USA TODAY articles from February 2006

USA TODAY archives from February 2006

Aging gracefully: lifespan vs. healthspan.(The Elderly)
February 1, 2006... Scientists say the field of aging research is on the threshold of a new way of thinking--shifting focus from specific age-related illnesses to searching to understand aging itself as a biological process, according to a report prepared by...

Infections continue to run rampant.(Hospitalization)
February 1, 2006... "Unnecessary Deaths" calls for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local public health officials to do more to stop hospital infections. The report, sponsored by the National Center for Policy Analysis and the Committee to Reduce...

Bones to blame for looking older.(Plastic Surgery)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Blame your bones if you think you look older. The shrinking of facial bones plays a surprisingly significant part in aging, reports a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, Ill. "Many people believe that only...

Hair today gone tomorrow?(Aging)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Gray of thinning hair can be the first sign of aging. Most changes in hair color and thickness are natural, and you do not even have to be that old, as graying may begin as early as your 30s, notes Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource. Hair...

New technique relieves unsightly hand veins.(Laser Surgery)
February 1, 2006... The expression "turning back the hands of time" may have literal meaning as more people begin to see their hands as a telltale sign of aging. Some women go to extremes to hide their hands because of loose, sun-damaged skin, age spots, or...

Exercise during the cold and flu season.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Exercise during the cold and flu season can strengthen the immune system, provided you do not overdo it, asserts Michael Flynn, professor of health and kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "Exercising during the cold and flu...

A claim by Yale University.(HEALTH BEAT)(Prostate Specific Antigen blood test is not effective)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... A claim by Yale University, New Haven, Conn., that the Prostate Specific Antigen blood test is "not effective" in saving lives is baseless, argues Richard N. Atkins, CEO of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, Washington, D.C., who maintains...

Type II diabetics.(HEALTH BEAT)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Type II diabetics who take two drugs (metformin and thiazolidinedione) in combination with insulin effectively can regulate their blood-sugar levels without the common side effect of weight gain, according to a study by researchers at the...

Laser therapy.(HEALTH BEAT)(used successfully on prostate glands )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Laser therapy pioneered by urotogists at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., has been used successfully on prostate glands of varying sizes. Photoselective vaporization is a high-energy laser therapy that destroys affected tissues. Urine flow...

Results of a clinical trial.(HEALTH BEAT)(estrogenalone therapy )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Results of a clinical trial of estrogen supplementation for postmenopausal women who have had a hysterectomy show there is no overall health benefit to taking the hormone, contend researchers at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.). "Women should...

Patients surviving.(HEALTH BEAT)(Hodgkin's disease suffer strokes later )(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Patients surviving childhood Hodgkin's disease suffer strokes later in life at rates about four times that of the general population, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, have found by using patient...

Lack of planning for health care.(Retirement Benefits)
February 1, 2006... The Financial Planning Association, Aetna Insurance, and Women's Policy, Inc., have delivered a call to action concerning the importance of considering health and benefits needs in retirement, in response to findings from a national survey of...

Most remain mum on driving ability.(Senior Citizens)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... While many older medical patients are perfectly willing to talk with their physician about the most sensitive details of their health, there is one crucial aspect of a senior's well being that usually is not discussed--the ability to drive...

Aging brain cells tend to lose function.(Dementia)
February 1, 2006... Just when you are old enough to be considered wise about the ways of the world, some days it is awfully hard to find your glasses. As individuals age, brain cells may deteriorate or function less efficiently, potentially affecting the speed of...

Nanoparticle radiation may slow disease.(Alzheimer's)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Chemists in Chile and Spain have identified a new approach for the possible treatment of Alzheimer's disease that they say has the potential to destroy beta-amyloid fibrils and plaque--hypothesized to contribute to mental decline. The...

Lack of vaccinations still killing millions.(Worldwide Disease)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Country-by-country data reveal inadequate progress on protecting women and children from vaccine-preventable diseases despite the availability of the low-cost drugs, reports a study released by UNICEF, New York. Each year since 1990,...

Female physicians choose subspecialties.(Pediatrics)
February 1, 2006... Concerns among healthcare analysts that the majority of pediatricians in training now are women and that this might cause shortages in the future in pediatric subspecialties appear to be almost entirely unfounded, a University of North...

Family-centered ICUs raise satisfaction level.(Intensive Care)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Implementation of the Critical Care Family Assistance Program, developed to support those visiting loved ones in the intensive care unit, has significant benefits for families, patients, and ICU team members, demonstrates a study by the...

Treatment for Type I lowers heart disease.(Diabetes)
February 1, 2006... Intensive and early treatment of Type I diabetes substantially lowers the risk of cardiovascular ailments such as heart disease and stroke, shows a study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. Patients who receive...

Kids respond to oral medication.(Type II Diabetes)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Oral medications may control symptoms of Type II diabetes in children just as well as insulin injections, reports a study from Ohio State University, Columbus. According to the medical records of numerous children diagnosed with the disease,...

Diabetes guidelines need revision.(Glucose Levels)
February 1, 2006... Doctors with diabetic patients should aim for much lower levels of blood glucose than current guidelines suggest, advises a physician with the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La. He believes the current recommendations for...

