Health

Health Nearly 1 in 20 Americans over 50 have fake knees

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 10, 2012 at 8:02 AM PST

Doctors know the number of knee replacement operations has surged in the past decade, especially in baby boomers. But until now, there was no good fix on the total number of people living with them.

Health Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 9, 2012 at 8:37 AM PST

A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise.

Health CDC: Bread beats out chips as biggest salt source

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 7, 2012 at 10:28 AM PST Last Updated: Feb 7, 2012 at 12:03 PM PST

Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips.

National & World Blood clot guidelines challenge economy class risk

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 7, 2012 at 7:58 AM PST

Good news for budget-minded travelers: There's no proof that flying economy-class increases your chances of dangerous blood clots, according to new guidelines from medical specialists.

Health Obama to seek more Alzheimer's research money

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 7, 2012 at 8:33 AM PST

The Obama administration wants to spend just over half a billion dollars on Alzheimer's research next year, hoping to battle back against what could become the defining disease of the aging baby-boom generation.

Health Too many kids breathe others' smoke in cars

By LINDSEY TANNER AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 6, 2012 at 9:04 AM PST

Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren't all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list.

National & World Girl bouncing back after 6-organ transplant

By CLARKE CANFIELD Associated Press Published: Feb 2, 2012 at 3:11 PM PST Last Updated: Feb 2, 2012 at 4:02 PM PST

A 9-year-old Maine girl is home from a Boston hospital healthy, active and with high hopes — and a new stomach, liver, spleen, small intestine, pancreas, and part of an esophagus to replace the ones that were being choked by a huge tumor.

Health Mass hysteria rare, but usually seen in girls

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer Published: Feb 2, 2012 at 3:06 PM PST

Fifteen teenage girls report a mysterious outbreak of spasms, tics and seizures in upstate New York. But tests find nothing physically wrong.

Health Study questions proton therapy for prostate cancer

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE AP Chief Medical Writer Published: Feb 1, 2012 at 8:27 AM PST

A warning to men considering a pricey new treatment for prostate cancer called proton therapy: Research suggests it might have more side effects than traditional radiation does.

National & World Pfizer recalls 1M birth control packs after mixup

By TOM MURPHY AP Business Writer Published: Feb 1, 2012 at 7:45 AM PST Last Updated: Feb 1, 2012 at 12:26 PM PST

Pfizer Inc. is recalling 1 million packets of birth control pills due to a packaging error that could raise the risk of an accidental pregnancy by leaving women with an inadequate dose.

Health Drug approved to treat cystic fibrosis' root cause

By MATTHEW PERRONE,AP Health Writer Published: Jan 31, 2012 at 9:39 AM PST Last Updated: Feb 1, 2012 at 2:52 PM PST

The first drug that treats the root cause of cystic fibrosis won approval Tuesday, offering a life-changing treatment for a handful of patients with the deadly illness and broader hope for thousands more patients with the inherited disease.

Health FDA approves Roche skin cancer drug Erivedge

By Associated Press Published: Jan 30, 2012 at 9:01 AM PST Last Updated: Jan 30, 2012 at 11:47 AM PST

Regulators have approved a pill that treats the most common type of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma.

Health Report: Electronic health records still need work

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Published: Jan 28, 2012 at 2:27 PM PST

America may be a technology-driven nation, but the health care system's conversion from paper to computerized records needs lots of work to get the bugs out, according to experts who spent months studying the issue.

Health CDC: Diabetes amputations falling dramatically

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer Published: Jan 25, 2012 at 9:16 AM PST

Foot and leg amputations were once a fairly common fate for diabetics, but new government research shows a dramatic decline in limbs lost to the disease, probably due to better treatments.

Health Too many tests? Routine checks getting second look

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer Published: Jan 24, 2012 at 9:32 AM PST

Recent headlines offered a fresh example of how the health care system subjects people to too many medical tests - this time research showing millions of older women don't need their bones checked for osteoporosis nearly so often.

Health Study: Stem cells may aid vision in blind people

By Associated Press Published: Jan 23, 2012 at 9:56 AM PST Last Updated: Jan 23, 2012 at 12:24 PM PST

Scientists are reporting hints that embryonic stem cells can ease blindness in some people.

National & World Hospital prepares to send tiny baby home

By Associated Press Published: Jan 20, 2012 at 6:57 AM PST Last Updated: Jan 20, 2012 at 11:52 AM PST

Melinda Star Guido weighed only 9 ½ ounces at birth- less than a can of soda. After spending her early months in the neonatal intensive care unit, a team of doctors and nurses will gather Friday to see her off.

Health U.S. wants effective Alzheimer's treatment by 2025

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer Published: Jan 17, 2012 at 12:24 PM PST Last Updated: Jan 17, 2012 at 12:56 PM PST

Effective treatments for Alzheimer's by 2025? That's the target the government is eyeing as it develops a national strategy to tackle what could become the defining disease of a rapidly aging population.

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