Health News

Friends quit smoking? You probably will too

AP - 15 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too. A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did.

Weight Loss News

  • An overweight boy eats sweets in Beijing in 2005.Child obesity is ballooning into a big problem in China as 'little emperors' are increasingly getting an appetite for the Western couch-potato way of life, according to a study presented in Geneva.(AFP/File/Peter Parks)
    China's child obesity problem 'ballooning' AFP - Wed May 21, 7:38 AM ET

    GENEVA (AFP) - Child obesity is ballooning into a big problem in China as 'little emperors' are increasingly getting an appetite for the Western couch-potato way of life, according to a study presented in Geneva.

  • A woman walks along the boardwalk while leaving the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York September 4, 2007. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
    Medicare may broaden obesity surgery payment Reuters - Tue May 20, 11:25 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Medicare program may expand reimbursement for bariatric surgery for the obese, in light of a study that found the treatment can help reverse diabetes, the agency said on Monday.

  • Obesity contributes to global warming: study Reuters - Thu May 15, 7:03 PM ET

    GENEVA (Reuters) - Obesity contributes to global warming, too.

  • Pedestrians wait to walk across a street near Times Square in New York August 28, 2007. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
    Obesity tied to risk of psychiatric disorders Reuters - Thu May 15, 1:04 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obesity is a well known risk factor for certain physical health problems, but a new study suggests that heavy adults also have higher rates of psychiatric disorders.

  • France reports leveling childhood obesity rates Reuters - Thu May 15, 9:40 AM ET

    GENEVA (Reuters) - France is the first EU country to report a leveling off of childhood obesity rates, suggesting that healthier diet programs and a ban on vending machines in schools is paying off, researchers said on Thursday.

Sexual Health News

Medications/Drugs News

Parenting/Kids News

  • Health Tip: Soothing a Child's Sunburn HealthDay - 27 minutes ago

    (HealthDay News) -- If your child has an uncomfortable sunburn, here are suggestions to help it heal and to soothe the youngster's pain, courtesy of the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: Give the child a cool bath. Apply a cool compress. Apply a moisturizer, aloe or hydrocortisone cream. Avoid products with Benadryl or benzocaine to minimize the risk of a reaction. Give the child acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. Leave any blisters alone to reduce risk of infection. Do not try to pop or drain them. Keep the child out of the sun until the burn heals.

  • Childhood Asthma, Allergies Traced to Womb HealthDay - 28 minutes ago

    WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- At least some of the biological risk for childhood asthma and allergies traces back to the womb, new research suggests.

  • Sleep Apnea Linked to Heart Risks in Children HealthDay - 28 minutes ago

    WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Young children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may suffer some of the same harmful cardiovascular consequences seen in older children and adults with the condition, Israeli researchers say.

  • Drinking water can be harmful to smallest babies Reuters - Wed May 21, 2:42 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies younger than six months old should never be given water to drink, physicians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore remind parents. Consuming too much water can put babies at risk of a potentially life-threatening condition known as water intoxication.

  • Sleep apnea in toddlers hard on the heart Reuters - Wed May 21, 1:38 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children younger than 3 years of age may strain the heart and cause inflammation, according to research discussed today at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting in Toronto.

Seniors/Aging News

  • Researchers see flood of "brain-boosting" drugs Reuters - 24 minutes ago

    LONDON (Reuters) - A flood of new "brain-boosting" drugs will emerge in coming decades for diseases like Alzheimer's, putting pressure on authorities over the drugs potential misuse for non-medical purposes -- such as helping students cram for exams, scientists said on Thursday.

  • Metabolic Syndrome Foretells Diabetes in Elderly HealthDay - 28 minutes ago

    WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of diabetes, but not cardiovascular disease, in the elderly, a new British study finds.

  • Medicare may broaden obesity surgery payment Reuters - Tue May 20, 11:25 AM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Medicare program may expand reimbursement for bariatric surgery for the obese, in light of a study that found the treatment can help reverse diabetes, the agency said on Monday.

  • Drug ad effects on people need more study: FDA Reuters - Thu May 15, 6:15 PM ET

    ROCKVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - Ads for prescription drugs need to be clear and direct and government needs to study the effects these ads have on consumer behavior, particularly among the elderly and minorities, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of outside experts said on Thursday.

  • Chinese club moss may help Alzheimer's Reuters - Thu May 15, 1:03 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - An extract from Chinese club moss shows promise as a treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease, researchers report after analyzing combined data from multiple trials conducted in China.

Diseases/Conditions

  • Beer Drinking May Speed Pancreatic Cancer Onset HealthDay - 28 minutes ago

    WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Heavy smoking and drinking, especially beer, may hasten the onset of pancreatic cancer, according to researchers who presented their data Tuesday at the Digestive Disease Week 2008 conference in San Diego.

  • Ted Kennedy Released From Hospital HealthDay - 28 minutes ago

    WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Sen. Edward M. Kennedy walked out of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Wednesday, one day after it was revealed that he has a malignant brain tumor.

  • Post-stroke psyche may limit return to work Reuters - Wed May 21, 1:39 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Physical ability may not be the only factor determining whether a person returns to work after suffering a stroke. Psychiatric factors, such as anxiety and depression, also appear to impact return-to-work, suggest findings from a study conducted in New Zealand.

  • Depression, PTSD Common Among Lung Transplant Patient Caregivers HealthDay - Sun May 18, 11:58 PM ET

    SUNDAY, May 18 (HealthDay News) -- Caregivers of deceased lung transplant patients are four to five times more likely to suffer symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the average person, researchers report.

  • People infected with HIV/AIDS arrange candles on a road as they attend a peaceful rally to observe the Global AIDS Week of Action in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata May 21, 2008. The demonstrators demanded access to medical facilities and urged the government to fight against the disease, an organiser of the rally said.  REUTERS/Parth Sanyal   (INDIA)
    Cancer risk soars in HIV-infected people: study Reuters - Tue May 20, 9:55 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People with HIV have a much higher risk for many cancers, including anal cancer, but a lower risk for prostate cancer, researchers said on Tuesday.

Most Popular Health News

  • Sleepy brain prone to sudden shutdowns study Reuters - Tue May 20, 6:53 PM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - Being deprived of sleep even for one night makes the brain unstable and prone to sudden shutdowns akin to a power failure -- brief lapses that hover between sleep and wakefulness, researchers said on Tuesday.

  • Drinking water can be harmful to smallest babies Reuters - Wed May 21, 2:42 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Babies younger than six months old should never be given water to drink, physicians at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore remind parents. Consuming too much water can put babies at risk of a potentially life-threatening condition known as water intoxication.

  • Those with rare diseases offered a chance for free treatment AP - Mon May 19, 5:47 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - They're the cold cases of medicine, patients with diseases so rare and mysterious that they've eluded diagnosis for years.

  • Runners jog along a path beneath blooming cherry trees next to New York's Central Park Reservoir, April 24, 2008. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has launched a new 10-week challenge to help people get active, stay active and have fun doing it. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
    Cancer society challenges Americans to get active Reuters - Wed May 21, 1:41 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The American Cancer Society (ACS) has launched a new 10-week challenge to help people get active, stay active and have fun doing it.

  • Friends quit smoking? You probably will too AP - 15 minutes ago

    LOS ANGELES - The urge to smoke is contagious, but quitting apparently is, too. A team of researchers who showed that obesity can spread person-to-person has found a similar pattern with smoking cessation: A smoker is more likely to kick the habit if a spouse, friend, co-worker or sibling did.