Cell phones affect brain activity, study says
New research links cell phones to increased brain activity near the antenna.
/ istockphoto
(CBS) Do cell phones cause cancer? New research doesn't answer that nagging question, but it raises new concerns.
Should fat people be able to sue food industry?
Should fat people be barred from suing fast food chains for their weight problems? Some lawmakers in Minnesota think so.
/ istockphoto(CBS/AP) ST. PAUL, MINN. - Minnesota lawmakers must have a beef with fat people who blame fast food restaurants for their weight problem.
How else to explain the passage of the "cheeseburger bill?" That's what people are calling the bill - just passed by a state House panel - that would block super-sized consumers from suing fast-food chains and other food companies for their weight problems.
Continue »John Travolta bald photo: advice for hairless
John Travolta is pictured during the filming of French director Luc Besson's movie "From Paris with love."
/ LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)(CBS) Everyone can have a bad hair day. For guys like John Travolta, and your humble author, it's a bad hair life. The 57-year-old was recently snapped sans hair piece while hanging with his family on a Hawaiian beach. E! Online has the photos.
Autism: Can brain wave test speed diagnosis?
Autism may be spotted far sooner than is now possible, if experimental test becomes commercially available.
/ iStockPhoto(CBS) Is help finally on the way for doctors looking for a way to diagnose autism in infants?
Scientists in Boston say they've come up with the beginnings of a noninvasive diagnostic test - one that spots abnormal brain waves that suggest increased risk for the debilitating neurological disorder.
Continue »Schools cut lunch options for poor kids
istockphoto
(CBS) - How about a cheese sandwich? In some parts of the country, that may be the only option for public school students unable to afford school lunches. With budget cuts and a down economy, many school districts are offering bare-bones "alternative" lunches as a way to balance their budget.
Continue »YouTube Self-Mutilation Videos Shock Parents
Self cutter shows "no more" cut into flesh on YouTube.
/ YouTube(CBS/AP) YouTube is supposed to be the place for piano-playing kittens and college hijinks, but a disturbing new trend - young people cutting into their own flesh - is attracting million of viewers and becoming a growing concern for therapists that treat self mutilators, also known as "cutters."
Continue »Will health police outlaw smoking at home?
Honduras law includes clause that lets people complain about secondhand smoke in private homes.
/ istockphoto(CBS/AP) Smokers are already fuming about bans on lighting up in public places. But the health police can't stop smokers from puffing up a storm in their own homes, right?
Maybe they can, at least in Honduras.
Alzheimer's: Can bilingualism curb risk?
Bilingualism might help reduce risk for Alzheimer's, psychologists now say.
/ istockphoto(CBS/AP) - Two languages may be better than one when it comes to protecting your brain from Alzheimer's disease, recent research suggests.
The research focuses mostly on people who are truly bilingual and have been for many years, but scientists say learning a new language later in life might help.
Continue »Complex migrane: cause of Serene Branson flub?
Complex migraine is a benign condition sometimes mistaken for stroke. It's what's believed to have caused TV reporter Serene Branson's recent on-air speaking problem.
/ istockphoto(CBS) Migraines can cause more than pain. Just ask Serene Branson, the TV reporter whose recent on-air speaking difficulty is now believed to have been caused by a so-called "complex" migraine.
Continue »Conservative moms blast breast-feeding plan
Federal efforts to promote breast-feeding, including those by Michele Obama, have come under fire from Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.
/ Getty Images/Mark Wilson; Mario Tama; Mark Wilson(CBS) Breasts are suddenly a controversial topic in Washington, and political moms seem to be milking the debate for all it's worth.
As part of her campaign to reduce childhood obesity, Michelle Obama has become a strong advocate for breast-feeding, particularly among African-American women. Given the broad agreement among doctors that breast milk beats formula for infants, you might think nothing would be less controversial.
You'd be wrong.
Continue »Serene Branson had migraine, not stroke
Serene Branson's on-air speaking problem was caused not by stroke but a migraine, doctors said.
/ AP/KCBS TV
(CBS/AP) It was a migraine. That's what doctors say triggered TV reporter Serene Branson's unsettling on-air speaking gaffe while covering the Grammys last Sunday.
The TV reporter said she was terrified when it happened and knew right away something was wrong.
"Well, a very heavy burtation tonight," she said, before falling into complete gibberish.
Continue »Dwarfs in Ecuador: Key to Cancer, Diabetes?
Quito, Ecuador.
/ istockphoto(CBS/AP) They're small, but they may reveal big secrets about diabetes and cancer.
Ecuadoreans with a certain type of dwarfism almost never get either disease, and scientists think the mutant gene that stunts their growth may also block cell changes that lead to diseases of aging.
Continue »What Can Miguel Cabrera's DUI Bust Teach Us?
Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera.
/ Getty(CBS/AP) Is Miguel Cabrera hitting the bottle again? The Detroit Tigers slugger was arrested in Florida on Wednesday on suspicion of drunk driving, perhaps proving that even superstars are not immune from the twin dangers of alcohol abuse and drunk driving.
Continue »Multiple Myeloma: Can Doctors Fix Pat Williams?
(CBS) Pat Williams, the senior vice president of the Orlando Magic basketball team, is hoping doctors can put a slam dunk on what's ailing him - a lesser known cancer called multiple myeloma.
The disease isn't curable but is treatable - and Williams says he's ready to fight.
Continue »Scott Brown's Sexual Abuse Horror
(CBS/AP) WASHINGTON - Scott Brown isn't just a U.S. senator. He's also a survivor. The Massachusetts Republican says in a new book that he was sexually abused by a camp counselor and physically abused by his stepfather.
He said Wednesday that he hopes his story will inspire others to overcome similar challenges.
"My book is about overcoming obstacles," Brown said in a statement. "The physical and sexual abuse is in my book. It's a part of my life, but it certainly isn't the only part of my life story which I tell."
Continue »