Study: Estrogen use can raise breast cancer risk

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Women who take estrogen-only pills for at least 15 years run a markedly higher risk of developing breast cancer, according to a study of nearly 29,000 nurses. But no increased danger was found among those who took the hormone for less than 10 years.

Report: 2 million babies die in first 24 hours each year

(CNN) -- An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, according to a new report.

Senate Democrats block medical liability bills

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Democrats on Monday blocked Republican medical malpractice legislation during the GOP's opening session of a "health week" of proposals designed to win support from conservative voters -- if not passage.

CDC wants HIV tests for everyone

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Testing for the AIDS virus could become part of routine physical exams for adults and teens if doctors follow new U.S. guidelines expected to be issued by this summer.

'Fat Man Walking' nears end of cross-country trek

FAIRFIELD, New Jersey (AP) -- Steve Vaught may have lost more than 100 pounds on his walk across the country, but he says he's gained something else: peace of mind.

Lesbians' brains respond like straight men

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lesbians' brains react differently to sex hormones than those of heterosexual women.

Doctors: Have emergency birth control Rx on hand

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Get an advance prescription for emergency contraception so it will be on hand if you need it, the nation's largest gynecologist group advised women Monday.

Study: DNA marker linked to prostate cancer risk

NEW YORK (AP) -- Scientists have identified a common genetic marker that signals a 60 percent heightened risk of prostate cancer in men who carry it, and it may help explain why black men are unusually prone to the disease, a new study says.

Supermarkets urge families back to dinner table

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- For working parents and heavily scheduled school kids, family mealtime is as out of fashion as the scene in Norman Rockwell's iconic Thanksgiving supper painting.

Government makes final drug plan push

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government has added 6,000 operators, quadrupled its computer capacity for enrollment and will assist with more than 1,000 events in the week ahead as part of a final push for signing people up for the Medicare drug benefit.

Inside the autistic mind

(Time.com) -- The road to Hannah's mind opened a few days before her 13th birthday.

150 years of Freud

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- At the Cafe Freud, a whimsical watering hole two doors down from the apartment where Sigmund Freud plumbed the human psyche, a world-famous poster commands instant attention.

CDC reports more eye infections

CHICAGO (Reuters) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday said it has confirmed 102 cases of a serious eye infection that has hurt the fortunes of eye products maker Bausch & Lomb.

EU: Popular sugar substitute safe

ROME, Italy (AP) -- European food safety experts have good news for dieters with a sweet tooth, announcing Friday that the popular sugar substitute aspartame does not raise the risk of cancer.

Newspaper: Kaiser slow in transferring transplant patients

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Kaiser Permanente's speedy rollout of a vast new kidney transplant program in 2004 overwhelmed regulators with paperwork, putting organs out of reach for hundreds of patients, a newspaper reported Friday.

Eleven a key age for obese children

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Children who are overweight or obese by the age of 11 are likely to carry their excess weight into adulthood and to suffer from related health problems, researchers said on Friday.

Folic acid raises chance of IVF twins

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Folic acid does not improve the chances of achieving a pregnancy but scientists said on Friday it can increase the odds of twins when two embryos are transferred during fertility treatment.

Study: Waiting can hurt

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Anyone who's ever taken a preschooler to the doctor knows they often cry more before the shot than afterward.

Online video brings the gym home

DALLAS, Texas (AP) -- Tired of the commute to the gym? Embarrassed to be seen sweating in public? Bored with your workout video?

Bullying sidelines overweight kids, study says

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Overweight children who are victims of bullying are less likely to engage in physical activity, new research suggests. Dr. Eric A. Storch, who led the study said: "The health implications of this are clear in that these youth will receive less activity," making it more difficult for them to shed pounds.