630WPRO.COM Health Headlines

FDA warns of infections tied to Tennessee pharmacy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Health officials are investigating cases involving patients who suffered complications after being injected with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy. ...Read More

Report: Nation's kids need to get more physical

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reading, writing, arithmetic — and PE? ...Read More

Hobby Lobby tests birth-control coverage mandate

DENVER (AP) — In the most prominent challenge of its kind, Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. asked a federal appeals court Thursday for an exemption from part of the federal health care law that requires it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill. ...Read More

What do we eat? New food map will tell us

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought. ...Read More

Measles surges in UK years after vaccine scare

LONDON (AP) — More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of a vaccine scare that raised the specter of autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease. ...Read More

Obama declared health care law 'is here to stay'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Caught between nervous Democrats and emboldened Republicans, President Barack Obama on Friday stepped up the sales pitch on his health care overhaul as the final elements of his top domestic achievement go into effect. With his legacy and the law's success at stake, Obama said: "The law is here to stay." ...Read More

Govt stops study seeking to prevent type of stroke

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government has halted a study testing treatments for a brain condition that can cause strokes after early results suggested invasive therapies were riskier than previously thought. ...Read More

Obama calls on Congress to help more homeowners

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says Congress must give more homeowners the chance to refinance their mortgages to save money. ...Read More

France confirms 2nd case of SARS-related virus

PARIS (AP) — France has confirmed a second case of a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS, authorities said Sunday, as they increased efforts to inform the public about how to avoid the illness and watch for its signs. ...Read More

2 new viruses could both spark global outbreaks

LONDON (AP) — Two respiratory viruses in different parts of the world have captured the attention of global health officials — a novel coronavirus in the Middle East and a new bird flu spreading in China. ...Read More

UN: Eat more insects; good for you, good for world

ROME (AP) — The latest weapon in the U.N.'s fight against hunger, global warming and pollution might be flying by you right now. ...Read More

Huge drug cost disparities seen in health overhaul

WASHINGTON (AP) — Cancer patients could face high costs for medications under President Barack Obama's health care law, industry analysts and advocates warn. ...Read More

Monday last day for morning-after pill appeal

NEW YORK (AP) — The government is running out of time to try to halt implementation of a federal judge's ruling that would lift age restrictions for women and girls wanting to buy the morning-after pill. ...Read More

US government files morning-after pill appeal

NEW YORK (AP) — The Obama administration on Monday filed a last-minute appeal to delay the sale of the morning-after contraceptive pill to girls of any age without a prescription. ...Read More

Study questions if bed rest prevents prematurity

WASHINGTON (AP) — New research is raising fresh concern that an age-old treatment for troubled pregnancies — bed rest — doesn't seem to prevent premature birth, and might even worsen that risk. ...Read More

Deaths from West Nile virus hit record last year

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say last year was the worst ever for West Nile virus deaths. ...Read More

Popular psychologist Joyce Brothers dead at 85

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Popular psychologist, columnist, and television and film personality Joyce Brothers has died. She was 85. ...Read More

Women have new options for breast cancer surgery

CHICAGO (AP) — Treating breast cancer almost always involves surgery, and for years the choice was just having the lump or the whole breast removed. Now, new approaches are dramatically changing the way these operations are done, giving women more options, faster treatment, smaller scars, fewer long-term side effects and better cosmetic results. ...Read More

Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy: Q&A

Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie disclosed Tuesday that she had a preventive mastectomy after learning she had a gene mutation that significantly raised her risk of breast cancer. A look at the procedure: ...Read More

Women have more options for breast cancer surgery

CHICAGO (AP) — One of the world's most glamorous women had an operation that once was terribly disfiguring — removal of both breasts. But new approaches are dramatically changing breast surgeries, whether to treat cancer or to prevent it as Angelina Jolie just chose to do. As Jolie said, "the results can be beautiful." ...Read More

Study questions how sharply US should cut the salt

WASHINGTON (AP) — A surprising new report questions public health efforts to get Americans to sharply cut back on salt, saying it's not clear whether eating super-low levels is worth the struggle. ...Read More

Jolie admired for bravery in mastectomy revelation

NEW YORK (AP) — "I hope that other women can benefit from my experience," Angelina Jolie wrote in a powerful op-ed article Tuesday, explaining her decision to go public with having her breasts removed to avoid cancer. ...Read More

Jolie: From girl with tattoos to girl with a cause

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In her bad girl days, Angelina Jolie's body was a billboard for tattoos that said such things as "Billy Bob." ...Read More

St. Louis doctor with cerebral palsy offers hope

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dr. Jan Brunstrom-Hernandez gently but sternly admonishes a teenage cerebral palsy patient who clearly hasn't been doing his exercises, stressing the importance of keeping muscles loose and limber. ...Read More

Jolie: From girl with tattoo to woman with a cause

LOS ANGELES (AP) — In her bad girl days, Angelina Jolie's body was a billboard for tattoos that said such things as "Billy Bob." ...Read More

