No time to exercise? No problem. Intense interval training could slash hours off your workout

LONDON - People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse. Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week's workout into less than an hour....More

Motor function of stroke patients improves using Wii games, small study finds

TORONTO - A Wii bit of therapy using virtual reality game technology provided measurable benefits to stroke patients taking part in a small pilot study, researchers reported Thursday....More

Mistaken mastectomies, incorrect pathology spark more investigations in Ontario

TORONTO - Revelations of unnecessary surgeries, incorrect pathology reports and the likelihood that more incidents will be uncovered sparked two new investigations Thursday into troubling events in Windsor, Ont. The investigations are looking into Dr....More

Doping in sport more covert, small scale than in Ben Johnson's day: IOC official

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Doping in Olympic sport is more covert and small scale today than in Ben Johnson's era of the 1980s and 1990s, the head of the International Olympic Committee's medical commission says. Dr....More

Alberta adding support units in hopes of reducing emergency room waiting times

EDMONTON - Alberta is adding new specialized support units at two of the province's largest hospitals to try and reduce emergency room waiting times....More

36 dead and thousands infected from cholera in Mozambique this year, health minister says

MAPUTO, Mozambique - Mozambique's health minister says 36 people have died this year from a cholera outbreak in the northern and central parts of the southern African country....More

1,200 drop-side cribs recalled in Canada after infant suffocation deaths in US

OTTAWA - About 1,200 drop-side cribs sold in Canada between 2001 and 2004 are being recalled after reports of three infant suffocation deaths south of the border....More

Obama, Republicans clash on health care overhaul in rare TV summit, little hope of a deal

WASHINGTON - In an extraordinary daylong televised debate, President Barack Obama and Republicans clashed over his plan to overhaul U.S. health care. In the end, there was little reason to hope for a compromise on an issue that could shape Obama's legacy....More

Diets rich in fat, trans fats, raise a woman's risk of stroke after menopause, study finds

SAN ANTONIO - Eating a lot of fat, especially the kind that's in cookies and pastries, can significantly raise the risk of stroke for women over 50, a large new study finds. The new study is the largest to look at stroke risk in women and across all types of fat....More

Danish woman first in world to give birth to babies years apart after ovary transplant

LONDON - When Stinne Holm Bergholdt of Denmark was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 27, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to have children. So she asked her doctors if they could remove an ovary before her treatment and transplant it back afterward to preserve her fertility....More

US surgery tech who infected 3 dozen patients with hepatitis C gets 30 years in prison

DENVER - A surgery technician who infected about three dozen people with hepatitis C after she injected herself with painkiller-filled syringes and replaced them with ones filled with saline was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison....More

US panel finds no good count of how many dairy avoiders really are lactose intolerant

WASHINGTON - Many people who think they cannot digest dairy products might do all right if they eat a small amount at a time, but surprisingly little is known about just how many have true lactose intolerance, a government panel concluded....More

No time to exercise? No problem. Intense interval training could slash hours off your workout

LONDON - People who complain they have no time to exercise may soon need another excuse. Some experts say intense exercise sessions could help people squeeze an entire week's workout into less than an hour....More

Doping in sport more covert, small scale than in Ben Johnson's day: IOC official

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Doping in Olympic sport is more covert and small scale today than in Ben Johnson's era of the 1980s and 1990s, the head of the International Olympic Committee's medical commission says. Dr....More

36 dead and thousands infected from cholera in Mozambique this year, health minister says

MAPUTO, Mozambique - Mozambique's health minister says 36 people have died this year from a cholera outbreak in the northern and central parts of the southern African country....More

1,200 drop-side cribs recalled in Canada after infant suffocation deaths in US

OTTAWA - About 1,200 drop-side cribs sold in Canada between 2001 and 2004 are being recalled after reports of three infant suffocation deaths south of the border....More

Study finds doctors reducing work hours, potentially worsening shortage of primary care docs

CHICAGO - American doctors have steadily cut their work hours over the past decade, a new study finds, something that experts say may only worsen the U.S. health care situation. It's not that doctors are terrible slackers....More

Sask. privacy czar investigates after woman told to pay $150 for health records

REGINA - Saskatchewan's privacy commissioner is raising concerns about the handling of patient health records and fees that people are being charged to access their own information....More

N.L. health board to retest more than 200 patients after drug test discrepancy

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland's largest health board is investigating its testing process for a drug used on patients after a discrepancy was found in one of its labs....More

HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts approved for males aged 9 to 26 in Canada

TORONTO - The vaccine manufacturer Merck says Health Canada has approved Gardasil for the prevention of genital warts caused by HPV infection in boys and men aged nine to 26....More

Few people survive 5 heart attacks; Former US VP Cheney shows peril, progress in heart disease

