Health
Health Briefs
The nonprofit Citizens Health Advisory Council will meet from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday at Durango Community Recreation Center in the Eolus Room, 2700 Main Ave. The council is an…
Health
Health
U.S. malaria count hits 40-year high
Malaria is not a big problem in the U.S. – there were only 1,925 cases in 2011, including five deaths. But cases were up 14 percent from the previous year,…
Health
Little known about concussions in young athletes
The Institute of Medicine and National Research Council are calling for a national system to track sports-related concussions.Associated Press file And it’s not just a question for football. The Institute…
La Plata Health Watch
Prevent arthritis by taking care to protect joints
The term “arthritis” actually refers to a diverse group of more than 100 different conditions. Collectively, arthritis afflicts nearly one in five adults and more than 300,000 children in the…
Health
Military’s body-fat test weighs on some troops
Liposuction is last option for those who want to save careers
Health
HIV first: Baby born with virus may be cured
Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins’ Children’s Center in Baltimore said there is no immune mechanism identified that would keep the child’s HIV in check, meaning medical treatment put the…
Health
Teens enjoy sweet cigars
About 1 in 30 middle and high school kids said they smoke the compact, sweet-flavored cigars. The percentages rise as kids get older, to nearly 1 in 12 high school…
Health
Flu shot better protects seniors
Experts say regular flu shots tend to be only about 30 percent to 40 percent effective in people 65 and older, who generally have weaker immune systems. Sanofi Pasteur’s Fluzone…
Health
More strokes striking world’s younger folks
Though the chances of a stroke jump dramatically with age, the growing number of younger people with worrying risk factors such as bulging waistlines, diabetes and high blood pressure means…
La Plata Health Watch
This treatment is not pretty, but it appears to work
The microbiome – the trillions of microorganisms, bacteria and other bugs in the gut – is being recognized as a body organ, almost like a kidney, a spleen or liver.…
Health
Mystery diseases solved in youths, adults
Decoding patients’ genes tells doctors at least some of story
Health
The quantified self: Apps manage health
Devices track your activity, calories, sleep and much more
Health
Air pollution can cause cancer, agency says
A walker wears a mask in Beijing, China, on a polluted day. The World Health Organization now considers pollution to be “the most important environmental carcinogen.”Associated Press file photo The…
Health
Putting world in focus for the vision impaired
Expo showcases technology that sharpens the blur
La Plata Health Watch
Microbiome may hold keys to good health
What is the human microbiome, you ask? Quite simply, it is the panoply of microbial organisms that feed, interact and generally live on the the internal and external surfaces of…
Health
Volunteers testing students’ eyes
Serving the other end of the age spectrum, Lions Club volunteers since Oct. 8 have visited preschools and early-childhood centers to screen for vision problems. The Lions KidSight Program screens…
Health
Doctors ignore advice on sore throats, bronchitis
The results are in two analyses of national health surveys from the late 1990s to 2010, representing more than 2 million annual visits to doctors’ offices or emergency rooms. Antibiotics…
Health
Portly Taft ushered in modern obesity care
President and later Supreme Court Chief Justice William Howard Taft also made headlines for his weight, which sometimes exceeded 300 pounds.Associated Press Got a nagging doctor? The 27th president, William…
Coroner's Report
Court right to fine UNM regents for intimidation
The sanction was imposed by District Court Judge Alan Malott after the university pressured Dr. Ian Paul, a forensic pathologist employed by the university-affiliated Office of the Medical Investigator, to…
Health
Literary fiction can encourage empathy
New research out this month finds that reading literary fiction, instead of popular or commercial fiction, better equips people to sense and understand others’ mental states. In a series of…
Health
C-section not necessary for most twin births
Most moms can safely give birth without cesarean-section surgery, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.Associated Press file photo It’s the latest research to question…
Health
Ethical issues arise on the genetic frontier
Scientists peek into baby genes to predict risks
Health
World’s aging population poised to stress nations
Study says demographic overwhelming social safety net