Health & WellnessS


Question

Mystery leak leaves 55 sick in Spain: fire service

Barcelona - Fifty-five people became sick Monday after inhaling an unidentified substance at an industrial park outside Barcelona, the fire service said.

Most of those treated for vomiting and sore eyes worked at a factory producing DVDs and CDs, according to the interior ministry of the regional Catalan government said.

A health alert was first issued at around 6:20 am local time (0420 GMT) at the Rubi industrial park in a suburb of Barcelona when workers noticed a strong odour and some became sick.


Ambulance

Intestinal virus kills at least 21 children in China

Beijing - An outbreak of intestinal virus in eastern China has claimed the lives of at least 21 children and the number of reported cases has risen to nearly 2,500, the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday.

Magic Wand

Night club drug could ease depression: scientists

London - Scientists have unraveled how a horse tranquilizer and hallucinogenic night club drug known as "Special K" can ease depression, researchers said on Friday.

Ketamine, which can also cause feelings of detachment, could pave the way for new treatments for people suffering from depression, the researchers added.

Health

Flashback U.S. Health Care Gets Boost From Charity

One of the decisive issues in the presidential campaign is likely to be health insurance. Texas and Ohio vote on Tuesday, and those states alone have nearly seven million uninsured residents; nationwide, 47 million have no health insurance. But that's just the start: millions more are underinsured, unable to pay their deductibles or get access to dental care.

Recently, 60 Minutes heard about an American relief organization that airdrops doctors and medicine into the jungles of the Amazon. It's called Remote Area Medical, or "RAM" for short.

As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, Remote Area Medical sets up emergency clinics where the needs are greatest. But these days, that's not the Amazon. This charity founded to help people who can't reach medical care finds itself throwing America a lifeline.

Health

Doctors to reassess antibiotics for 'chronic Lyme' disease

HARTFORD, Conn. - Patients who believe they suffer long-term problems from Lyme disease are claiming victory over a national doctors group. The Infectious Diseases Society of America has agreed to review its guidelines, which say there's no evidence long-term antibiotics can cure "chronic Lyme" disease - or even that such a condition exists.

No Entry

Merck Plant Dumps Vaccine Waste and Chemicals Into Water Supply

Merck, the maker of the very controversial Gardasil vaccine, has a pharmaceutical plant located in West Point, Pennsylvania, that discards pollutants from this facility into the Upper Gwynedd Township Publicly Owned Treatment Works (UGT POTW), according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice. The treated wastewater is released into the Wissahickon Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River. A federal court complaint was filed alleging that Merck violated the Clean Water Act with various discharges that caused numerous pass through and interference violations at the UGT POTW.

Info

More parents opt not to genitally mutilate their sons

When Michelle Timke's son was born 12 years ago, she had the baby circumcised because "that's just what you did."

Bulb

Complex Memory Test Helps Young Adults Solve Problems Faster

A brain exercise designed to help people improve memory also boosted their problem-solving abilities, scientists said in a study that may lead to techniques to improve learning and stave off brain illnesses.

Young adults who performed the exercise, a complex matching game of sounds and pictures, improved about twice as much on problem-solving tests as those who didn't participate, University of Michigan researchers said in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Briefcase

Dr. Bronner's sues rivals over organic labels

San Francisco - The company that makes Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, a counterculture staple, sued many of its personal care competitors Monday over the validity of their organic labels as the once-quiet "green" cosmetic sector has soared in popularity, luring several Wall Street corporations into the field.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, accused 10 companies and two industry groups of selling and promoting soaps, lotions and other products that are manufactured using conventionally grown crops or chemicals derived from petroleum.

Syringe

Measles in U.S. at Highest Level Since 2001; "Experts" use fear to push iatrogenocide agenda

Measles outbreaks in at least seven states are expected to produce more cases in 2008 than in any other recent year, federal health officials said Thursday, warning that measles is highly contagious and can cause severe illness and even death.

Measles
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