China to expand smoking bans as health awareness rises in world's largest tobacco consumer

BEIJING - China is tightening smoking regulations to ban lighting up in any indoor public spaces in seven provincial capitals, the latest sign of rising health awareness in the world's largest tobacco-consuming nation....More

Bargaining continues as hospital workers set up picket lines in rural N.S.

TRURO, N.S. - Health care workers in rural Nova Scotia set up picket lines early Monday after their union and the provincial government failed to hammer out a tentative contract deal....More

Alberta Health approves moving geriatric mental patients from Alberta Hospital

EDMONTON - Alberta will transfer geriatric patients from a mental hospital in Edmonton to a new facility, but has dropped plans to move others in a decision that could cure one of Premier Ed Stelmach's lingering political headaches....More

Britain restricts drinking contests at boozy bars, but resists minimum pricing for alcohol

LONDON - Officials will ban drinking contests in bars and force pub owners to offer patrons tap water in a bid to help tackle Britain's boozy culture, the government said Tuesday....More

Exercise, getting together with friends, exposure to light all help winter blues

TORONTO - Whether or not you subscribe to a claim that the most depressing day of the year occurs on the third Monday of January, it's not a bad time to take stock and address the winter blues if you're feeling down, experts say....More

US task force says screen school-age kids for obesity, intensive treatment works

CHICAGO - An influential advisory panel says school-aged youngsters and teens should be screened for obesity and sent to intensive behaviour treatment if they need to lose weight - a move that could transform how doctors deal with overweight children....More

Two hours after walking off job, hospital workers reach deal with N.S. gov't

TRURO, N.S. - More than 4,000 health care workers in rural Nova Scotia have a tentative contract deal, bringing a swift end to their strike. Picket lines went up at 6 a.m....More

Term 'concussion' leads some docs, parents to underestimate severity of injury

TORONTO - The medical diagnosis of "concussion" may be leading parents and even doctors to underestimate the possible severity of brain injuries in children, some Canadian researchers contend in a paper that argues the term should be scrapped....More

Outbreaks of disease could cause more deaths in earthquake-ravaged Haiti

Still reeling from the devastation wrought by this week's earthquake, the people of Haiti now face another foe, unseen but potentially just as deadly....More

Colorado surgery technician describes how she stole painkiller meant for patients

DENVER - A surgery technician who infected three dozen people with hepatitis C and may have exposed thousands of others by switching used syringes with ones filled with a powerful painkiller says she got careless while at two Colorado hospitals and doesn't expect to be forgiven....More

China to expand smoking bans as health awareness rises in world's largest tobacco consumer

BEIJING - China is tightening smoking regulations to ban lighting up in any indoor public spaces in seven provincial capitals, the latest sign of rising health awareness in the world's largest tobacco-consuming nation....More

Bargaining continues as hospital workers set up picket lines in rural N.S.

TRURO, N.S. - Health care workers in rural Nova Scotia set up picket lines early Monday after their union and the provincial government failed to hammer out a tentative contract deal....More

Fitness levels among Canadians have plummeted since 1981: StatsCan

OTTAWA - A new survey says the fitness levels of Canadian children and youth, as well as those of adults, declined significantly between 1981 and 2009....More

Canadians fatter, less fit than in 1981; trends don't bode well: experts

TORONTO - Canadians of all ages have become substantially fatter and less fit over the last few decades, with all age groups packing on pounds while at the same time losing strength, endurance and flexibility, an important new survey has revealed....More

Belgian doctors give woman a new windpipe after implanting it into her arm

LONDON - For more than 2 1/2 years, Linda De Croock lived with constant pain from a car accident that smashed her windpipe....More

UK gov't apologizes to people harmed by anti-nausea drug Thalidomide

LONDON - The British government apologized Thursday to people who were harmed in the womb when their mothers took the anti-nausea drug Thalidomide....More

Online questionnaire helps students evaluate their drinking habits

TORONTO - Laura Adamarczuk was initially blase when asked to complete an online questionnaire to evaluate her drinking habits. The survey was compulsory for residence dons at the University of Western Ontario, but the 21-year-old felt the exercise had minimal value....More

