Federal nutritional guidelines reshaped

Look at a plate. Imagine fruits and vegetables filling half of it.

That’s right. Half of the plate for every meal. Half…    

Doctors dispute Blues discount

Michigan doctors want protection from being terminated from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan insurance plans while a judge decides whether the insurer wrongly…    

Medicare preventive care is urged

Government and health organization leaders Monday urged Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of new preventive benefits, saying the emphasis on prevention will save lives…    

Studies tie disease, eating habits

Two studies shed new light on the link between diet and cancer, bolstering evidence that red meat may raise colorectal cancer risks but…    

Britain’s Brown unveils $10 bln plan to beat AIDS

British finance minister Gordon Brown unveiled a $10 billion plan to revitalise the fight against AIDS on Thursday, saying his scheme might be the…    

Antiviral drugs can be less costly than flu shots

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, the saying goes—but it may not always hold true when it comes to the…    

Gay men may be misusing Viagra

Approximately one out of six gay men use Viagra recreationally, and are more likely to do so if they are also using illegal…    

Causes of death differ in blacks and whites in US

In 2002, three of the ten leading causes of death differed between blacks and whites in the US, reflecting disparities in health care, according…    

Prostate cancer treatment poses bone risk - study

An increasingly popular prostate cancer treatment also makes bones brittle and may be responsible for over 3,000 fractures each year in the United States,…    

More research needed on alternative therapies - IOM report

More research is needed to show that alternative therapies such as acupuncture and herbal supplements work, and this may mean changing laws that protect…    

Bird flu kills 18-year-old in Vietnam

Vietnam confirmed on Thursday that an 18-year-old woman was killed by bird flu, and state-run media reported infection of another 35-year-old as health officials…    

FDA warns Pfizer over painkiller ads

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned Pfizer Inc. that television and print advertisements for its painkillers Celebrex and Bextra misled consumers, according…    

Eating disorder, type 1 diabetes a dangerous mix

Despite the importance of nutrition in managing type 1 diabetes, eating disorders and unhealthy weight-control tactics are not uncommon in young women with the…    

Kids need outside playtime, researchers say

Unstructured outdoor playtime, which seems to be steadily disappearing, needs to be restored to children’s lives, researchers say.

“The public’s main concern…    

Taser says study shows stun guns safe for heart

Taser International on Thursday said a study in a cardiology journal found that products such as the company’s stun guns are not dangerous to…    

New warnings added to US group’s drug safety site

Consumer watchdog group Public Citizen expanded its drug safety Web site worstpills.org on Wednesday to include more warnings about side effects, drug interactions and…    

Metronidazole/nystatin effective for vaginosis

For the treatment of vaginal bacterial infections, ovules containing the combination of metronidazole plus nystatin are significantly more effective than metronidazole gel, according to…    

Dutch retailer pulls kids’ handset on health fears

A Dutch electronics retail chain this week withdrew a mobile phone aimed at children between the ages of four and eight after British…    

Nigeria, Sudan vow to halt polio spread in Africa

Nigeria, which accounts for nearly three quarters of polio cases worldwide, is determined to halt the spread of the crippling disease by immunising all…    

Pain meter assesses whiplash injury

A computerized pain assessment system may make it possible to establish a standardized way to quantify neck pain resulting from whiplash injuries, researchers in…    

Surgery can reduce migraine symptoms

Surgical removal of trigger points on the face and head can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches, and in some cases…    

Sleep-deprived young docs prone to auto accidents

Trainee doctors have double the risk of having a car crash when they work more than 24 consecutive hours, according to a new report.…    

Probiotic formulas curb diarrhea bouts in infants

Compared with standard formulas, those containing beneficial “probiotic” organisms seem to reduce the number and duration of diarrhea episodes in infants attending childcare centers,…    

Beer may raise gout risk, wine may not

There is substantial difference between alcoholic drinks in their effect on blood levels of uric acid—and this could affect the likelihood of developing gout—Harvard…    

Russian rocket site linked to child sickness

Unburned fuel from rockets launched at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is causing serious illnesses in children who live near the site, a leading…