AP - Having an X-ray to look for signs of colon cancer may soon be an option for those who dread the traditional scope exam. Two of the largest studies yet of "virtual colonoscopy"show the experimental technique works just as well at spotting potentially cancerous growths as the more invasive method. It's also quicker and cheaper.
AP - Early in the AIDS epidemic, people infected with the virus often lost a dangerous amount of weight, at times looking gaunt and ghostly. Today, they are facing the opposite problem. Many who have HIV, but not full-blown AIDS, are struggling with obesity, which has overtaken "wasting syndrome"as the top concern.
AP - The number of young children on prescription drugs for heartburn and other digestive problems jumped about 56 percent in recent years and researchers say obesity and overuse might be contributing to the surprising increase.
AP - President Bush cast a quiet veto Wednesday against a politically attractive expansion of children's health insurance, triggering a struggle with the Democratic-controlled Congress certain to reverberate into the 2008 elections.
AP - U.S. doctors haven't seen a new drug-coated stent heart device for years, but that could change soon if the Endeavor stent from Medtronic Inc. wins U.S. regulatory approval. The Minneapolis-based company expects approval by the end of this year.
HealthDay - TUESDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is a big factordriving soaring rates of chronic disease in the United States, with manymore Americans chronically ill than their European counterparts, a newstudy finds.
Reuters - Women who want to become pregnant, are pregnant or breast-feeding should eat at least 12 ounces of fatty fish such as tuna every week to help themselves and their babies, experts will recommend later on Thursday.
HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Oct. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Legalizing doctor-assistedsuicide does not lead to a "slippery slope" of excess deaths amongthe vulnerable poor, uninsured, elderly or other patients, according to aU.S. study in the October issue of the Journal of MedicalEthics.
Reuters - A DNA test for the virus that causes cervical cancer helps detect potentially dangerous lesions earlier than the commonly used pap smear technique, Dutch researchers said on Thursday.
