The latest in Health and Fitness

Unnecessary Tests

2010-03-12T03:00:54Z

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2007, file photo released by the University of Wisconsin Medical School shows a virtual colonoscopy, a 3-D image that was computer-generated from a series of X-rays taken by a CT scanner. Virtual colonoscopies are just one of the many costly medical tests that recent reports have said are being done too often. (AP Photo/ Courtesy of Brazil for the 2nd time; 47 passenger sickened</div><div><p>Nearly 50 passengers aboard an international cruise ship docked in Brazil have been stricken with vomiting and diarrhea, a health official said Friday. It was the same ship that last week was briefly placed under quarantine after hundreds of people came down with gastroenteritis.</p><p>"At least ...

Summary Box: Vytorin sales likely to keep falling

2010-03-12T11:30:23Z

<div id="subtitle">Summary Box: Sales of Merck cholesterol pill will still fall, despite lack of safety problems</div><div><p>VYTORIN STUDY: A safety monitoring board doing a planned interim analysis of a long study of Merck's Vytorin cholesterol pill decided there are no serious safety problems, so the study can continue.</p><p>ANALYSTS' TAKE: That result was generally expected, and Vytorin sales likely will keep ...

Ligand, Glaxo drug gets European approval

2010-03-12T10:45:39Z

<div id="subtitle">Ligand Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline blood disorder drug receives European approval</div><div><p>Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Friday that partner GlaxoSmithKline gained European regulatory approval to sell the blood disorder drug Revolade.</p><p>In December, a European advisory com...

Women on the pill may live longer

2010-03-12T10:15:46Z

<div id="subtitle">Study: Women who took the birth control pill starting in the late 1960s lived longer</div><div><p>Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than those never on the pill, a new study says.</p><p>British researchers observed more than 46,000 women for nearly four decades from 1968. They compared the number of deaths in women on the pill to those who never took it.</p><p>In the study, women on th...

Experts say US doctors overtesting, overtreating

2010-03-12T10:00:43Z

<div id="subtitle">Less is more: Rash of reports says too many Americans get too many medical tests despite risks</div><div><p>Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans — maybe even President Barack Obama — are being overtreated.</p><p>Is it doctors practicing defensive medicine? Or are patients so accustomed to a...

Top US cardiologists gather to lay out future advances

2010-03-12T09:16:24Z

<div><p>Thousands of cardiologists from around the world descend on Atlanta, Georgia this weekend to discuss the latest advances, treatments and care strategies to combat heart disease.</p><p>Some of the 30 studies and trials hoping to grab the spotlight at this year's American College of Cardio...

An Exploration of Your Heart's Anatomy

2010-03-12T12:05:59Z

Each day, your heart pumps nearly 2,000 gallons of blood. Over the course of an average lifetime, it will beat over 3 billion times. It is slightly larger than a clenched fist, and is located behind the sternum, between the lungs.<br><br>This article will explore your heart's anatomy. We'll describe its exterior, including the arteries and veins that supply blood to the muscle. We'll also describe the organ's interior, including the chambers, valves, and blood flow. Lastly, you'll...

Careers in Dentistry on the Rise

2010-03-12T10:39:01Z

According the American Dental Association the twenty-first century promises to be a quality century for dental professions and for dental procedures. Dentistry is experiencing a growth unlike any since its inception. The field is opening up to numerous treatment options that focus on cosmetics as well as health. The result is that there are many schools of dentistry, many dentistry offices, and many position...

People with variable blood pressure at stroke risk

2010-03-12T03:45:12Z

<div id="subtitle">Studies: People with variable blood pressure could be at risk of a stroke</div><div><p>People with occasional spikes in their blood pressure could be at higher risk of having a stroke than those with regularly high blood pressure, new studies said Friday.</p><p>In four articles published in the medical journals Lancet and Lancet Neurology, European researchers suggest cu...

