Health Headlines - May 25

Nitric Oxide Test Helps Monitor Asthma

Within a few years, doctors may have a new tool to help assess the severity of your asthma, which will help them better predict your need for inhaled corticosteroid medication.

Why Patients Fail to Take Their Medicines

Within six months of starting medications to reduce their high blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels, one in three patients tracked in a new study failed to take those medications as prescribed, researchers report.

Erectile Trouble May Signal Heart Disease

Many men with erectile dysfunction may face an even tougher health problem: heart disease.

Hair Dye Cleared of Cancer Risk

The millions of people with faux hair color can breathe a sigh of relief: New research from Spain suggests that hair dye does not appear to increase the risk of cancer.

A Better Way to Diagnose Heart Disease?

New high-tech computerized X-ray scans may help heart patients avoid invasive tests to determine whether they have serious cardiovascular disease, German researchers report.

Suicidal Thoughts, Attempts Remain Unchanged in U.S.

A decrease in suicides in the United States since the early 1990s has not been matched by a drop in suicidal behaviors, a new study finds.

Exercise Boosts Breast Cancer Survival

If you have breast cancer and have undergone treatment for it, there's one more thing you can do to increase the odds you'll survive the disease: exercise.

Laughter-Induced Asthma No Joke

There's nothing funny about this: Laughter can cause an asthma flare-up.

Plus-Size Instructor Urges Yoga for All

As Megan Garcia prepares to do a twisting yoga pose, she reminds her students to lift their bellies up and over their legs. Wearing a one-piece purple leotard, she's not shy about the love handles around her waist or the extra flesh on her thighs.

Rodent Virus Now Linked to Six Deaths

At least six deaths of organ transplant patients have now been linked to a rodent virus, raising questions about whether others may have gone undetected and whether the germ also could spread through blood transfusions.

Defibrillator Maker Didn't Reveal Problem

The maker of an internal heart defibrillator acknowledged it waited three years before telling some 24,000 patients and their doctors about an electrical problem that caused a small fraction of the implanted devices to short-circuit.

U.S. suicides fall but ideas of suicide don't

The proportion of U.S. adults contemplating or attempting suicide stayed about the same over the last decade, while the availability of treatment increased and the actual suicide rate fell, a study said on Tuesday.

Breast cancer patients should walk to live -study

Women with breast cancer who walk at least an hour a week have a better chance of beating the disease than those who don't exercise at all, researchers said on Tuesday.

Food Fact:
Like buttermilk...

Despite its rich-sounding name, buttermilk is tremendous for low-fat cooks. Today's commercial buttermilk is made from skim or low-fat milk that has healthful bacteria added to it, which thickens the milk and gives it a pleasant dairy tang. Use buttermilk in salad dressings, low-fat biscuits and muffins, or in our favorite, buttermilk mashed potatoes. But what about that name? It's a relic of the past, when buttermilk was the liquid left after churning butter.

Fitness Tip of the day:
Mirror, mirror...

Ever wonder why health clubs have all those mirrors? No, it's not for vanity's sake! The mirrors are there to assure you're maintaining proper form when exercising. You're not being a narcissist when you position yourself in front of the mirror; pay careful attention to see you're doing the exercise right. If you are uncertain as to how to perform an exercise, don't hesitate to ask for help.

FAQ of the day:
Does "spot reducing" really work?

Miavita Scientific Advisor Steve Blair of the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research says: While specific exercises have specific effects -- for example, a leg press on a weight machine will improve strength and endurance of the involved muscles -- fat isn't selectively metabolized by exercise. The possible exception is "abdominal obesity," the "apple shape" common in men and some women. There is some evidence that exercise effectively targets this "visceral fat" associated with a high risk of heart attack and Type 2 diabetes. Generally speaking, as you burn more calories than you consume, you will burn fat from all over your body. Focus on a balanced exercise program for both aerobic and musculoskeletal fitness, which can give you a strong, healthy, fit body, no matter what its shape.