Tuberculosis infections fall for first time: WHO
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iStockphoto)
(CBS/AP) Tuberculosis is on the decline - for the first time ever.
A report issued by the World Health Organization estimates that 8.8 million people fell ill with TB last year, down from a peak of about 9 million in 2005. Officials said fewer people are now dying from the disease, though a third of cases worldwide probably go unreported.
Continue »Would you donate your organs for a free funeral?
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istockphoto)
(CBS/AP) Can free funerals solve the persistent shortage of donor organs?
The U.K-based Nuffield Council on Bioethics thinks so. It's published a report recommending that the British government pay for funerals of recently deceased organ donors.
National Coming Out Day highlights LGBT health disparities
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istockphoto)
(CBS) Today is National Coming Out Day - the day each year on which closeted lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people are encouraged to open up about their sexual orientation.
PICTURES - OK to be gay? Regional acceptance of same-sex relations
The idea behind the day, which occurs each Oct. 11, is that by promoting greater self-acceptance among LGBT people and greater acceptance by the community at large, young LGBT people can be protected from physical and emotional harm.
Continue »Cholera kills 2,500 in Africa, agency says
Cholera beds in Zimbabwe.
(Credit: Flickr/Teseum)(CBS/AP) An outbreak of cholera has claimed almost 2,500 lives, according to UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency.
With more than 85,000 cases of cholera this year reported in 10 countries from Mali to Congo, "the region is facing one of the biggest epidemics in its history, the agency said. And UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said Tuesday that above-average rainfall predicted for the coming weeks raises the likelihood that cholera will continue to spread.
Continue »Restless legs syndrome tied to hypertension risk
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(CBS) Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sleep disorder characterized by an urge to move the legs to counteract unpleasant sensations. A new study suggests that middle aged women with the syndrome may experience something even more unpleasant - heart failure or stroke that results from elevated blood pressure.
Continue »Chocolate tied to reduced stroke risk in women
(CBS) Chocolate seems to be good for the cardiovascular system - no secret there. Studies have tied the sweet stuff to lower blood pressure, healthier blood vessels, and reduced risk of blood clots. And now Swedish researchers have linked chocolate to a reduced risk for stroke.
Continue »Should handshake give way to elbow bump?
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Wikimedia Commons)
(CBS) Is the handshake about to go the way of the Dodo bird?
Concern over the spread of colds, influenza, and other illnesses that spread via skin-to-skin contact has some health experts recommending that we shun the traditional handshake and adopt a "safe shake" like bowing or touching elbows.
Continue »Obesity epidemic slowing? What new poll says
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CBS)
(CBS) Is America's obesity epidemic slowing? A new poll found there more normal-weight Americans than overweight ones for the first time in more than three years.
Pictures: F as in Fat: Top 15 fattest U.S. states
Don't get too excited, though - the Gallup and Healthways poll still showed almost 62 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.
Continue »Bionic arm lets paralyzed man touch girlfriend
Katie Schaffer reacts to touch from experimental robotic arm controlled by Tim Hemmes.
(CBS/AP) A paralyzed man from Pennsylvania put his new thought-controlled robotic arm through its paces recently, using it to reach out and touch his girlfriend's hand.
PICTURES: Robotic arm lets paralyzed man touch girlfriend
"It wasn't my arm but it was my brain, my thoughts. I was moving something," said Tim Hemmes, 30, who became a quadriplegic seven years ago after a motorcycle accident. "I don't have one single word to give you what I felt at that moment. That word doesn't exist."
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PSA test for prostate cancer? Panel stirs debate
A man gets a PSA test to screen for prostate cancer.
(Credit: CBS)(CBS/AP) Prostate cancer specialists are pushing back against an expert panel's recommendation that healthy men shouldn't get PSA blood tests for detecting prostate cancer.
"We all agree that we've got to do a better job of figuring out who would benefit from PSA screening," said Dr. Scott Eggener, a prostate cancer specialist at the University of Chicago. "But a blanket statement of just doing away with it altogether ... seems over-aggressive and irresponsible."
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