Health News

Is This Marlboro Country?
The Marlboro man's rugged, macho cowboy image certainly did sell a lot of cigarettes. He had men thinking, "Let's move to Austin, get on a horse and buy some cigarettes."
Thrill-Seeking Pain Management
Adolescents who start smoking are probably trying it to take a step on the wild side and leave their childhood behind, while adults who become addicted to nicotine tend to be managing their stress.
No Need to Take a Drag?
Patients who get lung cancer as a result of years of cigarette smoking have often tried (and failed) to quit on multiple occasions. Those who are able to suddenly and successfully quit after decades of smoking may be able to do so from a sinister cause.
Smoking Complicates Diabetes
Most smokers with diabetes know they have high blood sugar levels. Until recently, researchers did not know which cigarette ingredient was causing blood sugar to rise. A new study shows that nicotine may be the cause.
This Mama's Smokin'
Maternal cigarette smoking in the first trimester was associated with a 20 to 70 percent greater likelihood that a baby would be born with certain types of congenital heart defects, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is Your Brain on Drugs
People with addictions to stimulants tend to choose instant gratification or a smaller but sooner reward over a future benefit, even if the future reward is greater.
End Addiction with a Vaccine?
Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.
Second-Hand Smoke Does It Again
Past studies have shown that women smokers have a higher risk of cervical cancer. Now, new research shows that second-hand smoke may damage cells in a woman's cervix, increasing her risk of cervical cancer.
Tobacco Control
The FDA  announced that it issued its first warning letters to retailers for the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors in violation of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act). Using state inspectors who have been commissioned by the agency, the FDA visited 493 different retail establishments in Mississippi over the past three months and issued 25 warnings. Mississippi was the first state to participate in the FDA’s State Enforcement Program, which got underway in the summer of 2010 and is designed to help enforce many provisions of t...
Community Ties
Although past research has shown that children who grow up poor have an increased risk of developing health problems as adults, a new study has found that there is a good way to counter this.