WASHINGTON - Surviving five heart attacks makes former Vice-President Dick Cheney rather unusual, showing that he has good medical care as well as a particularly aggressive form of heart disease....More

Canadians living longer, life expectancy gap narrows between genders: StatsCan

OTTAWA - The gap between men's and women's life expectancy is narrowing as the average lifespan creeps ever higher in Canada, a new study indicates. Life expectancy for a baby born in the three-year period from 2005 to 2007 has reached 80....More

Windsor, Ont. hospital discovers second apparent case of mistaken mastectomy

WINDSOR, Ont. - A hospital in Windsor, Ont., is investigating a second case in which an experienced surgeon allegedly performed a mastectomy on a patient who did not have cancer. In a statement, Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital says the new case involving Dr....More

Danish woman first in world to give birth to babies years apart after ovary transplant

LONDON - When Stinne Holm Bergholdt of Denmark was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 27, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to have children. So she asked her doctors if they could remove an ovary before her treatment and transplant it back afterward to preserve her fertility....More

Study tries treating fibroids with radiofrequency waves; comparing therapies hard

WASHINGTON - They are a bane of that decade or two before menopause, growths in the uterus called fibroids that cause bleeding, pain or other problems in nearly a third of women - and they are the No. 1 cause of hysterectomies in the U.S....More

Study says US, global officials too strict on flight rules for TB patients

ATLANTA - Provocative new research suggests international rules that bar potentially infectious tuberculosis patients from flying are too stringent and airline passengers are really at little risk from catching TB from a fellow traveller. Global and U.S....More

Senior and stoned: More US seniors using marijuana as baby boomer generation grows older

MIAMI - In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of wine. A copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana. The use of the U.S....More

Raw milk proponents take cause to US capitals, courtrooms as health officials warn of risk

DES MOINES, Iowa - Debate about the health attributes and risks of raw milk is spilling into statehouses and courtrooms across the United States as proponents of unpasteurized dairy products push to make them easier for consumers to buy....More

Prospects uncertain for Obama's revamped health care compromise

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama made a last-ditch effort Monday to save his signature issue, an overhaul of the U.S. health care system, putting forward a nearly $1 trillion, 10-year compromise plan....More

Obama's new health plan: More details and fresh hopes, but outlook isn't really much brighter

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has unveiled his most detailed plan yet to overhaul the U.S. health care system, even though he continues to face stiff opposition....More

No flight, no bite: Genetic researchers say wingless female mosquitoes could curb fatal fever

WASHINGTON - First it was just swatting. Then poison. Then sterilizing males. Now it is grounding females. Is there anything people will not try in the war against mosquitoes? The latest idea: Genetic engineering that results in wingless female mosquitoes....More

Study raises concerns of long-term problems in children after China's tainted milk scandal

BEIJING - More than one in 10 Chinese children sickened by contaminated milk showed signs of kidney damage six months afterward, researchers have found, raising concerns about the long-term effects of the country's massive food safety scandal....More

Ex-civil servant warns other federal employees about his $130,000 medical bill

MONTREAL - Raymond Malo was a fit 50-year-old veteran mountain climber with a clean bill of health when, while scaling one of the world's highest peaks, he had a stroke....More

Audit of eHealth blames feds for faulty accountability

OTTAWA - Health Canada handed out millions of dollars to a national eHealth agency without properly accounting for how the money was spent, says a new audit....More

Researchers finding few medical differences between 'test-tube' kids and other children

SAN DIEGO - More than 30 years after the world greeted its first "test-tube" baby with a mixture of awe, elation and concern, researchers say they are finding only a few medical differences between these children and kids conceived in the traditional way....More

Dermatologist Albert Kligman dies, research led to wrinkle drug Retin-A

PHILADELPHIA - Dermatologist Albert M. Kligman, whose research led to discoveries including the acne and wrinkle drug Retin-A, has died in Philadelphia. He was 93. UCLA sociology professor Gail Kligman said her father died Feb. 9 of heart failure at Pennsylvania Hospital....More

UN warns of threats from high-tech waste in developing countries

BALI, Indonesia - Sales of household electrical gadgets will boom across the developing world in the next decade, wreaking environmental havoc if there are no new strategies to deal with the discarded TVs, cellphones and computers, a U.N. report said Monday....More

UK politicians: Homeopathic products don't work, government should stop funding them

LONDON - A British parliamentary science group says the government should stop funding homeopathic products because they don't work. In a report published Monday, the Science and Technology Committee found no evidence that homeopathy, based on herbal medicines, is effective....More

Senior and stoned: More US seniors using marijuana as baby boomer generation grows older

