Global deaths attributed to malaria may be almost twice as high as previously estimated. According to a study published in the British medical journal the Lancet, 1.24 million people died from the mosquito-borne disease in 2010 alone. This is in stark contrast to a World Health Organization ...

The world's biggest drug maker, Pfizer Inc. has recalled one million birth-control packs after it was discovered that the pills were mixed up inside the packages. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Pfizer recalled 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 tablets and 14 lots of a generic version of the medicine. ...

I have been a physician for 43 years. This has instilled in me a sense of duty and compassion for those who are suffering. I am politically liberal and believe that government has a place in our lives. Government's obligation is to ensure justice. Reciprocally, I have a duty to ensure that ...

A new study says about seven percent of adults and teens in the United States are orally infected with the human papillomavirus, or HPV. This figure represents about 14.9 million people. Furthermore, more men are affected than women. About 10 percent of men ages 14 to 69 have an oral HPV ...

Mothers giving birth to children at home today are thought to be the last resort of women living in highly rural areas. Such an idea, with the attendant complications that can arise from childbirth makes the proposition risky for many. Surprisingly, home births are becoming more popular in ...

Catholic Healthcare West has officially left the fold -- while under the figurative direction of the Sisters of Mercy. The organization vehemently insists that the new organization, now known as Dignity Health, will still adhere to its previously stated mission and values, which include a strict ...

"Magic mushroom," a type of mushroom that goes under the official name of psilocybin, is frequently abused by hippies or those who attend raves. The mushroom gives users a hallucinogenic rush, akin to LSD. Illegal in the United States, some British researchers now say the mushroom may prove ...

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by high blood glucose levels that can permanently damage heart, eye, kidney, nerve and other tissues. What's not as widely known is the fact that many people are "prediabetic," which can lead to Type 2 diabetes. No less than 79 million Americans over the age ...

It would stand to reason that is a bad habit made a difference between life and death, that the bad habit would be quickly discarded. Not so, says a recent medical study. Researchers looked at 2,456 lung cancer patients and discovered that at time of diagnosis, 38 percent of the lung cancer ...

Falls among the elderly, particularly those suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia, are of high concern. Doctors now say that medication prescribed for depression in these patients can lead to disorientation, dizziness and unsteadiness - leading health care providers to look for ...

"Dangerous abortions" are on the rise according to a new global study by the Guttmacher Institute and the World Health Organization (WHO). While the worldwide abortion rate has declined in recent years, that number has also begun to plateau. NEW YORK, NY (Catholic Online) - To be clear, there is ...

Despite an awareness of the United States' collective weight problem, the number of children and adults who are obese has held steady over the last few years. Government researchers found that in 2009 and 2010, about one in three adults and one in six kids and teens were obese, representing ...

Wine has a significant role in our history.Like all of Gods' gifts - the "goods" of the earth - it is how wine is received and used which makes all the difference. A glass of red wine can open up the deeper truth that all of life is a gift. Receiving wine - ...

A strain of tuberculosis declared as being "totally drug resistant" reported in a dozen patients in India is being disputed by researchers. The patients were diagnosed in Mumbai, India's financial hub and most populous city. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A tuberculosis (TB) doctor at the ...

A 34-year-old New Orleans woman experimented with an insidious new club drug called "bath salts" - and it wound up costing her arm. Ravaged by flesh-eating bacteria after injecting the drug into her arm, doctors had to amputate her right arm - and more in order to save her life. LOS ANGELES, ...

According to scientists who created a highly virulent form of the flu virus, America should not be allowed to dominate the debate over who controls sensitive scientific information. Such information, which could be used by terrorist groups or individual to wage bio-warfare, is an ongoing ...

"Totally drug-resistant tuberculosis," has been reported in India. This particular strain of the respiratory illness has been documented in Italy and Iran since 2003. Restricted to impoverished areas, the new TB has not spread widely -- but experts now believe there could be many ...

Have a beer. Really, go ahead and have one. Tell everyone we said it's okay to pop a cold one while you read the next 10 surprisingly beneficial facts about beer. -- All settled? Got your pint? Then let's begin! LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Beer is an ancient beverage, in fact it has been ...

A smile can mean an awful lot. Take the case of 25-year-old Dallas Wiens from Fort Worth, whose face was burned off in an electrical accident back in 2008. The first U.S. patient to receive a full facial transplant, Wiens can now drink from a glass, has had his sense of smell restored - and ...

Thirty-year-old Christopher Lyles was stricken with trachea cancer, a rare disease that affects the organ that connects the nose and mouth to the lungs, an essential function for life. Diagnosed last June, Lyles underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy and 33 rounds of radiation treatment over the ...

Swedish researchers have found a link to eating processed meat, such as bacon or sausages and pancreatic cancer. Scientists say that eating an extra 50 grams of processed meat - or approximately one sausage every day would increase a person's risk by 19 percent. However, they add that the ...

A universal vaccine that would target alls trains of flu - making the patient immune to even such potential lethal mutations such as avian and swine flu is currently in the works. Human trials of the vaccine could begin as early as next year. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Touted as ...

Chinese researchers scanned the brains of 17 young Web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains' wiring. As published in Plos One, the researchers say this could lead to new treatments for addictive behavior. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Internet addiction is a clinical ...

Everyday forgetfulness leads many people to worry if they are headed down the unwelcome path to Alzheimer's or dementia. Predicting Alzheimer's may soon be easier to diagnose using new modern imaging techniques. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Scientists from Leipzig's Max Planck Institute for ...

The most populous nation in the world, India is about to hit a milestone. There have been no new cases of polio in India within a full year, meaning India will no longer be classed as "polio-endemic" by the World Health Organization, leaving only Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Twelve people, chiefly in the eastern United States have been diagnosed with a new strain of the swine flu virus. The recent discovery is bringing back nightmarish images of medical masks at airports and widespread panic. Scientists are adapting a "wait and see" attitude. In either case, ...

The deleterious effects of smoking tobacco is well known and heavily documented. It would stand to reason that marijuana, which is typically smoked and then held in the lungs, would likewise negatively impact respiratory function . But, according to a new study, smoking a joint a day for up ...

New challenges are confronting the nonprofit Department for Persons with Disabilities (DPD) headquartered in New Jersey. The organization is a critical member of Catholic Charities providing the highest level of care to residents since 1965, but that care is becoming increasingly difficult to ...

A U.S. company has announced that it has achieved a device that can read and accurately record a person's DNA and maps a genome. The new machine from Ion Torrent, a division of Life Technologies Corporation, in Guilford, Connecticut, is 1,000 times more powerful than existing technology, ...

Here it is, simplified. Seven hours of sleep for adults is healthy. Less than 6 -7 hours is unhealthy. In order to get this extra 5lbs - Ok maybe 20 lbs off of me - I have got to start with sleep.... simple, consistent, rejuvenating, refreshing, healing sleep. PORTSMOUTH, VA (Catholic Online) - As ...

The Food and Drug Administration is warning about a potential mix-up between powerful prescription pain drugs and over-the-counter medicines like Excedrin and Gas-X made at a Novartis manufacturing plant. Bottles of Excedrin, Bufferin and other medications may have included mixed up pills. ...

A new study from England suggests that the adult brain's abilities to reason, comprehend and remember may start to deteriorate as early as age 45. Researchers gave tests of thinking skills to about 5,100 men and 2,200 women between the ages of 45 and 70 years over a 10-year period and found ...

Cognitive decline associated with aging begins earlier than has been suspected, a new study shows. Changes are already evident in the fifth decade of life. The ten-year decline in reasoning ability among men who were ages 45 to 49 at baseline was 3.6 percent. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) ...

As many as one in four teenage girls falsely believes that the Human Papillomavirus vaccine provides protection from other sexually transmitted diseases. While vaccine may lower teens' risk of contracting HPV, many falsely assume that the vaccine protects them against Herpes and Syphilis. ...

Trial tests for a vaccine against herpes have largely failed in female subjects. Researchers report that the vaccine had reduced the risk of genital herpes disease in women in so-called serodiscordant couples, in which one partner had the virus and other did not. But in a large, intensive ...

According to a new study, excess calories trigger fat gain that's not always revealed in pounds on the bathroom scale. Researchers found that overeaters gain less weight if they shy away from protein. In fact, low-protein eaters gained just as much fat, and lost lean body mass, according to ...

Medicare as previous generations have known it is headed for big changes -- no matter who is elected president in 2012. With more than 1.5 million baby boomers a year signing up for Medicare, the program's future is one of the most important economic issues for anyone 50 years or older. ...

A series of stark anti-obesity television ads featuring sad, overweight children has sparked controversy in Georgia. Using black and white images, the ads focus on the children's unhappy faces as they talk about their weight issues. Harrowing messages such as, "Some diseases aren't just for adults ...

New research suggests that memory loss among the elderly may be due to so-called "silent strokes," which may not cause any noticeable symptoms. Common symptoms of stroke, such as facial paralysis, difficult in walking and speaking, coupled with disorientation are not immediately apparent in ...

Avastin, the blockbuster drug which recently lost approval in the treatment of breast cancer has now been found ineffective in fighting ovarian cancer. Two studies found it did not improve survival for most of these patients and kept their disease from worsening for only a few months -- ...

A Sierra Leone woman shares a story about her epileptic condition. She was eight months pregnant and gainfully employed when she suffered her first seizure. She didn't know what epilepsy was, and neither did her family and friends. She lost her job along with her baby, and none of her ...

Silicone gel implants, manufactured by the French firm Poly Implant Prothese appear to have an unusually high rupture rate and have sparked an investigation in France into possible links to cancer. The firm was shot down in 2010 LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - There are widespread fears ...

Wal-Mart has voluntarily recalled infant formula after a 10-day-old baby boy died in Missouri this week. The child died of a rare bacterial infection. There has been no official government recall of the 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn powder, with the lot number ZP1K7G.  LOS ANGELES, ...

While "Obamacare," of Health Care reform is set to go before the Supreme Court in late March, a test program Beginning January 17,  2012 is being seen as a test run for the controversial health program. Medicare patients will be enlisted in a federal program meant to improve the ...

The strides made in medicine are too often the only good news to be found when scanning headlines. Now, government officials want scientists to keep mum about certain advances in biomedical experiments. Why? They fear the information could fall into the wrong hands - i.e., terrorists, who ...

An experimental malaria vaccine developed by British scientists has the potential to neutralize all strains of the most deadly species of malaria parasite. Very early tests in mice and rabbits show it induces an antibody response able to halt many strains of the P. falciparum parasite, ...

The arduous task of culling 17,000 chickens at a wholesale poultry market in Hong Kong has begun after a dead chicken there tested positive for the deadly H5N1 avian virus. The Hong Kong government has also suspended imports of live chickens from mainland China in addition to the trading of ...

March madness is coming to the Supreme Court next year. The Supreme Court justices have designated three days, March 26 to March 28 as the oral argument dates for the health care cases. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The main event will be on Tuesday, March 27, when the Court will take up the ...

A second person has died after irrigating their nasal passages with tap water, health officials say. Those who suffer from allergies, sinus infections or headaches frequently use neti pots to rinse their nasal passages. Both patients died after using the pots and contracting Naegleria ...

With their hairless, wrinkled bodies, prominent buck teeth and eyes that have appeared to have been an after thought, the naked mole-rat appears to be one of God's least beautiful creatures. However, their unique physiology may pave a way for treatments for painful inflammatory arthritis. The ...

Good news: Fewer teens drink and smoke cigarettes than in any time in the last 30 years. Bad news: The widespread availability of medical marijuana appears to be fueling a rise in pot use. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, ...

Experts citing a provision in last year's health care plan, it was revealed that more than 2.5 million adults younger than 26 have stayed on their parents' health insurance plans. "It shows what a big difference this is already making in Americans' lives," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ...

In a new study on stillbirths, where the child is born dead at birth has found that half of all stillbirths result from pregnancy complications/ Such factors as a woman going into labor too soon or abnormalities of the placenta. The study also found that a woman's characteristics at the ...

Premature, underweight babies are living longer, surviving into childhood. That's one of the medical success stories surrounding childcare. Two of the world's tiniest babies born are now thriving. However, a medical report from the doctor who resuscitated the infants at a Chicago hospital ...

A vaccine that can shrink tumors is being hailed as a breakthrough against the deadliest cancers. The vaccine targets specific cancer cells, killing them, which is something scientists have tried to do for decades. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Tested on breast, bowel, ovarian and ...

Radiation and chemotherapy given to young cancer patients don't seem to increase the risk that their children will have birth defects afterwards. Those are the results of a U.S. and Canadian study, which will hopefully lessen the fear that many cancer survivors have about starting their own family. ...

Hemophilia B, carried by Queen Victoria, affected most of the royal houses of Europe. It has now become the first well-known disease to appear to be treatable by gene therapy. Medical researchers in Britain have successfully treated six patients suffering from the blood-clotting disease ...

In South America, a condition known as Chagas disease, transmitted by insects, kills more people every year than malaria. Most of the victims are children. However, new child-sized doses of medication are about to be distributed throughout the region. RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (Catholic Online) - ...

Is breakfast really a healthy start to everyone's day? While a nutritious breakfast is seen as being especially important for children and their school performance, popular cereals contain substantial amounts of sugar. A new report by the Environmental Working Group reviewed 84 popular brands, and ...

A detailed review of lifestyle and environmental factors in connection with cancer cases, the most thorough to date, has fond that tobacco, diet, alcohol and obesity are the most decisive factors in gauging a person's likelihood of cancer. The mammoth study was published as a supplement to ...

New birth control pills that bragged of being able to clear up acne skin infections, among other hormonal issues are now under closer scrutiny. The new research  now suggests that newer birth control formulations are more likely to cause blood clots. The Food and Drug Administration is ...

There has been an especially virulent outbreak of measles in Western Europe. The outbreak has hit the nation of France especially hard, with six of the nine death attributable to the disease taking place there. Of the 26,000 reported measles cases in 36 European countries from January to ...

President Obama has pledged $50 million to the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS across the country and around the globe. WASHINGTON DC (Catholic Online) - Obama made the announcement on Thursday as part of activities to commemorate World AIDS Day. He told a Washington crowd, "we just have ...

Lincoln Chafee and Chris Gregoire, the governors of Rhode Island and Washington have called upon the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug. The reclassification would allow it to be dispensed for medicinal use. The announcement is the latest ...

Researchers in the Netherlands studying H5N1, best known as the bird flu or avian influenza have created a strain of the virus in the laboratory that's easily passed between mammals. Furthermore, it's just as lethal as the original virus. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - It sounds very ...

Researchers in the Netherlands studying H5N1, best known as the bird flu or avian influenza have created a strain of the virus in the laboratory that\'s easily passed between mammals. Furthermore, it\'s just as lethal as the original virus. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - It sounds very ...

Unless Congress acts before January 1, doctors will again face steep Medicare cuts. The cuts could possibly undermine health care for millions of seniors and disabled people. It's yet another sign of governmental dysfunction: The cuts are the consequence of a 1990s budget law that failed to control ...

There are four drugs are the most responsible for hospital emergency room visits. A new study from researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, singles out four drugs and drug classes - warfarin, oral antiplatelet medications, insulins and oral hypoglycemic agents. ...

Three kids in Iowa appear to be hosting a new strain of the flu. The good news is, it isn't particularly dangerous. Still, authorities are keeping an eye on the situation. ATLANTA, CA (Catholic Online) - This is not the first appearance of this new strain whch has been seen in other victims ...

Good news for middle-aged, female, sweet-tooths who like to drink. A new study shows that moderate amounts of alcohol may reduce their risk of type II diabetes. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study followed more than 80,000 women over 26 years and found that women with a sweet tooth who ...

Good news for coffee drinkers - women who drink at least four cups of coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of endometrial cancer than women who did not. The results of the study were limited to regular coffee, and did not include other caffeinated beverages such as tea, or decaffeinated ...

"Staggered overdoses," which is taking too much of a particular medication, over a period of days can lead to major health problems, doctors warn. This is especially true with the over-the-counter pain reliever Tylenol. Doctors say that overdoses over a period of several days can lead to an ...

Federal health officials are now warning that a mineral substance is present throughout the Western United States which causes cancer at rates hundreds of times greater than asbestos. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The mineral is known as erionite and according to an advisory published by the ...

Alzheimer's researchers have noted a contrasting fact about those who develop the condition. Middle-aged people have a higher long-term risk of developing the disease if they're overweight or obese, while older people have a lower risk of the disease if they're carrying excess weight. ...

According to figures from UNAids, AIDS -related deaths are at the lowest level since their 2005 peak. Internationally, the number of new HIV infections in 2010 was 21 percent down on that peak, seen in 1997, according to the UNAids 2011 report. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The ...

Patients who are underweight face a greater risk of death following 30 days of general and vascular surgery compared with mildly obese patients. These are the surprising findings that have been published online in Archives of Surgery. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Scientists at the U.S. ...

Proposed guidelines suggesting that women not have an annual mammogram, in addition to family physicians performing routine breast exams, has stirred up a hornet's nest of controversy. Breast cancer survivors, along with medical advocates insist that mammograms save lives. In Canada, ...

Avastin, a last-ditch drug prescribed to patients who suffer from breast cancer has been denounced by the Food and Drug Administration. The government agency says there is no solid proof that the drug extends lives and has life threatening side effects, internal bleeding just one of many. LOS ...

Jakafi, or as it is known as ruxolitinib has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of myelofibrosis, a serious bone marrow disease that disrupts the body's normal production of blood cells. Jafaki is the first drug to be approved for this condition. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

A report from Medco Health Solutions, Inc. entitled "America's State of Mind" portrays the female population of the U.S. turning increasingly to anti-depression, anti-anxiety and tranquilizers to cope with the daily grind. One of the most alarming statistics is that one in four women is ...

Exposure to the chemical trichloroethylene, or TCE, has now been associated with a greater risk for contracting Parkinson's disease. TCE is a common organic contaminant that pollutes groundwater, soil, and air. According to a new study in the Annals of Neurology, exposure to TCE increases a ...

In 2000, hospitals welcomed automatic defibrillators to help save patients who experienced sudden cardiac arrest. These new devices were purchased (relatively) cheaply and expected to save the lives of thousands of patients because they worked automatically. However, new evidence suggests this hope ...

According to the latest research, one in five Americans (20 percent) suffer from some degree of hearing loss. This isn't the kind of hearing loss that affects homework, housework, and honey do's, but rather serious, permanent hearing loss in millions of Americans. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) ...

So far, it's been a very small study - only 16 patients. However, stem cell treatment has proved that damaged heart tissue can be treated and noticeably improved. "If this is confirmed in further studies, it could offer an entirely new option and a potential cure for patients who are now ...

As the weather grows cold, Occupy protesters have started to huddle together inside tent encampments across the country. The close quarters and poor sanitation are now threatening the outbreak of disease. ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - Already, tuberculosis has been found at the occupy Atlanta ...

It's no secret that American kids are eating worse and gaining weight. Poor food choices and the lack of exercise are making formally adult concerns relevant for children. Among those concerns, is  cholesterol. A panel of medical experts is now recommending that kids have their cholesterol ...

A study has found that patients recovering from a heart attack or severe chest pain are much less likely to suffer another attack or to die afterwards if they take a new blood-thinning drug along with standard anti-clotting medicines. However, the drug - known as Xarelto, leads to a greater ...

Transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs, are usually milder forms of strokes that strike people over 50 years of age. According to a new study in Australia, those who suffer TIAs have a lower survival rate than most. At least 20 percent who suffer such an attack have been found to die nine ...

Salt is often seen as a trouble making element in the human diet. Without it, food is largely bland and unremarkable. Too much salt - whether added with a shaker, or just inherent in the food itself, is blamed for a host of health ills, high blood pressure among them. However - in a ...

Scientists announce the development of vaccine that may prolong the lives of people with breast or ovarian cancer by as much as 15 months. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While the vaccine did not stop the disease entirely, it managed to significantly prolong the lives of the women ...

A plan to plaster gruesome advertisements warning smokers about the dangers associated with cigarette smoking has been put on hold. A judge has blocked the new federal requirement. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that it's likely "Big Tobacco" will succeed in a lawsuit to block the ...

Say what you will about diet, lifestyle, hereditary - it appears that those who have something to live for generally live longer than most. Backing this up is a new British study that suggests that happy people may not only enjoy life more, they also may have more life to enjoy. LOS ANGELES, ...

The 2009 swine flu epidemic - or H191, led to the deaths to a surprising number of healthy kids. Now, a shocking new study suggests a healthy child can be eight times more likely to die from the flu if they have MRSA. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Having the H1N1 flu at the same time of the ...

A new report says that acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol may worsen asthma symptoms in adults and children. As published in the journal Pediatrics, the new studies suggest that the drug may exacerbate asthma --and could even spark new cases. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Dr. ...

Whereas the despotisms of the last century held up the idol of the State for veneration, the emerging ideology of our age is a blind faith in technology as such. It is no longer the idealized State, but the god-like Scientist, who promises earthly salvation. TORONTO, ON (The Interim) - In the ...

Several doctors speaking at the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society conference in Toronto Sept. 21-24 expressed their concerns about health risks associated with in vitro fertilization. TORONTO, ON - Several doctors speaking at the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society conference in Toronto ...

While there have been sinister inroads made into the Third World by obesity and heart disease - with the increase of disposable income and sugar and fat-rich foodstuffs into those nations - for the rest of the world, to be poor means to be thin. A new study has found that poor people remain ...

Archaeologists have discovered an Egyptian mummy of a man who apparently suffered from prostate cancer. he unnamed Ptolemaic mummy, kept at the National Archaeology Museum of Lisbon, had a pattern of round and dense tumors between its pelvis and lumbar spine, surefire symptoms of the ...

Researchers are announcing a genetic breakthrough that may someday allow people to enjoy much longer life spans. Preliminary research on mice has shown that cells which cause most of the effects of aging can be effectively detected and destroyed, at least in the bodies of mice. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Turning the tide that the light consumption of wine has health benefits, a new study argues that as few as three alcoholic beverages per week may increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. The study, conducted over a 28 year period, determined that Women who drank three to six glasses of ...

In the United States, deaths resulting from the abuse of painkillers have more than tripled over the past 10 years. According to Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the number of overdose deaths has reached epidemic proportions, but it is one ...

In the world of science, researchers worked tirelessly to validate -- or to invalidate the conclusions of their fellow scientists. For one breast cancer study published in 2007, it appears that the results have been disproven, and concerned women can breathe a sigh of relief. STANFORD, CA (Catholic ...

Vytorin, a single tablet therapy has been found to prevent major cardiovascular events in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. The drug's manufacturers have submitted the medication to the Food and Drug Administration for approval.   LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

President Obama is using his executive authority in directing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start reducing drug shortages, and the possibility of price gouging. WASHINGTON DC (Catholic Online) - Drug shortages are a serious concern, and patients have died because of them. The most ...

Scientists working to stop dengue fever, have released genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild with the hopes of eradicating the disease on Grand Cayman Island. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to a study published yesterday in the journal Nature Biotechnology, approximately ...

It's a controversial move to be sure, but a key panel of government advisers has recommended that the U.S. government sponsor a controversial study testing an anthrax vaccine in children. The study would be in order to determine if the inoculation would protect young Americans against a ...

A new study has shown that taking Aspirin may prevent colorectal cancer in people with a family history of the disease - however, a daily regimen of aspirin may pose its own individual health risks, doctors warn.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - As published in the journal the ...

Taking aspirin may significantly reduce your chances of developing cancer according to scientists from the Universities of Newcastle and Leeds, England. LONDON, ENGLAND (Catholic Online) - The results of the research are published Friday in the medical journal, the Lancet. The results show that ...

