-
CNN
|
Jun 17, 09 4:00 PM CDT
(Newser) -
The Environmental Protection Agency has declared a “public health emergency” in a Montana town where 200 people have died from asbestos poisoning, CNN reports. For 10 years the EPA has been involved in a cleanup of Libby, contaminated by castoff from a nearby vermiculite mine and insulation plant. The mine operator was acquitted last month on criminal charges stemming from the deaths.
More »
-
BBC
|
Jun 16, 09 2:34 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Scientists have found a “cellular pump” that appears central to the development of asthma, pointing the way to possible new treatments, the BBC reports. The pump, called SERCA2, helps airway muscles relax. People with asthma had reduced SERCA2 levels, researchers found; replacing it in airway muscle cells could help fight asthma symptoms and long-term airway “remodeling” associated with the disease.
More »
-
WebMD
|
Jun 16, 09 1:22 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A new study suggests that taking ADHD drugs like Ritalin puts young people at a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, WebMd reports. Children in the study who died suddenly and inexplicably were six to seven times likelier to have been taking ADHD medication containing stimulants.
More »
-
-
MSNBC
|
Jun 15, 09 11:57 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The current health care system is a “ticking time-bomb” for the federal budget, Barack Obama told the American Medical Association today, speaking before a crowd of doctors in Chicago. He sharply criticized the current system, which pays doctors for each test or treatment provided, saying it “has taken the pursuit of medicine from a profession—a calling—to a business.”
More »
-
USA Today
|
Jun 15, 09 9:50 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Highway safety advocates are pushing for a federal transportation bill to include incentives for states to make safety belts mandatory for all passengers, but opponents say the move would set a precedent for the government to tell citizens what to do, USA Today reports. Though studies show that rear seatbelts reduce fatalities for all passengers, only 21 US states require them by law.
More »
-
New York Times
|
Jun 13, 09 10:28 AM CDT
(Newser) -
It used to be called the “disease of kings” because only aristocrats could pig out enough to get it. But these days, gout, an extremely painful arthritis of the foot and other joints, is spreading like wildfire through America’s ever-widening middle class, the New York Times reports. Drug companies are scrambling to catch up: Earlier this year, the FDA approved the first new drug in 40 years, and another is up for review next week. “It’s kind of like the forgotten disease,” said the CEO of one drug-maker.
More »
-
New York Times
|
Jun 13, 09 6:34 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Watchdog groups warn that medical identity theft is on the rise with the growing use of electronic records that lack proper safeguards, the New York Times reports. Fraudsters use stolen insurance information or Social Security numbers to get free medical care and the victims are often unaware they have been scammed until years later when the unpaid bills show up on credit reports.
More »
-
Associated Press
|
Jun 11, 09 2:41 PM CDT
(AP) -
Congress struck the US government's strongest anti-smoking blow in decades today with a Senate vote to give regulators new power to limit nicotine in cigarettes, drastically curtail ads, and ban candied tobacco products aimed at young people. Cigarette foes say the changes could cut into the 400,000 deaths every year caused by smoking and reduce the $100 billion in annual health-care costs linked to tobacco.
More »
-
Reuters
|
Jun 11, 09 10:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The World Health Organization has declared the first influenza pandemic since 1968, Reuters reports. Although the current outbreak has caused mostly mild cases of the illness, today's official declaration that the outbreak has hit phase 6, the highest level, means heightened prevention measures in 193 countries. The designation refers to the geographical spread of the disease, not the severity.
More »
-
Politico
|
Jun 10, 09 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser) -
President Obama is on a mission for a fitter America, Politico reports: he has given health department jobs to warriors against trans fats and smoking, and he wants a health care plan that keeps Americans from getting sick in the first place, with obesity screenings and an emphasis on exercise. For health advocates, it’s “not a breath of fresh air. It is a tornado,” says one.
More »
-
Time
|
Jun 10, 09 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The huge rise in computer ownership between 1994 and 2006 was accompanied by a rise twice as big in the number of people injuring themselves with them, Time reports. A recent study found that almost 10,000 Americans a year now get hurt seriously enough to visit hospital emergency rooms by tripping over cables, dropping laptops or monitors on their feet, or lacerating themselves on sharp corners.
More »
-
Bloomberg
|
Jun 9, 09 1:39 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Regularly getting less than seven or eight hours’ sleep raises the risk of high blood pressure, research suggests. In a study tracking the blood pressure and sleep of 578 adults, every lost hour of sleep was tied to an average 37% higher risk of high blood pressure over 5 years, while missing two hours boosted the risk 86%, Bloomberg reports.
More »
-
The Age
|
Jun 8, 09 4:56 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Blonds and redheads are three times more likely to develop skin cancer, as are those who worked jobs outside through their teenage years, the Age reports. A new study has identified six factors that increase the likelihood of developing a melanoma, which also includes a significantly freckled upper back. For people with more than one factor, the risk is 10 times higher than for the general population.
More »
-
New York Times
|
Jun 6, 09 7:25 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Worried that his preferred health care fixes are losing ground, President Obama has decided to wade into the debate with speeches and town-hall-style meetings, the New York Times reports. Reversing his plan to leave health care up to Congress, Obama plans to push for broad principles, not policy points. But "it will become President Obama’s plan," one White House official said.
More »
-
CNN
|
Jun 2, 09 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser) -
Experts are warning of a yet another threat from your phone: cell phone elbow. When you hold the phone to your ear, you stretch the nerve that controls the ring and pinky fingers; bending your arm too tightly for too long "chokes the blood supply to the nerves," explains one doctor, which can cause tingling or numbness, making writing and typing difficult. The very scientific solution? Switch hands.
More »
-
BBC
|
Jun 1, 09 10:56 PM CDT
(Newser) -
More promising news has emerged from this weekend’s international cancer conference in Florida: Researchers unveiled a drug that shows early promise in fighting the most deadly form of skin cancer. The experimental PLX4032 targets tumor cells that carry a mutation found in 60% of malignant melanomas, and in the 16 patients treated more than half saw their cancer reduced by at least 30%, the BBC reports.
More »
-
Guardian (UK)
|
Jun 1, 09 8:51 AM CDT
(Newser) -
Concerned about deaths tied to choice of treatment, British scientists are calling on the World Health Organization to speak out against homeopathy as a way to battle HIV, TB, malaria, influenza, and infant diarrhea. Clinics throughout Asia and sub-Saharan Africa offer to treat such diseases through homeopathy, though there is no evidence that it is effective, reports the Guardian . Currently, the WHO’s position on homeopathy is “wishy-washy,” said a biophysicist.
More »
-
Times (UK)
|
Jun 1, 09 8:31 AM CDT
(Newser) -
A first-of-its-kind drug has been developed to fight genetic breast cancer, with an initial round of human trials showing “very promising” results, reports the Times of London. The drug Olaparib works by blocking a protein that makes cancer cells containing the genetic default unable to repair themselves. The drug shrank tumors or stopped their growth in 40% of cases studied.
More »
-
USA Today
|
Jun 1, 09 7:16 AM CDT
(Newser) -
The world’s largest cancer conference convened this weekend and offered some hope but no cures, USA Today reports. Researchers are getting closer to developing treatments that are gentler and more individualized, and that increase longevity and quality of life. But a cure remains elusive, and even the most promising drugs offer only a few more months of life.
More »