MIAMI - In her 88 years, Florence Siegel has learned how to relax: A glass of wine. A copy of The New York Times, if she can wrest it from her husband. Some classical music, preferably Bach. And every night, she lifts a pipe to her lips and smokes marijuana. The use of the U.S....More

Obama version of health reform expected Monday, Senate plan changed to placate House

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is making a fresh attempt to rescue his health care overhaul by proposing a measure that would allow the government to deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriate consumers....More

Health Canada seeks public input on changing regulations for food colouring

OTTAWA - Health Canada is seeking public input on proposed changes to improve labelling requirements for colouring agents in food products. A consultation forum will be posted on the Health Canada website and open for comments from Feb....More

FDA urges safety curbs to decrease use of four popular asthma drugs

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is taking steps to curb use of some long-acting asthma drugs taken by millions, issuing safety restrictions Thursday to lower an uncommon but potentially life-threatening risk that asthma could worsen suddenly....More

Cancer centre in London, Ont., reconsiders layoffs of nurses, seeks alternatives

LONDON, Ont. - There's some hope nurses at the London Regional Cancer Program might dodge layoffs. The head of the local bargaining unit for the nurses' association says layoffs have been put on hold for now....More

Calgary police say they're narrowing the list of suspects in food tampering case

CALGARY - Calgary police say they're narrowing their list of suspects after metal items, such as pins and needles, were found stuck in products at a city grocery store on two separate occasions....More

Bacterial outbreak reported at S.Ontario hospital; same unit closed 2x last year

OWEN SOUND, Ont. - Another outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has occurred at the Owen Sound hospital in southwestern Ontario....More

Add swine flu to regular vaccine for next year, WHO tells vaccine makers, pandemic not over

LONDON - The World Health Organization is recommending that swine flu be added to regular flu vaccines next season. The swine flu pandemic virus, or H1N1, emerged too late last year to be added to the regular flu vaccine, and a separate vaccine was needed....More

528-pound (240 kilogram) woman gives birth to her first child in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania - A 25-year-old woman weighing 528 pounds (240 kilograms) gave birth to her first baby on Thursday at a hospital equipped to treat obese people....More

Winnipeg MP wants measures to protect consumers against expired food

WINNIPEG - A Manitoba politician is pushing for more measures to protect consumers after another Winnipeg store recently sold expired baby food. NDP's Judy Wasylycia-Leis, MP for Winnipeg North, says "the expiry date has to mean something....More

New advice on avoiding heart attacks: it helps to be a happy person

LONDON - You've heard it before: to avoid a heart attack don't smoke, eat right and exercise. But it also may help to be happy, a new study says. Even if you're grumpy by nature, just try to be cheerful....More

Happy people have lower likelihood of heart attack, Nova Scotia study indicates

TORONTO - We hear the advice "Don't worry, be happy," and "Smile, smile, smile" in upbeat song lyrics. And when it comes to the health benefits of a sunny disposition, they might be on to something....More

Gene tests appear to reduce levels of some inherited diseases

Some of mankind's most devastating inherited diseases appear to be declining, and a few have nearly disappeared, because more people are using genetic testing to decide whether to have children....More

Covidien securing supplies of diagnostic isotope from Poland

WARSAW, Poland - Irish medical supplier Covidien PLC says it will co-operate with Poland's Nuclear Energy Institute to develop a rare but medically useful isotope used to diagnose cancer, kidney and heart ailments....More

CDC reports increase in use of MRI, CT and PET scans during ER, doctor visits

ATLANTA - The use of high-tech diagnostic imaging in emergency rooms has quadrupled since the mid-1990s, according to a U.S. government report released Wednesday....More

CDC reports dramatic increase in medical visits with MRI, CT and PET scans

ATLANTA - New government statistics in the United States show the rate of high-tech diagnostic imaging has dramatically increased since the mid-1990s. From 1996 to 2007, the frequency of MRI, CT or PET scans done in emergency rooms quadrupled....More

Auditor general says B.C. e-health system progressing slowly, has long way to go

VANCOUVER, B.C. - British Columbia lacked a strategic plan as it embarked on a multimillion-dollar electronic health records project six years ago, says the province's auditor general....More

Add swine flu to regular flu vaccine for next year, WHO tells vaccine makers

LONDON - The World Health Organization is recommending that swine flu be added to the regular flu vaccine next season....More

A look at underused test in efforts to spur millions needing colon cancer checks

WASHINGTON - Nearly half the people who need potentially lifesaving checks for colorectal cancer miss them, despite years of public effort in the United States to make colon screening as widespread as tests for breast and prostate cancer....More

Study suggests lack of morning light plays role in upsetting teens' sleep clock

WASHINGTON - Sit by the window in school? Lack of the right light each morning to reset the body's natural sleep clock might play a role in teenagers' out-of-whack sleep, a small but provocative school experiment suggests....More

