Will circumcision be banned in San Francisco?
A circumcision ban is making its way to San Francisco ballots
/ istockphoto Voters in San Francisco will soon be able to weigh in, as a measure to ban male circumcision is on the ballot for the upcoming November election.
Will food police win war over Ronald McDonald?
McDonald's "spokesclown" Ronald McDonald at an event in Los Angeles on November 9, 2004.
/ Getty Images(CBS/AP) Should Ronald McDonald retire?
Healthy-eating activists say the 48-year-old "spokesclown" hooks kids on junk food and insist the time has come for the burger-pushing mascot to hang up his floppy shoes and clown nose.
Not so fast, says McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner. Speaking Thursday at the chain's annual meeting outside Chicago, he said recent newspapers ads calling for Ronald's ouster had prompted an outpouring of support to his office, with parents and customers asking Skinner "to defend their right to choose."
Continue »Could you survive zombie attack? CDC tells how
The end of the world will begin on Judgment Day, May 21 - if you believe radio evangelist Harold Camping.
/ flickr/gsloan(CBS) May 21st may or may not mark the end of the world, as gravelly voiced radio evangelist Harold Camping has famously predicted. But Uncle Sam is offering its help the fearful, putting together a tongue-in-cheek action plan for surviving another dreaded doomsday scenario:
A "zombie apocalypse."
PICTURES - Zombie attack? 9 ways to stay safe
"You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency," Assistant Surgeon General Dr. Ali S. Khan wrote in an article posted on the CDC website.
Continue »Prostate cancer screening overkill for some men?
Prostate cancer screenings might not need to happen as often, according to new study
/ istockphoto(CBS) Are men being screened for prostate cancer too late - and too often?
That's what some experts are wondering after the results of a new study were revealed at a medical conference on May 19. It showed that testing a man's blood for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) earlier than is now the norm could predict the risk of dying of prostate cancer decades down the road.
Continue »What's it like to eat 25,000 Big Macs?
Don Gorske savors his 25,000th Big Mac
/ AP(CBS/AP) Fast food restaurants get lots of criticism for serving up fatty, salty, calorie-dense fare. But Don Gorske has no complaints. The 57-year-old retired prison guard was just honored at his hometown McDonalds for eating his 25,000th Big Mac - a feat that took him 39 years to accomplish.
Gabrielle Giffords recovering from skull surgery
U.S. Representative from Arizona Gabrielle Giffords in February of 2010, and the space shuttle Endeavour lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, May 16, 2011.
/ AP Photo(CBS/AP) Gabrielle Giffords is recovering after surgery to repair her skull. On Wednesday doctors put a plastic implant in place to cover her brain, according to a statement from TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston.
Her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, now orbiting Earth on the space shuttle, said he was pleased. "She's doing really well. Everything went as planned," Kelly said in a Thursday morning interview. "Her neurosurgeons are very happy, she's recuperating and she's actually getting back to therapy today."
Continue »Toxic flame retardants found in baby products
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(CBS) Talk about irony. The foam padding intended to protect children in many car seats, strollers, and other baby products can contain toxic flame retardants, a new study showed.
What's killing off America's emergency rooms?
Emergency departments are closing their doors in the U.S.
/ istockphoto(CBS) Americans often take for granted that there's a hospital nearby in case they need urgent medical attention. But with the rising cost of emergency care, that may no longer be the case.
A new study shows that from 1990 to 2009, the number of emergency rooms in the U.S. plummeted from 2,446 to 1,779 - a 27-percent decline. That number includes only ERs in non-rural areas, since rural ERs typically receive federal funding that keeps them open.
Continue »Can blood test tell how long you have to live?
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(CBS) How long will you live?
That question may no longer be an idle one, as scientists say they've come up with a simple blood test that reveals your "biological age," permitting a reasonable estimate of just how soon you're likely to encounter the grim reaper.
Continue »Harmon Killebrew's death spotlights rare cancer
Harmon Killebrew in his playing days with the Twins
/ AP Photo(CBS/AP) The death of beloved baseball great Harmon Killebrew has saddened the sports world and cast a spotlight on a rare and deadly disease.
On Tuesday, esophageal cancer claimed the life of the 74-year-old Hall of Famer, who was known as much for his friendly demeanor as for his ferocious swing. Killebrew passed away peacefully at his home in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his family at his side, according to the Minnesota Twins, his team from 1961-1964.
Continue »Coffee tied to lower prostate cancer risk
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(CBS) Can sipping coffee give prostate cancer the slip?
Men who regularly drink coffee - caffeinated or decaf - are significantly less likely to develop a deadly form of the disease, according to a study published online in the May 17 issue of the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute."
Continue »Bizarre skin ailment all in the mind, study says
Morgellons has no physical basis, researchers say
/ istockphoto(CBS) It's all in their minds.
That's what doctors are saying about people with Morgellons disease, who claim to be infested with mysterious parasites that trigger itching, rashes, and creepy-crawly sensations in the skin.
Continue »Is it fair for docs to turn away fat patients?
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CBS) No fatties allowed! That seems to be the policy of some doctors in Florida - and medical ethicists are crying foul.
In a poll of 105 obstetrics-gynecology practices in South Florida, 15 said they refuse to treat even healthy patients who exceed certain weight cut-offs. Some practices set the cut-off at 200 pounds.
Continue »Will the US destroy its smallpox stash?
Smallpox vaccines might not be enough for a future bioterrorism attack
/ Wikimedia Commons(CBS/AP) One of the world's deadliest diseases might get a reprieve, as the U.S. is considering hanging on to its stockpiles of smallpox virus. They're doing so in part out of fears that smallpox could be used by terrorists - in which case having the virus on hand might speed development of treatments for the dreaded illness.
Continue »Do ADHD drugs cause heart trouble in children?
Adderall and other popular ADHD drugs don't raise risk of heart attack or stroke in kids, new study shows.
/ istockphoto(CBS) Do ADHD drugs like Adderall and Ritalin pose risks to kids' hearts? A new study suggests the answer is no, but some scientists aren't so sure.
The study - based on records of children in five states - found no increase in the risk for sometimes-deadly cardiovascular "events" like heart attack and stroke among children who take stimulant medications for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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