Health News

Limits Urged On Painkillers By FDA Advisory Panel

Date: Jan-28-2013
New restrictions should be applied to widely used narcotic painkillers, because of an alarming increase in addiction and overdose deaths, an FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee (The Panel) recommended. The Drug Safety Advisory Panel voted 19 to 10, recommending that drugs containing hydrocodone should be reclassified as Schedule II controlled substances, together with other narcotic painkillers, including oxycodone. Products containing hydrocodone are currently in Schedule III. The painkiller Vicodin contains hydrocodone...

Mental Illness Clues Revealed Via Facebook Activity

Date: Jan-28-2013
Facebook activity could be an indicator for psychological health, and be used as tools by therapists and psychologists A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri and published in the journal Psychiatry Research, has revealed that social media profiles can provide insight into the mental health of patients. Social networking sites, like Facebook, are becoming increasingly popular and are becoming a primary method for communication and socialization...

Poor Sleep Causes Memory Loss And Forgetfulness

Date: Jan-28-2013
Poor quality sleep among the elderly can cause significant memory loss and brain deterioration, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. The study is the first of its kind to confirm the link between poor sleep and memory loss. The researchers found that during sleep important brain waves are produced which play a vital role in storing memories. The brain waves transfer memories from a part of the brain called the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain where long term memories are stored...

Asia Medical Tourism & Healthcare Conference, 9-10 April 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Date: Jan-28-2013
As most of the Western countries such as United States, Canada and other European countries have staggering healthcare related issues, such as high medical costs and long waiting lists, it is becoming a trend for patients to leave their respective countries in order to receive medical treatment. Medical tourism is a booming trend in various Asian countries nowadays as countries such as Thailand, India, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore are continuously growing in this industry...

The Eco-Dentistry Association Will Hold Industry's First Green Dentistry Conference, 3-4 May 2013, Utah

Date: Jan-28-2013
Ground-breaking event will focus on opportunities presented by high-tech, green, wellness based dentistry The Eco-Dentistry Association® announced last week that it will hold the industry's first dental conference devoted exclusively to high-tech, environmentally sound dental practices. The event will take place May 3 and 4, 2013, at the stunning, eco-friendly Robert Redford Conference Center in Sundance, Utah, part of the Sundance Resort. Continuing Education credits will be available and attendance is limited to the first 100 registrants...

In Preventing Diabetes-Related Heart Disease, Blood Pressure And Cholesterol Targets Are Higher Priorities Than Blood Sugar

Date: Jan-28-2013
For people with diabetes, meeting the recommended guidelines for blood pressure and cholesterol is even more important than meeting the guidelines for blood sugar control in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The study included more than 26,000 patients with diabetes. Patients who met guidelines for all three risk factors and those who met the blood pressure and cholesterol guidelines were least likely to be hospitalized for a heart attack or stroke...

Breast Cancer Survival Better After Lumpectomy Than Mastectomy

Date: Jan-28-2013
Women with small early breast cancers may have a better chance of survival if they have lumpectomy plus radiation therapy than mastectomy, according to a new analysis due to be published early online in the journal Cancer this week. Although they did not determine why women who had mastectomy had a higher risk of dying, Shelley Hwang of the Duke Cancer Institute in the US, and colleagues, suggest their findings provide confidence in the effectiveness of breast-conserving treatments even in women who have aggressive, early breast cancers...

Stroke Recovery Aided By Stem Cells

Date: Jan-28-2013
Stem cells from bone marrow or fat improve recovery after stroke in rats, finds a study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy. Treatment with stem cells improved the amount of brain and nerve repair and the ability of the animals to complete behavioural tasks. Stem cell therapy holds promise for patients but there are many questions which need to be answered, regarding treatment protocols and which cell types to use. This research attempts to address some of these questions...

Release Of First Guidelines For Brain Amyloid Imaging In Alzheimer's

Date: Jan-28-2013
Only recently has it become possible to create high-quality images of the brain plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease in living people through positron emission tomography (PET). Even so, questions remain about what can be learned from these PET images and which people should have this test...

Forest Fires And Pollution Are Impacting The Health Of People With Chronic Lung Diseases

Date: Jan-28-2013
Pollution from forest fires is impacting the health of people with asthma and other chronic obstructive lung diseases, finds a study in Biomed Central's open access journal Environmental Health. This study uses data from pharmacies and dispensaries to measure the increase in drugs needed to alleviate symptoms associated with pollution. Forest fires burn nearly 1000 km2 of trees in British Columbia every year...