Small solution to a big problem: guinea pig meat tested as solution to Congo hunger crisis

DAKAR, Senegal - An army of humanitarian organizations has been unable to end years of recurring hunger in conflict-torn Congo. Now a South American research group says it may have found another way to fill hungry bellies: with guinea pigs....More

CMAJ editorial: Keep pets out of airline cabins to prevent allergic reactions

TORONTO - Airline passengers with pet allergies should not be forced to share cabin space with dogs and cats, says an editorial published Tuesday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal....More

Austrian cheese contaminated with listeria leads to 6 deaths

VIENNA, Austria - Austria's health ministry says contaminated cheese has killed six people. The ministry says the deaths - four in Austria and two in Germany - occurred last year and were caused by listeria, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in...More

Alberta's major boost in health spending will fund more heart, cancer surgeries

EDMONTON - Alberta plans to clear up a backlog of urgent cancer and heart surgeries as it starts to spend the largest injection of health care cash in its history....More

Acne drug Accutane can cause rare but potentially fatal reactions: Health Canada

OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising consumers that rare but potentially deadly skin reactions have been reported with the use of Accutane for the treatment of severe acne....More

Testing curbs some genetic diseases as couples decide whether to have children

Some of mankind's most devastating inherited diseases appear to be declining, and a few have nearly disappeared, because more people are using genetic testing to decide whether to have children....More

Would-be parents, opposition rally to demand Ont. fund in vitro fertilization

TORONTO - About 60 would-be parents rallied outside the Ontario legislature Monday to mark the province's second annual Family Day by requesting government funding for in vitro fertilization treatments, which cost about $10,000 per cycle....More

Setting wake-up times, avoiding naps among tips to help insomniacs sleep

TORONTO - For individuals battling insomnia, the ongoing struggle to fall asleep or get sufficient shut-eye can be trying enough. But for those who also have depression, anxiety or chronic pain, the combination is all the more difficult....More

Quebec specialist physicians ask Ottawa to clarify rules on mercy killing

QUEBEC - Quebec doctors say it's time for the federal and provincial governments to decriminalize euthanasia....More

Put a ring on it? Experts explore new ways to circumcise men in Africa to fight AIDS epidemic

LONDON - The most powerful force against AIDS in Africa may be circumcision, a procedure that's easily done in the developed world. But it's a challenge on a continent where there are too few medical workers and a reluctance by men for cultural reasons and fear of pain....More

N.L. court approves $17.5M settlement for victims of faulty breast cancer tests

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - The Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador has approved a $17.5-million settlement in a class-action lawsuit launched by hundreds of patients whose breast cancer tests were botched....More

Bilodeau's esteem for brother sparks greater awareness of cerebral palsy

TORONTO - Alexandre Bilodeau's Olympic gold medal will forever be enshrined as Canada's first on home turf. But for people with cerebral palsy, it is the freestyle skier's tender - and very public - esteem for his brother Frederic that will long glitter in memory....More

A look at underused test in efforts to spur millions needing colon cancer checks

WASHINGTON - Nearly half the people who need potentially lifesaving checks for colorectal cancer miss them, despite years of public effort in the United States to make colon screening as widespread as tests for breast and prostate cancer....More

Austrian cheese contaminated with listeria leads to 6 deaths

VIENNA, Austria - Austria's health ministry says contaminated cheese has killed six people. The ministry says the deaths - four in Austria and two in Germany - occurred last year and were caused by listeria, an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in...More

What's organic? US sets new rules for milk, meat requiring at least 4 months of grazing

WASHINGTON - What makes milk or meat organic? After a drawn-out debate, the U.S. Agriculture Department has significantly narrowed the definition to livestock that spend a third of the year grazing on pasture....More

Dangerous radiation levels found in 14 per cent of European tanning beds

BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Commission warned consumers Friday they may be paying for that winter tan long after they have left the tanning salon....More

China says most tainted milk products recently discovered have been recalled and destroyed

BEIJING - Most of the contaminated milk products that resurfaced in China recently have been recalled and destroyed, the Health Ministry said Saturday....More

40 dead, 2,000 infected as first cholera outbreak in 50 years spreads across Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY, Australia - The island nation of Papua New Guinea is struggling to contain its first cholera outbreak in 50 years, which has killed at least 40 people and sickened 2,000 over the past several months, a top World Health Organization official said....More

Struggling CAS in Ontario will get nearly $23M in new funding, gov't says

TORONTO - Several struggling Children's Aid societies across Ontario will get a $22.5-million lifeline to help them provide critical services to children in the province....More

