Raynaud's Disease: What is It? How to Beat it
Raynaud's Syndrome sufferers deal with pain in the hands and feet when exposed to cold. (istockphoto)
(CBS) Do your hands and feet change color and become racked with pain when exposed to the cold? If so, you may be one of the estimated 28 million people that have Raynaud's Syndrome.
That number comes from the Raynaud's Association, which says anywhere from five to ten percent of Americans may suffer from the condition, but few seek help.
Continue »Christmas is Deadliest Day of the Year: Why?
(istockphoto)
(CBS) Christmas may celebrate the birth of Jesus, but it's also the most likely day for Americans to meet their maker, literally.
That's according to a new analysis of mortality rates over the 25-year period between 1974 to 2004 which found an excess 42,325 deaths in the two week period starting with Christmas.
The deadliest days of the year were Christmas, New Years Day and Boxing Day (a secular holiday typically the day after Christmas).
Continue »Tracy Morgan on Mend after Kidney Transplant
Comedian Tracy Morgan (right) at Madison Square Garden on October 30, 2010 in New York City. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
(CBS) Tracy Morgan, star of NBC's "30 Rock," is recovering after a successful kidney transplant.
Morgan, 42, who plays a mentally unbalanced comedian on the sitcom, is taking time off from the show to recover following surgery about 10 days ago, reports Entertainment Weekly. The actor was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996.
Continue »Fatty Acid in Dairy Products Cuts Diabetes Risk
A compound in dairy fat has been linked to lower diabetes risk (iStockphoto)
(CBS) Watching your diet? If so, whole milk, butter, and cheese probably aren't regulars on your shopping list.
Should they be?
Scientists at Harvard School of Public Health have identified a fatty acid in whole dairy foods that is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. The compound, trans-palmitoleic acid, is a chemical cousin of cis-palmitoleic acid, a diabetes-blocking acid produced naturally in the liver.
Continue »Kroger Recalls Pet Food after Aflatoxin Scare
Kroger pet food recall. (CBS)
(CBS) If your pet is suddenly sluggish, doesn't want to eat, has severe or bloody diarrhea or a yellow tint in its eyes and gums, it might have eaten pet food that could contain aflatoxin, a chemical dangerous to both animals and people.
That's the news out of Kroger Co., which has just issued a recall on several lines of dog and cat food in 17 states including Alabama, Texas, Michigan and Illinois. Check the full list below.
Continue »Face Transplant Recipient Meets Donor Family
Connie Culp before and after ground-breaking face transplant surgery. (AP Photo/Cleveland Clinic)
LAKEWOOD, Ohio (CBS/AP) For two years, the woman that gave Connie Culp a new face and a new chance on life remained nameless.
Now, Culp, the nation's first face transplant patient, has finally met the family of Anna Kasper and had a chance to thank the donor's husband and children for the life changing operation.
The meeting took place over the weekend in Lakewood, Ohio, a few miles outside of Cleveland. Kasper's family decided to reveal she was the donor, so others can know the generous woman they loved.
Continue »Winter Solstice: Good News for Winter Blues?
(istockphoto)
(CBS) The 2010 winter solstice is here. For some, it's an astronomical curiosity. For others, it's about rebirth and ritual celebration. But for the estimated five percent of the population who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, the shortest day of the year means something else entirely:
The beginning of the end of the saddest time of the year.
PICTURES: Simple Help for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Continue »Hexavalent Chromium: Toxin Common in Tap Water
(istockphoto)
(CBS) Americans worried about the safety of their drinking water may have new cause for alarm.
A new study shows that tens of millions of us are drinking water contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing toxin that garnered national attention with the 2000 feature film "Erin Brockovich."
Recent tests found hexavalent chromium, a.k.a. chromium-6, in the drinking water of 31 of 35 cities tested, according to a statement issued by the Environmental Working Group, the Washingon, D.C.-based advocacy group that conducted the tests. Among the cities with the highest levels were Norman, Okla., Honolulu, and Riverside, Calif.
Continue »Lunar Eclipse: Do You Need Eye Protection?
How the moon appeared during a lunar eclipse over Indianapolis on Feb. 20, 2008. (istockphoto)
(CBS/AP) Skywatchers in North and Central America are in for a treat tonight: there will be a total lunar eclipse.
Time to break out the special eyeglasses to protect your vision? Experts say that's unnecessary.
Amygdala Damage Made Woman Fearless: Study
Venonous snakes like this viper trigger no fear in 44-year-old "SM" (istockphoto)
(CBS/AP) Most people are afraid of something. But "SM," a 44-year-old mother of three, knows no fear. Literally. And doctors say it's all because a disease damaged her amygdala (uh-MIG'-duh-luh). That's a part of the brain believed to process fear in the face of scary situations.
Snakes? No problem for SM. Ditto for scary movies, like the "The Blair Witch Project," "The Shining," and "Arachnophobia." When she visited a haunted house, it was a monster who was afraid of her.
Continue »Caffeine and Kids: Bad Combination?
Soda may keep kids up a night, a new study shows (iStockphoto.com)
(CBS) Grown-ups aren't the only ones with a caffeine habit.
About 75 percent of children between the ages of five and 12 consume caffeine daily, a new study shows. In fact, older children in the study drank the equivalent of three 12-ounce cans of soda a day.
Continue »Wal-Mart Heater Recall: What You Need to Know
Wal-Mart recalled about 2.2 million heaters like this one (Consumer Product Safety Commission)
(CBS/AP) Using an electric space heater to stay warm this winter? Better check to see if it's one of the 2.2 million heaters Wal-Mart recalled after getting reports of burn injuries and property damage from fire.
Continue »Study: Lunch at Computer, Pig Out Later?
Can lunch at your computer cause you to snack later in the day? A new study says it might. (istockphoto)
(CBS) Can hogging the computer at lunchtime cause you to pig out later in the day?
That's the suggestion of a new study from England, which showed that people who played a computer game while eating lunch ate more food later in the day.
Continue »Avastin for Breast Cancer: Life Saver or Not?
Genentech/Roche is the maker of the controversial cancer drug Avastin (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(CBS/AP) Breast cancer patients are up in arms over the FDA's recent recommendation that the drug Avastin no longer be used to treat breast cancer.
Recent studies indicate that Avastin does not affect overall survival of metastatic breast cancer patients - and causes significant side effects - but some patients credit their survival to the drug and say the FDA's action could amount to a death sentence.
Continue »Autism: Is Pollution to Blame?
Pollution from freeways may cause autism, according to new study. (istockphoto)
(CBS/AP) What causes autism? Researchers have blamed vaccines, hereditary factors, and certain heavy metals. And now they're adding another suspect to the list:
Air pollution.
That's right. A new study shows that children in families who live near freeways are twice as likely to have autism as kids who live off the beaten path.