There has been a lot of surprising health news as of late. Recent studies have said that mammograms for women and digital exams for prostate cancer in men are often unnecessary and may be harmful. Now - a recent study says that regular chest x-rays are not that highly effective in ...

A vaccine against human papillomavirus or HPV, a leading cause of cervical cancer hasn't gone down so well with girls. It may be an even harder sell for boys, as sexual morality is called into decision. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Public health officials have tried to get parents to ...

Those hormones again! Chemicals created by the body which control virtually everything from behavior to growth are now being labeled as the culprit for why it's so hard to lose weight and keep it off. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Scientists have long suspected that hormones play a ...

A new study has found that changing the time when you take your blood pressure meds could significantly reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study suggests that taking blood pressure medications at bedtime rather than in the morning, reduces the risk ...

Many women who survive breast cancer often say a mammogram "saved their life." While a powerful testimonial that sends many women to their doctors for screening, there is a growing chorus that mammograms are not always effective. The Archives of Internal Medicine now says that mammograms ...

A widely used chemical found in plastic bottles, metal cans, and a whole host of other consumer products could be linked to behavioral and emotional problems in toddler girls. Results of the study were published on Monday in the online edition of the journal Pediatrics. The study was funded by the ...

A new study researching the effect of yoga classes and stretching on people with chronic lower back pain has found virtually no difference between the activities, but that they both have some effectiveness in improving function. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers evaluated participants ...

Every 15 minutes an individual in the U.S. dies as a result of suicide. Those sobering statistics are in a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was also learned that for each individual who dies, several others are contemplating, planning or attempting ...

People will continue to insist and firmly believe otherwise, but for the umpteenth time - there has been no link discovered between cancer and cell phone use! The biggest study to date to examine the possible connection between cell phones and cancer found no evidence of any link. LOS ...

We should probably be none too surprised, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Americans consume too much sodium. ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - In fact, the CDC doesn't say that we are simply exceeding the guidelines, rather we are leaving them in the dust. The ...

Everyone has the blues every now and then - but since there have been medical advances on how to deal with depression, the use of so-called "happy pills" have become alarmingly prevalent. According to the Centers for Disease Control, use of antidepressant drugs has soared nearly 400 percent since ...

A vaccine known as known as RTS,S, is giving hope in the war against malaria - so much so that 15,000 children in seven African countries are participating in the trial, which represents the furthest that any malaria vaccine candidate has ever gone. To date, RTS,S has a 50 percent success ...

In a medical breakthrough, a malaria vaccine has been developed that has proven to be 50 percent effective on all child test subjects. While still in the testing phases, and with only half of all those treated responding positively to the vaccine, the discovery can "potentially translate into tens ...

Could the Black Death 1347be the mother of all modern plague outbreaks? A recent study published in the journal Nature, says yes. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers have finally sequenced the entire genome of the medieval strain of Yersinia Pestis, the bacteria which caused the Black ...

The percentage of U.S. adults with heart disease continues to fall. According to new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 6 percent of adults had heart disease in 2010, down from 6.7 percent in 2006. Better treatments for high blood pressure and high ...

Those who suffer from a particular form of epilepsy may get a new lease on life with a new surgical procedure that has proven effective. In a study to be published in next week's edition of The Lancet, the outcome of the epilepsy surgery found that 52 percent of the patients were free of ...

Researchers may have found a powerful new treatment for sickle cell disease. So far, the treatments have proven effective in mice. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Sickle cell disease is a debilitating condition which mostly affects African American, Hispanic, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern ...

The most recent outbreak of listeria, linked to cantaloupes is being called the most deadly outbreak of the food bourn illness in 25 years. At least 23 deaths have been traced to the outbreak, and since the symptoms may take up to months to manifest, that number is only expected to climb. LOS ...

Saliva - also known as spit, the watery substance in the mouth, may soon be used as an early test for pancreatic cancer. In a small study, pancreatic cancer patients were found to have different levels of certain bacteria in their saliva than healthy people did. James Farrell, a ...

Recent tests have found that ginger root supplements may ease colon inflammation. Ginger is a popular natural food additive that is commonly used to help stomach ailments. Researchers agree that more research is needed to see if taking ginger root supplements have any effect on colon cancer ...

The Black Death has long captured the imagination of historians and storytellers since it ravaged Europe in the middle of the 14th century. Historians long believed that the estimates of mortality for the Black Death which ranged as high as one-third to one-half the population of Europe were once ...

An experimental drug being developed by Roche Holding AG, called "gantenerumab" proved to be successful in removing amyloid plaques from the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients. The Swiss-drug maker announced the medication's success in a small early-stage study which was published in the ...

Federal health officials say that 21 people have now died from a nationwide outbreak of listeria, including one unborn child. The outbreak originated in Colorado, and has spread to 23 states ranging from California to the East Coast. ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - At least 109 people have been ...

Dr. Bryan Donnelly, Chairman of the Prostate Cancer Centre in Calgary is concerned the people may misinterpret the findings of an American task force that says screening for prostate cancer is unnecessary. The announcement was made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force group last week. LOS ...

It's a figure that prompts many questions, both medical and philosophical: many elderly patients elect to have surgery in the final year of their lives. In analyzing Medicare data, in a group of two million elderly beneficiaries, all who died in 2008, almost one-third had inpatient surgery ...

It's been a medical given that all men over the age of 50 be tested for prostate cancer. In a move that is sure to create lots of controversy, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that men NOT get screened for prostate cancer. The very same task force has said that women ...

Startling new research reveals that the worst hospitals treat twice as many poor patients than the best, and those patients are more likely to die. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - New research shows that these hospitals treat approximately twice the number of elderly black and poor patients ...

The paralyzed may soon be able to walk again . Dr. Miguel Nicolelis along with his international group of researchers say they have cleared a hurdle to the construction of a prosthetic suit that will enable the paralyzed to walk, as well as restore their sense of touch. They hope that on ...

In a scientific breakthrough, scientists for the first time have created colonies of embryonic stem cells from human embryos created using cloning technology. As detailed in the journal Nature, a team of scientists from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laboratory say they have created two ...

According to a study published on Wednesday,  men who do vigorous exercise three times a week were found to have a significantly reduced risk of heart attack. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study was performed by the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the American ...

Here's a new way at looking at things. There's little good to be had with the U.S. economic downturn - with the exception that with less discretionary money, far fewer people are getting drunk and getting behind steering wheels. Recent figures have shown that drunken driving incidents have ...

The mysterious Alzheimer's disease, which usually strikes the elderly and gradually makes the patient lose memories of others and their surroundings, is believed to be an innate effect caused by aging. However - in recent studies conducted on laboratory animals, Alzheimer's disease may now ...

Congressional investigators say in a new report that Medicare is in actuality subsidizing drug abuse. Thousands of beneficiaries allegedly shop around for doctors and fill prescriptions for huge quantities of painkillers far exceeding what any patient could safely use, in order to sell these drugs ...

Congressional investigators have issued a new report in which they say that Medicare is subsidizing drug abuse for thousands of beneficiaries. They say these individuals shop around for doctors who will fill prescriptions for large quantities of painkilling medication and other narcotics in excess ...

Here is Catholic Online's list of six new things you want to know about the future of breast cancer. Sponsored by MyPHRCHart. Stay healthy with MyPHRCHart! 1. Quick and painless breast cancer testsA quick and painless breast cancer test may not be too far in the future. Researchers have found ...

Scientists are about to conduct a major new study to see if commonly prescribed blood pressure medication can actually cut the risk of breast cancer spreading. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Reviewing data from 800 patients doctors have found that those given beta blockers had half the chance ...

Women using hormonal contraception methods for birth control may increased risk for HIV, according to a new study conducted in Africa. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study found that women who used hormonal contraception had twice the risk of acquiring HIV or transmitting it to their male ...

A new study has bad news for diabetics who are especially strict with their blood sugar levels. For people with type 2 diabetes, strict regulation of blood sugar showed no slow decline in thinking skills. In fact, Super-strict blood sugar control actually appeared to increase study ...

The use of drugs to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in kids is on the rise, especially with adolescents, according to a new national survey. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In 2008, the medications were used by 3.5 percent of children ages 18 and younger, compared to 2.4 ...

"Magic Mushroom" is a drug clandestinely grown by followers, who claim that ingesting the fungus opens the pathways to mystical experiences. The mushroom, whose active ingredient is psilocybin, finds it greatest adherents among "modern hippies" and those within rave culture. After extensive ...

If you have a cantaloupe in your refrigerator, and you're not sure about where it came from - throw it out. That's the advice of health officials as a deadly listeria outbreak continues to claims lives nationwide. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Centers for Disease Control and ...

Doctors know the most important risk factor for strokes is high blood pressure, but a new study suggests that even slightly high blood pressure is also a significant risk factor. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study found that people whose blood pressure was above normal, a condition known ...

The Obama administration has launched its legal counteroffensive against an Atlanta federal appeals court decision that struck down the individual mandate portion of the bill as unconstitutional.  WASHINGTON D.C. (Catholic Online) - The Obama administration has claimed that the Atlanta ruling ...

Despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, some researchers are claiming that saw-palmetto supplements when taken for prostate health, work no better than placebo. However, they also acknowledge that many men will strongly disagree.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Millions of middle-aged ...

The costs of health care know no bounds. According to survey data released on Tuesday, premiums for workers are getting higher as employers cut back on coverage.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In 2011, for the first time, 50 percent of workers at small firms who had individual policies ...

Across 18 states, 13 people are dead and 72 ill as a result of a listeria outbreak linked to cantaloupes. Federal health officials confirmed the numbers on Tuesday. ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - The Centers for Disease Control is concerned that the outbreak may continue to spread as officials ...

In a recent survey, almost half of all U.S. doctors polled - 42 percent feel that their patients receive too much care. Only 6 percent of physicians said that their patients were receiving too little care. Furthermore, more than a quarter of physicians questioned believe that they are ...

Harvard researchers caution that more study is needed - and no one should take their advice to start guzzling several cups a day - but a study has found that drinking caffeinated coffee may help women fight depression. LOS ANGEELS, CA (Catholic Online) - According to the study, women who ...

The American Medical Association or AMA has served as the self-appointed chief lobbying group for doctors fro more than 160 years. However, the AMA counts only a scant 17 percent of doctors as members. A survey has found that the majority of doctors say the AMA does not represent their best ...

There has been a remarkable breakthrough that could lead to a vaccine against AIDS. Scientists say they have found a way to disarm the AIDS virus to halt its attack on the immune system. Scientists have discovered that if they eliminate a cholesterol membrane surrounding the virus, HIV ...

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated some of its vaccine guidelines to reconcile its recommendations with those of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The harmonization was published in three separate statements from the AAP's ...

Cancer is becoming too expensive to treat, according to a report in the medical journal, Lancet Oncology. New technologies as well as the rapid rise in cases around the world are to blame.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study focuses on cancer treatment in the developed world. It ...

Extensive research has been done to identify the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) a debilitating illness, but with little success. There are multiple theories, some linking the disease to the Epstein-Barr virus or herpes. Other researchers think it may be related to immune response but in ...

A new experimental drug to treat prostate cancer has proved so successful that European doctors testing the drug have concluded the trials and offered the drug to all of the participating patients. BERLIN, GERMANY (Catholic Online) - The experimental drug, known as Alpharadin, has been developed by ...

Zometa, a bone drug manufactured by Novartis has found to extend survival in older breast cancer patients. However, the drug failed to improve disease-free survival among younger women patients in a large-scale clinical trial. "This is not a treatment for every woman with breast cancer," ...

The attendant stress of divorce, among other factors, is a factor in hair loss among women. New research has shown that the strongest predictor of hair loss among women is their marital status, with the loss of a spouse raising the risk of thinning hair above that of married or single ...

According to a study of Medicare beneficiaries, men who have prostate biopsies are more than two times as likely to need hospitalization within 30 days as compared to men who do not have biopsies. The study revealed that men who have biopsies were hospitalized at a rate of 6.9 percent versus 2.9 ...

Those who are depressed face a higher risk than others to suffer a stroke down the road. Those are the findings of a recent study, but down reach for those easily available antidepressants just yet - there is evidence that those who take that medication are more susceptible than others to ...

The future of health care reform could be on display in California. The state has worked to be an early adopter of the Affordable Care Act, signed into law by president Obama in March of 2010. And while it's earlier efforts, and mistakes at implementing health care reform could help it succeed, its ...

A new study says that men concerned about losing sexual function after treatment for prostate cancer can now get some answers, but that they vary widely by individual. The basic results tended to be that men with better performance prior to treatment also did better afterwards.  LOS ANGELES, ...

A company that makes alcohol prep wipes to prevent infection has recalled their product out of concern for possible bacterial contamination. This is the second such case of contamination this year. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Professional Disposables International Inc., (PDI) of Orangeberg ...

As a singer and songwriter, Barry Manilow knows when to listen to his heart. That played an important part in him seeking medical help. Diagnosed with the heart malady, atrial fibrillation, of AFib, Manilow is now educating his many fans about the disease and the need for medical checkups. ...

Stressed out? See your doctor and get a mammogram. Or at least do a self-examination, because a latest study suggests there's a link between stress and aggressive breast cancer.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have been studying the ...

Laser therapy isn't necessarily  better than traditional surgery when used to treat varicose veins, a new study suggests. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The latest and largest study concluded to date shows that there are no significant differences between the two forms of surgery and the ...

If you're diabetic, you now have one more thing to worry about. A new study finds that people with diabetes may be at an increased risk of developing dementia.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Scientists have long suspected the link, and the latest research offers hope that addressing ...

The tanked economy may have another, more brutal impact on children. Researchers now have data that shows the number of abused children coming to hospitals has increased with the recession.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study counted kids who went to the hospital with severe brain ...

Society might not think much of computer gamers who they view as sitting in darkened basements playing games with online names like "L337 pL4'/3r." Now society may have to reconsider that image. In only three-week's time, computer gamers have cracked a medical mystery that has eluded ...

As the UN meets to discuss chronic, non-communicable diseases this week, some astounding figures are being shared. The first study to quantify the value of productivity losses and the cost of medical treatment for cancer, diabetes, and other non-contagious diseases is projecting the total ...

Doctors in London have separated a pair of Sudanese twins that were conjoined at the head. The operation appears to be a success.  LONDON, ENGLAND (Catholic Online) - Children, conjoined at the head are rare, occurring in 1 of every 2.5 million births. The condition is known as "craniopagus ...

If you have yellow markings on your eyelids, they could be xanthelasmata, which could be an early indicator of heart disease. Treating the condition as a purely dermatological one, could be a deadly choice.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers in Denmark have examined thousands of ...

No vaccination, no school. At least that's what several California students are being told. Middle and high school students, are being turned away from admission because they have not received a required whooping cough vaccination. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A historic outbreak of whooping ...

Even in China's poorest provinces, many more expectant mothers have elected to give birth to children in hospitals. The results have been dramatic, with a 62 percent drop in the infant mortality rate between 1996 and 2008. The study was based on analysis of 1.5 billion births. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Much disinformation and fear has prevented many parents from getting the vaccinations that their children need. In the 21st Century, "old wives' tales" persist that vaccinations cause autism or that the flu shot only gives patients the flu. These assumptions have ended in tragedy, as 115 ...

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns parents to vaccinate their children against the flu. The report shows that of the 115 children who died of flu-related causes in 2010, less than one-fourth of them had been vaccinated.  ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - ...

The traditional Chinese worker is always thought of as being the industrious man or woman with a Spartan lifestyle who rides their bicycle everywhere. In light of the recent economic boom, many Chinese workers have traded in rice paddies for office jobs. The sudden influx of discretionary cash has ...

Cancer may be killing more women in developing countries than childbirth. A new study shows that while childbirth is becoming safer, cancer is spreading among women, especially breast and cervical cancers. LOS ANGELES, (Catholic Online) - More than 60 developing countries were evaluated in the ...

A battle plan has been drawn up to tackle the increasing numbers of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases in 53 European countries. Calling the situation "alarming," the World Health Organization reports that Eastern Europe has the highest level of infection, while in Western Europe, London has ...

The latest figures unveiled at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes congress in Lisbon are especially sobering. An estimated 366 million people worldwide now suffer from diabetes. Worldwide deaths from the disease are now running at 4.6 million a year. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Next week the United Nations General Assembly will convene for a special summit, the first ever held to address the growing concerns of chronic diseases. These aren't the frightening headline-grabbing diseases that form the staple of sci-fi movies. Instead, these diseases are far more deadly, and ...

One person dies from diabetes every seven seconds. This is the chilling description of the severe nature of the disease from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). As many as an estimated 366 million people worldwide suffer with diabetes.  LISBON, PORTUGAL (Catholic Online) - The ...

The aggressive, angry man who becomes a teddy bear after the arrival of his first-born child appears to be a genetic truism. A study by U.S. researchers has found that a father's testosterone level drops steeply after his baby arrives. The conclusion reached is that fatherhood is ...

Thanks to funding from South Korea's science ministry, along with contributions from non-government groups in the United States, France and other countries, there have been important breakthroughs in battling the world's most common and serious diseases. Such diseases as tuberculosis, ...

Thanks to funding from South Korea's science ministry, along with contributions from non-government groups in the United States, France and other countries, there have been important breakthroughs in battling the world's most common and serious diseases. Such diseases as tuberculosis, ...

Thanks to funding from South Korea's science ministry, along with contributions from non-government groups in the United States, France and other countries, there have been important breakthroughs in battling the world's most common and serious diseases. Such diseases as tuberculosis, ...

Philadelphia mom Claudia Rendon had an extremely bad year. Her mother and uncle passed away, her father had been diagnosed with leukemia and her son's kidney had failed. Claudia was a match for her son, and she gladly took the time off to donate one of her kidneys in order to save her son's ...

Insulin may provide effective treatment for Alzheimer's. A study published in the journal, Archives of Neurology, suggests that insulin, administered via the nose, may be helpful for patients suffering with dementia. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study was small, only 104 people were ...

A U.S. panel has said that bone drugs from Warner Chilcott Plc, Roche Holding AG, Merck & Co. and Novartis AG need labeling changes to reduce the risk of fractures. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration say that clarifications are needed on the length of time that osteoporosis ...

New pediatric research suggests that pesticides may be to blame for increasing children's risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Worse, the pesticides under scrutiny are quite common. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Children who had traces of nuerotoxic organophosphate ...

Go nuts! Walnuts may prove to be the next weapon against breast cancer. Research from Marshall University have found that eating walnuts as part of a regular diet reduced the growth of breast cancer tumors in mice.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The only catch is you have to eat two ...

Scientists are reporting a breakthrough in chronic pain research. They have discovered a gene that is critical in regulating chronic pain and believe that treatments targeting the gene can reduce or relieve such pain in patients. LONDON, ENGLAND (Catholic Online) - The gene is called, HCN2 and ...

It's a distressingly familiar story that has become all too common in 21st Century America. Healthcare costs have risen while insurance coverage has fallen. A study by the Commonwealth Fund has shown that 44 percent, nearly half of the U.S. working population is uninsured or only partially ...

At least one person has died as the result of a listeria outbreak. Health officials are now trying to trace where contaminated cantaloupe may have been distributed and consumed. There are potentially three states where the contaminated fruit may have been distributed, Colorado health ...

Drug use - either bought on the street or abused with a doctor's prescription has grown in the United States. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 9 percent, or nearly one in 10 people in the U.S. have abused prescription drugs, along with marijuana, cocaine, ...

Just two doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may be enough to prevent women from cervical cancer. Currently doctors give three doses.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - New research by the U.S. government's National Cancer Institute conducted in what is known as the Costa Rica ...

A breach of privacy has resulted in the names and diagnosis codes of over 20,000 people being posted online. The victims of the breach are patients at the Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California. Shockingly, the information remained online for nearly a year. SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

According to a new study published in the Lancet, Weight Watchers appears to be the most effective program in which participants reach their ideal weight. The study compared 772 overweight and obese adults in Australia, Germany and the U.K. The study subjects were randomly assigned to ...

A new government study published Wednesday says that brain stents intended to reduce the chance of stroke in high-risk patients, are counterproductive. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The stent, known as the Gateway-Wingspan system, and modeled on stents  used on heart patients, does not ...

People who rely upon Medicare who lapse into a coverage gap, known sometimes as a "doughnut hole" where they have to pay full price for their prescription drugs are becoming less common, in a study from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A total of ...

A new study suggests that children whose parents smoke tend to miss more school than their classmates with non-smoking parents, due to a higher rate of respiratory infections. The study also found that children who lived with smokers missed an extra day out of the school year, on average. LOS ...

The number of people who smoke in the U.S. is down, but 1 in 5 still haven't kicked the habit, according to a new study from the CDC.  ATLANTA, GA (Catholic Online) - Between 2005 and 2009, the percentage of American smokers declined by 1.6 percent. The decline is also slower than it has been ...

It's a rare - but extremely deadly blood disease known as Babesiosis that's finding its way into the nation's blood supply. Occurring in seven U.S. states, usually in the spring and summer, Babesia infections are marked by anemia, fever, chills and fatigue, but they can also cause organ ...

A comprehensive study has proven that five healthy lifestyle tips drastically improve the chances against developing diabetes -- along with other life-threatening conditions - and the study has proven the old adage that "every little bit helps." Researchers say that just one of five key health ...

Preventing diabetes may be easier than previously thought, a new government study suggests. The recently published study shows that minor changes in lifestyle can significantly reduce the odds of developing diabetes.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study shows that people who make a ...

Scientists have found that Alzheimer's disease patients have reduced levels of a critical protein. The protein, ubiquilin-1, is found in nearly all tissues and is used by the body to mark damaged or unnecessary proteins for destruction. Reduced ubiquilin-1 means that other damaged proteins persist ...

Autistic children have distinctive brain scans that scientists think could be used to provide an early diagnoses of the condition. Researchers at Stanford used brain scans of autistic children to reveal distinctive patterns that haven't been observed before.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) ...

A breakthrough vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) may be in the works. An experimental version has shown that it can completely eliminate the deadly disease in mice. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The current TB vaccine, the BCG jab, isn't particularly effective and TB is one of the top 10 causes ...

In an especially shameful episode that highlights the plight of those in the U.S. without medical insurance, a 24-year-old father has died from a wisdom tooth infection. Unable to afford both pain killers and antibiotics, Kyle Willis of Cincinnati, Ohio died after the infection spread. LOS ...

Doctors are cutting back on prescribing antibiotics for children. According to a new report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, there has been a 24 percent drop in antibiotic prescriptions to kids 14 and under from 1997-98 to 2007-08. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Dr. ...

Scientists say that more children and young adults in the U.S. are suffering from strokes, with unhealthy lifestyles being a likely cause. To arrive at the new figures, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed hospital data on up to eight million patients ...

Tainted doses of the drug Avastin have blinded five more patients at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Los Angeles. The new cases, which occurred in August, were reported Thursday. LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - VA doctors have been using Avastin, which is a cancer medication, to treat ...

A new study done by Merck & Co. has calculated the national tab for insomnia and it comes to $63.2 billion annually in lost productivity. That figure breaks down to over $2,000 per year, for the average American worker.  LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - Employers might want to reconsider ...

Canadian scientists have made a breakthrough discovery and developed a virus that helps the body to cure cancer. Using genetic engineering, they claim to have developed a virus that can attack tumor cells while avoiding others. If effective, it will offer a potent new weapon against the disease. ...

A recent study has found germs in one place you'd least expect them: In the clothes of the very people trying to make you well. A study of hospital attire has shown that more than 60 percent of their uniforms carry one kind of harmful pathogen or another at any given time.  LOS ANGELES, CA, ...

Sleep-disordered breathing, which can fall under obstructive sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, short sleep duration is now strongly linked to hypertension, U.S. researchers suggest. Dr. Maple M. Fung of the San Diego Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, along with colleagues contacted ...

