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Wall Street Journal
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Jul 29, 08 3:23 AM CDT
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San Francisco's Board of Supervisors votes today on whether to ban the sale of cigarettes at the city's pharmacies. City and state legislatures across America—as well as giant pharmacy chains like CVS and Wal-Mart—are carefully watching the outcome of what could be a harbinger of things to come, reports the Wall Street Journal .
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Reuters
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Jul 29, 08 2:08 AM CDT
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Americans are likely to face an epidemic of hearing impairment in coming years as the use of personal listening devices soars and the population ages, Reuters reports. A third of adults already has hearing loss to some degree and the proportion is expected to rise significantly. White Americans, men, and the lesser educated are the worst affected, say researchers.
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LiveScience
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Jul 28, 08 5:55 AM CDT
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Electrical signals carry pain impulses to the brain—that much scientists know. But how to treat pain remains a question, LiveScience reports. Here's the scoop: It "is a complex mixture of emotions, culture, experience, spirit, and sensation," one expert said. In other words, it's hard to even define. People suffering from chronic pain like backaches have smaller brains. Maybe their neurons just get stressed out.
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New York Times
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Jul 26, 08 12:33 PM CDT
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Doctors are prescribing drugs to more and more children to treat conditions related to obesity, the New York Times reports. Data released by pharmacy plans show that medication for Type 2 diabetes has seen the biggest increase—151% from 2001 to last year. And this month, a pediatricians group recommended cholesterol-lowering drugs for kids as young as 8.
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Forbes
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Jul 24, 08 12:01 PM CDT
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The health benefits of sleep are well-documented, but catching Zs isn't so easy in a society all about hard work and an active lifestyle. Forbes runs down some reasons Americans aren't getting enough quality time with their pillows. Marital problems: A bad marriage makes for poor shut-eye. Happy wives fell asleep easier and have a more restful slumber, according to one study.
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New York Times
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Jul 24, 08 10:07 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Granite countertops have become exceedingly popular, but few realize the dapper slabs can be radioactive, the New York Times reports. Granite often contains uranium, and reports have been flowing in of “hot” counters giving off higher-than-recommended levels of radon gas. “It’s not that all granite is dangerous,” said one expert. “But I’ve seen a few that might heat up your Cheerios a little.”
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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Jul 23, 08 7:40 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The chief of a cancer institute in Pittsburgh warned his staff today to take precautions with cell phones because of possible health risks, the Post-Gazette reports. The doctor advised people to keep their calls short, text whenever possible to keep phones away from the head, and limit use among children. The warning appears to be the first from any major cancer center in the US.
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New York Times
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Jul 23, 08 8:09 AM CDT
(Newser) -
In a campaign that has made several big promises, perhaps Barack Obama's most ambitious vow is that he will bring down health care premiums by $2,500 by the end of his first term as president. But whether he can deliver that is an open question, writes the New York Times . Even if he can muster the political will to cut down a bloated system, the savings might not materialize.
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Independent (UK)
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Jul 21, 08 9:26 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The world is in danger of losing up to 50 million people to an "inevitable" flu pandemic, and global response agencies aren't ready for such a test, the British government warns. A report rates early-warning systems as "poorly coordinated" and calls for an overhaul of the World Health Organization, reports the Independent .
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Reuters
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Jul 17, 08 10:33 AM CDT
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The US health care system gets dismal grades in a ranking of 19 industrialized countries, Reuters reports. A private foundation looked at key indicators like efficiency and access, and found the US did very poorly despite spending the most money—putting it last on the list. Health-care dollars were squandered on administrative costs and illnesses caused by medical errors.
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Pandagon
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Jul 16, 08 7:35 PM CDT
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A move by Sen. Elizabeth Dole to honor former Republican colleague Jesse Helms by adding his name to a bill that would combat AIDS has Pandagon blogger Pam Spaulding seeing red. "Dole spits in the face" of gay activists, Spaulding writes, by attaching the stridently anti-homosexual Helms to a measure that could save thousands of lives.
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Associated Press
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Jul 16, 08 4:31 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Senate moved today to repeal a ban on allowing immigrants and vistors who are HIV-positive to enter the country, the AP reports. The measure was part of a $50 billion bill to combat AIDS worldwide. The US is one of only a dozen countries—including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Libya—that forbids the entry of visitors with AIDS.
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WebMD
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Jul 16, 08 11:55 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Breast self-examinations, long recommended to women to detect early signs of breast cancer, serve no purpose, according to a review of the latest research. WebMD reports that 10-year studies of 388,500 women in Russia and China showed no improvement in survival rates from the self-exams, but revealed an added risk of unnecessary biopsies.
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Reuters
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Jul 15, 08 4:55 PM CDT
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A lack of ulcers may be driving the increased incidence of childhood asthma, Reuters reports. In a study of children infected with the H. pylori bacteria, which causes ulcers, those who had the infection were 59% less likely to have asthma than those who didn't. H. pylori infection has been waning for decades, and the connection may explain spiking childhood asthma rates over the same period.
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Chicago Tribune
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Jul 14, 08 1:14 PM CDT
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Drugs for Parkinson's disease can be enormously beneficial, relieving patients' tremors and rigid muscles. But some patients are now complaining of an unusual side effect—extreme compulsive behavior. One woman began taking Mirapex to combat symptoms and suddenly found herself with a $200-a-day scratch-off lottery ticket habit, reports the Chicago Tribune .
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ABC News
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Jul 14, 08 12:42 PM CDT
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Barack Obama has modified his health care platform with a policy straight from Hillary Clinton’s book—and he gave her credit, calling it "an idea championed by my friend Hillary Clinton, who's been leading the way in our battle to insure every American." The addition is a tax credit for small businesses that provide good employee health care, ABC reports; the credit would cover up to 50% of premiums paid.
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