05/15/2008

Physician told staff at Texas veteran hospital to limit post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses
The physician in charge of the post-traumatic stress disorder program at a medical facility for veterans in Temple, Texas, told staff members to refrain from diagnosing PTSD because so many veterans were seeking government disability payments for the condition.

05/13/2008

Families make case for vaccine link to autism
WASHINGTON – Parents claiming that childhood vaccines cause autism should not be rewarded by the courts when the scientific community has already rejected any link, government lawyers argued Monday on the first day of a hearing in federal court.

05/12/2008

Families make case for vaccine link to autism
WASHINGTON – Parents claiming that childhood vaccines cause autism should not be rewarded by the courts when the scientific community has already rejected any link, government lawyers argued Monday on the first day of a hearing in federal court.

05/10/2008

Frisco mom works to save defective hearts

KYE R. LEE/DMN

When Sheila Elliott took the physical agility test to be a paramedic, she had much more at stake than securing a spot. It was about saving a life – her son's.
Video: Relying on faith
Photos: The Elliott family

05/09/2008

Flu vaccine makers to set new doses record for next season
Flu vaccine manufacturers expect to make a record number of doses for next flu season despite concerns that demand may drop because this year's vaccine was largely ineffective.

Suicide rate among doctors thought to be higher than that of general populus
An estimated 300 to 400 U.S. doctors kill themselves each year – a suicide rate thought to be higher than in the general population, although exact figures are hard to come by.

05/08/2008

Sinkhole in small Texas town gobbling up equipment
A massive sinkhole that has swallowed oilfield equipment, telephone poles and vehicles grew overnight but isn't much closer to the main road running through this small town, officials said Thursday.

05/07/2008

Arbitrator upholds vote to establish nurses' union at Tenet hospital in Houston
Texas affiliate of the National Nurses Organizing Committee/California Nurses Association voted March 27 to organize nurses at Tenet Healthcare Corp.'s Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center in Houston.

Minyard giving free prenatal vitamins to pregnant women
The Coppell-based supermarket chain said its free offer is for 12 months, including three months after delivery, and is part of its new community-based "Start Life Healthy" initiative.

05/06/2008

Richardson City Council expected to vote next week on revised smoking ordinance
For the second week in a row, council discussion went late into the night on Monday over the smoking issue. And while the council remains deeply divided on whether to enact some of the toughest smoking rules in North Texas, a slim majority appears to have come to a resolution on what will be included in a ban.

Study: Restaurant tobacco bans influence teen smoking
BOSTON – A Massachusetts study suggests that restaurant smoking bans may play a big role in persuading teens not to become smokers.

05/05/2008

Concern voiced about proposed new version of OxyContin
Purdue Pharma LP contends that adding a plastic-like coating to the tablets makes the drug sometimes called "hillbilly heroin" harder to crush and snort or inject. But advisers to the Food and Drug Administration called for more testing.

FDA study finds risks with insulin pumps
CHICAGO – Insulin pumps, used by tens of thousands of teenagers and others with Type 1 diabetes, can be risky and have been linked to injuries and even deaths, a study by federal regulators found.

Problems with imports include tainted seafood, banned drugs
WASHINGTON – In March, inspectors checking Chinese seafood arriving at U.S. ports made some unsettling discoveries: fish infected with salmonella in Baltimore and Seattle and shrimp with banned veterinary drugs in Florida.

05/03/2008

Reports show systemic abuse at Texas' psychiatric hospitals
In all, 72 employees across Texas' 10 state mental hospitals have been fired in the last three years for allegations of physical abuse, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of state personnel records.