Month: March 2012
Health Tip: Manage the Pain of a Neck Sprain
Health Tip: Am I at Risk for Gum Disease?
Less Heart Disease Among Women in Wealthier States: Study
Health Highlights: March 20, 2012
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
Many Americans Ambivalent Over Laws Aimed at Healthy Living
TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) — With a recent flood of new regulations or proposals aimed at governing lifestyle choices such as smoking, eating or cellphone use, is the United States in danger of becoming a “nanny state”?
Ibuprofen May Ward Off Altitude Sickness
FDA panel recommends Glaxo’s Votrient for sarcoma
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday recommended GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Votrient for treatment of advanced soft-tissue sarcoma, a relatively rare but aggressive form of cancer. The FDA advisory committee of outside experts voted 11-2 to find that the drug’s ability to improve short-term survival without worsening symptoms in patients who receive chemotherapy outweighed adverse risks and a lack of evidence that it can extend overall survival. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Study finds electrotherapy dampens brain connections
LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists have discovered how electroconvulsive or electric shock therapy – a controversial but effective treatment – acts on the brains of severely depressed people and say the finding could help improve diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) involves first anaesthetizing the patient and then electrically inducing a seizure. …
Republican budget draws election contrast with Obama
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – House Republicans unveiled an ambitious budget plan on Tuesday to cut taxes, slash spending and overhaul Medicare in a bid to draw a stark election-year contrast between their vision of the size and role of government and that of President Barack Obama. The budget proposes sweeping changes to the popular government-run Medicare healthcare program for the elderly, a politically risky gambit for Republicans who faced a voter backlash last year when they offered a similar plan. …
WHO urges China to bolster tobacco controls
The head of the World Health Organization urged China on Tuesday to bolster controls on tobacco in a country where half of adult males smoke.
Spain, UK raids seize 300,000 doses of fake drugs
LONDON (Reuters) – Police across Europe have seized almost 300,000 doses of counterfeit anti-impotence and weight-loss medicines, highlighting the prevalence of fake drugs in the region. Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Tuesday that four people had been arrested in Spain and two in Britain following an international operation lasting several months. The suspects appeared to have been importing the bogus medicines from Asia – mainly China and Singapore – and distributing them via the Internet to customers throughout Europe, officials said. …