Actor Corey Haim, 38, died this morning of an apparent overdose of prescription medications. The Canadian actor reportedly collapsed in a bathroom and was... »
Health
Teen Pot Smoking Linked to Mental Illness
According to Reuters, young people who use marijuana (cannabis) are at increased risk of suffering hallucinations, delusions or other reality-distorting “psychoses.” And the more time that’s passed since first use, the higher the risk. Reuters reported the following: A study by Dr. John McGrath, of the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research in Wacol, Australia, and... »
Belief In A Caring God Helps With Depression
Although there is research available that suggests that religious belief helps with depression, a study at Russ University Medical Center goes one step further. According to a paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, belief in a concerned God can improve response to medical treatment in patients diagnosed with clinical depression. The study found that those... »
Does Smoking Lower IQ?
Smoking does not necessarily lower IQ, but IQ scores drop proportionally amongst heavier smokers. At least that is the result of extensive tests compiled by Dr. Mark Weiser and his colleagues of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel. They found that young men who smoked a pack of cigarettes a day or more had IQ... »
Genetics May Offer Dengue Fever Relief
Genetically altered mosquitoes may dramatically reduce cases of dengue fever. The BBC reports that the illness produced by dengue fever affects up to 100 million people a year and threatens over a third of the world’s population and, most importantly, there is no vaccine or treatment available. The dengue virus is spread by the bite of... »
Aspirin – Fights Breast Cancer
As it has for decades, aspirin continues to amaze the medical world with its record of successfully fighting and preventing serious, often fatal disease. According to Reuters, a study of more than 4,000 nurses showed that those who took aspirin — usually to prevent heart disease — had a 50 percent lower risk of dying... »
Does the Internet Cause Depression?
A study from Britain’s Leeds University indicates that excessive web surfing may have a serious impact on mental health. According to Reuters, Psychologists from Leeds found what they said was “striking” evidence that some avid net users develop compulsive internet habits in which they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking... »
Teenage Depression Related to Hours of Sleep
Research indicates a link between teenage depression and the number of restful hours of sleep. Based on data from 15,500 teenagers collected in the 1990s, Columbia University Medical Center researchers found that 12 to 18-year-olds with bedtimes after midnight were 24% more likely to suffer from depression than those who went to bed before 10... »
Ginkgo Biloba No More Effective Than Placebo
The herbal supplement industry constitutes a multi-billion dollar market. According to Time, over the past decade, use of herbal supplements has jumped 83%, going from $12.2 billion in U.S. sales in 1996 to a whopping $22.3 billion last year. People often flock to claims for cure-all relief for everything from cancer to impotency. Upon careful... »
Global Swine Flu Deaths Jump By More Than 1,000
The global number of swine flu deaths has jumped by more than 1,000 in a week, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization. According to the BBC, at least 7,826 people are now known to have died following infection with the H1N1 virus since it first emerged in Mexico in April. The... »
Serious Infections Follow Swine Flu
Health officials are seeing a worrying pattern of serious bacterial infections in swine flu patients, mostly among younger adults not normally vulnerable to them, reports Reuters. “We are seeing an increase of serious pneumococcal infections around the country,” Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters. “That is the serious... »
Obesity Plus Swine Flu Equals Danger
Reuters reports that according to an analysis of H1N1 cases in California released on Tuesday, swine flu can cause severe disease in people of all ages and appears to pose a special threat to those who are obese. “What our study shows was that once you were hospitalized, if you were elderly you have a... »
The Flu File (VIDEO)
The Flu File is a website that offers both US and global statistics and updates on the H1N1 (Swine flu) pandemic. With all the various media reporting bits and pieces about the H1N1 virus, this is one resource which provides up-to-date information about the disease, down to the tiniest developments. The site offers a collection of... »
Swine Flu Scams
Scam artists have descended in droves offering bogus protection and even cures against the dreaded H1N1 virus. This is to be expected as it has been replayed for centuries with every real and pretended disease or disaster that mankind has experienced. Some of the useless potions and devices sold that promised to ward off the... »