Struggling CAS in Ontario will get nearly $23M in new funding, gov't says

TORONTO - Several struggling Children's Aid societies across Ontario will get a $22.5-million lifeline to help them provide critical services to children in the province....More

Handling of seizures on TV medical dramas often wrong, study finds

Television medical dramas can be misleading when it comes to the proper way to deal with epileptic seizures or convulsions, say researchers, who have found that small-screen doctors and nurses do it incorrectly more than half the time....More

Couples rally to get OHIP coverage of in vitro fertilization treatments

TORONTO - A group representing more than 1,100 Ontario couples who need help conceiving a child plan to rally outside the legislature Monday, the second annual Family Day holiday, to demand provincial funding for in vitro fertilization treatments....More

Half of Ottawa residents got H1N1 flu shot, says medical officer of health

OTTAWA - More than half of Ottawa's residents rolled up their sleeves for the H1N1 flu shot. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Isra Levy estimates 53 per cent of the population have received the vaccine since it was first available at the end of October....More

H1N1 sent higher proportion of patients to ICU than regular flu: report

TORONTO - H1N1 influenza landed a higher proportion of Canadians in ICUs and on ventilators, and at a much younger age on average, than seasonal flu does in a typical year, says a report assessing the comparative impact of the pandemic virus....More

Cheese wraps? Urine poultices? Injured athletes take a flyer on alternative meds

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Cheese wraps, urine poultices, cell cures - when it comes to injuries, elite athletes can be game for some pretty out-there therapies. That propensity came to light this week when U.S....More

CDC: More than 1,500 ill in mumps outbreak in NY, NJ Orthodox Jewish communities

ATLANTA - A mumps outbreak among Orthodox Jews in New York and New Jersey has now surpassed 1,500 cases and shows no sign of ending soon, health officials said Thursday. The seven-month-old outbreak began last summer at a boys camp in the Catskills....More

B.C. study says residential school survivors' kids at risk of infectious disease

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Drug-using aboriginal women are at particular risk of contracting hepatitis C if at least one of their parents was forced to attend a residential school, suggests a new study....More

'Sperminator,' 'Wonder Vag' comic-like characters to teach teens about safe sex

LONDON, Ont. - The public health unit in London, Ont., is using comic book-themed superheroes and a villain named the evil "Sperminator" to teach teens about safe sex....More

'Aspies' cling to Asperger's as an elite diagnosis and balk at proposal to lump it with autism

CHICAGO - In the autism world, people with Asperger's syndrome are sometimes seen as the elites, the ones who are socially awkward, yet academically gifted and who embrace their quirkiness....More

40 dead, 2,000 infected as first cholera outbreak in 50 years spreads across Papua New Guinea

SYDNEY, Australia - The island nation of Papua New Guinea is struggling to contain its first cholera outbreak in 50 years, which has killed at least 40 people and sickened 2,000 over the past several months, a top World Health Organization official said....More

Researcher 'cautiously optimistic' about early results of MS study

TORONTO - Preliminary results from a study show a significant proportion of multiple sclerosis patients have a narrowing of the veins that drain blood from the brain, a condition that's been suggested as a possible risk factor for the debilitating neurological disease....More

Quebec Human Rights Commission rules obese woman should get better parking spot

MONTREAL - A morbidly obese Quebec woman with various health problems has won her legal fight for a better parking spot....More

Psychiatrists propose changes in how doctors diagnose and name mental disorders

WASHINGTON - Don't say "mental retardation" - the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome - call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioural addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut....More

Painful injury doesn't threaten Vonn's career, but could cloud Olympic dream

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Mere mortals who sustain the type of painful injury that Lindsey Vonn has generally need about three weeks to recover. But the U.S. ski phenom is no mere mortal....More

HIV, hepatitis tests urged after unlicensed tattoo parlours closed in Calgary

CALGARY - Health officials are urging anyone who received a tattoo or piercing at a home-run parlour in Calgary to line up for another kind of needle prick....More

Company recalls rollators to fix problems after at least six users fall

OTTAWA - Dana Douglas Inc. has renewed its recall of selected models of its neXus I, II and III rollators to address potential safety issues....More

As New York Fashion Week rolls out runway, too-skinny model debate turns to age

NEW YORK - The models auditioning for New York Fashion Week were undeniably thin. But it was only after the fashion industry started worrying about too-skinny models that casting agent James Scully began asking their age. Most, he found, were under 16....More

WHO experts to meet next week, examine whether peak of swine flu pandemic is over

GENEVA - The World Health Organization will hold an expert meeting later this month to consider whether the swine flu pandemic's peak has passed. WHO flu chief Keiji Fukuda says the panel will give its verdict to U.N....More

