Measuring blood pressure in both arms may reveal unexpected cardiovascular risks. Usually, the cuff is put on just one arm or the other in the doctor's office, and the result of that reading is used to determine if the patient... (Read More)
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Health News
People with type 2 diabetes usually take oral medications to help keep their blood sugar under control. One widely available inexpensive generic drug, metformin, appears to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. Although this kind of cancer is relatively rare,... (Read More)
Black raspberries may offer a surprising solution for preventing oral cancers. This form of malignancy kills over 7,000 people annually. The usual treatment involves surgery to remove abnormal cellular growth before it turns into life-threatening cancer. Even with such surgical... (Read More)
Eating fish at least three times a week may reduce the risk of a common digestive tract cancer. Scientists at Vanderbilt compared cases of people who had colonoscopies. The individuals in the study answered food-frequency questionnaires. Women who ate more... (Read More)
The larger a man's prostate, the higher his PSA might be. That could easily lead to a biopsy and diagnosis of prostate cancer. A new study suggests that a larger prostate may be associated with less severe prostate cancer. The... (Read More)
People often assume that older people are not interested in sex. A new survey from Southern California suggests that is not true. 800 women between the ages 40 and 82 answered questions about their sexual activity and satisfaction. Roughly half... (Read More)
Common household chemicals may be gumming up the immune response. Perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs, are found in food packaging, in microwave popcorn, in stain repellents for clothing and furniture as well as non-stick cookware. They are ubiquitous in the environment... (Read More)
Iodide contrast used to sharpen some diagnostic images seem to have an unrecognized dark side. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine was based on 20-year follow-up data of nearly 2,000 people who had undergone CT scans, cardiac... (Read More)
Women with a specific type of breast cancer may benefit from adding Avastin to the chemotherapy regimen. The research included more than 1,200 patients who were randomly assigned to receive Avastin or placebo in addition to Taxotere and other medications.... (Read More)
Chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease often goes hand-in-hand with depression. What's more, depression makes the outcomes of such chronic conditions worse. Now a new analysis shows that exercise can be an effective treatment for the depression associated... (Read More)
One form of exercise that may be especially beneficial for older people is swimming. It is easy on sore joints and may have an unexpected benefit for those with high blood pressure. A small study found that swimming three or... (Read More)
Recent research is raising questions about the safety of antiperspirant ingredients. A study published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology found that chemicals called parabens can be found in the breast tissue of breast cancer patients. These compounds are widely... (Read More)
Under new Federal guidelines, drug companies will soon be required to reveal payments to doctors. According to an investigation by The New York Times, about two-thirds of all U.S. physicians accept dinners for themselves or lunch for their staffs. Approximately... (Read More)
Disappointing results in a clinical trial have led to the abandonment of an experimental Alzheimer's drug. The compound, dimebon, is an antihistamine and has been used for years as a cold remedy in Russia. Trials there suggested it might be... (Read More)
Investigators in Belgium were testing the ability of vitamin D to control flare-ups in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Previous research has shown that nearly 75 percent of patients with COPD are deficient in vitamin D. Since this vitamin... (Read More)
People who eat foods rich in the mineral magnesium appear to be less likely to suffer strokes. That is the conclusion of a meta-analysis involving roughly 250,000 people. Foods rich in magnesium include halibut, almonds, cashews, soybeans, spinach, and other... (Read More)
A British meta-analysis of aspirin users suggests that this common preventive medicine may carry significant risks along with modest benefit. Investigators analyzed nine randomized, placebo-controlled studies that included more than 100,000 healthy volunteers. Although those taking aspirin were 20 percent... (Read More)
Drug manufacturer Novartis is in hot water with the FDA. The company has had to recall many of its Excedrin and Bufferin pain reliever bottles and shut down its manufacturing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. Some bottles of NoDoz and Gas-X... (Read More)
Statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs put patients at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The most recent research to show a connection is the Women's Health Initiative, a very large study begun in the mid 1990s. It included more than... (Read More)
Quitting smoking is one of the most important steps people can take to improve their health. It is also one of the hardest. That is why aids such as nicotine gum and nicotine patches have been so popular over the... (Read More)
B vitamins may help maintain memory in healthy older adults. That's the conclusion of Australian scientists after they conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 700 individuals between 60 and 74 years of age. They gave their subjects a daily dose... (Read More)
Sleep is essential for good health and yet the worst place to get a good night's sleep is in a hospital bed. The World Health Organization recommends that hospital rooms should keep the noise level below 30 to 40 decibels.... (Read More)
The diet wars are heating up again. This is the time of year that many people want to shed the excess pounds they put on between Thanksgiving and New Years. But should the diet be low or high in protein?... (Read More)
Healers around the world have been using drums, tones and other forms of music in their rituals for centuries. Now investigators at the University of Utah have confirmed that music can help reduce sensations of pain, especially when subjects really... (Read More)
Americans have been told to stay away from red meat if they wanted to lower their cholesterol. Now a carefully controlled study throws that wisdom into some doubt. The investigators followed 36 subjects with borderline high cholesterol. The volunteers were... (Read More)
How likely are you to help someone else? People who see themselves as humble are more likely to lend a hand than those who are conceited. Baylor University psychologists ran three different studies on college students to find the traits... (Read More)
Regular physical activity has benefits that go well beyond maintaining weight and physical health. A meta-analysis of 14 previous studies found that children who play sports, participate in physical education, or walk or bike to school do better in their... (Read More)
People are always encouraged to wash their hands carefully after going to the bathroom. But a new study suggests that drying your hands on a paper towel could leave nasty bacteria on your skin. Canadian researchers found germs in six... (Read More)
Stethoscopes might be an unrecognized source of bacterial contamination. Hospital acquired infections are responsible for roughly 100,000 deaths each year. Healthcare workers have been admonished to wash their hands thoroughly between patients to reduce the risk of infection. Although this... (Read More)
Another unexpected source of bacterial contamination appears to be the plastic backboards that emergency medical technicians use to transfer patients to a gurney. Such plastic boards help stabilize the patient for transfer to an ambulance. Once the patient has been... (Read More)