Health care spending this year has grown at its slowest rate in a half-century, a sign that people are forgoing medical care during the recession, a USA TODAY analysis of government data finds. Spending on doctors, hospitals, drugs and other medical care climbed at a 2.7% annual rate per person in the first half of 2010, the smallest increase since the ...

CHICAGO _ "Adrenal fatigue" is the sort of diagnosis that might hit home during a late-night Internet search. Do you, for example, have trouble waking up in the morning without caffeine? Do you crave salty foods? Do people seem a lot more irritating than in the past? If so, it could mean your adrenal glands are underperforming because of illness or ...

Sept. 02--When Owen Stark came to St. Louis Children's Hospital in June with severe lung disease, he had just a few days to live and even fewer options for treatment. Owen, 2, had severe pulmonary hypertension, meaning the blood vessels in his lungs were so constricted they could barely carry blood. He had to go on life support to keep his ...

Sept. 02--JACQUES BENT -- a 67-year-old father of four grown successful sons, a semi-retired taxi driver who knows the city so well he can "make a map of Miami" -- suffers from hypertension and kidney disease. His priority these days is keeping a close watch on his blood pressure, which must remain lower than most people's. "It's a lot of struggle, ...

Oklahomans who follow OU and OSU in sports recently found out they will not have to travel to more distant places to enjoy winning performances from their teams. For Oklahomans affected by cancer, the same result is on its way. The OU Cancer Institute, not yet as widely known as some university athletic and scholastic programs, will open a new state-of-the-art ...

Aug. 31--All physicians support health care reform. Those of us with just a tiny bit of common sense must be wondering why 80% of physicians are unhappy with Obamacare? Unhappy is probably too mild a term. Infuriated is more appropriate. The politicians tried to get physician support by bribing physician organizations, most notably the AMA (American Medical Association). They allowed the ...

Aug. 31--More than 100 people came out to the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy on the University of Tennessee campus Tuesday evening to learn the ins and outs of the recently passed health care reform law. The two-hour forum provided an overview of the law, outlined key provisions and reviewed the implementation time line for participants. "This is ...

Pharmacists are to initiate longterm contraception for girls and women aged 13-25 under a scheme on the Isle of Wight. Anyone given emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) will be offered a 28-day supply of the progesterone-only pill desogestrel (Cerazette). The supply will be free of charge under a patient group direction, a legal framework that allows non-medical health professionals to supply and ...