Health Canada orders recall of natural health product Complete 7-Day Cleanse

OTTAWA - Health Canada is advising consumers that the unauthorized product Complete 7-Day Cleanse is being recalled because it contains a number of active ingredients with a combined effect that may pose serious health risks....More

Feds ask Supreme Court to allow appeal of supervised injection site case

OTTAWA - The Canadian Press has learned that the Harper government wants the Supreme Court of Canada to overturn a lower court ruling that sanctioned Vancouver's supervised drug injection site....More

Federal government to take supervised injection site case to Supreme Court

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The federal government is heading to the Supreme Court of Canada to try to shut down Vancouver's supervised drug-injection site, but British Columbia's health minister says Conservative politicians should get past their ideological opposition to the facility....More

ER victim's family, aboriginal groups want full inquiry into Man. health care

WINNIPEG - Aboriginal groups and the family of a homeless man who died during a long wait in an emergency room want Manitoba to hold a public inquiry into how natives are treated when they need medical care....More

Difficult to detect 'micro-dosing' poses problems for anti-doping forces

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Doping Olympic athletes may be using a less-is-more technique in the days leading up to their competitions in a bid to evade detection, anti-doping experts say. And they admit this form of cheating, called micro-dosing, can be hard to catch....More

Canadians gravitate toward meals that are convenient, claim to be nutritious

TORONTO - When Canadians eat at home, they're gravitating toward convenience foods and their meals don't have a made-from-scratch component as often as in the past, a new report suggests....More

1st US double hand transplant patient leaves US hospital after rejection symptoms clear

PITTSBURGH - The first double hand transplant recipient in the U.S. has left a hospital after medicine cleared up a rash that signalled he might be rejecting his new hands....More

Psychiatrists propose changes in how doctors diagnose and name mental disorders

WASHINGTON - Don't say "mental retardation" - the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome - call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioural addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut....More

Conference Board says new heart health strategy could save billions of dollars

OTTAWA - A national plan to promote healthier living and reduce heart disease and strokes could save the country $76 billion between now and 2020 - if it meets just some of its targets - a new report says....More

China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder that should have been destroyed by was reused

BEIJING - The discovery has punched a 170-ton hole in China's promises to overhaul its food safety system. Officials say they've found yet another case where large amounts of tainted milk powder from the country's 2008 scandal that should have been destroyed were instead repackaged....More

Canada switches to growth charts based on WHO, not U.S., standards

TORONTO - It's out with the old yardstick and in with the new as professional organizations that keep tabs on the height and weight of Canadian children turn to "superior" growth charts based on World Health Organization standards....More

Bad malaria drugs litter Africa, raising fears of resistance

High rates of the most effective type of malaria-fighting drugs sold in three African countries are poor quality - including nearly half the pills sampled in Senegal - raising fears of increased drug resistance that could wipe out the last weapon left to battle a disease that kills one...More

B.C. reaches deal with 47,000 health workers, but they won't get wage hikes

VICTORIA, B.C. - The B.C. government has reached a tentative contract with unions representing more than 47,000 health-care workers around the province. The two-year agreement contains no overall wage increases because the recession has left the government with a $2....More

Antidepressant blocks tamoxifen benefit, may raise cancer death risk: study

TORONTO - Women prescribed tamoxifen to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer should avoid taking the antidepressant Paxil and its generic equivalents because of a potentially dangerous drug interaction, a study suggests....More

Anti-doping forces suspect experimental anemia drug may be in use by dopers

VANCOUVER, B.C. - At the Salt Lake City Olympics, blood doping athletes used a brand new drug called Aranesp. Six years later at the Beijing Games, the dopers turned to Mircera, a newer drug that had just hit the market....More

India halts release of first genetically modified food crop on safety fears

MUMBAI, India - India halted the release of its first genetically modified food crop Tuesday, saying further study needed to be done to guarantee consumer safety....More

17,600 Fox Sports NFL robot action figures had high levels of lead

SEATTLE - U.S. customs officials say nearly 17,600 Fox Sports NFL robot action figures seized at the Seattle waterfront last month were contaminated with lead paint....More

Obama tells Dem activists to be optimistic, says he won't walk away from health care overhaul

WASHINGTON - Just a year after celebrating Barack Obama's inauguration, despondent Democrats on Saturday heard from their party leader who urged optimism in the face of Republicans' strong challenge to their congressional dominance....More

Largest mumps outbreak in years spreads as more than 300 cases diagnosed in New York suburbs

MONSEY, N.Y. - More than 300 people have been diagnosed with the mumps in suburban New York as America's largest outbreak of the disease in years spreads. Almost all the cases are among Orthodox Jews....More

