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Tai chi could benefit Parkinson’s disease patients

A new study found that a six-month program of Tai Chi exercises helped people with various stages of Parkinson's disease improve stability, their ability to walk and reduced the frequency of falls.

12 Feb 2012

Survey finds doctors not always honest with patients

Most physicians paint overly optimistic prognoses for their patients, and many have withheld information concerning their medical mistakes and financial relationships with drug companies and device manufacturers, according to a national survey published in Health Affairs.

10 Feb 2012

Study: Syncope results in unexplained cardiac arrests

Up to 45,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur each year in Canada, and less than five percent survive. In some of these cases, the event cannot be explained by the presence of underlying heart disease. In order to identify people at risk of these unexplained cardiac events, a newly published study examined the presence of certain warning symptoms that are present in people who have been resuscitated from a cardiac arrest.

10 Feb 2012

Most disabled seniors rate their quality of life 'fair to very good'

Quality of life for disabled elderly people is most closely tied to two factors: a sense of dignity and a sense of control, according to a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco.

10 Feb 2012

Insurers shift more costs to patients; Washington state insurance commissioner wants to consider surpluses in rate increases

More insurers are shifting a growing amount of the cost of providing care to patients, Kaiser Health News reports. In other insurer news, UnitedHealth will overhaul how it pays doctors, and Washington's state insurance commissioner is asking for permission to consider insurer surpluses when mulling proposed insurance rate increases.

9 Feb 2012

Acid reducing drugs could raise risk of C. diff diarrhea

U.S. health regulators, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), have announced that ulcer drugs such as AstraZeneca Plc's blockbuster Nexium could increase the risk of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD).

9 Feb 2012

Now on stands - Inhaled caffeine

A Harvard professor has come up with a device that helps people inhale their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product, called “AeroShot,” is not without its risks. The product went on the market late last month in Massachusetts and New York, and is also available in France. A single unit costs $2.99 at convenience, mom-and-pop, liquor and online stores.

9 Feb 2012

Patients with GERD benefit from radiofrequency ablation

Heartburn. Acid reflux, GERD. They're different terms for the same type of condition - stomach acid used for digestion travels back up the esophagus, the "food pipe" that connects your throat to your stomach.

9 Feb 2012

UCLA cardiologist offers heart-healthy tips

It's that time of year to remind ourselves to embrace lifestyle choices that can help maintain a healthy heart. UCLA cardiologist Dr. Karol Watson says that social connections, a healthy diet and stress reduction are just a few of the things we can do to support the heart.

9 Feb 2012

More seamless exchange of information between EHRs and immunization registries needed

U-M researchers are calling for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to encourage a more seamless exchange of information between electronic health records and immunization registries.

8 Feb 2012

Humana, HCA show brighter earnings picture though worries remain

Humana met analyst projections for the quarter and HCA stock shares are rebounding.

8 Feb 2012

Obama administration rejects Calif. Medicaid co-pay proposal

The Obama administration said "no" Monday to a California proposal designed to help close a budget gap. Elsewhere, Texas is planning a change to how it pays for charity care in its Medicaid program.

8 Feb 2012

New technologies safe and effective for fat removal

For many people, getting rid of excess fat can be a lifelong battle. Whether it is undesirable love handles, excess fat around the knees or flabby upper arms, pockets of fat can be difficult to reduce and sometimes diet and exercise are not enough to make a noticeable difference. Now, dermatologists are finding that the introduction of non-invasive fat removal technologies is opening the door for more people who are not candidates for liposuction to remove stubborn fat, safely and effectively.

8 Feb 2012

Texas begins enforcing strict abortion sonogram law

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said in a ruling Monday that he cannot stop a new sonogram law from taking effect and pointedly suggested that three appellate court judges who overruled him last month had misapplied an earlier U.S. Court decision involving abortion. The state of Texas will begin enforcing the law Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman for the Texas Health Services Commission.

8 Feb 2012

Negotiations at impasse on efforts to prevent a scheduled cut to Medicare physician payments

The gridlock is over how to pay for the fix and could threaten the broader legislative package, which includes the payroll tax break extension. Meanwhile, lawmakers examine familiar offset possibilities, as well as some ideas from the private sector.

8 Feb 2012

New smartphone can help people with mental health problems

Brooding in your apartment on Saturday afternoon? A new smart phone intuits when you're depressed and will nudge you to call or go out with friends. It's the future of therapy at a new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine center where scientists are inventing web-based, mobile and virtual technologies to treat depression and other mood disorders. The phone and similar projects bypass traditional weekly therapy sessions for novel approaches that provide immediate support and access to a much larger population.

8 Feb 2012

First sign of coronary heart disease in men could be death

The healthy heart movement in recent years has focused largely on heart disease as the No. 1 killer of women. But the same statistic is true for men, and the reality is grim: The first sign that a man has coronary heart disease could be death, says one University of Alabama at Birmingham expert.

8 Feb 2012

Vending machine to dispense “morning after pills” at college sparks debate

Now students at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania can get the “morning after” pill by sliding $25 into a vending machine, an idea that has drawn the attention of federal regulators and raised questions about how accessible emergency contraception should be.

7 Feb 2012

Minnesota medical board comes under scrutiny

The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, responsible for protecting the public from physician errors or misconduct, often shies away from punishing doctors whose mistakes harm patients or who demonstrate a pattern of substandard care, a Star Tribune investigation has found. Since 2000, at least 46 Minnesota doctors escaped board discipline after authorities in other states took action against their licenses for such missteps as committing crimes, patient care errors or having sexual or inappropriate relationships with patients.

7 Feb 2012

New scoring method helps predict functional outcomes in stroke

A new scoring method can help doctors quickly decide which stroke patients will respond well to the clot-busting drug alteplase, according to a study published in the February 7, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2012