Health Headlines
Government defeat over NHS bill
The government loses the first of a series of votes in the House of Lords on its controversial plans to overhaul the NHS in England.
Man seeks assisted suicide ruling
A severely disabled man with "locked-in syndrome" has urged a judge not to decide to halt his High Court action to let a doctor end his life.
'Congress Will Act': Fight Over Birth Control Coverage Moves To The Hill
Some religious groups have attacked the Obama administration's plan to require most employers to provide coverage for prescription contraceptives. GOP lawmakers are now vowing to overturn the requirement; meanwhile, Democrats say they'll fight to maintain it to protect women's health.
Does Offering Smaller Portions At Restaurants Help People Eat Less?
Asking for less food isn't something most people think about when ordering from a menu. A new study suggests that asking people if they want less food and, in turn, less calories, before they order is key.
Gene therapy 'gave me sight back'
Three US citizens who lost their sight in childhood have reported a dramatic improvement in vision after having gene therapy in both eyes.
AUDIO: Contraceptive implants given at schools
Children at schools in Southampton are being offered contraceptive implants without their parent's knowledge.
Care provider in new debt talks
The UK's largest care provider, Four Seasons, is in talks to find money to refinance its debts, but it denies union claims it is in financial difficulty.
Heartburn Drugs May Lead To Serious Diarrhea
Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid are among the popular medicines — called proton pump inhibitors — that may raise the risk for chronic diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile. That's a bacterium that you'd rather not have colonizing your intestines.
Skip The Spoon: Babies May Eat Better When They Feed Themselves
Babies who feed themselves finger food were more likely to prefer bread and pasta to sweets, according to a new study. And spoon-fed babies were more likely to be obese.
Suicidal woman 'failed' by trust
A Stockport couple whose depressed daughter hanged herself after being allowed home from hospital win a six-year court battle.
Redefining The Grieving Process In The Digital Age
After a loved one dies, it's becoming more common to offer and receive condolences through a Facebook post or an email. New York Times contributor Bruce Feiler discusses the new customs that are evolving to guide the grieving process in the digital age.
Bug found in more hospital taps
Pseudomonas is detected in water outlets in the neonatal units at three more hospitals in Northern Ireland.
VIDEO: Owen: Only the PM can stop NHS reforms
Lord Owen claimed only the prime minister could stop plans for NHS reforms in England and he should back track as he did on a planned forest sell-off.
Recall Reveals An Egg's Long Path To The Deli Sandwich
More than one million eggs have been recalled since late January for possible contamination with listeria. Deli foods like cold cuts and hard-boiled eggs are often kept for weeks before they are used in the refrigerator, where listeria can grow like wildfire.
VIDEO: Elderly 'let down by care system'
Older people are being let down by a social care system in which they are "passed like a parcel" between services, a committee of MPs has said.
Parkinson's cells 'made in lab'
Scientists in the US have successfully made human brain cells in the lab that are an exact replica of genetically caused Parkinson's disease.
Soaring cost of NHS interpreters
Bill rises for interpreters in Yorkshire's hospitals
Call for 'joined-up' elderly care
Older people needing social care are being let down and "passed like parcels" between fragmented services, a group of MPs says.
VIDEO: Katie Price: Implants 'need age limit'
Katie Price has told Newsnight's Jeremy Paxman she thinks breast implants should have an age limit of 21, following the health scare over implants manufactured by French firm PIP.
VIDEO: Lansley has PM's 'full support' on NHS
No 10 insists Andrew Lansley has David Cameron's "full support" over planned NHS changes, including giving GPs more control over budgets.
Wal-Mart Creates Icon For Food Packages To Encourage Healthful Choices
Walmart has introduced an easy way for shoppers to quickly identify healthier foods with a new front-of-package icon. But the announcement raises the question: Can choosing healthful food really be reduced to a simple yes-no decision?
White House: 'Ways To Resolve' Contraception Issue
GOP candidate Mitt Romney has joined those criticizing President Obama over a policy that would require most employers, including Catholic hospitals and universities, to include birth control in their employees' health insurance. The White House now says it will work to "allay" concerns.
Planned Parenthood Still In Cross Hairs
Two anti-abortion groups say funding irregularities have been found in various state and federal audits of Planned Parenthood. The groups urged Congress to continue an investigation of Planned Parenthood.
Rotavirus Vaccine Doesn't Boost Risk Of Intestinal Problem
Unlike an older vaccine, the newer rotavirus vaccine doesn't appear to increase the risk of a dangerous intestinal side effect, according to a large new study. The vaccine has been responsible for a substantial reduction in deaths from rotavirus worldwide.
Controversy Over Stem-Cell Research Keeps Charities On Sidelines
Despite raising millions of dollars for breast cancer research, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation hasn't funded any work involving human embryonic stem cells. Other big disease charities have also shied away from funding such science.
