Parental smoking a threat to kids' lungs, new study confirms

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A new international study of more than 20,000 children confirms that exposure to cigarette smoke before and after birth impairs their lung function and that parental smoking remains a serious public health issue.

Patients help fight most lethal cancer even after death

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pancreatic cancer killed William Schunk. Now scientists are using his body to fight back.

Exercise: Key to good sex, good sleep

(CNN) -- Everybody knows exercise is key to a good ticker and a more sleek physique. But did you know working out may improve your sex life, trigger a better night's sleep and help you stop smoking?

Heart Association sets new limit on trans fat

(AP) -- The American Heart Association has become the first big health group to urge a specific limit on trans fats in the diet -- less than 1 percent of total calories -- in new guidelines released Monday.

Early insecurity a risk factor for eating disorders

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Insecure attachment plays a key role in promoting the development of a negative body image in women with eating disorders, a new study shows. This suggests that the prevention and treatment of eating disorders might be strengthened by a greater concentration on early separation anxiety and insecure attachment to caregivers.

At-home program lowers mortality among elderly

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A training program of occupational and physical therapy individually tailored for older people living on their own not only helps them stay independent longer; it may help them live longer, too.

Success reported in new egg-freezing method

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (Reuters) -- A new method of freezing human eggs could enable many more women, particularly young cancer patients, to have children, Japanese fertility experts said on Monday.

Teamwork makes practices more like home

CONCORD, New Hampshire (AP) -- The frustration used to start on the phone.

11 cousins have stomachs removed to avoid cancer risk

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Mike Slabaugh doesn't have a stomach. Neither do his 10 cousins.

Lawsuit: Is your sunscreen doing its job?

CLEARWATER BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- How confident are you when you slather on sunscreen? What do "waterproof," "all day," "UVA/UVB protection," and "sunblock," mean to you? An important step in protecting against skin cancer, right?

Acupuncture shows promise for fibromyalgia

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Acupuncture may help relieve the symptoms of fibromyalgia, especially the fatigue and anxiety that often come with the condition, a new study suggests.

Study: U.S. smokers not being helped to quit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. smokers are not being helped to kick the habit, even though there are strategies that work, such as mass media campaigns, counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, a panel of experts reported on Wednesday.

Philly on the road to weight-loss success

CNN -- Just as Philadelphia's newly elected Mayor John Street was taking office, he got the bad news. In 2000, his city, cheesesteaks and all, earned the ranking of fattest city in the country on Men's Fitness Magazine's Fittest and Fattest Cities List.

U.S. emergency rooms in crisis, reports find

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. emergency rooms are understaffed, overwhelmed and could not cope with a crisis, whether a pandemic, attack or natural disaster, according to three reports released Wednesday.

Wealthy foreign couples travel to U.S. to choose baby's sex

(AP) -- The Chinese want boys, and the Canadians want girls. If they have enough money, they come to the United States to choose the sex of their babies.

AMA seeks waiting period for ads for new prescription drugs

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The American Medical Association said Wednesday that it will press for a waiting period before pharmaceutical companies can advertise new prescription drugs and implantable devices to give doctors more time to study the products.

Study: Amateur marathon runners risk heart trouble

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Amateur marathon runners who run less than 40 miles per week during training often show signs of cardiac dysfunction after the race and some of these abnormalities may persist for up to a month after they cross the finish line, a study shows.

LA surgeons separating conjoined twins

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Doctors began a marathon operation Wednesday to separate 10-month-old twins who were born joined from the lower chest to the pelvis.

Prozac no help for anorexia relapses, study finds

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- The anti-depressant Prozac and its generic equivalents, often prescribed for patients struggling with anorexia, do not help prevent relapses of the life-threatening eating disorder, a new study has found.

AMA wants warning labels on high-salt foods

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Too much salt is bad for you, says the American Medical Association, which wants the U.S. food industry to help reverse the trend by reducing sodium in processed and restaurant foods by at least 50 percent.