BAGHDAD — For an Iraqi Army soldier patrolling Baghdad’s unpredictable streets, each 12-hour shift is an exercise in terror and uncertainty.
So Ahmed Qasim pops a small white tablet called Artane to help him through his duties.
“For me, it helps me to get the job done,” he said. “I can’t bear working without taking Artane. It makes me happy and high, but I still can control myself.”
The abuse of prescription Read the rest of this entry »

Each year, 5 to 20 percent of the population gets hit with the flu virus, and more than 200,000 are hospitalized with flu complications, according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But, people can take preventive measures in the simple form of a flu vaccine.
While anyone who wants to reduce their chance of getting the flu can get vaccinated, the CDC recommendations include children 6 months to 4 years of age, school age children, Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. health regulators are reviewing the effectiveness in some patients of the widely used blood thinner Plavix, made by Sanofi-Aventis SA and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
The move comes after several studies found the blockbuster drug did not work as well in certain people possibly because patients metabolized it differently depending on their genetic makeup or their other medications, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Read the rest of this entry »

LABOUR Minister Membathisi Mdladlana went public this weekend over his family’s pain with HIV and Aids.
In an exclusive interview with the Dispatch he told how three family members had died as a result of the disease and several others were infected.
Today we bring you excerpts from the interview.
Q. What is Aids, and how has it impacted on your family?
A. The basic principle that I understand is that it eats up your Read the rest of this entry »

Sat, Oct 18, 2008
GRAND HAVEN TOWNSHIP — The falling of the leaves sometimes means falling out of shape, at least for some.
But as the cool weather begins to set in, some will be turning up the heat in the pool.
The Grand Haven Community Aquatics Center at Grand Haven High School recently released its fall program schedule to promote community fitness, said Rod Jonas, the center’s director.
“You can get a good workout in the water; it’s Read the rest of this entry »

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) — Senator
to lead a working group on insurance
coverage as part of an effort to write health-care legislation.
Kennedy, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions, said in an e-mailed statement
today that Clinton will head one of three groups in his attempt
to overhaul the U.S. health-care system. Senator
will
lead a group focusing on prevention and public health, while
Senator
of Maryland Read the rest of this entry »

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s staff Wednesday released his most detailed plan yet to tackle the state’s staggering budget deficit, calling for deep cuts to state services, hefty tax increases and a large new round of borrowing to close a projected $41.6 billion shortfall through mid-2010.
While little of the proposal was new, it included some striking elements, such as cutting billions of dollars from public school funding and Read the rest of this entry »

Brown said she expected state results by the end of the week. If they support the initial finding, they also will reveal which A-strain was responsible. Two A strains are in circulation (A-H3N2 and A-H1N1) and both can be prevented by this season’s vaccine.
Pediatric flu deaths went uncounted until five years ago, following the unexpected deaths of more than 150 children in the 2003-04 flu season. Experts blamed an aggressive A-strain of flu.
Read the rest of this entry »

Kids know where they can get drugs. They can find them in your medicine cabinet. They can trade their iPods or steal items from other kids to score a hit.
Think your kid is using that $20 to go see a movie? Or did you drive off before seeing that he and his friends went off somewhere in the parking lot to smoke pot?
Gilbert police and the Valley-based group fighting drugs, notMYkid, held a meeting Thursday night at Mesquite Junior High to warn Read the rest of this entry »

in a nationwide initiative to tackle poor nutrition and fitness in America’s youth.
on similar programs for about five years, said Tracy Hollywood, vice president of integrated marketing and communications for the council.
“This is basically the next step in our relationship,” she said. “Our local dairy councils have been doing work with various teams like the Texans, and we want to have everyone doing things consistently.”
Read the rest of this entry »