Clinton discharged from hospital, doctors expect full recovery

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was discharged from a New York hospital on Wednesday after being treated for a blood clot near her brain and her doctors expect her to make a full recovery, the State Department said.Clinton, who has not been seen in public since December 7, was at New York-Presbyterian Hospital under treatment for a blood clot behind her right ear that stemmed...

Read More..

Gambian leader says to build herbal AIDS-cure hospital

BANJUL (Reuters) – AIDS patients would be offered an herbal cure at a 1,111-bed hospital in Gambia that the president said on Tuesday he plans to build despite medical concerns the treatment is dangerous.President Yahya Jammeh said in 2007 he had found a remedy of boiled herbs to cure AIDS, stirring anger among Western medical experts who claimed he was giving false hope to the sick.“With this project...

Read More..

Clinton’s blood clot an uncommon complication

The kind of blood clot in the skull that doctors say Hillary Rodham Clinton has is relatively uncommon but can occur after an injury like the fall and concussion the secretary of state was diagnosed with earlier this month.Doctors said Monday that an MRI scan revealed a clot in a vein in the space between the brain and the skull behind Clinton’s right ear.The clot did not lead to a stroke or neurological...

Read More..

New Year’s Resolutions For Better Health

New Year’s resolutions are typically so singular, self-focused and private. How about making a resolution or two this year that has benefits beyond yourself? Here are some suggestions with lots of links to get you started.You can help stop the spread of disease. Resolve to get up-to-date on your vaccines. While children have a full slate of vaccines, many adults don’t realize they have regular immunization...

Read More..

FDA approves Bristol Myers, Pfizer’s anti-clotting drug Eliquis

(Reuters) – U.S. health regulators approved clot prevention drug Eliquis, developed by Bristol Myers-Squibb Co and Pfizer Inc, for treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation, or irregular heartbeats.The drug, also known as apixaban, was approved by European health regulators last month.Eliquis belongs to a new class of medicines designed to replace decades-old warfarin for preventing blood clots...

Read More..

Celebrity bad science: Dried placenta pills and oxygen shots

LONDON (Reuters) – Pop guru Simon Cowell carries pocket-sized inhalable oxygen shots, America’s “Mad Men” actress January Jones favors dried placenta pills, and British soap star Patsy Palmer rubs coffee granules into her skin.Celebrities rarely shy away from public peddling of dubious ideas about health and science, and 2012 was no exception.In its annual list of the year’s worst abuses against science,...

Read More..

Justice Sotomayor refuses to block contraceptives mandate

(Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has refused to block enforcement starting next week of a requirement in President Barack Obama‘s 2010 healthcare overhaul that some companies provide insurance coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices.In an order issued on Wednesday, Sotomayor said two for-profit companies controlled by Oklahoma City billionaire David Green and his family...

Read More..

Obesity declining in young, poorer kids: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – The number of low-income preschoolers who qualify as obese or “extremely obese” has dropped over the last decade, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.Although the decline was only “modest” and may not apply to all children, researchers said it was still encouraging.“It’s extremely important to make sure we’re monitoring obesity in this low-income...

Read More..

Allergies, extra weight tied to bullying

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Kids who have food allergies or are overweight may be especially likely to get bullied by their peers, two new studies suggest.Not surprisingly, researchers also found targets of bullying were more distressed and anxious and had a worse quality of life, in general, than those who weren’t picked on.Bullying has become a concern among parents, doctors and school administrators...

Read More..

Few tests done at toxic sites after superstorm

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (AP) — For more than a month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said that the recent superstorm didn’t cause significant problems at any of the 247 Superfund toxic waste sites it’s monitoring in New York and New Jersey.But in many cases, no actual tests of soil or water are being conducted, just visual inspections.The EPA conducted a handful of tests right after the storm,...

Read More..

Analysis: Stop-gap fix most likely outcome of “fiscal cliff” talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The “fiscal cliff” deadline is days away and the U.S. Congress and President Barack Obama have left town for Christmas.But even if they were still here, it wouldn’t have mattered, according to Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. He says they were going nowhere to resolving the disagreement over how to fix the nation’s fiscal problems.Last...

Read More..

Judge orders end to HIV prison segregation in Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Reuters) – A U.S. federal judge ruled on Friday to end the segregation of prisoners with HIV in Alabama, agreeing that it violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).“It is evident that, while the … segregation policy has been an unnecessary tool for preventing the transmission of HIV, it has been an effective one for humiliating and isolating prisoners living with the...

Read More..

AuntMinnie.com’s Year in Review examines biggest radiology stories of 2012

Radiology news and education portal AuntMinnie.com today published its inaugural Year in Review special report, offering a look back at the 10 biggest developments in medical imaging in 2012.Tucson, AZ (PRWEB) December 20, 2012Radiology news and education portal AuntMinnie.com today published its inaugural Year in Review special report, offering a look back at the 10 biggest developments in medical...

Read More..

Family Meals Help Kids Eat More Fruit & Veggies

One or two family meals a week may help kids eat more fruits and vegetables, a new study suggests.In the U.K. study, children whose families always ate meals together consumed 4.4 ounces (1.5 portions) more fruits and vegetables a day compared with children whose families never ate together.And kids who had family meals just once or twice a week consumed 3.4 ounces (1.2 portions) more produce a day.“Modern...

Read More..

9/11 cancer study won’t settle debate over risks

CHICAGO (AP) — The most comprehensive study of potential World Trade Center-related cancers raises more questions than it answers and won’t end a debate over whether the attacks were really a cause.The study suggests possible links with prostate, thyroid and a type of blood cancer among rescue and recovery workers exposed to toxic debris from the terrorist attacks. But there were few total cancers...

Read More..

Amgen to plead guilty in criminal case: prosecutors

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Biotech company Amgen Inc is scheduled to plead guilty on Tuesday in a criminal case in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, prosecutors said.A brief statement from the U.S. Attorney‘s office gave no details of the charges Amgen would plead guilty to.Representatives of Amgen could not immediately be reached to comment on the subject matter of the expected plea.Amgen in October...

Read More..

Boehner opens door to tax hikes, shifts U.S. fiscal cliff talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner‘s offer to accept a tax rate increase for the wealthiest Americans knocks down a key Republican road block to a deal resolving the year-end “fiscal cliff.”The question now boils down to what President Barack Obama offers in return. Such major questions, still unanswered so close to the end of the year suggest, however, that...

Read More..

Venezuela’s Chavez has “full intellectual capacity” after surgery

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has recovered “full intellectual capacity” after a six-hour cancer operation in Cuba this week, an official said on Saturday, but offered few details on the socialist firebrand’s physical condition.Chavez’s health weakened sharply after his October re-election, casting doubt on the future of his “21st century socialism,” which has won broad popular...

Read More..

Bayer seeks FDA approval for cancer drug radium-223

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German drugmaker Bayer said on Friday it requested approval from U.S. regulators for an experimental prostate cancer drug that could eventually generate more than 1 billion euros ($ 1.31 billion) in annual sales.Radium-223 dichloride, which Bayer used to call Alpharadin, is designed to target bone metastases from prostate cancer that cannot be treated by standard hormone therapy.Bayer...

Read More..

Obama, Boehner hold “frank” meeting amid ‘fiscal cliff’ frustration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner held a “frank” face-to-face meeting on Thursday in an effort to break an impasse in talks to avert the “fiscal cliff” of steep tax increases and spending cuts.With an end-of-year deadline looming, the two leaders talked at the White House as frustration mounted over the recent lack of progress in negotiations...

Read More..