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Menopause symptoms return with a vengence when women stop HRT

In somewhat depressing news for women battling that often miserable phase in their lives, the menopause, it appears that more than half of women who start taking hormone replacement therapy to relieve the discomfort, can expect to see a dramatic resurgence of those symptoms, when they discontinue the therapy.

12 Jul 2005

Gambling and sex addiction caused by Parkinson's drug

According to a doctor at a clinic in the U.S., a certain category of drug, which is often prescribed for Parkinson's disease, can cause some patients to become compulsive gamblers or addicted to sex.

11 Jul 2005

Most people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not depressed

Contrary to what you might think, most people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are not depressed. They are also not more likely to get depressed as the end of life approaches, and they are not more likely to be depressed if they want to die or hasten their own death.

11 Jul 2005

California's medical marijuana program put on hold

As a direct result of a Supreme Court ruling last month that said the U.S. government could prosecute medical marijuana use, California officials say they will stop issuing identification cards to state residents who smoke marijuana to treat medical conditions.

11 Jul 2005

Texas medical malpractice claims examined

New research published in the latest issue of Journal of Empirical Legal Studies examines Texas medical malpractice claims and finds no tort crisis.

6 Jul 2005

Helping children deal with chronic pain

One in fifty children and adolescents live with severely debilitating and recurrent pain but there is an "embarrassing" lack of data on the best ways to treat them, according to researchers.

6 Jul 2005

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

6 Jul 2005

Early detection of colorectal cancer

The largest study to date on the early detection of colorectal cancer offers benchmark data for what could be expected from large-scale use of flexible sigmoidoscopy as a screening tool for colorectal cancer.

6 Jul 2005

Exercise and back support improves balance in elderly

By wearing a unique weighted back support device and participating in a special exercise program, women over 60 with osteoporosis-caused curvature of the spine improved their balance and experienced diminished back pain, giving researchers at Mayo Clinic a promising therapy to reduce falls among this population.

6 Jul 2005

Medical brain drain from poorer to richer nations must be stopped

A doctor working in Ghana says that even though the migration of health workers from poorer to richer nations is unlikely to stop, policies must be put in place to minimise the damage it causes

4 Jul 2005

Mammography use exceeds targets although some are still reluctant

Mammography use by women over 40 is on the rise and already exceeds the target set by the government-led Healthy People 2010 initiative, according to a new study that also shows, for the first time, that breast cancer screening rises with age.

1 Jul 2005

Medical school does not prepare doctors for the reality of working life in the NHS

Over the last ten years, the BMA has tracked a cohort of 543 doctors who qualified in 1995. In the final annual survey, the doctors were asked how their working lives compared with what they had expected when they graduated from medical school.

29 Jun 2005

Patients not convinced new computer record system will be secure

Members of the public recognise the value of the Government’s plans for their health records to be centrally held on a computer, but many are still seriously concerned about the security of the new system, according to a public opinion poll published today

29 Jun 2005