Healthcare and Medical News
Government Mandates Free Birth Control Pills
Find out why the federal government is requiring free birth control pills. See when the rules on health insurance coverage of contraception take effect. Learn about other preventative measures covered under the guidelines and how they will effect premiums.
Government List of Cancer-Causing Substances Grows
What causes cancer? The US government now recognizes 240 substances that can cause cancer.
Health Care Reform Helping Seniors
Since January 1, 2011, more than 150,000 U.S. seniors have gotten free wellness checkups thanks to a host of new Medicare benefits made possible by the health care reform bill – the Affordable Care Act.
CPSC Warns of Button Battery Injuries
An increasing number of young children and senior adults are being seriously injured by unintentionally swallowing “button batteries,” the coin-sized batteries now commonly found in households across the nation, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
How to Get Potassium Iodide From the Government
Find out how the government distributes potassium iodide during nuclear emergencies. Read about the controversy over how far to distribute potassium iodide. Explore the debate over potassium iodide effectiveness. Learn about how potassium iodide protects against cancer.
Which Potassium Iodide is FDA Approved?
Find out which versions of potassium iodide are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Discover how potassium iodide functions in the human body. Learn about why potassium iodide is crucial during nuclear emergencies. See how to contact potassium iodide makers.
Primatene Mist to be Banned in 2012
Primatene Mist, the only over-the-counter asthma inhaler currently sold in the United States, will be banned from sale starting in 2012 due to the product’s use environment-damaging chlorofluorocarbons.
Why Feds Banned Mental Retardation Term
Find out why the federal government banned use of the phrase mental retardation. See who led the movement to erase the term mental retardation from federal laws. Learn about the preferred terminology when referring to mental retardation.
USDA, HHS Issue 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Come on and gather around the table. But before you eat, you might want to digest the 7th and latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
FDA Approves New Treatment for Parkinson's Disease
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced its approval of a new drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The drug Azilect (rasagiline), is a type-B (MAO-B) inhibitor that works by blocking the breakdown of dopamine, a chemical that sends information to the parts of the brain that control movement and coordination.
FDA Rejects Green Tea Health Claims
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has refused a petition that would have allowed manufactures of green tea to display labeling linking consumption of the popular ancient brew to a reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
FDA Rules Barley Products Can Make Healthy Heart Claims
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that makers of whole grain barley and barley-containing products will be allowed to claim that those products reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD).
Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Safe for 1 Million Years, EPA Claims
The EPA has stated that its proposed public health standards for the high-level radioactive waste disposal facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada will protect public health for 1 million years.
Highway Death Rate for 2004 Sets Record Low
Even if just by a little bit, the death rate on the nation's highways in 2004 was the lowest since record-keeping began 30 years ago, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Congress Considering Cold Medicine Restrictions
A bill restricting the sales of cold medications containing pseudoephedrine has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Vitamin E Does Not Protect Women from Heart Attack: NIH Study
Vitamin E supplements do not protect healthy women against heart attacks and stroke, according to new results from the Women’s Health Study, a long-term clinical trial of the effect of vitamin E and aspirin on both the prevention of cardiovascular disease and of cancer.
Smoking Deaths Cost U.S. $92 Billion a Year
While fewer Americans light up every day, smoking-related deaths still costs the nation about $92 billion a year in the form of lost productivity, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
ATF Warns of Illegal Fireworks Dangers
Ah, the 4th of July, firecrackers, sparklers, M80 sticks of dynamite... No wait, M80s and similar unstable little bombs are illegal and extremely dangerous, according to ATF agents. Have a good time on the 4th, but don't blow yourself to bits doing it. Learn here how to recognize illegal fireworks.
Drug Czar: Medical Marijuana No Longer a Political Issue
White House "Drug Czar" John Walters celebrated the Supreme Court's ruling on medical marijuana by declaring it no longer a "political issue" and urging chronic pain sufferers to look to "proven medicine by legitimate doctors," for relief, rather than "smoking a crude plant."
FDA Warns of Fake Viagra, Lipitor and Evista
The FDA is warning consumers to be on the lookout for fake versions of the popular prescription drugs Lipitor, Viagra, and a non FDA-approved drug being marketed as "generic Evista" currently being sold in Mexican border towns.
HHS Awards Grant to Fight Obesity Among African Americans
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced the award of $1.2 million in grants to improve efforts to reduce obesity among African Americans through a new partnership with national African American organizations.
Organ Donations Hit All-time Record
Nationwide efforts to increase organ donations have paid dividends, as a record 26,984 Americans received organ transplants during 2004.
Stroke Warning Signs Seen Hours or Days Before Attack
Warning signs of a stroke may appear as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology. Learn the warning signs of ischemic stroke.
Abuse of Painkillers Increases In Rural U.S.
Residents of rural-America are treated for abuse of narcotic painkillers at higher rate than their urban counterparts, according to a new report "Treatment Admissions in Urban and Rural Areas Involving Abuse of Narcotic Painkillers: 2002 Update" by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
About the EEOC's Retiree Health Benefit Rule
A new federal rule being proposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would allow employers to reduce or eliminate health benefits for their retired employees who qualify for Medicare. Here are the background and facts surrounding this controversial action that could affect the health benefits of millions of American retirees.
US Signs First-Ever Global Tobacco Control Treaty
The United States has become a signatory to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first-ever global public health treaty dedicated to tobacco prevention and control.
FDA Updates Zelnorm Risk Information
Requiring a warning of, "Serious consequences of diarrhea," the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the addition of new risk information to the health professional labeling for Zelnorm.
Women's Heart Attack Symptoms Different from Men's
Research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) indicates that women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing heart attacks.
Don't Let Green Hornet Sting Your Kids
The FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or consume products that claim to provide "safe legal highs" or that are marketed as "street drug alternatives," such as Green Hornet, marketed by Cytotec Solutions. Products by this company have been promoted and sold on the Internet and in stores as legal versions of illicit street drugs.
FDA Warning On Antidepressant Use
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a Public Health Advisory on the use of popular antidepressants by children and adults.
Obesity Target of Renewed HHS Attack
With poor diet and physical inactivity poised to become the leading preventable cause of death in America, the Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) has renewed its efforts against obesity and overweight by announcing a new national education campaign and a new research strategy.
Obesity, Diabetes on the Increase in US
Occurrences of both obesity and diabetes increased in the United States between 2000 and 2001, according to a study just released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
US Teens Are World Heavyweights
U.S. teens are more likely to be overweight than are teens from 14 other industrialized nations, according to survey information collected in 1997 and 1998 by two agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services.
FDA Warns of False Dietary Supplements Claims
Targeting victims of America's obesity epidemic, 16 dietary supplement distributors have been sent letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning them to stop making false and misleading claims for weight loss products promoted over the internet.
Why the Government Can't Clean Fish
Both the EPA and FDA have now issued warnings about eating fish with high levels of mercury. Why can't the federal government, with all its power and tax-payer money prevent the pollution of our waterways and the oceans they fill? Because the main source of this pollution is not Big Industry, it is us.
The Politics of Smoking
Read this brief history of attempts to regulate menthol cigarettes to find out why they have escaped government scrutiny. Find out who supports and who opposes regulation attempts on menthol cigarettes.