Obama Declares Swine Flu State Of Emergency
MSNBC reports that President Barack Obama has signed a proclamation declaring swine flu a national emergency. “In keeping with the administration’s proactive approach to H1N1 Flu, President Obama last night signed a proclamation declaring 2009-H1N1 Influenza a national emergency,” the White House said in a statement. “The proclamation enhances the ability of our nation’s medical treatment... »
H1N1 Vaccine Hits Production Delays
The U.S. won’t get 195 million H1N1 vaccine doses it had planned for by the end of the year because of production delays, said Nicole Lurie, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response. She said Americans may get 42 million doses by mid-November or 8 million less than earlier U.S. estimates. Health officials... »
H1N1 Vaccine Will Arrive Too Late To Help Most Americans
Based on the results of a study by Purdue University, the H1N1 vaccine will arrive too late to help most Americans who will be infected during this flu season, according to The Washington Times. The study also estimates that the virus will infect about 60 percent of the U.S. population, although only about 25 percent of... »
FDA Attacks Oysters
USA Today reports that lovers of oysters on the half shell may want to indulge now, while they can. A new Food and Drug Administration plan aims to cut deaths from one of the deadliest types of food poisoning. This means that soon, live U.S.- grown oysters will become much harder to find from May... »
Autism Cases On The Rise
Like so many of the recent revisions in various critical statistical studies, a question emerges: Do the new data depict a real increase in the occurances being measured, or does the employment of more precise measuring techniques reveal a more accurate picture compared to past studies on the same topic. A case in point are new government studies which suggest autism spectrum... »
Swine Flu Is Spreading Rapidly
The deadly H1N1 virus, more commonly called the swine flu, is rapidly spreading across the entire country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday. According to The New York Times, Federal health officials released Tamiflu for children from the national stockpile and began taking orders from the states for the new swine flu vaccine. Dr. Anne... »
AIDS Vaccine Promises Prevention, Not Cure
According to Reuters, an experimental AIDS vaccine made from two older versions has made major progress in finding an effective way to combat the illness. Development of a commercial application of the vaccine may take more time, however. The trials were conducted in Thailand and the health minister involved called the outcome a “very important... »
New Test For Colon Cancer
There is a major advance in medical diagnosis that now offers a simpler, more efficient method for colorectal screening. According to MIT’s Technology Review, the test detects cancer due to a chemical change called methylation that occurs disproportionately in two key genes in colorectal tumor cells The article points out that this promises wider spread... »
Kill The Pigs, Cure The Flu
In what public health experts said was a misguided attempt to combat swine flu, the Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of all the pigs in Egypt this spring. It turns out that a key element vital to Egyptian society was overlooked. As described in a story in The New York Times, the pigs used to eat... »
New More Deadly H1N1 Virus Identified
According to a report in today’s FOX News, doctors are reporting a severe form of the H1N1 virus that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment. Also referred to as the “swine flu”, this update on the pandemic is cause for alarm to global... »
LSD Clinical Trials Under Way
As the FDA paves the way for clinical LSD trials, scientists are exploring its medical benefits. Is acid the new Xanax? Last September, the FDA approved a clinical trial on the use of LSD to treat anxiety in cancer patients. According to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (or MAPS), it was the first time... »
Swine Flu H1N1 Vaccine Warning
According to the Sunday Times of London, British health officials have warned doctors of possible similarities between the new H1N1 swine flu vaccine and the one used in the 70s that was linked to 25 deaths in America. The Times continued with this information: In 1976, Washington rushed in a mass immunization program against a swine flu... »
Aspirin Found To Be Effective In The Treatment of Colorectal Cancer
According to USA Today, one of the most promising treatments for colorectal cancer could be sitting in your medicine cabinet. The article stated that a preliminary study suggests that aspirin — used for more than a century and sold for pennies a pill — could find new life as a weapon against colorectal cancer. The study... »
