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Grandma was right again, a hot water bottle helps ease the pain

Researchers in Britain say that the old fashioned idea that heat relieves pain does have some truth in it and hugging a hot-water bottle can have a similar effect to a painkiller.

5 Jul 2006

Safety of popular painkiller Tylenol questioned

According to a new study the popular painkiller Tylenol may not be as safe to take as previously thought.

5 Jul 2006

New Australian 'assassin' drug has huge potential

Australian researchers have come up with a new drug which they believe has the potential to fight a wide range of illnesses and diseases including cancer, age-related blindness, heart disease and arthritis.

5 Jul 2006

Syphilis, chlamydia and herpes on the rise in the UK

Sexually transmitted diseases are steadily rising in the UK despite a concerted effort on the part of the government to tackle them.

5 Jul 2006

New anti-smoking drug Varenicline (Chantix) promotes longer-lasting abstinence

Scientists have found that a new anti-smoking drug may be more effective than drugs currently in use to help smokers kick the habit and it has the added advantage of promoting longer-lasting abstinence.

5 Jul 2006

Retrial resumes in Tripoli of foreign medics accused of infecting children with HIV

The retrial of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of knowingly infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV has resumed in the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

4 Jul 2006

Fat and clever and rich - equals depression

Major depression is a leading cause of disability globally and according to American researchers people who are obese are more at risk of suffering from a psychiatric disorder.

4 Jul 2006

Sleep gene discovery

Proteins that regulate sleep and biological timing in the body work much differently than previously thought, meaning drug makers must change their approach to making drugs for sleep disorders and depression and other timing-related illnesses.

4 Jul 2006

Healthier beverage choices

Think you've got your diet under control? You may be gulping down hundreds of unwanted calories without even knowing it.

4 Jul 2006

Some common inhalers double death rate in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients

A new analysis that compares two common inhalers for patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) finds that one reduces respiratory-related hospitalizations and respiratory deaths, but the other - which is prescribed in the majority of cases - increases respiratory deaths.

4 Jul 2006

Varenicline effective in helping smokers quit

The drug varenicline shows effectiveness in helping smokers quit and abstain from smoking when compared to placebo and the smoking cessation medication bupropion.

4 Jul 2006

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients, according to a study in the July 5 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

4 Jul 2006

Pomegranate juice helps fight prostate cancer

Drinking an eight ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily increased by nearly four times the period during which PSA levels in men treated for prostate cancer remained stable, a three-year UCLA study has found.

4 Jul 2006

Obesity associated with psychiatric disorders

Obesity is associated with a 25 percent increase in the risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders and a 25 percent decrease in likeliness for substance abuse.

4 Jul 2006

Popular antihistamine used to help young children sleep is ineffective

Although about half of pediatricians recommend that children under age 2 can be given diphenhydramine to help them sleep, the first study to look at effectiveness of the agent in children who are that young found no benefit.

4 Jul 2006

Exposure to radioactive iodine increases the risk of thyroid cancer

Exposure to radioactive iodine increases the risk of thyroid cancer in children and adolescents, a study of thyroid cancer prevalence after the Chornobyl accident shows.

4 Jul 2006

86 percent higher risk of death for extremely obese women

While obesity has generally been viewed as a single significant health concern, a University of Pittsburgh study suggests that not all obese women share the same health risks.

4 Jul 2006

Health risks for women who are extremely obese underestimated

The health risks for women who are extremely obese may be underestimated as a new study indicates they have a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol than women at lower levels of obesity.

4 Jul 2006

Dopamine drug may lead to new ways of treating Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers have shown that a drug which mimics the effects of the nerve-signaling chemical dopamine causes new neurons to develop in the part of the brain where cells are lost in Parkinson's disease

4 Jul 2006

Women who survive childhood cancer are more likely to suffer premature menopause

Women who survive childhood cancer are more likely to suffer premature menopause, according to a study in the July 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

4 Jul 2006