Mass. doctor accused of faking painkiller studies charged with federal health care fraud

BOSTON - Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that they have filed a health care fraud charge against a doctor accused of faking research for a dozen years in published studies that suggested after-surgery benefits from painkillers including Vioxx and Celebrex....More

Claims H1N1 is a fake pandemic are scientifically wrong and irresponsible: WHO

TORONTO - The World Health Organization's top flu expert has struck back at criticism about the agency's handling of the H1N1 pandemic, saying claims that the outbreak was a false alarm are scientifically wrong and irresponsible. Dr....More

Chalk River medical isotope reactor may be down longer than expected

OTTAWA - The troubled Chalk River nuclear reactor may not be up and running until April, further delaying the return to a full supply of isotopes for vital medical tests. Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd....More

MedGenesis, Biovail to work together on a treatment for Parkinson's disease

VICTORIA, B.C. - MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. says it's collaborating with Biovail Corp. (TSX:BVF), Canada's largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company, on developing a new way to treat Parkinson's disease. The two companies have also struck licence agreements with Amgen Inc....More

Another chain pulls cadmium-tainted kids' jewelry

LOS ANGELES - A second international chain store said it is pulling from shelves jewelry that lab tests show contained high levels of the heavy metal cadmium, and Chinese regulators said they will investigate dangerous levels of the toxin in children's jewelry being exported to the United...More

Study: Quickly giving wounded troops morphine cuts the risk of developing PTSD

TRENTION, N.J. - Quickly giving morphine to wounded troops cuts in half the chance they will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a provocative study that suggests a new strategy for reducing the psychological fallout of war. Researchers at the U.S....More

Small study casts doubt on sports injury injections reportedly used by Woods

CHICAGO - New research casts doubt on increasingly popular blood-based injections reportedly used by Tiger Woods and other athletes to speed recovery after orthopedic surgery....More

Sleeping in? Study finds it may give false sense of security after sleeplessness

WASHINGTON - Sleeping in on Saturday after a few weeks of too little shuteye may feel refreshing, but it can give a false sense of security. New research shows chronic sleep loss cannot be cured that easily....More

Fitness levels among Canadians have plummeted since 1981: StatsCan

OTTAWA - A new survey says the fitness levels of Canadian children and youth, as well as those of adults, declined significantly between 1981 and 2009....More

Canadians fatter, less fit than in 1981; trends don't bode well: experts

TORONTO - Canadians of all ages have become substantially fatter and less fit over the last few decades, with all age groups packing on pounds while at the same time losing strength, endurance and flexibility, an important new survey has revealed....More

Belgian doctors give woman a new windpipe after implanting it into her arm

LONDON - For more than 2 1/2 years, Linda De Croock lived with constant pain from a car accident that smashed her windpipe....More

New Jersey Legislature approves bill to make state 14th with medical marijuana

TRENTON, N.J. - The Legislature on Monday approved a bill that would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow chronically ill patients access to marijuana for medical reasons. Democratic Gov....More

Institute of Medicine urges steps to battle liver-damaging hepatitis B and C

WASHINGTON - They're the overlooked viruses: Hepatitis B and C together infect three to five times more Americans than the AIDS virus does, and most don't know it. In the next 10 years, these two liver-damaging infections will kill about 150,000 people in the U.S....More

AP INVESTIGATION: Tests reveal toxic cadmium in kids' jewelry from China; US to investigate

LOS ANGELES - Moving swiftly, U.S. product safety authorities say they are launching an investigation into the presence of the toxic metal cadmium in children's jewelry imported from China after disclosure of lab tests showing that some pieces consisted primarily of the dangerous substance....More

Survey finds that almost half of China's moms-to-be have caesarean sections

HANOI, Vietnam - Nearly half of moms-to-be surveyed in China were delivering by caesarean sections, the world's highest rate recorded by the World Health Organization, which warned Tuesday that a boom in unnecessary surgeries is jeopardizing women's health....More

