American Health Options

More sex may help damaged sperm

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:22:33 +0000

LONDON – For men with fertility problems, some doctors are prescribing a very conventional way to have a baby: more sex. In a study of 118 Australian men with damaged sperm, doctors found that having sex every day for a week significantly reduced the amount of DNA damage in their patients’ sperm. Previous studies have linked [...]

Swine flu spread through air travel

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:26:09 +0000

ATLANTA – In a startling measure of just how widely a new disease can spread, researchers accurately plotted swine flu’s course around the world by tracking air travel from Mexico. The research was based on an analysis of flight data from March and April last year, which showed more than 2 million people flew from Mexico [...]

Obama urges Americans get tested for HIV

admin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:55:22 +0000

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama on Saturday urged his fellow Americans to get tested for HIV in an effort to reduce transmission of the virus that causes AIDS. “On this 14th commemoration of National HIV Testing Day, I urge Americans to take control of their own health — and protect those they love — by [...]

Deal reached to cut drug costs

admin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:51:24 +0000

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Drug manufacturers will offer some $80 billion in prescription discounts for Medicare recipients under a deal unveiled on Saturday, which could boost President Barack Obama as he pushes to overhaul the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system. “The agreement reached today to lower prescription drug costs for seniors will be an important part of [...]

Canadian court quashes bid for generic Viagra

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:11:46 +0000

OTTAWA (AFP) – A Canadian federal court on Thursday upheld pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s patent for Viagra, dashing generic drug maker Novopharm’s longing for sales of cheaper erection drugs. Judge Michael Kelen said in his decision that Novopharm failed to demonstrate the Pfizer patent was invalid. He ordered Canada’s health minister not to grant the generic drug maker’s [...]

Study links cigarette changes to rising lung risk

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:55:26 +0000

WASHINGTON – It may be riskier on the lungs to smoke cigarettes today than it was a few decades ago — at least in the U.S., says new research that blames changes in cigarette design for fueling a certain type of lung cancer. Up to half of the nation’s lung cancer cases may be due to [...]

Nations urge WHO to change criteria for pandemic

admin — Tue, 19 May 2009 06:47:54 +0000

GENEVA – Dozens of countries urged the World Health Organization to change its criteria for declaring a pandemic, saying the agency must consider how deadly a virus is — not just how far it spreads across the globe. Fearing a swine flu pandemic declaration could spark mass panic and economic devastation, Britain, Japan, China and others [...]

Free Lipitor, Viagra, 70 other drugs for jobless

admin — Fri, 15 May 2009 06:54:28 +0000

The recession might be a little less painful for some Americans, who won’t lose their prescription medications if they lose their jobs. Pfizer Inc. said Thursday it will give away more than 70 of its most widely prescribed drugs, including Lipitor and Viagra, for up to a year to people who have lost jobs since Jan. [...]

Postpartum depression relief helps sex life

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:21:04 +0000

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who suffer from depression after giving birth can often be helped with antidepressants, and when treatment is successful it usually improves sexual problems. In the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Dr. Katherine L. Wisner, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pennsylvania, and colleagues report their assessment of sexual problems in [...]

Mild swine flu could quickly turn deadly

admin — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:38:01 +0000

WASHINGTON – A flu virus is a powerhouse of evolution, mutating at the maximum speed nature allows. A mild virus can morph into a killer and vice versa. One change already made this year’s swine flu more of a problem, helping it spread more easily among people. The big question is: What mutations are next? That’s [...]