HealthNewsReview.org Recent Reviews

Evidence a high-fat diet works to treat epilepsy

Tue, 6 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(3 stars)
A formerly controversial high-fat diet has proved highly effective in reducing seizures in children whose epilepsy does not respond to medication, British researchers are reporting.

Foreign Clinics Lure Americans With Unproven Treatments

Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(4 stars)
On a slick Web page, a hale, gray-haired man held a little girl's hand in a lush green field. "Adult Stem Cell Therapy. New Hope. New Life," the page beckoned, encouraging heart patients to plunk down $35,000 to travel to Bangkok, Thailand—for an unproven treatment.

Problems spur FDA caution on insulin pump

Mon, 5 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(4 stars)
Insulin pumps are used by tens of thousands of teenagers worldwide with Type 1 diabetes, but they can be risky and have been linked to injuries and even deaths, a review by federal regulators finds.

Genes offer predictions on leukemia

Thu, 1 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(1 star)
Leukemia patients might be better-equipped to make difficult decisions thanks to new research that shows differences between those who will do well with standard chemotherapy and those who need more-aggressive treatment.

Cochlear implants help high school junior excel in band, academics

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(2 stars)
If it weren't for Ethan Priddy's bionic ears, he might never have built a robot. At least that's what his mother, Glenda Beckham, said.

Gene Holds Hope for a Blindness Cure

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(3 stars)

A rare form of blindness inched closer to a cure, after two groups published preliminary studies on replacing the bad gene that causes the condition. The results are likely to boost the prospects of gene therapy, a technique that shows promise but has yet to prove it can be used to cure many diseases.

Reversing blindness

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(1 star)
For the first time ever, researchers have used gene therapy to reverse blindness in children and young adults.

The dark side of eye surgery

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(2 stars)
The potential risks and benefits of Lasik eye surgery is under review by the FDA. Dr. Jon LaPook reports on what happens when the popular procedure yields unexpected results.

Is Lasik surgery safe?

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(4 stars)
If you talk to most people who have had Lasik eye surgery, they will rave about finally being able to see without glasses or contact lenses. But for a minority, the surgery has had disastrous results.

Heart risk in ADHD drugs

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(4 stars)
Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, and other stimulants commonly prescribed to treat ADHD can increase blood pressure and heart rate.

A new reason to frown

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(1 star)
Does Botox get into the brain? Troubling research contradicts earlier findings about the treatment.

The Bypass Effect on Diabetes, Cancer

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(4 stars)
It's pretty well known to doctors that the most successful treatment for obesity is surgery, especially the gastric bypass operation. But here's something the medical world is just realizing: that the gastric bypass operation has other even more dramatic effects. It can force type 2 diabetes into almost instant remission and it appears to reduce the risk of cancer.

The promise of proton-beam therapy

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(4 stars)
This radiation treatment for cancer pinpoints tumors with precision -- but not everyone can get it.

The Kanzius Machine: A Cancer Cure?

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500

(1 star)
(This segment aired on 60 Minutes, not the CBS Evening News.) If clinical trials pan out-and there's still a long way to go-the Kanzius machine will zap cancer cells all through your body without the need for drugs or surgery and without side effects. None at all. At least that's the idea.