the lives of children with autism....More
Supplement craze: Sensible or waste of money?
Shelf after shelf of strangely named bottles can fill an entire aisle at the supermarket or drug store. There are ``CoQ10'' softgels, ``charcoal'' pills and mysterious ``hoodia'' tablets. But why would anyone take charcoal? What exactly is a CoQ10? And can you eat a hoodia?...More
What we don't know really does hurt us
Health care reform is on life support, but there is one idea in this complicated bill that I hope will be resuscitated. Section 35 of the Senate bill says that restaurant chains with 20 or more stores would be required to display nutrition information next to the name of the menu item. That means when you look up to order the super colossal cheesy maxi burger bargain meal with fries, you'll know that you are getting 1,600 calories and two days' worth of sodium....More
Fit for Life helps teens shed weight and gain knowledge
Monica Aparicio, 19, works out six times a week, always has a healthy snack in her backpack and drinks four liters of water a day....More
Duo behind the 'Eat This, Not That' series takes on the kitchen
Every time I hear that David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding are publishing another book in their Eat This, Not That! series, I steel myself: Having written about several already, I'm resolved not to fall prey to their charms again....More
Trio has slimmed to two for now
Glenn Garvin is missing in action. He quit the Fitness Challenge competition, not to be heard of again. The working out was too much for his frail 215-pound frame. To be honest, it was taking too much time away from maintaining his beard. Have you seen that thing?...More
Girl Scouts, threat or menace?
Forget underwear bombers. What we need is a comprehensive multilateral War on Diet Terrorism. Target No. 1: Girl Scout cookies....More
Eating well the best medicine
It has taken nearly 2,500 years for most of us to internalize the wisdom of Hippocrates' edict, ''Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.'' Interest in a healing pharmacy of food, not pills, is on the rise. I am asked at least once a day what to eat for a particular ailment.
...More
Founder of SOBeFiT expands with DVD set
Talk about building a brand name: In 14 months, Marta Montenegro started SOBeFiT and marketed the magazine to the point that its 5K run on Feb. 21 sold out at 1,600 entries. She now has a set of three fitness DVDs coming out this month, called the Montenegro Method ($39.98; montenegromethod.com). Books, clothing, cosmetics and nutritional products are next, via her MM Branding LLC....More
Big fantasies weigh on our heroes
Every night I wake from the dream screaming, ''doctor,'' and ''you've got to help me.'' It's always the same: Jennifer Aniston is curled up on a couch across the room, wearing a slithery cobalt-blue peignoir, and as I approach her my brain is tingling with desire streaked with confusion about the fact that I even know what a peignoir is, much less how to spell it, and then I'm at the couch, on my knees, my moist hands reaching out for . . . a pizza on the coffee table. And that's when I wake up, bathed in clammy sweat, shrieking, WHERE'S THE PEPPERONI?...More
She's an expert in defying gravity
Lift one foot off the ground. Then the other foot. No, at the same time. Impossible? Not for Kathryn Budig, who's renowned for her ability to put her body into all sorts of positions while propped on just her palms. You may have seen her hanging out on her forearms on the cover of Yoga Journal, or airborne with one leg hooked over her shoulder in ads for Toe Sox. And she travels the country teaching workshops; she'll visit Winter Park in May. (See the schedule at www.kathrynbudig.com/classes.)...More
Many advances in hip replacement
Q: I am a student majoring in physical therapy. I am doing research on hip replacement surgery and wanted to know what new medical advances are out there....More
Health & Fitness Calendar | Week of March 9-16
MIAMI-DADE Aging Well: Features Dr. Teresa Iribarren, an internist, as speaker. Offers health screenings for people 55 and older; 1-2 p.m. Thursday; Baptist Health Resource Center at Informed Families, 2490 Coral Way; free. 786-596-3812 or 786-596-381 or bhsfprogram@baptisthealth.net....More
All right already, you asked for it
Admit it. You don't give a rat's skinny hindquarters who wins The Miami Herald Fitness Challenge. Andrew Richardson, Lisett Araujo and I could all be loaded into dump trucks and sunk off Key Biscayne to form a new coral reef, and it would be just fine by you. You don't care about exercise tips, either, or even what makeup Lisett wears in those videos to cover all her prison tattoos. You just want the recipe for the eggplant pizza....More
A better sports bra
Ladies always hope that one day they can say ''ta-ta!'' to sports bras that allow too much bounce, chafe their skin or transform their chests into a dreaded uniboob. Two new contenders offer up wicking undergarments that promise to revolutionize what women should wear to bust a move.
