Health News Alerts: Proposed changes to veterans' health care spur protests

Protesters including county commissioner Pat Cotham (bottom left) outside the VA Health Care center on Tyvola Road. Siddharth Vodnala svodnala@charlotteobserver.
Read more: Proposed changes to veterans' health care spur protests

Health News Alerts: Here's what to do if you touch wild parsnip

CYNTHIA: WENDY PRUSHA THOUGHT SHE HAD POISON IVY BUT NEEDED RASH THAT WENT FROM BAD TO WORSE. >> I GOT PREDNISONE, BENEDRYL, AND THEN A STEROID CREAM.
Read more: Here's what to do if you touch wild parsnip

Health News Alerts: Fecal bacteria leads to no swim advisories at popular Fla. beaches

The beach may look good this time of year, but travelers headed to Florida take heed - there are a few that you may want to avoid right now due to fecal bacteria.
Read more: Fecal bacteria leads to no swim advisories at popular Fla. beaches

Health News Alerts: For Better Skin Cancer Checks, Partner Up

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Check this out: Getting a partner trained to spot potential skin cancers can be a lifesaver for melanoma survivors, a new study shows.
Read more: For Better Skin Cancer Checks, Partner Up

Healthcare Tips: Federal judge blocks Indiana abortion law

(Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday blocked an Indiana law prohibiting abortions based on genetic abnormalities, according to court documents.

Read more: Federal judge blocks Indiana abortion law

Health News Alerts: St. Paul's first medical marijuana dispensary to open

Right at the state-mandated deadline, St. Paul will get its first medical marijuana dispensary Friday. LeafLine Labs will open facilities in Hibbing, Minn.
Read more: St. Paul's first medical marijuana dispensary to open

Healthcare Tips: Nobel laureates urge Greenpeace to stop opposing GMOs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 100 Nobel laureates called on the international environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday to end its opposition to genetically modified crops, saying there is a scientific consensus they are safe and can benefit society.

Read more: Nobel laureates urge Greenpeace to stop opposing GMOs

Healthcare Tips: Shock treatment may improve erectile dysfunction

An experimental therapy known as low-intensity shock wave treatment might improve erectile dysfunction, particularly for men with only mild to moderate sexual difficulties, a research review suggests.

Read more: Shock treatment may improve erectile dysfunction

Healthcare Tips: Smoking linked to inflammation, sperm damage in men

The sperm of men who smoke, compared to those who don’t, have more damaged DNA, fewer active energy-generating mitochondria and more proteins indicating a revved up immune response, according to a small study.

Read more: Smoking linked to inflammation, sperm damage in men

Healthcare Tips: More U.S. babies with Zika-related birth defects reported by health agency

(Reuters) - Three more babies have been born in the United States with birth defects likely linked to Zika virus infections, while another lost pregnancy was linked to the virus, according to figures updated by health officials on Thursday.

Read more: More U.S. babies with Zika-related birth defects reported by health agency

Health News Alerts: Free sunscreen dispensers may be offered at NYC parks

City Controller Scott Stringer announces a new proposal to provide free sunscreen to NYC public parks, beaches, pools and playgrounds.
Read more: Free sunscreen dispensers may be offered at NYC parks

Healthcare Tips: U.S. reports doctors, hospitals brought in $7.52 billion in payments

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Doctors and hospitals in the United States received $7.52 billion in payments and ownership and investment interests from the makers of drugs and medical devices in 2015, according to data released by a government health agency.

Read more: U.S. reports doctors, hospitals brought in $7.52 billion in payments

Healthcare Tips: Stretching may ease women's depression and menopause symptoms

(Reuters Health) – Stretching just 10 minutes a day might help ease menopause and depression symptoms in middle-aged women, a small study suggests.

Read more: Stretching may ease women's depression and menopause symptoms

Health News Alerts: Zika Brain Damage May Occur in Babies With Normal-Sized Heads

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- In the ongoing crisis around Zika-linked birth defects, attention has been largely focused on infants born with too-small heads, or microcephaly.
Read more: Zika Brain Damage May Occur in Babies With Normal-Sized Heads

Healthcare Tips: Family history biggest predictor of heart attacks in people with psoriasis

(Reuters Health) - People with psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease, are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes when they have a family history of cardiovascular problems, a Danish study suggests.

