Healthy living

Columbus Voyage Tied to Syphilis Spread?

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28 -- A new examination of the origin of syphilis supports the theory that the sexually transmitted disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus' ships as they sailed home from the New World. The disease...

Avastin Delays Ovarian Cancer Progression

But Studies Don't Show Clear Survival Advantage By Salynn BoylesWebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Dec. 28, 2011 -- The cancer drug Avastin helped stop the spread of ovarian cancer in patients with an advanced form of the disease, tw...

States Crack Down on Drunk Drivers This Holiday Season

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 28 -- State highway safety offices are setting up sobriety checkpoints and beefing up road patrols through Monday, Jan. 2, in an effort to target drunk driving.Member agencies of the Governors Highway Safety Associati...

Breast Cancer Radiation Linked to Raised Heart Risk

TUESDAY, Dec. 27 -- Women who have breast cancer on the left side of the body and who are treated with radiation therapy have a higher risk of developing narrowing of the arteries that lead to the heart, researchers say. A new Swedis...

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Medical Author: Jay W. Marks, MD Jay W. Marks, MD Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Y...

Research Sheds Light on Gene Mutation's Role in Rare Tumors

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 -- Mutations in a gene called DICER are associated with rare, seemingly unrelated ovarian, uterine and testicular cancers, a new study finds.The Canadian researchers said they were surprised to discover that the sa...

40 Years On, the Triumphs and Challenges of America's 'War on Cancer'

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 -- Jack Whelan first knew something was wrong when it got harder and harder to walk from the train station in Boston to the financial district where he worked. He knew something was terribly wrong when he started g...

Is 27 a Deadly Age for Rock Stars?

Fame and Rock-'n'-Roll Lifestyle More Likely Than Age to Increase a Musician's Risk of Dying Young, Study Shows By Cari NierenbergWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 20, 2011 -- Rock stars pay a steep price for admission to musi...

Men Who Step Lively May Outpace Grim Reaper

Tongue-in-Cheek Study Determines the Reaper's Walking Speed By Cari NierenbergWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 15, 2011 -- Older men who walk at least 3 miles an hour need not fear the Reaper. They stay ahead of him and tend ...

HPV Test Beats Pap Test for Cervical Cancer Screening

In Women Over 30, HPV Testing Finds More Precancers, Study Shows By Brenda Goodman, MAWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 15, 2011 -- A test that looks for the virus that causes most cases of cervical cancer may be the best wa...

Walking While Drunk Can Lead to Deadly Accidents: Expert

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 14 -- Most everyone knows the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. With the holidays approaching, an expert warns that walking under the influence of alcohol can also have deadly consequences."Every move...

Low Iron Levels May Increase Blood Clot Risk

THURSDAY, Dec. 15 -- Low levels of iron in the blood are associated with an increased risk of dangerous blood clots that form in a vein, according to the results of a new study that included patients with an inherited blood vessel di...

Brain Changes May Be Tied to Parkinson's Dementia

MONDAY, Dec. 12 -- Researchers say they've spotted brain abnormalities that may be linked to dementia in people with Parkinson's disease.Many Parkinson's patients develop dementia and many of those who aren't diagnosed with dementia...

Blinking May Yield Clues About Autism

Autistic Children Blink Differently Than Children Without the Condition By Denise MannWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 12, 2011 -- When and why children blink may provide researchers some important clues about how children wi...

Are Too Many Older People Screened for Cancer?

MONDAY, Dec. 12 -- Many older Americans get screened for colon, breast, prostate and cervical cancer even though guidelines recommend against routinely screening the elderly, a new study finds.As the population of the United States c...

Carriers of Breast Cancer Gene at Risk of Second Cancer

BRCA Carriers Treated for Cancer in One Breast at Higher Risk for Cancer in the Other By Charlene LainoWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 9, 2011 (San Antonio) -- Women who have been successfully treated for cancer in one bre...

Bone Drug May Extend Lives of Young Women With Breast Cancer

Study: Premenopausal Women Given Zometa 37% Less Likely to Die By Charlene LainoWebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD Dec. 9, 2011 (San Antonio) -- A drug given to protect bones during breast cancer treatment extended the lives of young...

Some of World's Tiniest Preemies' Are Growing Up Healthy

Two of the Smallest Surviving Infants Develop Normally, but Height and Weight Lag a Bit By Cari NierenbergWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 12, 2011 -- Against heavy odds, the world's tiniest and the fourth-smallest survivin...

Breast Cancer Gene Puts Survivors at Higher Odds for Recurrence

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 -- Breast cancer survivors carrying specific genetic mutations, known as BRCA1 or BRCA2, have a 10 percent greater risk for developing cancer in their other breast, and the risk rises further when a woman receives he...

British Study Suggests Mammograms May Do More Harm Than Good

THURSDAY, Nov. 8 -- Women aged 40 and older who follow recommendations to have annual mammograms may do themselves more harm than good, British researchers report.Study author James Raftery, a professor of health technology assessmen...

Family Tree May Affect Diagnosis Age in Some Breast Cancers

THURSDAY, Dec. 8 -- Some women who inherit the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer genes from their father may be diagnosed with breast cancer nearly a decade earlier than those who inherit the genes from their mother, a new stu...

Broadway Strikes an Autism-Friendly Chord

FRIDAY, Dec. 9 -- For most Americans, attending the theater is just one more form of entertainment. But for Katie Sweeney and her family, a recent trip to Broadway was true cause for celebration."It was absolute redemption," said Swe...

MS May Take a Different Pathway Than Previously Thought

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 -- Multiple sclerosis may begin in the outer layer of the brain and work its way into the deep interior, according to a new study that upends long-held beliefs about the nervous system disease.The new findings, whic...

Steroids May Boost Survival for Very Preemie Babies

TUESDAY, Dec. 6 -- Giving steroids to pregnant women at risk for preterm birth as early as 23 weeks during their pregnancy may boost an infant's overall chance of survival and reduce the baby's risk of serious developmental issues, i...

If Parents Drink and Drive, Their Kids May Too: Study

TUESDAY, Dec. 6 -- Teens whose parents drink and drive are much more likely to do so themselves, a new U.S. government study finds.The research, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), suggests th...

Diabetes, Obesity After 60 May Drive Up Breast Cancer Risk

TUESDAY, Dec. 6 -- A woman's risk of developing breast cancer appears to rise if she has diabetes or is obese after age 60, a new study indicates.Previous research has linked obesity and increased breast cancer risk, but "the diabete...

FDA Panels to Weigh Safety of Newer Forms of the 'Pill'

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 -- Two U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panels will meet Thursday to discuss whether to recommend new warning labels about increased risk of blood clots with newer forms of oral contraceptives. The Reprodu...

Targeted Radiation May Not Be Better for Breast Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 7 -- Women with breast cancer who received radiation through strategically placed "seeds" had double the risk of a mastectomy later on, compared with women who got radiation for their entire breast, new research finds...

Mammograms May Halve Breast Cancer Deaths

Dutch Study Shows That Regular Mammograms Do Save Lives, Particulary for Older Women By Sonya CollinsWebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD Dec. 6, 2011 -- Despite the controversies over mammograms, the bottom line is they still save li...

Fetal Exposure to Epilepsy Drug Might Raise Autism Risk: Study

MONDAY, Dec. 5 -- Children exposed to the epilepsy drug valproate have a nearly three times higher risk of having an autism spectrum disorder, new research finds.Researchers in Denmark used national birth data that included nearly 65...