Study shows popular PRP therapy no better than placebo for tendon injury

TORONTO - An expensive and increasingly popular therapy used by elite and recreational athletes to speed healing works no better than a placebo when it comes to treating a tricky tendon injury, a new study shows....More

Nearly half of Chinese births are C-sections; WHO warns unnecessary surgeries pose risk

HANOI, Vietnam - Nearly half of all births in China are delivered by cesarean section, the world's highest rate, according to a survey by the World Health Organization - a shift toward modernization that isn't necessarily a good thing....More

MedGenesis, Biovail to work together on a treatment for Parkinson's disease

VICTORIA, B.C. - MedGenesis Therapeutix Inc. says it's collaborating with Biovail Corp. (TSX:BVF), Canada's largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company, on developing a new way to treat Parkinson's disease. The two companies have also struck licence agreements with Amgen Inc....More

Another chain pulls cadmium-tainted kids' jewelry

LOS ANGELES - A second international chain store said it is pulling from shelves jewelry that lab tests show contained high levels of the heavy metal cadmium, and Chinese regulators said they will investigate dangerous levels of the toxin in children's jewelry being exported to the United...More

US consumer regulators launch campaign against cadmium in children's jewelry from China

LOS ANGELES - Federal and state watchdogs opened a new front Monday in the campaign to keep poisons out of Chinese imports, warning Asian manufacturers not to substitute other toxins for lead in children's jewelry and beginning an inquiry into cadmium found in the products around the United...More

Study: More of today's US youth have serious mental health issues than previous generations

CHICAGO - A new study has found that more high school and college students are dealing with mental health issues in the U.S. than people the same age did during the Great Depression....More

Study finds that UNICEF program in Africa fails to save more children

LONDON - A UNICEF program that spent $27 million to decrease child deaths from disease in West Africa has failed, according to a new study that found a higher survival rate in some regions that weren't included in the program. The U.N....More

Rabies shots no longer necessary for bat-in-the-bedroom encounters

TORONTO - Over the last decade or so, thousands of people in North America have had to endure rabies shots after waking up to discover an uninvited roommate - a bat....More

NYC officials ask food manufacturers to cut salt content; program voluntary

NEW YORK - City health officials have battled trans fats and high-calorie fast food. Now, they're taking on salt....More

New Jersey Legislature approves bill to make state 14th with medical marijuana

TRENTON, N.J. - The Legislature on Monday approved a bill that would make New Jersey the 14th state to allow chronically ill patients access to marijuana for medical reasons. Democratic Gov....More

Institute of Medicine urges steps to battle liver-damaging hepatitis B and C

WASHINGTON - They're the overlooked viruses: Hepatitis B and C together infect three to five times more Americans than the AIDS virus does, and most don't know it. In the next 10 years, these two liver-damaging infections will kill about 150,000 people in the U.S....More

AP INVESTIGATION: Tests reveal toxic cadmium in kids' jewelry from China; US to investigate

LOS ANGELES - Moving swiftly, U.S. product safety authorities say they are launching an investigation into the presence of the toxic metal cadmium in children's jewelry imported from China after disclosure of lab tests showing that some pieces consisted primarily of the dangerous substance....More

Fire chiefs say some legal marijuana grow-ops are a safety hazard

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Medical marijuana may be legal, but the way some approved Canadian growers are producing their pot is not, say fire chiefs in the country's two most prolific weed-producing provinces....More

Awareness of colon cancer screening high, uptake of simple test still low

TORONTO - Despite a high level of awareness about the benefit of being routinely screened for colorectal cancer, less than half of Canadians in the targeted age group of 50-plus are getting tested, a national survey suggests....More

Toronto-area hospital network sees two 'unexpected' pediatric deaths within 24-hour period

TORONTO - Lakeridge Health says there have been two "unexpected" pediatric deaths at its hospital network east of Toronto. The health network says the two died within 24 hours of each other....More

Police investigate two 'unexpected' pediatric deaths at Toronto-area health network

TORONTO - Police are investigating the "unexpected" deaths of two children at a hospital network east of Toronto. Lakeridge Health says the two died within 24 hours of each other....More

