HEALTH

The World Health Organization (WHO) is on the verge of declaring the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years, but wants to ensure countries are well prepared to prevent a panic, its top flu expert said on Tuesday.

Adults with type 1 diabetes report more symptoms of depression and more often use anti-depressant medication than adults without type 1 diabetes, according to data released here at the 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Breastfeeding may protect women with multiple sclerosis against relapses of their disease, possibly by delaying a return to normal monthly cycles, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

From a living room in Kansas to a bagel shop in New York to an Alabama church, Democrats have started mobilizing support for President Barack Obama's healthcare reform plans.

A senior U.S. Democratic lawmaker urged President Barack Obama on Monday to consider what can be done to speed access to cheaper versions of biotech medicines ahead of legislation aimed at achieving that goal.

Men who eat healthier diets may also have healthier sperm, new research from Spain shows.

Novo Nordisk A/S's experimental diabetes drug liraglutide was significantly better at helping patients control blood sugar than an older common medicine after two years of treatment, according to data from a clinical trial.

Diabetics with stable heart disease do just as well taking drugs alone as getting quick angioplasty or bypass surgery to open blocked heart arteries, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.

U.S. lawmakers plan far-reaching insurance market reforms, and would require that businesses and individuals purchase medical coverage as they seek to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, an early draft of Senate legislation said on Saturday.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) kept its pandemic flu alert at the second highest level on Friday but said that future changes would reflect how severe an outbreak was as well as how widespread.

Delaying the start of alcohol drinking might curb subsequent rates of alcohol-related injuries.

U.S. regulators on Thursday listed two dozen drugs, including weight-loss medicines and sleep disorder pills, that it is at an early stage of reviewing for potential safety problems.

The outbreak of the new H1N1 flu virus has begun to wane with the start of summer in North America, and U.S. health officials said on Thursday they are looking to lessons learned as they prepare for its return in the autumn.

Global health officials underestimated the risk that pig herds might be a source of new influenza strains, choosing instead to focus on the threat of bird flu, researchers in Mexico said on Thursday.

Medical bills are behind more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday in a report they said demonstrates that healthcare reform is on the wrong track.

Two more people have died from the H1N1 flu in New York City, bringing the city's toll to seven from the new virus that has infected thousands of people worldwide, health department officials said on Wednesday.

Global airlines, still reeling from the recent flu-virus scare, have stepped up efforts to protect passengers from health risks on international flights.

Researchers at the University of Rochester, NY recently made the surprising discovery that money, looks, and fame don't actually make people happier. The researchers tracked 147 college graduates by investigating their goals and happiness a year after they had graduated.

The spread of H1N1 flu in Australia, Britain, Chile, Japan and Spain has nudged the world closer to a pandemic, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.

There's reassuring news for coffee lovers with type 2 diabetes. Drinking even fairly high amounts of coffee does not raise the risk of developing heart diseases in diabetic men or increase their risk of dying early, according to a brief report in the medical journal Diabetes Care.

Strong warnings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about suicide risks linked to antidepressant use in children and young adults have had a

The number of middle-aged and older Americans who eat right, exercise and keep their weight down has declined substantially in the past two decades, a new study finds.

Poorly controlled asthma can lead to serious medical problems for pregnant women and their fetuses.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with the loss of cartilage in the knee joint of older individuals, researchers in Australia report.

Winners and losers among drugmakers, insurers and other health companies could emerge as soon as next week as U.S. lawmakers prepare to unveil their long-awaited healthcare reform proposals.

Elderly, community-dwelling men and women appear more likely to obtain preventive health care when they live with their spouse, as opposed to living alone or with an adult child, researchers report in the American Journal of Public Health.

When Seema Shrikhande goes to work, she drives. When she takes her son to school, they drive. And when she goes shopping, to the bank or to visit friends, she gets into her car, buckles up and hits the road.

The cardiovascular fitness level of cancer survivors is not affected by many standard cancer therapies, say researchers from Georgetown University Medical Cancer. That is the finding of a new observational study to be presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle.

The State of Florida took a major step forward to save lives and protect children yesterday when Governor Charlie Crist signed a $1 per pack surcharge into law.