It tastes bland and can be a tough daily regimen to follow, so it’s not the ideal medicine for high blood pressure. But a low-salt, heart-healthy diet is staging a comeback as some 60-plus drugs fail to rein in staggering rates of hypertension in the United States.

People often miss meals because they get busy or are trying to lose weight. But how you skip meals, and the amount you eat at your next meal, can affect your overall health. The scientific data on skipping meals has been confusing. In some studies, fasting has resulted in measurable metabolic benefits for obese people, and in animal studies, intermittent feeding and fasting reduces

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Pregnant women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day have twice the risk of having a miscarriage as those who avoid caffeine, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Even though people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be at increased risk for depression, the subject is rarely discussed with their doctors, says a U.S. study that included 200 RA patients at four rheumatology clinics.

NEW YORK — The World Health Organization warned in a new report Thursday that the "tobacco epidemic" is growing and could claim 1 billion lives by the end of the century unless governments dramatically step up efforts to curb smoking.

9 empowering things you can do to tone down that "ugh" feeling

CHICAGO — Baby shampoos, lotions and powders may expose infants to chemicals that have been linked with possible reproductive problems, a small study suggests. The chemicals, called phthalates, are found in many ordinary products including cosmetics, toys, vinyl flooring and medical supplies. They are used to stabilize fragrances and make plastics flexible. In the study, they were found in elevated levels in the urine of babies who'd been recently shampooed, powdered or lotioned with baby products.

TUESDAY, Feb. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Direct exposure to the World Trade Center terrorist attacks boosted behavioral problems in preschoolers, new research shows. The study, by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, included 116 children averaging about 4 years of age who lived in or attended preschool in lower Manhattan at the time of the 2001 attacks.

LONDON - British scientists say they have created human embryos containing DNA from two women and a man in a procedure that researchers hope might be used one day to produce embryos free of inherited diseases.

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) — Makers of vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements taken by millions of Americans must meet new government standards to show the products are free of contamination and contain exactly what the label says, United States health officials said Friday.

In the time you spend each morning calibrating your hair gel, you could be doing something more important, with a much better payoff: eating breakfast. Mom was right (and it's okay to admit it): Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Immunizations, also called vaccinations, help protect you or your child from diseases. When you are given an immunization, you receive a vaccine that contains fragments of a disease organism or small amounts of a weakened disease organism. The vaccine causes your immune system to develop antibodies that can subsequently recognize and attack the organism if you are exposed to it. Sometimes an immunization does not completely prevent the disease, but it will significantly reduce its severity.

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite that's transmitted by mosquitoes. The illness results in recurrent attacks of chills and fever, and it can be deadly. Although malaria has been virtually eradicated in countries with temperate climates, it's still prevalent in tropical and subtropical countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Central America. Evolving strains of drug-resistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes continue to make this disease a global health issue. Malaria remains one of the world's leading infectious killers, particularly of children in sub-Saharan Africa.

People who snore are more likely to develop chronic bronchitis, the hacking cough most often associated with cigarette smoking or breathing polluted air, Korean researchers reported on Monday.

Indulging in a gluttonous hours-long dinner, especially one that includes dessert and drinks, can leave you with barely enough energy to stumble to the couch in time for football. But it's not just the extra calories that make you feel drowsy on Thanksgiving. Here are four reasons the holiday can leave you feeling so sleepy:

According to a new study, even doctors fall prey to common medical misconceptions. Here's the straight story on everything from postmortem hair growth to Halloween candy hazards.

Forget about mind-blowing fun. Nowadays the kids who came of age in the '60s are turning 60. And they'd rather keep their minds intact, thank you. With that wave of elder boomers looming, scientists are hard at work on ways to prevent dementia and ordinary mental decline. The research is beginning to bear fruit: it's clear that a healthy lifestyle and mental exercise can measurably improve cognitive functioning. So the next time you hear yourself refer to "what's his name" or find yourself wandering a parking lot in search of your car, resolve to start a brain-fitness program. Here are six brain-sharpening recommendations that mindful folks of any age can follow. (Why not start early?)

WASHINGTON - It's a tiny vacuum cleaner for the brain: A new treatment for stroke victims promises to suction out clogged arteries in hopes of stopping the brain attack before it does permanent harm.

When researchers from the University of Michigan surveyed more than 2,000 parents about their children’s health, they heard some good news. Despite the growing obesity problem, many of these parents could report that their sons and daughters, at least, were “about the right weight.”