Prolonged maternal stress appears to boost child's risk of asthma: study

TORONTO - Children whose mothers suffer prolonged depression or anxiety appear to have a higher rate of asthma than other youngsters, independent of other risk factors for the increasingly common respiratory condition, a Canadian study suggests....More

Popcorn eater files lawsuit claiming flavour chemical caused lung condition

DENVER - A Denver man, believed to be the only consumer to develop "popcorn lung" from regular servings of microwave popcorn, filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming injury from the artificial butter flavouring that previously sickened only popcorn factory workers....More

No longer hiding from sickness, some turn it into a fashion statement

An arm sling covered with colourful flames. A T-shirt with "Cancer picked the wrong Diva!" splashed across the chest. A medical ID bracelet adorned with Swarovski crystals. Call this fashionable sickness - turning a disease into a fashion and political statement....More

Health, environmental groups urge Ont. to quickly ban pesticides from lawns

TORONTO - A coalition of environmental activists and health professionals called on the Ontario government Tuesday to quickly pass a promised, provincewide ban on the cosmetic use of pesticides....More

Forget what Mom said: It's viruses, not wet heads or chilly houses, that cause colds

It may have been your mother, grandmother or a well-meaning friend, but chances are, you've been warned: Don't go outside with wet hair in the winter or you'll catch a cold....More

FDA says cloned animals are safe for food, sales won't begin quite yet

WASHINGTON - Just over a decade after scientists cloned the first animal, the last major barrier to selling meat and milk from clones in the United States has fallen: The government declared this food safe Tuesday....More

Consultations begin on new laws to make toys, food and drugs safer

OTTAWA - Public consultations have begun on tougher product-safety laws the federal government plans to introduce after several high-profile recalls of toys, food and drugs....More

Consistent routines help keep extra pounds off during winter months

TORONTO - As we settle into the colder temperatures of winter, some people may be seeing an unwelcome increase in the size of their waistlines....More

With more overweight kids, gym teachers shifting to individual activities

RICHARDSON, Texas - With music pumping in the background, the kids in Terry Wade's physical education class are in constant motion, going from sit-ups to jumping jacks to curls with light weights....More

Psychiatrist explores minds of ill doctors in 'When Doctors Become Patients’

Robert Klitzman's sister, Karen, called her best friend from her office on the 105th floor of the World Trade Center. No one ever heard from her again. Grief-stricken, Klitzman became depressed, but he didn't realize it for a while. He is a psychiatrist....More

P.E.I. residents live longer; Inuit die younger

OTTAWA - If you want to outlive your fellow Canadians, maybe you should start packing for Prince Edward Island. According to Statistics Canada figures for 2005, residents of the island province lived the longest in Canada - to an average age of 75.6 years....More

Finding hot spots on their soles helps diabetics avoid dangerous foot ulcers

WASHINGTON - Diabetics, watch out: A hot spot on your foot can signal an ulcer is brewing, a wound that could cost your limb....More

Bird flu kills Indonesian woman, raising the country's toll to 95

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A 32-year-old Indonesian woman died from bird flu at her home after being forced to check out of a hospital by her family, the Health Ministry said Monday, raising the country's death toll from the disease to 95....More

Aging population helped drive up the number of deaths in 2005: StatsCan

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the number of deaths registered in Canada recorded its fastest increase in three years in 2005, reflecting a growing and aging population....More

Acupuncture may be solution for chronic pain when other treatments fail

TORONTO - For 10 years, Janet Sawyer tried just about everything to find relief for chronic severe pain in her head, neck and shoulders after she suffered a whiplash injury in a car accident....More

'Booby Wall' among campaigns taking new twist on breast cancer awareness

TORONTO - From ample to petite, bra-clad to bare-chested, a succession of snapshots of female breasts line the wall of the online gallery....More

Scientists discover new proteins targeted by HIV in humans

WASHINGTON - The AIDS virus has to hijack human proteins to do its damage, but scientists until now have known only a few dozen of its targets. On Thursday, Harvard researchers unveiled a surprisingly longer list, an important first step in the hunt for new drugs....More

Japan to compensate patients who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood

TOKYO - Japan's parliament enacted legislation Friday to compensate patients who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood products, as the government sought to quickly respond to mounting calls for a settlement....More

Federal Court strikes down regulation limiting growers of medical marijuana

TORONTO - Canadians who are prescribed marijuana to treat their illnesses will no longer be forced to rely on the federal government as a supplier following a Federal Court ruling that struck down a key restriction in Ottawa's controversial medical marijuana program....More