...More
Singing a sad song after weigh-in
The Miami Herald Fitness Challenge now has an official theme song: the old Nat King Cole record Smile. You remember it: Smile though your heart is aching/smile even though it's breaking . . . Light up your face with gladness/hide every trace of fatness . . ....More
Track your goals one bead at a time
If you have a fitness or health goal, you are likely counting something -- reps, whole-grain servings, glasses of water, workout sessions, calories....More
Nagging knee pain worries hoopster
Q: I am a 17-year-old basketball player who hyperextended my left knee when I landed awkwardly in a game three weeks ago. My knee was sore but I was able to finish the game. My knee swelled a little bit and got stiff and I went to the team physician. He took X-rays and said nothing was broken and told me to rest my knee and when it did not hurt anymore I could go back to play.
...More
Halls ProHealth Defense won't beat handwashing for preventing colds
Product: Halls ProHealth Defense dietary supplement, $4.99 for 18 drops, at CVS, Walgreens, Wal-Mart.
Key ingredients: Vitamins A, C and E, zinc and extract of rose hips, echinacea purpurea, American ginseng, chamomile, green tea extract and astragalus....More
Book spotlights Hispanic women
Jane L. Delgado, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, has written a book, The Latina Guide to Health: Consejos and Caring Answers....More
When it comes to fertility, 30 may really be the new 40
Whether you are aware of your incessantly ticking biological clock or not, the absolute last thing that any woman of steadily advancing childbearing age wants to hear when she flips on the morning news shows is: Women lose 90 percent of their eggs by age 30....More
A better sports bra
Ladies always hope that one day they can say ''ta-ta!'' to sports bras that allow too much bounce, chafe their skin or transform their chests into a dreaded uniboob. Two new contenders offer up wicking undergarments that promise to revolutionize what women should wear to bust a move.
...More
Beauty queen listens to her heart
When beauty pageant contestant Deanna Linz had a heart attack last month, no one believed what was happening -- not even her. But the 40-year-old beauty pageant contestant knew something was wrong that morning. ``I felt pressure in my chest like a pill was stuck in my throat,'' she remembers....More
Correcting a female problem
Q. I have a problem that is very personal and I hope you can help me. After having my second child, I seem to have extra tissue in my vaginal area. I have heard that there is a procedure called labiaplasty. Is that for real and what is actually done?...More
Cardiologist's advice about No. 1 killer of women
The leading killer of women isn't breast cancer or any other kind of cancer, but heart disease, which kills nearly twice as many women each year as die from all forms of cancer combined....More
Sugary colas may complicate pregnancy
The question: Might sugar-sweetened drinks lead to gestational diabetes?...More
Artificial patients just perfect for practice
It was a high-stress situation for three nurses who had never delivered babies: A woman was 32 weeks pregnant, in pain and having contractions. The doctor was running late, stuck in traffic. The nurses calmly checked the woman's vital signs, told her to push and even gave her moral support....More
Drug aimed at increasing women's sexual desire
An experimental nonhormonal drug appears to help women increase their sexual desire and satisfaction -- and reduce the distress associated with lack of desire....More
Experts criticize new advice on mammograms
In a highly controversial move, an influential government-sponsored organization is recommending against routine annual mammograms for healthy women in their 40s....More
DVDs don't help babies, new study confirms
For those parents out there who were holding out hope that scientists would someday vindicate Baby Einstein DVDs and other so-called educational videos aimed at the under-2 set, a leading pediatric journal has some bad news: The DVDs do not help 1-year-olds learn words emphasized during the programs....More
Volunteers bring bedside serenades to hospital patients
In the intensive care unit at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, 11-year-old Barbara Valencia is watching television from a hospital bed when Liset Alea, a musician from Miami, walks in and asks if she wants to hear a song....More
Scientists exploring a connection between autistic children and diet
Recently, the British medical journal The Lancet, which had originally published a controversial 1998 study by British researcher Andrew Wakefield that implied a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, formally retracted that study. In the wake of this, one of the tantalizing areas to be explored is the role diet might play in the lives of children with autism....More
Experts laud first lady's childhood-obesity fight
Dr. William Muiños is alarmed at how early in life obesity is making children sick. ''I see obese toddlers and preschool children with sleep apnea,'' said Muiños, who runs a weight-loss program for children at Miami Children's Hospital. ''I see obese kids 8 to 10 years old with fatty livers and high sugar levels.''...More
Fit for Life helps teens shed weight and gain knowledge
Monica Aparicio, 19, works out six times a week, always has a healthy snack in her backpack and drinks four liters of water a day....More
Human touch of 'kangaroo care' helps tiny babies thrive
I never imagined I'd spend my first weeks as a mother pretending to be a marsupial. But there I was, sitting in the neonatal intermediate care unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, hoping that a practice known as ''kangaroo care'' would help my preemie....More
Tottering tots: Do little girls belong in big heels?
