Health News

AP IMPACT: Mentally ill a threat in nursing homes

Russell Smith holds a photo of his stepfather, Ivory Jackson, and half-sister, Anita Jackson, outside the All Faith Pavilion nursing home on Oct. 9, 2008, in Chicago. At 77, Ivory Jackson, who suffered from Alzheimer's, died in June 2008 after being attacked by his mentally ill roommate as he lay in his nursing home bed. An analysis by the Associated Press, shows that over the past several years nursing homes have become dumping grounds for young and middle-age people with mental illness. And it has proved a prescription for violence, as Jackson's case and others across the country illustrate. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
Enlarge Photo
AP
AP - Sun Mar 22, 4:15 PM ET

CHICAGO - Ivory Jackson had Alzheimer's, but that wasn't what killed him. At 77, he was smashed in the face with a clock radio as he lay in his nursing home bed.

Weight Loss News

  • Most New EMS Recruits Overweight or Obese HealthDay - Sat Mar 21, 9:22 AM ET

    FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- More than 75 percent of candidates for fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts are either overweight or obese, a situation that has major consequences for public health and safety, researchers say.

  • Researchers find gene that turns carbs into fat Reuters - Fri Mar 20, 3:09 AM ET

    CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. researchers have found a gene responsible for turning a plate of pasta into fat, offering new clues about how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity.

  • How Overweight Are Firefighters and Paramedics? LiveScience.com - Thu Mar 19, 1:21 PM ET

    Fire fighters are still our heroes, but a new study raises concerns about their health and mobility.

Sexual Health News

  • German researchers are testing an impotency treatment for men made using only natural ingredients such as the herb tribulus terrestris that in some cases works better than Viagra, newspapers reported Monday.(AFP/OFF)
    German researchers testing veggie Viagra: reports AFP - Mon Mar 16, 9:36 AM ET

    BERLIN (AFP) - German researchers are testing an impotency treatment for men made using only natural ingredients that in some cases works better than Viagra, newspapers reported Monday.

  • Second-Generation Female Condom Approved HealthDay - Sat Mar 14, 2:25 AM ET

    WEDNESDAY, March 11 (HealthDay News) -- The Female Health Co.'s FC2 Female Condom has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company said Wednesday. The product helps protect women against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

  • Doctors prepare to perform a circumcision in 2007. Suriname has launched a three-month pilot project offering free circumcisions in a bid to cut sexually transmitted diseases, Health Minister Celsius Waterberg said Friday.(AFP/File/Mujahid Safodien)
    Suriname starts free circumcision project AFP - Fri Mar 13, 1:32 PM ET

    PARAMARIBO (AFP) - Suriname has launched a three-month pilot project offering free circumcisions in a bid to cut sexually transmitted diseases, Health Minister Celsius Waterberg said Friday.

Medications/Drugs News

  • Clinical Trials Update: March 20, 2009 HealthDay - Sat Mar 21, 9:22 AM ET

    (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

  • Clinical Trials Update: March 19, 2009 HealthDay - Thu Mar 19, 11:48 PM ET

    (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

  • U.S. drug sales show anemic growth in '08 Reuters - Thu Mar 19, 12:26 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sales of prescription drugs in the United States rose an anemic 1.3 percent in 2008 to $291 billion in a continuing slowdown, as patients opted for cheaper generic versions or chose to go without treatment due to the economic downturn.

Parenting/Kids News

  • Depression pill OK'd for kids but probe goes on Reuters - Fri Mar 20, 4:25 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - Just weeks after prosecutors accused Forest Laboratories Inc of illegally marketing its anti-depressants Celexa and Lexapro to children and paying pediatricians kickbacks, U.S. health regulators have approved Lexapro for depression in kids.

  • Convenience ups interest in post-sex contraceptive Reuters - Fri Mar 20, 12:24 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Family planning clinics should consider offering same-day intrauterine device (IUD) insertion to women seeking emergency contraception and walk-in pregnancy testing, according to a new report. Doing this, the findings suggest, will increase interest in and use of IUDs for this purpose.

  • Report finds serious risks at children's hospital Reuters - Fri Mar 20, 12:22 PM ET

    LONDON (Reuters) - Patients being treated at Birmingham Children's Hospital faced "serious potential risks," a health watchdog report said on Friday.

Seniors/Aging News

  • Diabetics and Elderly May Fare Better With Bypass HealthDay - Sat Mar 21, 9:22 AM ET

    FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- A major international study pinpoints which people with major heart artery blockages would be better off having bypass surgery than artery-opening angioplasty.

  • Meniscus tears increase knee osteoarthritis risk Reuters - Thu Mar 19, 4:36 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Damage to the meniscus in the knee joint may lead to osteoarthritis in middle-age and elderly patients.

  • Attempting to zap Parkinson's through spinal cord AP - Thu Mar 19, 3:47 PM ET

    WASHINGTON - Implanting a pacemaker-like device deep in the brain helps some Parkinson's disease patients move better, but could less risky zapping of the spinal cord work instead? It did in mice and rats nearly immobilized with Parkinson's-like symptoms: Scientists at Duke University Medical Center turned on the electricity and videotaped the rodents immediately scurrying around almost like normal.

Diseases/Conditions

  • Combo Screening Doesn't Spot Early Ovarian Cancer HealthDay - Sat Mar 21, 9:22 AM ET

    FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- A screening regimen that combines ultrasound and a blood test to detect CA125, a marker for ovarian cancer, fails to discover the cancer in its early stages and often results in unnecessary surgery, a new study shows.

  • Heart disease marker raises cancer risk, too: study Reuters - Fri Mar 20, 5:35 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein that signals inflammation and heart disease may also show that a person has a high risk of cancer, researchers said on Friday.

  • Lexapro Approved for Adolescent Depression HealthDay - Sat Mar 21, 9:22 AM ET

    FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- The Forest Laboratories antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) has been approved to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in people aged 12 to 17, the company said Friday in a news release.

Most Popular Health News

  • Protein From Yellow Peas May Lower Blood Pressure HealthDay - Sun Mar 22, 7:02 PM ET

    SUNDAY, March 22 (HealthDay News) -- Certain proteins found in the yellow garden pea appear to help lower blood pressure and delay, control or even prevent the onset of chronic kidney disease, at least in rats, a Canadian study has found.

  • Heart disease marker raises cancer risk, too: study Reuters - Fri Mar 20, 5:35 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A protein that signals inflammation and heart disease may also show that a person has a high risk of cancer, researchers said on Friday.

  • With the Economy Down, Vasectomy Rates Are Up HealthDay - Sun Mar 22, 7:02 PM ET

    FRIDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors around the United States are reporting a sharp increase in the number of vasectomies performed since the economy soured last year, with one noting that many of his clients are from the beleaguered financial industry.