People with depression get slower ER care for heart attacks

Heart disease and depression often go together, for reasons that physicians don't really understand. So it would seem an especially bitter pill that patients with depression who are suffering from heart attacks get slower care at emergency rooms.

Diabetes can take six years off your life by increasing risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer, study says

A 50-year-old with Type 2 diabetes will lose an average of six years of life as a result of the disease, only one less than would be lost by a long-term smoker of the same age, researchers reported Wednesday.

FDA to remove unapproved cough and cold medicines

The Food and Drug Administration plans to remove some unapproved prescription cough, cold and allergy medicines now sitting on store shelves, the agency announced Wednesday.

Serena Williams suffers pulmonary embolism

A representative for Serena Williams told reporters Wednesday that the tennis star was receiving treatment for a pulmonary embolism she suffered last week.  Here's what that means: 

Depression is often successfully treated by talk therapy

Depression is a common illness, and there are many forms of treatment. While antidepressant medications are highly popular and often work well, patients should not underestimate the power of non-pharmaceutical approaches.

Opioid pain relievers such as Vicodin, OxyContin increase risk of birth defects, CDC warns

Consuming opioid pain relievers such as codeine, oxycodone or hydrocodone just before pregnancy or early in pregnancy increases the risk of certain birth defects, especially congenital heart defects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Wednesday.

About two-thirds of older adults may have hearing loss, but blacks could be at lower risk

If you're older, chances are you're at a higher risk for hearing loss -- in a recent study about 63% of adults over 70 had it. But the same study found that being black may have a protective effect. While about 64% of whites in the study showed some hearing loss, only 43% of blacks did.

'Fake' pot possession and sales banned by DEA

Sales and possession of Spice, Blaze and other "fake" marijuana products were outlawed for at least a year Tuesday by a federal agency that expressed concern about teens being harmed by smoking such products, according to an announcement.

Diagnosing Charlie Sheen, from afar

Last month, when actor Charlie Sheen was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain, his camp reported that he had a hiatal hernia. 

Positive thinking had positive outcomes for some heart patients, study says

Optimism might be hard to maintain in the face of serious heart disease. But a new study suggests that thinking good thoughts might help with long-term recovery.

High blood pressure medications lower risks in heart patients -- even those without hypertension

High blood pressure often goes hand-in-hand with heart disease. But some people with heart disease don't have hypertension. Those people, however, may still benefit from taking medications to treat high blood pressure, according to an analysis published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

National Pancake Day: How menu labeling laws could ruin it for you

Happy National Pancake Day!

Sugary soft drinks: How much is too much?

Sugary soft drinks are in the news again, this time linked to raised blood pressure. Added sugars in sodas, for example, have no nutritional value and pack on the calories. And though Americans hear the refrain over and over to cut back, they may not know by how much.

Sugary drinks and high blood pressure -- a link?

I expect consequences from drinking lots of sugary sodas. Like: unneeded calories, possible spikes in blood sugar, slow but steady erosion of tooth enamel (if those oft-repeated science fair projects with the teeth in the plastic cup of Coke are to be believed) and caffeine jitters.

Obese? Sometimes you just have to hear it from someone in a white coat to believe it

It's not nice to call someone fat. That's a simple rule of thumb, repeated by parents of small children everywhere. For physicians, however, it's a social nicety that must be set aside if they are to act in the best interests of an overweight or obese patient.

If your mother has Alzheimer's disease, your brain is at greater risk, researchers say

Besides age, the biggest risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease is having a parent or other first-degree relative with the condition. A new study adds to growing evidence that inheriting it from your mother is much worse than inheriting it from your father.

Pediatrician group seeks ban on tanning devices for children, teens

Teens and tanning beds aren't a healthy mix, says the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group urges banning children and teens from using indoor tanning devices because of an increased risk of skin cancer.

End-of-life decisions can take a toll on surrogate decision-makers

End-of-life medical decisions, such as whether to stop treatment or discontinue life support, are often difficult for friends or relatives of an incapacitated patient. The surrogate decision-maker may wonder what the patient would have wanted or may have to deal with other friends' or relatives' varying opinions. A study published Monday finds that some surrogate decision-makers suffer from the experience for months or years.

Children's fevers not a reason to panic, pediatricians' report says

Fever in a child is scary for parents. It doesn't matter how high the temperature is. If it's low, you're worried it's going to rise. If it's high, you're worried about why it's so high and what you should do about it.

Talk Back: Who should get dibs on kidneys? Healthier people? Sicker people?

First come, first served. That's one way of looking at our current kidney-transplantation system, with people who have spent a long time on the transplant-waiting list getting an edge in the organ lottery.  But there aren't enough organs to go around, and the nation's organ-transplant experts want to make the most of the ones that are available.