A pair of sparkly, peekaboo shoes with heels 2 inches high are favorites of 6-year-old Helena Bell ever since she got them for a wedding. ''She's worn them to the point where the jewels have fallen off,'' says Helena's mother, Dana Bell. ''It's not my preference, but I've stopped fighting it.''...More
In puberty, fat builds mass
Girls suffering through the insecurities of puberty are often likely to yearn for the rail-thin bodies of supermodels plastered across the typical supermarket glossy....More
Playing the blame game over childhood obesity
When Dr. Sadaf Farooqi and colleagues discovered a genetic abnormality that caused severe obesity in a handful of children, she had no cure. Yet the scientist transformed four families' lives nonetheless....More
'Choking game' could be deadly
Risk-taking adolescent behavior: It's not all sex, drugs and alcohol. There's also the choking game -- otherwise known as ''space monkey,'' ''sleeper hold'' and ''funky chicken.''...More
Jackson puts 2 hospitals on chopping block
With cash set to run out in May, Jackson Health System announced Friday plans to lay off 4,487 employees -- more than a third of the work force -- and close the system's two satellite hospitals.
...More
If 2 Jackson hospitals close, `Who will take care of the sick?'
Patients, employees and hospital executives around Miami-Dade reacted with shock and dismay -- and anger -- at the news that Jackson South Community Hospital and Jackson North Medical Center might close.
...More
UM medical school feels the squeeze
The University of Miami medical school is facing a $600,000 cut under Jackson's restructuring plan announced Friday, but school leaders view larger concerns ahead.
...More
Jackson Health System union wants probe of 'mismanagement'
Facing the possibility of widespread layoffs, the Jackson Health System nurses union came out swinging -- demanding a grand jury investigation into ``gross mismanagement that has caused the public hospital to teeter on financial ruin and that is putting patients at risk.''...More
Miamian gets nearly 6 years in growth hormones case
Arnesto Segredo, a former prescription drug wholesaler, from Miami, was sentenced to almost six years in prison for conspiring to divert human growth hormones in interstate commerce....More
Jackson Health System starts small with cutbacks
Facing a $230 million deficit and in danger of running out of cash by May, Jackson Health System took a small step Tuesday by announcing it is laying off 20 union members Tuesday and abolishing 27 vacant positions -- far fewer than many employees feared....More
Jackson Health System union: Layoffs expected
Jackson Health System's union for nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals is warning members that it expects to be notified of widespread layoffs at a 20-minute meeting starting at 9:40 a.m. Tuesday....More
Jackson Health System running out of time, cash
As Jackson Health System attempts to dig itself out of a horrendous financial hole that just keeps getting deeper, its executives are confronting three problems:...More
Florida Keys physician is Country Doctor of the Year
In this age of specialized medicine, Steven J. Smith of the Keys is a rare do-it-all doctor who performs general surgery and treats patients at his family practice for everything from the common cold to cancer....More
When it comes to fertility, 30 may really be the new 40
Whether you are aware of your incessantly ticking biological clock or not, the absolute last thing that any woman of steadily advancing childbearing age wants to hear when she flips on the morning news shows is: Women lose 90 percent of their eggs by age 30....More
Beauty queen listens to her heart
When beauty pageant contestant Deanna Linz had a heart attack last month, no one believed what was happening -- not even her. But the 40-year-old beauty pageant contestant knew something was wrong that morning. ``I felt pressure in my chest like a pill was stuck in my throat,'' she remembers....More
You need that vacation
Have you made your spring break plans? How about summer vacation? Time off isn't just a luxury these days. There's increasing evidence that vacations may be necessary for good health....More
Behavior has many causes
Tiger Woods remains in the news, and so does speculation that he suffers from sex addiction. But is there any such thing? Couldn't you lay that accusation at the feet of any randy college sophomore, predatory female ''cougar'' or aging lothario -- up to and including 83-year-old Hugh Hefner?
