Medical Treatments

To Get Parents To Vaccinate Their Kids, Don't Ask. Just Tell

1:56pm February 10, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

The way a pediatrician talks with nervous parents about vaccines may determine whether the child gets immunized or not, a study suggests. Asking "What do you want to do about shots?" doesn't work.

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Juniper Russo walks her dogs with her daughter Vivian (left).

Once A Vaccine Skeptic, This Mom Changed Her Mind

8:16am February 05, 2015

by Jon Hamilton

Juniper Russo wants what is best for her daughter, Vivian, and she sometimes questions mainstream medicine. But after three years of soul-searching, she decided vaccination was best.

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Dr. Eric Ball examines a healthy 5-day-old patient in his office in Ladera Ranch, Calif. Ball and colleagues decided this week to take only patients whose parents follow the recommended vaccine schedule.

Pediatricians Pressured To Drop Parents Who Won't Vaccinate

8:15am February 05, 2015

by Patti Neighmond

The pressure, doctors say, is mostly coming from other parents who don't want their infants exposed to measles, whooping cough or other serious illnesses in the pediatric waiting room.

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California is one of 20 states that allow parents to opt out of vaccination requirements for reasons of "personal belief." About 10 percent of students in the Santa Monica-Malibu school district are not immunized.

Measles + Low Vaccination Rates = Big Headaches For Schools

8:25pm February 04, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

California allows parents to opt out of vaccination requirements. Amid Southern California's measles outbreak, many schools are struggling with how best to deal with students who aren't vaccinated.

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Jackie Carnegie immunizes Mabel Haywood in a Colorado Health Department immunization van in 1972. Shots for measles and other infectious diseases were offered.

Most People Getting Measles Are Adults. Time For A Shot?

7:27pm February 04, 2015

by Poncie Rutsch

Though much of the emphasis in this measles outbreak has been on children, most of the people getting sick are adults. That has more than a few grown-ups wondering if they're vulnerable.

A lot of time and money has gone into trying to improve end-of-life care.

Pain And Suffering At Life's End Are Getting Worse, Not Better

4:39pm February 04, 2015

by Jenny Gold

Despite considerable effort to improve care for people who are dying, more people are reporting pain and depression, a study finds. Medical treatments that lengthen the process may be one reason.

Health & Safety

New Meds Block Heroin Craving, But Reporter Finds Treatment Centers Don't Use Them

1:52pm February 04, 2015

The Huffington Post's Jason Cherkis investigated the heroin epidemic in Kentucky, and found that the abstinence-based approach used in most treatment centers was leading to many fatal relapses.

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Rhett Krawitt outside his home in Marin County, Calif.

A Boy Who Had Cancer Faces Measles Risk From The Unvaccinated

1:24am February 04, 2015

by Lisa Aliferis

The father of a young child who had leukemia has a plea for other parents: Please vaccinate your children, because people with compromised immune systems, including his son, can't be vaccinated.

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DNA tests were run on supplements claiming to contain ginko bilboa, St. John's wort, ginseng and echinacea.

Health & Safety

New York State Clamps Down On Herbal Supplements

7:05pm February 03, 2015

by Jackie Northam

The state attorney general asked four major retailers to pull pills because they don't contain what they claim. Tests show supplements are often filled with cheap ingredients, including houseplants.

Acupuncture May Help With Nasal Allergies, Doctors Say

4:48pm February 03, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Over-the-counter remedies can help a lot if your stuffy, drippy nose is caused by allergies, new guidelines say. Acupuncture might help, too, but there's no evidence that herbal remedies do a thing.