Ont. family doctors who join team practices see salaries jump 40% in five years

TORONTO - Ontario's push to have family doctors work in collaborative teams with other health professionals is paying off financially for the physicians and is resulting in better patient care, according to the New England Journal of Medicine....More

Doctors concerned a further delay at Chalk River would be 'extremely serious'

OTTAWA - Canadian doctors are concerned any further delay in getting the Chalk River reactor up-and-running will have serious consequences for the country's hospitals....More

Study: More of today's US youth have serious mental health issues than previous generations

CHICAGO - A new study has found that more high school and college students are dealing with mental health issues in the U.S. than people the same age did during the Great Depression....More

AP INVESTIGATION: Tests reveal toxic cadmium in kids' jewelry from China; US to investigate

LOS ANGELES - Moving swiftly, U.S. product safety authorities say they are launching an investigation into the presence of the toxic metal cadmium in children's jewelry imported from China after disclosure of lab tests showing that some pieces consisted primarily of the dangerous substance....More

Inuit newborns at risk because Nunavut gov't won't distribute drug: researcher

A prominent health researcher says Inuit newborns are at risk of serious illness and even death because the Nunavut government won't distribute a drug to all infants in remote communities. In a recent article for the Canadian Polar Commission, Dr....More

Studies: Switching antiseptic prep, screening patients cut post-op infections

NEW YORK - Looks like doctors aren't the only ones who should scrub before surgery. Bathing patients with an antiseptic and squirting medicated ointment up their noses dramatically cut the rate of dangerous staph infections afterward, researchers found....More

Patients to seek approval of $17.5M settlement over breast cancer errors in Feb.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Members of a class-action lawsuit settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador's botched breast cancer testing scandal will seek to have the $17.5-million deal approved in court next month....More

Fight against fat goes high-tech: Wireless monitors emerge as tool in obesity research

ALHAMBRA, Calif. - The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives....More

BC health clinic operator charged for allegedly faking credentials

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The head of a Victoria health services clinic has been charged for inflating his credentials after his expert testimony prompted police to investigate a father for potential abuse....More

Study says restaurant food often has more calories than advertised

Dieters can't believe everything they read: The food at many popular chain restaurants and in the freezer section of the supermarket may contain a lot more calories than advertised. A U.S....More

Fire chiefs say some legal marijuana grow-ops are a safety hazard

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Medical marijuana may be legal, but the way some approved Canadian growers are producing their pot is not, say fire chiefs in the country's two most prolific weed-producing provinces....More

Awareness of colon cancer screening high, uptake of simple test still low

TORONTO - Despite a high level of awareness about the benefit of being routinely screened for colorectal cancer, less than half of Canadians in the targeted age group of 50-plus are getting tested, a national survey suggests....More

Study shows sharing a hospital room increases your risk of picking up infections

TORONTO - Sharing a hospital room increases your risk of picking up an infection during your stay, a new study shows. The work, by researchers from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont....More

Study says pregnant women having more ultrasounds than recommended

TORONTO - A new Canadian study finds that some women are having more ultrasounds than recommended....More

Inuit newborns at risk because Nunavut gov't won't distribute drug: researcher

A prominent health researcher says Inuit newborns are at risk of serious illness and even death because the Nunavut government won't distribute a drug to all infants in remote communities. In a recent article for the Canadian Polar Commission, Dr....More

Studies: Switching antiseptic prep, screening patients cut post-op infections

NEW YORK - Looks like doctors aren't the only ones who should scrub before surgery. Bathing patients with an antiseptic and squirting medicated ointment up their noses dramatically cut the rate of dangerous staph infections afterward, researchers found....More

Patients to seek approval of $17.5M settlement over breast cancer errors in Feb.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Members of a class-action lawsuit settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador's botched breast cancer testing scandal will seek to have the $17.5-million deal approved in court next month....More

Fight against fat goes high-tech: Wireless monitors emerge as tool in obesity research

ALHAMBRA, Calif. - The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives....More

