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January 25, 2010
Opiate painkillers raise fracture risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who take powerful prescription painkillers known as opioids face an increased risk of bone fractures, especially at moderately high medication doses, a new study finds.
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January 25, 2010
In tough economic times, NIH head looks to clinic
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As he puts together his budget proposal for the coming year, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins plans to do something a little different - emphasizing the "health" in the name of his U.S. agency.
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January 25, 2010
Fake forms of Glaxo diet drug can be dangerous: FDA
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fake versions of GlaxoSmithKline's over-the-counter diet pill were contaminated with dangerously high levels of a prescription weight loss ingredient, U.S. officials warned on Saturday.
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January 25, 2010
Many children 'hear voices'; most aren't bothered
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly 1 in 10 seven- to eight-year-olds hears voices that aren't really there, according to a new study.
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January 24, 2010
Parents cut kids' calories when menus are labeled
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When restaurant menus list calories, parents will limit how much fast food their kids eat, a new report suggests.
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January 22, 2010
Mother jailed for "sickest boy in Britain" fantasy
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A mother was jailed on Friday for pretending that her healthy son was "the sickest boy in Britain" and needed to be fed through a tube and be taken to school in a wheelchair.
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January 22, 2010
Exercise, green tea may lessen breast cancer blues
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression is a major health issue for breast cancer survivors, but new research hints that regular exercise and drinking green tea may help.
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January 22, 2010
Calif. court rejects limits on medical marijuana
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected limits on medical marijuana imposed by state lawmakers, finding that people with prescriptions for pot can have and grow all they need for personal use.
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January 21, 2010
Drugs for depression, anxiety tied to preterm birth
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pregnant women who take certain drugs for depression or anxiety may have heightened risks of preterm delivery or other birth complications, according to a new study.
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January 21, 2010
Electro-acupuncture shows promise for knee arthritis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A modern twist on traditional acupuncture may bring some pain relief to people with knee arthritis, at least in the short term, a small study suggests.
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January 20, 2010
Researchers see pattern in PTSD brain activity
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have discovered a distinct pattern of brain activity in people with post traumatic stress disorder that may give doctors an objective way to test for it, they said on Wednesday.
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January 20, 2010
Obama agenda imperiled by Republican Senate gain
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday faced a fight to save his legislative agenda and keep his healthcare overhaul alive after his Democratic Party lost a key Senate seat, underscoring the challenges he faces at the one-year mark of his presidency.
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January 18, 2010
Even legitimate opioid use may cause overdose
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Perhaps it's not surprising, but people who take high doses of opioid painkillers even for legitimate medical reasons are at risk of overdosing, new research shows.
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January 18, 2010
Experts urge screening for obesity in kids
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors should screen children and teens between 6 and 18 years for extra pounds, a federal task force recommends.
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January 15, 2010
Water, drugs are big need now for Haiti
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Clean water and antibiotics are among the biggest needs for Haiti, where the capital was devastated by a huge quake that killed up to 100,000 people, health experts say.
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January 15, 2010
Exercise protects and improves the aging brain
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only staves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging.
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January 15, 2010
Bipolar diagnosis jumps in young children: study
BOSTON (Reuters) - The number of children aged 2 to 5 who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed powerful antipsychotic drugs has doubled over the past decade, according to research released on Friday.
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January 15, 2010
Repeat deployments may take a toll on troops' health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - National Guard troops who are sent to Iraq or Afghanistan more than once seem to have a heightened risk of mental and physical health problems.
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January 15, 2010
St. John's wort may cool hot flashes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The popular herbal remedy St. John's wort may help ease menopausal hot flashes, a small study suggests.
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January 15, 2010
Marijuana use unlikely to boost suicide risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smoking marijuana (also called cannabis) is unlikely to increase a person's risk of killing themselves later on, an analysis of more than three decades worth of death records on more than 50,000 Swedish military recruits suggests.
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January 14, 2010
Group says cold weather killed 24 in Cuba hospital
HAVANA (Reuters) - Twenty-four patients in Havana's main mental hospital died of hypothermia this week, a Cuban human rights group said on Thursday, in what it called an act of negligence.
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January 14, 2010
Putin calls time on Russians' alcohol habit
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, alarmed by Russians' love affair with alcohol, gave the go-ahead on Thursday for a campaign to cut consumption by more than half in the next 10 years.
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January 14, 2010
No link seen between flu outbreak, schizophrenia
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Questioning the theory that prenatal exposure to the flu virus might be a risk factor for schizophrenia, a new study finds no link between the flu pandemic of 1957 and later schizophrenia rates.
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January 14, 2010
Diabetes ups risk of dementia for mildly impaired
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Diabetes may hasten progression to dementia in older people with mild thinking impairment, new research shows.
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January 14, 2010
British govt accused of inadequate dementia action
LONDON (Reuters) - An independent body accused the British government on Thursday of doing too little to implement a plan to tackle the urgent demand for better care of people with the brain-wasting disease dementia.
