Health Headlines - December 15

Some Women Wary of Breast Cancer Drug

Women with a high risk of breast cancer are declining to take tamoxifen because they are afraid of side-effects, even though the drug can protect them from the cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday.

Every Other Year May Be Enough for Mammogram

Every other year may be enough for women over 50 to have a mammogram, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Risk Seen in Vaginal Birth After Caesarean

Women who try to give birth naturally after having had a Caesarean face a slightly higher risk of serious medical problems, according to a comprehensive study released on Tuesday.

No Stampede Out of Retiree Health Plans

Big U.S. businesses will in general maintain retiree health benefits next year despite fears they would be cut to compensate for benefits to the elderly in the new Medicare law, a survey found.

Conjoined Twins Seek Life-Saving Surgery in Canada

Conjoined twins from Zimbabwe will undergo tests in Toronto to see whether they can survive a life-saving operation to separate them, Canadian doctors said on Tuesday.

Immigrants to the U.S. Arrive Thin, Get Fat

Many immigrants to the United States soon get fat, joining an increasingly obese population in their adopted country, researchers said on Tuesday.

Jazz Stars Help U.S. HIV/AIDS Campaign in India

Secretary of State Colin Powell enlisted U.S. jazz stars on Tuesday to help India fight AIDS and HIV, an epidemic he called "the worst weapon of mass destruction on the face of the earth."

Blood Pressure After Exercise May Predict Heart Risk

Systolic blood pressure, the upper number in a blood-pressure reading, during the recovery period after exercise stress testing may help predict the risk of heart attack in men, according to a report in the journal Hypertension.

Today's Produce May Contain Fewer Nutrients

Compared to 50 years ago, today's fruits and vegetables carry smaller amounts of some key nutrients, including protein, calcium and vitamin C, according to new study findings.

Companies Rapidly Cutting Health Benefits

Many companies are dropping their promise of health benefits for future retirees, who now might have to stay on the job longer and rely on government health care in their old age.

AIDS Research Chief Rewrote Safety Report

The government's chief of AIDS research rewrote a safety report on a U.S.-funded drug study to change its conclusions and delete negative information. Later, he ordered the research resumed over the objections of his staff, documents show.

FDA: Four Paralyzed by Unapproved Toxin

Four people paralyzed by botulism were injected with large doses of a raw, unapproved botulinum toxin that someone at their anti-wrinkle treatment clinic bought from a California laboratory, federal documents show.

Some Herbal Remedies Could Be Dangerous

Dangerous levels of lead, mercury and arsenic have been found in some herbal remedies from India that are sold in the United States, researchers are warning.

Heart Tissue Is Grown From Rat Cells

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used rat cells to grow dime-sized swatches of heart tissue that twitch like a beating heart when an electrical current passes through.

Heart-Healthy Behaviors Can Avert Mixed Dementia

Controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol levels could help prevent or slow the progression of mixed dementia, claims a study in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dementia of Parkinson's Similar to Alzheimer's

People with Parkinson's disease and dementia experience a similar average annual decline in cognitive function as people with Alzheimer's disease do, says a Norwegian study.

Hard Contact Lens May Slow Kids' Myopia

Nearsightedness progresses more slowly in children who wear hard contact lenses than in those who were soft contact lenses, says an Ohio State University study in the December issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Migraines Increase Stroke Risk

People who suffer migraines face a greater risk of ischemic stroke, says a study in this week's online issue of the British Medical Journal.