...More
3 South Floridians with HIV tell their stories
Quintara Lane has lived with HIV since birth. Merlé ''Conscious'' Soden learned she was HIV-positive while she was in a drug rehab program. Albert Bogran was not practicing safe sex....More
Study: Young Haitian immigrants may face weight issues
When Haitian immigrant children arrive in Miami, they are far less likely to be obese than U.S.-born children. But they start catching up very quickly, and often surpass non-Haitian children in weight problems, a new study says.
...More
Scientists exploring a connection between autistic children and diet
Recently, the British medical journal The Lancet, which had originally published a controversial 1998 study by British researcher Andrew Wakefield that implied a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, formally retracted that study. In the wake of this, one of the tantalizing areas to be explored is the role diet might play in the lives of children with autism....More
Senior moment or memory roulette?
Where did I park my car? What is that lady's name? Where are my glasses? Some call these ''senior moments'' or ''tip-of-the-tongue'' experiences. They're mundane for many elderly (and not-so-elderly) adults, but when do they become something more serious? How does one know when it's time to get screened for a memory disorder?...More
The case against plastics and BPA
One word: plastics. That guy in The Graduate may have had it all wrong. The future of certain plastics isn't looking so bright thanks to BPA (or bisphenol-A), a chemical that seeps out of some plastic products and ends up in us. A growing number of studies is raising health concerns. Here's what we know so far.
...More
Taking aim at learning disorders
A pill to ease a type of mental retardation? An experiment is under way to develop one, aimed at a genetic disorder that might unravel some of the mysteries of autism along the way....More
Many advances in hip replacement
Q: I am a student majoring in physical therapy. I am doing research on hip replacement surgery and wanted to know what new medical advances are out there....More
Let's inject some sanity here
Q: A friend is telling me about a person who injects her with something that plumps up her lips and nasal folds. She says it looks great and that it lasts for years. She wants me to go with her to have this done. What is your opinion and what do you think this substance is?...More
Want to look young? Try a little exercise
In December, German researchers showed that middle-aged athletes have cells that look much younger at a microscopic level than those of their more sedentary peers. The scientists examined two groups of elite runners: The first was made up of 20-somethings who ran about 45 miles per week, while the second had an average age of 51 and ran nearly 50 miles per week. Both groups were also compared to less active individuals of comparable ages....More
Unfriend your ex so you can move on with life
Q: My boyfriend and I broke up six months ago. He was my best friend, and I'm having a very hard time getting over it. I'm obsessed with looking at his Facebook page. If he posts new pictures with girls, I feel jealous and sick. He knows I still care and rubs it in my face by flirting with girls in front of me. I can't meet anyone else -- they don't compare to him. How do I move on?...More
Correcting a female problem
Q. I have a problem that is very personal and I hope you can help me. After having my second child, I seem to have extra tissue in my vaginal area. I have heard that there is a procedure called labiaplasty. Is that for real and what is actually done?...More
Nagging knee pain worries hoopster
Q: I am a 17-year-old basketball player who hyperextended my left knee when I landed awkwardly in a game three weeks ago. My knee was sore but I was able to finish the game. My knee swelled a little bit and got stiff and I went to the team physician. He took X-rays and said nothing was broken and told me to rest my knee and when it did not hurt anymore I could go back to play.