To Hold The Salt, It's Time To Hold The Bread
A new analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to the top ten supersalty culprits in our diets. Some on the list, like bread and pasta dishes, may be surprising.
A Fresh Look At Antidepressants Finds Low Risk Of Youth Suicide
A fresh analysis finds no increase in suicide among young people taking Prozac. The results add a wrinkle to the long-running debate over the safety of the medicines for the treatment of depressed young people.
Exec Resigns From Embattled Breast Cancer Charity
A top official at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation — which pushed for the defunding of Planned Parenthood — has resigned. Anti-abortion groups are also keeping up the drumbeat to take away Planned Parenthood's federal funding despite the charity's turnabout on supporting the group.
Court hears social care challenge
The ability of English councils to consider their finances when assessing people for social care is being challenged at the Supreme Court.
The Risks And Rewards Of Practicing Yoga
Yoga can be extremely beneficial, but it also can be quite dangerous. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Broad examines the pleasures and pitfalls of the practice in his latest book, The Science of Yoga.
One Woman's Experience As A Clinical Trial 'Lab Rat'
A year after recovering from malignant melanoma, Salon.com writer Mary Elizabeth Williams found out it had returned in the form of metastatic, Stage 4 cancer. In October 2011, she started a clinical trial for a new melanoma drug. Halfway through the trial, she discusses her "life as a lab rat."
'Oldest living twins' aged 102
Two 102-year-old sisters are recognised as the world's oldest living twins by Guinness World Records.
Lansley 'has PM's full support'
Andrew Lansley has David Cameron's "full support", despite a Downing Street source reportedly saying the health secretary "should be taken out and shot".
Hundreds seek NHS implant advice
Almost 1,000 private patients with PIP breast implants have contacted the NHS, according to MPs.
Controversial Komen Policy Official Resigns
Karen Handel, a former Republican candidate for governor in Georgia, resigned her job, effective immediately, as vice president for public policy at Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The departure comes days after the breast-cancer charity reversed course on funding for Planned Parenthood.
Could Taxes Or Food Stamp Restrictions Tame America's Sweet Tooth?
A tax proposal on the table in Massachusetts could discourage sugar consumption a bit by making sugary foods more expensive. But outside Massachusetts, surveys show that a majority of taxpayers oppose the idea of a "sin tax" on soda and candy.
Death leads to ambulance demand
Relatives of a woman who blame her death on a 41-minute wait for a paramedic, hand over a petition urging a dedicated ambulance service for their town.
Taxing Sugar, Will It Help People Be Healthier?
New research indicates excessive consumption of sugar leads to an increase in all kinds of chronic diseases. But how much sugar is too much? Would making sugary foods more expensive help to get consumers to cut back?
Spoon-fed babies 'end up fatter'
Babies weaned on pureed food tend to end up fatter than infants whose first tastes are finger food, researchers believe.
Acid attack model gets sight back
A model who was left blind in one eye after acid was thrown in her face tells of her joy after having her sight restored using stem cell treatment.
Where Eye Care Is A Luxury, Technology Offers Access
Entrepreneurs and researchers are looking for ways to bring the cost of eye care down in the developing world. One group is working on technology that turns a smartphone into an eye exam machine, while another has developed glasses with liquid lenses that change prescriptions with the help of a pump.
Ending Violence Sparked By Baby's Cry
About 300 babies die each year after being hospitalized for serious injuries, according to a new report. Researchers are testing ways to help parents cope with the anger and frustration that can be triggered by a crying baby.
GMC guidance on assisted suicide
The General Medical Council launches guidelines on assisted suicide to help it decide if doctors should face a disciplinary panel on the issue.
Mum gives birth outside hospital
A woman gives birth on the pavement outside a Fife hospital after she was unable to get inside the building.
Secondhand Smoke An Unwelcome Passenger In Cars With Kids
About 1 in 5 nonsmoking kids in middle and high school reported sharing a car with a smoker. The researcher say the survey, which included responses from thousands of students, give an accurate snapshot of what's happening across the country.
Op-Ed: Komen Foundation Needs A New Approach
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation reversed its controversial decision to stop providing funding to Planned Parenthood. Rodger Jones, an editorial writer for the Dallas Morning Star, says that to retain the support of abortion rights opponents, Komen needs to consider different fundraising options.
Transplant jaw made by 3D printer
An 83-year-old woman is fitted with a jaw made by a 3D printer in what doctors say is the first operation of its kind.
NHS translation bill 'tops £23m'
The NHS in England spends £59,000 a day on translating documents and providing interpreters, according to a health think tank.
AUDIO: 'Wonderful' to have sight back
Katie Piper told Radio 5 live about being able to see after she was blinded in one eye after an acid attack.
Living outside the hearing world
Why refuse an implant that would improve hearing?
