In a move sure to stir controversy, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended on Monday that a more aggressive approach to treating high cholesterol in children should be implemented, even if it means prescribing …
Read the full story »During childhood, boys are more likely than girls to have asthma. But, when boys and girls alike have asthma, the boys are more likely than the girls to outgrow it as adolescence nears. This finding …
Researchers at Ohio State University have just released the findings of a study that suggests allergic reactions that occur during times of stress are likely to last longer and be more severe than reactions …
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common among people who are obese and many of these people turn to bariatric surgery to achieve a healthier weight. Many bariatric surgery patients say their OSA goes away or …
Has the pharmaceutical industry become the Pied Piper of Hamelin–ridding us of lethal diseases only to turn around and “take” our children?
Thursday brought two announcements from Medicare officials, one bringing good news, the other not-so-good news. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Medicare) has announced the names of 10 medical facilities or doctors …
While the evidence is unavoidably clear that smoking cigarettes increases a person’s risk of having a stroke, there is relatively little data that identifies the dosage amount that places a smoker in the danger zone. …
Albino mice in a Rutgers University laboratory that were pre-treated with ultraviolet (UV) light to simulate the lifelong effect of a human’s sun exposure developed skin cancer when a number of common moisturizing creams were …
Calling it a Compressed Working Week, British researchers are suggesting a shorter work week may improve the detrimental health effects of shift work at the same time it improves employee morale and boosts productivity. Twenty …
Someone suffering from the frightening chest pain of angina is no doubt ready for a quick fix to make that pain go away. Many angina patients turn to stents for the quickest relief, opting …
Between 2004 and 2007, Dr. Mark M. Bouchet and his surgical transplant team removed the hearts from three tiny patients at Denver Children’s Hospital and transplanted them into three tiny patients dying of heart disease. …
Adolescents »
Childhood cancer survivors are at high risk for multiple tumors as they age
(MedHeadlines) - Findings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators identify new cancer risks when survivors become adults; underscore the importance of regular cancer screenings.
The largest study yet of …
Alternative Medicine »
Americans Embrace Alternative Medicines, Especially for Pain
Close to 38% of the adult American population turns to complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) for treating what ails them and a growing number of parents allow their children to use them, too, according to …
Asthma »
Students Successfully ‘Kickin’ Asthma’ in Oakland Schools
The Oakland Unified School District educates 42,000 students, a good many of whom struggle with the energy-zapping symptoms of asthma. Its urban location and high number of low-income students made the Oakland school district a …
Breast Cancer »
Mammography screening reduces breast cancer mortality
(MedHeadlines) – Breast cancer screening with mammography results in a significant reduction in breast cancer mortality, according to long-term follow-up results of a large-scale Swedish trial. The results are published online in the journal Radiology.
Caffeine »
Coffee Today Keeps Dementia Away
The January issue of ‘The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease’ features a study of long-term coffee drinking and its effect on age-related dementia. The findings suggest drinking coffee today keeps dementia away.
Cancer »
Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells
(MedHeadlines) – Could preventing colon cancer be as simple as developing a taste for yerba mate tea? In a recent University of Illinois study, scientists showed that human colon cancer cells die when …
CDC »
All 50 US States Have Confirmed Swine Flu Cases
Schools all across the United States are on the verge of closing but, this time, it’s for the summer holidays and not the swine flu. That doesn’t mean swine flu is no longer cause for …
Children’s Health »
Childhood cancer survivors are at high risk for multiple tumors as they age
(MedHeadlines) - Findings from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study led by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital investigators identify new cancer risks when survivors become adults; underscore the importance of regular cancer screenings.
The largest study yet of …
Diabetes »
350 million adults have diabetes
(MedHeadlines) – A major international study collating and analyzing worldwide data on diabetes since 1980 has found that the number of adults with the disease reached 347 million in 2008, more than double the number …
Diet »
Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells
(MedHeadlines) – Could preventing colon cancer be as simple as developing a taste for yerba mate tea? In a recent University of Illinois study, scientists showed that human colon cancer cells die when …
Elderly Care »
Alcohol drinking in the elderly: Risks and benefits
(MedHeadlines) - The Royal College of Psychiatrists of London has published a report related primarily to problems of unrecognized alcohol misuse among the elderly. The report provides guidelines for psychiatrists and family physicians on how to …
Exercise »
100 Steps a Minute for Optimum Walking Benefits
It’s impossible to overlook the benefits of exercise but many people who do exercise don’t know if they’re doing enough. Walking is an excellent form of exercise suitable for most people and pedometers are great …
Family »
2007 Beginning of New Baby Boom?
There were more babies born in the United States in 2007 than were born in the busiest year of the World War II baby boom, leaving statisticians wondering if 2007 might be the beginning of …
Health Insurance »
Drop in physicians’ willingness to accept patients with insurance
(MedHeadlines) - As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people will soon be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with …
Lifestyle »
Taking moments to enjoy life helps patients make better health decisions
(MedHeadlines) – The experience of daily positive affect — a mild, happy feeling — and self-affirmation helps some patients with chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and asthma, make …
Medical Research »
Alcohol drinking in the elderly: Risks and benefits
(MedHeadlines) - The Royal College of Psychiatrists of London has published a report related primarily to problems of unrecognized alcohol misuse among the elderly. The report provides guidelines for psychiatrists and family physicians on how to …
MedTech »
Lives Saved, Costs Lowered in ‘Paperless’ Hospitals
President Barack Obama is a staunch advocate of ‘paperless’ hospitals, where patient records, doctors’ orders, and other medical data are kept electronically rather than on paper. The Congressional Budget Office and other critics of the …
Odd MedNews »
Man Dies, Daughter in Coma, from Diseased Pet Parrot
On September 30, 2006, Amanda De La Garza purchased a cockatiel from a PetSmart store in Corpus Christi, Texas. She took the little Australian parrot to the home she shared with her father, Joe De …
Pain »
Rural America Painkiller Deaths Spike 550% in 5 Years
Recent issue of ‘JAMA,’ the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association,’ says abuse and deadly overdoses attributed to prescription painkillers is on the rise, with rural America leading the way. The study behind this alarming …
PMS »
UNC Testing Oral Contraceptives for Severe PMS
The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill has been granted $3 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to undertake a five-year clinical trial of a low-dose contraceptive as treatment for premenstrual …
Pregnancy »
Pregnancy Safe in Multiple Sclerosis
(MedHeadlines) – Canadian researchers have found that maternal multiple sclerosis (MS) is generally not associated with adverse delivery outcomes or risk to their offspring. Full findings now appear in Annals of Neurology, a journal published by …