...More
Your inner beauty shows outside
Have you ever noticed that when you feel great, you also look great? Dr. Eva Ritvo, vice chairwoman of the department of psychiatry at the University of Miami, calls this the ''beauty-brain loop.''...More
Brazil's Silva quits smoking after 50 years
Brazil's president said Tuesday that he kicked the smoking habit he had for 50 years after a recent health scare sent his blood pressure soaring....More
Hoped-for drop in childbirth deaths not happening
Eleven days after her son Benjamin's birth by C-section, Linda Coale awoke in the middle of the night in pain, one leg badly swollen. Just as her doctor returned her phone call asking what to do, she dropped dead from a blood clot....More
UN says mother-child HIV can be eliminated by 2015
The United Nations says mother-to-child HIV transmission can be eliminated by 2015 if health programs receive increased investments as planned....More
Researchers: AIDS virus can hide in bone marrow
The virus that causes AIDS can hide in the bone marrow, avoiding drugs and later awakening to cause illness, according to new research that could point the way toward better treatments for the disease....More
WHO: over 85M African kids get polio vaccination
The World Health Organization says more than 85 million children under 5 in west and central Africa will be vaccinated against polio....More
WSJ.com: Health
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:51:07 ESTPush to Cure Rare Diseases
FDA staff members are doing something unusual. They are leaving Washington to help drug makers take a crucial step in developing drugs for rare diseases....More
Abbott to Buy Facet Biotech
Abbott Labs will bulk up its product pipeline with a $722 million deal for Facet Biotech, which had rebuffed overtures from development partner Biogen Idec....More
Sanofi, Merck to Revive Venture
The drug companies said they plan to re-form a joint venture that would be the world's largest seller of animal medications, motivated in part by growing demand for livestock and meat in emerging markets. ...More
When Anger Is Illness
Anger-management programs have become antidotes for road raging, office freak-outs and fury-induced vandalism. What's not clear is if they work....More
Cosmetic Surgery Fell in '09
There were 10 million surgical and nonsurgical procedures last year, down 2.4% from 2008, according to a survey....More
When Disease Can't Be Diagnosed
Researchers say the lack of a diagnosis affects far more people than was previously thought. One mother's quest to find a diagnosis for her son illustrates the challenges facing many families....More
New Ovarian-Cancer Test
A new test will help doctors distinguish between ovarian cancer and benign growths prior to surgery, allowing patients with cancerous masses to get more effective treatment faster. ...More
New Risk in Pain-Reliever Use
Regular use of pain-relief medicine appears to increase men's risk of hearing loss, especially among middle-aged men, according to an American Journal of Medicine study....More
High Court Weighs Funeral Protests
The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the father of a fallen Marine can collect damages from a religious sect that picketed his son's funeral and whether vaccine makers are immune from lawsuits under state law. ...More
Soft-Drink Sales Drop in Schools
The American Beverage Association plans to report that sales of soda and other drinks in U.S. secondary schools have dropped sharply since 2004, a sign that efforts to improve nutrition in schools are progressing....More
Democrats Voice Health-Bill Doubts
Some House Democrats wavering over whether to back a health-care overhaul questioned whether it would effectively curb the country's health costs....More
White House Confronts Insurers
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sat down with top executives from five health-insurance companies at the White House....More
Products Recalled Over Salmonella
The FDA asked a variety of food companies to recall more than 30 products that contain a commonly used food additive that has tested positive for salmonella. ...More
FDA's Generic Drugs Chief Takes Another Post
The director of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Generic Drugs is leaving his job for another post at the agency, the latest in a series of changes in FDA leadership....More
Bristol Sees Post-Plavix Hit
Bristol-Myers Squibb sees its 2013 earnings about 9% to 13% lower than anticipated 2010 levels due to the expected loss of market exclusivity for its top-selling anti-clotting drug Plavix. ...More
Obama Calls for 'Up or Down' Vote
Obama asked Congress to press ahead with a health-care bill, calling for an "up or down" vote in the next few weeks....More
FDA to Increase Prosecutions
The FDA plans to increase prosecutions of pharmaceutical and food industry executives as part of an effort to refocus its criminal division....More
Alzheimer's Drug Falls Short
Medivation said its Alzheimer's disease treatment Dimebon, in development with Pfizer, failed to show effectiveness in a large late-stage study. Medivation shares plunged....More
Pfizer Readies Ratiopharm Bid
U.S. drug maker Pfizer plans to bid up to €3 billion for Germany's Ratiopharm, intensifying the battle for the generic drug maker. ...More
FDA Sees Increasing Number Of Insulin Pump Problems
An increasing number of insulin pump problems is prompting the FDA to convene an advisory panel of outside medical experts....More
Genes Point to Best Diets
Stanford researchers said a genetic test marketed by Interleukin Genetics can help people determine whether a low-fat or low-carbohydrate diet works better....More
Bristol-Myers Names New CEO
Bristol-Myers said Lamberto Andreotti will succeed James M. Cornelius as CEO on May 4....More
Walnut Health Claims Unauthorized
The FDA ordered Diamond Foods to stop making unauthorized health claims on its walnut products....More
WellPoint CEO Takes On Critics
WellPoint Chief Executive Angela Braly is confronting critics head on, by suggesting rising health-care costs are driven by doctors and hospitals....More
AstraZeneca Details R&D Overhaul
The U.K. drug maker will stop research into several diseases and close sites in the U.S. and Europe....More
NIH Study Looks At Long-Acting Asthma Drugs For Children
A study found that certain long-acting asthma drugs such as GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Advair were more likely to be the best add-on therapy for children whose asthma isn't well controlled by inhaled corticosteroids. ...More
Reuters: Health News
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:04:12 -0500Experiment seeks blood test for breast cancer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An experimental approach that looks for the DNA leaking out from dead and dying cells may provide a route to a blood test for breast cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
...More
U.S. herpes rates remain high: CDC
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About 16 percent of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 are infected with genital herpes, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.