YMCA aims to become America's No. 1 fitness and anti-obesity crusader

NEW YORK - Founded in the mid-19th century, the Young Men's Christian Association has expanded far beyond its name in the United States. It welcomes all faiths, half the 20.2 million people it serves are female, and more than half are adults....More

Vietnamese orphan leaves Halifax for Boston to treat facial growth

HALIFAX - A 10-year-old Vietnamese orphan who travelled from his homeland to find treatment for a disfiguring facial growth has left Halifax for Boston to finally begin a lengthy series of treatments that could dramatically transform his face....More

Scientists create beating animal heart in lab; could help organ shortage

TORONTO - Researchers have brought a dead animal heart back to life in the lab by repopulating it with healthy cells, a feat they believe may someday allow them to grow new hearts and other organs for people desperate for transplants....More

HPV infections common among women who've only had one partner: study

TORONTO - When it comes to human papillomavirus infection, it appears the adage "it only takes one" is right on the mark....More

Bird flu kills Indonesian woman, raising the country's toll to 95

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A 32-year-old Indonesian woman died from bird flu at her home after being forced to check out of a hospital by her family, the Health Ministry said Monday, raising the country's death toll from the disease to 95....More

FDA launches crackdown on Internet sales of custom-made hormones

WASHINGTON - Government health officials began cracking down Wednesday on Internet sales of custom-mixed hormones for menopausal women, a market created when doctors deemed prescription estrogen therapy too risky for many patients....More

Drug company, adverse reaction report remind of birth control blood clot risks

TORONTO - Sixteen cases of blood clots and one heart attack among users of a birth control patch have been reported since the patch was introduced to Canada in early 2004, says a report....More

Chromosome flaw likely cause of small proportion of autism cases: researchers

TORONTO - Researchers have pinpointed a chromosomal abnormality believed to cause about one per cent of autism cases, a finding that fills in a small but significant piece of the puzzle underlying this increasingly common developmental disorder....More

Chinese most concerned about health care cost: survey

BEIJING - The rising cost of health care topped Chinese citizens' concerns in a government survey released Wednesday, a day after Beijing announced plans to reform the country's medical system....More

Canadian doctors feel overworked, unable to meet patients' needs: survey

TORONTO - Faced with an aging population requiring increasingly complex care, overwhelmed Canadian doctors are feeling more and more frustrated by their inability to properly serve their patients' health needs, a national physicians survey reports....More

Scientists discover new proteins targeted by HIV in humans

WASHINGTON - The AIDS virus has to hijack human proteins to do its damage, but scientists until now have known only a few dozen of its targets. On Thursday, Harvard researchers unveiled a surprisingly longer list, an important first step in the hunt for new drugs....More

Japan to compensate patients who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood

TOKYO - Japan's parliament enacted legislation Friday to compensate patients who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood products, as the government sought to quickly respond to mounting calls for a settlement....More

Federal Court strikes down regulation limiting growers of medical marijuana

TORONTO - Canadians who are prescribed marijuana to treat their illnesses will no longer be forced to rely on the federal government as a supplier following a Federal Court ruling that struck down a key restriction in Ottawa's controversial medical marijuana program....More

Prince Edward Island to offer free testing for nitrates in water

CHARLOTTETOWN - The Prince Edward Island government will once again offer free testing for nitrates in groundwater. More than 1,000 samples were taken when clinics were first offered in November and December amid public concern over nitrate contamination in Island groundwater....More

Ontario gives pharmaceutical companies $150 million for jobs, research

TORONTO - Ontario must invest taxpayer dollars in the research and development efforts of big drug companies if it hopes to keep good-paying jobs in the province, Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson said Wednesday as he announced a $150-million fund for pharmaceutical firms....More

Millions of young have tried cough and cold medicine to get high, agency says

WASHINGTON - About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12 and 25 have used cough and cold medicine to get high, the U.S. government reported Wednesday....More

FDA launches crackdown on Internet sales of custom-made hormones

WASHINGTON - Government health officials began cracking down Wednesday on Internet sales of custom-mixed hormones for menopausal women, a market created when doctors deemed prescription estrogen therapy too risky for many patients....More

Drug company, adverse reaction report remind of birth control blood clot risks

TORONTO - Sixteen cases of blood clots and one heart attack among users of a birth control patch have been reported since the patch was introduced to Canada in early 2004, says a report....More

Chromosome flaw likely cause of small proportion of autism cases: researchers

TORONTO - Researchers have pinpointed a chromosomal abnormality believed to cause about one per cent of autism cases, a finding that fills in a small but significant piece of the puzzle underlying this increasingly common developmental disorder....More

