Health and Wellness

Sex-changing treatment for kids: It's on the rise

A small but growing number of teens and even younger children who think they were born the wrong sex are getting support from parents and from doctors who give them sex-changing treatments, according to reports in the medical journal Pediatrics.

Hepatitis C deaths up, baby boomers most at risk

Deaths from liver-destroying hepatitis C are on the rise, and new data shows baby boomers especially should take heed — they are most at risk.

Hall foundation gives $10.5 million donation

The Hall Family Foundation has given $10.5 million to support the University of Kansas Cancer Center's efforts to be designated a National Cancer Institute.

State report on Weldon Spring risks criticized

Health advocates and scientists are criticizing a new state report on leukemia risks near a radioactive waste storage site in St. Charles County.

More public schools dish up 3 meals a day

Too often it is after the fact that teachers discover their students are worrying less about math and reading and more about where the next meal comes from. So Doug White, principal of Garfield Elementary School in inner-city Kansas City, was relieved when his school, like many across the country, began offering dinner to students enrolled in after-school child-care or tutoring programs.

Officials warn against co-sleeping after 4 deaths

Officials in a central Indiana county hope parents will recognize the dangers of co-sleeping after four healthy infants died this year.

Johnson & Johnson recalls infant Tylenol

Recall-plagued Johnson & Johnson is pulling all infant Tylenol off the U.S. market because some parents have had problems with redesigned bottles, introduced three months ago, that the company touted as a big safety improvement to make measuring doses easier.

HHS secretary touts health IT initiative

After some convincing, the U.S. health care industry has been moving more toward online record keeping, thanks in part to about $3 billion in federal stimulus funds, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Friday.

Mylan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette settle lawsuits

Generic-drug company Mylan and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced Friday they have settled two lawsuits stemming from a series of stories that prompted a U.S. Food and Drug Administration review.

Gilead shares sink after study announcement

Gilead Sciences Inc.’s shares plunged Friday after the drugmaker said a promising hepatitis C treatment it acquired as part of the $11 billion Pharmasset purchase may need help from other drugs to effectively treat some patients.

System to catch fake drugs has idled for years

The news this week that a fake version of the cancer medicine Avastin has made its way into the United States highlights a longtime concern: There are few safeguards to make sure fake drugs can be spotted before they make it to your doctor's office.

Ohio couple get 8 years each in son's cancer death

The parents of an 8-year-old boy who died from Hodgkin lymphoma after suffering for months from undiagnosed swollen glands were sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday following their guilty pleas to denying him medical treatment.

Cancer doctor admits dispensing unapproved drugs

A St. Louis-area cancer doctor with offices in southwestern Illinois has pleaded guilty in Missouri to a federal misdemeanor linked to his alleged giving of misbranded, unapproved chemotherapy drugs from overseas to his patients.

Bird flu still a menace in Asia and beyond

Thought bird flu was gone? Recent human deaths in Asia and Egypt are a reminder that the H5N1 virus is still alive and dangerous, and Vietnam is grappling with a new strain that has outsmarted vaccines used to protect poultry flocks.

Government panel favors some WTC cancer claims

A $2.76 billion aid program for people sickened by World Trade Center dust should be expanded to include those who have at least some types of cancer, members of a government advisory panel said Thursday.

GOP senators unveil new Medicare overhaul plan

Two Republican senators unveiled a Medicare overhaul Thursday that features an accelerated transition to private health insurance for many seniors, a gradual increase in the eligibility age, and higher premiums for middle-class and upper-income retirees.

Critics see government meddling in school lunch swap

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — It was a tale of government meddling that outraged radio talk show hosts and a pair of Congress members: A 4-year-old was forced to dump her packed lunch and eat a state-dictated cafeteria lunch of chicken nuggets. Now school officials are blaming a teacher’s error in making sure the child had a nutritious meal.