A 15-year-old Swiss boy attempted to create his own laser show using a laser pointer he bought on the Internet and a mirror. Instead, he inadvertently beamed the laser into his eyes, creating permanent damage to his vision. “These high-power laser products are very dangerous,” said Dr. Martin Schmid, head of the retina unit in the department of ophthalmology at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital in Switzerland. Schmid is also one of the authors of the case report detailing the young boy’s eye damage in a letter in the Sept. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine .

More Americans are visiting hospital emergency departments because of abdominal pain, but the percentage of emergency visits that involve chest pain are decreasing, a new government report shows. Between 1999-2000 and 2007-2008, the number of emergency department visits for abdominal pain increased 31.8 percent, from 5.3 million to 7 million. The percentage of these visits that involved abdominal pain increased 7.6 percent during this period, from 10.5 percent to 11.3 percent, the study found.

I just had a workout with personal trainer and fitness expert, Fred Hahn. After a workout that quickly taught me that I had a lot to learn about exercise and strength training, Fred and I had a nice low-carbohydrate dinner at a Manhattan restaurant and shared ideas. Fred is coauthor of Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The slow motion exercise that will change your body in 30 minutes a week , written in collaboration with the Drs. Eades, Michael and Mary Dan . Fred also blogs here . I had heard about Fred’s “slow-burn” concept in past, but made little of it. I then met Fred on Jimmy Moore’s low-carb cruise this past year, where I gave a talk on how carbohydrate-reduced diets reduce small LDL particles. Fred provided a group demonstration on his slow-burn techniques. I watched the…

According to a new poll from Harris Interactive and HealthDay, many people in the United States who are overweight or obese have inaccurate perceptions of their weight.

Dutch scientists have found that most heart patients who take low-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplements do not appear to get any additional protection from further heart troubles.

The H1N1 pandemic flu, which swept across the United States last year, was actually no more serious than most seasonal strains, a new study confirms. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 43 million to 89 million cases of the H1N1 pandemic flu in the United States from April 2009 through April 10, 2010. Of these, an estimated 274,000 were hospitalized and 12,470 died.

Although the hazards of smoking are well known, 20 percent of Americans still light up, U.S. health officials said Tuesday. The number of adult smokers dropped between 2000 and 2005, but the decline has leveled out, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Results from a new large study have found that common allergic symptoms such as wheezing, sneezing, and watery eyes may be next to join the list of risk factors for heart disease.

Though all people who have atherothrombosis have a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, new research has found that some of these patients carry a greater risk of these events than others.

The fillings and sealants that many dentists use can expose children to the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a new analysis indicates, but such exposure is short-lived and it remains unclear whether or not it poses a long-term health risk. Although these products do not contain pure BPA, saliva can cause the fillings and sealants to leach. This releases the chemical into the mouth and breaks it down to its pure form, the

Title: Hormone in Hair May Reveal Heart Risk Category: Health News Created: 9/7/2010 10:36:00 AM Last Editorial Review: 9/7/2010 10:36:35 AM

A low-carbohydrate diet that derives fats and proteins from vegetable sources rather than meats is probably healthier, new research finds. Comparing the two types of diets over two decades, researchers found that the low-carb, vegetable-based plan resulted in reduced rates of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and a lower rate of all-cause death overall.

Chapped hands can be painful, but you can prevent the condition by keeping hands moisturized and protected. The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers these suggestions:

Skiers and other winter sports tourists who visit the Alps are at increased risk for heart attack due to low temperatures, high altitude and inadequate conditioning for intense physical exertion, finds a new study. The risk is greatest during the first two days of vacation, said a research team of cardiologists at the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria, who focused on winter tourists in the Tyrolean Alps

As college students begin to settle into their new dorm rooms at campuses nationwide, one New York City-based public health advocate is offering some basic advice to help them stay healthy during the upcoming flu season. Kathryn Hutchinson, executive director of health and wellness at St. John’s University, pointed out that the first thing students should do, ideally before leaving