Chinese most concerned about health care cost: survey

BEIJING - The rising cost of health care topped Chinese citizens' concerns in a government survey released Wednesday, a day after Beijing announced plans to reform the country's medical system....More

Canadian doctors feel overworked, unable to meet patients' needs: survey

TORONTO - Faced with an aging population requiring increasingly complex care, overwhelmed Canadian doctors are feeling more and more frustrated by their inability to properly serve their patients' health needs, a national physicians survey reports....More

Expert advice changes for preventing allergies in infants and children

CHICAGO - Breast-feeding helps prevent babies' allergies, but there's no good evidence for avoiding certain foods during pregnancy, using soy formula or delaying introduction of solid foods beyond six months....More

Autism cases continue to rise after preservative thimerosal removed from vaccine

LOS ANGELES - Autism cases in California continued to climb even after a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some people blame for the neurological disorder was removed from routine childhood shots, a new study found....More

Study suggests that healthy habits can mean 14 extra years of life

LONDON - To get an extra 14 years of life, don't smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in moderation. That's the finding of a study that tracked about 20,000 people in the United Kingdom....More

Study shows new 4-strain meningitis vaccine safe, effective in infants

TORONTO - A new vaccine that protects against four strains of the bacteria responsible for invasive meningitis is safe and effective in young children, a team of British and Canadian scientists reported Tuesday....More

Research tracks Inuit modernization with suicide, offers hope for improvement

New research comparing suicide trends in different Arctic regions offers fresh insight into the roots of a social dysfunction that snuffs out the lives of dozens of young Inuit every year - and suggests there is hope for a turnaround....More

Eli Lilly gets FDA nod for once-a-day Cialis

INDIANAPOLIS - Drug maker Eli Lilly and Co. has received FDA approval to offer its erectile dysfunction drug, Cialis, in a new daily dose....More

Chinese most concerned about health care cost: survey

BEIJING - The rising cost of health care topped Chinese citizens' concerns in a government survey released Wednesday, a day after Beijing announced plans to reform the country's medical system....More

Canadian doctors feel overworked, unable to meet patients' needs: survey

TORONTO - Faced with an aging population requiring increasingly complex care, overwhelmed Canadian doctors are feeling more and more frustrated by their inability to properly serve their patients' health needs, a national physicians survey reports....More

Ontario Health Coalition urges review of P3 hospital in Brampton

TORONTO - The Ontario Health Coalition has demanded a full investigation into the cost of the Brampton Civic Hospital, which was built through a public-private partnership....More

Ont. government invests $5 million in acoustic imaging research

WINDSOR, Ont. - The University of Windsor will establish an institute for diagnostic imaging research with a $5 million boost from the Ontario government....More

Nutritionist sifts through studies to give consumers clear perspective

Trans fats, saturated fats, salt, sugar and numerous food additives - these and more "evil" ingredients are getting a lot of attention these days....More

Height gains taper off for Dutch, world's tallest people

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Height increases for the Dutch, thought to be the world's tallest people, have tapered off since the turn of the century....More

Health Canada warns against lactation stimulant and "penis erecting" products

TORONTO - Health Canada is warning Canadians not to use two foreign-made health products, one marketed as a lactation stimulant for breastfeeding women and the other a sexual dysfunction aid for men....More

Girls who feel unpopular gained more weight than popular girls, study shows

CHICAGO - Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school's social ladder may sway her future weight, a study of more than 4,000 girls finds. Those who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular....More

Expert advice changes for preventing allergies in infants and children

CHICAGO - Breast-feeding helps prevent babies' allergies, but there's no good evidence for avoiding certain foods during pregnancy, using soy formula or delaying introduction of solid foods beyond six months....More

Autism cases continue to rise after preservative thimerosal removed from vaccine

LOS ANGELES - Autism cases in California continued to climb even after a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some people blame for the neurological disorder was removed from routine childhood shots, a new study found....More

Warnings of carbon monoxide poisoning repeated after third Calgary death

CALGARY - With details still scarce surrounding Calgary's third fatal carbon monoxide poisoning in the past month, health officials hastily put together a public information campaign to prevent further deaths....More

Maker of tainted dog food agrees to US$3.1M settlement after pet deaths

COLUMBIA, S.C. - A company that made contaminated pet food that killed dozens of dogs U.S.-wide will pay US$3.1 million in a settlement with pet owners, a lawyer said Friday....More

Hundreds of thousands of Britons afflicted with 'vomiting virus'

