Research presented last week at a major cancer research conference suggests that morphine, which is regularly prescribed to cancer patients to treat pain, may actually spur cancer growth. For the past seven years, the notion that opiates might stimulate cancer growth has slowly been gaining attention in the medical research community,
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Tests run by the Centers for Disease Control confirm that four patients at Duke University Medical Center have strains of Tamiflu- (oseltamivir) resistant H1N1 flu. All four patients with the resistant strains had underlying conditions that compromised their immune systems, and were being treated in an isolated unit at the North Carolina
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With Black Friday and the official kick-off of holiday mania just a week away, Santas are gearing up for the season—and this year, that doesn’t just mean dusting off the red suit and beard. As they prepare to populate the malls, the Associated Press reports, Santas across the country are hoping for a little gift from U.S. public health
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A new technique using human embryonic stem cells may enable doctors to grow “replacement skin” that can be used to help treat burn victims, according to research published this week in the British medical journal The Lancet. Doctors have been using burn patients’ own cells to grow new skin to repair injuries for more than two decades.
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When it comes to innovative and bizarre remedies for injuries, professional athletes have long been trendsetters. And the latest trend in hamstring and ligament repair among English Premier League footballers is no exception. Robin van Persie, who plays striker for Arsenal, was scheduled to fly to Serbia this week to meet with a daring
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When, more than a decade ago now, smoking bans began to take effect around the world, researchers and public health officials feverishly collected data demonstrating the health benefits: lower levels of respiratory illness were reported among bar workers from Dublin to San Francisco after indoor smoking bans took effect, saliva tests …
Peter Criss grew concerned after he noticed a small lump in his left breast. When the Catman, as he was known during his days as the make-up smeared drummer for Kiss, noticed that the lump was growing larger and more painful, he decided to see a doctor. After a series of tests, he soon learned that he had breast cancer, the Associated
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Feeling confident and secure about your body is important, and a critical part of having high self-esteem, and as the health care debate continues, advocates for “fat acceptance” are struggling to have their voices heard by lawmakers. Yet, while it is clearly true that weight isn’t the solitary indicator of health, a problem arises when
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It turns out that artherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, isn’t an entirely modern condition. In fact, evidence published in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that, as long as 3,500 years ago, well-to-do Egyptians suffered from the disease. Researchers were able to diagnose the medical malady
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As Alice Park reported for TIME, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new recommendations for breast cancer screening yesterday, suggesting that women begin routine screenings at age 50, as opposed to age 40, as long recommended by the American Cancer Society. Additionally, the group recommends that women between the ages of
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Some of the best inventions come about by accident—take corn flakes, for example, silly putty, or, of course, Viagra, which was originally designed as a heart medication. And now, in the tradition of accidental innovation, a team of U.S. researchers are hopeful that while their attempt to create a successful antidepressant for women
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New data released by the Centers for Disease Control show that, in spite of public health efforts and education campaigns to combat them, sexually transmitted diseases continue to rise, with 19 million new cases costing the U.S. health care system some $15.9 billion annually. But what exactly is driving this surge—higher levels of
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A study published this week in the journal Pediatrics finds that childhood allergies are on the rise in the U.S., with nearly 4% of children now reporting food allergies. Between 1997 and 2007 self-reported food allergies increased by 18%, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control. The finding comes as small scale
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