Health News Headlines

Anti-tobacco laws in several European countries prompted many smokers to ban smoking at home and to cut their cigarette consumption, according to a study reported in the journal Tobacco Control on Tuesday.

The World Health Organization called Monday for greater efforts to fight leprosy, warning the disfiguring disease was defying efforts to wipe it out across many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- New research confirms the trend of disturbing headlines that have appeared in media reports in the past two years:

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Valentine's Day is an occasion for couples to reaffirm their commitment to each other, but parents should show love for their children every day of the year, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

(HealthDay News) -- A TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder can cause serious jaw pain that can affect your ability to chew and eat food.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Stem cell therapy's promise for healing damaged tissues may have gotten a bit closer to reality. In a small, early study, heart damage was reversed in heart-attack patients treated with their own cardiac stem cells, researchers report.

(HealthDay News) -- Children who don't get enough time to play and relax -- or who are pushed beyond their comfort zone -- may become anxious, experts say.

(Reuters) - Biogen Idec Inc said on Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Stromedix Inc, a privately held company developing treatments for fibrosis and organ failure, for $75 million in cash -- and potential additional payments of up to $487.5 million. Stromedix's most advanced candidate, STX-100, is a monoclonal antibody that …

(Reuters) - Avon Products Inc's reported weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter results as sales slid in every market except Latin America and the cosmetics direct seller lost sales representatives. Avon, whose shares were down 7 percent in premarket trading, is dealing with the fallout from an internal bribery investigation …

(Reuters) - If you're going to be on either end of a kiss this Valentine's Day, you might want to consider smooching bare-lipped. Most lipstick contains lead. Lead has been banned in paint since 1978 because of its toxicity at low levels, but it still shows up in small amounts in some of the best-selling lipstick brands. …

A Mediterranean diet may reduce small-vessel damage to the brain, according to a new study published in the Archives of Neurology. In other words, a diet made up of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, whole grains, little red meat and a glass of red wine...

Dread Reckoning: H5N1 Bird Flu May Be Less Deadly to Humans Than Previously Thought--or Not

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. agri-business giant Monsanto said on Tuesday it will appeal a French court ruling that found it responsible for the poisoning of a farmer who inhaled a weedkiller in what is the first such case to reach court in France. A court in Lyon, southeast France, ruled on Monday that Monsanto was guilty of …

Call it the alter-ego of super-sizing. Researchers infiltrated a fast-food Chinese restaurant and found up to a third of diners jumped at the offer of a half-size of the usual heaping pile of rice or noodles — even when the smaller amount cost the same.

The perils and pleasures of online gaming for married life

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with a history of heart disease will most likely not reduce their risk for developing cancer by taking vitamin B and/or omega-3 fatty acid supplements, a new French analysis suggests.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- HIV-positive patients with larger waistlines may be at greater risk for memory problems, according to a new study. Exposure to combinations of certain anti-HIV drugs could play a role in this reduced mental function, researchers said.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Young adults in states that allow them to stay on their parents' health insurance until age 26 have better access to health care, according to a new study.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Routine screening at primary care clinics led to a two- to threefold increase in diagnoses of brain-function impairments such as dementia in older veterans, researchers say.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) --Getting divorced at a younger age causes more harm to health than getting divorced later in life, perhaps because older people have more coping skills to deal with the stress of divorce, a new study suggests.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Eating a Mediterranean-style diet appears to reduce damage to small blood vessels in the brain, a new study says.

MONDAY, Feb. 13 (HealthDay News) -- For older people with a certain type and stage of lung cancer, administering radiation treatment after surgery may not extend survival, according to a new study.