LONDON - Britain may be facing its biggest outbreak of the so-called vomiting virus in five years. Doctors estimate that hundreds of thousands of people may be affected by norovirus in the coming days....More

Trans-fat-free restaurants in Calgary just one small step on road to health

CALGARY - A bold move by Calgary to become the first city in Canada to regulate the use of trans fats in restaurants is just a small step in stemming the tide of the artery-clogging substance, say health experts. As of Jan....More

Research tracks Inuit modernization with suicide, offers hope for improvement

New research comparing suicide trends in different Arctic regions offers fresh insight into the roots of a social dysfunction that snuffs out the lives of dozens of young Inuit every year - and suggests there is hope for a turnaround....More

MIT scientists find reason avian flu viruses don't easily infect people

TORONTO - American scientists may have figured out why avian influenza viruses such as H5N1 don't readily infect people - a finding which could be used in future to watch for bird viruses in the process of becoming a greater pandemic threat....More

Desperate Americans seek unproven cell treatments in China, western docs say risky

BEIJING - They're paralyzed from diving accidents and car crashes, disabled by Parkinson's, or blind. With few options available at home in America, they search the Internet for experimental treatments - and often land on websites promoting stem cell treatments in China....More

Expert advice changes for preventing allergies in infants and children

CHICAGO - Breast-feeding helps prevent babies' allergies, but there's no good evidence for avoiding certain foods during pregnancy, using soy formula or delaying introduction of solid foods beyond six months....More

Stray kitten with rabies a reminder to be cautious with unknown animals

An abandoned kitten that triggered a multi-state public health investigation in the United States after it tested positive for rabies should serve as a reminder to the public of the need to exercise caution when confronting unknown animals, health authorities say....More

Protox announces positive Phase 1 enlarged-prostate drug study

VANCOUVER - Protox Therapeutics Inc. (TSXV:PRX) has reported a positive Phase 1 study on its PRX302 drug candidate for benign prostatic hyperplasia, a common condition among aging males....More

Pakistan bird flu virus shows no mutations; chicks in Israeli daycare succumb

The genetic structure of H5N1 virus recovered from Pakistan's first confirmed human case of the illness suggests the virus did not mutate to become better adapted to humans, an expert with the World Health Organization said Thursday. Dr....More

N.S. premier pledges to exercise to promote Alzheimer's awareness

HALIFAX - Premier Rodney MacDonald will be pounding the pavement in the new year to promote Alzheimer's awareness. As part of Alzheimer Awareness Month, MacDonald has pledged to run regularly throughout the year....More

Lawsuit: IBM should pay for health, job problems from toxic plume

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Residents and businesses in central upstate New York have sued IBM Corp. for more than $100 million today. They say pollution from the company's former microelectronics plant in Endicott endangered people in the area....More

Group sues FDA to spur stronger warnings for some antibiotics

WASHINGTON - A consumer group sued the Food and Drug Administration Thursday, charging the agency is ignoring calls for stronger warnings that Cipro and similar antibiotics may cause serious tendon injuries....More

Children with severe pneumonia can be treated at home, doctors say

LONDON - Children with severe pneumonia can be treated just as effectively at home as in a hospital, according to new research. Doctors in Pakistan found that children taking antibiotics at home were as likely to survive serious pneumonia as those treated in hospitals....More

Cervical cancer shots are gaining reputation as painful

ATLANTA - The groundbreaking vaccine that prevents cervical cancer in girls is gaining a reputation as the most painful of childhood shots, health experts say. As Austin Powers would say; "Ouch, baby. Very ouch....More

Whites more likely than minorities to get narcotics from ER doctors: Study

CHICAGO - Emergency room doctors are prescribing strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, a new study finds....More

Smoky cafes are out as smoking ban goes into effect in France

PARIS - France's most drastic measure to curb smoking went into effect Wednesday with a full ban on lighting up in cafes, restaurants and discotheques, a change for a country where the cigarette first found its place as a potent lifestyle symbol....More

Researchers identify possible target to stop, block allergy-induced anaphylaxis

TORONTO - An enzyme found in the blood seems to decrease the severity of allergic reactions, suggesting a way to develop drugs to protect against life-threatening allergies to foods such as peanuts or shellfish or reactions triggered by certain drugs or insect stings, new Canadian-led...More

Even in hospitals shock treatment for cardiac arrest delayed in one-third of cases

NEW YORK - Just because you're in the hospital doesn't mean you'll quickly get treated if your heart stops beating. About one-third of patients in U.S. hospitals don't get a potentially live-saving shock within the recommended two minutes, a new study found....More

