LONDON (AP) — Doctors have long assumed that most antidepressants are interchangeable. But according to a new study, Zoloft and Cipralex work slightly better than 10 other popular drugs, and should be psychiatrists’ first choice for patients with moderate to severe depression.
Previous research found few differences between antidepressants. A U.S. government study in 2006 concluded that patients with major depression did equally well on different Read the rest of this entry »

Eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting down on calories and carbohydrates and increasing exercise are all-important parts of any healthy diet. But according to new research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, a low-carbohydrate diet burns more excess liver fat than a low-calorie diet.
Researchers in the small clinical study found that people on low-carbohydrate diets are more dependent on the oxidation of fat in the Read the rest of this entry »

Better fitness, less paper are police department goals
Chief Dial is out of town this week, and it’s my pleasure to fill in for him. I enjoy occasionally writing these columns because it’s fun to share some “inside” information about the Naperville Police Department.
These are interesting times for all of us, not just in Naperville but throughout the country and the world we’re connected to. And I mean “interesting times” in the sense of Read the rest of this entry »

February 17, 2009 09:42:00
A new report says people living in regional areas have poorer dental health than those in capital cities.
The study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows people from outside capital cities have lower access to dental care and preventative programs.
The report called “Geographic variation in oral health and use of dental services in the Australian population 2004-06″ indicated people outside major Read the rest of this entry »

“It was winter, and I thought maybe they didn’t go outside because of the weather,” said Barros, now an assistant professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Children’s Hospital in New York City. “I had a headache.”
In fact, the children always had one 10-minute break but were not allowed to talk and had to stay in their chairs. There was nowhere for the kids to go outside and play, the teacher explained.
documenting Read the rest of this entry »

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – For people who have type 2 diabetes, a low-glycemic index diet is significantly better than a high-fiber diet for keeping blood glucose levels down, researchers report
Glycemic index, or GI, refers to how rapidly a food causes blood sugar to rise. High-GI foods, like white bread and potatoes, tend to spur a quick surge in blood sugar, while low-GI foods, such as lentils, soybeans, yogurt and many high-fiber grains, produce Read the rest of this entry »

PRAGUE, Jan 23 (Reuters) – The health of former Czech President Vaclav Havel, in hospital with serious lung problems, has improved in recent days but it is still unclear when he will be discharged, doctors said on Friday.
They said the 72-year old former anti-communist dissident and playwright no longer needed the oxygen mask he used after throat surgery and an inflammation in his chronically ill lungs last week.
“The health of ex-President Havel Read the rest of this entry »

With multiple demands on their time, women tend to give their health short shrift, health experts say. It is a classic situation of a caretaker forgetting to take care of herself.
“As nurturers, we give and give and give, and along the way we deplete ourselves,” says nurse Kathy Carley-Spanier, director of community health at Greenwich Hospital.
The hospital will host its first Women’s Health Fair on Friday. There will be several speakerscovering Read the rest of this entry »

MEN are born with a highly tuned infidelity detector designed by nature to help them ensure they are supporting their genetic offspring and not those of an interloper.
It’s so sensitive, though, that suspicious men are prone to see cheating when it doesn’t exist, according to US evolutionary biologists.
The new findings fit with statistics reported yesterday in The Australian that one in five fathers who seek private paternity tests have their Read the rest of this entry »

ScienceDaily (Nov. 13, 2008)
— Treating a common heart rhythm disorder by burning heart tissue with a catheter works dramatically better than drug treatments, a major international study has found.
One year after undergoing a treatment called catheter ablation, 75 percent of patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation were free of symptoms. By comparison, only 21 percent of those treated with drugs were symptom-free. Results Read the rest of this entry »