NYT > Health

Two Widely Used Infertility Treatments Fail in Study

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:42:20 GMT

For couples with unexplained infertility, artificial insemination and a drug stimulating ovulation are no better than simple counseling, scientists said.

Personal Best: Is Stretching All It’s Cracked Up to Be?

By GINA KOLATA — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:11:30 GMT

Investigators explore the effectiveness of stretching by trying to separate real benefits from imagined ones.

Vulnerable to H.I.V., Resistant to Labels

By MARC LACEY — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:34:26 GMT

In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, stigma surrounding homosexuality increases the challenges that AIDS experts say they face in combating the disease.

Monsanto Looks to Sell Dairy Hormone Business

By ANDREW MARTIN and ANDREW POLLACK — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:14:06 GMT

The move comes as more retailers, saying they are responding to consumer demand, are selling dairy products from cows not treated with the artificial hormone.

Mystery Disease Kills Dozens in Venezuela

By SIMON ROMERO — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:11:14 GMT

At least 38 Warao Indians have died from an outbreak that preliminary studies indicate might be a type of infectious rabies transmitted by bites from bats.

New Focus on Children at AIDS Seminar

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:52:13 GMT

The global response to the AIDS epidemic has shortchanged children, health workers at the International AIDS Conference said on Wednesday.

U.S. Cyclists Are Masked, and Criticism Is Not

By JULIET MACUR — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:15:38 GMT

The cyclists were the first athletes to be seen wearing masks or doing anything proactive to combat the effects of pollution.

Behavioral Approaches Overlooked in AIDS Fight

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:20:26 GMT

Millions of people are becoming infected because governments are overlooking studies showing that behavior modification works, AIDS experts said Tuesday.

Mind: You’re Bored, but Your Brain Is Tuned In

By BENEDICT CAREY — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:18:38 GMT

Research suggests that boredom allows the brain to recast the outside world in ways that can be productive and creative.

Panel Urges End to Prostate Screening at Age 75

By TARA PARKER-POPE — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:32:56 GMT

A national task force said that the search for the disease in this group was causing more harm than good.

Lilly Diabetes Drug Shows a Life-Extending Promise

By ALEX BERENSON — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:50:12 GMT

Byetta, an injectable drug that lowers blood sugar, may help people with diabetes to live longer, according to the results of a major clinical trial.

To Heal the Wounded

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:01:01 GMT

A new textbook is the first guidebook of new techniques for American battlefield surgeons to be published while the wars it analyzes are still being fought.

Vital Signs: Screening: Higher Rates of Hearing Loss Are Found

By ERIC NAGOURNEY — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:10:34 GMT

Researchers said they had evidence that as many as 29 million people in this country might have at least some hearing loss.

Global Update: Ethics of Studies in Poor Countries Lead to Call for New Regulations

By DONALD G. MCNEIL Jr. — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:11:31 GMT

Two researchers from the University of North Carolina are calling for new ways to regulate health surveys.

Recipes for Health: Clear Summer Borscht

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:34:59 GMT

A glistening, lemony summer borscht that is infused with garlic and is utterly refreshing, even thirst-quenching.

Supermarket Chains Narrow Their Sights

By MARIAN BURROS — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:40:59 GMT

Supermarkets are beginning to compete with farm stands and farmers’ markets for a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Recipes for Health: Beets: The New Spinach

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:42:34 GMT

It’s easy to love fresh beets, and not just for their nutritional advantages. Roasting is an easy way to cook them.

Essay: Running on Fumes in Beijing

By GINA KOLATA — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:09:04 GMT

Will a training plan survive the air, heat and humidity of China?

Vital Signs: Patterns: In Older Neighborhoods, Less Weight Gain

By ERIC NAGOURNEY — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:11:01 GMT

A new study reports that people who live in older neighborhoods appear less likely to be overweight.

Metrics: The Overflowing American Dinner Plate

By BILL MARSH — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:05:55 GMT

Between 1970 and 2006, average Americans added 1.8 pounds of food a week to their diet.

Johnson & Johnson Receives Subpoena on Bile Duct Stents

By BLOOMBERG NEWS — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:54:22 GMT

The subpoena of Johnson & Johnson broadens an investigation that has touched its competitors Abbott Laboratories and Boston Scientific.

Millions With Chronic Disease Get Little to No Treatment

By REED ABELSON — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 04:22:43 GMT

A study estimates that about one of every three working-age adults without insurance in the U.S. has received a diagnosis of a chronic illness and is not getting adequate treatment.

New York Hospitals Create Outcry in Foreign Deal

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:10:56 GMT

A deal with a Caribbean school to provide clinical training for students at public hospitals has prompted an outcry.

Immigrants Facing Deportation by U.S. Hospitals

By DEBORAH SONTAG — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:52:57 GMT

Many hospitals are taking it upon themselves to repatriate seriously injured or ill immigrants because nursing homes won’t accept them without insurance.

Proposed Bill Would Finalize Sunscreen Labeling Rules

By NATASHA SINGER — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:50:54 GMT

The proposed Sunscreen Labeling Protection Act of 2008, sponsored by Senators Christopher Dodd and Jack Reed, would compel the F.D.A. to finalize labeling rules on sunscreen.

House Votes to Let FDA Regulate Tobacco

By STEPHANIE SAUL — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:32:58 GMT

The House overwhelmingly approved legislation that would give the F.D.A. new power to regulate tobacco products.

Personal Health: Sorting Out Coffee’s Contradictions

By JANE E. BRODY — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:12:45 GMT

As with any product used to excess, consumers often wonder about the health consequences of caffeine.

Really?: The Claim: Quinine Is Effective in Easing Leg Cramps

By ANAHAD O’CONNOR — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:07:52 GMT

Quinine is a popular remedy for leg cramps but there are a couple of problems with the approach.

Well: Learning to Be Your Own Best Defense in a Disaster

By TARA PARKER-POPE — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:04:43 GMT

There are several simple steps we can all take to improve our odds in an emergency.

Q & A: Hospital Habits

By C. CLAIBORNE RAY — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:23:10 GMT

My mother is concerned that she will get sick by visiting a hospital patient. Are her worries justified?

Cases: The Germs Are Potent. But So Is a Kiss.

By MANOJ JAIN, M.D — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:29:28 GMT

The emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms is an unintended consequence of our use (and overuse) of antibiotics.

As Cancer Lingered, She Lived a Bold Life

By DENISE GRADY — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:10:10 GMT

Karen Pasqualetto faced a grim cancer diagnosis with grit and tenacity.

Essay: My Literary Malady

By GEOFF NICHOLSON — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:51:30 GMT

The roll call of famous gout sufferers is long and distinguished. It includes Ben Franklin, Henry James and Karl Marx.

Cases: For Elderly, a Little Fall, a Big Worry

By ANNE MARIE VALINOTI, M.D — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:42:06 GMT

Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people over 65.

Essay: Apology Shines Light on Racial Schism in Medicine

By HARRIET A. WASHINGTON — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:59:25 GMT

The American Medical Association’s apology to the nation’s black physicians remains pertinent, if long overdue.