Disturbing news for mothers to be in the U.S.. American-born babies have a greater risk of death in their first month than babies in 40 other countries. Babies have better odds of surviving their first month in countries such as Malaysia, Poland and Cuba. LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - The ...

The Black Death, carried by rats and which wiped out millions in mid-14th century Europe may be extinct and no longer pose a threat to modern man. Researchers examined more than 100 samples taken from bodies buried in London during that time in a recent study. They say that while Bubonic ...

It's inexpensive and easy to produce - and it could save the lives of as many as 600,000 children annually. Researchers say that giving vitamin A supplements to children under the age of five in developing and emerging nations could save these newborn infants from death brought on by ...

Hair has been used as an excuse to avoid bad dates, but it's also been used to avoid exercise, according to Surgeon General, Dr. Regna Benjamin, and that doesn't bode well for American women. It's the topic of one of her latest crusades, to encourage women to exercise, in spite of their hair. LOS ...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared last week that it had approved Xalkori, in addition to a companion diagnostic test by a unit of Abbott Laboratories that identifies which patients will benefit from the medication. Unlike other drugs on the market, Xalkori targets a small ...

It was reported in The Lancet that half of all men and women in the U.S. will be obese by the year 2030 - those figures now hold true for our friends across the pond in the United Kingdom. In Britain, obesity rates will balloon to between 41 to 48 percent for men and 35 to 43 percent for ...

There is no link between vaccines and autism and Type 1 Diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says. There have been some speculations about a link between childhood vaccinations and other medical conditions. Doctors say vaccinations can, on occasion, cause seizures or other side effects - but ...

Shady deals involving drugs, conducted below the radar between people of disrepute take place every day on the street corner - and ever more increasingly, at the ultra-modern hospital down the block. A recent study has shown that many hospital pharmacists are resorting to buying ...

The British have another criticism of the United States. We're getting too fat. In fact, according to a study published in the British medical journal, the Lancet, a (very) full one-half of all Americans will be obese by 2030. LONDON, ENGLAND (Catholic Online) - This sizable crisis can only be ...

New brain scans they are becoming more efficient in identifying people who will get Alzheimer's later on in life, before memory loss along with any other noticeable symptoms set in. This diagnosis, given to the 59-year-old Pat Summit, 59-year-old women's basketball coach at the University ...

Medical officials say that the antidepressant citalopram, or Celexa, produced by Forest Laboratories should not be used in doses higher than 40 milligrams per day. There are heightened concerns that it can cause potentially fatal changes in heart rhythm, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. ...

According to a new survey from Towers Watson, a large benefits consultant, nearly one of every 10 mid-sized or "big employer" will probably stop offering health coverage to workers once federal insurance exchanges start in 2014. The survey, finished last month found that an additional 20 ...

There have been increasing complaints being made to the federal government about the efficacy of all-metal hip replacements. Patients who have undergone the procedure complain of lengthy and painful side effects. The chief voluntary surgical procedure in the United States, medical officials are now ...

United States hospital emergency rooms have vastly improved their response time in responding to heart attack cases. According to a report published in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, hospitals have gotten faster at administering lifesaving angioplasties to patients. ...

Famed Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce De Leon travelled what is today the southeastern United States, in a destructive, and ultimately futile search for the legendary "Fountain of Youth" a spring whose waters could restore youth and counter the effects of aging. The expedition returned to Spain, an ...

Researchers at Northwestern University report they have found the underlying cause of all the varied forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS). The culprit appears to be a break-down in neurons overseeing the recycling of proteins in cells. CHICAGO, IL (Catholic Online) - ...

It's a sign of the times. Sister Mary Jean Ryan, one of the last CEO's in the church from a religious community, has retired from her post as the head of SSM Health Care, a group of charitable Catholic hospitals. In 1970, virtually every Catholic hospital in the United States was overseen by ...

Imagine a drug that combines an ingredient found in red wine, which extends your life on the provision you eat as much as you please, eventually becoming obese. Sound too good to be true? Those are the provisions of the new drug called SRT-1720, and the success found in obese lab mice has ...

A new cancer drug, called Adcetris has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The medication will hopefully assist in the battle against two rare blood cancers, Hodgkin's lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The FDA ...

Here's to your health - literally. While a daily glass of wine has proven to have cardiovascular benefits, researchers are going even further by saying that those who indulge in light to moderate social drinking are now 23 per cent less likely to develop forms of dementia, Alzheimer's and ...

Psoriasis, a common skin ailment causes redness and irritation. For those who suffer with the condition, skin cells rise to the skin's surface too quickly, not leaving time for the old skin cells to fall off, leading to build up of dead skin cells. According to a new study conducted by ...

The Center for Disease Control says that everyone older than six months should get their annual flu shot. The influenza strains in the season's trivalent vaccine are unchanged from last season, but that doesn't mean people should pass on the vaccination this year. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

There's another reason why dogs can be considered man's best friend. They can detect cancer. This is according to a report in the European Respiratory Journal. Sniffing 100 samples, the report explains, dogs succeeded in detecting cancer in all but 29 cases merely by sniffing the patient's breath. ...

Leukemia is a virulent form of cancer that attacks red blood cells. The traditional treatment for the disease remains bone marrow transplants, wherein the spongy tissue found inside bones are transplanted into the patient's body. Even then, the survival rate hovers about 50 percent. Now -- ...

Medication in the US is expensive with pharmacists paying tens of dollars per pill on a routine basis. That cost is passed to the patient either directly, or in the form of higher insurance costs. As if that's not bad enough, periodic shortages in supply can allow so called "gray market" drug ...

After countless years of research with the most advanced science mankind has yet devised, it appears like the war against cancer has only just begun. Recent research suggests that cancer may be a lot more devious than previously thought. According to a recent New York Times report, new ...

In some circles, "virus" is just another word for "your guess is as good as mine." Viruses spread quickly. Replicate in huge numbers and produce many virulent new forms. Even worse, whatever science comes up with in terms of medication quickly becomes outdated, as even more virulent, drug resistant ...

Women who take anti-depressants have a new reason to be depressed: They could have a stroke. In a study by Harvard researchers published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, women with a history of depression had a 29 percent greater risk of suffering a stroke than non-depressed ...

According to a U.S. study published in the Lancet medical journal, women who smoke are 25 percent more likely to develop heart disease than men. Scientists reviewed 86 international studies involving 2.4 million people, found the risk ratio of smoking compared with not smoking for heart ...

Face transplant patient Charla Nash is reporting remarkable progress. According to doctors, Nash is able to smell and eat on her own after losing her a nose, eye, lips and both hands - save for a single thumb, after she was brutally attacked by a friend's chimpanzee in 2009. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have declared a breakthrough in the treatment of leukemia. While they are cautious - as the trial study has only been conducted on three patients thus far - the scientists have reported a remarkable success rate with the new therapy. LOS ANGELES, ...

For years gender-detecting blood tests, which can determine the sex of an unborn fetus through the mother's blood or urine samples are sold online to U.S. consumers. Tufts University researchers found that these tests were highly accurate - leading to concerns that parents may abort their unborn ...

According to a new study, sleep apnea, a fairly common sleeping disorder that makes people stop breathing momentarily while they sleep, may lead to cognitive impairment and even dementia. According to the study, this is particularly true for elderly women. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The ...

According to a new study, soy tablets did little to stave off bone loss among menopausal women. In addition, women taking soy supplements also reported more hot flashes and constipation. Western women had been encouraged to add soy to their regimen by studies that showed that their Asian ...

The cost of Medicare's Part D drug plan will be dropping slightly in price beginning next year. The government-subsidized prescription plan will cost seniors an average $30 a month in 2012, down slightly from current costs of $30.76. This recent discount is the second time average premiums ...

When it first appeared, AIDS, and HIV the virus that causes AIDS was a certain death sentence. Eventually, those afflicted with the disease could keep a tenuous grasp on life with the daily consumption of upwards to 20 or more pills a day. Today, those with the disease can get by with minimal ...

While it is far from perfect, researchers say that a new urine test might help doctors detect prostate cancer and better evaluate a patient's treatment options. "This is a tool that men and their physician can use to help them decide whether it's appropriate to get a biopsy now or delay ...

The Muscular Dystrophy Association has announced that iconic comedian Jerry Lewis will no longer serve as the organization's national chairman. The 85-year-old Lewis announced in May that he was retiring as host of the MDA Labor Day Telethon. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic online) - Jim Brown, ...

Nutritionists are calling upon Americans to eat more fresh foods containing potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. However - in the journal Health Affairs, the cost of adding more potassium in the typical diet could tack hundreds of more dollars on the annual grocery bill. Other ...

A genetic mutation that is unique to African Americans that links them to a higher asthma risk has been discovered by American researchers. Scientists at the University of Chicago call the gene PYHIN1. The variations found in the gene may account for asthma risk in people of African ...

Colon cleansing is a popular feature at many day spas. The procedure involves the use of chemicals followed by flushing the colon with water with tube inserted in the rectum. Those who have colon cleanse often say they feel refreshed and relaxed. However - a new study has shown that the ...

At 5 feet 10, 25-year-old Phil Nevin at one time estimated that he weighed 350 pounds. "When I was that size, I (thought), what do I need a scale for?" he said. Consulting Internet search engines, he feared that the tingling in his feet was probably a symptom of pre-diabetes at the very ...

What was once thought to hamper antibiotic resistant bacteria -- one of the world's most pressing public health problems -- might actually make them stronger. Those are the findings of a new Portuguese study that could signal a worldwide, dramatic shift in the understanding of bacterial ...

There's good news for parents who are concerned over their children's excessive cell phone use. Swiss researchers say that a few years of cell phone use does not increase a child's risk of brain cancer. While repeated studies in adults have been reassuring as well, the World Health Organization ...

In the United Kingdom, hip replacements, cataract surgery and tonsil removal are among operations now being rationed in a bid to save the National Health Service money. Two-thirds of health trusts in England are rationing treatments for "non-urgent" conditions as part of the drive to reduce ...

In Florida the ever-growing deaths from prescription drug abuse is nowhere near as alarming as the babies being born with prescription drug addiction. "We saw the number of crack babies that died, and this is just another version of that," Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti says. "We all need to be ...

What gives these hot peppers their bite also gives some wonderful health benefits. Capsaicin is a compound found in those little, big, long, small, fat, green, yellow, and red fire fruit, although most in the culinary world consider them vegetables. Capsaicin adds punch to the foods we eat and has ...

It's been a long accepted faith that a daily low-dose aspirin helps prevent a myocardial infarction or heart attack. However -- a new study warns patients that they shouldn't stop taking aspirin, or they increase their risk for heat attack, stroke - even sudden death. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

There have been a slew of medical advances recently to test for Alzheimer's disease, the incurable condition where the elderly suffer progressive memory loss. There have been discussions about blood scans and retinal examinations, but in the wake of these advances is the hardest question yet on ...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has revised its guidelines and now recommends that all women over 40 years of age have an annual mammogram. This recommendation is in stark contrast to previous guidelines that suggested that women have mammograms every two years starting at ...

Scientists are closing in on their long-sought goal of a blood test to screen people for Alzheimer's disease. As reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in France, "give us hope that we may be able to use a blood test in the near future," although that doesn't mean next ...

New research suggests that more than half of Alzheimer's cases internationally and in the United States could be prevented if modifiable risk factors -- such as depression, obesity and smoking were eliminated, either with lifestyle changes or treatment of underlying conditions. New research has ...

It's a new medical study that flies in the face of common sense. A recent study has concluded that patients that were the most ill turned out to fare worse under the care of seasoned doctors than when newcomers to medicine looked after them. According to the American Journal of Medicine, patients ...

Do the eyes have it? According to a new study, an eye examination may help determine if a patient is likely to develop Alzheimer's. In a pilot study, retinal scans to measure blood vessel thickness at the back of the eye showed strong correlations with the level of beta-amyloid deposits in ...

Measles was once eradicated in many nations. However -- the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 33 countries have recently seen an increase in measles cases. Researchers have now come forward to say that measles has once again become a virulent health threat on account ...

A new study now finds no link between cell phone use and brain tumor development. The study, conducted in Denmark looked at data from 2.8 million adults who had been using cell phones for at least 11 years. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers studied to see if there was a link ...

A new study on risks for Alzheimer's and dementia suggests that lots of little things - involving lifestyle upkeep, such as making sure dentures fit, and eyesight is regularly checked, could be helpful preventative measures. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Doctors acknowledge that there is no ...

Two new studies have found that daily medication with the drug Truvada has prevented HIV infection in heterosexual African men and women. "This is a good day for HIV prevention," Dr. Lynn Paxton, HIV research coordinator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. LOS ...

Bowing to public request, the Obama administration has proposed a framework for health insurance exchanges which gives states greater flexibility in how and when these open marketplaces will boost competition. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The U.S. Health and Human Services Department ...

A new strain of gonorrhea-causing bacteria in Japan has proven to be resistant to available treatments. The sexually transmitted disease, widely known by its nickname "the clap" had previously been treated with antibiotics. However -- the new strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae has genetically ...

An Eritrean who had been studying in Iceland was diagnosed with tracheal cancer. Exhausting every treatment available, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, scientists created a synthetic windpipe with the patient's own stem cells without using human donor tissue. The event is being ...

According to a new report, a weekly massage reduced back pain better than using only medications and exercises, and the effects of the 10-week treatment lasted for six months. The study is significant for chronic pain sufferers, who drain the workforce with absenteeism and ""presenteeism," ...

In Denver, there are more medical marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks, according to 'The Daily'. Medical marijuana dispensaries in Denver, Colorado are aiding and abetting in the economic well-being of an industry that has been pronounced moribund and on the way out - the small, weekly ...

Americans are more seriously taking into account the risks associated with colorectal cancer, the second largest killer in the U.S. for all cancer deaths. Those are the results of a survey that shows that more and more Americans are getting regular exams. The uptick is that there are far fewer ...

A noted scientist says that the first person who will live long enough to see their 150th birthday has already been born. In addition, he says that the first person to live for 1,000 years could be less than 20 years younger. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A biomedical gerontologist, ...

Americans have steadily gotten fatter over the past several decades. While sedentary lifestyles are largely to blame, a big reason for the national weight gain is simply because Americans are eating more.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Government surveys show that in the mid-2000s, ...

In a study conducted in the United Kingdom, it was found that terminal patients, both elderly and young, are not having their palliative care needs being met. The authors of the study suggest that a national payment structure that would support more people being cared for in their own ...

Medicare has announced that it will pay for two controversial cancer treatments with hefty price tags: Avastin, the drug that was shot down by a Food and Drug Administration panel this week for its use against advanced breast cancer, and Provenge, a treatment for advanced prostate cancer. ...

Women who have mammograms, along with the expected follow-ups have been found to be less likely to die from breast cancer. This benefit has improved over time as because the number of deaths prevented increases with longer follow-up time. It almost goes without saying that women who ...

A new pill has proved to have been effective in controlling diabetes - but has since been linked to bladder and breast cancers. Developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca, 1.4 percent of patients treated with dapagliflozin developed some type of cancer, compared with 1.3 percent of ...

Rates of diabetes have risen alarmingly throughout the world, far more than what was previously projected. The number of adults with diabetes worldwide has more than doubled since 1980 to 347 million. Health officials warn that the costs of treating the disease will also skyrocket. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

While many people take a daily aspirin tom improve their heart attack or stroke risk, a recent study has found that the medicine regimen also helps in the battle against melanoma, a virulent form of skin cancer. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers studied the medical records of ...

Strangely enough, non-communicable diseases - such as cancer, diabetes, heart and lung disease is increasing throughout the world, making deadly inroads into developing nations. Communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are taking a backseat to the four main non-communicable ...

A new survey has found that food allergy in children is more common than previously thought. The condition is often associated with severe symptoms and multiple foods, researchers have found. The prevalence of food allergy in children and adolescents younger than 18 was 8 percent, according ...

Popular multivitamins, for sale tat the supermarket have been do not always be truthful about listing their ingredients. A study found that one in three did not contain the amount of nutrients claimed on their labels -- or improperly listed ingredients. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

According to medical researchers in Taiwan, people who get shingles are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis. Researchers say that people who developed shingles had four times the risk of being diagnosed with MS within the following year, relative to people who had never experienced ...

Since the 1990's cancer deaths have continued to decline, but the rates still remain higher among the poor and less well educated demographics. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to a study reported online in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Dr. Ahmedin Jemal and his colleagues ...

For anyone, even slightly overweight, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is a surprisingly common threat that is proving difficult to detect and approximately one-third of all Americans have the potentially fatal disease-and don't even know it. The disease often manifests itself with memory ...

The United States leads the world in health care, but not in healthy lifestyles. That's some of the implications of a recent study that has discovered that women in large swaths of the U.S. are dying younger than they were a generation ago. This disheartening fact reverses nearly a century ...

Britain and Bill Gates, along with other international donors have pledged $4.3 billion to buy vaccines to protect children in poor countries against potential killers such as diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. The funds will allow more than 250 million of the world's poorest children to be ...

Britain and Bill Gates, along with other international donors have pledged $4.3 billion to buy vaccines to protect children in poor countries against potential killers such as diarrheal diseases and pneumonia. The funds will allow more than 250 million of the world\'s poorest children to be ...

Can Adult stem cell therapy truly repair a broken heart? That could be a rapidly approaching reality as scientists are studying how adult stem cells can repair damaged cells and tissue after a heart attack. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - An international research group in the journal Nature ...

Cancer medication desperately needed by sick children and adults in the United States are running in short supply, undermining the ability of U.S. doctors to administer treatments. Top U.S. oncologists warn that for millions of people, this is a matter of life and death. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Patients with the deadliest form of skin cancer now have two new treatment options that prolong survival. According to new research presented at a cancer conference in Chicago this past weekend, one drug specifically targets a mutated gene that tells a cancer cell to grow, while the other boosts a ...

Organ procurement and donation have become such regular practices in hospitals that families who do not wish to donate a loved one's organs are often ridiculed or thought of as selfish. In today's guest commentary, the second in our two-part series, Dr. Paul Byrne examines organ donation ...

Today's guest commentary is the first in a two-part series that addresses the topic of organ donation. Dr. Paul Byrne eloquently explains what most people do not know, yet should know, about what so many doctors are pushing for-the donation of vital organs. WASHINGTON, DC (American Life ...

High blood pressure, often cited as the number one killer of Americans, is apparently being addressed by the U.S. public and many are taking steps to control their health conditions. At Kaiser Permanente's big northern California health plan, 80 percent of more than 600,000 patients diagnosed with ...

A deadly new strain of E. coli contamination has swept through Europe, sickening 1,600 and killing at least 18 people. The DNA of the new strain, believed to have been derived from contaminated salad vegetables, has been analyzed by Chinese and German scientists. The strain contains several genes ...

According to the World Health Organization, radiations from cell phones can possibly cause cancer. While assuring consumers that no adverse health effects have yet been established, the organization now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and ...

An unidentified virus affecting pregnant or recently pregnant women in South Korea has claimed a second fatality. The 36-year-old pregnant woman died Thursday morning; nearly 15 days after the same virus registered its first fatality. Another woman died due to the still unknown virus, who was also ...

Most jobs today require much less physical activity than a few decades ago. That fact has contributed heavily to the quick increase in America's obesity rate. According to researchers from Louisiana State University, automation and different working systems have turned many physically active ...

Research published this week in the online journal Epidemiology found that nearly 20 percent of U.S. young adults have high blood pressure, far higher than the last national estimate, which was estimated at 4 percent. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a ...

The use of alcohol-containing hand sanitizer may be helpful after doing messy work, such as those dealing with bodily fluids - but it can lead you to test positive in a urine test for alcohol consumption. According to a new study, this condition could lead you to fail a urine test without ever ...

More than 550 health institutions and professionals from all 50 states have challenged the McDonald's fast-food chain to stop marketing junk food to kids with full-page ads and events in cities across the country. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Federal Trade Commission has likewise ...

German drug maker Bayer has unveiled a super-fast version of Bayer aspirin. The company says the drug, called Bayer Advanced Aspirin, relieves pain twice as fast as its namesake brand. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The drug was released over the weekend in 500 Wal-Mart stores and is rolling ...

A drug to combat the liver-destroying disease hepatitis C has won approval, leading to a new era of treatment. The recent approval also sets up a head-to-head marketing battle with a rival medicine from Merck & Co. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Incivek, a pill also known as telaprevir, is ...

The first new treatment for lupus in 50 years was recommended for approval in Europe this week, offering a new hope for lupus patients and exciting multibillion-dollar sales expectations for its makers. The European Medicines Agency had backed use of Benlysta, discovered by Human Genome Sciences ...

While only one percent of all births in the United States take place at home, such births have risen 20 percent over four years. This government statistic details what experts say is a small subculture among white women toward natural birth. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The increase is ...

A 25-year-old paralyzed man has reason to hope again after a surgical procedure has allowed him to stand and walk. Rob Summers was paralyzed below the chest in a car accident in 2006 and his doctors told him he would never stand again. They were wrong. Thanks to the procedure, Summers stood without ...

An experimental drug called AstraZeneca, or AZN.L may significantly delay the progression of a common and aggressive form of ovarian cancer in patients who had responded to chemotherapy. The announcement was made at a major oncology meeting. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The drug, called ...

It appears that one American habit, a cup or more of coffee in the morning, may actually be good for you, in particular men. A new study has found that male coffee drinkers, especially those who have at least three cups of coffee a day, are at a far lesser risk for prostate cancer. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

A new study shows that close to a third of emergency departments - in hospitals in non-rural areas, has closed shop over the past two decades. While it's an alarming number, "It isn't shocking. Health care is a business and certainly health care parallels the course of small business needing larger ...

A new study has found that many cases of Alzheimer's disease may not appear as memory problems leading to an initial misdiagnosis. In fact, one-third of middle-aged people with the disease show atypical symptoms first. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to researchers at the Alzheimer's ...

Scientists in both the U.S. and U.K. say they have discovered the first solid evidence that variations in some peoples' genes may cause depression, one of the world's most common and costly mental illnesses. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In an ironic twist on the truism that "great minds ...

A gene linked to diabetes and cholesterol has been declared by scientists as a "master switch" that controls other genes found in fat in the body. Researchers say that by studying and targeting the gene, identified as KLF14 should help in the search for treatments for obesity-related diseases. LOS ...

Among the worst examples of using language to deceive and hide the truth is the failure to differentiate between human EMBRYONIC stem cell research and ADULT stem cell research. Adult stem cell research is producing amazing results. We just aren't hearing about them.  CHESAPEAKE, VA. ...

Four chemotherapy drugs, given in a drug cocktail has been proven to improve the average survival rate of most pancreatic cancer patients by more than 60 percent. French researchers say the drugs had a variety of side effects, but did not impair the quality of life for the survivors. As survival is ...

The dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria known as MRSA -- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, has been found in bedbugs in western Canada. The discovery raises concerns in U.S. urban areas which have experienced a resurgence of the blood-sucking insects in the past decade. However - in the ...

In a survey of three years of responses to a California health interview survey, this included more than 120,000 adults living within the state. Out of 51,000 men, about 3,700 said they had been diagnosed with cancer as an adult. While over 8 percent of actively homosexual men reported a ...

Blowing your nose, drinking coffee even sex can be fatal, warns CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton. Sudden spikes in blood pressure can lead to broken blood vessels in the brain, even a stroke - or a deadly brain aneurysm that can kill instantly. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

Heavy winter snows, early spring rains coupled with early high temperatures can only mean one thing: allergy season is back, and with a vengeance. Climate change is one of the chief reasons for allergens getting into the air we breathe, and the results can be miserable. Sneezing, coughing, ...

