Avoiding the painkiller-overuse rut in migraines
WASHINGTON – Those pain pills you think help your migraines? Take too many and you could make them worse. Overusing painkillers can spin migraine patients into a rut, spurring more headaches that in turn require more pain medication. A very unlucky f...See Story

 

Nation's first face transplant done in Cleveland
CLEVELAND – A woman so horribly disfigured she was willing to risk her life to do something about it has undergone the nation's first near-total face transplant, the Cleveland Clinic announced Tuesday. Reconstructive surgeon Dr. Maria Siemionow and a...See Story

 

Scientists try to stop hunger with retooled foods
LONDON – Want to lose weight? Try eating. That's one of the strategies being developed by scientists experimenting with foods that trick the body into feeling full.

At the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, England, food expert Peter Wil...See Story

 

Study: Extending time of stroke drug treatment OK
LOS ANGELES - Stroke sufferers can still benefit from clot-busting medicine even if they receive it an hour or so beyond the current three-hour window after symptoms start, an important new study suggests.

The finding could potentially exte...See Story

 

Health insurance costs grow more gradually in 2008
WASHINGTON - Health insurance premiums rose a modest 5 percent this year for coverage that's getting skimpier, researchers say.

The 5 percent increase was comparable to last year's uptick. Overall, premiums for family coverage increased to ...See Story

 

Man with deadly skin cancer saved by new treatment
ATLANTA - An Oregon man, given less than a year to live, had a complete remission of advanced deadly skin cancer after an experimental treatment that revved up his immune system to fight the tumors.

The 52-year-old patient's dramatic turnar...See Story

 

FDA sued for failure to act on risky painkiller
WASHINGTON - A prescription painkiller sold under such names as Darvon and Darvocet is too risky to stay on the market, a consumer advocacy group argued Thursday in suing the Food and Drug Administration.

Public Citizen petitioned the FDA t...See Story

 

Is it breast cancer? Procedures to evaluate breast lumps
Here's a look at what to expect when you have a breast lump evaluated for breast cancer. Learn when more diagnostic tests or procedures might be necessary.

Finding a breast lump or some other change in your breast may stir fears of breast ca...See Story

 

Flu shot season begins with ample supply coming
WASHINGTON - Just about everybody needs a flu vaccine — unless you're an infant or a healthy adult hermit — but far too few of the Americans who need protection the most get it.

That's the message as flu-shot season officially began Wednesd...See Story