Brazil gov't handing out 55 million free condoms for Carnival parties

Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins next week....More

Tanning bed bill aimed at teens not based on reliable science, industry says

TORONTO - Tanning salon operators say proposed federal legislation that would warn consumers of the cancer risks of tanning is political grandstanding and are instead calling on the provinces to help regulate operating standards in the industry....More

Obama invites leaders of Republican, Democratic parties to half-day discussion of health care

WASHINGTON - In the first major step to revive his health care agenda after his party's loss of its super-majority in the Senate, President Barack Obama on Sunday invited Republican and Democratic leaders to discuss possible compromises later this month....More

China finds 170 more tons of tainted milk powder that was reused, not destroyed, after scandal

BEIJING - China has found another 170 tons of tainted milk powder in an emergency crackdown that has made it increasingly clear many products discovered in the country's 2008 milk scandal were repackaged for sale instead of destroyed....More

Canada switches to growth charts based on WHO, not U.S., standards

TORONTO - It's out with the old yardstick and in with the new as professional organizations that keep tabs on the height and weight of Canadian children turn to "superior" growth charts based on World Health Organization standards....More

Unique B.C. program will seek out undiagnosed, untreated HIV sufferers

VANCOUVER, B.C. - B.C. is launching a unique program to help HIV patients before their disease progresses or spreads to others. Called Seek and Treat, the $48-million pilot program is being called the first in Canada and possibly the world....More

Tainted milk resurfaces in China, pointing to perennial food safety challenges: experts

BEIJING - The resurfacing of tainted milk products in China highlights the challenges of policing the food supply in a country where close ties between local authorities and companies hamper regulation while producers are undertrained, experts said Thursday....More

Study says 1/3 of Canadians might not get optimal heart attack treatment

CALGARY - Just over one-third of Canadians live too far away from a specialized hospital to get the best available treatment for a heart attack, suggests a new study....More

Premier Williams recovering from heart surgery done in United States

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Premier Danny Williams is recovering from heart surgery performed Thursday in the United States. Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale says surgery on the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador went well....More

Police apologize for not looking into woman's complaint against gynecologist

CALGARY - Calgary police are apologizing for failing to investigate a woman's complaint about a gynecologist who has since closed his medical practice. An hour after Kelly Dunlop's first appointment with Dr. Lawrence Demco two years ago, she filed a complaint with police....More

Experts warn gene doping in sport 'inevitable' as science advances

TORONTO - Gene therapy, still considered high risk and experimental in the context of medicine, will likely be the new frontier for doping in sport, experts warned Thursday in a scientific journal....More

Coming clean on cleansers: NY legal case seeks details on what's in products

NEW YORK - It's the mystery under the kitchen sink. Exactly what's in floor cleaner? What's stain remover made of? And what effects, if any, might they have on human health or the environment? Environmental advocates want to know, and they asked a court Thursday to...More

WHO says doctors, nurses, midwives shouldn't perform female genital mutilation

GENEVA - The World Health Organization says doctors, nurses and midwives in African countries should stop performing female genital mutilation....More

More dairy managers arrested as China steps up crackdown on melamine-tainted milk

BEIJING - Three dairy plant managers and one milk powder dealer in central China have been arrested for allegedly selling milk products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, shortly after the government launched a 10-day crackdown....More

Michelle Obama meets members of Congress, Cabinet in fight against child obesity

WASHINGTON - Who's that meeting with members of the U.S. Cabinet and Congress? It's Michelle Obama, revving up for her campaign against childhood obesity....More

Government funding will help keep Toronto Grace Hospital open, Salvation Army says

TORONTO - The Salvation Army says it has reached an agreement with the provincial government and will continue to operate the Toronto Grace Health Centre....More

Gerber toddler meal given 'Salt Lick' award for high sodium content

TORONTO - Gerber, one of the best-known names in baby food, has been named this year's recipient of the "Salt Lick Award" due to the high sodium content in one of its prepared meals for toddlers....More

Concerns expand as heavy metal cadmium found in adult jewelry in United States

LOS ANGELES - Concern about the heavy metal cadmium in jewelry grew this week as a California environmental group said new testing of adult necklaces and bracelets bought at three leading retailers, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Aeropostale, detected high levels of the toxic material - as...More

Brain scans reveal awareness in some vegetative brains, allow communication, study suggests

NEW YORK - Scientists have detected glimmers of awareness in some vegetative brain-injury patients and have even communicated with one of them - findings that push the boundaries of how to assess and care for such people....More

Tainted milk resurfaces in China, pointing to perennial food safety challenges: experts

BEIJING - The resurfacing of tainted milk products in China highlights the challenges of policing the food supply in a country where close ties between local authorities and companies hamper regulation while producers are undertrained, experts said Thursday....More