Expensive name drugs such as Lipitor, Actos and Plavix account for the $300 billion U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Even people with comprehensive health insurance can expect to lay out anywhere from $25 to $40 a month for their supplies. This is all set to change come this November, when many drug ...

There have been great strides towards improving air quality in the United States. In spite of this, 25 million Americans in 2009 suffered from asthma in contrast to about 20 million in 2001. There's a growth of one percent since 2001 and 2009 where those who suffer from the condition has grown from ...

Patients with coronary artery disease who carry extra fat around their waists have a higher risk of dying compared to people who store their body fat elsewhere. That's the result of a new study that reanalyzed data on nearly 16,000 people with heart disease from around the world. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Those who suffer from osteoporosis are becoming increasingly common in the United States. According to a new report, 10 million Americans now suffer from the disease, which causes very weak bones and increases risk for fractures. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - as reported on the Web site ...

Baby Joseph, son of Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader of Windsor, is one year old and suffering from a undiagnosed neurological disorder that impairs his breathing. He was put under the care of the London Health Sciences Centre and is staying alive with the help of a respirator. LHSC officials said that ...

Through the miracle of modern DNA research, scientists have been able to trace an outbreak of leprosy in American's southern states to a hardy animal, the armadillo. These prehistoric-looking animals are commonly found along the roadside in such states such as Texas. Doctors say that the risk of ...

A new diagnostic tool to determine autism in children - a 24-question checklist that can be completed in five minutes in any doctor's waiting room, can help children as young as one-year old to seek the therapy they need. Experts say this could revolutionize the care of autistic children by ...

According to a recent study, 22 percent of adults in the United States who claimed they suffered from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder tried to skew test results to make their symptoms look worse. The report is based on the medical records of 268 patients and published in the journal The ...

I will use the brick oven in our back Courtyard to make the Easter Bread for the family. There will be three eggs wrapped in that Easter Challah, the eggs of new life, the number symbolizing the Trinity. We are nourished in our life, both naturally and supernaturally, on bread PORTSMOUTH, ...

Single mother 25-year-old Emily Fennell has two hands fro the first time in five years. Fennell, who lost her right hand in a car accident, showed off her newly donated hand while flanked by a team of transplant doctors. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Wearing a cast with her fingers poking ...

The internal enzymes in a person's digestive system is indicative of they type of person they are, as much as a person's blood type defines them, scientists say. Each human being is host to thousands of different species of microbes - and according to researchers, only three distinct ecosystems ...

Drug makers who manufacture pain killers with opioids, a synthetic version of opium, will be required to provide doctors with materials on the correct use of the drugs. The action is part of the Obama administration's plan to tackle prescription drug abuse. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The ...

Scientists have halted the study of a daily antiretroviral drug to stop the spread of AIDS. The study was based in Africa and examined the effectiveness of the medication Truvada. Early data showed no evidence that the pill was working. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to an ...

Doctors have identified the three stages of Alzheimer's, a disease that usually strikes the elderly and impairs memory and cognition. In each case, it was determined that Alzheimer's disease begins long before family and friends notice differences in the patient's memory and behavior - and by the ...

Two million pregnancies end in stillbirth every year worldwide. Researchers estimate that at least 26,000 occur in the U.S. While poor medical care is a big factor in areas like sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, in high-income countries like the U.S., where 1 in 200 babies who reach 22 weeks dies, ...

Individuals with an asymptomatic herpes simplex virus type 2 or HSV-2 infection shed the virus less frequently than those with clinical signs, the amount of virus shed during each episode is similar, doctors say. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - As reported in the Journal of the American Medical ...

Measles was eradicated in the United States back in 2000. This doesn't hold true for the rest of the world, and so for some U.S. children returning from travelling or living abroad have been coming back with some "measly" souvenirs - the common childhood disease of measles. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

A new strain of superbugs has proven resistant to "last resort" antibiotics, described as a "nightmare scenario," according to the World Health Organization. Overuse of antibiotics for humans and in the food chain was fostering the emergence of antibiotic resistance and threatening to take the ...

Alzheimer's disease or AD has often been called the cruelest of diseases, as the elderly patients who typically suffer from it begin to progressively lose their memories of friends, family and other loved ones. Two new reports in Nature Genetics have released the efforts of an international team of ...

The federal Food and Drug Administration, or FDA is asking Wisconsin firm H&P Industries to voluntarily stop making and distributing its drug products. According to MSNBC, the company's contaminated medical wipes have been tied to infections and the death of a two-year-old Houston boy.  LOS ...

As recently as the early 20th Century, the airborne respiratory disease of tuberculosis often meant confinement to special quarantined camps. Highly contagious, the typical tuberculosis outbreak would send a chill through rural communities. Today, tuberculosis, or TB rates in the United States are ...

According to a new analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association, exercising or having sex triples a person's risk of heart attack in the hours immediately afterward -- especially if the person does those activities infrequently. However -- heart patients shouldn't abstain from sex or ...

Full-facial transplants are becoming more and more common throughout the world - the United States has only just now performed the procedure. A team of more than 30 physicians, nurses, anesthesiologists and residents at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston performed the first full-face transplant ...

In a time when organ transplants are becoming more commonplace and doctors are encouraging these transplants, it's important to know and understand the Church's teaching on it. Today's guest commentary helps explain this. WASHINGTON, DC (American Life League) - Since 1968, vital organs, necessary ...

Is it good to be alive in America in the 21st century? It depends on who you ask. One thing's for certain, however, is that U.S. citizens are living longer. The factors behind this increase in life expectancy relies obn numerous factors. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Children born in 2009 ...

The cholera epidemic in Haiti for 2011 will be far worse than the 400,000 cases predicted by the United Nations, new study findings indicate. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco and Harvard Medical School says that there could be nearly twice as many cases of the potentially ...

According to a new study published in the Archives of Neurology, Alzheimer's disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment or MCI, is preceded by 5 to 7 years of progressively accelerating decline in memory and thinking skills. "The main lesson is that by the time we put the label of ...

A simple urine analysis that can detect a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, has been very beneficial in diagnosing prostate cancer. Many doctors agree that the PSA test is the best thing out there for a prostate cancer diagnosis . However; it's infamous for its lack of specificity. Many times, an ...

Caffeine is usually associated with high blood pressure, and so there are concerns about the consumption of either coffee and caffeinated beverages being associated with heart attack and stroke. In a new study, an extensive survey conducted among Swedish women yielded highly surprising results -- ...

A panel commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate its handling of the swine flu pandemic has found many egregious mistakes made by the U.N. body. The panel warns that tens of millions could die if there is a severe flu outbreak in the future. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first new drug to treat lupus in over 50 years. It's being heralded as a milestone that medical experts say could lead to the development of other drugs even more effective in treating the debilitating immune system disorder. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

It's a sobering thought that recent statistics prove that one in 1,000 pregnant women has cancer, with about 3,500 diagnosed in the United States each year. It's a fact of life that as more women delay childbirth until they're older, the incidence of cancer during pregnancy - in particular breast ...

Topamax, a medication used to treat migraines and epilepsy has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The FDA has stated that Topamax, as well as the drug in its generic form, Topiramate, may ...

It's a given that diabetics are at a far higher risk for heart attack and stroke. Doctors are already on alert with their diabetic patients to closely watch blood pressure, cholesterol, and other harbingers of an ailing cardiovascular system. Far less attention has been paid to other ways diabetes ...

A contraceptive touted by its makers as 100 per cent effective was not able to prevent the pregnancies of almost 600 women living in the United Kingdom. Implanon, issued 11 years ago by MSD, is a subdermal contraceptive which is implanted under a woman's skin and releases progesterone to stop ...

A medicine cabinet standard, ibuprofen may be more beneficial than what many people think. Harvard Medical School researchers suggest that the pain reliever may offer protection against developing Parkinson's disease by targeting a certain receptor in the brain. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

Ten popular drugs are set to lose their patents shortly - and this could mean that much lower-priced generic knockoffs could rob them of their profits. It's estimated that $250 billion in sales are at risk between now and 2015. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to pharmaceutical ...

A new study has found that women who are former or current smokers, as well as those who have been exposed to decades of second-hand smoke face a higher risk of breast cancer after menopause. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In addition, smokers and women who quit up to 20 years are more at risk ...

A new study released this week adds to the growing evidence that having a positive attitude can help you live longer. Researchers looked at nearly 3,000 patients who underwent hospital treatment for heart disease and found that those who had the highest expectations of a full recovery had a higher ...

Half of all men may be infected with human papillomavirus -- or HPV, the human wart virus that causes cervical and other cancers. U.S. researchers says this strengthens the case for vaccinating boys against HPV. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - U.S. vaccine advisers have been weighing whether ...

The American Academy of Pediatrics agrees that the use of tanning beds should be disallowed for all minors. This statement echoes positions of the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Dermatology. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Samantha Hessel ...

"Hot flashes," a sudden increase in temperature usually experienced by menopausal women, has been looked at as unwelcome condition that comes along with aging. But now, according to some scientists, in terms of a woman's heart health, hot flashes might be better than not having them at all. LOS ...

It was a rather simple idea that bore rewarding results. In lieu of genetically altering mosquitoes that traditionally carry the malaria disease, scientists came up with genetically altered fungus that attacks the malaria that the mosquitoes carry. To this end, researchers sprayed mosquitoes with a ...

Bernard Nathanson, a leading abortionist in the 1970s and later a convert to the pro-life cause, has passed away at the age of 84 following a long battle with cancer. TORONTO, ON - Bernard Nathanson, a leading abortionist in the 1970s and later a convert to the pro-life cause, has passed away at ...

The simultaneous boon and bane to modern living - cell phones, has been incorrectly inked to brain tumors in the past. However -- electromagnetic radiation emitted by a cellular phone\'s antenna appears to activate nearby regions of the brain to unusually high levels. That's the latest discovery in ...

Guinea worm disease, a preventable disease that forces people to live with worms up to three-feet long inside of them is close to being driven as one of the scourges of mankind. In all the achievements of modern medicine, only one disease has ever been completely eradicated: smallpox. Guinea worm ...

While the Food and Drug Administration has made Lap-Band surgery more within reach for those suffering from obesity, two studies suggest that patients who opt for the older procedure of the Roux-en-Y bypass, or gastric bypass had better luck with weight reduction with less die effects. LOS ANGELES, ...

An inexpensive genetic test has been developed that can detect 448 genetic childhood diseases.  The makers of the test are hoping to expand this to 580 conditions within the next six months and the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation, which funded the National Center for Genome Resources research ...

The federal government has decided to make Lap-Band weight-loss surgery available to more overweight Americans. The decision is a boon for pharmaceutical giant Allergan Inc. as it stands to profit from the devices used in the procedures. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Food and Drug ...

A common additive in over-the-counter cough lozenges and syrups is the chemical zinc. Giving the medicine a sharp, metallic taste, continuous ingestion seems to help many people recover from colds much faster. Is there a special property in the metal that helps fight infections? Its properties have ...

Hollywood takes the Oscars, the Academy Awards, honoring artistic excellence in motion pictures very seriously - almost too seriously.  To promote heart attack and stroke awareness, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles are using public records to examine the prevalence of ...

Routine genetic tests in children can reveal that they were the products of incest. This puts clinicians in an ethically awkward situation, researchers suggested. According to Arthur L. Beaudet, MD at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, if the child's mother is a minor, a physician may be ...

Doctors say that new research that recommends less invasive surgery for a certain type of breast cancer could also help reduce the growing number of women opting for mastectomies. David H. Song, a breast-cancer surgeon at the University of Chicago says that for two years or more his hospital had ...

Surgery performed on babies with the most severe form of spina bifida when still in the womb doubles the chance that they will be able to walk, according to a federally funded study. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Surgery performed on babies with the most severe form of spina bifida when ...

In Vancouver, Canada, drug addicts can inject their drugs of choice while under the watchful eyes of a trained nurse. Called Insite, the program purportedly helps curb the spread of HIV in a major metropolitan city. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Insite is situated on the worst block of ...

Doctors and other medical professionals have fallen in love with the Apple iPad, becoming one of the iPad's biggest early adopters among professionals. However -- the problem is that the iPad's consumer-driven origins come into direct conflict with the nature of healthcare, which is patient ...

Columnist Ezra Klein with the Washington Post says that current "Obamacare" health care reform is heavily flawed, and is doomed to failure. "Will the Supreme Court overturn the part of the health-care law that penalizes people who don't buy insurance for themselves?" Klein writes. "Orin Kerr, a law ...

A new implantable device to prevent heart failure seems to be more effective in women than men, according to a new study. "We did find unexpectedly that women did spectacularly better than men," study researcher Arthur J. Moss, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center ...

A universal flu vaccine -- that could work against all known strains of the illness, would take a significant step in the fight against a disease that affects billions of people each year. Scientists at Oxford University have successfully tested the vaccine. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The ...

As developing nations go higher up, a lot of the undesirable things of western civilization come along with it. According to the American Cancer Society, changing lifestyles linked to economic growth in developing countries are driving up the global incidence of several cancers. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

More than half a billion people, or one in 10 adults worldwide, are obese. That's more than double the number in 1980. Researchers say that the obesity epidemic is winding its way from wealthy into poorer nations. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While developed nations have made big strides in ...

Scientists from Radboud University and the ADHD Research Center in the Netherlands say that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD should be fed a special diet. Observations of what foods may trigger ADHD can be determined, and the effected children can be placed on ...

Nauru is a tiny island nation located in the south Pacific with a population of less than 10,000. Nauru has won the dubious distinction of being declared as the world's fattest nation. The accessibility of Western foods as a result of proceeds from phosphate mining is being blamed for the obesity ...

The decision to treat prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the United States, has been a delicate and controversial one. It is very hard to determine if the tumor found in conventional testing are cancerous, leading to unnecessary and invasive surgical procedures. ...

A mechanism that controls the internal 24-hour clock of all forms of life, from such complex mechanisms such as human beings down to algae has been discovered by researchers. Scientists from Britain's Cambridge and Edinburgh universities said their findings provide important information into ...

The fragmented U.S. healthcare system is partly to blame for increased risk of heart disease, federal health officials say. Furthermore, most Americans with the biggest risks for heart disease are not doing enough to control these risks. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Centers for Disease ...

Fat around the waist is commonly seen as a contributing factor to heart attack. Ironically, a company is now testing whether adult stem cells from fat could help prevent long-term damage after a heart attack. LOS ANGELES (Catholic Online) - A new medical team is now investigating  whether ...

The human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is thought to be essential to its ability to infect human cells. U.S. scientists have finished the first detailed description of the complete protein package within the virus, and the discovery of a container could help scientists find a way to halt the ...

Alzheimer's is a disease that afflicts primarily the elderly. The degenerative brain disease first strips the patient of their memory and impairs motor function, hastening the victim's demise. However, the disease is known to very rarely strike those in their thirties or forties - and younger ...

The Food and Drug Administration is investigating a possible link between breast implants and a rare type of cancer called anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or ALCL. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While any link to cancer is troublesome, the increased risk among women with implants - if ...

The discovery of a "rogue gene" by British scientists may aid in the fight against cancer. Scientists say that blocking the gene with the right kind of drugs could stop many variants of the disease in its tracks. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers from the University of East ...

The humid, swampy atmosphere of Cambodia is the perfect breeding spot for mosquitoes, traditionally the carrier of the deadly disease malaria. A new strain of drug-resistant malaria has gained a foothold in the region, in particular the area between Cambodia and Thailand, and doctors are frantic to ...

Current research in genetics suggests that some doctors in the near future will be able to treat defects before the child is born. In experiments conducting on laboratory mice, researchers have found that transplanting a mother's own stem cells into her fetus populates its bone marrow with healthy ...

A California woman has regained the ability to speak after an operation in 1999 left her without a voice. A larynx - or voice box transplant now enables her to speak for long periods of time without difficulty. The 52-year-old Brenda Jensen says that "This operation has restored my life. I feel so ...

The U.S. surgeon general is calling on Americans to support breast-feeding. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin has outlined guidelines for mothers and communities to support what has been called the "most natural nutrition system." LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Studies have shown numerous health ...

A drug that can screen the brain for plaque that leads to Alzheimer's disease was approved with flying colors by the Food and drug Administration, or FDA. The FDA stressed that the drug only be used by qualified physicians who are able to accurately screen the results.   LOS ANGELES, CA ...

In developed nations, tuberculosis is seen as a Victorian disease, which required those afflicted to remain quarantined in special camps. However, tuberculosis - or as it is more commonly known, is still a persistent problem in third world nations and in the Far East. The lung disease is airborne ...

Blue Shield of California says it plans to go forward with scheduled health insurance rate increases for individual policyholders, despite calls from government regulators to delay the move. The insurer, based in San Francisco said that it has asked an independent actuary to review the increases ...

Toxic chemicals, many thought to have been banned from the U.S. for many years, have been found in the bodies of 268 pregnant women in a new study. Chemicals used in items such as nonstick cookware, furniture, processed foods and beauty products were found in the blood and urine of the study ...

Feeding babies solid food earlier and not relying solely on breast milk for the first six months might benefit children, researchers say in a new study. According to the British Medical Journal, waiting to wean a baby could increase the occurrence of food allergies and iron deficiency. LOS ANGELES, ...

Employers cannot discriminate against workers based on genetics. The new federal regulations became effective earlier this week. While the law has been in place in Oregon - where the state has prohibited the use of genetic screening in employment since the mid-1990s, according to state records, ...

A new study published by researchers at the National Cancer Institute predicts that the United States will be paying much more for cancer care, as baby boomers become increasingly eligible for Medicaid. They found that the cost of cancer care will increase by 27 percent between 2010 and 2020, a ...

According to a new study, the underutilized herpes zoster vaccine reduced the incidence of painful shingles outbreaks by 55%, even in the oldest populations, researchers say. The results suggest that the vaccine, which was introduced in 2006 and now reaches only about 11% of the elderly population ...

Columbia University researchers claim that the risk for an autism diagnosis is higher if the second child is conceived within 12 months of the first baby. Published online this week in Pediatrics, the findings may give some parents another consideration in the matter of spacing the time ...

Accountable care organizations, or ACOs, are described as a group of providers that work together to treat a set number of patients, and split the payments they receive for the care they provide. Two papers published in the January issue of Health Affairs seek to define ACOs and offer guidance ...

The United States' expenditures on health care in 2009 only grew by four percent. It was the smallest reported growth in almost 50 years, suggesting that many of the nation's jobless or semi-employed scrimped on health expenses during the recession. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Although ...

Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have found that a double dose vaccination against chicken pox or varicella has proven to be more effective. The study will appear in the February 1 issue of Journal of Infectious Diseases. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The U.S. Centers for Disease ...

An theory linking childhood vaccinations with autism has now been alleged to be a terrible fraud which may have long-lasting damage to the public health. An investigation claims that the study's author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, misrepresented or altered the medical histories ...

The life of an elderly patient with Alzheimer's or dementia can be difficult. They are often placed in retirement facilities and must adhere to a strict schedule as to when they can sleep, eat and rest. Some rest homes, however, have begun to let those affected sleep and eat whenever ...

Four cancer  treatment centers in the United States are currently engaged in an exciting new program that may simplify and revolutionize the way cancer is diagnosed and treated. Researchers are using a highly sensitive, new blood test developed at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. LOS ...

Some researchers say that U.S. children are being exposed to radiation too frequently in medical imaging procedures. These researchers say they want to tighten up these practices, and use radiation only when it is absolutely necessary for the health and well-being of the child. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

A test that could detect a single stray cancer cell from a common blood test is being sought in an effort by U.S. scientists working closely with private firms. The objective is that the test, given soon after a treatment is started, could indicate whether the therapy is working or not. It might ...

A new study suggests that the elderly, particularly those affected by dementia or Alzheimer's are better off in a hospice setting. The study, led by D. K. Kiely and colleagues of Hebrew SeniorLife Institute for Aging Research in Boston, Massachusetts found hospice recipients were more likely to ...

Dr. Denton Weiss explains why we are so drawn to those "comfort foods", what we should do when the urge strikes, and how we can develop a way of life that enables us to be fully human as well as truly healthy in body, mind and spirit; beautiful living! PORTSMOUTH, VA (Catholic ...

Look all around you. People everywhere are coughing, sneezing and blowing their nose. Cold and flu season has struck the United States with a vengeance. Doctors report that two out of three people they are seeing in their offices are complaining of upper respiratory infections. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

A new kind of experimental HIV medicine may halt one of the earliest stages of HIV infection and may lead in future to a novel class of drugs to fight other dangerous viruses. The drug is called VIR-576 and is being developed by small privately held firm, VIRO Pharmaceuticals, in Hanover, ...

Sleep apnea is an unfortunate condition that robs many from a good night's sleep. It is caused when the tongue suddenly relaxes, collapses in the throat and causes the sufferer to wake up suddenly. Left untreated, sleep apnea can cause increase the risk of high blood pressure, arrhythmias, heart ...

The Obama administration is going to reward states that have made a diligent effort in finding children who are eligible for Medicaid.  About $206 million in bonus Medicaid payments will be awarded to 15 states, with more than a fourth of the total going to Alabama for signing up kids who ...

Seven Floridians die from a prescription overdose every day. Pain clinics referred to as "pill mills" require little to no examination of patients, dispense medication on-site and are historically not run by a practicing doctor. These pain clinics are fast becoming a tourist attraction in Florida. ...

There may be some good news in a new treatment available in the war against cancer. The FDA has green-lighted a vaccine to prevent anal cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). The Gardasil HPV vaccine, made by Merck, has been approved for children and young adults between the ages of ...

Scientists have discovered a collection of proteins play a critical role in the development of more than 130 brain diseases. According to scientists, their study also highlighted a surprising link between disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and the evolution of human behavior. LOS ...

I learned along the way that life remains unpredictable. It sometimes sneaks up on us and throws us a challenge which we do not expect. It is our response to those kinds of challenges which forges our character and changes our life. That is precisely what has happened to me. Ten years ago I ...

Researchers say that children born to mothers who live close to freeways have twice the risk of autism. The report adds evidence to the theory that certain environmental exposures could play a role in causing the disorder in some children. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "This study isn't ...

One in 16 U.S. women who give birth -- more than 250,000 each year -- has diabetes. Those alarming statistics are from the federal government. Diabetes at one time was once thought to be a disease of older age. That's not the case anymore, as the obesity epidemic has led to more cases of diabetes ...

A Washington advocacy group says that the McDonald's fast food chain is enticing children to eat unhealthy food by offering toys in their Happy Meals. The group, called the Center for Science in the Public Interest warned McDonald's in June that it would sue if the company did not stop providing ...

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, females living near or at the poverty line tend to be more obese than the males in the same socioeconomic bracket. Rates of adult male obesity are fairly similar throughout all income levels, the authors reveal, with a slight increase among ...

Amblyopia, or as it is more commonly referred to as "lazy eye" in children, is a condition where the eyesight in one of the eyes does not develop as it should. In the majority of cases, only one eye is affected, and is usually treated by patching over the better eye, forcing the weaker eye to work ...

Nationwide, state lawmakers have taken harsh actions to attempt to lower the budget-busting costs of Medicaid, the health care program that serves 58 million poor and disabled Americans. Some states have cut payments to doctors, have paid bills late or trimmed benefits such as insulin pumps, ...

Doctors believe that an HIV-positive man may have been cured after an adult stem cell transplant. It's being hailed as a major medical breakthrough, although doctors warn that a cure for AIDS - which is caused by HIV, is still into the future. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Doctors ...

Doctors speaking out at a breast cancer symposium say that pregnant women who are diagnosed with the disease shouldn't delay treatment or hasten delivery to avoid exposing the baby to chemotherapy. In a recently released study, very little adverse effects were reported in children whose mothers ...

