Malaria drugs may help patients with lupus

January 22, 2010 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drugs used to treat malaria may be useful for patients with lupus, a chronic debilitating "autoimmune" disease, according to according to a new report.

Weak evidence of benefit for scoliosis bracing

January 22, 2010 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The use of braces to correct excessive curvature of the spine (scoliosis) in adolescents is a subject of ongoing debate and a new review of the medical literature does little to resolve the matter.

Electro-acupuncture shows promise for knee arthritis

January 21, 2010 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A modern twist on traditional acupuncture may bring some pain relief to people with knee arthritis, at least in the short term, a small study suggests.

Swiss warn on H1N1 vaccine with autoimmune disease

January 20, 2010 — ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's medical regulator recommended patients with serious autoimmune diseases should not use an H1N1 flu vaccine from Novartis, saying there were no studies assessing the inoculation in that segment of the population.

U.S. obesity rate appears to be slowing

January 13, 2010 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - Americans are still too fat, but the obesity epidemic in the United States appears to be waning a bit, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Restless legs syndrome, erectile dysfunction linked?

December 31, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Two disorders that seem completely unrelated except that each is the focus of massive drug company ad campaigns may actually have something in common: Older men who suffer from restless legs syndrome at night are almost twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction as those without restless legs, researchers report.

Tobacco may up pain from jaw disorder

December 30, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smoking and other types of tobacco use may increase the pain of temporomandibular joint disorders, a new study suggests.

J&J expands recall of Tylenol arthritis caplets

December 29, 2009 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A voluntary recall of Tylenol Arthritis Pain Caplets is being expanded because of consumer reports of an unusual moldy odor with the 100-count bottles, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said late on Monday.

Smoking ups men's rheumatoid arthritis risk most

December 24, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new analysis of 16 studies confirms.

Tape may ease pain in some cases of knee arthritis

December 18, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Simple athletic tape may bring some pain relief to older adults with a form of arthritis that affects the kneecap, a small study suggests.

What happens when doctors give patients more power?

November 30, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When patients are given the responsibility for medical decisions, they may be less willing to try a potentially risky treatment, a study published Monday suggests.

Dementia big threat for elderly in poorer nations

November 27, 2009 — LONDON (Reuters) - Dementia is the biggest cause of disability in old people in poorer countries and the problem and its costs for society will grow rapidly as populations age, doctors said on Friday.

Vioxx risks could have been detected earlier-study

November 23, 2009 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - Heart risks from taking Merck & Co Inc's painkiller Vioxx could have been detected more than three years before the company withdrew the drug from the market in September 2004, had the data been openly available, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

The depressed are more apt to get opioids for pain

November 18, 2009 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who suffer from depression are much more likely to be prescribed powerful opioid painkillers like morphine and codeine and to stay on the drugs long-term, new research shows.

Food-borne ills can have lasting consequences

November 13, 2009 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - More than just a bad bout of stomach flu, some food-borne illnesses can cause long-term consequences, especially for young people, a report released on Thursday has found.