AP Exclusive: Health reforms penalize some Indians

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — When Liz DeRouen needs any kind of health care services, from diabetes counseling to a dental cleaning, she checks into a government-funded clinic in Northern California's wine country that covers all her medical needs. ...Read More

Stem cells recovered from cloned human embryos

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have finally recovered stem cells from cloned human embryos, a longstanding goal that could lead to new treatments for such illnesses as Parkinson's disease and diabetes. ...Read More

Shrinks, critics face off over psychiatric manual

CHICAGO (AP) — In the new psychiatric manual of mental disorders, grief soon after a loved one's death can be considered major depression. Extreme childhood temper tantrums get a fancy name. And certain "senior moments" are called "mild neurocognitive disorder." ...Read More

Health care workers sickened by SARS-like virus

NEW YORK (AP) — Global health officials say a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS has apparently spread from patients to two health care workers in eastern Saudi Arabia. ...Read More

Saudi health workers sickened by SARS-like virus

NEW YORK (AP) — A deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS has apparently spread from patients to health care workers in eastern Saudi Arabia, health officials said Wednesday. ...Read More

Details of Jolie's breast treatment revealed

Angelina Jolie's mother had breast cancer and died of ovarian cancer, and her maternal grandmother also had ovarian cancer — strong evidence of an inherited, genetic risk that led the actress to have both of her healthy breasts removed to try to avoid the same fate, her doctor said Wednesday. ...Read More

Tiny preemies get a boost from live music therapy

CHICAGO (AP) — As the guitarist strums and softly sings a lullaby in Spanish, tiny Augustin Morales stops squirming in his hospital crib and closes his eyes. ...Read More

Correction: New Virus story

NEW YORK (AP) — In a story May 15 about a new SARS-like virus spreading from patients to health care workers in Saudi Arabia, The Associated Press reported erroneously the location of the 20 deaths attributed to the virus. There have been no deaths reported in France and Qatar, only in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Germany and Britain. ...Read More

Organic industry clout grows with consumer demand

WASHINGTON (AP) — The organic food industry is gaining clout on Capitol Hill, prompted by rising consumer demand and its entry into traditional farm states. But that isn't going over well with everyone in Congress. ...Read More

WHO says single yellow fever shot is enough

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says a yellow fever booster vaccination given 10 years after the initial shot isn't necessary. ...Read More

Rising consumer demands aids organic industry sway

WASHINGTON (AP) — The organic food industry is gaining influence on Capitol Hill, prompted by its entry into traditional farm states and by increasing consumer demand. ...Read More

Shuttered NM plant resumes making peanut butter

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The eastern New Mexico peanut butter plant shuttered eight months ago after a salmonella outbreak is back in production, and company officials say their coveted natural and organic butters could be back on store shelves within a month. ...Read More

Portland, Ore., voting on water fluoridation

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oral health and politics collided Tuesday as Portlanders — proudly nonconformist and environmentally minded — decided whether their city remains the largest in the U.S. without public fluoridation. ...Read More

Portland, Ore., rejecting water fluoridation

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Ore., has conceded defeat in an effort to add fluoride to the city's drinking water. ...Read More

Cancer Society hits 100 as US cancer rate falls

NEW YORK (AP) — The American Cancer Society — one of the nation's best known and influential health advocacy groups — is 100 years old this week. ...Read More

Polish man gets quick face transplant after injury

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A 33-year-old Polish man received a face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest time frame to date for such an operation. It was Poland's first face transplant. ...Read More

Doctors save Ohio boy by 'printing' an airway tube

In a medical first, doctors used plastic particles and a 3-D laser printer to create an airway splint to save the life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day. ...Read More

Nearly all US states see hefty drop in teen births

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report. ...Read More

Birth control coverage up for federal appeal

Life-saving face transplant performed in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A 33-year-old Polish man received a life-saving total face transplant just three weeks after being disfigured in a workplace accident, in what his doctors said Wednesday is the fastest timeframe to date for such an operation. ...Read More

Measles surges in UK years after flawed research

LONDON (AP) — More than a decade ago, British parents refused to give measles shots to at least a million children because of now discredited research that linked the vaccine to autism. Now, health officials are scrambling to catch up and stop a growing epidemic of the contagious disease. ...Read More

Sports seem OK for many with heart-zapping device

WASHINGTON (AP) — New research is challenging medical guidelines that say people with a heart-zapping device in their chests should avoid intense sports like basketball and soccer in favor of golf or bowling. ...Read More

Report: NPS hantavirus response followed policy

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Federal investigators probing the hantavirus outbreak blamed for three deaths at Yosemite National Park recommended on Monday that design changes to tent cabins and other privately run lodging first be reviewed by National Park Service officials. ...Read More

After a decade, global AIDS program looks ahead

WASHINGTON (AP) — The decade-old law that transformed the battle against HIV and AIDS in developing countries is at a crossroads. The dream of future generations freed from epidemic is running up against an era of economic recovery and harsh budget cuts. ...Read More

Tunisia announces 3 cases of coronavirus, 1 death

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A 66-year-old Tunisian man has died from the new coronavirus following a visit to Saudi Arabia and two of his adult children were infected with it, the Tunisian Health Ministry reported. ...Read More