Free radicals are an important part of the body's normal functioning and may even be good for us in certain doses? These are the findings of researchers who recently conducted lab experiments on worms. It was proven that worms which made extra free radicals lived longer than ...

Parents of an autistic child face the challenge that there is no known cause or treatment for the condition. Autistic children generally go into social withdrawal, disconnection, and repetitive behaviors. However - there are new causes for hope. In a study published in The Journal of the ...

According to new survey data, only about half of eligible U.S. women are getting annual mammograms, even if they have insurance to pay for the exam. In spite of years of trying to bring this disease to prominence, many women waive this important preventive step. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

A Canadian researcher says that an estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy appears to benefit younger postmenopausal women who do not have a uterus. Dr. Joseph Ragaz, an oncologist at the University of British Columbia shared his results at the annual meeting of the San Antonio Breast Cancer ...

Federal officials say that cigarette smoke causes immediate damage to a person's lungs and their DNA even in small amounts -- including from second-hand smoke. Officials say that bans, taxes and treatment must all be pursued to bring smoking rates down. "The chemicals in tobacco smoke reach your ...

Secondhand smoke, sometimes referred to as "passive smoking" has always been blamed for a variety of health problems. Researchers have come up with some unwelcome news for children who live with parents that smoke. Doctors now say that children who are regularly inhaling environmental tobacco smoke ...

The Catholic Church is one of the very largest health care providers in the United States of America. The excellence of the care provided by Catholic Medical Professionals and health care institutions flows not only from their excellence in training and preparation but from the very reason why the ...

Orexigen Therapeutics's Contrave, a weight-loss pill has won approval from  a panel of the the Food and Drug Administration. In trial testing, the medication proved that at least 35 percent of test subjects were able to lose five percent of their weight. While there are heart risk concerns, it ...

British scientists now suggest that long-term, daily aspirin use may lower the risk of certain cancers. However, experts warn the study isn't strong enough to recommend healthy people start taking a pill that can cause bleeding and other problems. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In a new ...

Researchers at Harvard University are reporting success in reversing the degenerate effects of aging in laboratory mice. Tests have shown a marked improvement in the rodents' fertility and the growth of new brain tissue. However -- it could be some time before the technique might be used in humans. ...

The number of American adults tested for H.I.V. reached a record high in the year of 2009, medical officials say. However - according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, much work remains to be done. At least 55 percent of Americans who are at a high risk for H.I.V., the disease that ...

According to a new study, women who suffer stillbirth or repeated miscarriages have a dramatically increased risk of heart attack later in life. The study, conducted by German physicians, revealed that in stark contrast to women who never had a miscarriage, females who had more than three were ...

A Canadian man was told by an American physician that he was a diabetic. Distraught, he refused medications and returned to his native land where his Canadian doctor said that he didn't have diabetes. While this put his mind at ease, the patient began to have serious doubts. How could two ...

Tennis champion and diabetic Billie Jean King, in recognition of November as Diabetes Awareness Month, is offering words of encouragement to others who deal with the disease, and the importance of taking charge of one's own health. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "As American Diabetes Month ...

There's no denying that smoking one pack, two packs, three packs of cigarettes a day is very unhealthy. However - it turns out that just an occasional cigarette - is responsible for thousands of heart attack deaths annually. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to a new study led by World ...

Patients that are injured during their hospital stay are far too common, say researchers. A study conducted of 10 North Carolina hospitals, from 2002 to 2007 found that the most common problems were complications from procedures or drugs and hospital-acquired infections.   LOS ANGELES, CA ...

The same drugs that have transformed HIV infection from a death sentence into a chronic disease may help protect homosexual men from being infected with the virus in the first place. Doctors hail the finding as a major advance in stopping the spread of AIDS.   LOS ANGELES, CA ...

The health insurer UnitedHealth Group has made an alarming prediction about the future health of Americans. The group says that half or 50 percent of Americans will have diabetes -- or be pre-diabetic by 2020. If this prediction holds true, then the cost to the U.S. health care system of $3.35 ...

Protease inhibitors have thus far extended the lives of those already infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. New research has shown that a combination of two antiretroviral drugs taken daily reduces the risk of HIV transmission in men and transgendered women having sex with men. Nearly ...

Cyanobacteria is a natural component found in water, in both salt and fresh throughout the world. One species of the material causes a rash known as "swimmer's itch;" another species expels a neurotoxin that can be fatal to humans. What is most surprising is that some of it kills cancer cells - and ...

Horror stories, usually circulated on the Internet, about a child falling ill after being routinely vaccinated has struck a chord in modern society. Many parents are currently having their child avoid routine immunizations for fear they are putting their child in harm's way. It's a decision that ...

The popular painkillers Darvon and Darvocet have been removed from the U.S. marketplace. The Food and Drug Administration says that the drugs' usage was shown as having a risk for heart rhythm abnormalities. Known generically as propoxyphene, Darvon and Darvocet was first approved by regulators in ...

Health Canada has put into place new restrictions, as well as a consent form for the diabetes medication rosiglitazone - or, as it is known by its product name, Avandia -- because of an increased risk of heart-related illness. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Canadian drug regulator says ...

A simple surgical procedure destroying certain nerves in the kidney can sharply reduce blood pressure in patients. The discovery could prove to be a boon for patients whose hypertension cannot be controlled with conventional medications. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study was conducted ...

The now banned diabetes and weight-loss medication Mediator may in face be responsible for the deaths of 500 people in the 33 years it was on the market, French authorities say. France's health products safety agency is advising those who used the drug from the years of 2006 through 2009 to see ...

Sobering statistics on Medicare patients point to a high margin of error in hospitals. It's estimated that one in seven Medicare patients are harmed by treatment mistakes. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to new analysis by the Department of Health & Human Services, there are a ...

At least two people have been killed in rioting between Haitian protesters and U.S. peacekeepers. The Caribbean nation, ravaged by an earthquake last January, remains on edge with a large scale cholera outbreak that only threatens to grow worse. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The cholera ...

Alcohol and its effects on the mind and body are largely seen as negative. Researchers have previously pointed out that the abuse of alcohol beats out all other drugs as having the most damaging effect on its users and surrounding society. However - there is a growing body of research that suggests ...

The very word still strikes horror in the hearts of many - cancer. While there are increasingly more advanced ways to treat the disease, for many, cancer is synonymous with a death sentence. Its part and parcel of the malignant nature of the disease - cure it in one section of the body, it pops up ...

Juvenile diabetes or juvenile diabetes mellitus is now more commonly called Type 1 diabetes. It's a syndrome with disordered metabolism and inappropriately high blood glucose levels due to a deficiency of insulin secretion in the pancreas. Juvenile Diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disorder ...

Distinguished men and women who just so happened to be diabetic comprise a lengthy and distinguished list. While many see the condition as a limiting one, these individuals did not let diabetes achieving the tops in their respective fields - in athletics, literature, entertainment and politics. ...

Cinnamon is the spice of warmth and love; why? Throughout the centuries cinnamon has been used as an aphrodisiac as well as a preservative. Cinnamon's fragrance is clearly appealing to the human senses.Studies have associated cinnamon with improvements to the digestive system. The effects ...

A mother blowing cigarette smoke on her baby, a corpse in a morgue with a toe tag, a man breathing smoke through a hole in his neck, all accompanied by broad lettering warning of the dangers of tobacco usage were unveiled this week. The labels could cover half of a cigarette pack. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

The Swiss firm Novartis AG is seeking regulatory approval within 18 months for a pioneering tablet containing an embedded microchip. The concept, if approved will bring "smart-pill" technology a step closer. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The initial program will use one of the group's ...

According to the National Cancer Institute, many primary care physicians' beliefs and recommendations about lung cancer screening are inconsistent with current evidence and guidelines. The study led by Klabunde C.N. and colleagues found that two-thirds of the doctors in their study said that ...

According to a recent study at Harvard University, the U.S. population of obese and overweight people could reach as high as, the U.S. population of obese and overweight people could reach as high as 42 percent. Furthermore, the researchers say that the more overweight friends a person has ...

A common misconception about diabetes and those who have the condition is that they are not allowed to have anything with sugar, such as ice cream, cake and soda. This is not true - as long as the diabetic plans their diet around the intake of high-sugar meals. The diabetic's nutritional needs are ...

Annual CT scans of heavy smokers substantially reduce the risk of death from lung cancer by 20 percent, a substantial government-financed study has found. Furthermore, the scans seemed to reduce their risk of death from other causes as well. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The National Cancer ...

November is American Diabetes Month, intended to examine the spread and understanding of the life challenging disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has just released some startling new statistics, which highlights diabetes' spread across the nations. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Diabetics must take special care in regards to dental hygiene, treatment and oral health. As diabetes affects the entire body, the mouth, teeth and gums are an especially sensitive area. Diabetics run the higher than normal risk of oral health problems due to poorly controlled blood sugars. The ...

Alcohol beat out heroin and other narcotics as the world's most harmful drug. That's the opinion rendered by a panel of experts, the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs. Researchers weighed the physical, psychological, and social problems caused by drugs and determined that alcohol was ...

There's new hope for diagnosing pancreatic cancer, before it reaches to other vital organs. According to recent research, it's been discovered that there is a lag time of at least a decade - ten years, or more between the emergence of key mutations and the formation of the first cancer cells. The ...

Crizontinib is a promising new drug that aids lung cancer patients. Manufactured by Pfizer Inc., the drug could help as many as 5 percent of people with the most common type of lung cancer. However, researchers say the drug doesn't work for all lung cancer patients.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease that can kill within hours if left untreated. There are an estimated 3.5 million cholera cases and 100,000 to 120,000 deaths due to cholera every year. Up to 80% of cases can be successfully treated with oral rehydration salts - and effective control measures ...

Aspirin, found in virtually every medicine cabinet around the world may cut the risk of dying for men who have prostate cancer - providing it hasn't spread beyond the gland. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A new study reports that in examining the records of more than 5,000 men with prostate ...

The world health community is coming down hard on tobacco use. According to doctors, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of death across the globe today. Now - a new study has determined that heavy smoking during the midlife years increases the user's chances of contracting Alzheimer's disease ...

Asperger's Syndrome is a little known disease that has been misdiagnosed throughout the years, and is an autism spectrum condition that has left many researchers puzzled. In the past, those who suffered with the condition were written off as mentally ill at worst, or socially inept and rude at ...

Smoking is the leading cause of death worldwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Furthermore, countries around the world are not doing enough to discourage it. Dr. Thomas Frieden, with the center also addressed other threats to global health recently at the Center for Strategic ...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released sobering statistics about modern America's obesity trends. The center says that if the U.S. continues to grow increasingly overweight and physically inactive, that one in three American adults will have diabetes by the year 2050. LOS ...

Whooping cough - or pertussis, has claimed the lives of at least 10 victims in California this season. Medical authorities are calling it the worst outbreak in 60 years. There have been 5,978 confirmed, probable and suspected cases in California alone. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - All of the ...

Errors made while in surgery can often be injurious - or even fatal to the patient. Two studies have been completed, one focusing on analyzing wrong-site and  wrong-patient procedures, the other on a program emphasizing teamwork and reducing surgical deaths. Both conclude the importance of ...

A study conducted by the Women's Health Initiative has found that women taking a hormone therapy using a combination of estrogen and progestin were 1.25 times more likely to develop invasive breast cancer. In addition, they are two times more likely to die from breast cancer, than women who took a ...

According to the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, a nonprofit organization backed by a group of medical researchers and oncologists, women can reduce their risk of developing breast cancer by having a baby as early as they can. The institute is offering some critical basic information regarding ...

After an extensive study conducted on Egyptian mummies, some researchers in the United Kingdom have declared that cancer is an entirely man-made disease, the result of excesses of modern life. They claim that tumors were rare until recent times when pollution and poor diet became issues. LOS ...

States in the United States can file lawsuits in order to block President Barack Obama's health care reform law, a Florida judge ruled this week. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson had declared at a hearing last month he would block efforts by the Justice department to dismiss the lawsuit, led by ...

The over-the-counter medication called chelators, often used for autism, heart disease and other medical conditions have been called illegal and dangerous by the Food and Drug Administration. The use of these drugs can lead to kidney failure, dehydration and even death, the FDA warns. LOS ANGELES, ...

Walking about six miles a week appears to protect against brain shrinkage, which in turn helps stem the onset of memory problems and cognitive decline in old age, a new study says. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "We have always been in search of the drug or the magic pill to help treat brain ...

Major producers of pornographic videos in California's multibillion-dollar adult entertainment industry have halted production after an actor tested positive for HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS. More shutdowns at other companies are expected until performers to have had sexual contact with ...

The Supreme Court is currently considering whether or not parents can sue drug manufacturers if a childhood vaccine has resulted in injurious results for their own children. Congress set up a fund in 1986 to compensate parents of children who were injured by a vaccine, but many parents have been ...

A new study says that women that pursue a healthy lifestyle greatly reduce their chances of getting breast cancer . even among women who have a family history of breast cancer. "We have more awareness of our familial risks, and we may be led to believe there's nothing we can do - that it's fate," ...

The United States' relationship with human embryonic stem-cell research or hESC is a very complicated one. Supporters say hESC research offers the potential to solve so-called "incurable diseases," while detractors point out that it involves the killing of human embryonic perons. LOS ANGELES, ...

Women with epilepsy on anti-convulsive medication may find it difficult to bear children. That's the findings of a study conducted in India, which traced the fertility of at least 375 epileptic women over a 10-year period. Evidence suggests that the more medication a woman takes - one medication as ...

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a bill that will make California the first state in the nation to create a live donor registry for kidney transplants. The new law also requires California drivers to decide whether they want to be organ donors when they renew their ...

The Obama administration has announced that it will seek $4 billion for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis over the next three years. The White House indicated that more funds might become available if the program is reformed. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The United ...

According to researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a woman who is pregnant and has breast cancer is more likely to recover and survive disease-free than a woman who is not pregnant and has breast cancer. The findings will surprise most experts because people tend to ...

Researchers in the United Kingdom have discovered possible genetic links to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD in children. If so, it could help lift the stigma faced by parents by those who claim ADHD is the result of poor diet and bad parenting. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

Scientists from the U.S., Europe, Canada and Australia, have discovered new genetic variants in five regions of the genome that affect the risk of ovarian cancer in the general population. The study was based on earlier research comparing 10,283 women with ovarian cancer to 13,185 women without the ...

The diabetes drug Avandia will soon be pulled from the shelves in Europe and will only be permitted to remain available in the United States with tough new restrictions. While the European Medicines Agency concluded that the risks that Avandia could cause heart attacks and strokes outweighed its ...

On the six-month anniversary of the new health care law, a litany of mandated health insurance changes are set to go into effect. The new laws change everything from emergency room visits to insurers rescinding coverage. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - For example, if you get health coverage ...

Being obese costs money, and according to new studies, women pay far more for being overweight than they do their male counterparts. While there are attendant health risks for being overweight or obese, there is the cost of absenteeism and lost productivity as well. According to researchers at ...

Alzheimer's disease, along with dementia is a disease common in the elderly. In many cases, latent dementia can become even more pronounced following a stroke or brain malfunction. Both conditions drastically affect memory and cognitive ability. Saddest of all is the fact that the world is not ...

Genome-based studies have determined that the risk of breast cancer in carriers of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene, in addition to non-carriers may hinge on the presence or absence of specific non-BRCA1 mutations, according to an international team of researchers. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

Cold and flu season will soon be gripping the United States as temperatures drop and rain and snow become more common. A popular natural remedy, Echinacea is a flowering plant often used as an herbal supplement. The herb is said to relieve common cold symptoms, as well as a host of other health ...

High fructose corn syrup has a very bad reputation as a highly fattening, disease causing substance. The Corn Refiners Association or CRA says that enough is enough, and they want a new name for the ingredient. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Found in everything from soda to ketchup to pickles, ...

The mercury-based preservative called thimerosal found in many childhood vaccines does not increase the risk for autism, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. "This study adds to the evidence that thimerosal-containing vaccines do not increase a child's risk of developing ...

Recent studies suggest that the bronchodilator albuterol may boost the treatment for multiple sclerosis patients and improve early outcomes. Researchers found that adding albuterol to glatiramer acetate, or Copaxone improved composite functional scores at six and 12 months compared with addition of ...

Muscular dystrophy is defined as a group of inherited muscle diseases in which the muscle fibers are unusually susceptible to damage and progressively weaken. The condition can lead to early death due to respiratory or heart failure. In a new study published in Neurology, it was found that whites ...

Medicinal marijuana remains hot news in many parts of the United States. Medical marijuana stores are opening across the nation, and then face closure by federal agents. Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine is an unabashed supporter of cannabis ...

The Atkins diet, which briefly enjoyed popularity at the turn of the century, was essentially a diet that let people eat the burger and not the bun. It was a diet that allowed people to eat as much animal protein as they desired, but no breads and carbohydrates. Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D., Founder and ...

Research conducted in the United Kingdom has shown that large doses of vitamin B supplement could halve the rate of brain shrinkage, a physical symptom associated with memory loss and dementia in the elderly. The effects were so dramatic that scientists believe it could revolutionize the treatment ...

Try as much as the Forces for Sensible Lifestyles, Americans insist on lighting up on those cigarettes for that rush of nicotine. In spite of all the links to cancer and heart disease, U.S. citizens are still taking time out of their busy days for a smoke break. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

Two in every five children in New York City from kindergarten through eighth grade are either overweight or obese. Those are the troubling findings as reported in The New York Times this week. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A significant 22 percent of the children surveyed have body mass ...

Dr. Steven Brigham operates several abortions clinics in four states -- known as American Women's Services, and a long laundry list of ethical complaints have been stacked against him. The Maryland Board of Physicians and Elkton, Maryland police have both launched a wide-ranging investigation into ...

Variations in the dopamine gene have proven to make some teenage high school students more prone to be "dopey." Florida State University performed tests using DNA and lifestyle data from a representative group of 2,500 U.S. middle and high-school students who were tracked from 1994 to 2008 in the ...

Psilocybin, the chemical commonly found in the illegal drug "magic mushroom" has been proven to benefit terminal cancer patients. Researchers say the chemical can elevate mood and reduce anxiety. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Magic mushrooms come with much negative baggage. The plant first ...

Getting your annual flu shot will be a lot simpler this year. A new combination vaccine will make the dosage only one shot, not two, the amount done with last year' H1N1 pandemic. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - This autumn, the new combination vaccine will protect against two influenza strains ...

Today people have a tendency to hold their hands up and make pretend quotations marks when they use the phrase "family values" as though they're embarrassed about it and want to qualify or justify what they're saying. There's no need. Family values are obvious - as natural as family itself. We can ...

An osteoporosis drug called bisphosphonates, according to a recent study, increases the user's chances of contracting esophageal cancer. The risk is especially greater for those who take the drug for five years or more, according to Reuters. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - An Oxford study ...

Alzheimer's is an incurable disease that drastically effects a patient's mental cognitive abilities and memory. Nothing seems to prevent its onset - diet, exercise, being socially engaged or being intellectually active all fail to stave off its advancement. A new, even more disheartening study now ...

Breastfeeding is universally accepted as being beneficial for the baby. A recent discovery has now proven that breastfeeding can help the mother as well - by staving off the risk of contracting diabetes later in life. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A study conducted at the University of ...

Scientists say that multiple sclerosis, or MS appears to flare up during warmer weather. Brain scans of patients compared with weather patterns at the time showed higher levels of disease activity in the spring and summer. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The U.S. researchers said the findings ...

A new study has found that an experimental technique that targets the protein that sustains certain types of advanced skin cancer has successfully shrunk tumors in up to 80 percent of test patients. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Called PLX4032, the orally-administered medication, "shuts off" ...

Those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome feel listless and tired, no matter how much rest and healthy diet is prescribed. Last fall, scientists published a study linking the condition to a retrovirus. Many were skeptical until the release of a new study confirms that those who suffer from CFS ...

What gives these hot peppers their bite also gives some wonderful health benefits. Capsaicin is a compound found in those little, big, long, small, fat, green, yellow, and red fire fruit, although most in the culinary world consider them vegetables. Capsaicin adds punch to ...

The lethal Ebola and Marburg viruses, usually transmitted by bodily fluids often leads to hemorrhagic fever, and is 90 percent fatal in humans. Scientists in the United States are now hopeful that two compounds, tested on monkeys will protect against these diseases. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

The neurological disease called Lou Gehrig's Disease - more correctly known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS may be linked to repeated head injury. That's the theory put forth by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine and Veterans Administration Hospital in Bedford.  ...

The antibiotic-resistant "superbug" or NDM-1 has claimed its first human life. A Belgian man who previously had surgery in Pakistan has died from the deadly bacteria, and many fear that the virus will spread throughout the world unchecked. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - NDM-1 which stands for ...

The Food and Drug Administration has voted to drop the use of the drug Avastin for women suffering from breast cancer. Initially used for patients with colon cancer, Avastin was at one time thought to extend treatment for breast cancer victims by as much as five months. New tests indicate that the ...

It was once thought of being extinct and obsolete. Now - whooping cough has re-emerged with a vengeance on the nation's West Coast with as many as 2,700 cases reported in California alone. It's being called the worst such epidemic in more than half a century. Seven infants have so far died in the ...

There have been numerous similar studies in the past - but according to a new international study, teenagers who use acetaminophen, better known under the brand name of Tylenol - run a higher risk of asthma, allergic nasal conditions and the skin disorder eczema. LOS ANGEELS, CA (Catholic Online) ...

Due to "Medical tourism," a "superbug" is spreading throughout the globe. Doctors warn that there is no known drug that can yet treat it.  Researchers say they have found a new gene called New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase, or NDM-1, in patients in South Asia and in Britain. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

In the classic story "The Princess and the Pea," a young candidate for royalty must be able to feel a pea placed underneath a pile of mattresses. This story had a contemporary twist, when 75-year-old Ron Sveden complained of shortness of breath - and later discovered that a pea sprout had taken ...

So what is it about water that makes us so refreshed and increases our vitality? Maybe it is because we are made up of water.  Actually, 60 - 70% of our bodies are water. We have both intracellular (in our cells) and extracellular (outside our cells) water and the two are vital for keeping us ...

H1N1 or "swine flu" is no longer at pandemic levels, and has officially moved past the crisis stage. The World Health Organization says the world can now safely move to "post pandemic" status. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The World Health Organization (WHO) said in an official statement ...

A dog has saved his owner's life by chewing his toe off. Once the reader recovers from this daring statement, they are treated to a heart-warming story involving a devoted dog and the amazing sensory abilities of animals. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Jerry Douthett, a Michigan musician ...

The more weight that expectant mothers put on during their pregnancy has a direct correlation with how heavy their children will be, increasing their obesity risk. Those are the results of a new study published in the medical journal The Lancet. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "Because high ...

A report entitled "State-Specific Obesity Prevalence Among Adults - United States, 2009" is a grim reminder that obesity has become a major problem. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provided its biennial snapshot of obesity in America yesterday, and the news is not comforting. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are recommending that everyone six months and older should get a seasonal flu vaccination. The CDC last week that is was adopting the recommendations of its vaccine advisory group from earlier this year. In compliance, major ...

A study conducted on rabbits points to a future world where the elderly could regenerate joints and hips using stem cells. The breakthrough study has shown it is possible to grow joints inside the body which have a full range of movement and can bear weight. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In ...

When dealing with a heart attack victim, the ordinary citizen who is schooled in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is hesitant to do mouth-to-mouth. There is the possibility of diseases, along with the transmission of bodily fluids in contact with the mouth. There is no more reason to fear, say ...

The recipient of the world's first full facial transplant greeted members of the press for the first time following his surgery. A 31-year-old Spanish farmer, known only as "Oscar," says he's overjoyed with the results, finally being able to eat and breathe on his own after being disfigured after a ...