BC health clinic operator charged for allegedly faking credentials

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The head of a Victoria health services clinic has been charged for inflating his credentials after his expert testimony prompted police to investigate a father for potential abuse....More

Awareness of colon cancer screening high, uptake of simple test still low

TORONTO - Despite a high level of awareness about the benefit of being routinely screened for colorectal cancer, less than half of Canadians in the targeted age group of 50-plus are getting tested, a national survey suggests....More

National plan needed to prepare for expected surge in dementia cases: report

TORONTO - Canada needs a national strategy to prepare for a tidal wave of dementia cases in the coming decades that could swamp the health-care system and put a severe drain on the economy, a new report says....More

Expedition ventures into health-care jungle - without leaving America's backyard

MAYNARDVILLE, Tenn. - The two-hour drive is done, but Hannah and Jack Hurst leave the Honda's engine running. Hannah's prayers have brought them here....More

Evidence lacking for special autism diets, says report

CHICAGO - An expert panel says there's no rigorous evidence that digestive problems are more common in children with autism compared to other children, or that special diets work, contrary to claims by celebrities and vaccine naysayers....More

WHO-led H1N1 vaccine redistribution may be scaled back as countries reassess need

TORONTO - Softening demand for H1N1 vaccine may be spreading to a World Health Organization-led effort to provide developing countries with some pandemic vaccine, a WHO official said Tuesday. Dr....More

Study shows sharing a hospital room increases your risk of picking up infections

TORONTO - Sharing a hospital room increases your risk of picking up an infection during your stay, a new study shows. The work, by researchers from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont....More

Study says pregnant women having more ultrasounds than recommended

TORONTO - A new Canadian study finds that some women are having more ultrasounds than recommended....More

Inuit newborns at risk because Nunavut gov't won't distribute drug: researcher

A prominent health researcher says Inuit newborns are at risk of serious illness and even death because the Nunavut government won't distribute a drug to all infants in remote communities. In a recent article for the Canadian Polar Commission, Dr....More

Fight against fat goes high-tech: Wireless monitors emerge as tool in obesity research

ALHAMBRA, Calif. - The fight against fat is going high-tech. To get an inside look at eating and exercise habits, scientists are developing wearable wireless sensors to monitor overweight and obese people as they go about their daily lives....More

China tells health officials to brace for possible fresh wave of swine flu cases at New Year

BEIJING - China is warning officials to brace for a possible new wave of swine flu infections as the country enters the busy Lunar New Year travel period....More

UN praises US and SKorea for lifting HIV/AIDS travel ban, urges 57 countries to follow

The United Nations praised the United States and South Korea on Monday for lifting travel bans on people with HIV and urged 57 other countries with travel restrictions to end them quickly. President Barack Obama announced in October that the U.S....More

Tobacco users who quit need to distract themselves so plans don't go up in smoke

TORONTO - Anyone who quit smoking as a new year's resolution is probably going through a rough period now, dealing with cravings, and more cravings, and a whole host of physical and emotional responses and reactions....More

Rebound from rare metabolic disease highlights quest for newborn testing

WASHINGTON - At his first birthday, John Klor couldn't sit up on his own. A few months later, he was cruising like any healthy toddler - thanks to a special diet that's treating the North Carolina boy's mysterious disease....More

National plan needed to prepare for expected surge in dementia cases: report

TORONTO - Canada needs a national strategy to prepare for a tidal wave of dementia cases in the coming decades that could swamp the health-care system and put a severe drain on the economy, a new report says....More

Expedition ventures into health-care jungle - without leaving America's backyard

MAYNARDVILLE, Tenn. - The two-hour drive is done, but Hannah and Jack Hurst leave the Honda's engine running. Hannah's prayers have brought them here....More

Evidence lacking for special autism diets, says report

CHICAGO - An expert panel says there's no rigorous evidence that digestive problems are more common in children with autism compared to other children, or that special diets work, contrary to claims by celebrities and vaccine naysayers....More

Study says pregnant women having more ultrasounds than recommended

TORONTO - A new Canadian study finds that some women are having more ultrasounds than recommended....More

Man can't get the red out after pet tarantula blasts hairs into his eye

When it comes to weird medical injuries, this is really one for the books. A 29-year-old British man was referred to an ophthalmologist after suffering for weeks with a red, watery eye that wouldn't respond to treatment with antibiotics....More

Health Canada posts warning about Tylenol arthritis caplets bought in U.S.

