Could smallpox still be lurking in labs and museums?

As international health officials struggled this week to decide whether to destroy the last smallpox stockpiles, Booster Shots blogger...

Don't use SimplyThick in premature infants, the FDA warns

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned parents and physicians against giving the thickening agent SimplyThick to premature...

California officials nominate new board chairman for stem cell agency

California Treasurer Bill Lockyer and Gov. Jerry Brown today nominated Jonathan Thomas to succeed Robert Klein as chairman of the...

Birth: U.S. home births increase 20% from 2004 to 2008

Home births in the United States increased 20% from 2004 to 2008, reaching their highest level since 1990, according to a study published...

'Legal highs' often caused by illegal substances, research shows

Turns out those products being marketed as producing 'legal' highs -- highs not produced by a banned substance -- are not at all what they...

Rodent of the Week: A sad mouse makes scientists happy

Researchers have taken a big step forward in studying depression in humans because they have succeeded in improving a mouse model of the...

Live Web chat Monday: A doctor with fibromyalgia helps others with the condition

Dr. Ginevra Liptan was nearing the end of her first year in medical school when she felt a muscle tear in her neck while exercising at the...

Horse herpes: The virus behind the outbreak

As an outbreak of highly contagious horse herpes infects horses across Western states, leaving some horses dead and prompting event...

McDonald's Happy Meals and other happy lunches -- let's take a look

Ronald McDonald has been getting heat this week from an advocacy group irate at the company's continued marketing to children. The group...

Flame retardants detected in baby products

Eighty percent of polyurethane foam samples from 101 common baby products had detectable amounts of "potentially toxic" flame retardants,...

Anxiety disorder may precede diabetes in Latinos, study finds

Latinos have higher rates of diabetes than other ethnic groups. They also appear to have higher rates of having both diabetes and a mood...

Three years between cervical cancer screenings appears to be safe for most women under 30

Women 30 and older who’ve been told they can safely wait three years between cervical cancer screenings can relax. Such advice appears...

Irreconcilable differences at the end of the day: Men, women and housework

Men, it's your health and happiness or hers. Women, it's your health and happiness or his. At the end of the day, if there's housework to be...

'Go the F--- to Sleep': Good for parents? Bad for kids?

The not-for-kids picture book "Go the F--- to Sleep" by Adam Mansbach has become a viral sensation after excerpts from the book were...

Women on war front more likely to get post-traumatic stress disorder than men, study finds

Women deployed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are emerging as a group especially vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder,...

Preparing for a zombie apocalypse? The CDC weighs in

Preparing for disasters has always been part of the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from hurricanes to flu...

Ford developing health-monitoring technology for cars

Smart phones have already supplemented the doctor’s office and personal computers as sources of health advice — and now...

Giffords' skull surgery successful, recovery progressing, doctors say

The skull surgery performed on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday to replace bone removed after she was shot in the head in January went...

Overwhelmed caregivers: Try meditation

HONOLULU -- Home-based caregivers of ill or elderly family members are under enormous physical and mental stress, but daily meditative...

Fix your aching back, rebuild your shrinking brain