Read more: Family history biggest predictor of heart attacks in people with psoriasis

Health News Alerts: Heart disease, cancer remain leading causes of death for American

The CDC issued an annual report on the leading causes of death, which change depending on age. Cancer is the second most common killer in the United States.
Read more: Heart disease, cancer remain leading causes of death for American

Health News Alerts: Finding A Cure Wouldn't Mean We've Defeated Cancer

WebMD wasn't a research option when Ivy Brown was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1974, so her mother looked up her 12-year-old daughter's condition the old-fashioned way, in a hardcover medical volume.
Read more: Finding A Cure Wouldn't Mean We've Defeated Cancer

Health News Alerts: Zika-damaged babies could appear normal, says study

Babies with brains damaged by the Zika virus might still appear normal, a large study of Brazilian babies shows. Babies born with tiny heads - or microcephaly - is the main concern in the Zika outbreak.
Read more: Zika-damaged babies could appear normal, says study

Health News Alerts: Most women shave their nether regions for hygiene; doctors facepalm

The vast majority of US women—84 percent—engage in some form of pubic grooming, according to the first nationally representative survey on ladyscaping published Wednesday in JAMA Dermatology.
Read more: Most women shave their nether regions for hygiene; doctors facepalm

Health News Alerts: Marijuana Might Help Alzheimer's Research, Study Says

It turns out the benefits of marijuana could extend to Alzheimer's disease research. (Getty Images). It turns out the benefits of marijuana could extend to Alzheimer's disease research.
Read more: Marijuana Might Help Alzheimer's Research, Study Says

Health News Alerts: Stem cell study for ALS patients shows promise, yet causes pain

(CNN) Stem cell research can run the gamut from Nobel Prize-winning scientists to hucksters in lab coats making a buck off desperate, seriously ill people.
Read more: Stem cell study for ALS patients shows promise, yet causes pain

Health News Alerts: Reassessing the Annual Pelvic Exam

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Women, the U.S. medical establishment isn't doing away with annual pelvic exams -- at least just yet.
Read more: Reassessing the Annual Pelvic Exam

Health News Alerts: Congress poised to skip town with no action on Zika virus

In the thick of mosquito season, Congress is about to start its holiday break with no deal on money to combat the Zika virus -- and no signs that a compromise is looming in the five-month debate.
Read more: Congress poised to skip town with no action on Zika virus

Health News Alerts: No flesh-eating bacteria in local Gulf water

Glenn Burns, the Chief Meteorologist at WSB-TV has issued a statement about his report, which we talk about in this article. A copy of that clarification issued minutes ago is linked below.
Read more: No flesh-eating bacteria in local Gulf water

Health News Alerts: Worried about Zika, West Nile? Expert advice to prevent mosquito bites

The Aedes aegypti mosquito can infect humans with the Zika virus when it takes a blood meal. SANOFI PASTEUR / FLICKRCC / TNS. Torpy: Baby-faced killer aspired to gangs.
Read more: Worried about Zika, West Nile? Expert advice to prevent mosquito bites

Health News Alerts: The Case for Eating Butter Just Got Stronger

It looks like butter may, in fact, be back. The creamy condiment is a “middle-of-the-road” food, nutritionally speaking—better than sugar, worse than olive oil—according to a new report, which adds to a growing body of research showing that the low ...
Read more: The Case for Eating Butter Just Got Stronger

Health News Alerts: Pittsburgh oncologists to take part in cancer initiative

Oncologists from Pittsburgh's two giant health care networks have joined a national, five-year initiative designed to improve cancer treatment while tamping down the high cost of care.
Read more: Pittsburgh oncologists to take part in cancer initiative

Health News Alerts: MGH hack exposes info of 4300 patients

In this Monday, July 2, 2012 photo people walk near the entrance of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. MGH was named Tuesday, July 17 2012 as the nation's top hospital in U.S.
Read more: MGH hack exposes info of 4300 patients

Health News Alerts: Vector Control taking action after West Nile Virus found in mosquito

Spraying is done at night, because that's when the mosquitoes are more active and an easier target. Vector Control is taking the fight against mosquitoes to the streets Wednesday night.
Read more: Vector Control taking action after West Nile Virus found in mosquito

Health News Alerts: Marijuana compound smokes the seeds of Alzheimer's disease

Memory loss, decline in brain function and communication skills are all clear indicators of Alzheimer's disease. But the brain's chemistry begins to change long before these telltale signs appear through the accumulation of what are known as amyloid ...
Read more: Marijuana compound smokes the seeds of Alzheimer's disease

Health News Alerts: Has Butter Gotten a Bad Rap?

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Spread the news: Butter may not be the unhealthy food many Americans believe it to be, new research suggests.
Read more: Has Butter Gotten a Bad Rap?