The Epidemic of Obesity in Adults and Children

2010-03-12T10:25:37Z

The definition between overweight and obese is the line between twenty-nine and thirty for adults. This refers to the body mass index (BMI) as calculated by weight divided by height. A similar distinction is true for children and teens though the calculation of the BMI is slightly different for individuals in those age groups.<br><br>There are three factors that are known to play important roles in obesity for both child and adult. There are also other factors that seem to play a ...

The Secret to Choosing the Best Fish Oil From the Sea of Available Products

2010-03-12T09:56:29Z

Many studies make it easy to identify the vast health benefits we could derive from fish oil but selecting the best fish oil is never an easy task. Heart disease prevention, anti-inflammatory properties, and even hair loss prevention are just a few of such health benefits that have been associated with fish oil. For this reason, the fish oil supplement industry has prospered, which has its positive and negative effects.<br><br>One positive effect is that these fish oil supplement ...

Omega-3 Fish Oil: A Powerful Tool For Drug Addiction Recovery

2010-03-12T09:50:52Z

Eating a diet chock full o' vitamins and nutrients has forever been fundamental to health, but now clinical research demonstrates that there could be a link between drug dependency and dietary insufficiencies. Carolyn Reuben, a nutrition expert (and the executive director of the Community Addiction Recovery Association in <...

What Are the 4 Types of Fish Oils on the Market?

2010-03-12T09:44:52Z

As the world becomes increasingly aware of living a healthy life, there has been a marked increase in interest in fish oils and their myriad benefits to health. What gives fish oil its health benefits is the fact that they possess great amounts of omega-3 acids which demonstrates great advantages to wellness. A handful of instances of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids are reduction of the chances of of heart disease and prevention of depression, and some studies show that they contribute to...

Guidelines: Do medical tests later, less often

2010-03-12T02:45:19Z

<div id="subtitle">Are some medical tests overused? Some guidelines are scaling back on frequency, timing</div><div><p>Recent reports and guideline changes suggest some medical tests should be delayed, avoided, or done less often:</p><p>_ MAMMOGRAM: Most women don't need a mammogram in their 40s and they should get one every two years starting at 50, according to the U.S. hospitals, resident doctors are frequently on call for more than 80 hours a week, and in the long-running and award winning medical drama, ER, we get a sense of this burden and strain. The hospital asks a lot of the characters in the Emergency Room, with the County General paging system constantly interrupting the lives of its staff and their pager tones and ruining their day.<br><br>Their pagers wake them when they...

Healthy Weight Loss For Women - 5 Ways To Lose Weight Easily

2010-03-12T07:28:30Z

There are many weight loss products available and choosing the right one can be daunting. A good weight loss programme should focus on healthy eating without leaving any of the major food groups. It shouldn?t be too calorie restrictive or you won?t have enough energy to make it through the day. Losing weight at a slow, steady rate of between 1-2 pounds each week is ideal. Any weight loss plan that promises quick and rapid weight loss should be treated with caution as large losses in weight ca...

Antioxidant Rich Foods

2010-03-12T07:07:58Z

Antioxidants are molecules capable of curtailing or arresting the consumption of oxygen by other molecules. Oxidation produces free radicals, which initiate a chain reaction and damages cells. Antioxidants attach themselves to free radicals and inhibit the oxidation process. Low levels of antioxidants and/or enzymes, cause oxidative stress and damages cells, which leads to aging and eventually death of the living entity. We cannot escape mortality, but we sure can regress the aging process, t...

Daylight Savings Time Early Start May Require Preparation

2010-03-12T00:15:22Z

<div id="subtitle">Time change gets an early start this year</div><div><p>When the clock "springs forward" at the start of Daylight Savings Time, it can be a big adjustment to your body's system. With the change coming earlier than ever -- on Sunday -- the effects can be even more pronounced.</p><p>The clock moves forward one hour at 2 a.m. Sunday March 14, making it harder to wake up, causing difficulty in staying alert and increasing the chance of sleepy-dri...

Can Junk Food Provide Nutrition?

2010-03-12T07:02:48Z

Junk food is perceived to have poor nutritional value; and fails to add any health benefits to an individual?s diet. The term was coined in 1972, by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Street food and fast food fall under the category of junk food. Apart from adding empty calor...