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Slimming agents could pose major health risk

Commonly used nutritional supplements and body-building agents for elite athletes could pose an increased risk of cancer according to a study undertaken at the University of Sydney.

16 Sep 2004

Spina bifida on the decline in Australia

The number of babies with spina bifida or similar abnormalities has declined by over 40 per cent since 1995, Australia's Minister for Health, Bronwyn Pike, said yesterday.

15 Sep 2004

Herbals, surgery and anesthesia don't always mix

The woman who swears by gingko biloba wonders why her mouth won't stop bleeding after wisdom tooth surgery. What she doesn't know is that the herbal remedy she takes religiously to enhance mental alertness also acts as a powerful blood thinner that inhibits clotting.

10 Sep 2004

Health claims for omega-3 rich conventional food now allowed

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the availability of a qualified health claim for reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) on conventional foods that contain eiscosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 fatty acids.

9 Sep 2004

Protein sources, such as beef and beans beneficial in lowering childhood leukemia risk

A new study suggests that eating more vegetables, fruit and protein before pregnancy may lower the risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

8 Sep 2004

Health claim for omega-3 fatty acids should help consumers reduce risk of coronary heart disease

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the availability of a qualified health claim for reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) on conventional foods that contain eiscosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) omega-3 fatty acids.

8 Sep 2004

Omega-3 supplement may help protect against Alzheimer's

Higher intake of fatty, cold-water fish (such as tuna, salmon, and mackerel) has long been associated with a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's and epidemiological studies suggest that dietary supplements of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids might also protect against Alzheimer's disease.

1 Sep 2004

FDA reinforces use of Sustiva in first-line HIV combination therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that Sustiva® (efavirenz) has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include new long-term virologic and clinical data from BMS Study 006 in its prescribing information.

26 Aug 2004

Fruit and vegetables eaten before pregnancy lowers risk of leukemia

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that women who eat more vegetables, fruit and foods containing protein before pregnancy may have a lower risk of having a child who develops leukemia, the most common childhood cancer in the United States.

20 Aug 2004

Study to compare prostate surgery and drugs

The Minimally Invasive Surgical Therapies (MIST) Consortium for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) has launched a new study to compare long-term benefits and risks of transurethral needle ablation (TUNA) and transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT) to a regimen of the alpha-1 inhibitor alfuzosin and the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor finasteride.

20 Aug 2004

80% of cancer patients use some form of complementary or alternative therapies

Plug the terms "alternative" and "cancer" into Google and the Internet search engine returns a list of 3.27 million - yes, million - sites with information both credible and questionable about nontraditional treatments for cancer. What's a cancer patient to make of such a vast array of options?

18 Aug 2004

Steps families take to minimize asthma triggers in the home are either wrong or ignored

Parents of children who suffer with asthma are making many efforts to clear their homes of substances that could trigger their child's symptoms, but the steps they take aren't always the ones that could do the most good, a new University of Michigan study finds. And many don't take other steps that are known to help.

17 Aug 2004

Drug interactions between prescription medication and herbal supplements can be extremely dangerous

Herbal supplements may be natural, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are safe.

11 Aug 2004

The U.S. FDA approves 2 drugs for treating radiation contamination

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs, pentetate calcium trisodium injection (Ca-DTPA) and pentetate zinc trisodium injection (Zn-DTPA) for treating certain kinds of radiation contamination. The FDA is approving these two drugs as part of its ongoing effort to provide the American public the best available protection against nuclear accidents and terrorist threats.

11 Aug 2004

Knowledge about oral and head and neck cancer is severely lacking in the American public

Most adult Americans know how to light a cigarette and order a drink, but a great number of them are clueless about the consequence of these two destructive habits – oral and head and neck cancer.

9 Aug 2004

Health web sites providing bogus information to peddle alternative medicinal treatments

Researchers from the University of Exeter in England have found that cancer patients are being mislead by many popular health web sites providing bogus information to peddle alternative medicinal treatments.

3 Aug 2004

One-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine

More than one-third of U.S. adults use some form of alternative medicine such as herbal supplements and other therapies, showed in a nationwide survey by NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine published in May 2004.

2 Aug 2004

Antioxidant pills do nothing to prevent cardiovascular disease

Research published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that antioxidant pills have no clear benefit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

2 Aug 2004

Further evidence about how estrogen helps activate breast cancer

A UC Irvine researcher has found a novel tumor- suppressor function for a gene that, when mutated, often triggers breast cancer in women.

29 Jul 2004

Millions of American osteoporosis sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated

Osteoporosis is a serious health condition that affects over 44 million Americans. The human and economic costs for this condition may account for some $17 billion in direct expenditures in hospitals and nursing homes and that annual expense is expected to triple by 2040.

26 Jul 2004