Many of the world's prisons are overcrowded and unsanitary, and as such serve as breeding grounds for AIDS and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Those are the findings of the U.N.'s top investigator on torture and punishment. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Prison inmates often spread the ...

Patients can choose to leave out procedures such as abortions and positive HIV tests from the electronic health records (EHR) that every American is supposed to have by 2014 under a new law that President Barack Obama signed last year. That's the word straight from Dr. David Blumenthal, the Obama ...

Everyone knows that the human animal has five basic senses - sight, sound, taste, smell and feeling. However - human beings have far more going on in their consciousness than many fail to recognize or acknowledge. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - If a "sense" is "any system that consists of a ...

At the onset of the AIDS crisis, many activists were adamant in saying that it wasn't a "gay disease." While the greatest concentration of those in the U.S. remains gay and bisexual men, along with intravenous drug abusers, there are a growing number of heterosexuals contracting the disease - ...

Being vaccinated causes anxiety for many. Lining up in long lines in order to get an annual flu shot is highly inconvenient for many more. In the near future, people may soon get their flu shot through the mail, using a band-aid device covered with hundreds of "microneedles" - super-tiny filaments ...

Experts proposed new criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer's this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2010. While there is no sure sign for diagnosing the disease as of yet - although scanning the brain for plaque is being considered, there are many who ...

The Food and Drug Administration has voted to keep the controversial diabetes drug Avandia on the market. The drug is believed to be linked to heart disease, and so the decision by the FDA came to many as a surprise. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Studies conducted over the past three years ...

The White House has issued new rules that require health insurance companies to provide free coverage for dozens of screenings, laboratory tests and other types of preventive care. The new requirements promise significant benefits for consumers. Studies have shown that Americans use preventive ...

It is at the point of information that we Catholics are able to challenge the culture of death at work in modern vaccination protocols with a matchless ally--the truth. Epidemic regressive autism is associated with the switch from using animal cells in the production of vaccines to the use of ...

Since 1979, vaccinations include the delivery of aborted human fetal DNA into young immune systems, with no knowledge of how it affects vulnerable biological structures, and autism rates are soaring. The Valley of Hell, the abortion mill, testifies against our nation's and the world's ...

NASHVILLE, TN (Catholic Online)Parents of young children are supremely confused over the autism-vaccine debate. What is a responsible Catholic parent to do in the face of the statistics? It is known that autism has risen 100 fold in the past several decades from relative zero before public ...

When one has a high opinion of themselves, they are usually referred to as having a "big head." It turns out that having a larger-than-usual cranium can be good for you, and put you at an advantage in avoiding Alzheimer's disease and dementia. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers have ...

Scientists and researchers will meet in Honolulu to discuss new findings in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, a common form of dementia that strikes the elderly. Sadly, while doctors will be discussing ways to detect and diagnose the disease, they are coming away empty handed with ways to cure ...

Researchers say it's the first step forward in pinpointing the Alzheimer's disease in 100 years. A brain scan using radioactive dye developed by Avid Radiopharmaceuticals Inc. has been found to be a reliable source for diagnosing the disease. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Patients with a life ...

Cancer deaths in the U.S. have been steadily declining - and according to the American Cancer Society, this reflects earlier detection and better treatments. This downward trend, which began in the early 1990s means there have been about 767,000 fewer deaths from cancer over the past two decades. ...

According to some new governmental guidelines, food aimed at children, those between the ages of two to 17 years of age - must contain food. It's all part of a crackdown on sugary fruit drinks, fatty foods and snack with empty calories that are being promoted to kids. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

Many people suffer from lower back pain. Doctors now say that attitudes, beliefs and "health literacy" of sufferers influence how they manage their pain. According to Australian researchers, health literacy is the ability to find, understand and use health information. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

Deprived of our usual allotment of sleep, we sometimes reach for a coffee, soda or energy drink - but being reliant on these things can lead to a vicious cycle, Camille Peri writing for WebMD warns. "The java jolt that helps you stay awake can take up to eight hours to wear off. Caffeine can also ...

A new study has found that depression increases a subject's risk for dementia or Alzheimer's disease. The report, published in Neurology, studied 1,000 people over the course of 17 years. The findings concluded that those who were depressed almost doubled their risk for dementia and Alzheimer's ...

"I can only imagine the horror and anger our veterans must be feeling after receiving this letter," Rep. Russ Carnahan says. "They have every right to be angry. So am I." Carnahan is speaking in reference to the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri who may have been exposed to life ...

Lizzie Velasquez is a 21-year-old college student in Austin, Texas who has a problem that many weight-conscious women would envy. Due to a rare and undiagnosed disease, Velasquez can not gain weight. In fact, she has to eat every 15 minutes in order to stay alive. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) ...

A new drug to help diabetics manage blood glucose levels has been developed by Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH. The new drug could provide stiff competition to Merck & Co.'s Januvia and AstraZeneca Plc's Onglyza. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The drug, called linagliptin cut glucose levels in ...

Heroin use is on the decline in the United States. However - the usage of the highly addicting narcotic remains a prevalent problem in western nations such as Europe, according to a new United Nations report. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - In its annual World Drug Report, U.N. officials found ...

Americans eat too much salt, came the conclusion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its recent survey on Morbidity and Mortality report. The report says only 9.6 percent of adults met their recommended limit. The rest eat far too much salt, usually hiding out in meat preservatives ...

By all accounts, 31-year-old Kai Hibbard was a poster child for the NBC reality TV show, "The Biggest Loser," by shedding 118 pounds in just twelve weeks. Hibbard says she came dangerously close to dying while participating in the program - something NBC vehemently denies. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

The world's deadliest killer, HIV/AIDS, and the Birth Control Pill have been carrying on a secret and deadly "love affair" for decades. While women swallowed their "freedom" with the morning orange juice, studies that should have made global headlines yellowed in medical journals, unknown to the ...

While Americans spend at least $10 billion annually for anti-depression and anti-anxiety medications, a proven cure costs nothing and is gaining foothold with doctors treating patients with emotional upset. The solution is simply - exercise. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "I was really ...

Skin cancer is becoming increasingly common among younger women - and doctors are saying it's because of the popularity of tanning beds and salons. The practice of sunbathing was at one time restricted to clear summer days, but due to tanning beds, more Americans are staying golden brown year ...

The maker of Benadryl and Tylenol, two popular over-the-counter brands of medicine have added five lots to a growing recall list. The recalls were in response to side effects suffered by those who took the drugs, such as nausea and vomiting. The drugs were sold in the United States and in Bermuda, ...

An experimental vaccine being tested in the United Kingdom has shown great success with some skin cancer patients, or those who suffer from melanoma. The vaccine has helped some patients even in the most advanced stages of the disease. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The vaccine attacks tumor ...

A study by cancer specialists has found that smokers who have higher levels of vitamin B6 and certain essential proteins in their blood have a lower risk of getting lung cancer than those without. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer ...

There's an old saying among medical skeptics that "science gives you the disease, and then sells you the cure." This sentiment is gaining in popularity among those who think the over reliant by doctors to use radiation to diagnose poses a major health risk. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Dr. ...

Some Republicans are accusing the president of breaking his word on health care reform. The Obama administration announced this week that individuals can keep their existing health plans. However, those plans could start offering more benefits, as well as rise in out-of-pocket cost. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

An inexpensive and easily administered drug which stems excessive bleeding could save as many as 100,000 lives a year, British researchers say. Studies have found that tranexamic acid, or TXA significantly cut death rates, suggesting it could prevent thousands of untimely deaths annually worldwide ...

"Short people got no reason - To live," sand Randy Newman in his satirical song "Short People." "They got little noses, and tiny little teeth, they wear platform shoes, on their nasty little feet," the humorous lyrics went. On a more serious topic - doctors in Finland have found a link between ...

A new study of breast cancer patients says that invasive surgery may not be needed, and a single session of radiation therapy may be more effective than several sessions. This comes as highly welcome news to patients who undergo painful treatments in order to cure the disease. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

A gene-based drug used to battle lung cancer is showing remarkable success in patients. In test studies, 90 percent of the test subjects reported their tumors shrinking in as little as two months. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) -  The drug, Pfizer Inc.'s crizotinib, was expected to only ...

Melanoma is among the most virulent of cancers. Starting with the skin, in can metastasize and spread throughout the body and major organs in six to nine months. A new dug, called ipilimumab produced by the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Company is showing remarkable success with cancer patients against the ...

A set of collectible glasses depicting characters from the motion picture "Shrek Forever After" has been found to contain trace amounts of the carcinogen cadmium. The McDonald's fast food chain has issued a recall of the 12 million items. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The U.S. Consumer ...

The World Health Organization is warning others to stay vigilant. The H1N1 pandemic is far from over, and everyone needs to stay on their toes against a possible outbreak. The organization says that while the worst part of the pandemic is over for many parts of the world, the deadly H1N1 virus ...

A doctor is claiming that a vaccine tested on laboratory mice could prevent breast cancer and save the lives of millions of women. Dr. Vincent Tuohy says that the experiments showed "overwhelmingly favorable results." LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Tuohy, who led the research at the Cleveland ...

Desperate employees across the United States are seeking a permanent solution for temporary problems by taking their own lives. Furthermore, many of them are electing to end their lives while at work. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Figures are especially disconcerting. There were more ...

The number of Americans suffering from high blood pressure, or hypertension, has not decreased. The good news is that a larger number of Americans are controlling their high blood pressure with medication, exercise and diet. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Hypertension is a major risk factor ...

More than 700 serious side effects and at least 30 deaths have been linked with a popular drug brand, best known for the aspirin substitute Tylenol. McNeil, a division of Johnson & Johnson in addition to Tylenol, manufactures Motrin and Benadryl. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Food and ...

An especially pure, frequently lethal form of heroin is making it's was from Mexico and into the United States. It can be had for as little as $10 a bag, and is frequently lethal to users who are unaware of its deadly potency. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "We found people who snorted it ...

Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne virus has hit the Florida town of Key West over the past nine months. More than two dozen cases have been reported. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While it's certainly not among the first reported cases of dengue fever in the United States, or the first reported ...

Stem cell research is seen by the scientific community as a valuable tool in the fight against genetic and hereditary diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and arthritis. Stem cells hold the key to bone cells muscles cells and brain cells. However always deadly embryonic stem cell research ...

Belly fat is the bane of existence for many middle-aged people. A big gut or "beer belly" is linked to heart disease and diabetes, and now researchers see a link to Alzheimer's and dementia. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A U.S. study of more than 700 adults showed that being overweight is ...

Medical authorities that the global fight to turn back the tide of tuberculosis cases is failing. There are currently more than nine million people infected, with two million deaths blamed on the disease. Doctors are now calling on new strategies in dealing with the respiratory infection. LOS ...

With or without a pregnancy, the "my body, my choice" argument tragically fails us. Reflecting on the relationship that exists among the major organ systems can offer a deeper insight into the other-centered nature of our bodies, and how relinquishing a wrong understanding of "ownership" can ...

Do you often sleep later than you usually do? Do you get up late for work or school? Do you find yourself sleeping in your spare time? If so you may have reasons to be concerned . oversleeping is a sign of depression, one that is not generally considered a common symptom of the disease. LOS ...

It's the bane of existence for some of the most efficient and accurate typists in the workplace. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a painful affliction that affects the hands of the sufferer, usually comes from repetitious hand movements. While many typists suffer from CTS, it can also become an issue ...

The study took 10 years and studied nearly 13,000 cell phone users. However - the links between cell phone use and brain cancer proved to be inconclusive, and medical officials say that further research is required. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A study by the World Health Organization's ...

Recently I read of an extraordinary application of probiotics in oral health. It was developed by Dr. Jeffrey Hillman, D.M.D., Ph.D. It is the result of more than 25 years of research which began at the Harvard-affiliated Forsyth Institute in Boston and continued at the University of Florida. The ...

When honey bees try to seal their hive from the outside world they secrete a resin type material (propolis) that has antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-parasite type capabilities. Some of this resin material is found in honey and may play a role in the healing properties recorded. Further research ...

Researchers in the U.S. and Europe have identified two genes that may lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Nine genes have since been identified as being possibly tied to the degenerative brain disease. Results of the study will be published in the May 12 issue of the Journal of the ...

Women who have a family history of breast cancer are at a greater risk for the disease. Now, researchers at Cambridge University have pinpointed five genetic clues which points to the hereditary link of the disease. LOS ANGELES, CA (catholic Online) - It's believed that about one in 20 of all ...

Cancer's high cost to human life is reflected in the high cost now used to treat patients. According to a new study, fighting the disease has doubled over the past 20 years - but new, expensive drugs may not be the main reason as to why. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to the ...

Romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands are being recalled in 23 states. The produce is suspected in an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 19 people in Ohio, New York and Michigan. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Twelve people have since been hospitalized. The Federal ...

A strain of liver cancer is on the rise. According to a recent medical study, the increase is directly related to untreated hepatitis B and C infections. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report, rates of hepatocellular carcinoma in the U.S. have ...

Washington D.C. will soon allow medical marijuana to qualifying patients. The city council voted unanimously this week to allow the U.S. capital to join 14 states in allowing marijuana to treat certain chronically ill patients. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The new law needs to be signed by ...

Scientists trying to determine the origins of multiple sclerosis conducted studies on three identical twins. In all three cases, one twin had MS while the other one didn't. After intensive research using extremely fine-grained analytical tools - it was found that the twins' genes were identical. ...

A better diet, keeping the mind alert with puzzles and games and exercise have all been at one time or another to have thought to stave off Alzheimer's disease. Sadly, after years of extensive research, scientists are now saying there's no way to prevent the mentally debilitating disease. LOS ...

Untold millions of people are dependant on organ donations to save - or improve their quality of life. Sadly, many of these requests go unanswered, and those in need die an untimely death. To remedy this, New York Assemblyman Richard Brodsky has suggested that everyone in New York become a ...

While those who suffer from type 1 diabetes are reliant on insulin to keep their condition under control, additional boosts of insulin are sometimes required during meals. Even those with automated insulin pumps that release measured doses throughout the day need an extra dose during meals, and ...

The vaccination offered in 1976 to protect people from "swine flu" was at one time thought to be major blunder. It now turns out that that old vaccination could have immunized people against the deadly H1N1 virus. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Tests of blood from medical staff along with ...

The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released some very grim statistics this week on American citizens. Nearly half of all adult Americans have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, all conditions that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

The recipient of the world's first full facial transplant is reportedly doing quite well. The operation that caused a worldwide sensation required 30 surgeons at Vall d'Hebron hospital in Barcelona, Spain. The operation has given a farmer, who accidentally blew off his face with a shotgun five ...

A study into the effects of cell phone use and users' health is being launched this week. Since widespread mobile phone usage is only about 10 years old, previous studies correlating the two have been shown to be inconclusive. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study will analyze a quarter of ...

A rare - but frequently fatal fungus has been spreading across the North American Pacific Northwest. Cryptococcus gattii or C. gattii has been found in Washington and Oregon states, and infects both humans and animals. At least one in four people affected by the fungus has died. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

The abundance of salt in processed foods is the ongoing cause of many health issues in the United States, where heart disease, heart attack and stroke remain a leading cause of death. Senator Tom Harkin, chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee is demanding a swift response ...

The gift of wine has implications not only for our physical health but for our growth in understanding the history and meaning of our faith.Like all of Gods' gifts, the "goods" of the earth, it is how it is received and used which makes all the difference. Dr. Denton Weiss considers the role wine ...

Up your nose with a rubber hose! That epithet heard on TV's "Happy Days" series takes on a new meaning with the discovery of a new breed of leech that swims up the nose of its victims. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The toothy leech, called the Tyrannobdella rex, "tyrant leech king," or just ...

A recent study of 2,000 people, aged 65 and over who were free of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, found that they were likely to favor a "Mediterranean" diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as omega-3 fatty acids promotes heart health, and what's good for the heart is good for the ...

A recent study of 2,000 people, aged 65 and over who were free of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, found that they were likely to favor a "Mediterranean" diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, as well as omega-3 fatty acids promotes heart health, and what's good for the heart is good for the ...

Most people go to the hospital when they are ill and need medical attention. However - many patients continue to grow ill in hospitals, due to germs that incubate there. According to a governmental study, infections incurred at hospitals account for about 100,000 deaths annually. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

Brain-healthy food greatly reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer´s disease later on in life. Researchers studying the disease at Columbia University in New York say that a diet rich in olive oil, poultry, nuts and fish are effective in preventing the onset of Alzheimer´s. LOS ANGELES, CA ...

In the springtime, long dormant plants spring back to life, leaving pesky pollen everywhere for people to not enjoy. While intended to spread further vegetation, a lot of pollen goes straight into noses and throats. Allergic reactions to pollen include sneezing, coughing, itching, runny noses and ...

Tennis star Martina Navratilova has been diagnosed with breast cancer – but it was detected in time and her chances of recovery are described as excellent. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The 53-year-old athlete told People magazine that "I cried. I feel so in control of my life and my body, ...

A new European study has found in teenagers with a predisposition to obesity due to the "fatso" gene can beat the odds with an hour of vigorous exercise a day. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – "Be active in your way,: Jonathan Ruiz with the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. "Activities such as ...

Some patients are confronted with a sign on a physician´s office that reads "If you voted for Obama, seek urologiccare elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years." So far, no patients in Mount Dora, Florida have been turned away – but Dr. Jack Cassell is still hopping ...

Smoking cigarettes is a proven health risk, impacting the health and shortening the lives of countless Americans. The Food and Drug Administration is now considering what many see as a highly unpopular move – the banning of mentholated cigarettes. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Mentholated ...

U.S. health advisers are suggesting that tanning beds be off limits to those under 18 years of age. The devices have been shown to increase the risks of skin cancer. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The Food and Drug Administration is recommending that warning labels be affixed to the machines ...

President Barack Obama signed his health care reform package into law this week, and some of the changes will go into effect almost immediately. Other changes won't go into effect until the next presidential election in 2012, or 2014. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – In September, health ...

Lasik eye-corrective surgery can be an overwhelmingly positive, life-affirming experience. Those who undergo the procedure long dependant on eyeglasses and contact lenses can throw them away with confidence in as short as a period of a single day. While Lasik has enabled many suffering from near or ...

Walking is a recognized low-impact way to exercise and improve mental well being. The Mayo Clinic recommends that more people take a simple stroll around their neighborhood to improve personal health. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – According to the Mayo Clinic, chief among the many benefits of ...

We may love our cheddar cheese fries and sugar-laced sodas, but if they cost more than what we have in our pocketbook, we tend to leave them alone. Therefore, a tax on junk food could potentially say lives, experts say. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "What we found was that an 18 percent ...

In some parts of the world, same sex relations between men can be punished with a death sentence. It's one of the reasons why those infected with the HIV virus don't seek help – further spreading the disease in third world nations. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The U.N. AIDS agency declared ...

The scene of a usual crime scene has detectives scouring surfaces for fingerprints. In the near future, such a procedure could be obsolete. Bacteria left on the hands could turn out to be more indicative of "who's been naughty and who's been nice." LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The bacterial ...

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims, after releasing more than 600 pages of findings found that claims of a causal link between childhood vaccinations and autism as being unpersuasive – and that parents of autistic children are not eligible for compensation. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Special ...

The United States, long considered the standard bearer of western civilization has seen its maternity deaths double over the past 20 years. The human rights organization Amnesty International has denounced this trend as "scandalous and disgraceful." LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – In addition ...

If your high school athlete goes from playing football to basketball and then baseball with a stop to play other sports in between, you should listen to what this doctor has to say: Give it a rest! LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) -  "Teenage athletes who play in multiple leagues and ...

The drug of choice for many young people doesn't require meeting a pusher near a schoolyard – many simply reach under the kitchen sink. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Young people regularly turn to inhaling gasoline, nail polish and cleaners in order to become intoxicated. The U.S. Department ...

Dual studies say it is now possible to map the genes of family members and find the offending strands of DNA responsible for inherited diseases The results, which would not have been possible as recently as one to two years ago, are courtesy of the Human Genome Project's mapping of the human ...

Of all diseases, AIDS is one of the most insidious. It can hide undetected in organs to strike anew in patients. New research has found that AIDS can now hide in bone marrow – and researchers now say that finding a treatment will take many years. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – As reported in ...

In many nursing homes for the elderly, there are multisensory rooms where patients listen to soft music and watch bright colors. These special areas have therapeutic value for those afflicted with Alzheimer's or dementia. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Multisensory rooms are seen as providing ...

Your child could stare into space uninterrupted. They could also grab their stomachs and have a terrified expression on their face. They could also lose consciousness temporarily and then suddenly regain it. All of these behaviors could be diagnosed as epileptic seizures. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic ...

The battle against worldwide malaria cases is in danger of being compromised with misdiagnosis and misuse of drugs, the World Heath Organization warns. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The UN health agency now says that patients suspected of being stricken with malaria be tested for the disease. ...

Colds, that upper respiratory infection that keeps most of us "under the weather" is very common in the winter months. Colds are especially common in children, where they attend school and come in contact with other children every day. How can you minimize the risk of your child getting the ...

Jimmy or June comes in, holding their head to the side. "Mommy .... my ear hurts," they say as a tear cascades down their cheek. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Earaches in children are very common. Children's eustachian tubes are shorter and more narrow than those of adults, and most children ...

A study has found that more African-American and Hispanic doctors are needed to address their respective communities in order to provide better health care. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "What happens with the health outcome, depends upon good communication, the trust and credibility between ...

Secondhand smoke from cigars and cigarettes is never good – and according to a new study, it's even worse than previously feared. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – The study finds that teenagers exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke are more likely to have changes to their blood vessels that could ...

Half a million female condoms will soon be readily available at hair salons, convenience stores and high schools in Washington D.C. The latest effort recognizes the failure for men to use condoms against the spread of HIV/AIDS. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – Supporters of the female ...

It usually happens when we're out for a stroll. We misjudge the height of the pavement or stick or foot in an unexpected gopher hole. After some tears and bad language, we find ourselves with a twisted, or sprained ankle. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "If your ankle gets swollen and painful ...

It's always been suggested that men 50 years and older should be checked for prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society now says that the decision should be a personal one. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – In fact, the organization says that men should seriously consider the negatives involved ...

According to Mark Stibich, Ph.D., it's important to keep smiling when you're feeling stressed or down. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Stibich advises people to take this simple test. "Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is ...

A U.S. Study has found that people with narrow neck arteries that could lead to stroke can be successfully treated with stents and avoid surgery. The results were reported last week at the American Stroke Association conference last week. However – a similar study has found some discouraging news ...

According to Chicago Tribune travel columnist Ed Perkins, keeping restaurant employees healthy in San Francisco is being added to the price of your meal ... and it's giving him indigestion. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "The rationale for this one is to cover the employers' mandatory ...

Doctors warn that children in the U.S. are moving into a stage where they are constantly eating, with three snacks on top of their three meals a day. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – As reported in the journal Health Affairs, 27 percent of calories that American kids eat are from snacks. ...

Nighttime has a bad reputation for inspiring less-than-honorable acts that people ordinarily wouldn't do in the light of day. It turns out there may be a scientific reason for that old notion. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) – In a study conducted by the University of Toronto's Rotman School of ...

Women over the age of 50 who consume a diet rich in fat face a far greater risk for strokes."It's a tremendous increase that is potentially avoidable. What's bad for the heart is bad for the brain," Dr. Emil Matarese, stroke chief at St. Mary Medical Center says. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - ...

The numbers of doctors in the United States is rapidly dwindling, and could face a shortage of 200,000 physicians by the year 2025. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Among the many reasons behind the shortage is that there are fewer students attending medical school. There are also growing ...

