Cutting and other self-mutilation practices aren't suicide attempts, experts say

Teenagers and adults who cut or physically mutilate themselves have attracted more attention from psychiatrists in the past decade as the prevalence of such behavior has increased. Accumulating experience treating these patients, as well as better research, is altering the way experts view cutting, according to information presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn.

Unique massage therapy may help people with fibromyalgia, book author says.

People with fibromyalgia suffer from chronic pain throughout the body, especially in their joints, muscles and tendons. But research shows that exercise can make patients feel better and improve their quality of life.

Irreconcilable differences at the end of the day: Men, women and housework

Men, it's your health and happiness or hers. Women, it's your health and happiness or his. At the end of the day, if there's housework to be done (and there's always housework to be done) and you’re both employed (as almost 52% of married couples with children younger than 6 are), there's only one winner.

Could smallpox still be lurking in labs and museums?

As international health officials struggled this week to decide whether to destroy the last smallpox stockpiles, Booster Shots blogger Marissa Cevallos delved into the disease's history to remind readers about the devastation it wrought.

Don't use SimplyThick in premature infants, the FDA warns

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned parents and physicians against giving the thickening agent SimplyThick to premature infants. The product is frequently added to thin foods, such as breast milk or infant formula, to make them easier to ingest for people who have swallowing difficulties. But the agency said it has recently received 15 reports of infants who received the product developing necrotizing enterocolitis, with two deaths.

California officials nominate new board chairman for stem cell agency

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Gov. Jerry Brown today nominated Jonathan Thomas to succeed Robert Klein as chairman of the Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee -- the governing board -- of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the state's $3-billion stem cell research funding agency.  

Birth: U.S. home births increase 20% from 2004 to 2008

Home births in the United States increased 20% from 2004 to 2008, reaching their highest level since 1990, according to a study published online Friday in the journal Birth.  

'Legal highs' often caused by illegal substances, research shows

Turns out those products being marketed as producing 'legal' highs -- highs not produced by a banned substance -- are not at all what they seem, according to research published online Thursday in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis.

Rodent of the Week: A sad mouse makes scientists happy

Researchers have taken a big step forward in studying depression in humans because they have succeeded in improving a mouse model of the disease.

Live Web chat Monday: A doctor with fibromyalgia helps others with the condition

Dr. Ginevra Liptan was nearing the end of her first year in medical school when she felt a muscle tear in her neck while exercising at the gym. The injury began a frustrating odyssey of fatigue and chronic pain that was eventually diagnosed as fibromyalgia.

Horse herpes: The virus behind the outbreak

As an outbreak of highly contagious horse herpes infects horses across Western states, leaving some horses dead and prompting event organizers to cancel competitions, a closer look at the virus causing all the trouble would seem in order.

McDonald's Happy Meals and other happy lunches -- let's take a look

Ronald McDonald has been getting heat this week from an advocacy group irate at the company's continued marketing to children. The group wants the fast-food giant to retire the mascot and, perhaps more to the point, stop hawking food high in calories, fat and salt to kids.

Flame retardants detected in baby products

Eighty percent of polyurethane foam samples from 101 common baby products had detectable amounts of "potentially toxic" flame retardants, a team of scientists reported this week in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Anxiety disorder may precede diabetes in Latinos, study finds

Latinos have higher rates of diabetes than other ethnic groups. They also appear to have higher rates of having both diabetes and a mood disorder, such as anxiety or depression, according to a new study presented this week at the American Psychiatric Assn.'s annual meeting.

Three years between cervical cancer screenings appears to be safe for most women under 30

Women 30 and older who’ve been told they can safely wait three years between cervical cancer screenings can relax. Such advice appears to be true for those who’ve had normal Pap smears and negative human papillomavirus (HPV) test results.

'Go the F--- to Sleep': Good for parents? Bad for kids?

The not-for-kids picture book "Go the F--- to Sleep" by Adam Mansbach has become a viral sensation after excerpts from the book were circulated over the Internet. It appears to be wildly successful; even though it's not even out yet it's become the No. 1 book sold on Amazon.com.

Women on war front more likely to get post-traumatic stress disorder than men, study finds

Women deployed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are emerging as a group especially vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Assn.

Preparing for a zombie apocalypse? The CDC weighs in

Preparing for disasters has always been part of the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from hurricanes to flu pandemics.

Ford developing health-monitoring technology for cars

Smart phones have already supplemented the doctor’s office and personal computers as sources of health advice — and now it appears car companies are driving into the on-the-go consumer health market.

Giffords' skull surgery successful, recovery progressing, doctors say

The skull surgery performed on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to replace bone removed after she was shot in the head in January went uneventfully and she is making good progress on her recovery, surgeons at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston reported Thursday. During the 3 1/2 hour procedure, surgeons also implanted a shunt to drain away any fluid that might accumulate in the skull and cause pressure on the brain, Dr. Dong Kim, chair of the department of neurosurgery, said at a news conference.