Health Library

U.S. Ends Effort to Limit Access to 'Morning-After' Pill TUESDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. government has dropped its effort to block a court order that would make the morning-after contraceptive pill available over-the-counter to all women and girls. After fighting for an age threshold on the nonprescription use of the Plan B One-Step pill for months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement late Monday that it would heed the ruling of Judge Edward Korman, of the United Sta...

U.S. Doctors' Group Labels Obesity a Disease WEDNESDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- In an effort to focus greater attention on the weight-gain epidemic plaguing the United States, the American Medical Association has now classified obesity as a disease. The decision will hopefully pave the way for more attention by doctors on obesity and its dangerous complications, and may even increase insurance coverage for treatments, experts said. "Recognizing obesity as a disease will help change the way the medic...

U.S. Cancer Patients Suffering From Drug Shortages MONDAY, June 3 (HealthDay News) -- Four out of five U.S. cancer doctors encountered shortages of essential drugs between March and September of 2012, which affected the quality of care they provided and increased treatment costs, new research shows. The survey of 250 cancer doctors across the United States reveals a medical community grappling with ongoing shortages of needed medications, said lead author Dr. Keerthi Gogineni, a medical oncologist in th...

U.S. Imports Scarce Nutrition Drugs for Sick Babies WEDNESDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Seeking to ease a shortage that is threatening the health of preemie babies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday it was importing certain injectable nutrition drugs. The products in short supply include injectable drugs used in intravenous feeding solutions, which the FDA says are currently in "critical shortage." "Hospitals nationwide rely on [this type of feeding solution], which is primaril...

U.S. Teen Birth Rate Plummets: Report THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Teen birth rates in the United States are dropping sharply, especially among Hispanic teens, according to a new government report. Overall, the rate of birth among teens aged 15 to 19 dropped by nearly one half from 1991 to 2011 -- from about 62 births for every 1,000 teens to 31 births for every 1,000. From 2007 to 2011, the most recent time period studied, rates fell 25 percent, from 41.5 to about 31. During that time, rates fe...

U.S. School Kids Should Get Hour of Exercise Daily: Report THURSDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Schools should ensure that kids get at least one hour of physical activity each day to support their health and boost performance in school, according to a new report. Although previous studies show 60 minutes of vigorous to moderate-intensity exercise daily promotes health and development, it's estimated that only about 50 percent of school-aged kids are currently meeting this recommendation, according to th...

Underactive Thyroid and Heart Failure a Bad Combination: Study WEDNESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- People with heart failure are more likely to experience poorer health from having a thyroid gland that is even mildly underactive, according to a new study. And among black patients, the researchers found an increased risk of death linked to the condition, which is known as hypothyroidism. "This study is the first to show that African-Americans who have hypothyroidism face a greater risk of death than pa...

Unusual Heat May Have Boosted West Nile Virus Last Year: CDC MONDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Higher-than-normal temperatures last year may have led to an increase in West Nile virus cases, say U.S. health officials. More deaths from West Nile virus were reported in 2012 -- 286 in all -- than in any year since 1999, when the mosquito-borne disease was first detected in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday. And the total number of cases -- 5,674 -- was ...

Urologists' Group Issues Updated Guidelines on PSA Test FRIDAY, May 3 (HealthDay News) -- New guidelines from the nation's leading group of urologists on the controversial PSA test for prostate cancer highlight the importance of discussions between a man and his doctor. Especially for men in their late 50s and 60s, the usefulness of the blood test may have to be decided on a case-by-case basis, according to new recommendations from the American Urological Association (AUA). One expert called the new gui...

U.S. Heart Failure Costs Could Skyrocket: Report WEDNESDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- The number of Americans with heart failure could rise 46 percent, from 5 million in 2012 to 8 million in 2030, new research says. And the direct and indirect costs of treating the condition could more than double, from $31 billion to $70 billion, over the same time period. That means that by 2030, every U.S. taxpayer could be paying $244 a year to care for heart failure patients, according to the American Heart Asso...