Today's Top Health News
Exercise important in teens' blood pressure control
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular exercise may help keep teenagers'
Obesity in adolescence may increase girls' MS risk
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A woman's risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) during her lifetime is doubled if she was obese at age 18, new research shows.
New guidelines: Pap smears should start at age 21
* Women under 30 should get screened every 2 years
Eat and drink your way to a healthy colon?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Eating fruits and vegetables, and drinking tea and red wine may offer overweight men and normal weight women some protection from colon and rectal cancers, hint study findings from the Netherlands.
Did U.S. make a swine flu mistake?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As U.S. health officials struggle to vaccinate tens of millions of Americans against the pandemic of swine flu, some are looking regretfully at one easy way to instantly double or triple the number of doses available -- by using an immune booster called an adjuvant.
Reflux might be immune condition, rat study finds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Acid reflux, a common condition that has been highly profitable for the makers of antacid drugs, may not be caused by stomach acid at all, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.
Philip Morris ordered to pay $300 million to smoker
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Florida jury on Thursday ordered cigarette maker Philip Morris USA to pay $300 million in damages to a 61-year-old ex-smoker named Cindy Naugle who is wheelchair-bound by emphysema.
Movie popcorn plus soda can equal 3 McDonald's burgers
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - Moviegoers who tuck into a medium popcorn and a soft drink could be eating the equivalent of three McDonald's quarter-pounder burgers topped with a dozen scoops of butter, according to a U.S. study.
Harmful effects seen with repeated ketamine abuse
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Abuse of ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, is on the rise in many countries and now new research shows that repeated use of the club drug impairs memory, concentration, and psychological well-being.
H1N1 flu spreading east, peaking in some areas-WHO
* Flu moving eastward after peaking in parts of Europe, U.S.
No hospital savings with electronic records: U.S. study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New electronic record systems installed in thousands of U.S. hospitals have done little to rein in skyrocketing healthcare costs, Harvard University researchers said in a study released on Friday.
Burden of proof: Breast cancer changes fall short
* Doctors say more evidence is needed
