Effectiveness of Laser Spine Surgery for Pain Relief Remains Unproven
H. Gordon Deen, M.D., Neurosurgery, Mayo Clinic

Spine surgery can be performed using several different tools, including a laser. Laser spine surgery has been around since the 1980s but it has never been studied in a controlled clinical trial to determine its effectiveness. Most neurosurgeons don't use lasers for spine surgery because there are no clear benefits to laser surgery over more well-established spine surgery techniques

Hybrid Hearts for Transplant: Could Stem Cells Solve Rejection Problems
Andy Coghlan, New Scientist Magazine

Human organs for transplant are scarce. One option is to engineer organs from scratch in the lab, using artificial scaffolds. While bladders and skin can be grown in the lab, growing more complex organs and their intricate blood-vessel networks, has proved tricky.

Surgery Not Only Option for Treating Spinal Stenosis
Mark Dekutoski, M.D., Orthopedic Surgery

Spinal stenosis is a common condition that results from changes to the spine as aging occurs. Symptoms vary in character and magnitude but can most often be effectively treated with nonsurgical therapies, such as medication and physical therapy. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary.

By the Way, Doctor: Can Ginkgo Biloba Slow Dementia
Anthony Komaroff, M.D. - Harvard Health Letters

Ginkgo is prescribed in many parts of the world as a memory remedy and is readily available in the United States as an over-the-counter herbal supplement. It does have some antioxidant properties

Tai Chi Health Benefits

This gentle form of exercise can prevent or ease many ills of aging and could be the perfect activity for the rest of your life.

Tai chi is often described as meditation in motion, but it might well be called medication in motion.

Food Chain: The Gift of Garlic

Garlic is prized as a culinary ingredient and herbal remedy by virtually every culture. The written and unwritten record of its virtues reaches back thousands of years.

Medical Memo - Hearty Humor

Mark Twain may have exaggerated a bit when he claimed that "Humor is mankind's greatest blessing." Still, a chuckle a day may help keep the doctor away and perhaps help stave off heart attacks and strokes.

Food Sources the Best Choices for Antioxidants
Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic

It is true that antioxidants -- such as vitamins C and E, carotene, lycopene, lutein and many other substances -- may play a role in helping to prevent diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration. However, research indicates that simply taking antioxidant supplements is not the best way to go about getting what your body needs

Vegetarian Diets & Potential Health Benefits

Most people who choose vegetarian diets are motivated by their personal philosophies, ethical beliefs, or religious convictions. But health certainly is a factor, and if a vegetarian eating plan is constructed properly, it can be an asset to health.

Vitamins and Supplements: Do They Work?
Health & Wellness - Katherine Hobson

Some researchers maintain that the diets of many Americans still fall short on several essential nutrients -- not enough to cause debilitating deficiency diseases, but perhaps enough to miss out on their benefits without extra help from supplements. While experts say you should be skeptical of most claims about the disease-preventing power of vitamins, minerals and suuplments, some evidence does support taking a few as a hedge.

Make Food Your First Medicine
Naturally Savvy, John La Puma, M.D.

Food can be and should be your first choice of medicine. With the right recipes and the best quality food, you can actually look forward to filling your prescriptions. Why not spend your hard-earned dollars at the grocery rather than at the hospital?

The best research shows that when measured against prescription pharmaceuticals, some foods and recipes work pretty well. In fact, learning how to cook can save your life.

By the Way, Doctor: A Very Fishy Diet
Seafood Diet Benefits & Risks - Bruce Bistrain, M.D.

I read in an earlier issue of the Harvard Health Letter that one of your nutrition experts eats five servings of fish a week. Why so much? And isn't there a risk from the contaminants?

Obese drinkers face 'double hit'
Obese women drinking little more than a glass of wine a day have double the risk of liver disease compared with those who are slimmer, experts warn.

New blood pressure approach urged
Occasionally high blood pressure may be a greater indicator of stroke risk than consistently high readings, researchers say.

Women on pill 'may live longer'
Women who took the contraceptive pill are less likely to die of cancer and heart disease, a long-term study has found.

Home 'cervical cancer' test hope
At-home screening tests for the virus responsible for most cervical cancers could detect many more cases, say researchers.

New York agrees 9/11 dust payout
New York City agrees to pay up to 657m US Dollars (437m Sterling) to thousands of rescue and clean-up workers at the 9/11 attacks site.

GPs 'lax' on cholesterol targets
Many lives could be saved if GPs followed guidelines for reducing cholesterol in those at high risk of heart disease, a study suggests.

Vitiligo skin graft 'effective'
Skin transplant surgery can be an effective way of treating the skin disease vitiligo, say US researchers.

Hospital rap over medicine errors
Too many patients in England and Wales are not getting their medicines in hospital, a safety watchdog says.

'No proof' IVF aided by acupuncture
There is no evidence acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine boost the chance of IVF success, fertility experts warn.

India help for Sri Lanka amputees
An Indian charity sends a team to Sri Lanka to provide 1,000 amputees in the war-ravaged north with artificial limbs.

'Problem kids' risk future pain
Children with behavioural problems are twice as likely to suffer chronic pain as adults than others, say researchers.

US school soda deal 'cuts sugar'
The US soft drinks industry says it has dramatically cut full-calorie beverages available in schools as part of a drive to tackle obesity.

Action urged on pregnancy deaths
Pregnant women in developing countries face the same risk of death as women in the UK did 100 years ago, say campaigners.

Obama continues healthcare attack
US President Barack Obama attacks insurers for raising rates as he continues his push for healthcare reform.

UK gives SA millions of condoms
The UK donates £1m ($1.5m) to South Africa to buy 42m condoms, as the nation builds up to the football World Cup.

Surgery on Mubarak 'successful'
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak undergoes successful surgery at a German clinic for an inflamed gall bladder, state media say.

Africa in bid to wipe out polio
A campaign is launched to eradicate polio in west and central Africa, targeting 85 million children.

'London bomb stress' recognised
Psychologists say they have treated hundreds of survivors of the 2005 London bombings for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Breathing 'as good as massage'
Massage is no more effective at cutting anxiety than deep breathing and soothing music, say US researchers.

Scan 'can distinguish memories'
Scientists say they have been able to tell which past event a person is recalling using a brain scan.

High-risk lifestyle
A hepatitis C sufferer tells her story

Chickenpox row
A vaccine is available - why not use it in the UK?

Obesity risk
Why extra fat can turn you into a killer behind the wheel

Three-way swap
UK's first pooled kidney transplant hailed a success

Mobile clinic
Phones transform healthcare in the developing world

From BBC Health
What happens to your body under anaesthetic?

Cancer: The facts
Information and statistics on common types of cancer

Heart disease and stroke

Pregnancy timeline
From fertilisation to birth, an outline guide to a typical pregnancy and how the baby develops inside the womb.