Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News

9/4/2012 8:44:19 AM

The deadly virus raising fears at California's Yosemite National Park does not spread easily, and, despite two recent deaths, does not warrant closing the park, a spokeswoman said Monday.

9/4/2012 8:54:49 AM

A smoking ban in all closed public spaces, including coffee shops, restaurants and bars, went into force in Lebanon on Monday under new legislation that promises hefty fines for lawbreakers.

9/4/2012 12:13:42 AM

Russia on Monday unveiled a series of graphic images, including of a gangrenous foot and a still-born baby, that will be printed on cigarette packs as the country tries to trim its sky-high rates of smoking.

9/19/2012 5:43:15 AM

We Americans already know how fat we are. Can it get much worse?

9/19/2012 12:19:34 AM

A provocative new study suggests a connection between the BPA chemical used in food packaging and childhood obesity, but the researchers say their findings don't prove it's the cause.

9/20/2012 4:50:00 AM

The Food and Drug Administration may consider new standards for the levels of arsenic in rice as consumer groups are calling for federal guidance on how much of the carcinogen can be present in food.

9/20/2012 2:05:52 PM

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Corporate-backed venture groups invested $2.1 billion in the quarter ended June 30, up 16 percent from the same period in 2011, underscoring the continued allure start-ups hold for their more established competitors. The corporate-backed funds invested in some 118 companies in the United States, according to a report released on Thursday by consultancy CB Insights, with internet companies winning almost one-third of the cash. Healthcare and the automotive/transportation sectors each took 20 percent. ...

9/20/2012 1:42:08 PM

(Reuters) - After two African villages started using mosquito nets to fight malaria, the local mosquitoes seemed to change their biting habits to skirt the barriers, according to a French study. Insecticide-treated bed nets are considered a central weapon in the global fight against malaria, which is transmitted by parasite-carrying mosquitoes and kills more than 650,000 people a year, according to the World Health Organization. ...

9/20/2012 12:28:39 PM

Procter & Gamble is adding a blast of fruit flavor to a pill that you swallow whole — a first for the world's largest consumer products maker.

9/20/2012 10:40:11 AM

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's Bright Dairy & Food Co Ltd has been ordered by the Shanghai government to recall a cheese product for babies as it includes an additive banned for years, a Shanghai government newspaper said on Thursday. This is Bright Dairy's second scandal in a fortnight after it had to recall batches of sour milk last week. Its shares were trading down 0.5 percent, and have lost 9 percent since the sour milk recall. ...

9/20/2012 9:05:50 AM

DENVER (Reuters) - A U.S. federal court jury on Wednesday awarded a Colorado man $7.2 million in damages for developing a chronic condition known as popcorn lung from a chemical used in flavoring microwave popcorn. Jurors agreed with the claims by Wayne Watson, 59, that the popcorn manufacturer and the supermarket chain that sold it were negligent by failing to warn on labels that the butter flavoring, diacetyl, was dangerous. The condition is a form of obstructive lung disease that makes it difficult for air to flow out of the lungs and is irreversible, according to WebMd. ...

9/20/2012 8:15:01 AM

The study: People who stick to the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) can significantly reduce their blood pressure, a study finds. But the diet may have its limitations—in a clinical trial, African-Americans didn't stick to it as well as whites did, signaling a need for weight loss plans that take cultural food preferences into consideration.

9/20/2012 7:16:24 AM

LIMA (Reuters) - After struggling for months to defuse protests against mining companies in far-flung provinces, President Ollanta Humala is now facing strikes in the capital by teachers and doctors who want a piece of Peru's record fiscal surplus. Thousands of teachers from two factions of the national teachers union marched in Lima on Wednesday to demand big wage increases after a decade without raises, while many of the 14,000 doctors who work for the Health Ministry participated in a walkout that has meant patients have to wait in long lines. ...

9/20/2012 6:46:28 AM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Poor smokers in New York State spend about a quarter of their entire income on cigarettes, nearly twice as much as the national average for low-income smokers, according to a new study. The study, conducted by the non-profit research group RTI on behalf of the state's health department, found there was no statistically significant decline in the prevalence of smoking among poorer New Yorkers between 2003 and 2010, even as the habit declined by about 20 percent among all income groups. ...

