Prescription drugs cause most of the more than 26,000 fatal US overdoses each year, says the CDC's Leonard Paulozzi, and deaths from opioid painkillers more than tripled between 1999 and 2006, reaching 13,800. Painkillers have overtaken heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of fatal overdose.
Section archive
Page 252 of 288
Health News
Drugs, disease, healthcare, government and lifestyle: health news beyond the plate.
- All desks
- Abortion
- Accutane
- Acetaminophen
- Acid Reflux
- Acidic Foods
- Acne
- Acrylamide
- Acupuncture
- Additives
- ADHD
- Adiposity
- Advisories
- Aerobic Exercise
- Aflatoxin
- Agave
- Agent Orange
- Aging
- Agriculture
- AIDS
- Air Pollution
- Airline Passengers
- Airport
- ALA
- Alcohol
- Alcoholic Beverage
- Alerts
- Allergy
- Alli
- Aloe Vera
- ALS
- Alternative Medicine
- Aluminum
- Alzheimer's
- Amalgam
- AMD
- Ampyra
- Amygdala
- Anal Cancer
- And
- Anemia
- Angiogenesis
- Animal Protein
- Animals
- Anorexia
- Anthocyanins
- Anthrax
- Anti-Angiogenesis
- Anti-Obesity
- Antibacterial
- Antibiotic
Healthcare
Free Prescription Discount Card Saves Money, Raises Funds for Veterans
Disabled American Veterans launched a free prescription discount card with United Networks of America, open to anyone regardless of age, income or coverage. Cardholders print it from the website and get up to 75 percent off; DAV receives 50 cents each time it is used.
Disease
Oregon Cat first feline death from H1N1
A 10-year-old cat admitted with pneumonia died of H1N1 on Nov. 7, the first feline death and third confirmed cat case. Oregon's state public health veterinarian said cat-to-human transmission could be possible; the OVMA urged owners not to panic.
Disease
Type 2 Diabetes major risk factor for cancer
A World Journal of Gastroenterology study comparing 1,172,496 type 2 diabetes discharges with controls found pancreatic cancer incidence three times higher among diabetics, and gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary cancers twice as high.
Miscellaneous
North Carolina girl Shaniya Davis dies of asphyxiation
An autopsy found that five-year-old Shaniya Davis, whose body was discovered in woods near a North Carolina highway, died of asphyxiation and had been raped, the Fayetteville police chief said. The finding brought additional charges against Mario Andrette McNeill.
Lifestyle
Five Steps to Overcoming Gout Naturally
Mercola explains that gout is a form of arthritis in which excess uric acid forms crystals in the joints, most often the big toe, causing sudden, intense pain that usually eases within three to ten days but tends to recur more often and damage joints over time.
Drug
P&G recalls Vicks nasal spray
Procter & Gamble is voluntarily recalling three lots of Vicks Sinex nasal spray in the US, Germany and the UK after finding the bacterium B. cepacia in product from its Gross Gerau, Germany plant. No illnesses have been reported; the US lot number is 9239028831.
Drug
Spray treatment may prevent premature ejaculation
In a double-blind trial of 256 men, the aerosol PSD502 delayed ejaculation up to five times longer than placebo, with patients and partners reporting better sexual satisfaction and few side effects. Results were presented to the Sexual Medicine Society of North America in San Diego.
Environment
A Cell Phone on Your Hip Weakens Your Bones
Researchers measured pelvic bone density in 150 men who carried cell phones on their belts an average of 15 hours a day for about six years, and found lower bone mineral density on the side where the phone sat, raising the possibility that electromagnetic fields affect bone.
Disease
Major Victory with Swine Flu Scandal
British and French media accused researchers of hyping the H1N1 pandemic to win grants and enrich drug companies. Britain's worst-case estimate of 65,000 deaths was revised down twice, to about 1,000, well below the usual 4,000 to 8,000 annual toll from seasonal flu.
Disease
The Pandemic that DWARFS Swine Flu
Prescription drugs cause most of the more than 26,000 fatal US overdoses each year, and CDC figures show opioid painkiller deaths more than tripled from 1999 to 2006, reaching 13,800. Painkillers have passed heroin and cocaine as the leading cause of fatal overdose.
Miscellaneous
Breast screening policy will "remain unchanged," says HHS
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said department policy remains unchanged after a task force advised women to wait until 50 for mammograms, screen every two years to age 74 and skip self-exams. She said the panel does not set policy or decide what the government covers.
Lifestyle
Those With MS Need Not Fear Pregnancy
Analyzing 18.8 million births, a Neurology report found women with MS had more C-sections, 42 versus 33 percent, and slightly slower fetal growth, but fewer complications than women who were diabetic before pregnancy and no added risk of preeclampsia.
Disease
LDL Levels Drop by One-Third
CDC epidemiologist Elena Kuklina reports in JAMA that the share of adults with high LDL fell 11 points from 32% in 1999 by 2006, with 13% on cholesterol drugs. She notes 36% of those with the highest LDL had never been screened.
Healthcare
March of Dimes Releases Annual Premature Birth Rate Percentages
The March of Dimes gave the US a D on premature births. Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama rank worst at 16.5 to 18.3 percent, twice the 7.6 percent goal; no state earned an A and only New Hampshire a B. Rates did fall slightly over the past year.
Disease
Heart Disease Found in Mummies
CT scans of 20 high-status Egyptian mummies found heart or blood vessel tissue in 13, three with definite atherosclerosis and three probable, with calcification more common in those aged 45 or older. Researchers presented the work to the American Heart Association.
Healthcare
Mammogram screening: What you need to know
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends mammograms every two years for women aged 50 to 74 rather than yearly from 40, and advises against teaching breast self-examination. A companion review found biennial screening delivers most of the benefit with half the false positives.
Disease
STDs Increase Among Teen Girls
New syphilis cases in women rose 36 percent from 2007 to 2008, with chlamydia and gonorrhea also climbing, and girls 15 to 19 carry the heaviest STD burden. The piece blames the belief that oral sex is safer, and notes HPV-linked oral cancers have doubled among people in their 40s.
5182 stories