Health & Wellness - baltimoresun.com

Cervical cancer vaccines cut rates of HPV infections: U.S

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:07:02 GMT

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. introduction of a vaccine to prevent cervical cancer in 2006 has reduced infections with the human papillomavirus or HPV - the sexually transmitted virus that causes the disease - by more than half among girls and young women, U.S. health officials said on Wednesday.

Catonsville girl receives transplant, but is rejecting heart

By Yvonne Wenger , The Baltimore Sun — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:10:54 GMT

Family asks community to pray for a miracle

Ann Bartlinski placed the Eucharist and a pearl-beaded rosary blessed by the hands of the late Pope John Paul II on the chest of her 6-year-old daughter, Teresa, who lay Tuesday in a hospital bed, her tiny body rejecting a donor's heart.

Local Boston bombing victim leaves in-patient therapy

By Yvonne Wenger , The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:41:43 GMT

Brannock moves into mother's home after two-week stay at Baltimore rehab facility

The first chapter of Boston Marathon bombing victim Erika Brannock's recovery ended Tuesday when she hoisted herself from a wheelchair into the passenger seat of a silver Honda CR-V and her mother drove out of the Kernan Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation parking lot.

Safe-sleep campaign targets city fathers

By Tricia Bishop, The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:37:00 GMT

Mothers typically hear it in the hospital: "'Back is best' for baby's sleep." But dads don't often get the message, leading Baltimore agencies to launch a safe-sleep campaign Tuesday aimed at fathers.

Starbucks to post calorie counts on menu boards nationwide

By Tiffany Hsu — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:48:00 GMT

Starbucks Corp. is following other mega-chains such as McDonald’s Corp. and Panera Bread Co. by voluntarily posting calorie counts on its menu boards nationwide ahead of a pending federal requirement to do so.

Can you hear the shape of a room?

By Monte Morin — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Imagine yourself blindfolded and placed in a strange room; you snap your fingers or click your tongue, and listen closely to the echoes. Can you hear the shape of the room? Does the sound tell you if a door is open?

Rodricks: Two stores try to close the health gap in Baltimore

Dan Rodricks — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:15:00 GMT

Apples & Oranges, Food Depot try to get healthier choices in front of their customers

The pause is familiar to anyone who has been in a supermarket: The grocery checkout suddenly stops as a customer, perhaps quietly embarrassed, decides which items can be purchased and which will have to wait.

Bad news on red meat: Eating more is linked to diabetes risk

By Eryn Brown — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:06:00 GMT

Nutritionists known for issuing warnings about the health risks of eating red meat reiterated their message this week, confirming a link between red meat consumption and Type 2 diabetes -- and showing, in a new follow-up study, that the association persists over time.

Saudi Arabia says MERS coronavirus kills four more

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:44:02 GMT

DUBAI (Reuters) - Four more people have died and three more have fallen ill in Saudi Arabia from the new SARS-like coronavirus MERS-CoV, the Saudi Health Ministry said on Monday.

Kids to get hand transplants at Boston Children's Hospital

By Karen Kaplan — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Transplant surgeons at Boston Children’s Hospital are looking for kids who need a hand. The renowned Harvard University-affiliated hospital announced Monday that it was opening a pediatric hand transplant program , the first in the world.

Don't let the sun catch you tanning

By Susan Reimer , The Baltimore Sun — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:00:00 GMT

Baby oil boomer has her regrets

I am a member of the baby oil generation. Half a century ago, we spent our summers at the pool, slick with a kind of fluid magnifying glass that turned our skin red, then brown.

Fathers celebrate their day by stepping out for NICU

By Pamela Wood, The Baltimore Sun — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:27:00 GMT

1,000 runners support Greater Baltimore Medical Center unit

For Sean Hearn, there was no better way to spend Father's Day than sweating through a hilly 5K road race in Towson, pushing sons Shane and Wyatt in a double-wide stroller.

State restores license of abortion doctor; 2 others' still suspended

By Alison Knezevich, The Baltimore Sun — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 02:06:00 GMT

Practice has four locations in Maryland

A state panel restored the license of the doctor who is medical director of a group of abortion clinics accused by state regulators of putting women's health at risk, while the licenses of two other physicians who worked at the clinics remain suspended.

Ban on patenting DNA cheers researchers

By Jean Marbella , The Baltimore Sun — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:31:51 GMT

Supreme Court rules against company with monopoly on breast cancer genetic testing

Researchers hailed the Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that bans the patenting of human DNA, saying it would expand access to genetic testing for disease at lower cost to patients.

Wife of former Capitals, Wizards owner donates $10 million to Hopkins for heart research

By Chris Korman , The Baltimore Sun — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 22:31:04 GMT

Gift establishes new professorship named for son of Abe and Irene Pollin, will fund 'transformative work' in preventive cardiology

Gift establishes new professorship named for son of Abe and Irene Pollin, will fund 'transformative work' in preventive cardiology

Supreme Court bars patents on human genes unless synthetic

Lawrence Hurley — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:37:00 GMT

A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday prohibited patents on naturally occurring human genes but allowed legal protections on synthetically produced genetic material in a compromise ruling hailed as a partial victory for patients and the biotechnology industry.

Concussion guidelines for high school athletes and coaches updated

BY DEWEY FOX, dfox@theaegis.com — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:54:01 GMT

Harford County and the State of Maryland are concerned about the effects of head injuries on young athletes and they have implemented new guidelines for dealing with cases of concussions suffered by high school athletes.

Air pollution can trigger heart arrhythmias: study

Kathryn Doyle — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:04:00 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with existing heart problems, exposure to high levels of air pollution can trigger the irregular heartbeats that may lead to a stroke or heart attack, according to a new study.

More women removing ovaries to prevent cancer

By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:54:00 GMT

There are risks and benefits to the procedure

There are risks and benefits to the procedure

Class of the month: Surfset

By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:35:00 GMT

The first time Christine Saba climbed off her surfboard at the Canton Club fitness center her legs felt like jelly — as if she'd spent the day at the ocean.

Officials working to restore water at Kernan Hospital after break

By Kevin Rector, The Baltimore Sun — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:56:47 GMT

Break is on hospital's Dickeyville campus

City emergency management officials are working with officials at Kernan Hospital to restore water after a water main break on its Dickeyville campus cut its supply, officials said late Wednesday morning.

Long-banned chemicals found in pregnant mothers' blood

Tim Wheeler — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:15:00 GMT

Hopkins-led study links fetal activity to contamination, sees higher toxic traces in richer women

As a reminder of just how persistent some toxic chemicals can be, a Johns Hopkins-led research team reports finding traces of long-banned DDT and PCBs along with other contaminants in the blood of 50 pregnant women checked from Baltimore and its suburbs.

University of Maryland Medical Center to begin layoffs this month

By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:46:00 GMT

Number of jobs to be cut still being finalized

The University of Maryland Medical Center will send layoff notices to employees at the end of the month as it looks to cut costs in the wake of federal budget cuts and what it and other state hospitals have called inadequate rate increases.

Appeals court will consider blocked NYC soda ban on Tuesday

Joseph Ax — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:36:00 GMT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawyers for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration will try to convince an appeals court on Tuesday to reinstate a ban on large sugary drinks, three months after a judge struck it down at the 11th hour as an illegal overreach of executive power.

Is your designated driver drunk?

By Monte Morin — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:00:00 GMT

Should designated drivers abstain from booze? If you said, yes, you might be shocked to know that 35% of so-called DDs drank on duty, while a portion of them were legally drunk when they hit the road, according to a new study.