Month: January 2013

France will ask EU to curb use of newer birth control pills

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PARIS (Reuters) – French health authorities will ask the European Union to restrict the use of newer types of contraceptive pills over concerns they might carry health risks. France’s health minister Marisol Touraine said on Friday the newer pills, which have caught on because they reduce side effects from earlier versions such as weight gain and acne, should only be prescribed by specialist doctors to women who cannot use other types of contraception. …

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Massachusetts governor seeks to revamp retiree health care

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Massachusetts Governor Patrick addresses first session of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte(Reuters) – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said on Friday that he will file legislation to overhaul benefits for public retirees, including a proposal to double the number of years an employee would have to serve to be eligible. The bill would require most current employees of the state and its cities, towns and school districts to work for 20 years instead of 10 years to become eligible for health benefits when they retire. Retirees would also have to pay a higher percentage of their health insurance premiums, leaving the employer responsible for a smaller share. …

Horses to the rescue of Korea’s Internet-addicted teens

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A 14-year old girl, who preferred to be identified only by her surname, Kim, rides a horse at Riding Healing Center in IncheonINCHEON, South Korea (Reuters) – Four months ago, the parents of a teenage South Korean girl were at their wits' end over her addiction to surfing the Internet for pornography. But now, thanks to a horse riding therapy program, their daughter appears to be back in control of her life. In South Korea, the world's most wired country and where almost two-thirds of the population owns a smartphone, addiction to the Internet has become a major problem. Government data says 680,000 children aged between 10 and 19 are Internet addicts, or around 10 percent of the age group. …

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Almost one in six couples face infertility: study

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Close to one in six U.S. couples don’t get pregnant despite a year of trying – after which doctors typically recommend evaluation for infertility, according to a new study. Those data are based on a nationally-representative survey of more than 7,600 women – including 288 who were trying to become pregnant – but don’t provide an explanation for what may be causing the couples’ infertility. Researchers analyzed information from in-person and computer interviews conducted across the country in 2002 with women ages 15 through 44. …

EMS strategy change gets heart patients faster care

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – People with a certain type of heart attack get better care when paramedics take them directly to a medical center that can perform stent procedures – even if it’s not the closest hospital, according to new research from North Carolina. In a so-called ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI, blood is blocked for an extended period of time and a patient needs artery-opening surgery as quickly as possible – ideally within two hours or less. …

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Senator Rockefeller announces retirement

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Rockefeller of West Virginia addresses Democratic convention in DenverWASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller announced on Friday that he will not seek a sixth term in 2014 to represent his home state of West Virginia, which has been trending more Republican in recent years. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, failed to win West Virginia in either of his two races in 2008 and 2012. Rockefeller, 75, could have faced a spirited race next year, especially if Republican Representative Shelley Moore Capito decided to challenge him, as expected. …

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Simple awareness reduces college food waste

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – College students threw out 15 percent less food after researchers peppered dining halls with short anti-waste slogans, according to new study. “If you can get it into people’s minds to talk about food waste, that’s when little changes take effect,” said lead author Kelly Whitehair, an instructor of hospitality management and dietetics at Kansas State University. “Change doesn’t have to involve a huge elaborate campaign,” she told Reuters Health. …

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Merck begins overseas recall of HDL cholesterol drug

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A view of the Merck & Co. campus in Linden, New Jersey(Reuters) – Merck & Co said it is recalling Tredaptive, its medicine to raise "good" HDL cholesterol levels, in overseas markets where it is sold, after it failed to prevent heart problems in a large study and raised safety concerns. The medicine is not approved in the United States but the U.S. drugmaker sells it in about 40 countries. Merck said it would recall stocks of Tredaptive now held by wholesalers, but that pharmacies can continue to dispense their remaining supplies. …

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