-
February 3, 2012
Anxiety therapy doesn't work as well in elderly
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A form of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy appears to help older adults battle anxiety disorders slightly better than other approaches, but not as well as in younger adults, according to a new study.
-
February 3, 2012
Green tea drinkers show less disability with age
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more agile and independent than their peers over time, a large study of Japanese adults suggests.
-
February 2, 2012
Older parents more likely to have an autistic child
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children born to a parent over age 35 are at greater risk for developing an autism spectrum disorder -- but the risk is the same whether just one or both parents are older, according to a new study of Danish families.
-
February 2, 2012
Siblings' brain scans may hold key to addictions
LONDON (Reuters) - Drug addicts and their non-addicted siblings share certain features in the brain, suggesting a susceptibility to addiction is inherited but is also a flaw that can be overcome, scientists said on Thursday.
-
February 1, 2012
The very old may feel helpless, but not depressed
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People over 100 years old may say they feel "helpless" and "worthless" because they can't do the things they used to, but that doesn't mean they're not in good spirits suggests a new study.
-
January 31, 2012
Pot legalization efforts forge ahead in key states
-
January 31, 2012
U.S. experts want suicide risk warning on ADHD drug
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (Reuters) - Children who take a common drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should be warned about the risk of suicidal thoughts, U.S. pediatric health advisers said on Monday.
-
January 26, 2012
Medication helps some with mild depression
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with mild depression may benefit from taking antidepressants, suggests a new analysis of past studies that compared symptoms in people on the drugs to those given drug-free placebo pills.
-
January 26, 2012
Study finds early signs of autism in baby brains
LONDON (Reuters) - Children who develop autism already show signs of different brain responses in their first year of life, scientists said on Thursday in a study that may in the future help doctors diagnose the disorder earlier.
-
January 26, 2012
CORRECTION: Exercise may boost mood for some chronically ill
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Working out regularly may brighten the mood of people with chronic health problems like cancer, heart disease and back pain, according to the first sweeping look at previous research.
-
January 25, 2012
Exercise may boost mood for some chronically ill
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Working out regularly may brighten the mood of people with chronic health problems like cancer, heart disease and back pain, according to the first sweeping look at previous research.
-
January 25, 2012
Controversial scan doesn't help smokers quit: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Checking for clogged arteries doesn't help inveterate smokers kick the habit if they are already in a quit-smoking program, Swiss researchers have found.
-
January 25, 2012
Talking things through in your head may help autism
LONDON (Reuters) - Teaching children with autism to "talk things through" in their heads may help them solve tricky day-to-day tasks and could increase the chances of them living independent lives when they grow up, British scientists said on Wednesday.
-
January 24, 2012
Common scans could hurt thyroid, researchers say
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The iodide dye used in heart scans and other medical imaging might damage some people's thyroid glands, which could cause important health problems later on, U.S. researchers say.
-
January 24, 2012
Brain scans spot early signs of dyslexia
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Instead of waiting for a child to experience reading delays, scientists now say they can identify the reading problem even before children start school, long before they become labeled as poor students and begin to lose confidence in themselves.
-
January 24, 2012
Keeping brain sharp may ward off Alzheimer's protein
CHICAGO (Reuters) - People who challenge their brains throughout their lifetimes -- through reading, writing and playing games -- are less likely to develop protein deposits in the brain linked with Alzheimer's, U.S. researchers said on Monday.
-
January 23, 2012
Abortion safer than giving birth: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Getting a legal abortion is much safer than giving birth, suggests a new U.S. study published Monday.
-
January 23, 2012
'Magic mushroom' trips point to new depression drugs
LONDON (Reuters) - The brains of people tripping on magic mushrooms have given the best picture yet of how psychedelic drugs work and British scientists say the findings suggest such drugs could be used to treat depression.
-
January 23, 2012
Positive psychology has limited health benefits
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A psychology technique that encourages patients to think positively and gain confidence helped some with high blood pressure and heart disease stick to medication and exercise goals, according to new research.
-
January 22, 2012
Anxiety, other disorders more common in autism
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Autism tends to go hand in hand with a variety of other mental and behavioral conditions in kids, suggests a new study that highlights the fuzzy nature of autism diagnoses themselves.
-
January 20, 2012
Overweight linked to acne in teen girls
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Overweight girls in their late teens were twice as likely as their normal-weight peers to report having a lot of acne in a large new survey of Norwegian teenagers that did not find the same link in boys.
-
January 20, 2012
Pomegranate seed oil fails to cool hot flashes
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In the first clinical trial of pomegranate seed oil as a treatment for menopausal hot flashes, women taking the supplement twice a day for 12 weeks got no more relief than women taking a placebo pill containing sunflower oil.
-
January 19, 2012
Goal for Alzheimer's drug by 2025 too ambitious?
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. government has set a deadline of 2025 for finding an effective way to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease, an ambitious target considering there is no cure on the horizon and one that sets a firm deadline unlike previous campaigns against cancer or AIDS.
-
January 19, 2012
CORRECTION: One in five American adults mentally ill in 2010
NEW YORK (Reuters) - One in five adults in the United States, or nearly 50 million people, suffered mental illnesses in 2010, with women and young adults suffering disproportionately, a government report released on Thursday found.
