Americans are spending more money trying to ease back and neck pain, but new research suggests those extra dollars are not buying more relief. The increased expenditures were expected, say the authors of a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, but the lack of results were not.
Back Issues
A "Western" diet heavy in meat, fried foods, and refined grains puts people at higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, the collection of risk factors for heart problems, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, according to a study reported in the journal Circulation.
Hospice care helps terminally ill patients prepare for death, treating their symptoms, and pain and preparing them - and their families - for the end.
People who start a walking program for their health get more out of it by using a pedometer, a device that counts their steps, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Lowering your cholesterol could interrupt your slumber. A report presented a recent American Heart Association meeting finds that the statin Zocor disrupts sleep patterns in some users.
Three-quarters of adult Americans polled recently said they knew little or nothing about peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a very common blockage of blood vessels in the legs that boosts heart risk.
Many potential cancers could be prevented by exercising, eating right, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking, according to The President's Cancer Panel.
People wondering about excessive weight gain might look to their relationships with family and friends for one clue, says new research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
If you think you are the only one who gets confused trying to read nutrition labels on food, relax - you have plenty of company.
Want to lose weight? Focus on reducing the "energy density" of your diet, says a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
There are few professions left that do not use computers in some way, just as there are few households that do not consider the family computer an essential appliance. But all those hours online can take a toll on your eyes, experts warn.
Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese form of exercise, may help older adults avoid getting shingles by increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV), according to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. In addition, the study shows it can boost the immune response to varicella vaccine in older adults.
For those enduring bad breath for the sake of good cardiovascular health, a new study brings bad news: garlic does not lower LDL, the so-called "bad cholesterol."
It may be puzzling, but scientists' findings suggest that the main cause of skin cancer - sunlight - might also help protect against the disease, says a study in Nature Immunology.
When you were a child, practically nothing beat a glass of ice-cold milk to wash down a few homemade cookies. But as an adult, you may have moved away from milk, even though it is one of the best sources of calcium you can find.
Persons with diets rich in fish have a significantly lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the Archives of Neurology.
A brisk run, a friendly game of chess, a soothing massage: All of these pursuits can help ease mild depression, experts say.
Flu season is here, but the troublesome virus may not be a health threat if you take steps to protect yourself.
Individuals with major depression have an exaggerated inflammatory response to psychological stress compared to those who do not suffer from depression, according to a report in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
That old maxim just might be right: The way to the heart may be through the stomach.
Breads and other carb-rich foods could bring on a smile, while protein-filled fish and meat may help you ace that exam, according to research that suggests that what we eat changes how we think and feel.
Not so long ago, a woman had to visit her physician, leave a urine sample and wait by the phone, sometimes for days, to find out whether she was pregnant. But over-the-counter home-pregnancy tests - which first hit the market in the late 1970s - make the process quick, convenient, and private.
Many of the detrimental effects of physical inactivity can be reversed, and in some cases improved, by a similar period of moderate exercise, according to a report at the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting.
Gardening is a great source of exercise, not to mention nutrition, experts say.
Grape seeds, chives, and Korean pine nut oil have more in common than their ability to add zest to meals - they may boost health and fight disease as well, say researchers at the American Chemical Society meeting.
The dietary supplements glucosamine and chondroitin, taken by millions of people with aching knees, do not help everyone with osteoarthritis, according to research reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
They may be great for the heart, but the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and fish oil supplements do nothing to prevent cancer, according to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Antidepressant medications and electroconvulsive therapy, when warranted, are the most effective treatments for moderate to severe depression, according to a report in the medical journal The Lancet.
There is good news for the estimated 60 million Americans with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): medications can be just as effective as surgery in managing disease symptoms.
It may not be nice to fool Mother Nature, but when it comes to colds, you need all the ammunition you can get, say health experts.
When it comes to asthma, experts say there is a huge knowledge gap between what patients believe they must endure as part of their illness and what they spare themselves by managing their disease properly.
New research shows that slow music produces a relaxing effect, while musical pauses further modulate heart rhythms and circulation patterns in a beneficial way, according to a report in Heart, a British Medical Journal publication.
Today, the same exercise recommendations that apply to most of the population - 30 minutes or more of moderate exercise on most if not all days of the week - also apply to pregnant women, if they are in relatively good health and their physicians approve.
Some physicians now say that even people with
Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, and despite effective treatments, there are often long delays - sometimes decades - between first onset of symptoms and when people seek and receive treatment, according to a report in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Commonly used antidepressants such as Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac appear to be linked to an increased risk of abdominal bleeding, researchers report at Digestive Disease Week 2005, a meeting of gastroenterologists.
Researchers have found that adding the mineral to the diets of middle schoolers led to improvements in their memories and attention spans. They reported the results at this year's Experimental Biology 2005 meeting.
Transcendental meditation (TM) may help blood vessels relax as it relaxes the mind, reducing heart disease risks along the way, according to a presentation American Psychosomatic Society.
Nearly 60 percent of children whose parents and grandparents suffered from depression have a psychiatric disorder before they reach their early teens, according to a new study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Grapefruit juice can be deadly for people on certain medications, according to a report in the American Journal of Nursing.
Raising the prospect of weight loss through mind control, researchers report they may have successfully planted false memories about bad food experiences into the minds of ordinary people, according to a report in the journal Social Cognition.
People who report symptoms of depression are more likely to die of stroke than those who say they are at peace with themselves, suggests a new study in the journal Stroke.
Researchers literally have peered into the human brain to offer new evidence on the existence of false memories and how they are formed, according to a new study in the journal Psychological Science.
Walking reduces the risk of dementia and boosts mental function, according to two studies reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Experts say there are dozens of quick, simple ways to help the 2.1 million US adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rise above daily pain.
In today's ever-changing healthcare environment, cancer patients and their physicians are turning to computers and other technologies to help with complicated decisions concerning care. However, two new studies suggest nothing beats the human touch, according to reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A study of a dozen people with sleep apnea has found that an antidepressant taken an hour before bedtime significantly reduced their sleep interruptions, according to a report at the Associated Professional Sleep Societies annual meeting.
The simple act of mentally picturing a future task is turning out to be an inexpensive, easy, and highly effective way of making sure important things get done, claims a new study in the journal Psychology and Aging.
Green and black tea can slow down the spread of prostate cancer, while a highly touted antioxidant found in red wine, grapes, and peanuts does not perform well as a cancer preventive, two new studies have found.
According to a recent Gallup poll, a large percentage of Americans surveyed are confused about health testing and most are not following national guidelines.
Combat veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than other vets, new research suggests.
March is National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month.
It is called the silent thief of sight, and for good reason.
Virtual colonoscopy compares favorably to the current