Health Library

Just How Might Exercise Lower Breast Cancer Risk? WEDNESDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Exercise appears to change the way women's bodies metabolize the hormone estrogen, and this could help explain how aerobic activity reduces a woman's breast cancer risk, a new study suggests. Previous research has suggested that exercise lowers breast cancer risk, but there haven't been any clinical studies that explain the mechanism behind this, said Mindy Kurzer, a professor in the department of food science and nut...

Judge: Make Morning-After Pill Available to All Females FRIDAY, April 5 (HealthDay News) -- A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the so-called "morning-after pill" -- an emergency contraceptive -- available to all women regardless of age. The judge from the Eastern District of New York gave the FDA 30 days to remove age restrictions on the sale of emergency contraception, such as Plan B One-Step. Until now, girls 16 and younger needed a doctor's prescription to get t...

Joint Replacement May Reinvigorate Sex Life TUESDAY, March 19 (HealthDay News) -- Although most people get a total hip or knee replacement to decrease pain and move around more easily, a team of orthopedic surgeons has discovered an unexpected benefit: people enjoy sex more after surgery. A new study found that total hip or total knee replacement surgery improved self-reported sexual function in 90 percent of patients. Study author Dr. Jose Rodriguez, director of the Center for Joint Preservation and Re...

Jaw Pain Disorder Tied to Anxiety, Depression WEDNESDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- There's a link between depression and anxiety symptoms and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder pain, a condition that affects the jaw, according to a new study. TMJ disorders affect the muscles and joints that connect your lower jaw to the skull. This study by German researchers included more than 4,000 patients who underwent medical and oral health examinations and TMJ pain assessments, and completed a psychiatric r...

Just How Severe Is This Flu Season? WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) -- If the headlines are any indication, this year's flu season is turning out to be a whopper. Boston and New York state have declared states of emergency, vaccine supplies are running out in spots, and some emergency departments are overwhelmed. And the drug Tamiflu, used to treat flu symptoms, is reportedly in short supply. But is the situation as bad as it seems? The bottom line: It's too early in the flu season to say for sure, ...

Juxtapid Approved for LDL Cholesterol Condition WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Juxtapid (lomitapide) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a rare inherited disorder in which the body is unable to remove low-density lipoprotein (LDL) "bad" cholesterol from the blood. Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) affects about 1 million people in the United States, the agency said in a news release. The inability to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood often causes ...

Junk Food Taxes Pay Off, Study Finds TUESDAY, Dec. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Taxing soft drinks and foods high in saturated fats and providing subsidies for fruits and vegetables might encourage people to change their eating habits and possibly improve their health, according to a new study. Researchers in New Zealand analyzed 32 previous studies and concluded that there would be a 0.02 percent decline in consumption of fatty foods with each 1 percent price increase. They also determined that a 10 percent ...

Just Lowering Fat Intake Can Shed Pounds, Study Finds THURSDAY, Dec. 6 (HealthDay News) -- The key to a slimmer figure is not necessarily dieting, but just cutting back on fat intake, a new British study suggests. Researchers from the University of East Anglia found that simply replacing high-fat foods with low-fat alternatives helped people lose roughly 3.5 pounds. Reducing fat intake also resulted in lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol levels. The study authors suggested that the findings ma...

Just-Approved Flu Vaccine Uses Newer Production Method WEDNESDAY, Nov. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Flucelvax is the first seasonal flu vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration using a manufacturing method called cell culture technology, the agency said. Other flu vaccines are produced inside eggs. But that process takes longer than the newer method and could be harmful to people with egg allergies, the FDA explained. In cell culture technology, virus strains are grown inside mammalian ...

Joint Aspiration (Joint Injection and Aspiration, Joint Aspiration and Analysis, Arthrocentesis) Procedure overview What is joint aspiration? Joint aspiration refers to removing fluid from the space around a joint using a needle and syringe. This is usually performed under a local anesthetic to either relieve swelling or to obtain fluid for analysis to diagnose a joint disorder and/or problem. Joint aspiration is usually performed on the knee. However, fluid can also be removed from other joints, such a...