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NEWS ABOUT: medicine

That Irritating Itch? It May Just Be Your Brain

In fact, our noodles could be inventing 90% of what we call real

(Newser) - A woman suffers from an itch so severe that she scratches right through to her brain—yet doctors find no medical ailment. War victims feel the sensations of a real limb—but from phantom appendages. What does it all add up to? Perhaps a new understanding of how our brains... More »

Congress: No More Scribbled Scrips, Doc

Legislation will nudge MDs toward electronic prescription system

(Newser) - Senators from both sides of the aisle are pushing doctors away from their prescription pads and towards electronic prescribing, the Chicago Tribune reports. Politicians and lobbyists hope the new system will cut down on mis-filled prescriptions and harmful, but avoidable, drug interactions. More »

Multiple Adult Stem Cells May Make Treatment Trickier

Researchers find different types in organs, complicating search for therapeutic cells

(Newser) - There is probably more than one type of adult stem cell in the intestines and other organs, a University of Utah researcher finds—which means therapies based on the cells could be more complicated than expected. Scientists had hoped a single stem cell could fix damage to an entire organ,... More »

Climate Killing Medical Hopes

UN conference highlights the dangers of fading biodiversity

(Newser) - The loss of biodiversity on Earth will seriously hamper efforts to cure human disease, AFP reports. Researchers at the UN-backed Business for the Environment conference highlighted undiscovered cures for pain, infections and even cancer that risk being lost forever if humans fail to reverse the widespread extinction of thousands of... More »

Asia Unique in Geography of Flu Outbreaks

Climate, season seen as key in incubating strains of virus

(Newser) - Researchers have found yet another thing the West imports from China: the flu. East and Southeast Asia serve as a birthplace for new flu strains, the Times of London reports, thanks to the region’s unique mix of climates. By the time Europe and America get the sniffles six to... More »

New Drug Protects Body From Radiation

Promising treatment has potential medical, military applications

(Newser) - A promising new drug that protects animals from damaging radiation is ready for clinical trials in humans, the BBC reports. The drug interferes with the protein that ordinarily causes cell suicide in the presence of radiation, meaning it could be useful in treating cancer patients undergoing radiation as well as... More »

Nurses With Doctorates Ease Shortage

Advanced degrees, 'hybrid practitioners' raise questions

(Newser) - As part of the effort to counter the worsening doctor shortage, some 200 American nursing schools plan to train "hybrid practitioners" with doctorates in nursing practice who can function as independent primary care givers. But even as the concept of the DNP catches on, some physicians and nurse practitioners... More »

Scientists Build Immune System in Test Tube

Breakthrough could make it easier, and safer, to test vaccines

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a way to produce tiny artificial human immune systems, Time reports, a breakthrough that could transform vaccine research. The process—called Modular Immune In Vitro Construct—will allow researchers to test budding medicines as never before and possibly make faster progress against AIDS and other killers.  More »

When to Dump Your Doc

If you leave feeling worse than you did when you arrived, find a new physician

(Newser) - Is it time to break up with your doctor? View your next physical the same way you would a date, then decide. Forbes outlines 10 red flags that might indicate "It's over."
  1. Your personalities just plain clash.
  2. Your doctor doesn't give you enough information about your health and
... More »

New Aspirin Spares Users Stomachaches

Italian scientists alter key molecule in painkiller

(Newser) - Aspirin is one of the world’s top painkillers, but it has a nasty way of attacking the stomach lining. That could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a team of Italian researchers who have molecularly altered the drug. The new aspirin “has no side effects,... More »

Heparin Supply Chain Shaky in China

Troubles could trace back to vulnerable raw materials

(Newser) - With at least four US patients dead and hundreds suffering complications from the blood-thinning drug heparin, the New York Times follows the supply chain back to Chinese slaughterhouses that deal with the pig intestines that provide raw material for the drug. Though companies say the chain is secure, the Times... More »

Hormone Therapy Skews Diagnosis

Drugs increase false mammogram results, unnecessary biopsies

(Newser) - Women who use hormone replacement therapy to combat menopause symptoms are more likely to get false mammogram results and have unneeded biopsies, new research shows. The UCLA analysis of an earlier study of more than 16,000 women found that 35% of those on hormones received skewed test results, as... More »

Docs Shelve Diabetes Study After Deaths

Findings contradict long-held doctrine of lowering blood sugar

(Newser) - Researchers have abruptly tabled a major study measuring the effects of lowering diabetics' blood sugar after a surprising number of deaths among participants. The results come as a shock to the medical community, which has long held that lowering blood sugar through diet and medication is the only way for... More »

Sex Drug for Women Being Tested

Viagra-like treatment aims to boost female libido, drive

(Newser) - The University of Virginia is set to become the latest institution to test a drug designed to boost the sex drive of women, the AP reports. LibiGel is a testosterone-laden ointment the patient rubs into her skin to increase energy and libido. Decreased sex drive is believed to affect one-third... More »

Mouthwash Could Spot Cancer

'Swish-and-spit' test to spot head and neck cancers

(Newser) - Scientists are working on a mouth rinse that could save lives by detecting head and neck cancers early, Reuters reports. A cheap and easy "swish-and-spit" saliva test could turn up cells containing the altered genes associated with these cancers. Head and neck cancers can often be cured, but early... More »

UK Doctor Cooks Up Migraine Cure

Blot-clot medicine relieves headaches in small early test

(Newser) - A British doctor's hunch about migraines shows early promise in bringing an end to the misery of the painful headaches, the Independent reports. Five patients were treated with a drug used for blood clots, which worked "spectacularly well," says cardiologist John Chambers. Now he's studying group of 280... More »

Hospitals Seduced by 'Nuclear Arms Race' vs. Cancer

But does prestigious strategy help patients?

(Newser) - More and more hospitals are using nuclear proton accelerators in the fight against cancer, with mixed results, reports the New York Times. Some experts say the massive devices, formerly only found in physics labs, are a vital next-generation tool. Others doubt their effectiveness and worry that hospitals are getting caught... More »

7 Common Medical Myths

Seven quack ideas doctors pass on to patients

(Newser) - Some medical misconceptions are so widespread that even doctors believe them. LiveScience rounds up the seven biggest myths, according to the British Medical Journal:
  1. We only use 10% of our brains
  2. You should drink at least eight glasses of water a day
  3. Fingernails and hair grow after death
More »

Isotope Shortage Delays Medical Tests

Reactor closure causes shortages in US, Canada

(Newser) - Shortages of a radioactive substance are endangering thousands of medical tests in hospitals across the US and Canada, the AP reports. The development is the result of a longer-than-anticipated shutdown of a nuclear reactor in Canada, the main supplier in North America. Technetium-99 is injected into patients to check for... More »

Virtual Surgery Coming Soon?

3D models of patients' bodies would let surgeons practice first

(Newser) - Within five years, surgeons may be able to create 3D virtual models of patients' bodies in order to practice surgeries ahead of time. While current virtual surgery lags far behind the realism of, say, combat video games, a UCLA assistant math professor believes this could change soon, reports Scientific American.... More »

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