HEALTH & MEDICINE

Patients who had mini-strokes have lower life expectancy than the general population according to a new Australian study.

Vitamin C is popularly known for boosting the immune system as well as helping people heal from wounds and keeping the gums healthy. But the vitamin might be good for the heart as well.

New scientific findings pointed to the likelihood that genes play a crucial role in the actual development of melanoma and up to one percent of the general Australian population are at risk, the study said.

Victoria Health Minister David Davis said on Sunday that the state will back the move by public hospitals to turnover to Fair Work Australia (FWA) the planned nurses' strike which could lead to bed closures.

Tumors have always been feared for they are often linked with cancer. With tumors disturbing the body's cell division, it's about time that modern medicine has found a way to stop the troublemaker without invasive surgery but with a drug.

Breast cancer is a battle that some of the women face every day. Full of stress, fatigue, and other mixed emotions, a fight with the disease is taxing. Unfortunately, even if the battle has been won, for some, the way may not be over as cancer is known to reoccur.

Hospitals in Australia now have lower superbug infection rates due to the National Hand Hygiene program that encourages health workers to wash their hands before and after interacting with patients.

Researchers from the Wellcome Trust’s Sanger Institute have now found the weak spot of malaria and are optimistic at the possibility of developing an efficient and effective vaccine against the dreaded disease.

Australian researchers from the University of Melbourne have developed a new technique that uses stem cells to treat Parkinson's disease.

Volunteer work to some of the teens sounds unappealing because it takes time away from their own lives. But those who spend time lending a hand to others will find another reason for volunteering aside from the joy of giving.

Figure conscious teenagers usually eat high fiber foods just to reduce their dress size to fit in to a size 0 dress, however, new research might just give the youth another reason to eat their fruits and veggies.

The brain controls most of the chemical processes in the body such as blood pressure, emotions, fight or flight reactions. A group of researchers from the Weizmann Institute, led by Dr. Gil Levkowitz, looked into the structure and the mechanism of the brain by which biochemical commands are transferred from the brain cells into the bloodstream and to other parts of the body. With this, the 'hormone of love' was discovered to have a crucial role in directing this process.

Doctors are currently exploring a new way of improving cancer treatment with a series of genetic tests. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital were able to successfully improve the treatment of non-small-call lung cancer patients using the gene tests.

Breast cancer is one of the major concerns of women all over the world with it afflicting almost anyone. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, 230,480 women are estimated to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, with 39,520 of them dying from the disease.

In vitro fertilization treatment has increased by 50 percent among women in Australia and New Zealand, but only a few of the older women are able to deliver a baby.

A new breakthrough for obese people is in the works after a new study has found that cutting off blood vessels that nourish fat tissues could destroy body fat resulting in weight loss.

Asthma, characterized by the infamous wheezing sounds that people make, is a disease that affects the breathing passages of the lungs.

A high fiber diet consisting of vegetables, fruits and whole grains are more likely to reduce the chances of teenagers getting diagnosed with heart diseases and diabetes when they hit their adult years, according to a study done by Michigan State University in East Lansing.

United States has been battling obesity ever since meals got super sized and beverage cups went up as far as 1.5 liters. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one-third of U.S. adults are obese.

As the old saying goes, "It is better to give than to receive." Most people would shrug off this proverb and keep to themselves thinking that it would be better, but there is scientific proof that people like it better when they give than receive.

Researchers are looking into the hearts of fruit flies and mice in order to detect two of the most important genes that are directly related to congenital heart defects usually found in people diagnosed with Down Syndrome.

Scientists are developing a vaccine that will enable the body to attack cancerous cells in tumours. The vaccine is opening up new possibilities and opportunities for breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients and giving them hope for survival.

Seven out the 50 subjects of a study reported having blurry vision even long after landing. The 50 subjects, who were at around age 50, were sent to the International Space Station, where they stayed for six months.

Finding ways on how to assist smokers to kick the habit can be a very tough job. Even more so, when there are viable ways on how to stop the urge to light, only a few smokers actually quit.

Alzheimer's disease is a serious matter that has got a grasp on a large population of Australia. In fact, from 267,000 Australians diagnosed with dementia today, the number can increase to 385,000 people by 2020 - up by almost 50% in just 8 years.

Indian researchers are developing an "electronic nose" that can detect tuberculosis on a person's breath. They are hoping to deliver an initial prototype to hospitals by October 2013.

Methamphetamine, more popularly called meth, is a highly addictive drug that has been the thorn at the side of society. But among the long list of negative effects that the drug has to offer to its 'host,' researchers have shown that schizophrenia is another effect that people should be worried about.

A California doctor has developed a laser procedure that turns brown eyes to blue that an eye specialist warns may be risky.

Carbon monoxide, a tasteless, colorless, and odorless gas has been known to be a silent killer as it can put whole families at risk without them ever knowing. So it would come as a shock to everyone that a study found that inhalation of the deadly gas has a good effect.