Health News

LIEGE, Belgium, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A Belgian man misdiagnosed as being in a coma says he could hear and see doctors, friends and family who visited him for 23 years.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Cooking fires are three times more likely to occur on Thanksgiving in the United States compared to any other day of the year, fire prevention experts say.

LONDON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A doctor said Britain's National Health Service needs to focus on improving the health of its staff members in areas such as smoking and obesity.

TORONTO, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Preparing more food than usual at Thanksgiving can increase the risk of food poisoning, food experts in Canada warn.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Secondhand smoke causes greater blood vessel damage in toddlers than in teens, a U.S. researcher said.

NEWCASTLE, England, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Half of British women lack vitamin A due to a genetic variation, scientists found.

LEXINGTON, Ky., Nov. 22 (UPI) -- University researchers said black victims of Alzheimer's disease in Lexington, Ky., are getting help following an outreach effort.

OXFORD, Pa., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- About 25 seniors at a Pennsylvania university have failed to meet a requirement that all obese students pass a class called "Fitness for Life."

ATLANTA, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Influenza cases are down in some parts of the United States, but 43 states are still reporting activity, health officials said Friday.

DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Four patients with H1N1 influenza at Duke University Hospital in Durham,N.C., were resistant to Tamiflu, university officials confirmed Friday.

MADISON, N.J., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Data from a laboratory testing company suggests the H1N1 flu may have peaked in October in the United States, company officials said.

LONDON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- British and Norwegian researchers said depression is as big of a mortality risk factor as smoking.

DALLAS, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Reflux damage to the esophagus may be an immune response, not acid burn, U.S. researchers say.

CHICAGO, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Thanksgiving is a perfect time to talk to family members about end-of-life wishes, a U.S. group of doctors who specialize in end-of-life issues says.

UYO, Nigeria, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- A readily available giant land snail could help reduce malnutrition and iron deficiency in African countries, a Nigerian researcher says.