Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Health

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BEFORE AND AFTER Hugh and Rosemary Rawlins have put their lives back together since his 2002 brain injury, but their struggle has included her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Casey Templeton for The New York Times

BEFORE AND AFTER Hugh and Rosemary Rawlins have put their lives back together since his 2002 brain injury, but their struggle has included her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Marriage counseling is evolving to help couples survive personality changes and physical challenges.

Nicotine Gum and Skin Patch Face New Doubt

Nicotine replacements have no lasting benefit in helping smokers quit and may backfire, according to the most rigorous long-term study to date.

18 and Under

Seeing Social Media More as Portal Than as Pitfall

Researchers are looking for opportunities to identify adolescents who have problems and to provide support.

The Consumer

Project Puts Records in the Patients’ Hands

What would happen if patients were encouraged not only to review their medical records but to really own them? A research collaboration called OpenNotes has set out to answer this question.

New Clues Revealed in Studies of Stillbirth

Two studies in The Journal of the American Medical Association provide new clues, but many questions remain.

Global Update

Haiti: Cholera Epidemic’s First Victim Identified as River Bather Who Forsook Clean Water

The first Haitian to get cholera at the onset of the 2010 epidemic was almost undoubtedly a 28-year-old mentally disturbed man from the town of Mirebalais, researchers reported Monday.

Vital Signs

Childhood: Exercise Yields Dividends in the Classroom

Researchers suggest physical activity increases the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain and may lead to increased levels of norepinephrine and endorphins.

Nicotine Patch Helps Against Cognitive Impairment in Study

Mild cognitive impairment, or M.C.I., involves a decline in mental acuity noticeable by oneself and others but not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia.

Vital Signs

Herpes Vaccine Falls Short in Clinical Trial

A new vaccine, previously thought to protect uninfected women who have infected partners, has now been found useless against herpes simplex virus-2 in a double-blinded placebo-controlled trial.

Recession Holds Down Health Spending

The economic downturn reined in the growth of health spending as many people lost jobs, income and health insurance, the government said in a report.

Recipes for Health

An Apple a Day

Apple Walnut Drop Scones
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

Apple Walnut Drop Scones

They offer many health benefits, but apples are just plain delicious, too. This week they star in quick breads, a noodle kugel, a slaw and a sweet and spicy winter soup.

Columns
Personal Health

Advice From Life’s Graying Edge on Finishing With No Regrets

A new book called “30 Lessons for Living” draws from interviews with more than 1,000 older Americans from different economic, educational and occupational strata.

Really?

The Claim: Grief Can Cause a Heart Attack

In a large new study, scientists have confirmed that the so-called broken-heart syndrome is real.

Q & A

The Problem With Pacifiers

Sucking on a pacifier too much for too long, an activity associated with more ear infections and more speech and language problems, can also affect the alignment of a child’s teeth.

Observatory

Reading Body Language, Dogs Are Like Infants

How dogs in a new study responded to a woman’s greeting depended on whether she looked at them.

The Weekly Health Quiz

In the news: Yoga, brain nutrients and neck pain relief. Test your knowledge of this week’s health news.

Money & Policy »

Massachusetts Health Plan Extended to Immigrants

A ruling by the state’s highest court said that a 2009 budget that dropped about 29,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care violated the state Constitution.

Research »

F.D.A. Orders Surgical Mesh Makers to Study Risks

An advisory panel had recommended more research into implantable mesh used to treat urinary incontinence because of reports of serious injuries linked to the devices.

A Public Policy Expert Looks at the Bird Flu Threat

Laurie Garrett of the Council on Foreign Relations talks about bioterrorism and the public policy implications of a deadly bird flu threat.

Times Essentials
Reporter's File

Making Sickle Cell Disease a Manageable Illness

On most days Giovanna Poli acts like a typical 12-year-old, but she is living with sickle cell disease.

Editors' Picks

Lives Restored
People who are functioning normally despite severe mental illness.
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