New data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that the number of hospital admissions for prescription drug-related substance abuse increased 400% between 1998 and 2008. The latest figures add weight to concerns about surging prescription drug abuse in the U.S., and were characterized by Gil
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A new study published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice adds to research suggesting that, when it comes to measuring children’s medicine, a “spoonful” is seldom the right dose. The findings highlighted by the BBC are based on an analysis of teaspoons taken from 25 households in Greece, as well as an experiment in which
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Despite concerns that the popular GlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug Avandia could raise the risk for heart attack, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted today in favor of keeping the medication on the market. As the Wall Street Journal reports, 20 members of the 33-person panel voted in favor of keeping Avandia on the
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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today that Nestlé will withdraw unsubstantiated advertising claims about the health benefits of a boxed drink for children. In the first case to challenge marketing claims made about probiotics — also known as “friendly bacteria” — the FTC questioned the validity of Nestlé ads which
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A potential new obesity drug appears effective at helping patients lose weight, according to a report released today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but concerns remain about side effects — which could include depression, anxiety, impact on heart rate and risks for pregnant women. The document was released in advance of a
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More than one in three American physicians say that they do not always feel a responsibility to report colleagues who are impaired or incompetent, according to a new report from researchers at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital. The findings, published in the July 14 issue of the Journal of the
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According to a new study published in the July 13 issue of the journal Neurology, Alzheimer’s patients with larger heads may experience a slower progression of cognitive decline symptoms, possibly because they have more of what researchers call “brain reserve” — or the ability to adjust to changes within the brain. The theory is based
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Despite our best efforts to limit the spread of germs propelled into the air when we cough or sneeze, a new study from researchers in New Zealand suggests that many of us aren’t doing a great job. As the Associated Press reports, an observational study of people in public places in the New Zealand capital of Wellington suggests that
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A study published in the prestigious journal Science earlier this month suggesting that genes may hold a key for living to be 100 or older has since come under criticism from experts in the field of genetics. The study, led by Paola Sebastiani and Dr. Thomas Perls at the Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine,
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A document released today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concludes that, as critics have claimed since 2006, the hugely popular diabetes drug Avandia (rosiglitizone) increases the risk for heart attack. The 765-page briefing document released today in anticipation of an advisory panel meeting on July 13-14 to determine
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As a follow-up to an initial recall in January that yanked several Tylenol products off shelves after reports came in about a bizarre moldy smell — ultimately linked to exposure to a chemical in wood pallets at a storehouse — the McNeil Consumer Healthcare division of Johnson & Johnson today announced the recall of an additional 21
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For psychologists conducting relationship studies, it can sometimes be tricky getting a straight answer. If you ask a participant how happy he is in a relationship, sometimes he may be in denial, just not want to open up to you (ostensibly a complete stranger holding a clipboard), or may simply not truly know himself. So, to circumvent
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New research highlighted by the BBC and published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood suggests that the common understanding of the relationship between physical activity and childhood obesity may possibly present things in the wrong order. That is, while it’s a widely held belief — and premise of the First Lady’s Let’s Move
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