A piece of paper, less than an inch across will soon be used to diagnose deadly diseases. The cost for each will be one cent. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Harvard Chemistry Professor George Whitesides has developed a paper chip prototype that will help diagnose such deadly diseases such as ...

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - You can't fall asleep. Your bedroom clock shows the hours creeping by, and restful slumber seems impossible. What are you to do? If you are experiencing jet lag, or a sudden change in lifestyle or environment, chances are your insomnia is only temporary and your ...

Many Americans at risk for heart disease take aspirin daily. Some medical experts say these people should reconsider.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While many people take low-dose aspirin daily to prevent heart attack and stroke, some doctors say the negative effects of daily aspirin ...

A U.S. Citizen originally from the Indian subcontinent is far more likely to become overweight, researchers say. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study, conducted by Emory University found that birthplace may alter how heavily body weight influences an immigrant's risk of developing ...

Junior has come home from school complaining of an itchy scalp. Soon, everybody at home is scratching their heads, both literally and figuratively over this mysterious ailment. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Head lice is a very common problem among young children, where they come in contact ...

The second leading cause of death in the U.S. could be limited with just a few minor lifestyle changes.  LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Those are the findings in a recent study on high blood pressure, conducted by the Institute of Medicine. High blood pressure, or hypertension, claims ...

For the sake of your health – be happy. "If you aren't naturally a happy person, just try acting like one," said Dr. Karina Davidson of Columbia University Medical Center. "It could help your heart." LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Researchers at Columbia University rated the happiness levels ...

Human skin, animal fur, decomposing insects, food debris, lint and organic fibers from clothes, bedding and other fabrics, tracked-in soil, soot, particulate matter from smoking and cooking ... lead, arsenic and DDT. LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - That's what makes up that thin layer clinging ...

While spider plants dangling from macrame ropes was very common in home décor throughout the Seventies, they hid a very important health benefit. The plants proved to be very helpful in absorbing carbon monoxide, the toxic exhaust gas that can build up in buildings with low ventilation. Laboratory ...

A study conducted in Japan suggests that expectant mothers should eat fruits and vegetables in order to lower allergy risks to their infants. The recent study monitored the vegetable and fruit intake of 763 pregnant women and their offspring's early-age eczema or allergic wheeze. The study, ...

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A recent study claims that thousands of lives in the United States could be saved if salt intake was reduced by as little as less than a teaspoon a day. However, it would require U.S. food manufacturers to scale back salt added to processed meals.  Computer ...

Adult stem cells are saving lives now and offering hope. WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNSNews.com) - Imagine a tragic automobile accident that leaves a young girl a quadriplegic. Imagine a young mother of two who discovers that a disease is ravaging her body and turning her vital organs into stone. Imagine ...

While doctors, pharmacists and nurses rank high, members of Congress are the least trusted, says a recent Gallup poll. WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNSNews.com) - Doctors, pharmacists and nurses are the most trusted people in America and Members of Congress are the least trusted, according to a new Gallup ...

A recent poll has found that American women overwhelmingly prefer private health-care insurance over a government-run option. WASHINGTON, D.C. (CNSNews.com) – Nearly two-thirds of American women would rather have private health-care insurance than a government-run plan, according to a poll released ...

We are hearing a lot about Omega 3 fatty acids these days. Are you confused, like many people, about Omega 3 ('Fish Oil')? Read on...­ PORTSMOUTH, VA (Catholic Online) Recently, I received the following letter: Dear Dr Denton, I am confused about Omega 3 and the ratios and types of supplements. ...

Why are apples so healthy? We know that eating apples has a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease, colon health, and some forms of cancer. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) – "Ait a happle avore gwain to bed, An' you'll make the doctor beg his bread” = “Eat an apple on going to bed, and ...

Baltimore (Catholic Review) - New Year’s may typically be a time for fresh starts and new goals, but when it comes to leading a more healthful lifestyle, there’s no time like the present. “You do not need a special day to start working on your goals,” said Jacki Dalsimer, fitness director for ...

San Francisco (Catholic San Francisco) - More than half of the senior population has a chronic illness, defined as a permanently altered state of health that significantly affects daily living. Examples include arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease and neurological diseases such as ...

'Low-fat'/'no-fat' has not necessarily improved our health. Time to reject the 'Big Fat Lie' and choose only 'smart fats' to improve our health. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) - ”Dear Dr Denton: I thought eating fat made you fat. Please explain to me the differences between all these different ...

San Francisco, CA (Catholic San Francisco) - More than half of the senior population has a chronic illness, defined as a permanently altered state of health that significantly affects daily living. Examples include arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease and neurological diseases such as ...

Dear Dr Denton: Does sun- block somehow affect Vitamin D in the body? Yes. PORTSMOUTH, VA. (Catholic Online) - Sun - blocks prevent penetration of light waves from stimulating the transition of cholesterol (cutaneous 7-dehydrocholesterol) to Vitamin D in the body. Even though we worry about the ...

Have we driven a generation of patients to low fat diets which may have helped the heart but actually starved the brain? PORTSMOUTH, VA. (Catholic Online) - The health of our brain is dependent on the food we eat, the life we live, and how hard we work our mind. We clearly know that a moderate ...

The temperature hit 102 over the weekend. The Beach came alive with mass humanity. I watched as my future patients skin turned red. It is time for sun block. PORTSMOUTH, VA. (Catholic Online) - Sun Protection Factor (SPF) ratings is a measure of the level of protection from the sun. A sunscreen ...

Allentown, PA (A.D. Times) – “Scary words are words for which we hold inadequate – not incorrect – understandings. By keeping those words at a distance, we fail to discover the richness and insight they hold for our lives,” explained Sr. Mary Pat Garvin, R.S.M., Ph.D., May 21 during a seminar ...

Baltimore (Catholic Review) - Catholic health care providers need to stand up and defend their right to practice medicine in a way that’s consistent with their religious convictions, according to several speakers at a symposium on conscience rights held May 9 at St. Joseph Medical Center in ...

The media can’t decide whether to scare us some more so we stay glued to 24 – 7 news channels or do the right thing and give us facts. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) - Really, this is getting to be TOO much! Once again I felt compelled to keep up with the Dooms Day approach to U.S. medicine via ...

Use common sense, do not give in to fear and this will be appropriately managed both in Mexico and across the World. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) – The rush is on to give us information… or, in some cases, is it really to sell fear? As I watched the National News Organizations give the moment ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Bowing to consumer trends, two soft drinks with connections to the past were launched this week for a national, but brief, eight-week run. Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback are sweetened with sugar made from cane and beets, unlike their namesakes, which use ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Most of the 15 people gathered for a support group this month did not look sick. But when they began to talk about their common conditions, the list of symptoms went on and on. Pain, fatigue, depression. Insomnia, nausea, headaches. Muscle spasms, ringing in the ears ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - Everybody falls. Down the stairs, on the ice or over your own feet; it happens all the time. For most people, falling is no big deal. But older adults face a higher risk for injuries. One in three adults 65 and older stumble each year, and about one-third of those ...

Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) - Nicholas Pollock must avoid reds, blues, yellows, purples. That's a result of the severe asthma and allergies from which the pint-sized 2½-year-old Stow, Ohio, youngster suffers. But he is much healthier _ thanks to green living. His grateful mother, Suzanne Balch, ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Step aside, blueberries, spinach and broccoli. It's time to give unsung superfoods a chance. Many of us tend to eat what we know and what we can pronounce and prepare. But mixing things up helps add more healthful micronutrients and phytochemicals into our diets, said Mary ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - More than a mere exercise, the humble push-up can be viewed as nothing less than a metaphor for life itself. Think of its motion as mirroring the cyclical, up-and-down nature of existence, almost Sisyphean in movement. Often, as in life, you are pushing against your own ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - You ditched the baby oil with iodine ions ago, but you still have some burning questions about less-obvious sun no-no's. Now that spring is here and everyone's exposure time is likely to increase, get updated on the latest sun sense: _Tanning beds: Safer than sun? No. ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Justin Egle was born at 23 weeks, before his retinas had a chance to fully develop, leaving him totally blind. Now 13, the Glenview, Ill., boy has fallen behind academically _ and his mother believes it's because he hasn't received adequate Braille training. His school ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - Most Americans don't get enough vitamin D. And while it's well-known that vitamin D deficiencies can lead to bone problems, a University of Missouri professor has also found a link to inflammation. Healthy women with low vitamin D levels had higher concentrations of ...

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Michelle Stevens first noticed the red, blotchy patches on her toddler's feet after he started walking. Every time Noah walked outdoors in their grassy backyard, the blotches appeared. Before long, the itchy patches _ signs of eczema _ began popping up on Noah's legs ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - After downing three or four energy drinks every day for a couple of weeks, Jason Moore started to get severe chest pains. He thought he was having a heart attack or stroke. But his doctor told him that the chest pain might be caused by the energy drink. "I don't think ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - Doug Woods wondered whether people taking his CPR classes were really getting it. As a paramedic, he knew what it felt like to give someone the life-saving technique. He told those he trained about the tired wrists, fatigued arms and aching backs that come with ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - A broken leg isn't going to stop Lindsay Ratcliffe from being at the finish line of the annual walkathon to raise money for research on progeria, the extremely rare disease of accelerated aging that afflicts the Flat Rock, Mich., pre-schooler and 45 other people ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - Eustacia Cutler sat at a piano, practicing Bach. Her daughter, Temple Grandin, was on the floor _ lost in her own world. Lost inside her 2½-year-old mind. Temple couldn't talk and refused to communicate. She started humming, crumpling a newspaper. Squeezing. Shredding. ...

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) - Many here say the state's experiment in health-care reform is a great success. The governor said last week that 97 percent of residents had health insurance _ the highest percentage in the nation. But now comes Round 2: controlling health-care costs. The state can ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - When you can't get to the gym, exercise the way our ancestors did: Move throughout the day. At first, this might feel inconvenient and bothersome. But real-world fitness _ walking, standing, raising and lifting grocery bags, cutting vegetables or climbing stairs _ isn't just ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - When someone's heart is about to quit, they're usually told to wait for a transplant or wait to die. Lately, doctors have found other options. "Transplant will never solve the public health dilemma which is posed by all these people with end-stage heart disease," ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - Dr. George Kichura looked at Marc Leeke and his blood tests last fall and diagnosed him with metabolic syndrome. Leeke, 50, of Ballwin, Mo., weighed 258 pounds (too heavy), had triglyceride levels near 300 (twice what they should be) and low HDL levels (that's the ...

Sun Sentinel (MCT) - There's one essential rule to follow in today's workplace: Keep your cool. It's not always easy to do. Tension is rampant at many companies as they go through layoffs, mergers and other culture-changing events. "Let's get rid of the hothead. We don't need more drama in this ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - The driving thing gets all the publicity and even the legislation. But I am becoming convinced that another cell phone habit is every bit the menace, or would be if not for the absence of two tons of motorized steel. I'm talking about the talk 'n' walk, the traveling ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - In her former job as a school bus attendant, LaSonya Thomas helped care for other people's disabled children. Now her life is consumed by the around-the-clock needs of her own severely ill daughter. Thomas became a full-time caregiver last year for 15-year-old Maureeka ...

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Most chest pain is caused by fatty deposits that hinder blood flow through the main, spaghetti-thick arteries of the heart. But for some patients, the problem is rooted in the thousands of tiny arteries that feed the muscle. This is a form of chest pain called ...

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Timing is everything, comedians say. It's also important when it comes to taking care of your brain. Yet most of us start worrying about dementia after retirement _ and that may be too little, too late. Experts say that if you really want to ward off dementia, you ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - There is nothing smooth about a cool glass of camel's milk. The animals aren't cooperative, milk production is less than stellar and it's illegal to sell across state lines. Still, proponents, led by Millie Hinkle of Pittsboro, N.C., say camel's milk may be an elixir, ...

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - Mike Walsh left the operating room and made a bee line for the computer. The orthopedic surgeon at TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Bloomington, Minn., had just finished fixing a patient's shoulder and now entered information into the computer that will allow the ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Despite two large studies released Wednesday, uncertainty lingers for men weighing whether to be tested or treated for prostate cancer. For every life saved, dozens of men undergo potentially damaging treatment _ including some men who never would have died of ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - With a little spit and a few keyboard strokes, you can unlock the secrets of your DNA. At least, it seems that simple at an array of Internet sites that are pitching genetic tests directly to consumers. The businesses claim to examine customers' genes for conditions ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Scott Crawford wants to walk again. In September, a pile of wooden pallets fell on Crawford. The accident left him unable to move his legs because of a spinal cord injury. Crawford, 51, went from driving a tractor-trailer to negotiating a wheelchair. His arms were also ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Here's a new technology that gives a whole new dimension to the phrase "student power." We will resist references to hamsters on a wheel: Expending a little energy on an exercise machine at the University of Kentucky can now mean you're also generating energy. Some of ...

San Jose Mercury News (MCT) - The young man in the tall swivel chair at the mall seems lost in nicotine nirvana as he takes a deep drag on a cigarette and blows smoke rings to the surprise of passing shoppers. Sarah Kruberg, a 21-year-old college student from Portola Valley, Calif., does a double ...

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) - Gregory Shea was in his early 20s, supervising lifeguards at a recreation facility, when he got his first management lesson from a 16-year-old part-time locker-room attendant. She told Shea, essentially, to lighten up and go with the flow, to stop micromanaging, ...

cClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Women have been toasting red wine research for years, tossing back their cabernets and pinot noirs with every finding that has linked red wine to such health benefits as lowered heart attack risk and slower aging. But the party may be over. Two major studies in the past ...

Capital News Service (MCT) - Protecting J.J., the 4-month-old son of Shawna Bader-Blau, is time-consuming, what with checking labels, reading safety information, buying chemical-free baby wipes and finding phthalate-free baby bottles. "There are so many recalls, they just make you scared of ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Sometimes it's a spouse who hears the horrible grinding in the bed next to them. Other times, the problem isn't discovered until a trip to the dentist reveals well-worn teeth on the verge of chipping or cracking. It's called bruxism _ the subconscious grinding of one's ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - For as long as anyone can remember, America has embraced such pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstrap maxims as "failure breeds success," "learn from your mistakes " and "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." People are still willing to learn from their mistakes. ...

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) - Judi Rothman found out a year ago that she had colon cancer that had spread to her liver. Every day since then, she has lived with worry. She can push it beneath the surface of her life most of the time. But the minute her doctor tells her it's time for another ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - She poses like a champion, one foot in front of the other, a dazzling _ yet not forced-looking _ smile at the ready. And even when she's asked the same questions over and over, when she has to shake one more hand, smile for one more picture or when yet another little girl ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - I recently searched several doctor rating Web sites to see whether other people like my OB-GYN as much as I do. On Angie's List (angieslist.com), better known for rating plumbers and handymen, I paid a monthly fee of $8.75 to find out she had received an "A." Still, the ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Watch Nina Stickles push herself through a 6-mile training session along Chesapeake Avenue in Hampton, Va., and it's hard to believe she was ever anything but a runner. Ditto for the energy she shows on the job at Hampton's Sentara Center for Fitness & ...

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - Outside, snow fell silently as the neighborhood slept. Inside, Dr. Shalini Bobra had been up for hours, her Edina, Minn., home buzzing with activity. Bracing herself for the day with a belt of chai tea, she shook out a handful of Cheerios for her 10-month-old ...

The food you eat and the daily exercise should be considered as part of your daily medicine. I'll be praying for you tonight. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) - "Ever since my radical hysterectomy and lymphectomy a little over a year ago I have put on over 60 lbs and I rarely eat much. I have ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Nettie Shafer has a house, a car and about $1,000 left in savings. But the 59-year-old divorced bank teller risks losing all if she doesn't find a job with health insurance soon. Shafer, who lives in Raleigh, is on about a dozen medicines, seven of them to prevent a ...

I am going to be 30 this July. I am between 6'-1" and 6'-2", and the worst part is I am about 300-305 lbs. I really want to lose weight. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) - I am going to be 30 this July. I am between 6'-1" and 6'-2", and the worst part is I am about 300-305 lbs. I really want to ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - I love reading books on integrative health _ treatments that blend the best of conventional and alternative medicine _ because they give me some semblance of control. It's my body; I'm the one who should take care of it. And by researching my ailments, I've learned ...

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - TV has become a great scapegoat for these stressful times. But is a teenager who watches hours of daily television more likely to become depressed? Yes. In a study conducted at University of Pittsburgh, researchers interviewed 4,142 adolescents _ none of whom showed ...

Sun Sentinel (MCT) - He has been the cover model for Men's Health magazine a record 18 times. And his book, "Muscle Chow," is a bible for trainers and fitness fanatics. But Gregg Avedon is ready to turn his focus elsewhere, which explains why he walks around a dim Sunrise, Fla., gym in a deserted ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Maiysha is not a person who loves the gym. But after a two-week layoff stemming from a fall, the Grammy-nominated singer has found her way back to the elliptical trainer. "Kill me now!" Maiysha pleaded during our recent workout at the Lakeshore Athletic Club Illinois Center. ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Are you happy? It's not such a silly question. Given the mountains of bad news around us, feeling down seems like a natural reaction, even if our own lives haven't been directly affected. For some people, the feeling goes beyond glum: Some providers say they're seeing ...

The Orange County Register (MCT) - He heard nothing but the voices of paramedics. "I got his arm, I got his shoulder," they said. "Grab his legs." He saw nothing at all. Moments earlier, something came crashing through Ali Reshamwalla's windshield. The blast knocked him unconscious and sent him ...

Sports are not merely the exercise of muscles, but the school of moral values and of training in courage, in perseverance, and in overcoming laziness and carelessness. ROME (Catholic Online) - On November 24, 1984, upon their return from Los Angeles where they had participated in the the L.A. ...

Every Christian is called to become a strong athlete of Christ, that is, a faithful and courageous witness to his Gospel. (Pope John Paul II) ROME (Catholic Online) - The following homily entitled "Jubilee of Sports People" was preached by the late Servant of God John Paul II on October 29, 2000 ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - If the flu bug has landed in your home or office, doctors say, it will hang around for awhile. People who got a flu shot this year may escape the fever, sore throat, headache and body aches that are bringing people to doctors' offices. The vaccine offers a good ...

Move over aspartame and other similar products. Here comes a newer natural sweetener. PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Catholic Online) - The main sweetener in each of these products is an extract from the leaves of the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni). The sweet products of the plant are glycosides named ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - A series of staccato sounds bounces up from the hardwood floors of a studio in Life Time Fitness in Novi, Mich. Dap-diggi-dap-diggi-dap. The banging resounds around the room like the percussion section of a marching band. Dap-diggi-dap-diggi-dap. Men and women in their ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Jim and Priscilla Russell of Grand Prairie, Texas, just might be taking togetherness a little too far. While he was in the emergency room being treated for a heart attack, she was outside having one of her own. The couple, who have been married 27 years, reunited in ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Coffee, elixir of the gods. Studies say drinking it can lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and mouth cancer. It can prevent cavities. It can make you happier. It can kill a headache. It can make asthmatics breathe a little ...

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Madeline Truman Dang stands a few centimeters shy of 5 feet tall. Although she longs to be taller, the 12-year-old knows that she's lucky to be as tall as she is _ doctors once warned her parents that Madeline might not grow more than 4 feet tall. But, thanks to eight ...

Contra Costa Times (MCT) - Brie-Anne Paterson has suffered from chronic pelvic pain for more than half her life. She was the girl in gym class curled up on the locker room floor, crying and clutching her abdomen. "I would just die the week of my period," says Paterson, who lives in Tracy, Calif. ...

The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo. (MCT) - Eight-year-old Riley Mers still has a scar on her foot from a time when a peanut shell slipped into her sandal at the park, burning her skin like an acid. She's gone into hives and struggled to breathe from inhaling peanut residue too faint to smell. In ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - With his brother Frank paying no mind, Gabriel Sanchez quietly steps onto the fireplace hearth behind him and leaps upon his back. Frank barely reacts. And why should he? It's sort of like a house cat pouncing on a lion. It's typical little-brother stuff. Well, yes and ...

Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) - When Robbin Hazlett recently lost her job at a uniform and linen company, the cost to continue her health coverage could have taken her to the cleaners. To keep the same insurance plan her former employer used to provide, the Barberton, Ohio, woman would have paid ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Maybe it hits you only once in a while, whenever, say, you hear rumblings in the office that pink slips are coming, and suddenly there's that pang in your heart, the quickening of the thump-thump that are your pulse and your blood pressure rising like flames in a kindled ...

In the midst of all of the competing and apparently contradictory claims, many people are suffering from what I call “Weight loss Confusion”. What do the Experts Say? PORTSMOUTH, VA. (Catholic Online) – “I am looking for the fastest way to loss weight. I know there is a diet out there for me. The ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - Lori Wengle has come by her credentials as a personal trainer through experience. In her transformation _ from 242 pounds to 135 pounds, from weak to strong, from hiding her body to showing it off _ Wengle also has discovered the inspiration for a new business. "Because ...

The answer is in the right match up and a true commitment to move forward to improving the temple we’ve been given by God, our body. PORTSMOUTH, VA. (Catholic Online) - If you’re like me you have spent most of January trying to get in shape, start a new exercise regimen, and lose a little... A lot ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - After Geneva Grimpo fell and broke her hand and arm, doctors put the tiny, fragile-looking woman on drugs to strengthen her bones. Three years into her drug therapy, trouble began. Her lower jawbone poked out through sores on the left side of her mouth where her gums ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Everyone knew from the start that Erica Nance would present challenges. As a fetus, her abdomen failed to fuse shut in the early weeks of development, leaving all her organs outside her body instead of safely encased behind the rib cage, under muscle and sealed with ...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (MCT) - Dr. Javeed Siddiqui, an infectious-disease physician, was on the job at University of California Davis Medical Center when his iPhone rang with an urgent call. A colleague's niece was in distress, her right eye swollen from a dog bite. Siddiqui asked the girl's father ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - When Sophia Hameed first visited her birthplace of Nagpur, India, she was struck by the vast gap between haves and have-nots. "You could be having dinner in a really expensive, luxurious restaurant, then go out to the street and see a little child wearing rags and ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - With all the finger-pointing at fast food as a factor in America's obesity epidemic, you'd think people would be fatter where the supply of restaurants is greater_that is, neighborhoods teeming with burger joints, chicken shacks and so on. But according to Northwestern ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Ellin Klor seems to be everywhere these days, profiled this week in Newsweek, the San Jose Mercury News, the Washington Post and numerous other print publications. The 58-year-old children's librarian, who graduated from Davis High in 1968, was a guest on a Fox News ...

Contra Costa Times (MCT) - Robert Steiner of Pleasant Hill, Calif., manages his weight and general health by limiting his sugar consumption. As such, he's used sugar substitutes for years to sweeten his yogurt, cereal and coffee. First it was saccharin, which he found a bit sickening, he says. So ...

Sun Sentinel (MCT) - Consumers must remain vigilant about tossing salmonella-tainted peanut products found during a recent outbreak, food safety experts said. A few more people get sick every week. More than 400 products have been recalled, and more products are recalled daily. And last week, the ...

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) - It sounds strange _ plantar fasciitis _ but is common: Heel pain suffered by about one in 10 adults. Treatments, too, are many, and often low-tech and low-cost. PHILADELPHIA _ When her heels began hurting, Amy Montemarano did what surveys show most people do. She ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Marcie Jones danced her way from more than 200 pounds to her current trim 142-pound figure in less than six months. "When it became fun, then I wanted to do it," says the 45 year-old, 5-feet-3-inch Yorktown mother of four. Now she wants to pass the message ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Robb Culp believed God was leading him to donate a kidney to Carlos Esqueda even though the two Fresno, Calif., men were virtual strangers who had only one thing in common: an uncommon faith. Culp teaches chemistry at Fresno City College. Esqueda used to sell illegal ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - January makes you want to eat potatoes, drink wine and sleep forever. The days are dark and short, seasonal depression causes fatigue and the couch is often far more inviting than the frigid outdoors. Doctors can help when your winter energy crisis stems from a medical ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Along with the new year comes loads of diet books promising fantastic results if you follow their plan. This year, "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson has published his diet memoir "Slash Sugar, Cut Cholestorol, and Get a Jump on Your Best Health Ever," as ...