-
January 17, 2012
U.S. celebrity chef Deen says she has diabetes
-
January 17, 2012
How much iodine is too much?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Iodine deficiency is a major health problem worldwide, but a new study points to the potential downsides of too much iodine.
-
January 11, 2012
Help smokers quit whether they ask or not: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors should automatically offer smokers help with quitting, without waiting for signs that they're ready to kick the habit, researchers say.
-
January 11, 2012
One in six adults goes on drinking binges: CDC
ATLANTA (Reuters) - One out of six adults in the United States is a binge drinker, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated on Tuesday.
-
January 10, 2012
Stick with PKU therapy before pregnancy: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For women with the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria, a new study highlights the importance of sticking with therapy before and during pregnancy.
-
January 10, 2012
Babies' cries get a speedy response
LONDON (Reuters) - The sound of babies crying is uniquely able to get adults to react at speed, British scientists said on Tuesday.
-
January 6, 2012
B vitamins may modestly boost memory
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Older adults who took vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements for two years had greater improvements on short- and long-term memory tests than adults who did not take the vitamins, according to the results of a new study from Australia.
-
January 6, 2012
Study shows memory loss can start as early as 45
LONDON (Reuters) - Loss of memory and other brain function can start as early as age 45, posing a big challenge to scientists looking for new ways to stave off dementia, researchers said Thursday.
-
January 5, 2012
Victims still healing a year after Tucson shooting
TUCSON, Arizona (Reuters) - Congressional staffer Ron Barber was standing in a receiving line next to U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords at her first outreach event of the year when the gunman opened fire at point-blank range.
-
January 5, 2012
Diabetes in pregnancy, poverty linked to ADHD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies born to poor mothers with pregnancy-related diabetes have an extra-high risk of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a new study suggests.
-
January 5, 2012
Babies' sleep problems persist into toddler years
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Don't just assume a baby's sleep problems are normal and will soon pass, suggests a new study that finds babies with sleep issues are several times more likely to still have difficulties when they are toddlers compared to babies who sleep well.
-
January 4, 2012
Higher alcohol prices may curb drinking: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new Canadian study suggests increasing the minimum price of beer, liquor and other alcoholic beverages may reduce how much people drink.
-
January 3, 2012
Exercise linked to better performance in school
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids who get more exercise also tend to do better in school, suggests a new analysis of past studies published this week.
-
January 3, 2012
Drug use not tied to mental decline in middle-age
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Middle aged adults whose memories have grown hazy can't blame occasional pot smoking or other light illicit drug use, new research suggests.
-
January 3, 2012
Murder charges against doctors test Maryland abortion law
BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A murder case against two doctors who allegedly completed late-term abortions in Maryland after starting them in New Jersey could be the first to test a state law tied to the "viability" of an unborn fetus.
-
January 2, 2012
Shortage of ADHD drug Adderall seen in 2012
BOSTON (Reuters) - A U.S. shortage of Adderall, which is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, shows little sign of easing as manufacturers struggle to get enough active ingredient to make the drug and demand climbs.
-
December 30, 2011
Yoga helps breast cancer survivors curb fatigue
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - About one third of breast cancer survivors experience fatigue that can affect their quality of life, but a small new study finds that doing yoga might help restore some lost vitality.
-
December 30, 2011
Drivers on methadone twice as likely to crash
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men on methadone treatment for drug addiction were more than twice as likely to be involved in a traffic accident as the general population in a new study from Norway.
-
December 29, 2011
Estrogen helps nighttime hot flashes, not sleep
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who wake up at least three times during the night from bothersome hot flashes wake up less when they take estrogen, but the quality of their sleep remains the same, according to a new study.
-
December 29, 2011
British heart group calls for plain tobacco packs
LONDON (Reuters) - Heart health campaigners urged the British government Thursday to follow Australia's lead and ban all eye-catching designs and branding from cigarette packs to stop young people being lured into smoking.
-
December 28, 2011
Targeting school and home helps cut risky behaviors
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many interventions aimed at preventing drug use and risky sexual behavior in young people haven't worked so well, suggests a new report which also highlights helpful elements of successful programs.
-
December 28, 2011
Poor kids miss out on play time, pediatricians say
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children in poor urban neighborhoods need more chances for old-fashioned playtime in their daily lives, says a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
-
December 27, 2011
France tries to calm women over scandal-hit implants
PARIS (Reuters) - France's health minister tried to calm women's fears over potentially dangerous breast implants on Tuesday, saying there was no medical need to remove them immediately.
-
December 26, 2011
Latin American women fret over scandal-hit implants
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Fear and anger are growing among women with breast implants in Latin America, a key market for the bankrupt French firm that used industrial silicone to make cheap prostheses linked to health risks.
-
December 26, 2011
Mentally ill flood ER as states cut services
CHICAGO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - On a recent shift at a Chicago emergency department, Dr. William Sullivan treated a newly homeless patient who was threatening to kill himself.
-
December 22, 2011
Four ex-players sue NFL alleging brain damage
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four former National Football League players, including two Pro Bowl players, sued the league over brain injuries that they say left them facing medical problems years after their careers ended.