http://www.physorg.com/health-news/health/ en-us PhysOrg.com provides the latest news on health, medicine technology and health sciences. (AP) -- Republicans are seizing on this week's recommendations for fewer Pap smears and mammograms to fuel concern about government-rationed medical care - and to try to chip away support by women for President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul. http://www.physorg.com/news178009396.html Medicine & Health - Health Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:20:02 EST news178009396 Older adults who have alcohol dependence problems drink significantly more than do younger adults who have similar problems, a new study has found. http://www.physorg.com/news177945316.html Medicine & Health - Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:14 EST news177945316 The estimated 4.6 million Americans involved in the equine industry may be at risk of developing respiratory symptoms due to poor air quality in horse barns, according to a questionnaire study undertaken earlier this year by investigators at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news177945473.html Medicine & Health - Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:30:13 EST news177945473 (PhysOrg.com) -- Blame it on the heavy meal, the alcohol, or simply the opportunity afforded by a free afternoon on a traditional holiday. Just don't blame it on the tryptophan, say experts at the University of Cincinnati. http://www.physorg.com/news177926926.html Medicine & Health - Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:12:30 EST news177926926 (AP) -- Most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually, say new guidelines that conclude that's enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news177920735.html Medicine & Health - Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:40:04 EST news177920735 Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time. http://www.physorg.com/news177919033.html Medicine & Health - Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:40:01 EST news177919033 The increased computerization in U.S. hospitals hasn't made them cheaper or more efficient, Harvard researchers say, although it may have modestly improved the quality of care for heart attacks. http://www.physorg.com/news177919146.html Medicine & Health - Health Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:10:01 EST news177919146 Driving while impaired (DWI) contributes significantly to road-traffic crashes, and is involved in more than one-third of all fatalities. Many DWI recidivists - drinking drivers who re-offend - do not participate in mandated alcohol-evaluation and intervention programs or else continue to drink problematically after their licenses have been re-issued. A comparison of the effects of two interventions on DWI recidivists with alcohol problems found that one - Brief Motivational Interviewing (BMI) - was more effective. http://www.physorg.com/news177874957.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:50:01 EST news177874957 Effective communication of health news is needed to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes in populations who experience health disparities, or inequalities in health status, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As media researchers search for better methods to reach audiences, a new University of Missouri study published in Public Relations Review has found that highlighting racial disparities in news releases increases coverage of health stories in black newspapers, which can improve health outcomes in populations at-risk for disparities. http://www.physorg.com/news177862123.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:20:03 EST news177862123 (AP) -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia. http://www.physorg.com/news177855645.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:21:31 EST news177855645 Many women don't quit smoking because they are afraid of gaining weight. That's because nicotine suppresses the appetite and boosts a smoker's metabolism. http://www.physorg.com/news177852188.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:50:02 EST news177852188 Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France. http://www.physorg.com/news177852930.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:50:01 EST news177852930 A nutritionist in Nigeria says that malnutrition and iron deficiency in schoolchildren could be reduced in her country by baking up snail pie. In a research paper to be published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health, she explains snail is not only cheaper and more readily available than beef but contains more protein. http://www.physorg.com/news177850647.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:10:01 EST news177850647 Drug approvals are taking just as long as they ever did despite increased expenditure on new information technology at the Food and drug Administration. So says a statistical analysis of approval intervals from 1997 to 2006, published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare. http://www.physorg.com/news177847375.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:40:02 EST news177847375 (AP) -- Most Americans want Congress to deal with malpractice lawsuits driving up the cost of medical care, says an Associated Press poll. http://www.physorg.com/news177847339.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:30:03 EST news177847339 (PhysOrg.com) -- A baby's sleep position is the best predictor of a misshapen skull condition known as deformational plagiocephaly ? or the development of flat spots on an infant's head -- according to findings reported by Arizona State University scientists in the December issue of the journal Pediatrics. http://www.physorg.com/news177844586.