...More
Canadian vaccination study proves 'herd immunity'
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Inoculating children against flu protects more people of all ages in the larger community, probably because young people tend to spread viruses through physical play, Canadian researchers said on Tuesday.
...More
Live kidney donors do not die sooner: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Healthy Americans who donated a kidney were not at higher risk of dying afterward, which may reassure potential donors and help shorten the long waiting list for an organ, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
...More
Medication fears lead to worse side effects
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It may not be surprising, but a new study offers some proof that patients who are worried about their medications are more likely to have side effects from them.
...More
Few U.S. studies compare one drug to another: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Comparing medical treatments to find the best and the cheapest may be a pillar of U.S. healthcare reform efforts, but very little such research is being done, according to a report published on Tuesday.
...More
Circumcision may not cut HIV spread among gay men
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although studies in Africa have shown that circumcision can lower the spread of HIV among heterosexuals, it may not do much to prevent infections among gay and bisexual men in Western countries, a new study suggests.
...More
U.S. says "drugged driving" growing threat
VIENNA (Reuters) - Motorists under the influence of drugs are a growing threat on U.S. roads, while the number who drink and drive has fallen thanks to education and law enforcement, a top U.S. drug control official said on Tuesday.
...More
FDA approves Botox to treat wrist, finger spasms
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Tuesday approved the use of Allergan Inc's wrinkle smoother Botox to treat spasms of the elbow, wrist and fingers in adults.
...More
Senators probe Select Medical after report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is seeking information from long-term care hospital operator Select Medical Holdings Corp after a New York Times report raised concerns about patient care, the committee said on Tuesday.
...More
FOXNews.com
Tue, 09 March 2010 21:07:41 ESTFox on Sex: What's Your Sexual Style?
The harsh reality is that not all sex is good sex. So how do you achieve good sex? By finding out your couple sexual style...More
Experiment Seeks Blood Test for Breast Cancer
An experimental approach that looks for the DNA leaking out from dead and dying cells may provide a route to a blood test for breast cancer, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. ...More
New Ultrasound Gadget Fits in Palm of Doctor's Hand
Doctors are pleasantly surprised by the picture quality of a pocket-sized ultrasound device called the Vscan....More
Woman Learns She's Pregnant, Gives Birth 3 Hrs. Later
A British woman became a mother for the first time just three hours after doctors discovered she was pregnant, The Sun reported Tuesday. ...More
Power Symbol Wins NYC Condom Design Contest
An electric power button symbol inched past other entries to win New York's condom wrapper design contest, the city said Tuesday....More
Pringles Recalled for Fear of Salmonella
Procter & Gamble Co. has recalled two versions of Pringles chips because of concerns about potential Salmonella exposure....More
Wrong Eyeglasses Makes Girl, 7, Sick for 2 Years
A young British girl suffered headaches and nausea for more than two years after bungling opticians fitted her eyeglasses the wrong way, The Sun reported....More
Too Tired for Sex? You're Not Alone
African-Americans and Hispanics are 10 times more likely to report having sex about every night than Asians, who seem to get the best sleep, according to a new poll by the National Sleep Foundation. ...More
Manufacturer Expands Pet Food Recall
Nature's Variety has expanded its recall of chicken-flavored pet food because of concerns over salmonella....More
Scientists Find Why 'Sunshine' Vitamin D Is Crucial
Vitamin D is vital in activating human defenses and low levels suffered by around half the world's population may mean their immune systems' killer T cells are poor at fighting infection, scientists said on Sunday....More
Sane Elderly Given Antipsychotics at Nursing Homes
Federal officials say nearly 2,500 Massachusetts nursing home residents were given powerful antipsychotic drugs last year that were not intended or recommended for their medical condition....More
6 Women Hospitalized After Botched Butt-Enhancing Procedures
A black-market butt-enhancement "practitioner" is injecting New Jersey backsides with household caulk and other hazardous materials, according to New Jersey health officials who have alerted New York authorities to the rear and present danger....More
