Here at Healthland, it can sometimes seem that we spend most of our time trying to scare you. Or maybe that’s just my posts — I tend to get the environmental danger of the week. But, sorry to say, I’ve got another thing for you …
Medicine
Obese Teens Are More Likely to Smoke, Have Riskier Sex
Do Over-the-Counter Scar Treatments Really Work?
With summer looming, many people are anticipating the return of skimpier, skin-baring outfits by getting back into the gym. But aside from losing winter flab, there’s another concern that comes with the start of shorts season: …
Newer Birth Control Pills Carry a Higher Risk of Blood Clots
Two studies published in the British Medical Journal confirm that birth control pills increase the risk of blood clots.
Top 10 Tips for Treating Back Pain
If you’re experiencing your first really bad backache, you’re probably panicking a little about the pain and its implications — what if it’s cancer? What if it never goes away? My first piece of advice is, relax. Low back pain is very common, and 95% of the time, it’s neither permanent nor serious. Following are 10 essential things to …
Half of U.S. States Have Enacted Indoor Smoking Bans Since 2000
Half of all states and the District of Columbia now have comprehensive bans on smoking in restaurants, bars and the workplace, federal officials said Thursday — an extraordinary pace of progress, considering that just over a …
Exposure to Pesticides in Pregnancy Can Lower Children’s IQ
Moms-to-be have a lot to worry about while they’re expecting, especially since everything they’re exposed to has a chance of affecting their developing baby.
New Alzheimer’s Guidelines: Will They Help Doctors Spot the Disease Earlier?
For the first time in nearly three decades, experts have created a set of guidelines to better diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in the clinic. The advice also helps doctors identify the earliest signs of the degenerative condition, …
House Watch: Can Canned Pheasant Kill You?
House lost a team member last night, and he didn’t save a life. A recap and the diagnoses are below, but first the standard spoiler alert: if you haven’t watched the episode, “Last Temptation,” order some chicken and fire …
Chronic Fatigue in Teens: Rare but Serious
It’s not unusual for teens to stay home from school for a day or two if they’re feeling under the weather. But in some uncommon cases, debilitating symptoms — such as joint pain and exhaustion — persist.
AIDS Trial Halted: Anti-HIV Pill Fails to Protect Women
AIDS prevention got a boost last year when researchers reported that the daily combination anti-HIV pill Truvada, which is designed to treat the disease, may actually be able to prevent HIV infection among healthy, high-risk gay men.
Genetic Testing for Kids: Is It a Good Idea?
With the advent of new genetic tests, it’s increasingly easy to gauge whether you’re predisposed to developing certain conditions — diabetes, say, or breast cancer. For adults, that knowledge can be simultaneously …
How Useful Are Stem Cell Transplants for Fukushima’s Workers?
Despite the imminent danger to their health and their lives, a cadre of workers bravely marches every day into the belly of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in an attempt to bring its unstable reactors under control. Now a group …