Latest Health Articles

Blood, urine testing faces new competition

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Collecting blood and urine specimens can often be messy or painful for patients. And for legally sensitive tests, such as for drugs or alcohol, ensuring …

Patients charged for screenings they thought would be free

By TOM KISKEN Scripps Howard News Service | Sunday, February 12, 2012

Patients are getting charged as much as $3,000 for screenings they thought would be free under a federal health care reform mandate that promises free …

Program teaches life-saving skills to high school athletes

By VIRGINIA CHA and LEE BOWMAN Scripps Howard News Service | Sunday, February 12, 2012

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. – Tommy Mallon brought a crowd with him on his most recent trip back to his alma mater, Santa Fe Christian High …

Listen to kids with more than just ears

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Listen: Five-year-old Sally has long, curly, red hair, a big, gap-toothed smile and lots of friends. She ran off the kindergarten school bus recently into …

Number of diagnostic codes multiplies ad nauseam

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Chances are, unless you’ve been forced to pay attention by an insurance snafu or malpractice claim, you probably haven’t studied the five- to seven-digit numbers …

Study: Exercise during day care too limited

By JACK KELLY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Sunday, February 5, 2012

Most children in day care don’t get enough exercise, according to a study published recently in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. …

Parents say acupuncture has alleviated boy’s ADHD

By IRENE MAHER Tampa Bay Times | Sunday, January 29, 2012

At school, 8-year-old Alex Karaszi couldn’t focus his attention and sit still. Soon, his grades began to suffer. At home, the Clearwater, Fla., boy had …

Group works to get more black doctors, starting with young boys

By KATE LUCE ANGELL Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Sunday, January 29, 2012

PITTSBURGH – Since the civil-rights era, the number of black physicians has been rising, with African-Americans now making up 4 percent of U.S. physicians overall. …

Baby changes the brains of Mom and Dad

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Having a baby, so the cooing commercials say, changes everything. While perhaps not changing everything, parenthood does set in motion an array of hormonal and …

Rice joins Immediate Care of Southern New Hampshire in Nashua

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

NASHUA – Shannon Rice, PA-C, joined the medical staff at Immediate Care of Southern New Hampshire, 29 Northwest Boulevard. Her colleagues include Melissa Wu, MD, …

In the obesity battle, it’s mind over stomach

Sunday, August 28, 2011

When it comes to hunger, eating too much and gaining weight, the stomach isn’t the only or even the major organ to blame. Scientists looking …

New tools allowing people die at home, not in the hospital

By JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY Minneapolis Star Tribune | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Doug State entered hospice care two years ago knowing exactly how he wanted to die: at home in Cambridge, Minn., with his wife, Carol, and …

Top 10 for health and fitness

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Here are the top 10 for your health and fitness checklist: Nutrition, workout, stretch, soft-tissue work, activity, vitamins, water, goals, quiet time, rest. You must …

Working out together has benefits for couple

By TERRY TOMALIN St. Petersburg Times | Sunday, April 18, 2010

Ashlie Nalls knew she had found the right match when her future husband said he was interested in doing a triathlon. “We met through his …

Dog ownership has many benefits

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Even though we now know summer is about the tilt of the Earth rather than the brightness of Sirius (the dog star), as ancient Romans …

New study tailors drugs to breast cancer patients

By MAURA LERNER Minneapolis Star Tribune | Sunday, April 11, 2010

Breast cancer researchers say they could cut years off the time required to test new drugs for treating certain kinds of tumors under a study …

Windpipe check tells smoker risk

By LAURAN NEERGAARD The Associated Press | Thursday, April 8, 2010

WASHINGTON – Scientists may have found a way to tell which smokers are at highest risk of developing lung cancer: measuring a telltale genetic change …

Raising parents well

Sunday, April 4, 2010

PARENTS: Please don’t read this column – it’s for your kids’ eyes only – but please do take reasonable steps to bring it to your …

Replacement parts effective, but don’t always meet expectations

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or physically worn out by the end of the week, the aches and pains in the lower extremities catch up …

Screening for depression before, during, after pregnancy can help

By POHLA SMITH Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Sunday, March 28, 2010

Amber cried a lot after the birth of her first child, a son. “Small things upset me – not to the angry point, but to …

Piercings may be popular, but they can lead to problems

Sunday, March 28, 2010

With piercings, tattoos and tanning injections, we’re letting more things get under our skin – or through it – than ever before. Nearly 50 percent …

Take a step back from emotion of moment

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Emotion can be blinding. Sadness and anger, guilt and shame and fear, pride and even happiness, can twist reality. Strong emotion can make fiction into …

Flat remote control helps keep germs away

By JARED LEONE St. Petersburg Times | Sunday, March 21, 2010

Mike Monsky was driving along one day with his son, who was eating a peanut-butter sandwich. When some of the filling spilled on a stray …