Police apologize for not looking into woman's complaint against gynecologist

CALGARY - Calgary police are apologizing for failing to investigate a woman's complaint about a gynecologist who has since closed his medical practice. An hour after Kelly Dunlop's first appointment with Dr. Lawrence Demco two years ago, she filed a complaint with police....More

Lancet retracts flawed autism study, but paper's legacy lingers, experts fear

TORONTO - A top British medical journal has retracted a discredited study that linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism and fuelled anti-vaccination sentiments in Europe and North America....More

Ignatieff urges Harper not to exclude abortion, contraception from G8 health initiative

OTTAWA - Michael Ignatieff is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper not to exclude abortion and contraception from his plan to become an international champion of women's and children's health....More

HEALTHBEAT: Drugs tested to improve learning in Fragile X syndrome, may give autism hints

WASHINGTON - A pill to ease a type of mental retardation? An experiment is under way to develop one, aimed at a genetic disorder that might unravel some of the mysteries of autism along the way....More

Haste makes waste: cutting speed boosts drivers' life expectancy: study

TORONTO - Every hour spent behind the wheel represents a 20-minute loss in life expectancy because of the risk of being involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident, say researchers, who calculate that even a slight reduction in speed by the average driver could save lives....More

Girl's 20-month weight challenge gives a mirror into obesity epidemic among American teenagers

CHICAGO - Paris Woods is hardly a poster child for the obesity epidemic. Lining up dripping wet with kids on her swim team, she is a blend of girlish chunkiness and womanly curves....More

Fish oil pills show promise in preventing schizophrenia in young people, Austrian study finds

CHICAGO - Fish oil pills may be able to save some young people with signs of mental illness from descending into schizophrenia, according to a preliminary but first-of-its-kind study conducted in Austria....More

Dermatology association urges young women to learn facts about indoor tanning

TORONTO - The spot was very dark, almost black, barely the size of a pencil eraser, and would bleed when Jackie Connors shaved her legs. She initially chose to ignore it....More

Best-selling UK author calls for assisted suicide panel to permit Britons to kill themselves

LONDON - Best-selling British fantasy author Terry Pratchett says he believes an assisted suicide panel should be set up to help Britons who want to kill themselves. Pratchett, one of the U.K....More

Disabled groups say cuts already made, want money back from Alta. gov't

EDMONTON - Groups speaking on behalf of developmentally disabled adults are demanding the Alberta government give back money that some of them had already trimmed from their operating budgets....More

China launches emergency crackdown on tainted milk products after several found on sale

BEIJING - China has launched a 10-day emergency crackdown on tainted milk products after several were found creeping back onto the market despite a massive scandal that sickened hundreds of thousands of children in 2008....More

Matthews asks parties to give board time to plan to keep Grace hospital open

TORONTO - The provincial government says it wants Toronto's historic Grace Health Centre to remain in operation. The Salvation Army runs the hospital, which offers palliative and complex care, but says it wants to get out of the hospital business....More

Manitoba dentists offer program to get young children in chair earlier

WINNIPEG - Manitoba dentists are offering a program to encourage parents to have their children's teeth examined before they're three years old. The Manitoba Dental Association says as of April 1, a first dental examination for children under three will be free of charge. Dr....More

Harper should focus on Canada if he wants to better child health: Inuit leader

Northern leaders say Prime Minister Stephen Harper should look to the Arctic if he wants to improve the health of newborn children. "We're hopeful he'll tackle this issue in his own backyard," Pita Aatami, head of Makivik Corp....More

Gates: Foundation will give $10 billion to research, deliver vaccines for world’s poor

DAVOS, Switzerland - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $10 billion over the next decade to research new vaccines and bring them to the world's poorest countries, the Microsoft co-founder and his wife said Friday....More

'Princess and Frog' jewelry recalled due to high levels of toxic metal cadmium

Federal consumer safety regulators on Friday announced the recall of "The Princess and The Frog" pendants because of high levels of the toxic metal cadmium, an unprecedented action that reflects concerns of an emerging threat in children's products....More

Cdn health advocates nervously eye Obama reforms, fear another exodus of nurses

TORONTO - U.S. President Barack Obama's health-care package, although in political limbo, has nursing experts in Canada concerned about another exodus in their profession if provincial governments aren't vigilant in retaining nurses....More

Doctor's book profiles nursing home's furry angel of death

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The scientist in Dr. David Dosa was skeptical when first told that Oscar, an aloof cat kept by a nursing home, regularly predicted patients' deaths by snuggling alongside them in their final hours....More

Girl's 20-month weight challenge gives a mirror into obesity epidemic among American teenagers

CHICAGO - Paris Woods is hardly a poster child for the obesity epidemic. Lining up dripping wet with kids on her swim team, she is a blend of girlish chunkiness and womanly curves....More