Health News

Genetically altered versions of corn, soy, canola, and others have proven wildly successful in American agriculture, but the industry also has a history of franken-failures.

Kashi cereals, Campbell’s Soup, Skinnygirl Margarita, and many other brands have faced litigation in what consumers say is a twisted interpretation of a potent word: natural.

“Bigorexia,” officially known as muscle dysmorphia, has been on the upswing among U.S. men--who are trying to bulk up with muscle--in recent years, but doctors are saying that it comes with some side effects.

The 50 states plus the DC must be ready to enroll individuals and businesses beginning Oct. 1, with health care coverage commencing Jan. 1, 2014. Seven million will become new enrollees in 2014.

NEW YORK—As human beings, we instinctively avoid pain—the sting of nettles, the burn of a hotplate, the pinching of door hinges. Pain is useful because it communicates immediate danger and helps us keep out of it. However, some pain is chronic, as neuropathic pain often is. Neuropathic pain derives from the central nervous system or […]

While ketamine does not cure neuropathic pain, treatment can put the patient into remission long enough to give the nervous system a chance to repair itself.

Saving thousands of young people from developing high blood pressure later in life may now be possible, according to new research. Using a state-of-the-art scanner and genetic testing scientists are now able to detect previously unseen tiny nodules in the adrenal glands that could lead to hypertension or high blood pressure. Lead researcher professor Morris […]

NEW YORK—Type 2 diabetes rates are up around the city, and the rates in the Bronx are about two times higher than in Manhattan.

We are all aware of the many changes our bodies and faces go through as we age. We notice facial lines and wrinkles, blemishes and loss of tone. The smiles ages with time too, thought not all the changes are readily apparent. So, what are those changes and to what extent can they be reversed? […]

Many poor people prefer emergency rooms to primary care doctors for good reasons, according to a study by The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dannon uses carmine, “a dye extracted from the dried, pulverized bodies of cochineal insects,” for color some of its yogurts, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.  The nonprofit is urging the company to switch to using berries. I have nothing against people who eat insects, but when I buy strawberry yogurt […]

What’s the most advanced surgery of recent years? I believe most surgeons would quickly respond “laparoscopic surgery”, often referred to as keyhole surgery. But never let the word “keyhole” lead you astray. In 1991 Dr. Joacques Perissat at the University of Bordeaux, in France, announced at the World Congress of Surgeons that he had removed a […]

July is Juvenile Arthritis Month and a good time to shed light on an insidious disease that affects over 300,000 children. Many people are not aware that children can develop the many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions grouped under the juvenile arthritis (JA) umbrella. To receive a diagnosis, a child should be younger than 16 and […]

Skin cancer sufferers in Scotland have a better chance of survival than ever before with eight out of ten beating the disease, according to a new report.  This may be good news for sunbathers but the report from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) says the incidence of malignant melanoma is still on the increase and is […]

OSLO—American psychologist Elaine Aron estimates that 15–20 percent of people in the world have a highly sensitive nervous system, which makes it more difficult for them to filter impressions and stimuli. They easily become overloaded, and many prefer solitude for this reason.

After picking up my clothes from the dry cleaner the other day, I noticed that I carried home with me that very, very foreign and distinctly chemical smell of the dry cleaners. The smell is so unique and intimidating that you know it’s not anything you should be inhaling.

How would you like to be the young surgeon in 1902 who was asked to see Prince Edward, who was to be crowned king of England in two days?  His mother, Queen Victoria, had reigned so long that Edward had become the playboy prince. Now he was obese, old, flatulent and a terrible operative risk. […]

Obesity disease: The American Medical Association adopted a new policy on June 18, calling obesity a disease the requires medical intervention.

NEW YORK—No matter who walks (or limps) into her office at Midtown Podiatry with a foot injury, Dr. Emily Splichal offers the same prescription: barefoot therapy. “When I send patients to physical therapy, on [the prescription] I’m saying, ‘Must be barefoot.’ It’s the foundation of every patient’s rehab,” Splichal said. For patients who don’t require […]

Sibling bullying, taunting, and aggression could cause psychological problems, including anxiety and depression, according to a new study.

A study found that girls between the ages of 9 and 12 with high levels of BPA were twice as likely to be obese than girls with low BPA levels.

E-cigarettes will now be regulated as medicines in the U.K. the government announced Wednesday, with a plan to extend the regulation to the whole European Union. Some of the devices  have been shown to cause minor adverse health effects. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes are battery-powered cartridges that heat a liquid solution with various flavors (with or […]

An interview with Mark Pendergrast, author of For God, Country & Coca-Cola(Basic Books)   MR: Your newly expanded book, For God, Country & Coca-Cola, certainly tells the complete history of Coca-Cola for Coke buffs and enthusiasts, collectors and food historians. But it also offers a view of social, political and marketing history in the US […]

‘Do it for dad’ this Father's Day is the message from a leading charity encouraging men to get informed about prostate cancer and its screening and treatment.

NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s preliminary 2013–2014 budget includes $25 million in cuts to healthcare services across the city. Community leaders, city council members, and New York City residents gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest the cuts on June 5.

With intra-oral cameras, the patient can see the inside of their mouth in real time.

NEW YORK—Dr. Glen Z. Brooks lost his son in 1999 when the 18-year-old committed suicide, while suffering depression. After the initial shock and his own depression that followed, Brooks began looking into depression treatments that could have saved his son. Through his research, Brooks found ketamine. Ketamine, a general anesthetic administered intravenously or intramuscularly, was […]