Dutch supermarket chain recalls chocolate-covered nuts advertised as raisins

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A major Dutch supermarket chain is recalling a line of chocolate-covered raisins after a packaging mix-up caused some to be filled with chocolate-covered nuts instead....More

Drug companies spend nearly double on marketing compared with research: study

OTTAWA - Drug companies spend almost twice as much on marketing and promoting their products than on research and development, says a new study....More

Alberta Court of Appeal ruling upholds construction workplace drug testing

EDMONTON - Construction and energy companies are happy with an Alberta court ruling that upholds the right of employers to test workers in safety-sensitive jobs for drugs....More

2 products for kids' tummy upset contaminated with microbes: Health Canada

OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising consumers not to use two foreign natural health products to treat digestive upset in infants and children because of potentially dangerous contamination....More

Mexican doctor charged with posing as plastic surgeon, botching operations

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Gabriela Sanchez always felt self-conscious about her small breasts, and at age 40 she decided to do something about it....More

U.S. health officials search for 44 people on flight with TB patient

SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. health officials were searching Monday for dozens of airline passengers who may have come in contact with a 30-year-old woman infected with a hard-to-treat form of tuberculosis on a flight from India....More

Sleep disruptions may increase chance of developing diabetes

WASHINGTON - When Shakespeare called sleep the "chief nourisher of life's feast," he may have been well ahead of his time, medically at least....More

Next frontier to fight superbugs - disarming germs by busting up their gangs

WASHINGTON - Think of germs as gangsters. One thug lurking on a corner you might outrun, but a dozen swaggering down the street? Yikes. Bacteria make their own gangs, clustering quietly in the body until there's a large enough group to begin an attack....More

Mylan generic drug to compete with Salix's key product Colazal

PITTSBURGH - Generic drug developer Mylan Inc. said Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its version of Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.'s key drug Colazal....More

Calgary-based baby food firm recalls products that may contain peanuts, sulphites

CALGARY - Federal regulators and a Calgary-based baby food company are warning consumers about products that are being recalled because they may contain undeclared peanut protein and sulphites....More

Whites more likely than minorities to get narcotics from ER doctors: Study

CHICAGO - Emergency room doctors are prescribing strong narcotics more often to patients who complain of pain, but minorities are less likely to get them than whites, a new study finds....More

Smoky cafes are out as smoking ban goes into effect in France

PARIS - France's most drastic measure to curb smoking went into effect Wednesday with a full ban on lighting up in cafes, restaurants and discotheques, a change for a country where the cigarette first found its place as a potent lifestyle symbol....More

Mothers of U.S. war wounded upend lives, sacrifice when feared call comes

SAN ANTONIO - Rose Lage swears it is true: Suddenly, in the midst of a fitful night of sleep last June, she knew that her son had been injured in Iraq. "I heard my son's voice," she recalls. "It might sound weird, but I heard him holler 'Mama!' " In fact, Staff Sgt....More

Services need to change in order for streets to be safer for sex workers

VANCOUVER - Every week in Vancouver, a bad date sheet is put together by social service agencies and distributed to prostitutes, informing them of new beatings, rapes, kidnappings or robberies committed against people working in the Downtown Eastside....More

Mexican doctor charged with posing as plastic surgeon, botching operations

GUADALAJARA, Mexico - Gabriela Sanchez always felt self-conscious about her small breasts, and at age 40 she decided to do something about it....More

U.S. health officials search for 44 people on flight with TB patient

SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. health officials were searching Monday for dozens of airline passengers who may have come in contact with a 30-year-old woman infected with a hard-to-treat form of tuberculosis on a flight from India....More

Sleep disruptions may increase chance of developing diabetes

WASHINGTON - When Shakespeare called sleep the "chief nourisher of life's feast," he may have been well ahead of his time, medically at least....More

Next frontier to fight superbugs - disarming germs by busting up their gangs

WASHINGTON - Think of germs as gangsters. One thug lurking on a corner you might outrun, but a dozen swaggering down the street? Yikes. Bacteria make their own gangs, clustering quietly in the body until there's a large enough group to begin an attack....More

Mylan generic drug to compete with Salix's key product Colazal

PITTSBURGH - Generic drug developer Mylan Inc. said Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its version of Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd.'s key drug Colazal....More

Calgary-based baby food firm recalls products that may contain peanuts, sulphites

CALGARY - Federal regulators and a Calgary-based baby food company are warning consumers about products that are being recalled because they may contain undeclared peanut protein and sulphites....More