Drop in testosterone can affect sexual desire in men and women

A dizzying number of factors can conspire against sexual desire as midlife approaches: depression, medications, illness, career worries,...

How much medical testing is too much?

Midlife brings with it a host of health concerns — the risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and...

Osteopenia doesn't mean osteoporosis — so should you treat it?

As women age, they find themselves at greater risk of developing a variety of health problems. Should osteopenia be one of them?

When sex drive brakes to a stop

Think back to things you used to like that now hold no appeal to you. It could be playing with toy soldiers or marbles, or launching...

Balance doesn't have to slip away

You wobble slightly stepping off a curb, then down you go. In the second or two before you hit the pavement, you wonder what happened to...

Hope builds for treating intellectual disabilities

Slouched sideways at his desk in the front row of class, a sneakered foot jittering distractedly, Chase Brown could be any 14-year-old in...

Rodent of the Week: The brain takes micro naps

We've all had them, and scientists now know what brain glitches look like. Certain parts of the brain can briefly shut down while the rest...

Free asthma screenings are scheduled for May

Free asthma screenings will be offered in May around the country, including several in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to the...

Autism screening test could be offered to 1-year-olds

Autism treatment works best the earlier a child is diagnosed and begins therapy. A new screening test for babies at their 1-year-old check-...

It's true -- business travel may be killing you

Business travelers often complain about the exhausting and stressful rigors of being on the road (or in the air) for much of their working...

Caesarean sections are a major factor in pregnancy-related deaths, report finds

Deaths from pregnancy-related causes, which usually occur around the time of childbirth, have risen dramatically in the United States in the...

Chernobyl: 25 years after the disaster, debate over health effects remains

Twenty-five years ago Tuesday, a catastrophic explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine spewed nuclear fuel into the air.  Over...

Botox blunts emotional understanding, study finds

Botox injections can erase the effects of years of emotional expression on a person's face. But the cosmetic procedure...

Medical students (still) shun internal medicine, study finds

Study after study has shown that as the U.S. population ages and suffers more obesity-related health problems, there may not be enough...

E-cigarettes will get FDA oversight as tobacco products

The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that it will act to ensure the government's right to impose marketing,...

FDA approves meningitis vaccine for 9-month-old infants

A meningitis vaccine already in use has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for children as young as 9 months old. 

Tai chi improves mood, quality of life for patients with systolic heart failure

If you're suffering from chronic systolic heart failure, tai chi may help.

Pediatricians want better chemical laws, but evidence always a problem

Toxic chemicals are endangering children, and the government isn’t doing enough to protect them—that’s the gist of a...

Starting Chantix earlier may help smokers quit

The smoking-cessation drug Chantix may work better if people take it several weeks before trying to quit, a new study has found.

New study adds to concerns about animal-to-human resistance to antibiotics

Yet another study has found stuff you don't want to eat in stuff that you eat.

Making a better artificial intestine

Scientists have long grown cells in flat dishes, which is handy if you're studying flat tissues. But organs have bulges and ridges and other...

A cadaver gets under her skin

We enter the gross anatomy lab at 8 a.m. and spend the next two-and-a-half hours palpating bodies, cutting through skin and subcutaneous...

Fascinating facts: Inside the human body

There was a certain ignorance I had about the body before dissecting it. Some of what I've learned was surprising, disconcerting and...

Broader definition of Alzheimer's could help doctors diagnose it earlier

For the first time in 27 years, health authorities have expanded the definition of Alzheimer's disease.

Alleviating season allergy symptoms naturally

It's hard to feel upbeat about spring weather if you suffer from seasonal allergies. While other people can spend all day outside without...

My Turn: What to expect when we're not yet expecting

According to Resolve, the National Infertility Assn., one in eight U.S. couples of child-bearing age is diagnosed with infertility. Two...

Calcium might be tied to heart attack risk, but evidence still weak

Calcium supplements appear to slightly raise the risk of heart attack, a new analysis suggests. But the data, from...

Genetic counselors help patients understand DNA issues

Heather Spear and William Hanberg sit with their daughter EmmaRose in an examination room at UCLA. At 21/2, EmmaRose is snuggly and...

Do-it-yourself DNA testing: A risk or a right?

There are plenty of medical tests that consumers can give themselves at home — tests to finds out if they are pregnant, if they have a...