OTTAWA - Health Canada posted a warning Thursday for Canadians who might have purchased Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets while in the United States. The caplets aren't sold in Canada, but the U.S....More

CDC confirms strain of anthrax that sickened US woman matches contaminated drums, outlet

CONCORD, N.H. - Medical investigators have confirmed that the strain of anthrax that sickened a New Hampshire woman is the same strain found on an electrical outlet and two drums used at a gathering she attended earlier this month. Dr....More

Put down that glass: report warns that UK's drinking culture is straining health care system

LONDON - Just as Britons brew black coffee to cope with holiday hangovers, they are also digesting a new report that warns the country's notorious drinking culture is putting an unacceptable strain on hospitals and medical staff. The cash-strapped National Health Service - the U....More

China tells health officials to brace for possible fresh wave of swine flu cases at New Year

BEIJING - China is warning officials to brace for a possible new wave of swine flu infections as the country enters the busy Lunar New Year travel period....More

China tells health officials to brace for possible fresh wave of swine flu cases at New Year

BEIJING - China is warning officials to brace for a possible new wave of swine flu infections as the country enters the busy Lunar New Year travel period....More

National plan needed to prepare for expected surge in dementia cases: report

TORONTO - Canada needs a national strategy to prepare for a tidal wave of dementia cases in the coming decades that could swamp the health-care system and put a severe drain on the economy, a new report says....More

Evidence lacking for special autism diets, says report

CHICAGO - An expert panel says there's no rigorous evidence that digestive problems are more common in children with autism compared to other children, or that special diets work, contrary to claims by celebrities and vaccine naysayers....More

Doctors leave 9 needles in body of Brazilian boy allegedly stuck by stepfather in revenge act

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazilian doctors have decided not to immediately remove nine of the 31 needles found in a toddler's body because his life is no longer in danger. Doctor Roque Aras said Tuesday that the remaining needles are small and don't pose a significant threat....More

China drops hepatitis B testing for school, employment amid efforts to fight discrimination

BEIJING - China will soon stop mandatory hepatitis B tests for people applying for jobs or admission to schools, the Health Ministry said Tuesday, after years of efforts by civic groups to fight discrimination against carriers of the liver disease....More

H1N1 flu is not as contagious as other pandemic strains except for kids: study

How contagious is swine flu? Less than the novel viruses that have caused big world outbreaks in the past, new research suggests....More

Antibiotic for animals being recalled due to reports of allergic reactions

TORONTO - Health Canada is warning veterinarians, livestock producers and pet owners that one lot of the prescription drug Longisil is being recalled due to an unusually high number of adverse reactions in treated animals....More

US failing to meet most 2010 health targets; getting worse on obesity, blood pressure

ATLANTA - About 10 years ago the U.S. government set some lofty health goals for the country to reach by 2010. By many measures, Americans didn't do so well. There are more obese Americans than a decade ago, not fewer. They eat more salt and fat, not less....More

Man can't get the red out after pet tarantula blasts hairs into his eye

When it comes to weird medical injuries, this is really one for the books. A 29-year-old British man was referred to an ophthalmologist after suffering for weeks with a red, watery eye that wouldn't respond to treatment with antibiotics....More

Health Canada posts warning about Tylenol arthritis caplets bought in U.S.

OTTAWA - Health Canada posted a warning Thursday for Canadians who might have purchased Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets while in the United States. The caplets aren't sold in Canada, but the U.S....More

CDC confirms strain of anthrax that sickened US woman matches contaminated drums, outlet

CONCORD, N.H. - Medical investigators have confirmed that the strain of anthrax that sickened a New Hampshire woman is the same strain found on an electrical outlet and two drums used at a gathering she attended earlier this month. Dr....More