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January 14, 2010
Morphine helps wounded avoid post-combat stress
BOSTON (Reuters) - U.S. combat soldiers in Iraq who received a shot of morphine within an hour of being wounded were less likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported on Wednesday.
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January 13, 2010
US parents on trial in 4-year-old's overdose death
BOSTON (Reuters) - The parents of a 4-year-old girl with psychiatric problems who died after overdosing on powerful drugs are about to face first-degree murder charges in a Boston area courtroom.
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January 13, 2010
Healthy diet may benefit women's mental health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who suffer from depression and anxiety may want to take a look at their diet as possible contributors to these conditions, study findings hint.
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January 13, 2010
Study says Europe's 12 mln cocaine users risk lives
LONDON (Reuters) - More than three percent of sudden deaths in Europe are related to cocaine use and many of them are brought on by a "lethal cocktail" of the drug, alcohol and cigarettes, scientists said on Wednesday.
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January 13, 2010
Some blood pressure drugs may cut risk of dementia
LONDON (Reuters) - Medicines commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.
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January 13, 2010
Gene variant protects against Alzheimer's
CHICAGO (Reuters) - People with a gene linked to long life and good health are also less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
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January 12, 2010
US FDA warnings target four drug companies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked Bayer AG, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, and Cephalon to stop using "misleading" promotions for some drugs, according to letters released by the agency on Tuesday.
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January 12, 2010
Price rises are key to tackling alcohol abuse: WHO
GENEVA (Reuters) - Binge drinking and other growing forms of harmful use of alcohol should be tackled through higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and tighter marketing regulations, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended.
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January 12, 2010
Drugs can help symptoms of borderline personality
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - While there are no drugs that specifically treat borderline personality disorder, some medications can improve certain symptoms of the psychiatric condition, a new research review finds.
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January 12, 2010
Longer breastfeeding good for kids' mental health
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who are breastfed for longer than six months could be at lower risk of mental health problems later in life, new research from Australia suggests.
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January 12, 2010
"Extraordinary" increases in drug prices: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Prices for hundreds of brand-name drugs have soared since the beginning of the decade, especially those that treat depression, infections and heart disease, according to a U.S. government report on Monday.
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January 12, 2010
Economic, health worries make 35 the new 40: report
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Worries about the economy and healthcare are pushing people into middle age earlier, making 35 the new 40, according to a new report.
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January 11, 2010
For some, 3D movies a pain in the head
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Movie buffs and sports fans looking to 3D televisions for the ultimate home theater experience may want to get their eyes checked first - or risk a 3D headache, U.S. eye experts said on Saturday.
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January 8, 2010
Few depressed Americans treated appropriately: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Most Americans with major depression go untreated or under treated using a benchmark of American Psychiatric Association guidelines, according to a national study released this week.
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January 8, 2010
Acupuncture eases tamoxifen-related hot flashes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study provides more evidence that acupuncture can help ease hot flashes in women with breast cancer who are being treated with the "anti-estrogen" drug tamoxifen. Acupuncture, researchers found, is free of side effects and has a side benefit for some women: an increased sex drive.
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January 8, 2010
Cocaine changes how genes work in brain
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Prolonged exposure to cocaine can cause permanent changes in the way genes are switched on and off in the brain, a finding that may lead to more effective treatments for many kinds of addiction, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
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January 7, 2010
Could a cell phone protect you from Alzheimer's?
WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!) - A study in mice suggests using cell phones may help prevent some of the brain-wasting effects of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.
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January 6, 2010
Use of psychiatric drug combos growing in the US
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - US adults being treated for mental illness are more likely to be prescribed two or more drugs today than a decade ago.
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January 6, 2010
Living in isolation tests strength of Antarctic adventurers
CAPE DENISION, Antarctica (Reuters Life!) - Living in freezing isolation in Antarctica is a test of endurance for even the toughest of adventurers with veterans to the South Pole convinced that a sense of humour is a key tool for survival.
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January 5, 2010
Study turns up 10 autism clusters in California
CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have identified 10 locations in California that have double the rates of autism found in surrounding areas, and these clusters were located in neighborhoods with high concentrations of white, highly educated parents.
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January 5, 2010
Antidepressants may not work for mild depression
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Only people with very severe depression appear to derive clear and substantial benefits from taking antidepressant medication, an analysis of published studies released today shows.
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January 4, 2010
Psychotherapy, guided self-help best for binge eating
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Certain kinds of talk therapy and guided self-help are both more likely than behavioral weight loss treatment to keep people free from binge eating disorder, according to a new study.
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January 4, 2010
Later-to-bed teens risk sadness, suicidal thoughts
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Earlier bedtimes make for happier teens, a new study in the journal Sleep suggests.
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January 4, 2010
Dementia could cost Canada C$1 trillion: report
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadians are developing dementia at such a rapid rate that dealing with the problem will cost a total of more than C$870 billion ($830 billion) over the next 30 years unless preventive measures are taken, a report released on Monday said.
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January 1, 2010
Another study finds no MMR-autism link
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new study provides further evidence that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is not associated with an increased risk of autism.