Is repeated anesthesia dangerous for kids?
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(CBS) Anytime a young child goes in for surgery, parents have plenty of reasons to worry. But a new study adds another potential cause of concern: learning disabilities - from too much anesthesia.
A new study shows kids who were exposed more than once to anesthesia and surgery prior to age 2 were three times as likely to develop speech and language problems when compared to children who never had surgeries at that young age.
Continue »Would Denmark's "fat tax" succeed in the U.S.?
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(CBS/AP) A fatty cheeseburger may take a toll on your health, but if you live in Denmark, it's also about to take a toll on your wallet.
Pictures: Fat tax? 15 states with biggest obesity bills
Denmark has imposed a "fat tax" on fatty foods in an effort to convince Danes to eat healthier. The tax is a complex one, in which rates will correspond with the percentage of fat in a product. The value of the tax is about $3.00 for every 2.2 pounds of saturated fat.
Continue »More than 1 in 10 parents avoid kids' vaccines
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(CBS/AP) How can parents protect their kids against potentially deadly diseases?
PICTURES - 10 deadly myths about childhood vaccines
By giving them at least two dozen separate doses of vaccines against 14 diseases by the time their kids turn 6, says the U.S. government.
Continue »Immune system discoveries key Nobel Prize wins
File photos of American Bruce Beutler, top left; Luxembourg-born scientist Jules Hoffmann, top right; and Canadian-born Ralph Steinman.
(Credit: CBS/AP Photos/Keystone, Lukas Lehmann; Mike Groll)(CBS/AP) Key immune system discoveries led three scientists to win the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday.
The honors - along with a $1.5 million prize - were split among American Bruce Beutler, French scientist Jules Hoffmann, and Canadian-born Ralph Steinman, the Nobel committee at Stockholm's Karolinska institute said.
Continue »Does your immune system cause drunken behavior?
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(CBS) Does your immune system determine if you're a sloppy drunk? A new study suggests immunity is behind some alcohol-related behaviors like slurring speech and stumbling.
Pictures: 14 "facts" about drinking: Are you misinformed?
Previous research shows that alcohol affects nervous system cells, but the scientists behind the study wanted to see how drinking alcohol changes the brain's immune system cells, known as glial cells.
Continue »Listeria risk prompts Calif. lettuce recall
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(CBS/AP) A new Listeria outbreak - this time in chopped romaine lettuce - has prompted a voluntary recall and FDA investigation.
PICTURES: Listeria: 7 key questions answered
True Leaf Farms of Salinas, Calif., said Thursday it was recalling lettuce bags with a "use by date of Sept. 29," though no illnesses have been reported. The recall is for 90 cartons that were shipped to an Oregon food service distributor. From the distributor, it might have gone to at least Washington and Idaho.
Big tobacco kept secret cigarettes' cancer risk
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(CBS) Has big tobacco been holding out on its customers? New research suggests that tobacco companies have known for 40 years that cigarette smoke contains cancer-causing particles, but deliberately hid the information from the public.
PICTURES: 47 vintage smoking ads: When doctors plugged tobacco
For the study - published in the September 27 issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research - UCLA researchers examined dozens of internal tobacco industry documents made public after a 1998 court case, and found tobacco companies had known cigarette smoke contained potentially dangerous radioactive particles as early as 1959.
Continue »Listeria outbreak leaves farm town reeling
Owner Eric Jensen examines cantaloupe on the Jensen Farms near Holly, Colo., on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011
(Credit: AP)(CBS/AP) The owner of the cantaloupe farm linked to the deadly listeria outbreak said he has no idea how the bacteria got into his crop supply.
PICTURES: Listeria: 7 key questions answered
Eric Jensen, co-owner of Jensen Farms in Holly, Co., is now left to wonder, as he walks through fields of his rotting cantaloupe crop. Meanwhile, health officials have been in and out of the small town of 800 residents, in search of answers for the outbreak that infected 72 people across 18 states and killed 16.
Continue »What does Twitter say about our shifting moods?
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(CBS/AP) These days we say lots on Twitter. What does the fast-paced forum have to say about us?
Recently, scientists at Cornell University analyzed tweets from 2.4 million people in 84 countries and confirmed that people tend to wake up in a good mood and are happiest on weekends.
PICTURES: 10 bad habits that cause depression
Is coffee bad for your health - or good?
National Coffee Day means free coffee - and questions about coffee's health effects.
(Credit: istockPhoto)(CBS) National Coffee Day has java junkies looking to score a free cup of joe - and they may be in luck. At least a couple of fast food chains are offering free coffee to mark the day, which occurs every Sept. 29. 7-Eleven is offering free coffee from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., and Krispy Kreme is handing out free cups of its house blend.
PICTURES: Yowza! 12 foods that pack on pounds
But while freebies can be good for your financial health, what about coffee's effects on your physical well-being?
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