The antibiotic amoxicillin was frequently prescribed for a wide variety of ailments during the 1980s and ’90s.  Children took the thick, pink, bubble gum-flavored liquid for everything from strep throat to sinus infections, sore throats to coughs.  However, experts now believe that the medication is over prescribed and is often given for illnesses that it will not help.  For example, antibiotics have no effect on viral infections but they are often prescribed for patients diagnosed with... 

State officials have been urged by federal drug regulators to close loopholes that could affect the safety of compounded drugs.  FDA has approached state health and pharmacy board officials with a plan that will hopefully be turned into legislation by Congress.  The new regulations would give the agency clearer congressionally mandated authority to regulate the compounding pharmacies. Drug compounding occurs when a licensed pharmacist alters or recombines drug products in response to a physicians’... 

The rate of circumcision in newborn boys has been falling in the U.S. for the past 20 years. Fewer and fewer parents are opting to circumcise their boys, as the rate has dropped from a high of 79% nearly two decades ago to today’s rate of 55%. In addition, the medical procedure is not covered as much by insurance as it was prior, particularly for people on Medicaid. Because of that, many people are opting not to have their newborn boys circumcised. Three individual research studies however, found... 

Besides the well-known analgesic, anti-pyretic and anti-inflammatory properties of aspirin, a new study reveals that taking aspirin may reduce the risks of pancreatic cancer. The findings of the study were presented at the 102nd Annual Conference held at the American Association for Cancer Research in Orlando, Florida during the week, April 2-6, 2011. The study analyzed the association of three common types of pain relievers namely, aspirin, acetaminophen and non-aspirin NSAIDs, and their possible... 

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals that though two-thirds of the American population have sufficient levels of vitamin D, about a third either had insufficient levels or were deficient in the sunshine vitamin. Anne Looker, a research scientist with the CDC, analyzed data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, conducted from 2001 to 2006, to arrive at the conclusion. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, collects ... 

  Cancer of the colon and the rectum, called colorectal cancer is the second deadliest cancer afflicting Americans according to the American Cancer Society. However, one test- the invasive, screening colonoscopy can help early detection, prevent the spread of the disease  and save lives. National Colorectal Cancer Awareness is observed during the month of March, to make people aware of the importance of screenings; once in every 10 years for people above age 50 and more often and at a younger... 

  A research team at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), led by Dr Thomas Wang, M.D., of the MGH Cardiovascular Research Center and Division of Cardiology, has developed a simple blood test that could predict for healthy individuals, their susceptibility to diabetes, at least ten years before the symptoms make their appearance. Though earlier studies found elevated levels of certain amino acids in obese people and in those who were insulin resistant, the researchers had not analyzed... 

A new, number one diet from France, the Dukan Diet, is all set to hit American shores, with the promise of helping people lose weight permanently, according to their official US website. After taking Europe by storm, the “Dukan Diet has grown to become an international phenomenon of unprecedented impact in over 100 countries,” says the website. Formulated by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French medical doctor and introduced in France in the year 2000, the Dukan Diet has reportedly retained the... 

There is heartening news from the US that says the percentage of heavy smokers – those who smoked one pack or more a day, has declined. The researchers revealed that the figures for California, where a  dramatic decline in the numbers of heavy smokers was seen,  fell from 22.9 percent in 1965 to  2.6 percent in 2007. Lead researcher John P. Pierce, University of California, San Diego, and his team reviewed data from two national surveys conducted from 1965 to 2007, which included 139,176... 

Severely obese people face enhanced risks of heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes and strokes and The American Heart Association, AHA, has recommended bariatric surgery, as appropriate for the extremely obese, for whom all other options have failed to aid in weight loss and subsequent reduction of cardiovascular risks. Persons with  BMI of 40 and over qualify as severely obese, while BMI of 30 indicates obesity and BMI of 25-29.9 is an indication of overweight. According to lead author, Paul...