Contra Costa Times (MCT) - Can't afford a gym membership? Makes sense, given the financial climate and the need to tighten our belts. But if you want to tighten that belt holding up your jeans, money is no excuse. There are plenty of ways to work out and get in shape at little or no cost. "Weight ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Historians say the first marathon runner was Philippides, who, in 490 B.C., ran 24.85 miles from the battlefield at Marathon with news of the Athenian army's victory over the Persians. He reached Athens, cried out, "Rejoice, we conquer," fell down and died. Today we run ...

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Aquil McSwain was working late into the night at a recording studio when he decided to sleep there. He awoke to find a team of emergency technicians surrounding him. He had suffered a seizure, they said, and one of the other musicians called an ambulance. McSwain was ...

The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) (MCT) - Kay Sullivan grew tired of the typical exercise machines. Lifting weights bored her. And Pilates and Yoga? "They make you just want to lay there and fall asleep," says the 45-year-old Fogelsville, Pa., woman who decided to try a Brazilian-flavored group ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Problem: You are trying to lose weight and want to know many calories you're burning while on cardio equipment. Which provides the most accurate calorie count: a stationary bike, a treadmill or an elliptical machine? Solution: Caloric expenditure is mostly (but not entirely) ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Admit it. You sneak a peek at the latest rags in the checkout lane. That's OK _ there's very little else to do unless you want to memorize the ingredients of Orbit gum. Though the flashy tabs often dispense frustratingly inaccurate information _ how many times have they ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - WAKE UP If you're lucky, you're still sleeping when it's "time to make the doughnuts." We asked Joni Caputa, a pastry chef of two years at Bitter­sweet Pastry Shop in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, how she manages to kick the sand­man to the curb at 4:15 every ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - For years, Dr. Ali Keshavarzian ignored "alternative" therapies because his Western-trained brain wanted more evidence that they actually worked. But Keshavarzian also knew conventional medicine often needed some assistance. And when he learned his patients were seeking out ...

The Orange County Register (MCT) - When business slowed at Michael Beresford's advertising company in the fall, he replaced his personal trainer with www.hundredpushups.com, a free Web challenge. He also dropped the fancy gym membership to jog the hills of his Laguna Beach, Calif., neighborhood. He ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - The economy is in the toilet. The unemployment rate continues to climb. Home values have plummeted. What's there to smile about? How about your freedom, your health and _ most importantly _ your loved ones? Those are just a few of the things associated with true ...

DETROIT (MCT) - The snow has fallen, the holiday meals have piled up, and your exercise regimen has ground to a halt. New Year's resolution season is in full swing, and it's past time to find a gym. You won't be alone in that quest. January is a huge month for health clubs, with about a million ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Eight years ago, Scott Pierce, a horse doctor, began experimenting with hyaluronic acid as an oral supplement for horses. Veterinarians have traditionally injected the acid into horse joints to treat pain and swelling. Pierce, who works with Thoroughbreds at Rood and ...

The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) (MCT) - Entering Aleigha Sweet's home, all you could see was a streak of pink across the room. Playing with the cat, then coloring, then teasing her sisters, then back to the cat. You'd never have known this 6-year-old had been battling cancer for the past 2½ ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - When winter's shorter days keep you indoors, take full advantage of those slower hours. Think, contemplate, sort and work through issues, goals and dreams. "Coming through the winter solstice, from dark into light, is a great time to reflect on your past, ...

The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) (MCT) - A new consumer protection law, which takes effect Feb. 10, has had resale and thrift shop owners worried that the mandated testing of children's clothing and toys for lead and certain chemicals could prove too costly to stay in business. Some retailers ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Downhill from the I.M. Pei-designed, Ponce de Leon-inspired and worm-saturated Buck Institute for Age Research lies the rustically tony downtown of this Marin County, Calif., city. There, in a three-block stretch, is brick-and-mortar retail evidence that the deep ...

The Record (Hackensack N.J.) (MCT) - A gene that makes breast cancer tumors more likely to resist chemotherapy and to spread to other organs has been identified by a team of New Jersey researchers. The "metastasis gene" is turned on in 30 percent to 40 percent of breast cancer patients. When ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Time is growing short for the boy who "sees" with sound. Ben Underwood, the blind teenager who has dazzled people all over the world with his ability to navigate using a tongue-clicking skill called echolocation, is getting weaker day by day. The cancer that took ...

The Orange County Register (MCT) - What if someone told you turkey doesn't make you tired, or that you nails really don't keep growing after you die? The answer: The British medical journal BMJ. Last month, the journal published a list of health myths related to the holidays. It was the journal's ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - Questionnaires will soon be sent to thousands of men who donated their baby teeth half a century ago to scientists seeking to learn whether radioactive fallout in milk the donors drank as children affected their health later in life. It's the latest step in a study ...

The Dallas Morning News (MCT) - Time to rid the house of corn chips and good intentions and start fresh on a brand spankin' new year. Let's go over the resolution list again, shall we? No muffins. No pizza. No ice cream. No beer. No chocolate. No nitrates. No head cheese. No white rice. No ...

Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) - As 2008 comes to a close, Akron, Ohio, Children's Hospital has compiled "10 Kids' Health Issues to Watch" in 2009. This year's list includes both mental and physical health issues. However, one common thread factors into many of these issues and so became the country's ...

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - If you're like a lot of us, the New Year means your waist is noticeably thicker while your wallet is depressingly thinner than a month or two ago. The good news: You've come to the right place at the right time. Personal trainers put together full-body workout ...

The Dallas Morning News (MCT) - When hyperventilating sometimes seems the only option to stress, Petri Brill has a healthier suggestion: yoga. "Yoga is not just a practice of poses, but of your breath work," says Brill, a Dallas certified yoga instructor. "The practice of slow, controlled, ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - New mom Christine Chansley had read all about baby bottle tooth decay. Nearly every baby book on the market warns parents not to put children to bed with a bottle of milk, formula or juice. The practice can lead to tooth decay. But Chansley, of Tacoma, Wash., had no ...

In 1944 a public school music teacher, Donald Gardner, penned the song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth." Fast forward 64 years and a 10 year-old sang, "All I want for Christmas is a new heart." and she got one! St. Louis, MO (St. Louis Review) - This month Cathedral Basilica School ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Some supermarkets, gourmet shops and bakeries routinely sell mislabeled products that pose a danger to children with food allergies, according to Chicago Tribune testing and a comprehensive check of grocery aisles. When informed of the findings, more than a dozen companies ...

BOLIVAR, Mo. _ Granton Bayless scoots across the living room couch. When he nears the cushion's edge, an adult gently intercepts him and holds him in her arms. He squirms with enough energy that he gets his wish. Back on the couch. More scooting. Granton's life is as preciously carefree as any ...

Virginia Beach, Va (Catholic Online) - Over the past five years multiple diets have been presented using some form of the glycemic index as a measure of good verses bad carbohydrates. The value used to determine good verses bad carbohydrates is based largely on the glycemic index of individual ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Forget about gagging on pills that seem as big as footballs or swallowing liquids that smell like cod liver oil. Today, everything from cough medicine to multiple vitamins has been turned into pellets that melt, powders that dissolve and gum balls that can be gobbled up ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Dragging around heavy luggage, slouching in airport chairs and sitting for long flights can turn the holidays into a pain in the back. The spine was designed to move, not sit still for hours in planes or cars, said Jason Brewton, physical therapy director for the Texas ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - They're called the iPod Generation _ all those kids wired to earbuds and MP3 players this holiday season as they hunker down to endure long road trips or relatives that visit even longer. But they're at risk of becoming the "Huh? What?" Generation. You've heard of ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - This is just what you need, in the aftermath of pumpkin pie and the advent of holiday parties: gross-out science about deep belly fat. But first, some encouragement. Cyd Nelson and Suzy Wiley, both of Kansas City, Mo., both trim and fit, were briskly hitting the path ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - As a child, Cyndy King tagged along with her physician father and watched the way he calmly and tenderly talked with patients. That model served King well when she became a nurse practitioner and knew the importance of taking time to understand the physical and ...

Akron Beacon Journal (MCT) - Fourth-graders might no longer need to sing the ABC song to memorize the alphabet, but it can still come in handy at the sink. "Sometimes I sing it twice, if my hands are really dirty," said Andrea Chambers, 10. "If you wash your hands a lot, it can keep you from ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Once a week, Lucinda Smith tucks earplugs into both ears, flips her auburn hair over a neck rest and waits for a powerful magnetic burst to be aimed at her skull. The magnet's jolts arrive with a rattle, like a woodpecker drilling into a tree. Timed and positioned just ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Anything that enhances balance or brain fitness makes a great gift for an aging friend or relative. If an exercise ball is too daunting, try a Balance Disc ($19.99). Simply sitting on this portable _ and less wobbly _ alternative can help improve posture and balance. It ...

Virginia Beach, Va (Catholic Online) - Like most individuals, I spend a lot of time trying to be a good food consumer. I look for the cleanest grocery store. I sniff, poke, and punch each of the products I select with great consideration. I especially spend an inordinate amount of time with my ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Joyce and Alton "Al" Hedgepeth were planners. In 1995, when Al developed a lung condition called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, he and Joyce discussed what they would want to happen if they were very sick. "And we both agreed that hospice was ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Eighty-six-year-old Joan Meier is living out her final days in her den, cocooned in a hospital bed overlooking the patio. Beyond the window is a pot with a bunch of tired-looking gold flowers. They are fading, just as she is. While her spirit and faith are ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Cracked ribs made it hard to breathe. A chipped bone in his hip ached as he walked. And 60-mph winds stabbed at him like icy needles. But at that moment, Trevor Thomas of Charlotte, N.C., could not imagine feeling better. He was a third-of-a-mile from the rocky summit ...

San Jose Mercury News (MCT) - With tech companies offering a growing assortment of health-related gadgets for hospitals and patients, Kaiser Permanente executives have developed what they say is a unique laboratory to test the products' usefulness. By simulating how health care personnel and the ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Now we're really getting personal. We're focused on your private place _ the bathroom. That's generally where you use all that soap, body wash, shampoo and lotion. And deodorant, perfume, shaving cream, lip balm, lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, hair gel, mousse, ...

The Dallas Morning News (MCT) - Sharon Alt remembers receiving a panicked phone call from her daughter three years ago. Her daughter, then age 22, was uninsured and in excruciating pain from an infection. She was about to receive treatment in the emergency room. Alt asked to speak to the ...

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - Sure, the economy's sagging _ but your belly and butt don't have to be. There are lots of reasonably priced exercise toys that don't break the bank, but can jump-start your loved ones toward their "get fit or die" New Year's resolution. ga mats, fitness balls, ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - I normally don't fall prey to celebrity fitness fads; in fact, I find most of them downright deceptive. One day you hear a svelte starlet boasting on "Access Hollywood" that she got her pre-baby body back using "nothing but a ballet barre," and the next day you read in ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Stress often goes hand-in-hand with the holidays. Whether you're wondering how to find enough time to finish your to-do list or you're worrying about how much money you'll be spending, we have some expert advice that can give you some breathing room. "One of the biggest ...

Chicago (MCT) - You may think your attentive spouse, your loving children and your good friends are what make you happy. But something else may be going on: The people they're connected with are making you happy too. So suggests a new study proposing that happiness is transmitted through social ...

CHICAGO (MCT) - Cartons of milk still anchor school lunches, but the milk inside them is changing as concerns mount about childhood obesity and nutrition. Some schools are adding to the selection of sweetened varieties in an effort to boost students' calcium intake, while other schools ban ...

CHICAGO (MCT) - These children don't feel pain. They cannot sense cuts, fractures, heat. They don't know not to bite their fingers or poke themselves in the eye. That's because they suffer from hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies _ inherited disorders that result in nerve damage so ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - A happy holiday doesn't have to be a stressful holiday. Keep it simple and keep your sanity. DETROIT _ Eleanor McGuire has made her stand against grand holiday expectations. No more does she heed magazine covers compelling her to bake multi-layered, frosted holiday ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - When using personal listening devices, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends turning the volume down, limiting listening time to an hour a day and taking frequent listening breaks. Here are more tips from ASHA and audiologist Dennis Burrows. If you have ...

Sun Sentinel (MCT) - Blood pressure rose. Pulses quickened. Temperatures warmed up. In three hospice rooms at Broward General Medical Center, a nurse assistant scribbled down notes on a clipboard as a group of Brazilian women sang "One Note Samba" in Portuguese to patients in their hospital beds. ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Let's tell Lucia McLain that she should wear a helmet when she hops on her bike for a spin to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she volunteers twice each month. "I have one," says McLain, who's 93. Of course! And here it is, unused, stored in the bottom of the ...

Innocent looking, earbuds attached to your child's iPod or other player may cause hearing loss. CHICAGO (MCT) - Justin Roberts has wildly curious young fans, the type who might lean into a live monitor during one of his concerts just to see what it sounds like. But the popular children's ...

he Seattle Times (MCT) - The University of Washington has been awarded a five-year, $4.5 million grant to research specific challenges related to aging with a disability. The Aging Rehabilitation Research and Training Center will be based in the University of Washington Medical Center's Department ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - It's called a game, but Kris Marceno's apparent attempt to get high by strangling himself ended up deadly. The sophomore at Enloe High School in Raleigh, N.C., 15, died at his home on Nov. 2 from accidental asphyxiation, his family said. His death has schools, churches ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - When Gina Dunn's two sons were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder earlier this year, she kept it private for fear they would be labeled as lacking intelligence. She quickly learned that label is a common misconception, then tried to find a support ...

The News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.) (MCT) - An underreported, often misdiagnosed disease that people think affects only young children is drawing concern from national health officials and has recently struck hospital workers, closed schools in the Midwest and kept multiple health departments busy ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - One reveals that her mother's cruel, manipulative behavior has intensified, becoming almost unbearable. Another reports that his wife now resists any offers of help and deters visitors. Another says that sometimes her husband falls and she's not strong enough ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - If you've ever forgotten the name of a business associate or lost your keys, you might have wondered, even just fleetingly, if you have the beginnings of Alzheimer's disease. Everyone has heard heart-rending stories about this progressive brain disease. But as much as ...

Dentists are telling parents to be sure and start early examinations for their children's teeth. Halloween may be behind us but there are plenty of sugary festivities yet to come! SEATTLE (MCT) - Here's holiday advice from a dentist, if not a dietitian: Let your kids eat their sugary booty in one ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - November is American Diabetes Month, so this is a good time to take a look at new diabetes cookbooks. The diabetes diet is about eating balanced meals that are high in fiber, contain lean protein and healthful fats, and contain minimally processed ingredients. The ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Jeremy McCarthy, a softspoken, bespectacled young man in black Nike shoes and a River Cats baseball cap, is juggling a very busy schedule. "I work here every day," he says, gesturing around McClatchy High School's teen center for youths with disabilities. He also ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - For some, the sound is that of crickets chirping, for others it's bacon frying, or even a high-pitched ringing sound. These inside-the-head noises are symptomatic of tinnitus, a side effect of damage to the nerve endings in the inner ear and its accompanying ...

The Record (Hackensack N.J.) (MCT) - It would seem an easy enough decision, on the surface: whether to allow a Bergen County, N.J., infant in desperate need of a blood transfusion to get one. But the parents were Jehovah's Witnesses, and it was against their beliefs. Enter attorney Jo Ann Pietro _ ...

The Orange County Register (MCT) - An alarm rings in most guys' heads around age 50. It is nature saying: You know, you won't live forever! Some respond with sports cars; some with trophy wives; some join the Peace Corps. Terry Peterson? "I said, 'My God, I cannot button my jeans anymore!'" says ...

RALEIGH, N.C. (MCT)- Kathy Wood had a good marriage, a 2-year-old son and a solid job at IBM. At 32, she seemed to have everything going her way. But after a climb up Mount Herman in Colorado, her pectoral muscles felt sore. And then, there it was _ a suspicious lump. Wood, who was diagnosed ...

SAN JOSE, CA (MCT)- Robyn Froerer had seen the ghostly blur of faces that materialized at every race, the pictures pinned to runners' chests _ the quick lined up with the dead. While training for the recent Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, one of the endurance races in the Bay Area that ...

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - Quit smoking. Turn off the computer. Go to bed. It could improve your grades. Of course, parents have always known that. Now, in the first study of its kind, researchers at the University of Minnesota have proved it. They matched grade point averages with the ...

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – A Pharmacy officially opened on Tuesday, October 21 in Chantilly, Virginia. That may not seem like a major story. However, DMC Pharmacy opened as a completely Pro-Life Pharmacy. They will not dispense, recommend, or counsel on contraceptive products. The official ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - Popping so many pills that you sometimes forget to take a medication? The drug companies think they have the answer: combination pills, which aim to treat several ailments in one medication. Indeed, dozens of combo pills are in the works to combat a range of ailments, from ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - It's just a word, really, but it conjures up all kinds of stereotypes and not-so-pleasant images: "Elderly." But what it meant to the Greatest Generation doesn't hold for their offspring, the baby boomers. And they are the first to tell you that. "Most of us hear ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - An instant bond of friendship formed between Lori Christian and Marie Molin when they met through their children eight years ago. Molin taught Christian's youngest child in preschool and kindergarten, and the two women had one of those small-world ties where other ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - 5 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ... SYNESTHESIA 1. Definition: This is a condition in which the senses are cross-wired. It can take many forms. Sufferers might sense the taste of chicken as a pointed object or see colors in response to certain letters or numbers. 2. ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Doctors in Hampton Roads, Va., have begun a clinical trial on a new female testosterone gel they hope can help menopausal women who have lost interest in sex. The treatment, called LibiGel, is one of the first therapies geared toward women with low libidos, ...

The Philadelphia Inquirer (MCT) - We know how skirt lengths can define us: Ultra-minis say hot mama, floor-grazing maxis signify a more modest dresser. Knee-length skirts are powerful. But this fall, the pencil "midi" _ a narrowly cut skirt that stops anywhere from just below the knee to the ...

Palo Alto Daily News (MCT) - In her years as co-owner of San Mateo's California Hearing Center, audiologist Teresa Clark has seen some whizz-bang innovations in hearing aid technology. For instance, the Oticon Epoq, released last year, uses wireless connectivity to allow two hearing aids to ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Jan Mason is a 50-pound-lighter testimonial to the power of workplace wellness programs. Mason's boss, Ken Sigman, president of HBS LLC, a health care consulting company in Leawood, Kan., gave his six employees free memberships to Center for Health & Human Performance ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Cynthia Reilly, director of the practice development division of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, offers advice for shopping online: Risks: There's an increased chance of receiving a counterfeit medication from a noncredible source. Other countries ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Bone loss commonly occurs as we age, especially for women. Until recently, women were routinely prescribed estrogen after menopause to prevent bone loss and fractures. When a Women's Health Initiative study revealed that estrogen therapy increased the risk of breast ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - My sister recently became a widow. Like most Americans, I'm stressed out by the collapse of Wall Street. Friends and colleagues in the newspaper industry have lost their jobs and their livelihoods. And I might have to move my desk to the other side of the ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Phylicia Rashad's father died more than 20 years ago of a heart attack, but she has recently wondered if that needed to be the case. "His death certificate read 'cardiac arrest due to hypertension due to diabetes,'" said Rashad, famous for her role as Claire Huxtable on ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Norma Maynard, a 59-year-old Hialeah, Fla., grandmother, died twice in the last six weeks. Last week, she returned to the University of Miami Hospital to extol her new life. "I want people to be aware of this new procedure that saved my life. Maybe it'll save some ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Like so many groggy morning commuters, Debra Moss likes to begin her day at a Starbucks. Got to get that energy boost for the slog into work, after all. On this early September morning, with dawn slowly breaking, the 51-year-old state worker who lives in the Campus ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Finally, after six years of waiting, country-of-origin labeling has arrived. Starting this week, retailers are required to tell shoppers if their fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, goat, fish, shellfish and certain types of nuts come from a ...

Contra Costa Times (MCT) - Four years ago, Jessica Soske of Berkeley, Calif., was diagnosed with a rare neuro-endocrine disease that affects the use of her muscles. She had a tough time coping and coming to terms with her body's changes. Soske, a former attorney, tends to get stuck in her ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - David Servan-Schreiber was 31 when he was diagnosed with a walnut-size brain tumor and given 6 months to live. After surgery and chemotherapy, the young neuroscientist asked his oncologist if he should change his diet. "Eat whatever you like," his doctor told him. "It won't ...

Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (MCT) - Hair loss is partly genetic and partly linked to age, but professional stylists say there are ways to slow down the process _ or at least to look less bald: Dry gently. After washing your hair, pat it down with a soft towel rather than rubbing vigorously. ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - "Pure Barre," a fusion of dance and Pilates, begins with a warmup and light toning exercises before taking you through moves to target your legs, butt and abs to help you achieve the lean look of a dancer. $19.95 at www.purebarre.com. "Total Body Calorie Blast" packs ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - September is Cholesterol Awareness Month. Here's a quiz to help you figure out your awareness level. Answer the following statements true or false. 1. Everyone older than 20 should have a cholesterol screening at least every five years. 2. Total cholesterol is a ...

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - You're lying face down on a massage table, your breast encased in a water bath through an opening in the table. Tiny ports from a surrounding ring fire ultrasound waves. There are no X-rays. There is no pain. There is no holding still for 20 minutes or more. And in the ...

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - Henry Quant was just 5 years old and bedridden with chronic fevers when he began taking pills for anxiety and depression. His mother knew that the drugs helped, but they made her nervous. "The really scary part," Elizabeth Quant said, "is we don't know what these ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Dr. Brian Horan gave the medical students a few minutes to grab what they'd need to treat patients for their final class exam: duct tape, hiking poles, some rope. Not your typical medical supplies. But this was no ordinary medical school course. During a two-week ...

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (MCT) - The X-ray tube manufacturing company General Electric launched in Milwaukee in 1947 has expanded almost without interruption into a $17 billion-a-year medical equipment and biosciences company that spans the globe. The momentum, however, petered out last year. ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - Soothing, warm water, gentle massage and periodic snacks sound like services fit for a high-end spa, but a South Sound veterinarian is offering similar treatments for man's best friend. Longtime veterinarian Gregg Bennett, who founded Tumwater Veterinary Hospital 20 ...

Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) - When senior Melanie Teichner walks across the University of Minnesota campus, she is hardly unusual. Yes, she sports two tattoos, but her discreet images are modest compared with many of her fellow students' skin art. But when she walks into the Hillel, the Jewish ...

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - To explain the genesis of his dream, Alex Neymark points to a grainy black and white photo of himself as a young man, climbing aboard a motorboat his father built. Neymark looks to be about 21, wearing a Russian fur hat on what was likely a cold day on the Dnieper River ...

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - I knew motherhood would change my life, but sabotage my workouts? I never dreamed it could happen. It did. My plan was to exercise in the morning before everyone woke up. But when that was a bust _ I was way too sleep deprived to pull off a 4 a.m. workout _ I had to ...

The Orange County Register (MCT) - Sunday (Sept. 21) is World Alzheimer's Day – established to raise awareness about the disease that impacts as many as 5.2 million people and is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. By 2050, the estimated impact of Alzheimer's will be 11.3 million ...