Health News

Health News for 03/16/11

March 16, 2011

Health Tip: Signs That Headaches Need Attention

Most everyone suffers from an occasional headache. But frequent, severe headaches could be an indication of a more serious health problem.

Health Tip: Is it Hot in Here or Is it 'The Change?'

A characteristic symptom of menopause is hot flashes, along with missing a menstrual period.

Drinking Behavior May Be Tied to Early Alcohol Use

Young adults are more likely to be heavy drinkers if they took their first drink of alcohol at an early age and also had to cope with stressful life events, a new study suggests.

Gastric Bypass Patients Take Longer to Process Alcohol, Study Finds

Gastric bypass patients take longer to process alcohol, which could put some at risk for overdrinking, researchers report.

Herbal Derivative Wins Praise as Malaria Treatment

Artesunate should replace quinine as the drug of choice for treating malaria, according to an updated review of clinical trial results.

Haiti Cholera Epidemic Could Sicken 779,000 This Year

The cholera epidemic in Haiti this year will be far worse than the 400,000 cases predicted by the United Nations, new study findings indicate.

Parents Can Help Prevent Problem Drinking in College Kids

College students are less likely to have drinking problems or engage in risky behavior if their parents monitor their social lives, researchers have found.

Brains of Phonetics Experts Differ From Those of General Public

The brain structure of expert phoneticians differs from that of the general public, finds a new study.

High Blood Pressure Linked to Drop in Walking Speed, Study Finds

High blood pressure is associated with a steeper drop in the average walking speeds of seniors, a new study finds.

Report: Unemployment Adds 9 Million Uninsured in U.S.

The millions of Americans who lost their jobs and their health benefits during the recession often had no way to regain affordable health coverage, leaving them and their families at risk of financial ruin, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund.

Crossing Street While on Cell Phone Risky for Seniors

Older adults would be wise to avoid chatting on cell phones while crossing the street, because new research indicates this combination more risky for that age group than for college students.

Bypass Surgery, Stents Seem to Bring Same Level of Relief

New research suggests that certain heart patients will fare about the same whether they have heart bypass surgery or a less-invasive procedure that uses drug-coated stents to prop open clogged arteries.

U.S. Death Rate at All-Time Low: CDC

The death rate in the United States reached an all-time low in 2009, the 10th straight year of decline, dropping 2.3 percent from 2008, federal health officials report.

Radiation From Japan's Nuke Disaster Unlikely to Threaten U.S., Experts Say

Although remnants of the tsunami that devastated the nuclear complex in Japan did manage to reach America's shores, it's highly unlikely that any radiation from the unfolding disaster across the Pacific Ocean will make it to North America, experts say.

Health Highlights: March 16, 2011

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Less Is More With Acute Myeloid Leukemia Drug

A lower dose of the drug cytarabine work as well as the high doses that are typically used to treat acute myeloid leukemia, and with fewer side effects, a new Dutch study finds.

Clinical Trials Update: March 16, 2011

Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

When Nurse Staffing Drops, Mortality Rates Rise: Study

When nurse staffing levels fell below target levels in a large hospital, more patients died, a new study discovered.

EPA Proposes Tougher Air Pollution Rules for Power Plants

Newly proposed national standards for mercury, arsenic and other toxic air pollutants from power plants could prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Transplant Drug May Fight Rare Lung Disorder

An already approved transplant-rejection drug is the first treatment to show a benefit for women with a rare lung disease that has had no cure or, until now, even a treatment.

Xolair Reduces Seasonal Asthma Attacks for Inner City Kids: Study

The injectable medication Xolair reduced asthma symptoms in inner city children with the respiratory condition, and almost eliminated seasonal peaks in asthma attacks, new research shows.