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:17:30 EST news177844586 Men who drink alcohol every day see a nearly one-third average reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a long-term study among Spanish men published on Thursday. http://www.physorg.com/news177839808.html Medicine & Health - Health Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:57:59 EST news177839808 (PhysOrg.com) -- Taking nonprescribed medication has become an emerging problem, especially among teens. When using these substances to get high, students are more likely to engage in bad behaviors than those who don't, a new University of Michigan study shows. http://www.physorg.com/news177786845.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:30:02 EST news177786845 Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard. http://www.physorg.com/news177782677.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:20:08 EST news177782677 (PhysOrg.com) -- UNC emergency physician Abhi Mehrotra, M.D., explains how you can avoid the most common injuries that land people in a hospital emergency department during the four-day Thanksgiving holiday period. http://www.physorg.com/news177781151.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:50:01 EST news177781151 Every school day, more than 5 million students in the United States attend lessons held in modular classrooms. With new carpeting and paint, metal roofs and noisy ventilation systems, they can be a health hazard and make it harder for students to learn. http://www.physorg.com/news177775806.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:11:28 EST news177775806 A recent study determined there is a significant risk of seizure for individuals who currently smoke cigarettes. Boston-based researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School also found that long-term, moderate intake of caffeine or alcohol does not increase the chance of having a seizure or developing epilepsy. This is the first prospective study to examine the potential risks associated with cigarette smoking, caffeine intake, and alcohol consumption as they independently relate to epilepsy. Full findings of this study are currently available online and will appear in the February 2010 issue of Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy. http://www.physorg.com/news177763536.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:20:02 EST news177763536 The Transcendental Meditation(R) technique may be an effective method to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students, according to a new study to be published in the American Journal of Hypertension, December 2009. http://www.physorg.com/news177764947.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:09:36 EST news177764947 Strength training exercises using dumbbells can reduce pain and improve function in the trapezius muscle, the large muscle which extends from the back of the head, down the neck and into the upper back. The exercises also improve the muscle's ability to respond quickly and forcefully among women suffering trapezius myalgia, a tenderness and tightness in the upper trapezius muscle. The results are the latest findings from an ongoing Danish study aimed at reducing repetitive strain injury caused by office work. http://www.physorg.com/news177763029.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:50:04 EST news177763029 Women who develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy are more likely than other women to have reduced thyroid function (hypothyroidism), finds a study published in BMJ today. It may also put women at a greater risk of thyroid problems later in life. http://www.physorg.com/news177761418.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:30:02 EST news177761418 Several studies have shown that lipid peroxidation stimulates collagen production in fibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells (HSC), and plays an important role in the development of liver fibrosis. Hepatoprotective effects of green tea against carbon tetrachloride, cholestasis and alcohol induced liver fibrosis were reported in many studies. However, the hepatoprotective effect of green tea in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced models has not been studied. http://www.physorg.com/news177760503.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:20:18 EST news177760503 Toddlers and obese children suffer more than other youth when exposed to secondhand smoke, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2009. http://www.physorg.com/news177760895.html Medicine & Health - Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:20:02 EST news177760895 Educating family members of heart failure (HF) patients about the health benefits of consuming a low-salt diet and providing skills for support and communication can effectively reduce HF patients' sodium consumption, according to an interdisciplinary study led by Emory University cardiovascular nursing researcher Sandra Dunbar, RN, DSN, FAAN, FAHA. http://www.physorg.com/news177703330.html Medicine & Health - Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:10:02 EST news177703330 (PhysOrg.com) -- The creation of E-ZPass lanes over the past 15 years has significantly improved the health of newborn babies living near highways in the Northeast, according to a Columbia study. The researchers found that reductions in traffic congestion generated by E-ZPass lanes reduced premature birthrates by 10.8 percent and low birth weight by 11.8 percent among infants born within 2 kilometers of toll plazas. The net effect has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in saved medical costs. http://www.physorg.com/news177698504.html Medicine & Health - Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:10:01 EST news177698504 Between 1999 and 2006, the prevalence of adults in the U.S. with high levels of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, decreased by about one-third, according to a study in the November 18 issue of JAMA. But a high percentage of adults still are not being screened or treated for high cholesterol levels. http://www.physorg.com/news177703506.html Medicine & Health - Health Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:40:03 EST news177703506