Health News Alerts: The D.C. Monument Full of Zika Mosquitoes

The disease carriers are living in a birdbath just three blocks from where Congress has done nothing about them. The newest monument in Washington, D.C.
Read more: The D.C. Monument Full of Zika Mosquitoes

Health News Alerts: Doctors worry over women going for cleanshaven 'Barbie doll look'

A new study published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Dermatology found that 62 percent of a nationally representative sample of 3,316 women said they opted for complete removal of their pubic hair; 84 percent reported some grooming.
Read more: Doctors worry over women going for cleanshaven 'Barbie doll look'

Health News Alerts: Nampa, Payette mosquitoes infected with West Nile

NAMPA, Idaho - Officials say mosquitoes in the cities of Nampa and Payette have tested positive for West Nile virus. The Idaho Press-Tribune reports (http://bit.
Read more: Nampa, Payette mosquitoes infected with West Nile

Health News Alerts: Heart disease and cancer are responsible for nearly half of all deaths in the US, report says

What are the most common ways to die in America? The answer depends on how old you are, whether you're a man or a woman, and your racial and ethnic background, a new report shows.
Read more: Heart disease and cancer are responsible for nearly half of all deaths in the US, report says

Health News Alerts: The FDA Says You Shouldn't Eat Raw Cookie Dough

Health officials are lending legitimacy to the age-old warning not to eat raw cookie dough. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on Tuesday about a recent E. coli outbreak linked to contaminated flour, advising consumers not to eat raw ...
Read more: The FDA Says You Shouldn't Eat Raw Cookie Dough

Health News Alerts: Canned foods linked to BPA risk in new study

(CNN) There has been an ongoing debate about just how much of the industrial chemical Bisphenol A (or BPA) lurks in canned foods and whether it poses a health risk.
Read more: Canned foods linked to BPA risk in new study

Health News Alerts: Biden outlines Cancer Moonshot efforts to break barriers

(CNN) Cancer is still the No. 2 killer of Americans. It has been for decades, and Vice President Joe Biden wants that to change now.
Read more: Biden outlines Cancer Moonshot efforts to break barriers

Health News Alerts: It's unclear whether yearly pelvic exam is necessary, task force says

The annual pelvic exam is uncomfortable, invasive - and might not be necessary for healthy women. Or is it? There isn't a clear answer.
Read more: It's unclear whether yearly pelvic exam is necessary, task force says

Healthcare Tips: Zika sex research begins despite U.S. Congress funding impasse

(Reuters) - It could take years to learn how long men infected with Zika are capable of sexually transmitting the virus, which can cause crippling birth defects and other serious neurological disorders.

Read more: Zika sex research begins despite U.S. Congress funding impasse

Healthcare Tips: Children face 'staggeringly high' hunger in conflict-hit Central African Republic

BANGUI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Clinging to her toy dog, 18-month-old Clemence Mokbem stares ahead as nurses rush past to tend to crying babies in the hot, overcrowded intensive care ward in a Bangui hospital.

Read more: Children face 'staggeringly high' hunger in conflict-hit Central African Republic

Health News Alerts: In the Face of Zika, What Population Should Be Controlled?

Pregnant women in South America have a profound concern about the health of their babies. Zika -- a mosquito-borne viral disease -- has been spreading quickly there.
Read more: In the Face of Zika, What Population Should Be Controlled?

Health News Alerts: 2016's First Confirmation of Mosquito with West Nile

Animal Care and Vector services received confirmation Tuesday that a mosquito from the trap off the 2900 block of Lawton tested positive for West Nile Virus.
Read more: 2016's First Confirmation of Mosquito with West Nile

Health News Alerts: Sky clear for Relay for Life

Ellen Johnson of Union Hope, named Caregiver of the Year, helps light torches at the start of the luminaria ceremony at the East Wake Relay for Life at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C.
Read more: Sky clear for Relay for Life

Healthcare Tips: Olympics will come and go but Zika is here to stay, scientists say

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Battered by a presidential impeachment and the worst recession since the Great Depression, Brazil is getting a rare bit of relief as Rio de Janeiro prepares to host the Olympics: declining numbers of Zika infections.

Read more: Olympics will come and go but Zika is here to stay, scientists say

Healthcare Tips: U.S. women groom their pubic hair, for diverse reasons

Over 80 percent of U.S. women groom their pubic hair, for a wide variety of reasons.

Read more: U.S. women groom their pubic hair, for diverse reasons

Healthcare Tips: Limited protection of GSK's malaria vaccine dwindles in 7 years

LONDON - The world's first malaria vaccine, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, provides some protection after three doses but its effect dwindles to almost nothing after seven years, scientists said on Wednesday.

Read more: Limited protection of GSK's malaria vaccine dwindles in 7 years