Knee replacements hold up well after 20 years

Knee replacements hold up well after 20 years

Knee replacement surgery has become common in the last 30 years, and more younger people with bad knees are considering the surgery. A study presented Wednesday at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting may reassure them that the replacement should hold up for a long time.

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Biomarker could signal a meniscus tear

Biomarker could signal a meniscus tear

Biomarkers are substances in the body that provide clues to a disease or injury. Researchers announced Wednesday that they have identified a...

Zinc may shorten the common cold by a bit

Zinc may shorten the common cold by a bit

Zinc lozenges, tablets or syrup taken at the first signs of a cold may shorten the duration of the illness, researchers reported Tuesday....

Problem drinking in teen years is not a good omen for the future

Problem drinking in teen years is not a good omen for the future

Drinking problems in adolescence may be passed off as "just a phase" that a person may outgrow. But a study suggests instead that problem...

Imaging tests are often done for the doctor -- not the patient

Imaging tests are often done for the doctor -- not the patient

Imaging tests such as MRIs and X-rays frequently are performed so that doctors can protect themselves from lawsuits, according to a new...

Prepare for a 'good death' with an advance directive and effective surrogates

Prepare for a 'good death' with an advance directive and effective surrogates

Most people would agree that when the time comes, they want a "good death." But what that means is all too often left up in the air until...

How over-the-counter painkillers work

How over-the-counter painkillers work

Over-the-counter painkillers fall into two groups. The first, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), includes ibuprofen (often...

The irony of painkillers

The irony of painkillers

People usually have good reasons for swallowing over-the-counter painkillers: They're hurting.

Dose information for over-the-counter pain medicine

Dose information for over-the-counter pain medicine

Here are maximum recommended doses for acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers sold over the counter. If you take the...

The risks of taking pain medicine

The risks of taking pain medicine

Nausea, stomach bleeding, heart disease and more: The list of potential dangers from taking over-the-counter pain medications is lengthy....

Frequent use of over-the-counter painkillers carries real risks

Frequent use of over-the-counter painkillers carries real risks

When something hurts, most Americans open their medicine cabinets and pop a few capsules, tablets or gel-caps.

The Healthy Skeptic: Male fertility supplements are no magic path to fatherhood

The Healthy Skeptic: Male fertility supplements are no magic path to fatherhood

The average man produces hundreds of billions of sperm cells in his lifetime. Only a minuscule fraction of those little guys ever manage...

For overweight maestro, it was the pot calling the kettle black

Leopold, a retired symphony conductor, came into my office to go over lab results from his recent physical exam. Most of them looked...

Aspirin is good for heart-attack prevention, but skip the proton pump inhibitors

Aspirin is good for heart-attack prevention, but skip the proton pump inhibitors

Aspirin treatment has become standard for the prevention of heart attacks, particularly among middle-aged and older people at high risk...

Fetal heart monitoring prevents problems, study finds

Fetal heart monitoring prevents problems, study finds

Fetal heart rate monitoring is a modern technology used in childbirth that has been highly debated. Some doctors feel the monitors, which...

Rodent of the Week: How omega-3 fatty acids promote eye health

Rodent of the Week: How omega-3 fatty acids promote eye health

A healthy intake of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and fish oil supplements, has been shown to protect against retinopathy, a leading...

African Americans have fewer options for donor organs and bone marrow

African Americans have fewer options for donor organs and bone marrow

The story this week on Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter who donated a kidney to one of his players is a reminder not only of the...

Teens with dogs are more active

Teens with dogs are more active

Dog ownership appears to make teens more active, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Virginia.

Breast cancer patients' quality of life returns slowly in the year after surgery

Breast cancer patients' quality of life returns slowly in the year after surgery

Breast cancer survival rates have improved in recent years, and women have more treatment choices, including -- in cases of early-stage...

Folate intake in pregnancy is good -- but it may not prevent preterm birth

Folate intake in pregnancy is good -- but it may not prevent preterm birth

Folate is a valuable nutrient, especially for pregnant women. Studies show adequate intake of folate -- or folic acid -- just before...

Mild strokes may be a target for clot-busting drug

Mild strokes may be a target for clot-busting drug

Mild strokes can cause disability, but people who have them usually don't receive the clot-busting medication that is recommended for people...

Early breast-cancer cases may not need extensive lymph node removal

Early breast-cancer cases may not need extensive lymph node removal

Breast cancer surgery traditionally includes removal of lymph nodes near the tumor so that doctors can check for signs that the cancer has...

Solid food for infants should be carefully timed to lower obesity risk

Solid food for infants should be carefully timed to lower obesity risk

Solid foods should not be given to infants before 4 months of age, according to guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. A new...

How to tell if you're having a heart attack

How to tell if you're having a heart attack

How can you tell if you or someone you know is having a heart attack? Sometimes the symptoms can be surprisingly subtle.

Heart attacks, if survived, bring drastic change

Heart attacks, if survived, bring drastic change

"I think I'm having anxiety," Leonard Castro told his wife on a day back in September.

A growing danger for athletes

A growing danger for athletes

Just two days after the start of the winter strength-and-conditioning program, Jim Poggi, a University of Iowa freshman football player,...

A Closer Look: The new guidelines for heart health

A Closer Look: The new guidelines for heart health

If you want to improve the health and fitness of your heart and blood vessels, you can. Basic lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise and...

Stem cells for broken hearts

Stem cells for broken hearts

It's one of the most vexing problems in medical science: How can you mend a broken heart?

Gear: Heart rate monitors, vital sign trackers keep you in the know during workout

Gear: Heart rate monitors, vital sign trackers keep you in the know during workout

Whether you're 18 or 80, if you like to run, bike, row, swim, cross-country ski or climb mountains, you have to keep an eye on the old...

My Turn: The pup who saved my life

My Turn: The pup who saved my life

My dog saved me.

My Turn: Bill Hillman thanks chest compressions for helping to save his wife

My Turn: Bill Hillman thanks chest compressions for helping to save his wife

It was 4:05 a.m. on Oct. 29, 2009. I heard my wife, Dianne, say, "I think I'm having a heart attack."

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