Make Health My Homepage
More Ways to Get Health!
gift newsletter igoogle healthyvoice
Hot Topic: Breast Cancer Screening Guide

Health News:Health News

No Immediate Changes Expected in Mammogram Coverage

November 20, 2009

FRIDAY, Nov. 20 (HealthDay News) — Women can rest assured, at least for now, that their health plan will continue to pay for an annual mammogram beginning at age 40.

A firestorm set off this week by a federal task force recommendation against “routine screening” of women under 50 is not likely to spur hasty changes in coverage policies, experts say.

“We’re not hearing that coverage is going to change. We’re hearing that coverage will continue pretty much as it has been,” said Susan Pisano, vice president of communications for America’s Health Insurance Plans in Washington, D.C. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Late Preterm Births Increasing in U.S.

November 18, 2009

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18 (HealthDay News) — The percentage of babies born preterm in the United States rose by more than 20 percent from 1990 to 2006, most delivered at the end of the preterm period, federal health officials report.

Every day in the United States, more than 900 of these “late preterm” births occur, adding up to 333,461 a year, according to the report, Born A Bit Too Early: Recent Trends in Late Preterm Births, issued by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Could Plastics Chemicals ‘Feminize’ Boys’ Play?

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — A new small study raises the prospect, but doesn’t prove, that there’s a link between pregnant women’s exposure to common chemicals called phthalates and the type of toys their male children prefer to play with when they reach preschool age.

Boys with the highest potential exposures to two types of phthalates were slightly more likely to play with games and toys such as dolls that society considers more appropriate for girls, the study found. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Viagra Helpful for Children With Heart Defect

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — The erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil, commonly known as Viagra, boosts the heart’s pumping ability in children and young adults who’ve had the Fontan operation to correct single-ventricle heart defects, researchers report.

In the Fontan operation, doctors direct venous blood directly to the pulmonary arteries, bypassing the heart. The procedure is the third surgery in staged reconstruction for children with single-ventricle defects, explained the researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in a news release from the American Heart Association. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Benefits of Eating Fish May Depend on Preparation

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — You’ll get more heart-healthy benefits from omega-3 fatty acids if you eat baked or boiled fish instead of fried, dried or salted fish, according to a new study, which also found that adding low-sodium soy sauce or tofu is a good idea for women.

“It appears that boiling or baking fish with low-sodium soy sauce [shoyu] and tofu is beneficial, while eating fried, salted or dried fish is not. In fact, these methods of preparation may contribute to your risk,” study author Lixin Meng, a doctoral candidate at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, said in a news release from the American Heart Association. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Face Transplant Patient Can Smell, Taste, Breathe Normally

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — The woman who underwent the first facial transplant in the United States can now smell, taste what she eats and breathe through her nose, according to a report from her surgeons.

Nearly a year after the surgery, blood vessels from the transplanted tissue have integrated with existing tissue, she has had no significant complications and her sensory and motor abilities, including the ability to speak, continue to improve, they say in the November/December issue of the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Folic Acid Fortification Might Boost Cancer Risk

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — Although folic acid fortification of foods can prevent many birth defects, it may also increase the risk for developing cancer, Norwegian researchers report.

Since 1998, many countries have mandated folic acid (vitamin B9) fortification of foods to decrease the incidence of neural-tube defects in newborns. By October 2009, the flour produced in these countries, plus the flour that is fortified voluntarily, represented 30 percent of the world’s wheat flour produced in large mills. In addition, some 40 percent of those living in the United States also take dietary supplements containing folic acid, the researchers noted. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

‘Fearless’ 3-Year-Olds Might Be Tomorrow’s Criminals

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — Children who are fearless at 3 years of age might just be poised for a life of crime.

According to a new study, poor fear conditioning at the tender age of 3 can predispose that person to break the law as an adult. Yet other factors, such as education of the parents, large family size, nutrition, physical activity, configuration of the household and other elements also play a role, the researchers concluded. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

U.S. Scores a ‘D’ on Preterm Birth Report Card

November 17, 2009

TUESDAY, Nov. 17 (HealthDay News) — The United States is doing a poor job of reducing preterm births, according to a new report, which found Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana have especially high numbers of early, life-threatening deliveries.

Vermont and New Hampshire were the only states with a preterm birth rate under 10 percent, while in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, the premature birth rate ranged from 16.5 to 18.3 percent. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Active Video Games Count as Exercise

November 16, 2009

MONDAY, Nov. 16 (HealthDay News) — The amount of energy adults expend playing active video games may equal that of moderate-intensity exercise, according to a new study.

Japanese researchers measured the metabolic equivalent values (a standard method of estimating energy expenditure) of 12 people ages 25 to 44 as they played Wii sports games and did Wii fitness programs. The study was funded by Nintendo, which makes Wii. Read More

Permanent Link | Comments Off

Previous Health News Stories

More Stories
Get the Health News Feed
Continuously updated headlines delivered right to your computer

Advertisement
Close
  • Social Web
  • E-mail
Site powered by WordPress.com VIP