Bone drugs may raise throat cancer risk

LONDON (AP) — People who take bone-strengthening drugs for several years may have a slightly higher risk of esophageal cancer, a new study suggests. The findings are in contrast to another recent study that used the same database of 80,000 patients and concluded that there was no link between the drugs and esophageal cancer. That study was published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association . Authors of the new study say they tracked patients for nearly twice as long — nearly …

Push on for safety rules after fatal Arkansas medevac crash

An air ambulance helicopter crashed into a wooded area of Arkansas early Tuesday, killing all three crewmembers and raising the death toll in the industry to 22 in the past year. The Air Evac Lifeteam chopper was flying to pick up a victim of a traffic accident when it hit trees and crashed, bursting into flames about 4:30 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Lynn Lunsford said. The pilot and two medical crewmembers died, he said. The crash, near the town of Scotland, is the latest in a surge of accidents and fatalities. The past year has seen 14 accidents involving…

More ‘empowered’ patients question doctors’ orders

In the past, most patients placed their entire trust in the hands of their physician. Your doc said you needed a certain medical test, you got it. Not so much anymore. Jeff Chappell of Montgomery, Ala., recalls a visit a couple of years ago to a Charlotte emergency room, near where the family used to live, with his wife, Jacqueline, who has adrenal failure. “I blew up loud enough for everyone in the ER to hear me explain that while we were insured, an MRI was about a $1,000 co-pay,” Chappell says. The couple knew her symptoms well (primarily stomach pain), knew that an MRI was not necessary under the circumstances and knew that a cortisone shot…

Obama’s prepares to deliver Oval Office address on Iraq

WASHINGTON — President Obama heads to Fort Bliss in Texas today to thank troops for their service before addressing the nation from the Oval Office tonight about the end of combat operations in Iraq. Obama began a jampacked, post-vacation week on Sunday when he stopped in New Orleans on his way back to Washington to mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. On Monday, Obama spoke out about the economy, urging Congress to pass a long-stalled financial aid package for small businesses when lawmakers get back from their vacations Sept. 13. On Wednesday, he’ll take on elusive Middle East peace, hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks…

Physicians use photos from patients’ cellphones to deliver ‘mobile health’

The night before his fourth birthday, Rohan Giare of Rockville rolled off his bed and gashed the bridge of his nose. Rohan’s dad, not knowing whether he should focus on getting the bleeding to stop or go immediately to the emergency room, snapped pictures of the cut with his BlackBerry and sent them to his doctor friend, Neal Sikka. “I just gave [Sikka] a ring,” Vishal Giare said, “and got initial input on how serious it might be.” Sikka, an emergency physician at George Washington University, looked at the photos and recommended a trip to the hospital. Sikka has gotten comfortable using his camera phone to make informal diagnoses for friends and…

Be skeptical of health-care credit cards

These days, you may leave your dentist’s office with more than a toothbrush and dental floss in your bag. Thousands of dentists are offering patients health-care credit cards to cover the work that needs to be done, with seemingly hard-to-resist repayment terms. If you need care and don’t have insurance to cover it or cash in hand, it’s tempting to sign up. But beware: Many of the card companies and some of the practitioners who offer them are under scrutiny for deceptive and sometimes fraudulent practices. Think hard and read the fine…

Even with malpractice insurance, doctors opt for expensive, defensive medicine

Some months ago, the receptionist in my clinic handed me a registered letter. The name of the sender seemed familiar. “Dear Sir,” the letter read. “Please be advised that this letter serves as official notice that I am considering a potential claim against you in a medical Malpractice claim in regard to my husband. . . .” I stood, stunned. My white coat, which held the daily tools of my profession — my list of patients, the Sanford antibiotic manual, a black stethoscope — felt extraordinarily heavy. While my receptionist and staff made themselves busy and waited for my reaction, I struggled to recall the patient, so many patients ago . . . and my alleged misdeed…

First tests for stem cell therapy are near

Even as supporters of human embryonic stem cell research are reeling from last week’s sudden cutoff of federal funding, another portentous landmark is quietly approaching: the world’s first attempt to carefully test the cells in people. This Story First tests for stem cell therapy are near All stem cell funding in jeopardy, NIH says Stem cell judge Royce Lamberth no stranger to controversy, independence Judge blocks stem cell rules Documents: Federal judge’s ruling (pdf) User Poll: Do benefits of research outweigh cons? View All Items in This Story View Only Top Items in This Story Scientists are poised to inject cells…

Anesthesia shortage may delay executions

A nationwide shortage of several anesthesia drugs has left several states scrambling to find enough doses to carry out lethal injections — potentially delaying executions well into next year. Kentucky announced this week that it would not be able to carry out two executions, despite pending death warrants, because the state has only enough sodium thiopental, also known as Pentothal, to perform a single lethal injection. “We have reached out to some other states, but that has not been fruitful,” said J. Michael Brown, secretary of the Justice and Public…

Judge orders strict outpatient care for Lindsay Lohan

BEVERLY HILLS (AP) — Lindsay Lohan’s judge on Wednesday laid out a path paved with therapy sessions and 12-step program meetings that could lead to the actress’s recovery and an end to a three-year-old drug case. It also would allow the starlet to return to work after spending more than a month in jail and inpatient rehab. For the next 67 days, Lohan will be expected to attend psychotherapy, drug and alcohol counseling and random drug and alcohol testing several times a week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox ordered during a hearing. If the 24-year-old star succeeds, Fox said he will allow Lohan to return to unsupervised probation and to leave Los Angeles permanently if she …

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