Eye exam could prevent blindness.(Diabetic Retinopathy)
February 1, 2006... More than 18,000,000 Americans have diabetes, yet over half of them do not receive the annual retinal exam that helps prevent diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to blindness. "Many people go blind needlessly because their retinas never...

Loss of bladder control widespread.(Incontinence)
February 1, 2006... Although 32% of American men and women ages 33-70 have experienced some degree of bladder control loss, the vast majority have not been diagnosed by a health care provider and therefore are less knowledgeable and communicative about their...

Squinting at computer could cause dry eye.(Optometry)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Squinting at a computer screen can cut in half the number of times someone blinks each minute--and that could lead to a condition called dry eye, suggests research from Ohio State University, Columbus. Just a slight amount of squinting reduces...

Loud-noise tumor increases risk.(Hearing Impairment)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Years of repeated exposure to loud noise increases the risk of developing a noncancerous tumor that could cause hearing loss, suggests research from Ohio State University, Columbus. "It doesn't matter if the noise comes from years of...

Groundbreaking exhibition charts "History Through Deaf Eyes".(Hearing Loss)
February 1, 2006... "History Through Deaf Eyes" aligns nearly 200 years of American history with the experiences of deaf people. Using objects and images collected by individuals, organizations, and schools for deaf children, this exhibition illustrates the shared...

Cholesterol medication may repair heart.(Cardiovascular System)
February 1, 2006... The drug pravastatin--the generic name of one of the statins currently prescribed to lower cholesterol--may provide a previously unknown cardiovascular benefit in addition to lowering lipids. Researchers at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) have...

Schools better equipped than senior centers.(Defibrillators)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... A significantly greater percentage of high schools have automated external defibrillators (AEDs)--devices that can be used to treat cardiac arrest victims--than senior centers, despite the fact that cardiac arrests appear more common in the...

Fewer blacks opt for lung surgery.(Cancer Treatment)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Race may play a role in whether a patient accepts surgical treatment for lung cancer, relates a study which found that blacks with the disease declined procedures at a higher rate than whites, leading researchers to believe that blacks may be...

Surgery may reveal early cancer risk.(Breast Reduction)
February 1, 2006... Twelve percent of breast reduction patients may have abnormal pathologies placing them at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, suggests a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Arlington Heights, III. In addition, the...

Cancer support cells may promote growth.(Tumors)
February 1, 2006... Cancers may cause surrounding supportive cells to evolve and ultimately promote cancer growth, say scientists at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Their research offers what is believed to be the first evidence that mutations...

Performing lymph node biopsy earlier.(Mastectomy)
February 1, 2006... Altering the standard step-by-step procedure that takes women facing a mastectomy from diagnosis to surgery to reconstruction can improve the process and help in determining if immediate reconstruction is the best course of action, according to...

Lung cancer survival better in women.(Lifespan)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Women with lung cancer are living longer than men, even when the disease is untreated, leading scientists to believe lung cancer in women has a different biologic behavior and natural history than in men. "In patients with lung cancer...

Testing possible in dentist's office.(Lung Cancer)
February 1, 2006... A novel test for lung cancer uses inner cheek cells to identify the disease in high-risk patients. Scientists have discovered that buccal mucosa, or cells scraped from the inner part of the cheek, may contain information that separates patients...

Physical disability does not diminish creativity.(Muscular Dystrophy)
February 1, 2006... Society has, in general, underestimated the capabilities of people with disabilities. For decades, most of some 54,000,000 Americans with disabilities too often have been viewed as incapable of working, caring for themselves, or making...

Risky prepregnancy weight increasing.(Maternity)
February 1, 2006... A growing number of women are overweight or obese when they become pregnant, a condition that is risky to both mother and baby, a study by researchers at the University at Buffalo (N.Y.) has shown. An analysis of the prepregnancy body mass...

Valentine's chocolate: good or bad?(Nutrition)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Valentine's Day brings out the chocolate lover in us all. Yet, should we really indulge? "Of course we should," declares Lona Sandon, assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas....

Guidelines for fast food drinks?(Obesity)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The recent Institute of Medicine recommendation that companies advertise only healthy food choices to children takes a heavy-handed approach to stemming the nation's obesity crisis, maintains Richard Staelin, a professor in Duke University's...

How much not how hard.(Exercise)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The amount of exercise a person engages in per week may be more important than the intensity of the workouts. A study by Duke University, Durham, N.C., shows that adults who participate in mild exercise, such as walking briskly for 12 miles or...

Well-rested Olympians ready to go for gold.(Sleep Deprivation)
February 1, 2006... Some 160 resident athlete dorm rooms at the Colorado Springs U.S. Olympic Training Center have been modified--with the help of former NASA scientist Mark Rosekind--to increase the athletes' alertness and reaction time for peak performance. Many...

Exercise tips for winter workouts.(Fitness)
February 1, 2006... Baby, it's cold outside. It may look like an enticing winter wonderland from your window, but it often is a challenge to exercise when the days are short and the nights are cold. The National Athletic Trainers' Association, Dallas, Tex., has...

Parental grief over a lost Pregnancy.(Mortality)
February 1, 2006... A PREGNANCY LOSS at any point during the nine months following conception can be devastating. Couples have had the dream of becoming parents or providing a sibling for their other children taken from them, at least temporarily. No matter what...