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Seven Deadly Sins

The past half-century has seen distinct changes in our sexual behaviour, and these changes have been considerably more marked among women than men.

19 Jun 2005

Older drinkers not younger, most likely to succumb to alcohol-related death

An extraordinary amount of media attention focuses on alcohol consumption and its impact on public order and health. But as Professor Dick Hobbs shows in ESRC's new report Seven Deadly Sins, while 'binge drinking' youths dominate the headlines, it is older drinkers that are most likely to succumb to alcohol-related death.

19 Jun 2005

Consumer group says potato chips should carry cancer warning

A consumer group in California is campaigning for warning labels to be placed on potato chips.

19 Jun 2005

Medical marijuana use given the go-ahead in Oregon by state Attorney General

The go-ahead was given on Friday by the state's attorney general Hardy Myers, for Oregon to resume issuing cards that allow sick patients to smoke marijuana.

19 Jun 2005

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed to gain accurate, impartial information about the true extent of usage and the acute and long-term health effects, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

16 Jun 2005

Schiavo finally laid to rest

Hopefully autopsy findings released today will finally allow Terri Schiavo to be laid to rest.

16 Jun 2005

Doctor blames parents for return of sick girl's cancer

Thirteen year old Katie Wernecke is back in hospital after doctors confirmed the girls Hodgkin's disease had returned.

16 Jun 2005

Information given about animal welfare on food labels is confusing

Information given about animal welfare on food labels is confusing because it varies widely between countries and between different certification bodies, research at Cardiff University has found.

14 Jun 2005

Eat at home - its probably safer

Health officers in the UK say that some staff in restaurants they visited have what they term 'shocking' hygiene standards.

14 Jun 2005

Responsible drinking labels to go on cans and bottles of beer

British brewers plan to label cans and bottles of beer sold in the UK with a "responsible drinking" message. The labels will also show how many units of alcohol the drinks contain.

14 Jun 2005

Ruling does not overturn California law permitting the use of medical marijuana

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer issued the following statement on this week's ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Gonzales v. Raich, which holds that federal laws prohibiting the use of medical marijuana remain in effect regardless of state laws that permit its use:

10 Jun 2005

Private health insurance given the go-ahead in Canada

A Quebec law that banned some private health insurance, has been overruled by the Supreme Court of Canada and is a decision which is likely to pave the way to a greater use of private health care to supplement a crumbling public system.

10 Jun 2005

Concern for smokers who don't understand nicotine

Medical experts warned today that thousands of smokers are jeopardising their chances of quitting successfully. New data presented at the UK National Smoking Cessation Conference (UKNSCC) shows that misconceptions about the role of nicotine are preventing smokers from quitting using nicotine replacement therapies (NRT) that actually increase the chances of quitting for good.

9 Jun 2005

12-year-old cancer victim taken into care after parents block treatment on religious grounds

State Child Protective Services in Texas are going to court on June 15 to try to get custody of a 12-year-old girl suffering from advanced Hodgkin's disease.

9 Jun 2005

Majority of the UK public believe that pub staff should be protected from second-hand smoke

Seven in ten (68%) of the UK public believe that the health of pub staff should be protected from second-hand smoke at work, according to a survey done by MORI for the British Medical Association (BMA).

9 Jun 2005

Soy appears to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, aid weight loss

A quick trip through the health-food section of any grocery will reveal several labels touting soy content, but most Americans do not know much about soy beyond a vague idea that it is a healthy food.

8 Jun 2005

New medical marijuana ruling

In many of San Francisco's medical marijuana clubs business carried on as usual despite the Supreme Court ruling on June 6 that people who smoke pot for medicinal purposes can be prosecuted for violating federal drug laws.

8 Jun 2005

Nitrogen oxides emitted by soil could play a substantially larger role in seasonal air pollution

Nitrogen oxides produced by huge fires and fossil fuel combustion are a major component of air pollution. They are the primary ingredients in ground-level ozone, a pollutant harmful to human health and vegetation.

6 Jun 2005

U.S. Supreme Court overules states and makes marijuana for medicinal use illegal

A U.S. Supreme Court has decreed that the Federal Government has the power to prevent sick patients from smoking home-grown marijuana that a doctor recommended to relieve chronic pain. The 6 to 3 ruling by a divided court is a major setback for the medical use of marijuana.

6 Jun 2005

Basic sanitation must reach 138 million more people every year through 2015

...close to 2 billion in total - to bring the world on track to halve the proportion of people living without safe water and basic sanitation, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF warn in a new report.

6 Jun 2005