9/20/2012 6:40:58 AM

(Reuters) - Pressure from governments to lower drug prices risks undermining medical innovation, Bayer AG's chief executive said on Wednesday, echoing complaints of other drug company executives. Speaking at the Boston College Chief Executives' Club, Marijn Dekkers said there was "tremendous pressure" on drugmakers to lower prices. "The danger of pushing the prices of prescription drugs down, down, down is that at some point the business model of developing these drugs will lose its attractiveness," he said. ...

9/20/2012 6:38:33 AM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. budget experts raised their forecast on Wednesday of how many Americans will probably have to pay a penalty in 2016 for not buying health insurance to 6 million from 4 million. The 50 percent increase was likely to draw fire from Republicans on the campaign trail who want to repeal President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law and who reject the penalty as a government intrusion into the lives of individuals. ...

9/20/2012 6:37:35 AM

Obese children have a lower sensitivity to taste, a new German study says.

9/20/2012 6:24:26 AM

BPA, the vilified chemical associated with a host of health risks, may now be connected to obesity in children and teens. The reason for the association, however, may still be a puzzle.

9/20/2012 6:05:00 AM

Public health officials and the general population in the United States are already looking at a record-setting number of West Nile virus, WNV, cases since 2003 and mosquito season hasn't come to its conclusion. As of Tuesday the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that 3,142 cases of WNV have been reported nationwide with 134 deaths among them.

9/20/2012 5:35:01 AM

Thousands of Americans who suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS) might one day be able to take advantage of a drug that new research suggests is both safe and effective.

9/20/2012 5:31:52 AM

How do I know if I need testosterone? If you are a man who feels your energy and sex drive have decreased, have your doctor do a blood test to see if your testosterone is low. "Testosterone should only be used with a clinical indication,...

9/20/2012 5:30:06 AM

An increasing number of parents are getting state approval to allow their children to opt out of school-mandated vaccinations for non-medical reasons -- giving their kids a shot at acquiring many preventable diseases -- according to a new analysis published Wednesday.

9/20/2012 5:08:46 AM

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Consumer Reports is urging U.S. limits for arsenic in rice after tests of more than 60 popular products - from Kellogg's Rice Krispies to Gerber infant cereal - showed most contained some level of inorganic arsenic, a known human carcinogen. The watchdog group said some varieties of brown rice - including brands sold by Whole Foods Markets Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc - contained particularly significant levels of inorganic arsenic. It recommended ways for children and adults to limit their intake of rice products each week and said U.S. ...

9/20/2012 5:06:04 AM

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Big Pharma's image problem, fueled by numerous high-profile scandals, may have made doctors so skeptical of the industry that it's warping their judgment, a new survey suggests. Researchers found that doctors shown summaries of hypothetical drug tests lost their confidence in the results when a pharmaceutical company had paid for the studies. Doctors were less willing to prescribe the drug under study, and they even downgraded the very scientific methods they would praise when drugmakers hadn't backed the research. ...

9/20/2012 5:02:26 AM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Enrollment in Medicare Advantage, the private insurance segment of the popular U.S. healthcare program for the elderly, is expected to grow 11 percent next year while premiums remain steady, government health officials said on Wednesday. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that 14.5 million people will enroll in Medicare Advantage plans in 2013, based on insurance industry expectations. That is up from 13.1 million people this year. The average monthly Medicare Advantage premium is projected to rise just $1.47 to $32. ...

9/20/2012 4:58:21 AM

Reported by Julielynn Wong, M.D., ABC News Medical Unit Low-fat yogurt may help lower your risk for high blood pressure, according to new research. A new study of more than 2,100 adults presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions ...

9/20/2012 4:57:58 AM

Dr. Robert Fox says BG-12 is a very attractive treatment option for MS patients.

9/20/2012 4:50:00 AM

The Food and Drug Administration may consider new standards for the levels of arsenic in rice as consumer groups are calling for federal guidance on how much of the carcinogen can be present in food.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

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Health News Headlines - Yahoo! News