Woman Charged for Squirting Breast Milk at Deputy
A Kentucky woman was charged with assault after she allegedly squirted breast milk into the face of a deputy, sparking online debate Sunday in the local media. ...More
Common Painkillers Might Make You Hard of Hearing
Loud music or noise isn't the only thing that can damage your hearing. A new study in men hints that popping over-the-counter painkillers regularly can also lead to hearing loss, especially in younger men....More
3-D Movies Not Dangerous to Average Person, Doc Says
Movies like "Alice in Wonderland" and "Avatar," which are available to view in 3-D, may be shattering box office records � but could they be shattering your eyesight as well?...More
BBC News | Health | UK Edition
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:49:12 GMTSocial care deal 'dead in water'
Attempts to reach a cross-party deal on funding social care appear to be dead in the water ahead of a key summit....More
'No proof' IVF aided by acupuncture
There is no evidence acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine boost the chance of IVF success, fertility experts warn....More
'Problem kids' risk future pain
Children with behavioural problems are twice as likely to suffer chronic pain as adults than others, say researchers....More
Illegal cord blood sample warning
Parents, hospitals and private firms are being warned over risky and illegal collections of umbilical cord blood...More
'London bomb stress' recognised
Psychologists say they have treated hundreds of survivors of the 2005 London bombings for post-traumatic stress disorder....More
Patients 'get care in cupboards'
Patients are being treated in mop cupboards, storerooms and kitchens due to wards being full, a survey suggests....More
Pharmacy probe over pill refusal
A high street chemist is investigating after a religious employee refused a customer in Sheffield the contraceptive pill....More
UK gives SA millions of condoms
The UK donates £1m ($1.5m) to South Africa to buy 42m condoms, as the nation builds up to the football World Cup....More
Premature brain 'wash out' hope
A technique that "washes out" the brains of severely ill premature babies may aid survival, a study suggests....More
Women who drink wine in moderation stay slim, says study
Women can enjoy a tipple and stay slim, according to a study showing moderate drinkers gain less weight than teetotallers. ...More
Flu symptoms are 'of the brain rather than body', say experts
Research by the University of Sussex suggests feeling lousy while ill may be down to reactions in the brain rather than physical symptoms. ...More
The health risks of a big carbon footprint
In this week's health opinion column Scrubbing Up, paediatrician Dr Tony Waterston, warns of the health dangers of a big carbon footprint and says doctors are leading by example...More
Three-way swap
UK's first pooled kidney transplant hailed a success...More
Surgery on joints
Patient benefits from rare ankle replacement...More
Dying breed
Azeris in Talysh Mountains are no longer so long-lived...More
Full circle
Ex-footballer tells how he has overcome cancer...More
For the kids
QPR's team for children with Down's syndrome ...More
From BBC Health
What happens to your body under anaesthetic?
...More
US school soda deal 'cuts sugar'
The US soft drinks industry says it has dramatically cut full-calorie beverages available in schools as part of a drive to tackle obesity. ...More
Hospital self-assessment queried
A Panorama investigation finds 60% of hospitals inspected gave inaccurate performance data for assessment....More
Baby boy given vaccine overdose
Hospital managers start an investigation after a newborn baby is given an overdose of a tuberculosis vaccine. ...More
US city hands out female condoms
Washington DC will become the first city in the US to make female condoms available for free, local media say....More
Pregnancy death action urged
Pregnant women in developing countries face the same risk of death as women in the UK did 100 years ago, say campaigners....More
Respite funding 'spent elsewhere'
Millions of pounds intended to fund respite breaks for voluntary carers in England has been spent on other areas of the NHS, two charities say. ...More
Community's TB screening begins
Health officials begin the TB screening of around 250 people in Rhondda Cynon Taf following an outbreak in 1996....More
Obama pushes healthcare attack
US President Barack Obama attacks insurers for raising rates as he continues his push for healthcare reform....More
Cancer: The facts
Information and statistics on common types of cancer...More
Pregnancy timeline
From fertilisation to birth, an outline guide to a typical pregnancy and how the baby develops inside the womb. ...More
ABC News: Health
Pringles Recall: Company Kept Shipping Flavoring Even After Finding Salmonella, FDA Says
HVP, widely-used flavoring, made by Basic Food Flavors of Nevada.
