Health News

Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years

Healthcare workers at a hospital. A Belgian man thought to have been in a coma for 23 years has told of his "second birth" after doctors realised he was in fact conscious, a German weekly reported Monday.(AFP/File/Simon Maina)
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AFP/File
AP - Mon Nov 23, 9:31 PM ET

BRUSSELS - For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

Weight Loss News

  • Appalachia, Southeast Hit Hardest by Obesity and Diabetes HealthDay - Mon Nov 23, 1:38 AM ET

    THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- While rates of obesity are climbing across America, they are especially high in sections of Appalachia and the Southeast, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports in its first county-by-county survey.

  • Obesity in adolescence may increase girls' MS risk Reuters - Fri Nov 20, 11:15 AM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A woman's risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) during her lifetime is doubled if she was obese at age 18, new research shows.

  • A resident is photographed Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 walking around downtown Lexington, Miss., in Holmes County. The first national statistics that look at obesity on the county level show that Mississippi has three counties among the worst in the nation, Humphreys, Jefferson and Holmes. High rates of obesity and diabetes were reported in more than in about 75 percent of counties in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
    US survey shows southern counties most obese AP - Thu Nov 19, 9:31 PM ET

    ATLANTA - The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia. High rates of obesity and diabetes were reported in more than 80 percent of counties in the Appalachian region that includes Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia, according to the new research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sexual Health News

  • One in Four Teen Girls Have STDs HealthDay - 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

    MONDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- As many as one in four U.S. teenage girls have had a sexually transmitted disease (STD), many infected soon after their first sexual encounter, a new government report shows.

  • Shocking Treatment Helps Erectile Dysfunction LiveScience.com - Mon Nov 23, 8:36 AM ET

    If you experience impotence, instead of a little blue pill maybe you want to apply shockwaves to your privates instead.

  • Spray May Delay Ejaculation HealthDay - Mon Nov 23, 1:39 AM ET

    THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A spray touted as the first potential treatment for premature ejaculation has proved effective in a second study, according to the company that developed it.

Medications/Drugs News

  • Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 23, 2009 HealthDay - 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

    (HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

  • Asthma Combo Seems Less Influenced by Genes HealthDay - Mon Nov 23, 1:38 AM ET

    THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- People's genetic makeup has been shown to affect how they respond to asthma medications, but a new study finds that many people respond well to a particular combination treatment regardless of their genes.

  • Clinical Trials Update: Nov. 20, 2009 HealthDay - Sun Nov 22, 11:49 PM ET

    (HealthDayNews) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of ClinicalConnection.com:

Parenting/Kids News

  • Smoking During Pregnancy, Lead Exposure Raise ADHD Risk in Kids HealthDay - 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

    MONDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy or who were exposed to lead have more than double the risk of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as other children, new research shows.

  • Day Care Boosts Kids' TV Time HealthDay - 1 hour, 28 minutes ago

    MONDAY, Nov. 23 (HealthDay News) --Young children of working parents may watch even more television every day than previous reports have found, especially kids in home-based day-care settings, a new study finds.

  • Don't kiss Santa, he may have the flu: Hungary government Reuters - Mon Nov 23, 4:22 PM ET

    BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Santa Claus should avoid kissing children and shaking their hands to prevent spreading the flu and should get vaccinated against the illness, Hungary's state health authority said.

Seniors/Aging News

  • Health care reform may hurt hospital credit Reuters - Mon Nov 23, 2:45 PM ET

    NEW YORK (Reuters) - High-cost urban U.S. hospitals may face debt rating downgrades if large cuts to Medicare funding are implemented as part of U.S. health care reform, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday.

  • Diet, Cognitive Ability May Play Role in Heart Disease HealthDay - Mon Nov 23, 1:39 AM ET

    THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and who have good cognitive function are much less likely to die from heart disease than those who have poorer cognitive function and eat fewer fruits and vegetables, a new study has found.

  • U.S. House votes to boost Medicare pay to doctors Reuters - Thu Nov 19, 5:28 PM ET

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to boost Medicare payments to physicians in a move that could help shore up support from doctors for a sweeping Democratic-backed healthcare overhaul.

Diseases/Conditions

Most Popular Health News

  • Healthcare workers at a hospital. A Belgian man thought to have been in a coma for 23 years has told of his "second birth" after doctors realised he was in fact conscious, a German weekly reported Monday.(AFP/File/Simon Maina)
    Belgian says he was alert but mute for 23 years AP - Mon Nov 23, 9:31 PM ET

    BRUSSELS - For 23 torturous years, Rom Houben says he lay trapped in his paralyzed body, aware of what was going on around him but unable to tell anyone or even cry out.

  • Study: kids watching hours of TV at home daycare AP - Mon Nov 23, 6:35 AM ET

    SEATTLE - Parents who thought their preschoolers were spending time in home-based day cares, taking naps, eating healthy snacks and learning to play nicely with others may be surprised to discover they are sitting as many as two hours a day in front of a TV, according to a study published Monday.

  • Spray May Delay Ejaculation HealthDay - Mon Nov 23, 1:39 AM ET

    THURSDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- A spray touted as the first potential treatment for premature ejaculation has proved effective in a second study, according to the company that developed it.